ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

AI HAZ START DATE FOR NEW JOB! As of May 5th, I'll be in the employ of Her Majesty, working for the Department of Work & Pensions- yay!

When I know more, I'll update you all.

The most important part of the post is to let you guys know that I am now immortalised in wooly yarn. The wonderful Kristina of Flutter-by Crafts has made me into a yarn! I am so chuffed! And I am beautiful, if I may say so!
HUZZAH! HAPPY LINI!

project update...

... Jessica's onesie just needs press studs and buttons put on and then it will be DONE! Thank all the gods liek EVAR (except the ones that advocate cruelty to animals) and my mommerton too.Onesie front!

Onesie tuchus!

My scarf is growing, and I'm really enjoying it. It's such a nice simple 'turn brain off' repeat. When I remember where it came from, I'll get the link up. For now, be satisfied with a pic!
EDIT: The scarf pattern is the Isar Scarf, available as a pdf ravelry download from here!

the first perfect spring day in Essex...

... and it happened to be the day of my auntie's funeral! She'd have been very pleased that her coffin was all shiny and polished. For some reason she wanted the curtains to be left open on the crematorium podium, so we could all have a good look at her box! Typical, she had to be different. So I'm dedicating a beautiful photo I took today to her.

My auntie Margaret Joyce Jefferson (nee Doggett), 1923-2009 <3

In other news, I've been given another award! I like that my friends are awarding me recognition, rather than faceless internet drones. Thankyou Leslie! I'm now a proud receiver of the Renee Award! This is what one of the founders of said award has to say: "This is a brand new award and I have the pleasure and honor of spreading the seed, watching it grow. I hope it finds its way to those who are like Renee: the acorn, a small package becoming a tall and sturdy oak, giving more acorns, becoming tall and sturdy oaks, giving acorns..."
For more details, check out Leslie's blog at New Works & Thoughts.

Now it's my turn to distribute it to the others who inspire me:
Leslie- again!
Gina
Hope
Frewen
Martha
Heather
Rebecca
Kristina

And of course, my best buddies (Ani, Amy and Martina), my mammy and my boyface too :D

PS- onesie is finished (thanks mum!) and I'm doing another scarf. Gotta love scarves! Pics up soon!

dying...

... literally! I've got two cotton vests in nasty (peach tangeriney) and boring (grey... sigh) colours that I decided to dye!

I checked that they were both 100% cotton (mmm cotton) and got hold of two pouches of Dylon dye to make them funky! I may also do some more customising afterwards.

I chose to mix together one pouch of Flamingo Pink and one of Intense Violet make a nice purpley pinky. I like purple on me, I think it makes my eyes look greener.

Here are the process photos for you all (stay tuned for hilarious thumbs!):Dye mix- isn't it exciting!The boring and nasty vests in their pre-soak.Getting 'blooded' in the dyebath! Little did I know that there were teeny glove holes!After 15mins of soaking, the grey one is still greyish.The nasty orange-ish one after 15mins, getting purpley-er!After half an hour total, the grey one is still grey, but I *swear* it looks slightly purple?After half an hour, the orangey one starts to exhibit a much nicer hue!I'm convinced that the grey one is changing colour (45minutes in the dyebath)Getting quite pleased with the colour that the peach one's turned (after 45mins)

Two final pictures for the moment, both the vests after an hour being sloshed about in their dyebath (aka, the kitchen sink):
I'll get some pics of them rinsed out and drying a little later on, promise!

And don't think I'd forgotten about the hilarious thumb:
AWW YEAH! I am the coolest mofo in town right now! Er, now, any ideas how to return my digits to their original hue?

photo slutting

...as promised, some of the pics that have been keeping me from my hook recently.
A bud... I think it was an Acer of some kind?
Anoushka, Colchester Zoo's female Amur tiger.Alpaca love at the zoo.
Ibises, also at the zoo.A Geoffroy's cat, snoozing in the spring sunshine, also at the zoo.

I've really not been feeling right recently. I did have a big long chat with my ma last night about everything, and for the first time ever, I felt no better afterwards. Weird.

I need to make a doctor's appointment and stop procrastinating...

However depressed and down I feel, I can always rely on one thing to make me feel better:
My little pabu (puffball) Chaos. Okay, she's not mine, but she should be, I love her the most. Click to see it big for the most epic cuteness.

my rainbow, and other news

Your rainbow is shaded red.

What is says about you: You are a passionate person. You appreciate energetic people. You get bored easily and want friends who will keep up with you.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

My rainbow is red apparently. I like red. This is fine. Also, the most perfect Dewy classification for me:

Lini's Dewey Decimal Section:

303 Social processes

Lini = 2949 = 294+9 = 303


Class:
300 Social Sciences


Contains:
Books on politics, economics, education and the law.



What it says about you:
You are good at understanding people and finding the systems that work for them. You like having established reasoning behind your decisions. You consider it very important for your friends to always have your back.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Ok, enough silliness and quizzes. To be fair, I haven't actually been doing very much. I've been ill. I'm still feeling ill. The doctors haven't even got my x-ray results yet, and I had them done nearly three weeks ago.

I have made a nice piece of felt, which is going to be used to cover something as a something something in the IME something something. Cryptic enough? I don't want to give anything away to my DSP if she ever reads this. So if you want to see said felt, please leave me a message, and I'll get you a snapshot across. I want to tell you what I've called it, but that might give it away... oh to hell with it, I've been cryptic enough, it's called "Embers and Ashes". Now you guess what it might be like!

I bought some yarn yesterday. I was bad. BUT it was only £1.74 for a 50g ball and is 50/50 wool/acrylic, so it should (in theory) be lovely for a spring scarflet? I bought two balls of a browny-red colourway called Cinnamon, and two in a bluey/lilac called Cardamom (why cardamom? They're GREEN!)- oh, it's Wendy Fusion if I've piqued your interest!

I have been taking quite a lot of photos recently. I usually do in spring. It's all the blossoms and re-emerging flowers. Next time I update, I'll photo slut for you all.

I'm still looking at that damn onesie. I hate it. With a passion. Vehemently. I wish I'd never started it and done a bonnet instead. It can go to hell. I think we've established that mother will probably have to intervene to stop me ripping it all out and dancing naked in it's yarny guts.

The IME continues, Heather and Rebecca have both got Lini goodies in their moleys now, and they've gone on their merry way to the DSPs. I now have Gina's second moley, with a fun theme, so I'm going to enjoy playing with that!

minor blogging hiatus

... not for any real reason, life just gets in the way sometimes.

I'm still crocheting, still working on the E and C moleys I have, and I'm still thinking, if not actually making, so don't anyone worry!

I've stolen this from Leslie (who in turn stole it from Erin), so feel free to grab the offer while it's available:

The first five (5) people to respond to this post will get something made by me. (You do not have to have been tagged.) This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. What cha get, is what cha get.
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.
3. It'll be done this year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. It may be baked goods.
5.I reserve the right to do something extremely strange, if inspired to do so.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text into a note of your own and make something for me and the first 5 to respond to your note.
7. Send me your mailing address if you don't live close to me!

Also, I'd kinda like you to take the project on too, so post a link to your blog when you take it on, and leave a comment in the box if you want something. It may be felt. It may be crochet. It may be some crazy freeform sculpture. It may be a painting or sketch... who knows?

And in sad news, my auntie finally decided to give up the fight last night and passed away peacefully in her sleep. While it is sad, and I am upset, believe me, it's also a relief that she's not suffering anymore and we can finally grieve for her. If only everyone in my family felt a bit like me, it would be a lot nicer... but that's another story...