Ellie

The Corporate Life

So another week has passed by in a flash. Last weekend my parents came to visit so that is the end of staying guests for a while.

Tomorrow night we have a couple of friends coming round for Eurovision night silliness. I'm sure it will be the usual mix of mad songs, even madder costumes and political voting, but it's good entertainment. Apparently 2 of the entries feature knitting, Moldova and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Hmmm, curious.

What's on my needles? I am still plodding on with the Joma jumper for Colin from Let's Knit magazine. Interestingly it is a pattern from a Sublime knitting book and in there it is called Yoke. I have finished the back and have almost completed the second half of the front. My Clapotis is kind of hibernating until i finish the jumper. I also started a pair of Nutkin socks yesterday using some of the Angels & Elephants sock yarn I got from ebay.


I learned a new technique doing the cuffs because you knit 5 rounds, purl a round, knit 6 rounds and then fold over and knit the cast on edge onto the active stitches. It is very neat




I have also been listening to a lot of Lime & Violet podcasts. I now have an adapter to plug my iPod in in the car so I listen to them chatting on my way to and from work. I am toying with the idea of doing one myself, and am hoping to get Becca on board so that it is a bit chatty like L&V rather than me wittering on to myself. I am trying to find out where to start at the moment as I wouldn't have a clue!

Yesterday I texted Becca to see how she is getting on with her Clapotis and she suggested we had lunch. As I am more flexible with my timings I went to meet her at the head offices of MBNA (other banks are available!) where she works. It is on a big business park and it took me a while to find it, this wasn't helped by the fact that it is not signposted MBNA but Bank of America which was a tad confusing. Anyway, it is a huge building with pillars flanking the main entrance, a fountain and tall flagpoles!! I had to be signed in and we went through to the coffee shop inside called The Atrium. This is a large glass structure linking two parts of the building together like a huge conservatory. And they have a Costa coffee shop in there!! There is a payment system where the staff have to top up a keycard in a hole in the wall, to use at the till. Very hi-tech!!

So we sat and chatted about her holiday, knitting and various other things. AND........she is coming to Woolfest, woohoo!! Because of this we have decided not to go up to John Lewis and save our money for a big binge at Woolfest. Apart from this it will probably only be the dregs left anyway, because it is their last day opening on Monday, so it may have been a wasted trip. So there are quite a few people I know going to Woolfest now, and looking at the list of stands I noticed that The Natural Dye Studio are going to be there. I have had quite a few of their yarns from ebay so I am looking forward to that. There are about 100 stands so that should keep me occupied for a while!!

I have just got home from work and found 3 packets waiting for me. One was a bookmooch book, The Last Witchfinder by James Morrow. Another was the Knitter's Almanac which I got from The Book Depository for about £3.



And the third one was my renewed subscription to Yarn Forward magazine with a free skein of laceweight yarn. Unfortunately it is a lime green colour but I could always dye it I suppose, Chris & Mel were threatening to teach me how!

Is it me?

Oh dear, I think my favourite blogs list is cursed!! They are dropping like flies!

Nina hasn't posted since January
Frog in Knots and Bex haven't posted since March
Lixie hasn't done a podcast in ages
Chris is having a break through illness
Clarabelle is having a break
and Adopt a Microbe has vanished into cyberspace

But at least Mark has a very cute picture on his blog, everyone say aaahhhhhh!!!

Today I died!

These little beauties went off to Arkansas, USA on Monday lunchtime. They couldn't have gone any sooner because of the weekend post and that I had to spend some time with the family. No it was good actually, they didn't mind me knitting and I did quite a bit while they went out to the pub, (I don't drink so I don't tend to get much out of going to the pub!) or were sleeping in in the mornings.


Unfortunately the doorbell went this morning and I was given a package containing these

from Lauri in Arizona. I love the colours. She has done the increases differently to mine, producing a lacy stitch, but they are absolutely fine. I'm certainly not going to complain like some of the pains in the arse on the discussion boards. God, they take it all so seriously, but then again I would have been disappointed if I had got a pair of crappy socks. I was very lucky with my assassin, she knew what she was doing. So that's me out of the game for this time around, roll on SW4!! My target should "die" tomorrow so maybe Lauri will get to finish off another pair before she meets her demise.

On Monday lunchtime we went out to the Red Lion in Dodleston for a pub lunch. The weather was gorgeous and we sat outside. This is me with Colin and his dad.


Colin & Sean


And me & Fiona (Colin's sister)


So they flew back to Ireland yesterday afternoon, and I have been into the office this morning to make sense of the post that has come in over the last week. Theoretically we are both off for the whole week but Colin had a meeting so I thought I might as well go in too. We are off tomorrow though.

Then on Saturday morning my parents will arrive bright and early and the entertaining starts all over again!!

Tuesday evening I went out to knitting group at Borders. We had another 4 new people this time and some who didn't come from last time. So we had 18 again. As usual I was last to leave!! I found out that Stash is moving to new premises and that the shop is going to be 3 times the size. The one they have now is tiny so there will be much more display space. Unfortunately they are not having a sale before they move, so no bargains to be had! There are some online offers though.

Halfway there!!

I have one Sock Wars sock finished and the other cast on. Hoping to get them in the post tomorrow or Tuesday at the very latest. They are off to my victim in Arkansas, USA. I am trying my best not to be too antisocial with regards to Colin's dad and sister visiting, but this is WAR!!!!!

Amazing S.E.X. (Stash Enhancement eXpedition!!!)

Ok..........yarn, check.........needles, check..........gauge, check..............row counter, check........fingers & thumbs, check...................target, on the way!! Woohoo, 3 hours till Sock Wars 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I went up to Liverpool for a chat with the dietitian, which was a complete waste of time. It was a four and a half hour round trip for less than 10 minutes in the appointment, for something which could have been done over the phone!!! BUT.................seeing as I was out so quick I wandered back down the hill and instead of getting back on the train, I thought I'd just "pop" to John Lewis.

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was mooching along the huge wall of Rowan yarn, when I noticed some of it was marked down. HALF PRICE. And the Debbie Bliss, and the Mirasol! I picked up about 6 balls of various things, working out that I had about £15 worth of yarn. Then one of the staff said "Oh I'm just about to mark that down by half again, give it here" so I did and she marked it down which meant I only had £7.50 worth and could buy more. She told me to bring anything else to her and she would half it before I got to the till. This is what I ended up with.



3 balls of Rowan Scottish Tweed 4 ply for 80p each

2 skeins of Rowan Summer Tweed for £1.15 each

2 balls of Rowan Tapestry for £1 each

2 balls of Natural Silk Aran for £1 each

2 skeins of Mirasol Hacho for £1.25 each

2 skeins of Mirasol miski for £1.25 each

2 skeins of Mirasol Sulka for £1.25 each

2 balls of Rowan Felted Tweed for £1.25 each


A total of about £80 worth of yarn for a grand total of £18.70 The reason is that they are moving at the end of the month and are getting rid of all the display yarn to start off fresh in the new store. So you won't get large packs of yarn, only the odd balls on the shelf. But still, I'm going back before they move!! Hopefully Becca will come with me and we can help each other carry home our haul!!! Hahahaha!!!

Well better go and tidy the house, we have visitors this weekend, so I'd better get my jobs done before Sock Wars battle commences!! Mwa ha ha ha ha!!!!

Tidal Waves just in time........

......before Sock Wars 3 tomorrow!!! Finished these last night. There's nothing like a deadline to cure Second Sock Syndrome, the second one took me a day and a half!!

Bainbridge scarf

Also congratulations to my friend Mark who has just become a daddy. Click on over and see his cute little son Ben.