My kind of day

Actually, it didn't start off so well.  I intended to go to the London Sewing meet up over in west London for an hour or so before retreating back east for a knitting afternoon.  Or crochet, in my case.  Before I left the house I pressed and turned under the hem on the Liberty silk dress from the last post, so that I could hem it at the meet up.  Left the house, jumped on the tube, got as far as Tower Hill, and thought:

"Shit.
Did I unplug the iron?"*

I called my neighbour to ask her to pop in but she was out ferrying a plethora of small children to social appointments, so I had to abort the mission and come home.  With an extra hour or so to kill I finally got around to making my Tie One On Apron for this month.  Both Jennifer and Anna were kind enough to send me some rickrack when I bemoaned its lack of availability here (in interesting colours and widths).  So here it is:

It's on Dolly and  pinned a little crooked but you get the idea, I'm pleased with it.  The theme was rickrack so it's around the bottom and peeping out from the pocket (because an apron without a pocket is pointless though on reflection the pocket doesn't actually have to be big enough to fit a cookbook in).  It's made from a thrifted pillowcase and some pink cotton from the stash.

Now I just need an excuse to do some baking.  Magnolia cupcakes and pistachio macaroons and cherry biscuits and oh god I better stop myself now.

Then it was off to Broadway Market, for pints of chips and more rippling, with   four very lovely ladies.   Just like Claire, right now I'm all about the crochet, and the rippling in particular.  It won't be ready to bring to the wedding next week, but that's ok.  At this stage I've started it twice,

and at now 45" (these are different colours so it's not that your computer screen needs adjusting, top is the first blanket and below is the current one).  I'm still not sure it's wide enough but I don't feel like starting it a third time. It might get a big border instead.  I've worked out that the ripples take up so much of the foundation chain that you've got to chain about a third more than you think you need.

So soon I'll have to start temping or working properly in a grown-up job, god forbid, but at the moment I'm making the most of the last days of my freedom.  That has also included a couple of cinema trips this week with Jen - and as she pointed out, we saw two Chinese films. 

Curse of the Golden Flower was great.  It's a little like Eastenders in fluoro colours, because it has all the intrigue, back-stabbing and general human misery of a soap but it's extravagantly beautiful.  It was slightly frustrating when the subtitles disappeared - literally at the dramatic climax - but we figured it out.  The costumes are divine.  It's relatively slow-moving but I was caught up in the sheer spectacle of it all.  What I know about Chinese history could fit on the head of a pin, but the film illuminated how tradition and a sense of order and propriety dominated then  - even when life is collapsing for all the main characters, as part of the Emperor's family - their lives were rigid, bound by strict codes and therefore when the emotions come to the fore in the film it's all the more powerful.

Which, in some ways, was similar to The Painted Veil. Someone (Ting?) volunteered that the title of the film alludes to people revealing their true selves. Yes, again the costumes (Kitty Fane's tea dresses - covet... fawn... and the parasols!!) were just fabulous, especially as I fancy myself in a cotton tea dress more than the Empress's huge robes.
I actually found it very moving - when the tide turns and the emotional current changes, it's very powerful.  So much so that I didn't mind Naomi Rubber Face Watts.  And yes, Edward Norton is stoic and dashing and just rather swoonsome. Go and see it.

So else got the Liberty 15% discount voucher (online, when they registered with the new site) that has no date, and no 'can only be used once' stipulation on it, and said 'hooray'?  Who has managed to use it?  I was pretty peeved that they wouldn't accept it the other day.  They seem to have omitted some of the terms and conditions on it but have just decided not to take it in the shop.  Doesn't seem fair really...

* yes

Comments

[Jade]

"The Painted Veil" sounds like my kind of movie, thanks for the tip.

Love the apron & the crochet...and would you believe I did something similar to your iron yesterday, except I left the back door open while we were out for 2 hours. Thankfully, no one was interested enough to have a wander in.

[Sarah Jayne]

Love the apron - very cute.
You've inspired me to go to the cinema now; I keep seeing ads for these films and never seem to put the effort into going - I'll try for next week.

[Leigh]

Is that what the squiggly trim is called! This seemed to appear on lots of the little skirts and dresses Mum used to make, but I don't think it occurred to either of us that it had a name.

(Have been getting some nice compliments about your little charm - thank you.)

[Helen]

What a sweet apron - definitely for baking pink cupcakes in.

Ripples are going well too - you have been a busy girl! x

[Sarah]

So, had you left the iron on?

Thanks for the movie tips, I'm heading over to netflix to add them to my queue.