Lucy's Place

Sneaky glimpse of Lucy's Harmony Blanket.  I think it's my favourite of her blankets so far.  It's a beauty!

Thank you to all the lovely ladies at Knit And Natter, Coopers Cafe, for making us feel so welcome.

I got me a Cherry Heart original!!!  My exquisite gift from Sandra.

I thank my lucky stars for this wonderful online community of ours, really I do.  Without it I wouldn't have had the most fab-u-lous couple of days with two gorgeous and incredibly talented bloggy friends, last week.

I met up with Sandra (Cherry Heart) and together we made the journey up north, to beautiful Skipton in North Yorkshire, where a little-known blogger by the name of Lucy (Attic 24) was waiting for us.

I've come home completely inspired, my mind buzzing with ideas, and more than a little bit hoarse I can tell you!  What a total joy it is to spend time and gossip with like-minded souls who really 'get' this part of my life that I love so much.

Sandra and Lucy, you rock!  Big time.

xxx

PS.  Lest you didn't recognise it, the rather drab (!) studio pictured is where Lucy creates her magic!

Visiting London - Nine Tips

D and Blondie Son were booked to go and see the Foo Fighters at Wembley (or the Kung-Fu Fighters as my Mother In Law calls them) as a post-GCSEs treat, but the event was cancelled so the four of us decided to go to London for the weekend, for a spot of sight-seeing.

It's a funny thing but I seem to revert to being a small child when visiting London.  Half of me is wild-eyed with awe and excitement and the other half is frightened to death that I'll get lost/fall in the Thames/slip under a Tube train.  There are soooooo many people.  It's exactly 100 miles to the centre of London from our front door but it's like another world.

With the benefit of my very recent hindsight, I'd like to offer some tips to anyone considering visiting our capital ...

1.  Wear comfortable shoes.  Pavement-pounding in heeled boots, particularly if you're not terribly used to them, will crucify your calf muscles and render you completely unable to walk the following day.

2.  Take a small bottle of hand sanitiser because, blimey, the place is filthy.

3.  Ensure that there aren't any Anti-Austerity marches planned for the day unless you want to be swept into oblivion by a sea of placard-carrying shouty types.

4.  Don't be tempted to toss a single crust to a single pigeon.  In a matter of seconds, you will be surrounded by a hundred of them.

5.  Forget about your personal space, especially on the Underground.  You WILL be up close and personal with complete strangers and, occasionally, they will not be very fragrant.

6.  There are two walking speeds, breakneck and stop-to-take-a-photo-every-three-seconds.  A leisurely amble will not be accommodated.

7.  Don't always heed the directions of the British Transport Police, they could be new to the job.

8.  Take plenty of money.  Think how much things normally cost and then multiply by ten.

9.  It's the Royal Standard flying over Buckingham Palace that indicates the Queen is in residence and not the Union Jack.  Knowing this will prevent you wasting twenty precious minutes trying to catch a glimpse of her peering through a window.

;-)

xxx

Stocks And Single Crochet

Ok, ok, I know we in the UK (and I think Australia) know this stitch as 'double crochet' but 'single crochet' afforded me the opportunity of a pleasingly alliterative blog post title.  While we're on the subject, I have to admit that I think the term 'single crochet' makes much more sense.  Double indicates two singles, implying that there is a single, and in UK terminology there simply isn't.  To that end, why we can't all use the same terminology baffles me.  It makes pattern reading and writing so very complicated.  Anyway, I'm glad I can chat to you about these things …!

I'm making another baktus wrap.  I love the last one I made but it's just a little on the small side.  Perfect as a jaunty accessory where a jaunty accessory is required but it doesn't rate very highly on the cosy scale.  No, this one is going to be a fair bit bigger.  And pink.  I'm using the same super simple pattern by Helda Panagary.

My last baktus took three 50g balls of Baby Cashmerino but I'm aiming for four or five balls of Drops Extra Fine Merino this time.  I shall also add a proper border to this one.  I'm not sure exactly what type at this stage, I have a few ideas, but it's more than likely to include that beautiful coral.  I adore the combination of the two colours.

Working on this has really reminded me just how much I love the humble double crochet (US single) stitch.  Poor much-maligned little double crochet.  Towered over by its big brothers, treble and double treble, and often considered functional rather than beautiful.

Well, no more!  Let's hear it for double crochet I say!  It creates the most perfect fabric canvas.  It's wonderfully tactile.  And the neatness?  Oh yes.  A big fat tick in my perfectionist box.  I'm tempted to pursue this matter further …

As for the stocks - aren't they beautiful?  I have a peculiar relationship with stocks.  I'm always visually attracted to them like a moth to a flame but I'm in two minds as to whether I like their smell.  Sometimes I find it quite pleasant, other times I find it utterly obnoxious.  As I said, peculiar.

xxx