Flibbertygibbet

Randomness

A little while ago the lovely Emerald tagged me for a well know meme that I may well have done before but I thought it would be interesting to do it again, without checking back first. See if I am at all capable of being random or if I'm thoroughly set in my ways. The challenge is to share seven random or weird facts.

1. 1. I like painted toenails but not fingernails (weird)
2. My lucky numbers are 1 and 7 (random)
3. I have a short attention span for hobbies, which leads to 'all the gear no idea' - letterpress anyone? That reminds me, I nearly went to a tatting course today. Lucky escape really. (random)
4. I'm still trying to fight my longing for flock wallpaper but it's becoming more difficult (weird)
5. I'm more cautious that I'd ideally wish to be (random)
6. The not being able to ride a bike thing is really starting to bug me (random) but I'm still unwilling to do anything to remedy it (weird)
7. Lately I've developed a thing for pictures/paintings/rubberstamps of deer (random and weird)

I am tagging some people I know, some I don't know. As always, won't be offended if you don't participate. Usual rules, link to your tagees, tell them they've been tagged,

Kathleen - v talented lady
Julie from Little Cotton Rabbits - she's the Typepad featured blog this week, hurrah!
Sweet Jessie - lovely photographs
Flissy - she hasn't blogged so recently but I think that's because she's busy making lovely things for her Blythe dolls
Abi from Make It Up - one of my favourite people, and uber talented Tree Fall - more lovely stuff
Jessica - always shares the best stuff on her blog

Focus

I've learned a lot of things about myself over the past few years, though not nearly enough. One thing, which I've probably mentioned before, is that I don't work well without a deadline. I procrastinate, and yesterday I procrastiknitted. That has meant that a spontaneous lunch invitation for today, that I was inclined to decline but now would like to accept, is probably not going to happen because I have a freelance job hanging over my head that's due for Tuesday. (Monday is a holiday here). A neat lesson.

I've been trying to get a little more focus into my life, but even deciding on the list of priorities has been tiring: a constantly leapfrogging list of sorting out work/life balance: do creative things that make me happy; work out how to manage my ever problematic finances; write more of the book; get healthy - lose a couple of stone (put like that it sounds so easily, like I'm carrying two large boulders in my pockets and simply need to put them down somewhere) and regain my yoga flexibility and some stamina; see friends; get out and meet new people rather than coming home knackered and being fit for nothing. Fit for nothing sort of sums it all up at the moment.

So in the way of addressing these issues, yesterday I slept until almost 1pm and then knitted a lot.

The sleeping thing was vital - three days at a trade show coupled with weeks of prep for said show had left me entirely drained. My boss told me to leave at 2pm but I ended up faffing about town, killing time until I was going to a friend's house for dinner; still I appreciated the gesture. All I wanted to do yesterday was something creative, and the girls keep telling me that I should knit something for myself for a change. So I decided to CO a number of projects to keep me interested. Will that really work?

Hence:

Garter rib socks from the Charlene Schurch book, in Purl's custom colour Lorna's Laces. Interesting colour blending - the dyeing isn't as clear as usual so instead of defined purple to white, it seems to fade to blue sometimes and that's causing the strange blue spiral. I think I like it. These have been on the go for about a week. Using the beautiful Lantern Moon needles from Robynn, because I felt the need to use precious yarn and the most luxurious needles to finally do something for myself. Finally.

These are the knitted-bar-the-afterthought-heel socks that I was doing for my granny, then realised that while Blue Sky Alpaca silk does indeed a luxurious bedsock make, it's also very big and baggy and I should have really thought that out a bit more. So I frogged those and returned the yarn to the stash.

In other knitting housekeeping, I finally finished those wristwarmers for the January birthdays.

I started on something from the Kim Hargreaves book, Cherish which is a shrug in Big Wool. I have definitely done something funny on the bottom edge. But that knitted up in a couple of hours so I guess I can bear to frog it and redo if necessary. Will blunder on with the sleeves and fronts and then redo the back as and when.

And the final 'for me' project is the cabled shrug from the Debbie Bliss Pure Silk book. I think I cast this on eight times. About seven attempts during the afternoon, and I'd keep screwing something up along the way and get to the end of the first row to find two stitches too many or too few waiting for me at the end of the needle. For some reason at 1am I thought 'ooh yes, let's pick that up again' and like magic it worked, as did row 2. I decided to quit while I was ahead - also because the next bit of the pattern somehow seemed to have been written in Swahili. Maybe it will be back in English today. This is as far as I got:

*****

Every once in a while, when you're trying to figure out everything from life plans to knitting patterns, something happens to remind you that you should stress less and live more because who knows what's going to happen. One of our knitting girls is gravely ill and while I've been mired in work I haven't keep up with her husband's blog. I didn't realise how rapidly things were progressing. The latest update from this morning is that he doesn't think that she will leave the hospital, and that these may be her final days. Understandably he doesn't think having crowds of people descend on the hospital is a good idea. Instead he says:

"If you want to do something for us today, then speak to a parent, partner, child or friend and tell them that you love them, as I will do to her, whether she hears me or not."

Though it's not really 'me', I'm working up to saying this to my friends and loved ones. You always assume that people know how much they mean to you. But that's probably not the case?

*****

Sadly Tash passed away a couple of hours later. We raised a glass at a local pub, which is coincidentally where they had their wedding reception; then went down to spend some time with her husband, her dad and her friends. Lots of laughter and good memories shared, and then we all cried all the way home in the taxi. A beautiful, bright, funny woman and we didn't have enough time with her. Miss you Tash. xxxx

The art of Mise en Scene

Or of being in the right place at the right time.  Recently at a wedding in Scotland, I met someone who may in fact be my separated-at-birth twin.  You know when you immediately click with someone?  We did and it was great, given that I'd been a bit apprehensive about going to the wedding 'stag', as it were.  I love weddings, just not so keen on the walking in alone bit.  It's an established fact that going to a wedding alone just sucks, especially at a given age, i.e. most of your friends are still tying the knot rather than divvying up the wedding presents, bless 'em.  Anyway, it was a wonderful day, a beautiful couple who are just head over heels and all tremendously good fun, and it also reignited my interest in getting my camera sorted out.   Clare, new friend, is an amazing photographer and she recommended a local photography course, I think it might be same place that Helen's going to, and I would like to get to grips with the newish SLR that arrived in January and has been sadly underused.  So that's on the list of To-Dos. 

As is the ever-evolving flat.  I finally got around to framing some stuff, and then realised that I didn't actually  have as many pictures as I thought...  some of them are hiding in here.

This came from the Small Object last year at Renegade Craft.

This is a greeting card from a really sweet girl at Spitalfields, or possibly the Backyard market.

Watercolours which were a gift from my grandmother.

More Renegade craft loveliness. 

I am trying to wangle a work trip to San Francisco to coincide with Renegade Craft in July.  Can anyone out there recommend fun stuff to do around SF?  Is it worth staying a week if I can sort that out, and how feasible is it to get around without driving because I don't drive here, never mind on the 'wrong' side of the road.

There hasn't been much crafting, but I did very quickly sort out the kitchen curtain on a temporary basis.  Yes, it's very boring but it's an improvement on the kitchen roll that was stuck up there; and it may get some further embellishment.

I made a sock bag for Lovely Lucy last night as part of her birthday presents but forgot to take a photo of it.   

This was one of my birthday presents a while back, and it made me laugh out loud.

Hello global warming!

This is the view from the balcony today...

Off to the park to make snowmen, hurrah!

This might be a short post...

...as my fingers may close over in climber's claw, as opposed to crocheter's claw.  You remember the bet, right?  The lovely Lucy got up remarkably early this morning, given that she'd been out last night for Paul's, aka the knitter's birthday. Off we went to The Castle which is an exceptionally cool place, even if I spent the majority of the morning with my heart rattling somewhere around my windpipe thinking 'faaaaaaaaaaakkkkkk'.  Actually, I probably was only attached to a rope for about twenty minutes in total, it just felt like a lifetime.  The only thing preventing me saying really obscene words out loud was the presence of lots of kids.  Mostly scampering up the walls like earwigs, little bastards. However I got on better than I thought I would, mainly because Paul and Lucy are patient teachers and like a lot of things, the braver you are, the easier it is. That sounds daft but it's a matter of believing that you can keep the momentum going and somehow you do.  Hang on, breathe, relax, send your shoulders back down from around your earholes, keep going.  Then realise how high you are off the ground and in a somewhat high-pitched wail you tell your belay partner that you're coming doooooown.  I'll definitely go back, though the usual pattern for me is to get on grand at something for the first attempt and then screw it up the next time.  I'll have to put in a fair bit of time there if I'm to have any chance of fulfilling my side of the bet. The 5b level - imagine climbing a 12m wall by hauling yourself up little lumps of crap that are about the same size as half a flapjack.  Mnurgh.....

So, I was determined not to blog again until I had some crafting to show:

I got my new Moo cards and that was the perfect excuse to get back to some sewing-crafting as opposed to knitting-crafting, which was a little intense on the poor wristies.  With the new job comes a crackberry and while I'm actually quite glad to have it because I can leave the office but still deal with those late emails from California that I'm waiting for; I thought it could be dressed better than the ultra masculine leather carry case that ships with it.

Whoops, my camera is doing that really annoying thing where it automatically rotates the view of photos you've taken to that they're upright (looking) when they download, but then they come out sideways when you upload them anywhere.  Anyone know how to fix that??  I'm a bear of too little brain to remember right now.

In other VERY exciting news (to me, but then it's allllll about me) I now have curtains.  In all the rooms.  Lovely friends came and drilled holes in the wall for me before Christmas, but then the bloody curtain rail just wouldn't play along and jettisoned itself straight out the wall with next to no prompting. 

When my parents came to visit, Dad was only dying to be 'doing stuff' so he asked me where my toolbox was.   I do have a toolbox, but it contains equipment for silversmithing, like 2mm saw blades that Dad was eyeing up for sawing bits off screws. Eh, no. So I produced the 6" sq cardboard box (which originally contained a bonbon dish I believe, ahem) that contains all my 'tools' and somehow Dad did something magical, and lo and behold...

What other news... weddings to attend soon.  I sort of intended to make something to wear but realistically that's not going to happen now.  Still not totally settled into the new flat, but getting there.  I finally gave in a rejoined a gym to try to get a bit fitter. Cos I need to get a LOT fitter but slowly, slowly, eh.  Working, going out, knitting a bit.  Waiting for the weather to change from this...

to something more like this...

 

Coming soon!

Finally managed to take some photos of the small crafty things that I've finished.  The new job (which is the start up, to answer someone's earlier question) is exhausting me though I'm happy at it, and in some ways there's little to report though lots going on.  But haven't given up on this yet!  Will be back soon, this is just a placeholder! xx

Bluesky

There were sunny skies this weekend over London town.  I walked around the park, pondering the new job that I accepted on Friday, and felt a tingle of excitement at the possibilities.  Life is better in sunshine, it's true, yet I think the feeling will hold...

Helen nominated me for a 'You Make My Day' award.  Mwah, lovely lady! Must try to decide who I'd nominate.

Two birds

From stressing about a job, I'm in a position where I have two offers.  Now how long can I hold both of these birds before one of them craps in my hand.  A city job which will pay well but with the requisite pressures, versus an involved role at a start-up and the associated risks.  Neither of these are the job that I started interviewing for in December, hah!

Tonight we knitted at a new venue, with delicious cakes and for once we weren't the only people attracting curious looks.  A man who sat for some time at a seat by the window, gazing out on to the street, was wearing a wire pyramid on his head. Lucy wanted to ask him why but I reckoned he might then end up on her knee extolling the virtues of metal headgear.

I've almost finished the baby blanket.  Or Snugbugrug, as I've been calling it. I kind of want one for myself.  The top is machined, using blocks I'd made in the past plus some new ones and including my favourite Denyse Schmidt Flea Market Fancy fabric (green dots).  Excuse the crappy photo - really must brush up on technique.  It's backed with red fleece and I machined this too as I also did with the binding in an effort to save the hands. But it looks like crap so I have to rip it back and sew it properly.

Next thing to play with is these beauties from Butterflygirl on Etsy:

Last night we had pancakes.  Filled with strawberries, mango and blueberries, how healthy.

What you can't see is the dulce de leche underneath and the next round was chopped up Cadbury's Caramel.

Cocoon

I might be about to break out of mine.

Thank you for the wise and insightful suggestions (and for resisting the urge to say 'shut up you old baggage, you don't know how good you've got it') and it's all your fault that I've been watching too much TV recently.  It's been a long time since I actually watched rather than just having it as background noise while I knit/surf/craft.  Lying on the floor has also been a popular activity at Flib Towers.

What's working so far is a new osteopath (hurrah!), the old acupuncturist (tracked him down in north London) lots of stretching and heat and trying to resist using my hands as much as possible. Gaaah, it's difficult. And having a major night out on Saturday which left me hungover and prone for most of Sunday, that helped.

My acupuncturist said something interesting about how the last time I visited him - about eight months ago, I think - I was 'withdrawing' a little.  That's what I've been doing recently too, pottering off to regroup by myself.  It surprised me when he said it, but I guess that's just what I do.

I've been able to do a little crafting - a cheaty baby quilt (photos to come) and I've cast on for a new cardigan but yesterday's hangover put paid to that one fairly rapidly. This week I have a first interview for one job (today); a second for another job; and may hear about the one that has been going on since December.  It's feast or famine, as they say but I'm hoping that my luck is going to come good!  Mainly so that I can go on the mooted summer outing...oh yes and pay the mortgage too. All that grown up stuff as well, definitely.

Rant

Everything has stalled. RSI means I shouldn't be clicking, mousing, typing, writing, knitting, or doing anything vaguely interesting. The daily dose of ibuprofen (400mg x 3 times daily with food) is dissolving my stomach lining without much other demonstrable benefit. Waiting to hear about a job interview process that's now in its eighth week. Bored rigid at work, about to read a book. In an utterly despicable mood. Desperate to start certain crafty projects but everything seems to aggravate my wrists at the moment. Apart from reading, what else do you suggest to keep me amused???