NaComLeavMo

Well NaComLeavMo is over, and I completed it successfully. Of the 200 blogs on the list I visited all of them, and left comments on most. I've also loved having a few more comments floating around here. It was such a success that Mel who ran it is going to turn it in to a regular thing. Instead of it being for a month it's going to be for a week every month, which should make it a little less insane!
If you're interested, sign ups open on Tuesday, just head over to Stirrup Queens and there will be a way of signing up. I'll be doing it again.

Best get a move on, I'm off to guide camp for the weekend and need to get some stuff done before I leave!

It's been a while...

I thought it was time for some knitting pictures again, as I was amazed on how many people commented last time. 
Those of you who keep an eye on the tickers at the side will have noticed that what I started to call the green socks of doom have disappeared!



Socks are not meant to be this big... my first knitting disaster. Caused in part by the pattern being a bit too big (confirmed by other people as well as me), and my inexperience, and my refusal to buy needles smaller. It's been frogged (unravelled) and will be going on holiday horse riding in Ireland with a new destiny as a lace sock for Seasons of Lace

The Honeycomb vest of doom is still going.... slowly but it is getting bigger. I still love the finished product, just not knitting it. I have to make myself do a few rows before I'm allowed to do fun stuff!


This however is what I'm most proud of. It's my first lace shawl, and is also my first Christmas present for this year. I originally thought I might want it for myself but it's not quite my colours, and I know someone who it's perfect for. If I can persuade it to be long enough. I've nearly done the first ball, and it's still wider than it is long. I think it might just about work out... but it might be touch and go. I've been promised that blocking it will do wonderful things!



Todays work will focus on finishing my simple sock, it's ready for the heel flap and the rest will fly by, though I might leave it after I've picked up the stitches to take to Guide camp this weekend, and then I need to keep going with the lace! I might have to wind some skeins to, something I had been trying to avoid as I'd asked for a swift for my birthday from my parents.

"The List"

This is part of why I love NaComLeavMo (feeling too lazy to type links, go to the sidebar if you don't know what I'm on about)
Not only do I love getting comments (and I hope some of you will hang around as promised!), but I read lots of cool posts.

This one is stolen from Our Journey to Sophie.

Here's a list of things to do in your lifetime, ones in orange I have done, ones in blue I want to do.
Bought everyone in the bar a drink
Swam with wild dolphin
Taken a Ferrari for a test drive( can I change it to a an Aston Martin)
Been inside the Great Pyramid
Held a tarantula (never ever, need or want to do this)
Taken a candle lit bath 
Said I love you and meant it
Hugged a Tree
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightening storm at sea (See the post about sailing in Greece!)
Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
Seen the Northern Lights
Gone to a huge sports game (the Commonwealth Games Athletics totally counts!)
Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Grown and eaten your own vegetables
Touched an iceberg (I've touched a glacier, in fact I've skied down one, maybe that needs to be another blog post?)
Slept under the stars
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
Watched a meteor shower (again while sailing in Greece)
Gotten drunk on champagne (I hate the stuff, give me beer any time!)
Given more than you can afford to charity (Have you seen how much stuff I do for Guiding, not only costs me a fortune, but deprives me of all my free time!)
Looked up at the night sky through a telescope (If you're an educationalist go to Bradford telescope to order pictures of stars and galaxies and the moon, it's amazing)"
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
Had a food fight (I'd rather eat it!)
Bet on a winning horse (I have an uncanny knack of picking Grand National winners, but never dare risk my own money!)
Asked out a stranger
Had a snowball fight
Seen a total eclipse (only a partial one, again while sailing in Greece, but I'm satisfied!)
Ridden a roller coaster
Hit a home run
Danced like a fool, not caring who watched (If you're a friend you know I do this!)
Actually felt happy about your life, even for a moment
Visited all 50 states
Taken care of someone who was too drunk
Had amazing Friends
Danced with a Stranger in a foreign country
Watched wild whales
Stolen a sign
Hitchhiked in Europe (done it in Thailand, that totally counts!)
Taken a road-trip
Gone rock climbing
Midnight walk on the beach
Gone sky diving
Visited Ireland
Been heartbroken longer than you were in love
In a restaurant sat at a stranger’s table and ate with them
Visited Japan
Milked a cow
Alphabetized your CDs ( I have no CDs anymore, but I have done my book collection alphabetically when I was younger!)
Pretended to be a superhero (You mean I'm not?)
Sung karaoke
Lounged around in bed all day
Posed nude in front of strangers
Gone scuba diving
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Played in the rain
Gone to a drive-in theater (Might require a trip abroad!)
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Fallen in love and not had your heart broken(Is this possible?)
Toured ancient sites
Taken a martial arts class
Played a computer game for more than 6 hours straight
Gotten married
Crashed a party
Gotten divorced
Gone without food for 5 days
Made cookies from scratch
Won first prize in a costume contest
Gotten a tattoo
Rafted the Snake River
Been on television news program as an “expert” (I've been on radio talking about Guiding, does that count?)
Got flowers for no reason
Performed on a stage
Been to Las Vegas
Recorded Music
Gone to Thailand
Bought a house
Been in a combat zone
Buried one/both of your parents
Been on a cruise ship
Spoken more than one language fluently (maybe sign language??)
Raised children
Walked on the Golden Gate Bridge
Sang loudly in the car and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking (Not just when someone is looking, I have sang in front of a whole minibus of people!)
Had plastic surgery
Survived an accident that you shouldn't have (possibly, thanks Nick!)
Held someone while they were having a flashback
Piloted an airplane
Petted a stingray
Broken someone’s heart
Helped an animal give birth
Won money on a TV game show
Broken a bone
Gone on an African safari
Had a body part below the neck pierced
Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
Ridden a horse
Had major surgery
Had a snake as a pet
Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
Slept for more than 30 hours over 48 consecutive hours
Visited more foreign countries than US States
Visited all 7 continents
Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days (kayaking, but lets not get picky!)
Eaten Kangaroo meat
Eaten sushi
Had your picture in the paper
Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
Gone back to school (I've never really left!)
Para sailed
Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish)
Skipped all of your school reunions
Communicated with someone without sharing a common language
Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
Dyed your hair 
Caused a car accident
Saved someone’s life

Wow, I'm seeing a lot of orange, and not much blue! Have I reached all of my lifes goals at the tender age of 22 (23 this Friday folks, it's not too late to send in the birthday cards!)