- I’ve had THE most awesome final / “reveal” package from my SP11 pal, Janey. THANK YOU JANEY! :-D I shall write more and post pics later. And email Janey to gush a lot. Yes.
- Due to Circumstances Beyond My Control, I haven’t been able to send out my own final SP11 parcel to Katie yet. Argh. Actually, it looks like I won’t be able to get hold of one thing I was looking for anyway, so I guess I’ll have to give up and get it sent asap. Although asap might have to be next week, the way things are looking. I reiterate: argh! Sorry, Katie :-/
- It’s a year today that I was in that car accident (my car was hit). Therefore, a year since I last drove, since after that (a) my poor car was squished, and (b) I was put on meds that mean I’m medically disqualified from having a licence. Which in turn means I’ve got a free bus pass, so it’s not all bad.
- I was kind of under the weather again last week. Mainly, I’m annoyed. I have things to do! Therefore, I’m now running around like a… crazy running around thing. Pick your metaphor. Off to the shops soon. Hey, fresh air! That’ll be novel.
- Site revamp still not done. Well, it is. I just haven’t applied it to the actual site and uploaded it yet. Yeah, not done.
- What with the not-well thing, I haven’t got as much knitting done as I’d like, either. I do at least have one FO, but everything else that’s Christmas knitting? Um, not yet. Must knit faster.
- I have sorted out pretty much everything (I think!) that I’m going to destash, however. Looong post all about that coming v soon.
- Xandermog is poking me in the leg with his sharp pointy toes. Owwwww.
- Aaaaaaaaaand the child upstairs seems to be banging something echo-y and metal on the floor. Oh, someone please make it stop!
- I might just be having a bit of a manic Monday (haha, oh dear). Shall have to watch myself, and try to do some relaxing stuff once I’ve got the must-do things out of the way. Note to self: breathe.
Category: General Rambling
Don’t get too close to the screen, I’m infectious!
Oh noes, I have the interbets lurgy! It’s true, I blogged about not being so well for the last (argh) three flippin’ weeks… and gave it to both my Secret Pals and their kidlets! Eeep. Sorry, Janey and Katie, and anyone else who I’ve infected! ;-)
In actual fact, what was wrong with me was a chest thing that seemed to drag out because it gave me a bad asthma… thing. I don’t usually have much trouble with the asthma, or I haven’t for the last several years anyway, but I’ve now got a steroid inhaler again for a while until I can breathe proper-like. And in fact, that seemed to be doing the trick very nicely along with lots of vitamins and sundry druuuugs. Til I caught a cold. D’oh! So I’ve spent the last couple of days feeling like poo again, and I had to cancel the plans I had with my new friend M (who I met at Knit & Natter) to go over to hers to hang out and knit today. The group actually meets in Battle, but people from all over the area go… and M and I discovered that we only live a short walk (or an ever shorter bus-ride-and-walk) from each other, so we swapped numbers. We’re going to sort something out for next week instead, when I’m less germ-y!
Anyhow, I am actually feeling better today than I did yesterday – I think I’m on the last day of the cold-iness. I’ve had a nice hot bath and everything, which helped. So hopefully I’ll be well enough tomorrow to go to the beading workshop that I’m signed up for. Oh, which reminds me, must sort out my pack lunch for that.
Right, I’m off to watch Children in Need. Actual knit-y post coming later!…
Alright, that’s *it*.
No more eBaying while under the weather for me. Clearly my brain just isn’t working as it should, and I’ve completely embarrassed myself not once, but twice. Even three times, if you consider it that way. First of all I sold a Colinette pattern book to a lady… and failed like a big failing person to post it out: I sold several lots of yarn at the same time, one of which I was being paid by cheque for, so I didn’t post it with the others. Neither did I notice that the envelope with the pattern book in was under that package, so I didn’t pick it up with the others when I posted them. Obviously I found it in the end, when I went to take the paid-for-by-chq yarn to the PO, but I’d been telling the poor buyer that yes, I had posted it out, really I had! Uh, not so much.
And now, guess what I’ve done? I sold two lots of yarn – same stuff in different colours and different amounts. Posted them out on Monday… to the wrong people. I switched the addresses. Cleverrrrrrrr. One of the buyers has just been in touch to let me know. *headdesk headdesk headdesk* I’m such an idiot. I don’t know if I put the wrong receipts in with them or not, but now I need to arrange for them both to be sent back so that I can post them out again. Either that, or arrange for them to post them to each other. Whatever they prefer.
I think I’ll go back to bed. *gloom doom etc* ;-)
Autumnal Spring Cleaning
I’ve been having a really good clear-out over the last few weeks, and I’m starting to feel less mentally cluttered as well already. I’ve even eBayed more of my yarn. I know! Can I really be breaking my hoarding mentality? Well, no, not if you look at my bookshelves (MY books *clings*) and, uh, the remainder of my yarn stash. Not to mention the contents of my wardrobe and drawers… and a couple of suitcases… However, I am going to eBay some more stuff. Not yarn this time (although I might be able to persuade myself to part with a couple more skeins), but things like my spare Palm cradle (never used) and serial cable (not used since approx 3 computer upgrades ago)… oh, and I’m sure there are some other things. I have also sorted out more clothes and knick-knacks etc to go off to the charity shop. I think I still have more to do there, though!
Unfortunately, I’ve been a bit stalled on the whole thing because I’m still ill. Bleuch. I left the flat yesterday for the first time in about 2 weeks (alright, maybe my mental health hasn’t been ideal: being stuck indoors ill was threatening to push me into a ‘down’, but I think I’ve caught it in time) because I had to go to the Post Office, and stopped in to speak to the pharmacist on the way. She reckons I have bronchitis or a chest infection, and what with being asthmatic already, I’ve been told to go to the doctor tout de suite. I know, I know, I should have gone a week ago. I am Procrastination Woman. In this case, that’s particularly stupid of me since it means I’ve been propped at a weird angle in bed for several days since I can neither sit/stand up or lay down normally and breathe comfortably. V annoying. Oh well. I have an appointment this afternoon. I’ll be fixed soon. On the plus side, this whole thing seems to have sorted out my insomnia / wonky body-clock thing that I had going on: I’m now tired / sleeping during the actual night again, instead of being awake all night and tired or asleep all day. Hoorah!
In knitting news, I have got some work done on my WIPs. I really must remember to make a couple of posts about my current WIPs and recently completed FOs to spring-clean that off my mental to-do list. Mainly I’ve been working on “Mmm, Refreshers”, which is a Christmas gift. Can’t say anything else about it in case the recipient trundles over here. You never know with my friends and family *peers around suspiciously*. I’ve also done a bit of “WFS” (likewise, Christmas), and some of my Fireworks socks… which are for me me me, so there. Obviously I finished my Tête à Fetching (wore it when I went out yesterday), and I’m really chuffed with the response – some people have said they like it and want to make it, it’s in a few queues (and one in-progress!) on Ravelry, and I even got a really lovely comment from Cheryl Niamath who designed the Fetching gloves. :-) I’ll get the scarf pattern written up soon-ish as well, but I want to make a wider version of it for Mum first. Once I’ve finished something else, that is.
I actually think my WIP tolerance has been reached. If I cast on one more project, my head would explode. I can cope, just about, with the number I have going at once right now (8 plus 3 in hibernation) because I have a definite Christmas deadline for, um, three of them. Although I have at least two more things I wanted to cast on for gift knitting as well. Oh dear. But I’m not going to think about that now! The thing is, those gift knits are the ones which are taking priority, and the rest are pushed to the back-burner. Some more than others – I’m still working on my various pairs of socks (for me) every now and again, to give myself a break. It seems to be working. But anyway, like I said, I’ll make a proper all-about-my-WIPs post a bit later.
I didn’t find my gloves, by the way. So far I’ve been wearing my Fetchings or my Hurry Up Spring fingerless ones, but I’ve wound a skein of Yarn Yard Merino sock into a ball to make some new ones – I think I’m going to make cabled ones with that. And I did crumble and get ones of the glove kits, so I’m going to make a pair with that too.
Yay, gloves! I’m not allowing myself to cast on for them until I’ve finished a couple of my current WIPs, though. Preferably the Christmas gift ones, since those have a deadline!
Hmm, was there anything else I was going to say? I can’t think… oh! I remember. I found a (the) Holiday Gift KAL-CAL. Just what I wanted! I have duly signed myself up. Um. Oh yes, and I’ve been working on my next (final? I’m not sure if I’ll be sending one more package or if I’ll split it into two – Katie, do you have any preferences?) SP11 package. Mwahaha. Etc. ;-)
Right, that’s enough being upright for me for the time being. I’m going back to bed for a bit to listen to the radio / podcasts while knitting, then I shall get up again, have foooood, and get myself off to the doctor’s. TTFN!
Ugh
OK, I know I said I wouldn’t moan any more about this… but I’m going to anyway. I fail at being ill. I’m officially rubbish at it. Because both lying down and sitting / standing up have their different discomforts, I’ve been yo-yo-ing between one and the other… which has meant not much sleep until this afternoon when my body apparently decided enough was enough and zonked out. Of course, now I’m awake again.
Still, I’ve loaded up my mp3 player with podcasts, I have soup and hot squash (and I’ve taken all the right vitamins and painkillers, etc), and I have my knitting and my Palm which is loaded with books & also there in case I have inspiration to crack on with NaNoWriMo*. I’m Going To Bed!
* Yes, like a fool I signed up for NaNo. I haven’t tried doing it for a few years… and of course I have to get ill at the start of November, so I haven’t even started yet. However, I’m not going to stress. I’ll start when I can and just see how much I can get written over the month. I was going to do NaKniSweMo instead, you know, but then I realised I have my gift knitting – that really needs to take priority. Maybe I should see if there’s a Gift Blitz KAL. If there’s not, there should be!
Under the weather…. but presents cheer me up!
Oh, ick. I’ve been somewhat under the weather (physically… my mental health is still good, hoorah) for the last few days, and I thought I had a cold. But now I have the sneaking feeling that it might be something that’ll need antibiotics. Blech. I have that weird hollow-yet-tight feeling in my chest, I haven’t been able to breathe properly for a few days, and every muscle in my chest and upper back hurrrrrrts. *whine whine whine* And now I have that swollen-gland thing going on. There’s probably no point in going to the doctor just yet – I’ll wait a few more days and see if it goes away on its own. Although this has reminded me that I should get my flu jab done!
Anyway, I’m not going to moan on about that any more. If I disappear for a few days, I’ll probably be wrapped up warm in bed. Knitting, naturally. Hopefully it won’t come to that, though (the having to stay in bed, not the knitting – the knitting will no doubt happen anyway). :-)
So, on to the good stuff! I got my second SP11 package!! Wheeee, thank you Janey! :-D
Continue reading “Under the weather…. but presents cheer me up!”
Lost Gloves
It looks like I’ve lost my favourite pair of gloves :-( I mean, they’re only shop-bought, almost certainly acrylic yarn ones. But they fit, they were black with cables on the back, and they were warm and comfy. They weren’t scratchy or squeaky. They were my perfect gloves. Wah!
Of course, I have other gloves. Handknitted fingerless ones, which are lovely… but not quite the same as, well, gloves with fingers. And not go-with-everything black, either. Pleather (ie. plastic leather-looking!) ones: not warm or particularly flexible either. Cycling ones: v practical… if I had a bike right now, which I don’t. Velvet ones, lace ones: all very pretty, but not much use for keeping fingers toasty.
No, I want my woolly gloves back. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that I lost them out somewhere, earlier this year. Last I remember, they were in my coat pocket… and the next time I went to put them on, they were gone. I probably took them off and put them down, got distracted, and that was that. :-/ I’m going to have one last really good hunt through the bags that I don’t use much, just in case. And then I guess I’d better buckle down and knit myself some new ones.
The next question is, what kind of gloves shall I make? Proper cosy wool ones, certainly. But shall I try to replicate my old ones as closely as I can remember, or shall I have plain ones? Black / one-colour, or variegated? Hmmm. Pattern suggestions, anyone?
(I am of course, rilly rilly tempted by Natalie’s Glove Kits & Club, but I must not buy any more yarn yet. However, I spose I could have more than one new pair of gloves, couldn’t I? *cough* After all, I have all that lovely sock yarn that I don’t have to use on socks…)
Friday 5!
I used to do the original version of this meme, back when this was a life-in-general blog, and I’ve decided I’d like to start up again. So here goes:
1. What was the last thing you baked?
Ahahahaha. Baking? Me? Um, no. Unless this counts anything that goes in the oven, in which case… a casserole?
2. What was the last thing you tried on for size?
The cardigan I bought on Tuesday. I know, bought. I fail at knitting. But see, I suddenly realised (on Monday evening) that I was going to freeze on Wednesday if I didn’t have a nice cardigan to wear at the funeral. So I went out and got one. I felt bad! But interestingly, it’s a cardigan that I don’t think I’d have looked at before I started knitting. I bought it because I liked the cable-and-bobble pattern on the front as well as loving the colour (aubergine is everywhere right now – awesome!). I picked it up and considered how it was knit and constructed before I got to “is it me”. Heh.
3. What was the last thing you purchased on credit?
Ummm. Train tickets, I think. Either that, or some ebooks.
4. What was the last thing you put a postage stamp on?
A postcard to my SP11 pal, I think. Technically, I didn’t put the postage labels on the packages I’ve sent out, the post-office people did…
5. What was the last thing you took a photo of?
The Hedara sock in the last post :-)
– The Friday 5
Long Day
It’s been a looooooooooong day… and why I’m not in bed already, I’m not really sure. I’m running on caffeine fumes, or something. It was my uncle’s funeral, so we’ve been to Norfolk and home again (5:30am start, most of the day spent in the car…. ow my back). 
On the plus side, because I’m not allowed to drive at the moment, I got some knitting done. Um, yay? So yup, I have another couple of inches done of my Whitby sock. There would have been more, but I was pretty tired by the time we were on our way home, so I slept for a couple of hours. I feel a bit guilty about that, cos Mum and M were having to stay awake and do the driving. But then, I didn’t sleep well last night because my brain was in ‘oh no, what if I don’t wake up in time’ mode.
The funeral was fine, and it was good to see all my cousins, even if the circumstances weren’t exactly great. I even met up with a cousin I haven’t seen since we were both 2, and a couple of others that I might not have met at all. I have a lot of cousins. The ones who are all my age are actually my first-cousins-once-removed (the children of my first cousins) due to the generational wonk my family has going on. *g* One of these is my cousin B, who is great, and who I’m hoping to keep in touch with more regularly – we’ve been saying we will, but crucially this time we remembered to exchange email addrs! Hopefully I’ll get the chance to go and stay with her at some point so we can have a proper catch-up.
Back to the knitting, I’ve been doing lots of other things as well. I finished my first Hedara sock:
And the kitty-face baby hat that I’ve done for a friend’s expected new baby:
Aaaaaand finally I’ve finished off the HP Slytherin scarf I’ve been making for Sann for, oh, years (it was the weaving in of the ends that I stalled on). Hoorah!
Yaaaaay, finished objects! I feel like I’m on a bit of a roll now: I’m determined to finish one of the jumpers that’ve been lurking for years as well (see sidebar). I had resolved that I wasn’t going to cast anything new on until I’d finished at least one project, and now I’ve finished two and a half… but… finishing one of those flippin’ jumpers will feel like a real achievement. So that’s my next plan, along with continuing with the other things I have on the needles, of course! I really must remember to post on here with pics of the other things I’ve done recently as well. But not tonight. Now, it’s bedtime. Zzzzzzzzzz………
OMG ded (sic)
Woah, I’m exhausted. Feeling a little bit spacey here, I can tell you. The four-year-old who lives upstairs from me is allergic to sleeping all night long, and I keep getting woken up by loud thumps. The crying I could sleep through – it’s the intermittent bangs on the ceiling that do it. Nothing I can do about it, though, except be glad I’m not one of her parents! And possibly invest in some earplugs next time I’m at the chemist…
That’s not the only reason I’m knackered, though. I’ve been up to my eyeballs in php, and learning all about WordPress. Which have been fun, but once I start getting into the code and stuff, I forget to stop for, oh, food and breaks, etc etc. What, it’s absorbing! I’m not going to be changing this site to WP – it took me long enough fiddling about getting MT how I like it, and if I went and changed to another blogging system I’d only spend a million years prodding the back end (my Mum thinks that sounds bad, but I have no other way to describe it) and not making any posts. Again! So this site is staying as it is. However, WP is a useful thing to know how to use, and it all meshes in nicely with the PHP I’ve been learning. Hoorah!
So my brain is a little frazzled from several days intense work at that. Good thing I’ve had my knitting to wind me down! I’ve started the two larger items of my Christmas knitting (and the other two I have planned aren’t definite anyway) but I spose I can’t talk about them here just in case. D’oh. I’ve also been working on the other projects that I started recently… that I still haven’t mentioned on here, but deserve their own post when I’m less tired! I really need to make posts for my finished items too. Although actually, I can’t post one thing because it’s for SP11. Oh well, eventually!
Talking of SP11, that’s the other reason I’m tiiiiired. Sort of. I went into town and shopped! Partly for SP things, and partly for other stuff that I’d been needing. I also bumped into C, which was nice cos I hadn’t seen her for ages. And, um. Um.
Losing… ability… to… words… together… string….
$var="sleepyLou"
if(eyes!=open && brain==ded) {
function init(goToBed)
} else {
function init(CAFFEINE)
}
Yup. Think that covers it. *thud*
The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees, but what became of the monkey monkey monkey monkey…
I’m listening to / watching the Last Night of the Proms at the mo. Ah, Last Night, I luff you! One of these days I’ll actually go in person. I’ve actually been a completely rubbish Prommer this year and not been to a single one. I was just too broke to get up to London. Next year! I’m determined. I’ve enjoyed listening on the radio and catching the odd one on telly, but it’s not the same as being in the Hall yourself. I’ve loved the Albert Hall since I first sung there when I was 10. There’s just no atmosphere like it for me. It’s my all time favourite concert hall in the world, no contest. Even the Sydney Opera House, fabulous as it is, just doesn’t have the same emotional attachments I guess. So yes. Go the Proms!
*break while I sing along to Jerusalem*
But what I was originally going to post about was my Monkey socks. I finished them! I like them lots. They’re all comfy too. I’m gradually getting faster at the knitting of socks – I spose it’s more that I’m picking the sock up to knit it more often rather than physically knitting them faster.
Did I mention that the foot was way faster than the leg? I think I did. I ended up with quite a lot of yarn left over – maybe even a third of a ball. Anyway, here they are:
I’m back!
I did say I was going, didn’t I? I’ve been off in Manchester at the TRA Meet-Up 2007, which was the best con evah. Seriously. Actually, it was more like a pilgrimage than a convention – it wasn’t the kind where several hundred fans are packed into a hotel for a weekend and queued past actors. Which, hey, I’ve been to plenty of and enjoyed very much! But somehow this was better: there were just 50 or so of us, and we visited various filming locations, “met” the Camberwick Green puppet of Sam, and got to sit in the Cortina! So yes. Pretty much the best Life on Mars geekfest possible. There was even a party with fab 70’s style buffet food (and a pub quiz) on the Saturday night. The girls who organised it really went all out and made it a seriously memorable weekend for everyone, plus I met some lovely lovely people. Whee!
I got back down from Manchester on Wednesday evening at…. late-ish. I had to hang around in London for a while to avoid the rush hour – I did think about braving it, but I didn’t really fancy possibly standing all the way to Hastings with my backpack on. I was wiped out when I got home, so I kind of fed the cat and fell into bed at that point. Since then I’ve been (a) recovering and (b) working. Or is it the other way around? Nah, maybe not. ;-) I’m just in the process of ploughing through my email, so if you’re expecting to hear from me… I may be gone some time! Oh alright, I’m being over-dramatic. Hopefully I won’t take very long – at a quick glance I see I have mail from my SP to answer *waves*.
In knitting stuff, I did get a fair bit done on the train journeys, which was nice. I made my second Fetching, and a good start on my first Hedara sock. More about those later when I have photos to prettify the post. Listened to plenty of knitting podcasts, too, which enlivened the whole travelling thing. Hoorah!
I got my Yarn Yard club parcel yesterday, too. :-D I don’t think I mentioned last month’s, which I loved as well. This one is scrummy – I won’t describe it just yet in case there’s anyone reading (is there anyone reading? At all? *g*) who’s in the club and hasn’t had theirs. But it’s bright and delicious, and there were sweets in the package as well! Yum!! I think I definitely do want to use the accent quarter skein for toes and heels this time. I’m just not sure whether to make plain stst socks or do something with a little bit of a pattern / texture. I’ll think on it. And post photos in a couple of days when I’ve taken them.
Right now, though? Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
Whoosh!
I’ve been pretty busy over the last few days. Phew! But I have been knitting – I’ll make a longer post all about that a bit later. Right now I’m in the middle of a massive tidy-up / clear out that was actually inspired by me deciding that I need to destash my yarn. As in, knit from the stash. Not (*gasp*) give it away or anything drastic. Well, maybe a skein or two as gifts.
But the point is, I need to declutter my entire life. Or at least my flat. So I’ve been doing that. I’m still not properly sorted out after the move in December. But now I’m on a roll, and I know what the major problems were (wardrobe in the wrong place, and not enough storage – soon to be solved). Whee!
You never know, once I’ve done the big stuff and made a trip or two to the charity shop and the tip, I might even get around to sorting out my filing. Ahahahah! Yeah, right.
Oh, and before I forget (because I’m rubbish like that), hi to my secret pal, “Miss Teri”. *waves* I’ve had my own secret pal assignment too so I’ve been diligently stalking them. Mwahaha! I’ve bought them stuff already too. This is fun!
Not Dead!
Despite appearances, the blogathon didn’t kill me. Hoorah! It did wipe me out for a bit there, though, and then I had to spend some time catching up on the things I’d got behind on while I was thus wiped out. But anyway, now I’m back and feelin’ fiiiiine.
So!
And I raised a fantastic $199.66, which translates to £98.64 in real money, all thanks to my wonderful sponsors:
– Heather
– Ally
– Noxie
– Ramona
– Mum
– Carla
– hellolovely
– Anonymous
– Ambermoggie
– talesfromtheplain
– Liz
THANK YOU, guys. And thank you to my excellent charity, MDF, who sent me a lovely email and have invited me to submit a piece for the charity’s quarterly magazine about the blogathon and why I chose them as my charity. I’ll be sending that off to them shortly, so you never know, I might even get in print. :-)
I’d like to highlight a few of the posts I made during the ‘thon – the ones that got the actual content, really. It was amazingly hard to write what feel like ‘full’ posts to me for every one, because it just takes me too long! So there ended up just being a relatively small number of more meaty ones, interspersed by briefer comments. Anyway, the ones I wanted to point out are:
– Bipolar Disorder, and MDF: The Bipolar Organisation
– Fetching So Far
– Excitement! I Won!
– Forest Canopy
– My First Socks
– Loopylou and the Multitude of HP Scarves
I guess that’s all on the ‘thon until another year, then. Maybe next year, maybe not! It’s been three years since I did it last, so I’m not going to commit myself now. But I certainly do intend to do it again… and try to remember next time not to do pretty much a full day’s activity *before* I start, next time…
And now we return you to our non-regularly scheduled knitting posts!
Organisation
It’s quite funny really. I’ve known for ages that I’m going to be doing this today, but now it’s here, I’m horribly disorganised. I’d had every intention of clearing my desk, deciding exactly what I was going to use from my stash and getting it all out in a neat pile (or something), cooking food to eat well in advance, and so on. But no! I’m no more organised than I am on a normal day. Which is to say, not at all.
Oh well.
What shall I knit first?
Or should I call a taxi and go for those camera batteries?
Help?