This I believe

Freely stolen from Karen Sugarpants, also I've had 3 pints, and it's past my bed time, these responses may not reflect the sober conscious thinking of the writer....

I'm the woman who

- will tell it like its is (yes this sometimes causes hurt feelings, I'm working on it)

-is fiercely loyal to friends and companies whose ethos I like.

-knows how to put together my own flat pack furniture.

-can tile and wallpaper and paint.

-loves singing as I'm driving, no matter what the passengers think

- has a healthy amount of love for her macbook

- will spend hours trying to help a child if I can see they are putting an equal amount of effort in.

-will freely give up my time to educate and do things for children that are not my own.

-can't believe it took her so long to discover real ale and everytime I drink something different am reminded why I love it so much

-has discovered something she is talented at and can't wait to find time to design more patterns in the future.

-needs to loose half a stone, curse those extra frees and large supplies of freely available cake!

- loves her life and wouldn't change it for the world.


What about you?

I think the weather gods don't like me

Two weekends away camping this year and the weather has been identical for both. For those of you at the back not paying attention; I mean rain, and lots of it. Enough to flood a supposed wet weather shelter. Poor guides who I took camping for the first time didn't know what hit them. One bonus it stopped raining for long enough to dry the tentsand take them down. The rain started just in time for us to go home.




Click for bigger versions. The last time I experienced rain like it was when I was in Thailand at the end of the rainy season...

We interrupt your regularly scheduled blogging silence with the following news

Yes I know, I'm not posting much right now. School isn't so much busy but is turning in to a list of things to do rather than teaching. It's report season, and I seem to be spending hours sat at a computer. I'm also moving house in less than a month (even though I've packed all of 2 boxes, that somehow also seems to be a good excuse!)]

Anyway I finally did something with the pile of knitting that was waiting for a wash and a block (blocking is when you pin stuff out and stretch it, it evens out all the stitches if you're a non-knitter)


This dreadful photo is one row handspun scarf with some of my handspun. It's 3 ply merino, 2 ply's are white and one was a variety of colours.


This Travelling vines and lace scarf knitted up in the sea glass lochan that came in the solid club a few months ago.


and this is a solitary alpaca leg warmer. There is a second but I knit it first on smaller needles and realised it didn't go over my calves...

Things that are making me smile today

Top left- I love this pattern, I love the alpaca, I knitted the first one and couldn't squeeze my calf in to it, went up a needle size for the second and it now fits (admittedly I have to reknit the first one, but c'est la vie!)

Top right- Aloe Vera was created to soothe the many scratches I have over my arms after chopping down a blackthorn tree yesterday!

Middle Left- I found Fight Club on sale in the supermarket for £2.99, Brad Pitt for only £2.99, bargain!

Middle Right- Someone decided to send me a skein of Croft yarn from The Yarn Yard. I'd expressed my longing for some over on the Ravelry forums but what with needing to pay deposit and rent on my new flat and pay for a trip to Switzerland I knew it as going to have to wait. I think I know who sent it, but whoever you are thank you so so much,

Bottom left- Banana bread in the oven. I cam back from a visit at my parents to find some spotty bananas that needed using. It's a pity that the oven burnt them, but that's another reason to be cheerful, in 1 month I will no longer have to try and cook in an oven that has burnt everything I have ever cooked in it!

Bottom right- The sun is out, and after all, the world is always a better place in the sunshine!

Also, I go back to work tomorrow, strangely I'm looking forward to it.

An achievement

Just in case you were wondering about the radio silence I'm on half term holiday and enjoying it immensely. an old fiend from uni who moved down south has been up for the week visiting and we've been off doing things most days. It's nice to have someone to spend the holiday with as everyone else is currently revising like crazy for university exams.

In other news my first ever knitting pattern has now been published! Go me! Hopefully it will be the first of many but I'm not promising!
It's a free pattern but the idea is that in return for knitting it you make a donation of however much you can afford to p/hop. p/hop is the brain child of Natalie over at The Yarn Yard and stands for pennies per hour of pleasure. There are so many wonderful free patterns out there, and the idea is that you donate some money to Medecins sans Frontier in exchange for knitting them. If you want to download the pattern then the direct link is here.

I'm staying

In my current location that is. After 4 job interviews I was finally successful, next year is going to be a challenge but I'm looking forward to it. It also means I get to stay in the same place as all my friends, and close to my family. Now I just need to find somewhere to live, ideally close to a tram sop as I can actually catch the tram to work! Oh yeah!
Only 2 days until the holidays and as we are currently going through a silly season I'm very grateful. I would rather not stand out in the rain during another prank fire alarm again.

Let's Play

From Meridian Ariel

1. What is your last name? I'm only saying it begins with W!
2. A 4 Letter Word? Wild
3. A Boy’s Name? William
4. A Girl’s name? Wilhemenia (anyone know any more?)
5. An Occupation? Welder
6. A Color? White
7. Something you wear? Waterproofs
8. A Beverage? Wine (ah wine, how I love you!)
9. A Food? White chocolate (lame, I know)
10. Something found in the bathroom? Water
11. A place? Winchester
12. A Reason for being late? World War Three
13. Things you shout? W*@*$er (it popped in to my head, I have no idea why!)

Play along if you like, copy and paste, change your answers and leave me a comment!