My muse is having a break...

Just cast off another chunky lace shawl and have two easy capelets to finish for Holly then I'm lost.I just can't knit some plain cardigan I could buy in town but I have ten balls of a beautiful aran . Any ideas out there? I had all my Rowan books out but I've never really bought Debbie Bliss ones .Rowan have never really done aran except Magpie and Yorkshire Tweed types which are rough and not at all like the wool/silk mix I have .Does anyone know of a free pattern on say Knitty for one of those shrugs that is arms and a bit of back?

Dr Who ?

Not being a fan I can't say I know the actor who plays him .That said I just watched his episode of "Who do you Think You Are ".It was very moving and thought provoking.I had enjoyed Robert Linsay's greatly with only the usual sick feelings about the generations used as cannon-fodder or working in awful conditions. Today ( and I missed the start) his Scots ancestors were forcibly moved in clearances , bad enough. Then it turns out his Irish/Scots family were staunch Protestants and in fact one an orangeman.The only light was a Catholic relative who had struggled in the Civil Rights movement against sectarianism .I could feel his pain ,finding out I had a bigot of any faith in my family would hurt .But in that dreadful situation it was so very sad. I thank God for a childhood in which my best friend was a catholic another a muslim and another a Jew. Apart from Nazma's dad carrying his prayer mat sometimes, Basia's parents trying to persuade me I'd go to purgatory I never had to think about any of it.Mum would have let me bring a Martian home .We have had some rather nasty racist incidents as a young couple but none lately .Now I hear words like "crusade" on the radio this week and despair when I hear a young man say he wishes to have Sharia law in Britain .I know I want the freedom to be a Christian and I want him to have it to be a Muslim.If Muslims become the majority I still hope we will live under secular law that applies to all citizens.

New shade in Frizzante..

In fact my perfect colour combination of teals and plums. I bought six which will make a capelet for Holly .I find Silky-chic patterns are useful for it.I will combine it with another yarn or it's a bit wimpy . 

Fiber Trends Squirrels.

"Get Knitted" have the cutest little pattern for squirrels. Gill at "Woolly Workshop" has some gorgeous new Crystal Palce wool for felting ( if you want) with a really cute bag pattern .

Stange but true..

Yes folks I just found a site that wishes to "Reclaim the nipple". I never knew it had gone away and if it was a site to promote breast-feeding in public I'd understand ..but out on their own in British weather no thanks. There are certain private parts that none of us want to see plonked on the cheese counter as we buy and that sure is one of them. In some societies it's okay to go topless but I'd rather not here thanks.I've often thought clothes are such a mercy , all those attractive yarns , fabrics etc . To let the little poppets out alone we'd have holes in our clothes I guess and they'd get chaffed , sun-burnt etc.Serves me right for reading a blog on crafts with some rather odd links.

Pattern books to go with the new Sirdar range...

"Get Knitted" have them listed as arriving next week and I must say the baby ones looks adorable. I never thought to ask in my L.Y.S 'cos I tend to go my own way . I keep feeling the raspberry one because it is so soft.I think the whole difference is being all natural .I just wish they had plum and teal. I do like the new Louisa Harding silk/wool too . I ordered two skeins of Noro's new Kochoran no 47 and it was even prettier than it looks in the booklet. I also bought two Silk-Mountains to make a scarf .The jacket I like would cost about £120.00s so I will forget it .I think Kochoran is a good price because of the yardage.

"Sublime" a division of Sirdar..

I found this yarn in "Jacksons" ( no 2 L.Y.S) today . I was rather pleased as the Rose one is 75% merino , 20%silk and 5% cashmere .No microfibre here which is probably viscose which goes hard .I think it was a good price too much cheaper than Rowan.Too many pastel colours but the rose is to make a shrug for Holly. The yardage on the Kid Mohair is about 125 mtres but it is only £4.25 . It's nice to see competion for Rowan who I think charge a fortune for yarns with very little quality in them R.Y.C range in particular. 

Poor little Benjy.

Very sad news about our Benjy who simply could not get a grasp on his bowels so will have to be put to sleep. I don't even want to think of trying again ..but then I said that when I mis-carried and Holly arrived a year later. Benjy was a kitten b.t.w and his breeder made the decision .

The moths celebrate..

I bought another bag of Mill-ends from Colinette and had at least six new bits for my shawl in sea and sand colours .I got an "Enigma" that is possibly "Mardi-Gras"which Holly adored.The trouble is it is very difficult to knit unless you knit it alongside another yarn .I have learned to love "Silky-Chic" but as pretty as "Lasso" is can't because it catches on skin .So I shall investigate scarf patterns later and have to say it's a fabulous colour .I rather like the "Point-Five" in it as P/F takes the colour well .It's a little heavy but makes fab collars. I supose next weight down is "Skye" .One of the major E:Bay sellers of Colinette has gone and another only takes Pay-pal which I won't have so it's a little annoying.I must go to Whitby next year so I can browse in "Bobbins" .If I could choose a new colour-scheme for Colinette it would involve a petrol blue.I see Rown has pure wool D.K back but it look really boring after "Colinette" although I started my knitting life with the old version .It's expensive compared to the same by "Wendy" ,why pay £1.00 a ball more unless you must have a certain colour?

Blogger drives another soul to Bedlam...

well nearly , luckily I was so busy reading Mark Steele's article in todays "Indie" that I only swore once and tore my clothes twice. It's all about the sort of parents who would change religion to get little Aubergine into the right school and are startled when forced to meet parents who have never been to Provence. Holly found three books by him so it's a trip to Waterstones again. For the non-English I really don't know if you realise the class system is still up and running and in fact is possibly getting worse.
The paramedic with a blog on Libby Purve's radio show this morning was brilliant too ,very funny.Sitting next to Rupert Everett who is as mad as a Yorkshire tea-cake I felt for him but Rupie was very sweet to him ...from a way other World though. One of Libby's best features is a mix of guests from all walks of life ...not exactly Melvyn Bragg who has caused severe brain damage on several occasions or bored me near to tears with some academic who loves their subject but is only one of two people who understand it the other being currently posting on their blog how terrible all us Clapotis knitters are being so "sheep-like" ..what a compliment !!!

"Spam ,spam,spam,spam"

Altogether now Python fans...I am soooooooooooooooooooooooo sick of Chinese spam .I think I get 20 a day all trying to sell me sick things .I sent one back with some choice words probably only make it worse .I block them all but back they come.I remember Colin wishing he could innundate their mail boxes maybe with sock patterns or adverts for pyschologists.

6 scanned sections of shawl...

put together by Holly..about 3/4s of the total. 

"But my dear it's the very latest"

I finished my lacey shawl last night rather as expected it's about 30 stitches less at one end ( don't ask!). I think the asymmetrical look is the thing don't you? I was so chuffed with the fact that the colours and yarn were different every two rows I didn't care.I'm not a planner more a spontaneous nutter . I will post pictures soon ...honestly it is only P.G not X-rated.

Section of no2..

Thank-you T.K !! I'd be in an asylum if I had to knit this . 

Section of Holly's new cardigan..

Thanks to T.K Maxx 

Very small section of "autumn"

I finished this a week ago ..it's a huge rectangle with many more autumn colours. 

Section of Shawl...

I bought in T.K Maxx for £16.99 .It's not cashmere but is 100% wool.I love the colours. 

Friday in town..

I have to go into town at least once a week to do my M&S food shop which is then delivered. Anyhow that was a bit of a chore as the whole dept. has moved around so I forgot a co
uple of essentials.
I had a look at John Lewis's yarn dept but no sign yet of the Debbie Bliss Cashmere I wanted to feel. In fact it is SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOO boring. What did surprise me is that I wanted both "Knitting" and "Simply Knitting" this month.One had a Colinette pattern I have wanted but is in "Lasso" .I will knit it in another D.K multi. In fact they were both interesting even from an ads. point of view. I bought Holly "Interiors" for drawing inspiration. She had parted to go to "Waterstones" . Jeff was with me so we looked around a few places we don't usually go .H.M.V had "Cromwell" but hadn't phoned me . Then on the way home we passed T.K.Maxx where I bought Holly two cardigans ,very fine and lacey and at £16.99 great value.If I could knit them I'd be proud as punch.
The deli. was next for some smelly goat's chees and matzos and Anton Berg's chocolate!
We love a film so popped "Cromwell" on ...oh dear ,oh dear ...what can I say it was full of mistakes/lies/stretched the truth . The shouting like a maniac was true .The Queen was a devious little horror who looked very unlike the dance loving , play loving woman she was. Dorothy Tutin was small enough but looked so like Geraldine McEwan that I kept expecting her to say "au resevoir" ( Mapp and Lucia fans will know that one). They seemed to lose a couple of years and if Sir Alec hadn't played the King fairly well it would have been truly awful . Some-one please make a decent film about this period. We also watched Simon Sharma on The Stuarts this week , not a love affair but he comes across as patronising , smug and pompous. As historians go give me Michael Woods and even Terry Jones.

Mum's health..

Thanks for the mails of concern.It turns out that she has Shingles ( always loved the sea-side).Anyhow she'll need lots of care and attention but it is a relief ,as nasty as it is that it is not something fatal. Thanks for caring.

Thoughts and prayers with Canadian bloggers.

This is all the more shocking being Canada .We seen even here to have at least two shootings a week .This casual ability to take away the life of another human being seems that it will never be solved until we smelt all weapons and learn that they were a vile invention by a very backward human race.