From little acorns...

Moving.....

2010-01-12T15:53:00.003Z

.....I have decided to give wordpress a fair go for now, so the new blog is at

http://knitsamadworld.wordpress.com/

Head on over and bookmark it so you don't have to keep coming here first.

To change or not to change.......

2010-01-05T16:23:00.003Z

.......that is the question!

I'm finding Blogger a bit dull at the moment, so I have signed up for a free blog at wordpress.com. Now I don't know which one to use! I know how to use Blogger, it is familiar and easy to use, but somehow wordpress feels new and exciting! New year, new computer, new blog?? I suppose I learned to use Blogger as I went along and will do so with wordpress too, but at the moment I am being all indecisive and not knowing where to blog!!!

The new blog is at Knitsamadworld if you want to pop across and have a look. Leave me a comment and let me know which you prefer.

If I do switch, I'll leave this one up for the old posts, I don't want to lose them and I can't seem to migrate them over.

Central Park Hoodie

2009-12-31T13:49:00.003Z

This is my latest project. Father Christmas kindly supplied the Cascade 220 in duck egg blue from Pavi Yarns , and Interweave Press supplied the pattern - the now almost infamous Central Park Hoodie! After checking out the thousands of these on ravelry and reading the message boards about the sizing, I have gone for a larger size than I normally would as everyone was saying that this knits up small. They are right. I'm doing a 40", to get a 36" and I'm not sure it is even going to be that big. Very stretchy though so it will be fine - she says with fingers crossed! This is my first experience with Cascade 220 and I'm already considering getting more. I'll wear the hoodie for a while though to see what the pilling is like.

I am almost half way up the back.

The cables are very simple but effective, and I'm doing them without a cable needle - that's 3 stitches in mid air at a time to keep track of!!

The colour is lovely but I think I ought to keep it away from Becca when it is finished!!

Happy New Year to everyone for tomorrow. I am considering a blog revamp for the new year and may even go over to wordpress. I'll keep you informed.

Cooking

2009-12-26T17:12:00.009Z

Well Father Christmas brought me a new laptop, a MacBook no less. I have been playing a bit (have only used a PC before) and managed to load a few photos of my cooking efforts on Christmas Eve. When I was still living at home I used to spend most of Christmas Eve up to my elbows in flour and sausage-meat making sausage rolls and mince pies. One year I somehow got the amount of fat wrong in the rough puff and it all poured out and over the edge of the baking tray to the bottom of the oven. We didn't realise until the next day when my mum tried to light the gas oven to put the turkey on and there was a thick layer of lard coating the floor of the oven and blocking up the jets at the back!! It took a while to scrape it all out!

I work on a smaller scale these days and here are this year's efforts, before and after cooking.

2009-12-25T13:49:00.000Z

Merry Christmas!!!

Penguin at No. 17

2009-12-24T13:25:00.003Z

Well, that's all the neighbourhood animals cozy and warm this Christmas. I can relax now knowing I've done my bit, hahahaha!!!

Rubber Duckies

2009-12-24T10:57:00.006Z

Getting excited now, only 1 sleep to go!!! I'm such a big kid.

Well, I can show something I made now that they have been given to and opened by their recipients. Becca, Karen and I went to Stash yesterday lunchtime, to give Anne a send off on her last day working there. She is off on exotic travels. (Becca and I were slightly late as I got lost in the business park and went to the wrong building to pick her up!!) Here they all are...... top l-r Clare, Becca and Helen (shop owner), bottom l-r Karen and Anne.

I had knitted Karen, Becca and Anne a Rubber Ducky washcloth from Eskimimi's excellent pattern. I only had enough time and yarn to do the larger duck and I did all three at the same time on one long circular needle. It was fine as long as you turned the work in alternate directions between rows so the 3 different yarns didn't all twist round each other.

Then I made some stitch markers in coordinating colours, which I threaded onto matching ribbon and wrapped the cloths around some "smellies" and tied them with the ribbon. I think they went down well. I love it that other knitters appreciate that it may only be a washcloth but effort has been put into making it.

Shrug

2009-12-21T16:13:00.004Z

I actually finished this shrug a couple of weeks ago but didn't get it seamed in time for the knit group Christmas meal. As I have a big new project lined up for after Christmas (Santa will hopefully be popping the yarn down the chimney on Friday) I got on and finished the seaming this weekend and got daylight photos.

Pattern: Silk Shrug from Classic by Erika Knight
Yarn: Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds DK
Needles: 3.25 and 3.75mm
Mods: made longer sleeves by casting on 66 sts, increasing every 10 rows to 80 sts and following pattern from there.

I think it needs something to hold it together otherwise it pings open. I am happy with the sleeves but would be happier if they were slightly narrower, but I did wing it with those!

For anyone concerned about the welfare of the penguin at no. 17, he'll be getting a little something in a couple of days!

Nanotechnology to end insulin injections

2009-12-17T16:33:00.003Z

I wonder when this will happen. 5 to 10 years??? Looks amazing though, how do they make such tiny things?

http://www.smartplanet.com/people/video/nanotechnology-to-end-insulin-injections-for-diabetics/370926/

I think they noticed!

2009-12-17T11:10:00.002Z

Eclipse

2009-12-17T11:08:00.000Z

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Hmmm, this was ok. There wasn't actually a lot of action in it, the whole thing was building up to a fight that lasted a couple of pages. It was more to do with the "does she love Edward? Does she love Jacob?" angst going on. It could have been a lot shorter.

View all my reviews >>

Hedging my bets

2009-12-16T16:09:00.003Z

So I was quite keen on the idea of a bit of "guerilla knitting". But I thought I'd start small. Our next door neighbours have a hedgehog outside their front door and as the weather got colder he started to look a bit chilly. So I knitted him a very simple 12 stitch 2x2 rib scarf using some left over sock yarn.

This morning on my way out, I popped their Christmas card through the door, put the scarf on the hedgehog, took a quick photo and ran to the car and away.

Doesn't he look much warmer now? I'm not going to mention it and see how long it takes them to notice. They know I knit so will probably guess who did it, but when?

Hello

2009-12-15T09:27:00.001Z

I am still here, but I have been making stuff I either can't show because it's a Christmas surprise, or that I haven't finished seaming yet!

Back soon!

Shona/Cuddly-Wuddly

2009-11-27T12:32:00.004Z

I spent all day sewing this up yesterday, and was so excited at how well it fits that I put it on this morning and went down to show the girls at the LYS. Anne was kind enough to take the photos for me.

Pattern: Shona by Tina Barrett from Yarn Forward Magazine Issue 18
Yarn: Louisa Harding Hulda, colour 15, 9.3 x 50g balls
Needles: 6mm
Mods: I accidentally started the size 30 to the end of the decreases, then carried on with the size 32 from there! But I think it has made it a better fit. Also knitted the back and front together in the round.

Look at all the lovely yarn in the background, drool!! (Yes of course I bought something!)

Satisfaction

2009-11-26T17:48:00.004Z

There's so much satisfaction in finishing a project, especially if you have procrastinated for about 6 weeks over the seaming!!! Today I could have carried on knitting a pair of socks I started yesterday but no, I took advantage of the bright daylight and my dining room table to sew up my Shona jumper which I have renamed Cuddly-Wuddly. I don't have photos yet because it took me all day to seam and after three attempts to sew on the collar I finally googled "slip stitich seam" and found out it involves a crochet hook. My previous attempts were all mattress stitch of which I mistakenly thought "it'll be fine". It wasn't.

The jumper was from Yarn Forward magazine issue 18, and despite my sabotage attempt, by starting to knit one size and then accidentally switching to the next size up, it is a blooming good fit.

Last night may have been the last time the knitting group meets at its usual venue. Sadly Borders UK has gone into administration and all 45 stores are under threat. So it is time for us to start looking for another venue in the Chester/Ellesmere Port area that stays open until at least 9pm. We have considered a pub but they don't tend to have bright lighting, essential for knitting especially if you have a disaster and have to rip back or tink back. So the hunt is on.

The Big Reveal

2009-11-23T17:44:00.004Z

I am now allowed to reveal the secret test knitting project I was working on a couple of weeks ago.

The pattern is by Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops and the pattern is now available to buy on Ravelry for $6.
The yarn I used is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, but there is also a fingering weight version included in the pattern. At the time of test knitting there was only a sport weight version. I love the lacy pattern but the mitts did come out a little roomy, not really a keeping-your-hands-warm-in-icy-weather mitt, although the fingering weight version will probably be more snug.

Thank you to my friend Kate for being such an excellent hand model!!!

Raspberry Ripple

2009-11-23T10:17:00.003Z

About two years ago I knitted my step-sister and niece a pair of socks each. When we were visiting a couple of weeks ago, the smaller pair of these appeared out of a drawer, looking none the worse for wear. But they are now a little small. So I said I would make another pair in the latest "favourite colour" of red. I had some red and white yarn in my stash from about a year ago that I hadn't got round to knitting yet, so over the weekend I produced these.

I used The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns to get the size, so cast on 52 stitches and did plain stocking stitch after about 3cm if K2,P2 rib. And I managed to get the stripes to just about match!
Pattern: Basic sock pattern by Ann Budd
Yarn: Bear Necessities 100% 4ply wool from Folksy.com, colour Raspberry Ripple
Needles: 2.5mm circs, magic loop

Marram hat

2009-11-15T15:41:00.004Z

Would you believe me if I said it was TOO sunny today? I wanted to take photos of the hat I finished but there was too much sun to get the colours right or show the pattern.

The first pic is in sun but the second one is better as it is taken in a bit of shade while we were out for a walk. You can see the striping on that one. I think I probably should have used two more contrasting colours for a better effect.

Pattern : Marram by Eskimimiknits
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed in colours 150 and 154, 19g of main colour, 17g of contrast colour.
Needles: 3.5mm circs
Mods: none

It's a good fit on me or Colin and is lovely and warm. I am very impressed with Mimi as she has only been knitting for a year and is already designing!!

Shhhh........

2009-11-13T12:01:00.002Z

.......this morning I have just finished the test knitting I have been doing. I don't think I'm allowed to show what it is yet but here's a sneaky peak!

Celebrity week at little-acorns!

2009-11-11T09:58:00.007Z

Last night we went to see Beverley Knight in concert. I'll admit I went to make up the numbers so to speak, I only know one song of hers, but Colin has somehow been "chatting" to her on Twitter and when she announced she would be in Liverpool on her tour he got a couple of tickets.

So after finally finding somewhere to park near the Royal Philarmonic off we went and sat in our box seats! How posh!

The support band were Mama's Gun and they were pretty good. Very tight.

After that Beverley Knight came on. After about 5 songs she said "This next song is dedicated to someone I never met, but ....(something I didn't quite hear but was something like "through the power of Twitter" )........ I know her brother. His name is Colin and he is doing amazing things through 365challenge to raise money for cancer research." Everybody shouted and clapped at this point. I just looked at Colin, and he was as stunned as I was!! "I don't know where you are Colin but this song is for Brenda." I was saying to him "stand up and wave!" but she wasn't looking in the right direction so he didn't. I said "you have to try and see her at the end, I'm sure she'll want to say hello after that" so at the end we went down to the edge of the stage and explained who he was. We eventually got ushered outside to the stage door with the other people waiting to get things signed and eventually at 12.15am she came out! We let the other people get their stuff signed and then Colin told her who he was and we got a picture. Unfortunately I only had my iPhone with me and no flash so its a bit dodgy but here she is with Colin.

Then her manager whisked her away and she shouted "I'll tweet you later".

The song she sang for Brenda was Gold. You can watch it here on YouTube.

What a pair we are with our celebrity friends!!

Strictly M6 Services!

2009-11-08T19:29:00.006Z

So there we were sitting having lunch in the services on the M6 toll road today, and Colin had just casually asked if I'd seen anyone famous yet and I'd said no. (We often spot someone well known, it was Ross Noble when we were in London a few weeks ago).

And then I looked up and said "Vincent Simone is right behind you!!" He'd walked across to speak to someone so I pulled my camera out of my bag to "kinnear" him, but he headed for the door again. I dithered a bit and then thought "Why am I letting him walk away?" so I jumped up and ran after him, was almost thwarted by the automatic doors and dashed outside just in time to see him disappear up the steps of the Strictly Come Dancing coach parked out the back. The driver was standing outside so I asked if he would ask Vincent if he would mind having a photo so he went in and then Vincent came back out and gave me a big hug and kiss and the driver took a photo of us!!!

I was so excited I didn't think of the fact that all the rest of Strictly were probably all on the coach too!! But Vincent has always been "my favourite" so I was well chuffed with that.

Can you tell what it is yet?

2009-11-05T23:07:00.002Z

Well I am quite excited. I was chosen as one of six test knitters for a quite well known knit blogger/designer for their latest pattern.

These are my tools for the job, but that's all I'm going to say for now!

Felted Tweed Gloves

2009-11-04T15:29:00.003Z

I now have a lovely pair of winter gloves. Amazingly they only took 37g of Rowan Felted Tweed, less than one ball. And I got the yarn when the old John Lewis was closing in Liverpool for £1.25 a ball, meaning these gloves cost about a pound!! Bargain of the year or what?

Coincidentally Knitting Daily have been plugging the book The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns this past week which this pattern is from. It's the first time I have used this book and it was really useful because I chose my yarn and gauge and then looked at the chart and found the number of stitches to cast on and away I went. As the meerkat would say - Simples!

Pattern: Basic Glove Pattern from the above book
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed
Needles: 3.25mm

Darkly Dreaming Dexter

2009-11-03T11:32:00.001Z

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I have not seen the TV show based on this book so didn't really have any idea about Dexter before I read it. I'm not giving anything away by saying that he is a serial killer, who only goes after bad guys - or does he?

A number of prostitutes are being brutally murdered in Miami, and as Dexter actually works for the police as a forensic blood splatter specialist he is in an ideal position to get involved. However his urge to kill his next victim is strong and when he starts having strange dreams about the murders as they are happening, he starts to wonder if he is actually committing the murders himself.

In the process of the book we get into the mind of Dexter and at the end of the book discover why he is the way he is.

An interesting slant on the serial killer genre, but there were some huge leaps forward in the plot which weren't that believable. I won't rush out to buy the sequel but might watch an episode on TV if I catch one.

View all my reviews >>

Eddie Izzard..........

2009-11-02T17:00:00.002Z

........at the Liverpool Echo Arena last night.

I'm quite pleased with my new Nikon Coolpix's efforts considering this is how far away we really were!!!

Best foot forward

2009-10-30T11:50:00.003Z

To celebrate Soctoberfest 09, I have been participating in the Mystery Sock KAL on Through the Loops' blog. The idea is that you don't know what you are knitting (well you know its a sock) until you knit it. One clue is released once a week in October, and you knit that clue and wait for the next one. The final clue was released yesterday and here are my finished socks.

I made a bit of a boob by using such a variegated yarn so the pattern is a bit swamped but I'm not sure I would have used it for anything else so at least its out of the stash now.
Pattern: Through the Loops Mystery Sock 09
Yarn: Wild Fire Fibres Fantasia - colourway Lammas
Needles: 2.5mm circulars using magic loop from each end of the ball at the same time!
Mods: only the length of the foot to fit.

I also made the black & white kitty in a few hours last weekend, but didn't get round to the face for about a week. I'm still not entirely happy with it! I tried green and blue eyes but ended up back with black again.

Also last weekend Colin took part in a 10K run for Cancer Research UK. It was along the seafront in Rhyl and there was a hell of a wind blowing!

Susie decided to help him do some stretching before we left

and we met up with some others who were running it. On the left is Frederika who always looks stunning even when she has run 10K. This is before they set off

just after the first bend

and Colin crossing the finish line. This is the only picture I got of him finishing because although I got in a great place to see him come towards me, another runner was in front and blocking him from my view all the way! They only moved out of the way at the very last minute, I was a bit annoyed!

and this is the four of them at the end.

Colin's personal fundraising pot is now over £8,000 and collectively the 365challenge participants have raised over £24,000. Anyone fancy having a go? Check Colin's site for details.

And in the purple corner........

2009-10-29T19:52:00.002Z

I'll freely admit I have a thing for purple, but I'm starting to think its getting a bit over the top!

Amazing what you spot on TV

2009-10-27T11:35:00.002Z

On a Friday evening I am just about able to stay awake until the end of Friday Night with Jonathon Ross. After this Colin usually stays up to watch Later with Jools Holland but puts it on Sky+ anyway in case he can't stay awake to the end! When I got up on Staurday morning, he was watching the recorded episode and said, "Come and look at this interesting piece of knitwear on Jools Holland last night".

Wondering what on earth I was going to see - Jools can have some quite obscure artists on his shows sometimes - I watched as he interviewed Smokey Robinson. Nothing interesting to see there, but then........the camera panned to the audience and who did I see but a rather rough looking Noel Fielding! Ignore the sourpuss look on his face, ignore the mountain of beer on the table, look at his BOHUS!!!!

I may now have to re-consider stranded knitting!!

The Big Blue Test

2009-10-22T16:16:00.002+01:00

I have just found out that it is World Diabetes Day on November 14th, and there is going to be a global event called the Big Blue Test, which will involve testing your blood sugar level at 14.00, then exercising for 14 minutes and then testing again. All the details are here:-

The Big Blue Test on World Diabetes Day

So if, like me, you have diabetes, why not join in?

And today's new yarn is...........

2009-10-21T15:11:00.001+01:00

........this month's Wild Fire Fibres sock club yarn, Venezia in colourway Samhain.

Kitty number 3

2009-10-17T16:59:00.003+01:00

Robitussin's cousin (kitty number 2) was delivered this morning and is currently being taken on a walk along the Sandstone Trail. Mel was very enamoured with him.

Now I have had a request for another one, this time in black and white, so I made a swift purchase this morning.

So I now have two more kitties to make, and then hopefully that will be it. At least they are very quick to make, a few hours at the most. And I love the look on the recipients' faces when they get them, its worth all the effort.

Robitussin's cousin!

2009-10-15T12:23:00.002+01:00

I finished this little fella last night but just had to do the face this morning. He is for some friends of ours who are having their first wedding anniversary on Sunday. Mel asked me to make her a kitty when she saw my previous one, but has probably forgotten all about it so I thought I'd surprise her. Their real life cat is called Robitussin, hence the name of this one. Perhaps they will call it Benylin!

Pattern: Knitted kitty by Lilian
Yarn: Louisa Harding Nautical cotton
Needles: 3mm
Mods: two colours, changed every two rows.

Some knitting content!

2009-10-12T13:21:00.008+01:00

I was really disappointed in the lack of yarn shops in the Lake District. There was a tiny shop in Ambleside above a cafe called Hannalin Crafts, where I bought two balls of her own handspun DK from her Herdwick sheep. But the shops in Penrith and Keswick were almost exclusively crackly acrylics and I spent probably a total of one minute in there between the two. (Yes, I'm a yarn snob!) You would think there would be a decent yarn shop in a place with such a lot of sheep.

Did I ever put up a finished picture of my red cardigan? I don't think I did. Well here's one. According to Ravelry I finished this on September 19th. That's 3 weeks ago!! Yes, I remember I did finish it before my holiday and that is long gone now.

Pattern: Drops Jacket with Rib from Garnstudio, pattern 100-2
Needles: 5.0mm and 5.5mm
Yarn: Drops Karisma superwash DK
Mods: Don't remember any!

While away I got on with my Baktus scarf which I will be donating to Seasalt for the Bees Conservation Trust

Pattern: Baktus by Strikkelise
Yarn: Lana Grossa Cool Wool Big
Needles: 4.5mm
Mods: increased until there were 58 stitches across then started decreasing again.

I am now casting on for another knitted kitty which my friend Mel requested a while ago. She has probably forgotten but it is their first wedding anniversary on Sunday so I thought I'd give it to her then.

I am taking part in the mystery sock KAL hosted by Through the Loops again this year. It started on 1st October and you get a clue each Thursday. I have completed the first two clues using some of my WIld Fire Fibres sock club yarn.

I'm not sure I like the way it is pooling though. This is after clue 1. It is kind of swamping the actual lace pattern.

Well at least I will wear them and this will get that yarn out of stash.

I have also finished the gift for my friend's new baby. It is another Drops pattern but looks suspiciously like the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman. Here is a friend of mine modelling it!

Pattern: Jacket in garter stitch b18-25
Yarn: Drops Fabel colour 901
Needles: 3mm
Mods: made the smallest size and added 2 rows to the collar.

I finally caught up to date with the LimenViolet podcasts so had to search for some more. I am trying Stash and Burn, ElectricSheep and the Sassy Sheep at the moment. The woman on ElectricSheep is quite English and posh and sounds just like Melinda Messenger!

Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier

2009-10-11T21:20:00.000+01:00

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
You can find my thoughts on the first half of this book here
http://from-little-acorns.blogspot.com/2...
**SPOIlER ALERT**
I felt this first half was a bit slow but once you find out what really happened in Chapter 20 it all hots up. The tension builds and you wonder what is going to happen in the end. Will Max get away with what happened? Are there any witnesses? Who will try to trip him up? Will the second Mrs de Winter stand by him?

I enjoyed the second half of the book, but I was still frustrated that the second Mrs de Winter (it would be so much easier if we knew her name!!) didn't speak up at times. The author was clever in leading you to think one way about why Rebecca was in London that last day, when it was something else.

I'm not sure if I want to tackle another period novel again for a while though.

View all my reviews >>

Rebecca readalong week 1

2009-10-09T11:16:00.004+01:00

In the past week I have been reading the first 16 chapters of Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier as part of a readalong hosted on You've Gotta Read This. I must say I almost didn't make it but luckily I wasn't working yesterday and got it done. It takes me to just over half way through the book, and these are the questions posed by Sandy to start off the discussion and my answers to them.

1. "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." This is quite possibly one of the most famous opening lines of a book. How do these words set the tone for the rest of the story?

I recognised this opening although I didn't realise it was from this book. I'm not sure that it set the tone for me really. I had no idea what the book was about before I started it so this sentence only made me wonder what Manderley was and why this person was dreaming about it.

2. Du Maurier obviously chose not to name the second Mrs. de Winter (referred to as DW2 from hereon). How did this affect your perception of her?

I found it slightly irritating that we do not know her name, and that she is only referred to as either Mrs de Winter, or "my dear girl" or "you silly child" by people. She is a lot younger than her husband but she is a married woman after all. I would have at least liked to know her first name.

3. Do you think the character of DW2 was believable?

I don't read a lot of historical fiction, mainly because I get frustrated at the women. DW2 is very subservient and will not speak up for herself (so far, maybe this will change). When she first arrives at Manderley, even her husband doesn't tell her what she is supposed to do and she is uncertain of her role in the household and she creeps around the house like a servant, frightened that she is doing something wrong. The spectre of Rebecca is hanging over her all the time, Mrs Danvers (the housekeeper) doesn't respect her and I'm not really sure why Maxim chose to marry her. She is possibly a believable character but not having lived in those "olden days" I can't be sure.

4. What was your first impression of Maxim de Winter? Did you like him? Did you trust him?

He seemed okay when we first met him, but has obviously got a troubled past. I'm wondering whether the death of his wife was a pure accident, and the dodgy cousin-in-law has a story to be told I'm sure. He also has a strange relationship with Mrs Danvers, I still haven't worked it out yet. He can change moods quite quickly and there is a hint from his sister that he can really lose it now and again. I've a feeling that is about to happen in the next chapter.

Llys Tryfan RIP

2009-10-06T09:42:00.009+01:00

Ok, I have a huge mug of tea next to me, I suggest you do the same, we could be here for a while!

22 years ago today I was 2 days into my first year at university. It was still "Fresher's week" - we started later in those days - and I was aimlessly hanging out of the kitchen window of my Hall of Residence when my attention was drawn to the soft Irish lilt of someone below saying hello and asking what I was up to. As I was (and still am) totally besotted with Bono, the sound of an Irish accent did it for me. "Oh nothing much" I replied, as he disappeared through the door two floors below and into the building. A few minutes later the kitchen door opened and there he was. And 22 years later we are still together.

A couple of weeks ago we went back over to Bangor and it happened to be the day that all this year's students were arriving. We went to the Halls but sadly our Hall (Llys Tryfan) had been knocked down and replaced with a new building of the same size and shape in the same place. This is the old building - my room was on the end, top left, Colin was on the ground floor, 4th window from the right down the side.

and this is it now, it doesn't even have the same name anymore. We talked to one of the wardens and told them we had been there 22 years ago and he agreed to show us inside. It was all very shiny and new, all the bedrooms are now ensuite whereas we had 3 loos to 17 people on each floor! Ah we had some laughs there.

Ok, here are some touristy pictures from London, all the usual stuff.........

Marble Arch

The London Eye

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The ceiling of the cafe in the V&A

and of course Big Ben!

Two days wasn't really enough time, I felt like I missed a lot.

We then went up to The Lake District where we had a lovely little flat right in the middle of Ambleside. On Sunday Colin went and climbed a few of the Wainwrights so I pottered around the village, read and knitted. On Monday we went on the boat along Lake Windermere to Bowness. The weather was a bit grey and drizzly so no photos I'm afraid. Tuesday we drove around looking at the scenery and Wednesday we headed home. I think of the two, I preferred London as there was lots of stuff to do and as I'm not a walker looking at one hill is much like looking at another!

In between the two trips Becca had a Jamie at Home party. She invited all people from knit group so we all knew each other and her mum was the consultant so it was a lovely relaxed evening. I bought some lovely mugs, a matching milk jug, and a new apron!

My ex-work colleague and friend Iain and his wife Helen had their second baby last week. A little girl, a sister to their two year old boy, so congratulations to them. Here's a sneaky peek at something I am making for them.

On our last holiday day we went to see The Invention of Lying starring Ricky Gervais. It was okay I guess, a couple of funny moments and a great cameo from Steven Merchant and "Barry from Eastenders".

Well I think I'll stop there. I do have knitting stuff to show but I'll put that in a separate post.

American Gods

2009-09-28T15:11:00.003+01:00

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I had heard good things about this book before i read it and when I first started it I thought it was going to be just my sort of thing. However i have abandoned it at page 240. I still had no idea what it was about at this point and had no empathy with any of the characters. If someone wants to tell me what happens after this feel free, Maybe i have missed out on something wonderful or maybe Gaiman just isn't my thing.

I wild released this copy (www.bookcrossing.com) of the book on the Ambleside to Bowness lake cruise boat if anyone wants to look for it!!

View all my reviews >>

iKnit

2009-09-25T16:10:00.006+01:00

Colin and I have just had a couple of days in London. I can't believe how quick and easy it was to get there from Chester - 2 hours 5mins with only 2 stops and no changes!

I'll do another post about the touristy stuff we did, but while we were there I went to visit iKnit. It is literally out the back door of Waterloo station and round the corner. The lady in the shop very kindly said I could take pictures inside the shop.

As they have a liquor license Colin settled down on the leather couch and had a beer while I perused the shelves.

I thought it would be a lot bigger seeing as they have a big event there, which I missed by a week!. Apparently there is a big room downstairs for that. So what did I get - sock yarn of course!!!

Schoppel-wolle Zaueberball in Cranberries, Malabrigo sock in Lettuce, Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome in Glacier Ice and Cherry Tree Hill supersock in Jade. I also had to replace my Harmony 2.25mm circ because I snapped the end off on the way down pulling it out of my bag roughly!. The lady also threw a load of iknit badges into the bag because I'd told her about the knitting group, so I'll dish some of those out next meeting.

Knit for bees!

2009-09-19T22:56:00.002+01:00

I've just seen this post over on Eskimimiknits blog. If you like knitting scarves but have too many, why not donate them to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

This is from their blog:

Go Knit! 2009 is well underway and we are so pleased with the response we have had from those of you who want to support The Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Not only are we regularly receiving packages of lovely scarves, kindly donated by you, but we are also getting great coverage! We have so far seen a fantastic response from online knitters (many thanks to ‘Stitch and Bitch’ and everyone else who has made our campaign heard throughout the online world!). We will also be having an interview with BBC radio Cornwall which will be broadcasted next weekend, and have just been told that our event has had a shout out on Atlantic FM! So thank you to everyone who is helping to make this project a success!

Want to join the buzz?
-We’d love you to!!
If you can donate us a scarf to sell (with all proceeds going to The Bumblebee Conservation Trust) we would really appreciate it! Scarves can be dropped into your local Seasalt store or sent to us:
Kathryn Wild
Seasalt
1 Church Street
Falmouth
Cornwall
TR11 3DN

If you have any questions or would like to request a press release send us an email at chloe@seasaltcornwall.co.uk or call us on 01326 312478 (ext 1007)

If anyone from my knitting group wants to make a scarf to donate, I don't mind collecting them up and sending them all off together.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2009-09-13T17:54:00.001+01:00

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have just finished reading this after taking several weeks over it. I felt that it was dragging a bit at the beginning but once I got about half way it picked up and moved quicker.
It started off with one story and then this was left behind while the main story played out and then returned to and concluded at the end. The two stories were linked though.
The main story was the search for a missing girl who disappeared at a family gathering 40 years earlier. Her uncle believes she was murdered and wants to know who killed her.
There were some interesting characters, some of whom are continued in the next book which I definitely want to read.

View all my reviews >>

The diabetic handbag!

2009-09-12T09:41:00.001+01:00

A few days ago I found a couple of posts on some diabetes blogs (Kerri's post, Leanne's post and Karen's post) that I look at, where the girls were showing the contents of their handbags, highlighting the stuff that we have to carry around with us. We can't just grab our keys and go like you "normal folks". We have to BE PREPARED!!

Inspired by these ladies I decided it was time to have a go myself. I have never video-blogged or "vlogged" before, and haven't even actually been on video before so this is a first for me! I managed to get the webcam going and recording so this is my effort.

If that takes too long to load, try this link.

I would be interested to know what a male diabetic has in his bag, or pockets!

The Woman in Black

2009-09-11T11:52:00.001+01:00

Woman in Black by Susan Hill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is an old fashioned ghost story but written by a modern author in 1983.
She has captured the style very well. At one point last night I was reading a creepy bit and a text alert came through on my phone. Did I jump? Not half!!
A quick read, you could probably do it in one sitting if you put your mind to it. Well worth giving it a go.

View all my reviews >>

First shawl

2009-09-09T08:53:00.004+01:00

Here are the pictures of my Multnomah shawl. They aren't great as they were taken inside Borders last night!!

Pattern : Multnomah by HelloKitty
Yarn : Gem sock by GreenEyedMonsters on etsy, colour Maiden's Blush. Used 95grams
Needles: Addi lace 3.5mm, 60cm long.

Meeow!!

2009-09-07T11:41:00.008+01:00

Phew, another week gone! But I have done quite a bit of knitting.

The first project I have made this week is a Multnomah shawl. My dilemma a couple of posts ago was which yarn to use for a pair of Glass Slipper socks and I eventually plumped for the Green Eyed Monsters Gem sock yarn.

It was most strange. As I used it it was quite greasy feeling and was sticking to the needles really badly, I was having to physically push the stitches along the needles. After two pattern repeats of the leg I couldn't bear it any longer and ripped it out, deciding that the yarn needed bigger needles and possibly something lacy. So I decided I would make my first shawl. I haven't made a shawl before because I wouldn't wear it but having seen other ways of wearing it rather than just draping it over the shoulders I thought I'd give one a go. I didn't want anything too fancy so I went with the free pattern of Multnomah. It is a lot of garter stitch followed by feather and fan. The same thing happened with the yarn, it was ok to start with but the more I knit the greasier it got. I think it was the heat from my hands bringing out whatever it was. It stuck to wood, bamboo and aluminium needles. But I persevered and eventually invested too much time in it to rip it out. I finished it yesterday, and there was probably enough yarn for a couple more pattern repeats but I just couldn't work with the yarn any longer. I have given the shawl a wash and blocked it and it feels fine now. I made a comment on the ravelry listing for this yarn and the etsy shop owner said its the first skein she's heard of like that. Just unlucky I guess. (I'll get someone at knit group to take some photos.)

Oh, just so you know, I have restarted the socks in the Malabrigo sock yarn........ooooh, much better!

The next thing I have knit is a Knitted Kitty.

This has turned out really cute. It is supposedly for a gift but I may just keep it myself. I was just worried that I would spoil it when I tried to embroider the facial features onto it.

And finally I have almost sewn up my red cardigan. I just need to set in the sleeves and knit the collar.

All this activity at the weekend was possible because I spent it on my own. Colin went off to a school reunion in Ireland for 3 days. Well the reunion was only for one evening but he visited his dad too. So I had the house and dog to myself.

Nature

2009-09-01T16:20:00.003+01:00

Just a couple of photos I took yesterday............

This is a moth that landed just next to me on the path we were walking on above the beach at West Kirby on the Wirral. Did you know that the difference between a moth and a butterfly is that a moth has its wings open when it is resting on something and a butterfly keeps them closed?

And this is a rainbow from our back window yesterday evening.

400th post!!! - The dog with.................

2009-09-01T16:11:00.003+01:00

............................the dirtiest face in the world!

............................the longest tongue in the world!!!

Circle socks finished

2009-08-28T10:22:00.006+01:00

I finished these off yesterday

Pattern: Circle Socks by Anne Campbell (this is a free ravelry download so you need to be on ravelry to see it - sorry!)

Yarn: King Cole Zig Zag sock yarn

Needles: 2.5mm Addi lace circs using magic loop.

Mods: Only did 4 repeats of the circle pattern on the leg cuff.

Of all the beautiful sock yarns I have in my stash, I used this cheapy 50% superwash wool, 50% nylon Zig Zag. It isn't the softest yarn in the world by any means, but it was only £3.99 for 100g and I loved the colour. I'd say it will be quite hard wearing too and will probably soften up in the wash.

I think that Glass Slippers will be my next sock project but I will need just the right yarn to show the pattern off. I'd love to use this gorgeous Malabrigo sock yarn that Karen gave me for my birthday at knit group this week, but I think it may be too dark.

Perhaps it is time to use my Posh Yarns Eva

which I have had for well over a year. Or Green Eyed Monsters Gem,

hmmm, decisions decisions.

But for today I must seam my Red Cardigan, its been waiting over a week now.

August sock club

2009-08-25T12:08:00.003+01:00

This is the yarn for the Wild Fire Fibres sock club for August. The yarn is called Fantasia and is 100% extra fine merino, colourway Lammas, a mix of browns, beige and white with a hint of an eggshell blue. It is not a colour I would normally choose for myself but I really like it.

Alpacas bite back!

2009-08-24T23:26:00.000+01:00

Check out this story, they aren't as cute and fluffy as you think!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/8218853.stm

U2 360

2009-08-22T15:08:00.005+01:00

(Photos in this post not the best quality as they are from my iPhone.)

Thursday morning we set off for Sheffield - in the rain. This was the view from the car on the M56 - nice!

As we headed over the Snake Pass it was still raining.

When we arrived it stopped and it turned into a lovely sunny afternoon. This is Sheffield town hall.

Colin had a drink in the bar of the hotel when we arrived, as the room wasn't quite ready, and he didn't have to drive to the concert as we were going on the SuperTram!

We set off just after 5 and got to the tram stop as it started to rain again. Colin ran back for the raincoats which we had thought we weren't going to need, and off we went. We had to wear the coats while we were queuing to get in as it was raining quite a lot and we were a bit worried that it was going to be 5 and a half hours of sitting in the wet! But as we got through the gates the rain stopped and the sun came out and this was our first view of the 360 stage, it was huge.

The first support band came on at 6 while I was pushing and shoving and spending far too much at the merchandise stall! I got a T-shirt and a very nice fleece which I was glad of later on when it got cold because apart from the raincoat I only had a thin cardi. The band were called The Hours and weren't bad.

At 7pm, Elbow came on. I do quite like Elbow but I wouldn't go to see them live as headliners. Their music is more to be listened to at home or in the background as it is not the kind of music to whip up a crowd. They were ok though.

Almost an hour passed, and then "Space Oddity" by David Bowie started and smoke started pouring out of the top of the set and around the edges, and everyone started whistling and shouting. As the track ended Larry strode over the walkway and started the intro to "Breathe" and we were off! There was a real mix of new songs and golden oldies like "Unforgettable Fire", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", and "Pride" and we all had to sing Happy Birthday to U2's set designwer Willie Williams who is from Sheffield and it was his birthday that day. (A bit of creative scheduling I wonder?)

And as it got dark the stage transformed into this.....

and this.

A brilliant show, but then U2 always put on a good show. Roll on the next tour!

The Broken Window

2009-08-15T22:25:00.000+01:00

The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As usual Jeffery Deaver has produced a tense thriller, leaving you guessing right to the end.
All the well loved characters are back in the 8th book of this series, as they try to track down a killer who is using identity theft to choose his victims and then set up scapegoats for the murders to draw attention from himself.
Sadly one regular character does meet their demise in this book, but I won't give the game away!

View all my reviews >>

Birthday & subs

2009-08-13T09:27:00.004+01:00

So last Saturday was my birthday, yay! Here are my prezzies.......

The book "The Silver Spoon" is brilliant. I've used it everyday since Sunday, mainly making sauces so far but I did make Turkey Stew with Mustard on Tuesday. Tonight I'm going to make bolognese sauce and already I can see it is going to be different to what I usually do to make it. There are no tinned tomatoes or garlic for a start! Interesting!

We went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on Saturday afternoon, which was okay. You couldn't go and see it as a stand alone film though becasue it didn't really end anywhere, I think you need to have seen all the other films or read the books.

Then we went to Nando's for dinner. Never been before. Again it was okay, the chicken burger was very nice but it was a bit fast food-ish for a sit down meal really.

I also had a cheque from my mum which I put towards my new subscription to Yarn Forward magazine. I have every issue right from the start so I thought I may as well subscribe again and save myself the price of two issues a year. My first issue and free gift arrived yesterday.

The free hat pattern is quite nice actually so that will go on my Ravelry queue!

After Colin met Eddie Izzard on Tuesday, he booked us tickets to go and see him in Liverpool in November!

Marathon Man

2009-08-12T10:45:00.003+01:00

Some of you may know that Eddie Izzard is running 40 marathons around Britain for Sport Relief at the moment. Yesterday, he was running from Wrexham to Bromborough on the Wirral, and Colin noticed on Twitter that he was running up the A41 around Chester yesterday afternoon. So he went to see if he could find him. And he did! He offered him some water and had a quick chat before he went on his way.

If you want to you can sponsor him here

2009-08-11T13:49:00.000+01:00

The Silver Spoon by Phaidon Press

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
So far, I love this book. I have only attempted some of the sauces from the first section so far but I know that this book is going to get used so much more than all the "celebrity chef" cookbooks I have. This one is a real cookbook and as far as I can tell, covers almost anything you would wish to know about Italian cookery.

View all my reviews >>

Twisty and Fidget

2009-08-05T09:02:00.006+01:00

Ok, I got my photographer on the case and can now show you my two FOs.

The first one is a little neckwarmer. I started this while I was procrastinating over the seaming (not that there is much) on Twisty. It is a very quick little knit and the buttons I got from John Lewis are perfect.

Pattern: The Fidget by Robin Dodge
Length: 23cm
Yarn: Garnstudio Drops Classic Alpaca - colour 3806m - 2 strands held together - used under two balls.
Needles: 5.5mm KnitPro Harmony circulars
Mods: none

The second FO is my Drops jumper/vest thing. Yesterday evening was very warm and it was not comfortable wearing this for the photos. It is going to be lovely and toasty for the winter for work though.

Pattern: Drops 115-24
Size: small
Yarn: Garnstudio Drops Eskimo - colour 49m - 7.2 balls (the pattern says 6 but this is incorrect)
Needles: 9mm KnitPro Harmony circulars
Mods: none

I decided not to go for the Titania top in the previous post, but instead have made a start on another Drops pattern (there are hundreds of them and they are ALL free). This one is pattern number 100-2 which I am calling Red Rib. Strangely, looking at the measurements, I need to make a large in this design(?). I don't mind if it is a bit big in the end, it will be a great snuggly cardi for the winter, as it buttons right up to the neck.

I am using DK yarn rather than aran, so have had to swatch and go up a couple of needle sizes.

No photos

2009-08-03T17:22:00.002+01:00

I have TWO finished projects that I'm dying to show but I have no photos yet. Actually that is a fib, I do have a photo of my Twisty jumper but I took it with my phone and it is not modelled and basically I don't like the picture. I want to show it in all its glory. The other project is a little neckwarmer that I made from the Fidget pattern with two balls of Drops Classic Alpaca that I got with my extra ball of Eskimo. Oh, I do have photos of the newly acquired stash.

This is the Drops Classic Alpaca, now used up

And this is Drops Karisma which I don't have a project for yet,

but may make this pattern, Titania. I'm a bit worried it might make me look fat though! That lace panel round the middle is what worries me as I have a bit of a "spare tyre" in that area!

I can't believe that it is already a year since my 40th!!! I will be 41 on Saturday. Yesterday we decided to go up and see what all the fuss was about at Liverpool One and so that I could find something for Colin to get me for my birthday. We ended up in the same shops we would normally go in here in Chester, namely Costa, Smiths, Waterstones etc. I did pop into John Lewis for some buttons for the Fidget, and they were amazingly cheap for JL. I got 8 for just £1!! Anyway I decided I would like to do more cooking so Colin got me a copy of The Silver Spoon which is a HUGE Italian cookbook. Oh dear, he's going to be expecting all kinds of culinary delights now!

Run out!

2009-07-29T15:08:00.001+01:00

Arrrggghhhh, I've run out of yarn!!! I've already used an extra ball to what the pattern quoted (I always order an extra one just in case) but now I need another one. I have ordered it, and maybe a little of something else fell in my shopping cart while I wasn't looking!!

Sharp Objects

2009-07-28T10:18:00.000+01:00

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I bought this book after an ad on Goodreads for the author's second book. I think I will be getting that one at some point too.
The main character is Camille, a newspaper reporter in Chicago who is sent back to her home town of Wind Gap to cover the story of the murders of two little girls. She left over 10 years ago to escape the clutches of an overbearing mother after the death of her sister from illness.
When she returns, she is not particularly welcomed, especially when she goes to visit old school friends on the pretext of getting quotes for her story.
Her family are totally screwed up, everybody in town knows everyone else and all their business, at least they think they do, but who knows what goes on behind people's closed doors.
The first part of the book I wasn't overly enamoured with but it picked up and I raced through the second half as the twists and turns drew to the conclusion.
I can't really say any more about it without giving anything away, but if you like a good thriller and damaged characters then this is a book for you.

View all my reviews >>

Toe Ups and Twisty progress

2009-07-26T12:05:00.004+01:00

At the last knit group, Karen brought in a book called Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson. When I saw some of the lovely patterns in this book I had to have it so with a 10% discount code for the book depository I now have my own copy. (It arrived before I made my rash decision yesterday!) It shows you several different toe cast-ons, different types of toe increases and different heels so that you can mix and match if you wish. There are also about 20 patterns.

These are my 3 favourite patterns from the book. I think the colour of the yarns used makes the photos look gorgeous.

I started on my "Twisty" last night. I've called in that because "Drops 115-24" just doesn't have a ring to it really. After misreading the pattern for the centre cable and having to go back two rows this morning, I'm back on track. The main body is knit from the bottom up but in the round, before splitting for the arm holes and neck.

The yarn is almost the same colour as my living room carpet!

Super socks and yummy yarn

2009-07-25T16:49:00.004+01:00

My first Finished Object since May!!! They didn't take that long to do though. I started them a couple of weeks ago when we went to Ireland for a couple of days and finished them last night.

Pattern: Conwy Socks from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush. I got this book free from bookmooch.com.
Yarn: Knitwitches Superwash sock yarn, colour Warm Earth which I got at Woolfest last year.
Needles: 2.5 Addi Lace using magic loop.
Mods: The pattern has calf decreases but I didn't do these so I cast on 60sts instead of 72 and just worked 48 rows of pattern straight. I did a standard toe too.

This morning my Drops Eskimo arrived for my short sleeve top. It is lovely and soft and squishy. I'm going to start this today.

I'm going to say the next bit quietly. I'm not going to buy any more books this year. I got two more this morning and my TBR shelf on goodreads now has 48 books on it, and not all of the ones I have beside my bed are listed on there yet. My book pile fell over yesterday and it wasn't pretty so I'm going to try to get through it a bit before adding any more.

Yarn and zombies

2009-07-24T11:25:00.005+01:00

I have just ordered the exact yarn for the top in the second picture below and in the same colour. The pattern looks ok, a couple of odd bits. I am not keen on the way that Drops patterns are written, they can be confusing as they are all laid out in huge paragraphs. Probably because they are translations. I usually re-write bits of them to make them easier to follow and so I don't miss something.

Anyway, hopefully my yarn should arrive tomorrow - SKD are pretty good at next day delivery. I have the second foot of my Conwy socks to finish and then I can start on this top. I'm actually excited about a knitting project for the first time in a while!

Check out this etsy seller cheezombies - she sells patterns for little knitted creatures, really cute and funny!

Drops for Autumn/Winter 2009

2009-07-22T12:15:00.004+01:00

There are some lovely patterns in the Drops Autumn/Winter collection.

I have queued 6 of them to my ravelry queue. These are my two favourites I think, especially the second one.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

2009-07-19T17:09:00.002+01:00

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I read this book on a recommendation as it is not something I would normally choose.

I thought there would be more detail about the war in Afghanistan but am kind of glad there wasn't. It was there in the background and I did learn a bit about it, how it started and the factions involved but it didn't take over the book. I did find at the end - the book finishes in 2003 - that it gave the impression that Kabul was peaceful, although there were UN troops there and also that certain "warlords" had been given positions of power. So why in 2009 is it not resolved? (My knowledge of world affairs is VERY limited, I apologise, I'm just not interested in politics at all!)

I felt for the women in the story and the oppression that they suffered. The circumstances of Mariam's birth affect her throughout her whole life, and she makes many sacrifices. The women's lives change dramatically depending on who is running the country at the time. Having to completely cover themselves and only leave the house if accompanied by a male relative seems unthinkable to those of us who have such liberty in our lives, and yet a lot of them just accept it as how things are. Mariam and Laila however, do not, and push against the rules to some degree of success in the end, even though they do go through some harrowing life experiences along the way.

I liked it but I wouldn't say I loved it, but I'm glad that I read something different for a change. Now back to grizzly murders..........!!!

View all my reviews >>

Plinthwatch

2009-07-15T12:12:00.002+01:00

Have any of you been watching what's going on on the Plinth. Apparently there was knitter up there yesterday but I missed it. I haven't seen anyone really interesting yet but then I only discovered it yesterday!

The Plinth

So what have I been up to?

2009-07-15T11:31:00.004+01:00

Oh dear, I really need to update don't I? Well here goes........

On July 3rd Colin travelled up to Fort William in torrential rain to climb Ben Nevis the next day for his 365challenge. His usual travel companion Dave went with him and they were met up there by several others, who all managed to make it to the summit in about 4 and a half hours.

One of our oldest uni friends, Paul, who lives near Edinburgh also travelled up for the day and joined them too. (Nice legs, boys!)

When they made it back down to the bottom, Paul's wife had been off to buy champagne for them all to celebrate completing the 3 highest peaks in the UK.

In the meantime, not being into climbing mountains, or any kind of exercise for that matter, I had a houseguest to keep me company. My mum!

We didn't really do much, just pottered around, and treated Susie to a lovely juicy bone which she was very chuffed with.

On the Sunday was the thrilling Wimbledon men's final. I decided to support Roddick as he was the underdog and because he had beaten Murray so if he won it would mean Murray had been beaten by the eventual winner and he would be excused, hahah! Dave and Colin arrived back during the 4th set and Dave is a big Federer fan so there was good rivalry going on there. Poor Dave needed to drive back to Reading but hung on to the bitter end.

In books, I have just finished One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson, (see review below) and have decided to try A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini next as several people have recommended it to me.

In knitting, I still have several WIPs but that hasn't stopped me casting on a pair of Conwy socks from the book Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush. The photos in this book do the socks no justice at all, it is much better to look at the finished ones on ravelry to get a better idea of how they turn out. I am using a variegated red/orange/dark red yarn that I got at Woolfest last year from KnitWitches yarns.

Hopefully in a couple of hours I will be able to hear properly again after at least 5 weeks of having blocked ears. Since the infection I had, my left ear has never "popped" and then a couple of days ago my right one got blocked with wax. I am going to get them syringed this afternoon, so hopefiully I will be back to normal.

One Good Turn

2009-07-15T11:17:00.000+01:00

One Good Turn: A Jolly Murder Mystery by Kate Atkinson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I do like Kate Atkinson, I find that her books do flow easily.

This is the second in the trilogy featuring private detective Jackson Brodie but is not really based around him. There are lots of characters which at first seem separate but all tie in together at the end. I'm not sure if it all quite made sense but that might be just me.

This is the third Atkinson I have read in a relatively short space of time and I think I need to take a break from her. Sometimes the way she goes into the background of her characters' lives feels too much, and although it really gives you an insight into their characters it can sometimes feel like it is just filling space. (Although if you asked me now what could have been left out I couldn't really tell you!).

The ending gives an idea of what may happen to Jackson in the third book, but I think it is not necessarily going to turn out that way.

I did like it, but I didn't love it.

View all my reviews >>

sock club

2009-07-07T09:31:00.003+01:00

This is the latest installment from the Wild Fire Fibres sock club. I asked for an "orangutan in the trees" colourway when Vikki asked what forest animal each of us liked. This is what she came up with, isn't it clever? Go on over to her etsy shop, she has some gorgeous colours in stock at the moment.

2009-07-02T14:56:00.002+01:00

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

My review

rating: 1 of 5 stars
I didn't like the original Pride & Prejudice so I thought this may be a good laugh by taking the mickey out of it.

I was disappointed. The joke of zombies is funny at first but then it just gets boring. I have worked in a path lab and am not particularly squeamish but some of the blatant descriptions of pus and vomit made me feel a bit sick. I only made it to page 123, then I abandoned it.

I feel bad because I suggested this for a book group read and it won the vote so I have subjected other people to this rubbish. But some peole may enjoy it, you never know.

View all my reviews.

Wimbledon

2009-07-02T13:40:00.003+01:00

Wasn't Wimbledon great in the 80s? McEnroe, Connors, Borg, Lendl - my mum used to reckon Lendl didn't wear any underpants but surely he couldn't have gotten away with that with the short shorts they wore then?

Then came Agassi the showman, and after that it all got a bit boring, with the big servers and no rallies to speak of. I stopped watching.

But this year I am really enjoying it again. The fact that we have someone with a real chance of winning helps. But can Murray do it? I think he will get to the final but up against Federer I'm not sure he can actually win. Yes he's beaten him before but we'll have to see. If it is a Murray - Federer final I shall be glued to my seat like I was in the 80s. Come on Andy!!

a cooling shower

2009-06-28T17:35:00.003+01:00

We went off to the forest earlier and as usual madam found the mud and water!

Which resulted in a hose down after. "Oi watch where you're sticking that hose, dad!"

She actually loves the hose and was having a good drink from it too.

There, all done!

The 'burbs.

2009-06-28T17:02:00.003+01:00

I came to a realisation last night. It occurred to me at about 8.30pm. The situation was quite bizarre really. I was sitting in a school hall watching the end of term concert by a local dancing school, surrounded by adoring parents, grandparents and various other family members of the performers. The age range of the children performing was 3 to 18-ish. There were various efforts from the tiny ones literally walking in circles to "Wee Willie Winkie" and looking cute, to older ones doing ballet or tap routines. My mum would have loved it. The thing is, we don't have any kids, and I wasn't a volunteer helper or anything. Sounds like I was having one of my frequent weird dreams doesn't it?

Our neighbours up the road have two girls of 10 and 8 years old who go to the dancing school and were performing. The grandparents couldn't go, so at the last minute we were asked if we wanted the tickets. "Ah, why not?" I said (it was free and Saturday telly is pretty dire!), so that's what happened. Oh, the realisation? I am an ordinary suburban housewife!

New Moon

2009-06-21T22:12:00.001+01:00

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Halfway through the first book I didn't think I was going to carry on, it was all a bit dull. Then it picked up and when I'd finished it I decided I would carry on with the series.

I liked this book better than the first I think. It was obviously what was going on with Jacob and his friends though.

I felt that some bits of the book were only written as set up points for the next books, like the bits with Victoria. She is obviously going to crop up again. And Charlie's friend died just in order to set up a misunderstanding. But I guess that is called moving the plot forward. It did work in this instance as the plot completely changed then and there.

I thought the emotions Bella felt were written very well, and I could really imagine the pain she was feeling when Edward left her. The descriptions of this were very good.

So what is going to happen in book 3?

View all my reviews.

Ack!!

2009-06-16T08:31:00.007+01:00

Ok, I'll have a go at a catch up but I am feeling a bit grumpy-bum! I've only gone and got ANOTHER ear infection! In the other ear! It is at the "getting really painful" stage but I'm not messing about, I've brought in the big guns straight away this time and am taking the painkillers that they gave me in A&E last time. Boy, they're good. Make you a bit sleepy though. Luckily my GP agreed over the phone to give me the same antibiotics as last time, I didn't need to make an appointment to see him, so I'm on those as well. (And I swear a cotton bud has not gone near my ear since the last time!)

Talking of GPs, did you ladies out there know that it is not enough now to just have a "General Practitioner"? They are far too general. No, now you need to also have an "aesthetic practitioner"! I discovered this by reading the small print on the screen of a TV advert for an anti-wrinkle cream last night. It told me to consult my aesthetic practitioner. No-one told me about this before, who are these people? I'm assuming they must be the faux "scientists" in white coats that congregate in the cosmetic department of Debenhams or Boots and the like. Maybe I should consult one on how to make an infected ear look aesthetically pleasing with goo dripping out of it?

It goes without saying that I have been reading a lot lately. But as for knitting........ I have a few things on the go. I am making another Vegas Sands neckwarmer because the June sock yarn I got from Wild Fire Fibres was too lovely to wear out on my feet. The Firestarter socks are on hiatus but I have started another project which I can't show on here but you can see if you are a Ravelry member here. I am making it using stash yarn that I have had for a while. I liked the colour combination when Ysolda used it in her Whimsical Little Knits book. I am doing random amounts of each colour. (Sorry non-Rav members but the person it is for is not a Rav member).

Colin has been off doing his thing for charity. Last weekend he went off to Scafell Pike with 7 others and they climbed it in about 7 hours up and down. When they got to the top there was SNOW! In June!!

On Sunday morning he was marshalling at the Race for Life in Chester.

So.... Big Brother is back for the summer. The same old bunch of usual suspects, the same petty arguments over nothing, the same silly humiliating tasks........ah we love it don't we? I'm going to put myself on the line here and suggest Rodrigo as this year's winner. He is in the background at the moment but I think he may come into his own once some of the loud mouths get voted off. Angel is a bit odd, she was sucking a raw egg the other day, that can't be healthy can it?

Jamaica Inn

2009-06-15T20:29:00.002+01:00

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Well I enjoyed this one. I know, shock horror I enjoyed a classic! Well it was a Virago Modern Classic so a bit more recent which helped.

It is set in the late 19th century and is the story of Mary Yellan who moves to stay with her Aunt and Uncle at Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor when her mother dies. It is not a typical inn though, there are no guests and the coaches pass on by without stopping. The landlord (Mary's uncle by marriage) is a wrong'un and is involved in smuggling, and her poor aunt keeps quiet to keep the peace with her drunken, violent husband. There are various unsavoury characters and you aren't sure at first who is on whose side.

Not to spoil anything but I did think there was something not quite right about one of the characters early on in the story and was right about them. This didn;t spoil the story though which had me gripped all the way through.

In fact I have even bought another 3 books by DuMaurier as I liked it so much!

View all my reviews.

Life Support

2009-06-07T17:50:00.002+01:00

Life Support by Tess Gerritsen

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a fast paced medical thriller which I enjoyed.

When I first started reading it I wasn't sure because it seemed as if the author was just showing off their knowledge of medical procedures, but this doesn't carry on and the thriller aspect kicks in.

Basically there are very rich, elderly residents of a retirement home volunteering for experiments to prolong their lives, and at first this seems to be working, until they start dying of strange symptoms. It turns out that the doctors giving them the treatments are getting their "medicine" from questionable sources which haven't been screened against a certain disease. An ER doctor makes a connection and starts to investigate, putting her life in danger when she is discovered to be getting too close to the truth.

The story certainly kept me gripped but I did find the ending slightly rushed and there was no clear explanation of how they found out where to "rescue" her from when she was in danger. There was a bit of a leap there.

This was written in 1997 and some of it did seem a bit dated, although the "fountain of youth" concept does seem more plausible 12 years later.

I think I have read a previous Tess Gerritsen novel and would possibly read more.

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I just can't stop!

2009-06-03T16:46:00.002+01:00

You would be forgiven for thinking this was a blog about book reviews, but I can't stop reading at the moment! I blame goodreads. Ever since I joined I haven't stopped because I like reading books and then making comments and reviews on the site, and joining in the monthly suggestions on one of the bookclubs on there. I am not however getting through my stack of "to read" books becasue although my reading has speeded up, my book acquiring has also speeded up at a comparable rate.

Knitting has fallen by the wayside a little. I started a pair of Firestarter socks last Wednesday so I would have something to take to knit group. But I haven't touched them since. The hot weather hasn't helped. And I'm not overly inspired by the pattern either, twisted cable stitches without a cable needle need a non splitty yarn and the one I'm using isn't it.

This loveliness arrived this morning though.

It is the June installment of the Wild Fire Fibres sock yarn club. 80% lambswool, 10% cashmere and 10% angora = smooshy! I don't want to make socks with it though so any suggestions are welcome. It is 300 yards and suggested needle size is 2.75mm to 3.5mm.

Human Croquet

2009-06-03T11:19:00.002+01:00

Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is my second Kate Atkinson in about a month - the other was Case Histories. I have only read two of her books but there seem to be similarities between them. In both books there are dysfunctional families, child abuse, incest, a fatal stabbing, an axe as a murder weapon, hidden crimes and unrequieted love.

She certainly knows how to write unusual characters though. I'm not totally 100% sure what happened by the end of the book, not a lot seemed to happen until about 230 pages in, then it all got a bit weird, then it was all explained away in a "Bobby Ewing in the shower" kind of a way. I'm being a bit simplistic there, it was better than Dallas of course!

At times it was a bit confusing when it jumped back into the past and you had to work out which members of the family it was referring to and how they tied into the people in the present. I felt sorry for Eliza who should have had a totally different life to the one she ended up with. There were one or two characters which didn't really need to be there in my opinion, like Mr Rice.

I will read more Kate Atkinson but I'm a bit "literatured out" at the mo so I'm goingfor a nice gruesome medical thriller next - Life Support by Tess Gerritsen!

View all my reviews.

The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman

2009-05-26T13:11:00.004+01:00

The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was another quickish read, about a small German village in the 1500s where the crops have failed and everyone is starving. The problems are blamed on witchcraft and the culprit is sought.

False accusations start to fly and an innocent woman is tortured and burned because she is the village's eldest resident and also the healer so she must be a witch. When her death changes nothing, the villagers start whispering to the friar about who it may be and others are sentenced on the flimsiest of evidence.

I enjoyed this book. The descriptions of the hungry people are quite harrowing at times, with them eating snow because there is nothing else. The torture using boiling water you can almost feel and the despair of the accused is very well described. It is frightening to think that so many women were put to death in those days on the most tenuous of reasons.

View all my reviews.

More than just books

2009-05-24T20:31:00.009+01:00

Other stuff has happened recently apart from reading. Last weekend my parents came up to visit. My step-dad has just retired and had a significant birthday so a cake was called for.

This was the first Victoria Sandwich I have made in probably over 20 years! Came out pretty well though I do say so myself.

On Sunday morning we went for a walk around the Walls and when we got to the weir there were several herons on the water. My zoom lens got this photo from quite a distance (I've cropped it quite a bit so the detail has been somewhat lost).

A bit further on we were aiming for the Racecourse as my ex-boss was competing in the Chester Half Marathon but the heavens opened and we made a quick dash into town to Caffe Nero for much needed coffees. He managed 2 hours 10 minutes, we heard later.

This morning I finished off my Flutter-by Socks. The second half of the skein had some really dark bits pop up in the purple bits so they aren't the same now, but its not really a problem just a bit of a shame. It may come out in the wash. It is a really easy and fairly quick pattern to knit.

Pattern: Flutter-by socks
Yarn: Wild Fire Fibres Fantasia from the May sock club, colour Rhododendron
Needles: 2.5mm Addi lace circs
Mods: Decreased to 30 sole stitches after the gusset.

I'm not sure what I want to cast on next, perhaps I should revisit those WIPs!

Well my review of Pride & Prejudice had mixed responses. Linz - it was nice to know I'm not the only one who didn't like it, I really thought I was after talking to a few people I know. Anonymous - yes, I do know who you are AND I know where you LIVE, hee hee!!! P&P isn't the only "classic" I have read, I enjoyed Dracula and Frankenstein but not P&P or 20,000 leagues. I didn't study English Literature after the age of 14 so I don't really know how to "read" a book in the way that you do. I like to read for enjoyment of the story, and that is enough for me. If it doesn't float my boat, I'll move on. I don't really want to get into the analysis of the writing or the period it was written, but I respect the fact that other people do. (I will just say that on your recommendation I have started the first chapter of Emma, but if I find I'm not enjoying it I will not plough on this time.) Everyone has their own tastes in books and that is why there are so many different books out there.

On that subject I am currently reading The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman a story about a witch hunt in the search for the reason why the crops are failing and everyone is starving in a tiny village in the 1400s. There is a gruesone trial of an old woman with a test which she cannot possibly pass which proves she is a witch when she isn't. And this stuff really went on! Scary.

Remind me not to read any more "classics"!

2009-05-22T17:41:00.001+01:00

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
I have finally finished listening to this unabridged version of Pride & Prejudice and am going to give my honest opinion, at the risk of causing an uproar! Let me first say that Yes, I do realise it was written nearly 200 years ago and that “that’s how things were then”. I am SO glad I was born when I was and not back then. Ok, here we go.

I DIDN’T LIKE IT. There, I’ve said it, it is out in the open! I didn’t like Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. The characters were awful, the story was dull and OMG did it drag on. I didn’t have a print copy of this but I can’t imagine how many pages were taken up each time someone had the tiniest thing to say but dragged it out over at least 10 minutes! GET ON WITH IT!!! I know they didn’t really have much to do in those days (the rich people anyway, I'm sure the poor were working very hard to make ends meet - but then they didn't have "ten thousand a year") but they must have done some things quickly. Oh yes, deciding to marry someone when you’d only just met them, they did that pretty quick!

Mrs Bennet was shallow, all she wanted from life was to see her daughters married to the richest man possible and when she despaired of that happening she just wanted to get any of them married off. Jane was far too sickly sweet and believed everyone to be the same. Lydia – what an airhead! And who was the mysterious Mary?

Mr Collins, I wanted to smack him in the chops. His proposal to Elizabeth was priceless, not once was there a mention of love, only what it would mean to his standing in the community to be a married man. How Lady Catherine Debourg (?sp) could talk to Elizabeth the way she did near the end when she thought she was going to marry Darcy. How rude!!!

Overall, I thought they were all a bunch of posh snobs who were all looking out for themselves. Elizabeth had a bit of something about her, at least she didn’t get a headache and stay bedridden for two weeks like her sister, but I still didn’t particularly like her either.

Please do comment if you like, I’d really like to know why this is such a much loved book!

View all my reviews.

A novel in letters

2009-05-20T14:46:00.001+01:00

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a very quick read, the second time I have read this book.

It is very clever, the way the author also has to use less and less letters as the story progresses. Did he start with the ending, using the very limited number of letters and work backwards? How did he choose which letter went next in order to still have enough letters to make coherent words?

I wonder why the shorter sentences that were discovered at the end have not become common usage though?

View all my reviews.

Case Histories

2009-05-19T14:07:00.004+01:00

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really liked this book. The writing style flowed very easily, it is a style I would like to write in, almost a stream of consciousness at times but following a story - several stories - too.

At first it seems that the stories are completely separate but they all come together at the end in various ways. Not all the ends are tied up and the others are not necessarily in ways you would expect. There are some good twists. You learn a lot about the characters and some of them learn things about themselves along the way.

I shall definitely be reading more Kate Atkinson.

Edited 22.5.09 to add: This was also a lovely book to read because of the actual pages. They are made of really thin paper that just flops open so that you don't have to constantly be straining to keep the pages open. Nice!

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Be afraid, be very afraid!

2009-05-13T11:44:00.003+01:00

Disclaimer: Please ignore the inane expressions on my face in the following photos. I took them all several times and could not get a decent one! I was taking them by holding my phone at arm's length and couldn't concentrate on doing that and looking like a human being at the same time!

Anyway, when I got up this morning I looked like this - 9 months of not getting a hair cut is not a pretty sight.

So off I went at 9am to the hairdresser. Becca had given me strict instructions to have it cut short enough that I couldn't drag it back and put it into a hair clip. We'd looked at some hair magazines in Borders last night while we were at knitting group and picked out a few styles. Of course you never end up looking like the pictures in those, but I got an idea of what I thought I might like.

By 10am I looked like this

It definitely had a bit more body and bounce in the hairdressers but by the time I got home it had gone flat. I had popped into Morrisons on the way back and bought some Shock Waves wax so after a quick dab of that, I had it looking like this

I didn;t bother having a colour done, I quite like my little grey streak at the front now that my parting is further over. I may get a cheapo one and do it myself at some point though. (And if you are wondering - no I can't get it into a hair clip!)

The Red Dahlia

2009-05-11T14:51:00.002+01:00

The Red Dahlia by Lynda La Plante

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
This book was ok, but I felt it was written with an eye to a TV adaptation.

The confession came all of a sudden, in one paragraph the person was refusing to talk, and a couple of paragraphs later the detective was explaining what the person had confessed to him and it seemed like there was a big chunk missing. There were quite a lot of typos throughout the book too, which I find quite irritating.

If you like TV police dramas you will probably like this book, but I don't think I'll read any more La Plante myself.

View all my reviews.

Butterflies flutter by

2009-05-10T20:05:00.006+01:00

I have come to a decision about chocolate. After years of not liking dark chocolate I watched the two series of Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory and Willie's Chocolate Revolution and decided it would be better to eat dark chocolate. After quite a bit of practicing I have decided that I do like it, and that is what I will eat from now on. I know, what a revelation for a Sunday evening!

Colin went up Snowdon yesterday with a group of people as part of his ongoing fundraising for cancer research.

So I settled in and got a good head start on my Flutter-by socks. I finished the first one this morning. This is a pic of the detail of the "butterflies". It is actually a very simple and quick pattern.

(click)

After 3 weeks I have decided I love my iPhone. I am not using it to anything like it's potential but some of the applications are amazing, AND I can watch BBC iPlayer on it at any time. You know when you are watching TV or in a shop and a piece of music comes on and you want to know what it is? There is an app where the phone listens to 30 seconds of the song then off it goes into its little brain or the interweb or somewhere, and tah-dah, it tells you what the song is, a biography of the artist and where you can buy it online! I must say though that Becca showed me a game that is a bit addictive and sometimes when I close my eyes all I can see are little cat, dog, cow, pig, hippo and bear heads!

This just tickled me!

2009-05-06T11:57:00.001+01:00

It's just the look on it's face!!

Serenity cardigan

2009-05-05T20:12:00.004+01:00

Serenity is finished, blocked and modelled! I really like the little collar, even though it was a pain having to sew it on and then pick up stitches along the edge through TWO layers of knitting. I think I made a pretty good job of it though.

Pattern : Serenity from Rowan Studio 15
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton - 5 balls with inches to spare!
Size: 10
Needles: KnitPicks Harmony circ -5.5mm and 4.5mm (pattern called for 5mm and 4mm but as I didn't use the recommended yarn these are the needles I got gauge on.)
Modifications: I added 8 rows of stocking stitch to the length of the sleeves.

I'm sure someone clever could adapt this to be knit top down in one piece, I could have done without all the mattress stitch, but at least in a cropped cardi they are shortish seams!

Rhododendron

2009-05-02T13:41:00.001+01:00

This is my first installment of the Wild Fire Fibres sock club. The yarn is called Fantasia, and is a 100% merino. The colourways this month are all based on British flowers - each person in the club gets a different colour (you can see others on this ravelry page) - and mine is called Rhododendron.

Trafford Centre

2009-05-01T08:26:00.006+01:00

Colin decided it was time he had a day off so yesterday we decided to go over to The Trafford Centre as we both needed clothes. Now, I have mentioned before that I hate clothes shopping so I wasn't holding out much hope of coming home with anything to be honest but it turned out to be not too bad.

I think it helped that the place was virtually empty. The credit crunch was certainly evident, either that or no-one wanted to go out in case they caught swine flu! So at least I didn't have to try to squeeze past people in narrow gaps between clothes displays, or queue for changing rooms. I didn't actually try much on, and came home with a pair of trousers, a cardi and 3 tops (one of which is going back because it is too small). Add to that the 6 t-shirt type tops I got in M&S on Saturday and that's me done for probably another 12 months!

While we were there I popped in to John Lewis as I needed a red button for my Serenity cardi - just the seaming and the collar to go now, should be done over the weekend - but as usual I didn't really know what size to get. I got a selection and I ended up with these.

Wow some buttons can be expensive! The six matching ones weren't too bad at 30p each but the other two! The larger one is glass I think, and was £1.30 for one! The other I think is also glass and that one was £1.45! Yikes. Good job i didn't need 6 of each of those. So now I will choose which to use and keep the others for something else. I'm bound to make something else in red another time.

I had a quick look at the knitting yarns, specifically at more of the Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton that I am currently using for the cardi. I was shocked. I bought mine for £1.99 a ball in Stash, John Lewis were selling it for £2.90. Is that allowed? (Edit: Hmmm, just looked at Stash's website and they have it for £2.90 too. Odd!)

Monkey business

2009-04-29T10:13:00.002+01:00

I finished my Monkey socks last week, I think it was Friday.

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A
Yarn: Wendy Happy sock yarn
Needles: 2.5mm Addi Lace circs using magic loop

I think the pattern was a bit lost in the busy-ness of the yarn. The yarn was nice and soft but a bit splitty and very thin. I think these may stretch in the wash, my Tofutsies socks have gone quite baggy since they were washed.

Becca will be proud.........

2009-04-28T14:38:00.003+01:00

...........because I am going to read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin!

Well no, that isn't strictly true. I just know I would never get through it and the thought of watching any of the film or TV versions doesn't appeal. So I am going to let a very nice actress by the name of Lynsay Duncan read it to me. I have bought and downloaded the audiobook from iTunes and put it onto my new iPhone! I don't think I have ever listened to an audiobook before so I looked at several versions and the reviews all seemed to suggest that this was the best one.

It is unabridged at 12+ hours long. That suggests that you could actually sit down at 8 o'clock in the morning and read the book without a break and have it finished by 8 o'clock in the evening. Somehow that doesn't seem like long enough for a whole book.

Anyway, I shall be listening while I walk the dog, in the car and also I can listen while I knit which is a bonus!

The Rose of Sebastopol by Katherine McMahon

2009-04-28T09:16:00.003+01:00

I read this book as part of a bookgroup on GoodReads.com.

The Rose of Sebastopol by Katharine McMahon

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book. It is not something I would normally even pick up if I saw it in a bookshop. However, it is worth trying something new sometimes and I was not disappointed.

The book is the story of two cousins Rosa and Mariella at the time of the Crimean War, two very different personalities. Rosa is quite headstrong and defiant while Mariella is timid and anxious. They meet as children and become best friends immediately. Rosa takes Mariella on adventures around her home, a large country estate in Derbyshire.

When Rosa's stepfather dies about 10 years later, she and her mother come to London to live with Mariella's family. Mariella is being courted by her cousin by marriage, Henry Thewell, who is fast becoming an eminent doctor and surgeon.

When the Crimean War begins, Henry goes off to help set up facilities for the wounded soldiers, and Rosa decides she wants to join the nurses who are working for Miss Florence Nightingale. Mariella stays at home, living with her parents and losing herself in her sewing. When she receives a letter that Henry is ill she decides to go to him in Italy where he is convalescing. She finds him in a state of delirium, and he begs her to find Rosa who has gone missing in the Crimea. Against her nature she goes.

Mariella finds herself enduring all kinds of horrible conditions which at first she finds repulsive and sickening, but as time goes on she becomes somewhat desensitized to her surroundings and ends up mucking in with the nurses and helping the wounded and dying soldiers. She learns that Henry and Rosa met up here and some kind of liaison took place between them before Rosa disappeared, but no-one seems to know the true extent of this. Although heartbroken at their betrayal, she vows to find her cousin, and is helped by Rosa's step-brother Max Stukeley, a captain in the English Army, and her maid Nora.

Although this book is historical fiction, it is written in a modern style, so the language is not too flowery and it was an easy read. Both Rosa and Mariella can be frustrating at times, but they are both good people. There is a love-triangle element to the story (almost a love-square at one point) with Mariella being a bit naive as to her position in this.

It was interesting to see parallels between that time and modern times. Henry tries to change medical practices to slow the spread of infections in hospitals, and realises that cleanliness is the key. Rosa is an objector to the War and I would have thought in modern times she would be an anti-war protester on marches and in the 80's she would have been a Greenham Common woman.

There is a conclusion to the story which I won't give away but there are also some loose ends which I would have liked followed up, to see what became of some of the characters after the War, but I guess there is a bit of fun in deciding that for oneself.

View all my reviews.

We ARE going out!

2009-04-23T20:12:00.001+01:00

Colin just booked tickets to see Lee Mack next March. I'm a bit worried I might actually pee myself laughing, not the thing to do when you are in the third row!

An anniversary present to myself!

2009-04-23T17:10:00.005+01:00

Becca and I eventually got to meet up for a chat today. She was on a late and didn't need to start work until 12 so we met in town in Starbucks at 9 o'clock for a coffee and a natter - mostly about knitting. Then we decided to go off to Stash and have another natter with Anne. Of course it would be rude to go in there and natter for over an hour and not buy so I found this cute pattern in the new Rowan Studio 15. It is called Serenity (but I can't see it on ravelry yet!). It will be ideal for over the top I got in Zara which is sleeveless!

The top is red so the cardi has to be red! I didn't really like the Rowan Summer Tweed, it feels a bit rough so I bought 6 balls of Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton for £1.99 a ball. I'm a bit wary of cotton after my disaster with the jumper for Colin but this should be okay as it is short and won't be all heavy and shapeless (fingers crossed). Of course now I want to start it straight away!

I haven't got too far to go on the second Monkey sock so if I finish that tonight I'll start the cardi tomorrow.

Even though it is our wedding anniversary - 15 years- today we are going to go out tomorrow night.

If you are wondering where the knitting content has gone..........

2009-04-21T08:52:00.005+01:00

.........I've been a bit distracted.

Firstly by reading. Since I joined GoodReads I have renewed my interest in reading - not that I ever lost it, I always have a book on the go, but I am more enthusiastic about getting through books quicker. Just the fact that you read a book and write a review for other people to read, seems to make it more urgent that you get a book finished. There is also a "progress update" bar where you put in which page you are currently on, so you can see how far into the book you are. I have also joined a couple of groups, one of which has a reading group where you can nominate a category and then when the category is decided you nominate a book and then everyone votes and that is the "book of the month". I suggested crime/thriller - well I would wouldn't I? - but the category voted winner was "a book with the name of a flower in the title". I suggested The Red Dahlia - a crime/thriller (2 birds with one stone and all that) but the winner was "The Rose of Sebastopol". Now I wouldn't touch this book with a bargepole normally but I am going to be open minded and give it a go. I've ordered a copy from GreenMetropolis because I had a bit of credit from when I sold a book through them. This is a great site for secondhand books, all books are £3.75, and postage is generally free on normal sized paperbacks.

My other distraction has been my new iPhone! Colin has a contract with O2 and was due for an upgrade so he decided to go for an iPhone. The minute it was in the house (last Thursday) I wanted one. I have been very happy on Pay as you Go with Orange for donkeys years, and probably would have stayed with them, but the iPhone is only on O2 so I have had to go over to them. And go on a contract which I've never had either. So on Saturday I got my lovely shiny iPhone. I've been surfing the web, and downloading apps and generally just staring at it a lot!

It was a bit naughty of me to get it on Saturday because it was actually Colin's birthday that day, not mine! We had a pub lunch and then in the evening we asked Paul & Kate and their girls round and we ordered Domino's pizzas. And I made a cheescake - no photos, it was eaten too quickly - which was delicious. I'll be making that again.

Tonight we are probably going to have something with mushrooms in it!

I have TWO fully grown mushrooms now. There are loads of tiny ones too but I'm wondering if they will come on better once these two aren't sucking up all the goodness in the soil.

As for knitting, I am plodding on with my Monkey socks, just passed the second heel last night so they should be finished off fairly quickly, and then I am going to go back to the Tweedy Waistcoat which went in the naughty corner. It shouldn't take too much to get it sorted out and finished, and it is just the right time of year now to be wearing it.

Finally, Colin is very excited because his 365challenge has been featured on the JustGiving website's blog. You can read it here.

Getting bigger

2009-04-19T09:23:00.004+01:00

These are growing really fast now, just the two - all the others are there but still really tiny - but they seem to double in size every 24 hours. They are probably about 2cm tall now and about 1.5cm wide. I reckon we'll be eating them very soon.

To Kill a Mockingbird and Tales of Beedle the Bard- review

2009-04-17T12:16:00.003+01:00

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars

I remember at school when we had to choose our options for O levels, I didn't take English Lit. I am sure this was one of the books some of my friends read in that class. I now feel that I missed out on this book for 25 years!

It was very well written from the viewpoint of the girl, life seems so simple to a child. It is a shame that we have to change our thinking as we get older and exposed to the more difficult things in life. Children use the word "why" much more than adults.

Thank goodness for the handful of adults in this story who thought differently to the others. Atticus was a great character, and a wonderful example to his children.

Thank you to Molly for recommending this book to me, I probably wouldn't have ever read it otherwise and I would have missed a great book.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
I read this in about an hour. It was okay I guess but nothing to write home about really.

View all my reviews.

What a difference a day makes.......

2009-04-16T08:15:00.002+01:00

.....24 little hours. Look how much my mushies have grown in exactly 24 hours, they must have really needed that drink!

And here is a little drowned blackbird on the roof of our garage, taken with my sooper dooper zoom lens. If you click to make it larger you can see the water drops on his feathers.

Foodies

2009-04-15T08:23:00.008+01:00

So last Saturday we went to the Chester Food & Drink Festival. It didn't seem like there were as many exhibitors this year but it was spread out more and easier to see everything.
We bought a big mixed tub of olives from this stall,

and various other things like ciabatta, cheeses, smoked garlic bulbs, and some rudely named beers for our friend's birthday. We have also signed up to have an organic veggie box delivered. We did this last year with a different company but we kept getting broccoli which I love but my tummy doesn't, and they weren't very good at substituting it, so we cancelled it. The company we chose this time, BoxFresh, said all the right things so we'll see what turns up on Friday.

Of course, soon we won't be needing to buy mushrooms, once these little fellas grow a bit more. They weren't doing too well but it turned out they were too dry. When I gave them a big drink they suddenly starting coming on better. Still only about 3mm across on the biggest one though.

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We had quite a busy weekend all in all. It started last Thursday night when we went out to Tilston to a friend's 50th birthday at the Carden Arms pub.

Then after the food fest we went to our neighbours for a meal on Saturday evening. Paul has a birthday 9 days before Colin so it was a double birthday meal really. Afterwards we watched Quantum of Solace on DVD. It was a good action film, but as Becca said last night, it's not cheesy Bond anymore! I don't think we did much on Sunday, then Eastham park on Monday.

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I did do a bit of knitting, and finished the first of a pair of Monkey socks which have been waiting around for a while. Then last night, eagle eyed Anne at knit group noticed I'd dropped a stitch at the beginning of my toe decreases. so we grabbed it and I'll just sew it in. I remember it happening but thought I'd rescued it at the time, I guess I didn't!

I actually joined a sock yarn club. I knew about the Wild Fire Fibres sock club when it started in January but didn't sign up. Then when I started seeing the yarns people were getting on the ravelry group, I wished I'd joined. As it turned out someone had signed up for 3 months and not renewed so lovely Vikki said I could have that slot for the following 3 months. I think I'm due my first skein later this month. The great thing is, it is not the same colour that everyone gets, there is a theme but my skein may be a different colour mix to someone else. I have had some of her yarns before and they are lovely.

It was really good to see Becca at knit group last night, I haven't seen her since the end of January which is shocking, but she has been mad busy at work trying to keep her job (she works in the head office of one of the big banks). We have arranged to meet up after work next Wednesday and get something to eat in town and have a proper catch-up. It's difficult at knit group because there are lots of other people to chat to. It was good though, because I haven't been for a month because of my ear infection, so there was lots of knitting and "knattering" to be done. Karen has finally succumbed to the lure of the socks and brought along some lovely sock yarns that she had bought. (Must not got to Woolly Workshop's website! Must not, must not!)

Eastham Country Park

2009-04-14T09:57:00.004+01:00

We made a discovery yesterday. We were wondering where we could go to take Susie for a walk, and we were going to go to the beach but it is more or less at the top of the Wirral to West Kirby beach, a bit of a trek. We had a look on google maps to see if there were any beaches nearer and found not a beach but a lovely country park called Eastham Country Park, and it is only about 10 miles away. So off we went.

Firstly this gate was amusing, if you click on the photo you'll see why! Apparently this was the original gateway to the old Victorian park

which used to have a zoo in it. This was the original bearpit which had two bears (not these two!). Look at the awful cramped conditions.

I'm not sure what would have lived in this dark little hole.

There were some lovely new green leaves on the beech trees

And these mushrooms seem to be doing a lot better than my meagre efforts!

The park is directly in the flight path for Liverpool airport and about every 5 minutes there would be a roar as one of these passed overhead. I don't know how that airport would survive if EasyJet went bust!

This was a huge felled tree that we found - I positioned the models to show the scale

and this photo I like because she looks so puppyish.

We'll be going there again now that we have found it.