I am such a bad blogger!

Ok its been forever and a day since I last blogged.

If I had regular followers, I probably don't now! I'm sorry, please come back, please please!

Ok so I've got to catch you up on my boring life over the last two months!

Work is still as it was, I work 8.30-5ish every day for my money and they get their money's worth out of me! I've been regularly doing work of the grade above me, but not getting paid for it. Maybe I can get TDA'd up... hehehe!

I'm still crocheting away, nothing can squish that out of me! I've made a scarf out of Jet (shade 9, a reddypinkyorangey shade that I can't find any pictures of online!) that uses my grid pattern, which I'll get round to posting up, maybe when I get to the end of the post! Its really really easy, and can be shimmied about to change the size of hook or yarn type! I'll have a look for where I wrote it down and see if I can write it up today in case anyone wants to have a go!

My Miski scarf is on hold at the moment, as I need to order two more balls of wool to finish it! It feels wonderful and smooshy and cuddly! When I'm on the big PC I'll get some newer photos up, but alas, you'll have to look at my rav projects for now (click the link at Miski up there to go see).

My scallop stitch scarf is still in progress because it's become a behemoth and is trying to strangle me whenever I pick it up! Either way, you can check the monster scarf out by clicking its name!

My Spirit scarf is still being done too, I have so many WIPs on the go, its untrue!

I bought some lovely white wool for Kool Aid dying- alas, I has lost my Kool Aid! I'm going to order a couple of packets from Kool Aid World and then I can play at dying! Yay!

I had a birthday last week (Sept 7th) and got lots of lovely presents and wishes. Gina's present turned up yesterday and she'd knitted me an OCTYPUS! OMG! I loves teh octies! Thankyou Gina! THANKYOU! Ok, well I better get on I suppose, have to order some Kool Aid and orgasmic Miski yarn and then bake some cakes for mummy's birthday tomorrow. I wrapped her present this morning before she got out of bed, so its a big surprise! I'll show you what I've got her though! I got her this purse in brown/pink so it sort of matches the one she bought me for my graduation!

Thanks for tuning in again! Loves to you all!

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!

hello and welcome....

...to a random post that probably won't have a lot to do with crochet.

I'd just like to get something off my chest in a neutral setting. I'm not going to apologise for having an opinion, because it's mine. So here we go... I'm sorry if you don't like it, but really, I'm not sorry at all.

Yesterday on my commute to work, I wasn't feeling very happy anyway. Crammed train carriages with no space to crochet, a man smelling of wee in my face, someone on my foot, etc does not a happy hooker make. Yet when I read the free paper (The Metro), I was even more annoyed.

WHY?

A welcome home parade for a group of soldiers in Luton. What a nice way to welcome back our boys. How nice for them to see rows of smiling, cheering faces. Even though I don't support the war in Iraq, and actively protested against it in 2004 (the big march on Downing St), I will support our troops. It's not them that decided to go to war, it's them that are told to FIGHT the war.

So, the parade is invaded by a group of muslim guys shouting abuse and waving placards reading "Baby Killers" and "Butchers of Basra"- what a nice thing for the soldiers to see eh? And the thing that made me laugh sardonically more than anything was the guys holding up "British Government Terrorist Government" signs. Most of them were born here. If you don't like life in the UK, then find somewhere else to live. Simple.

Surely the protest would have been better aimed at the government that voted to go to war, i.e at 10 Downing Street, rather than in Luton, a normal town, full of normal people who could no more change the outcome of a government war order than move a mountain.

What made me really sad, was that this parade had twelve empty spaces. Twelve brave men sent home in boxes, not seats. Twelve dinner tables with a place left, hoping against hope that the letter was all a lie; that one day their son/brother/dad/uncle/cousin/husband/fiance would be coming back.

I couldn't do what the soldiers do. I'm not brave enough. And let's face it, you have to be pretty damn brave to face a horde of guys willing to kill themselves to kill you. I'm not saying that every soldier is a hero- afterall, they're doing a job, but those who go above and beyond the call of duty and show significant strength and bravery, those are the heroes. They don't deserve to be treated like that.

Two generations of men in my close and distant family have been soldiers and sailors. Not all of them made it home in one piece. Not all of them made it home period. A distant relative of ours, Private Charles Kimpton Doggett was never even found when he died on October 4th 1917. He died, aged 32, and is remembered on a wall at Tyne Cot cemetary (which will make you cry if you visit- it did me). The walls commemorate those who were never found (MIA), partially found, or only their dogtags found. He has no grave. He was sucked down into the clinging mud, possibly still alive and in agony, and that is where he rests.

This is why protests like this make me so angry. My great-grandad was in WWI; gassed at hill 60, and sent home to convalesce. He recovered, and was sent to Gallipoli. Thankfully he made it back, to live to a ripe old age and die peacefully, but without breathing a word to anyone of what he saw in Ypres or Turkey. My grandad was in WWII, in Palestine- even then the word 'peace' was unknown there. He'll never forget seeing the bodies of officers hanging by the neck in an orange grove; murdered by terrorists, or forget how his friend looked, dying by inches right in front of him, and there was nothing he could do.

One of my school friends is a career soldier, serving out in Afghanistan at the moment I believe, and I dread getting the local paper in case it has something about him coming home prematurely in... I don't even want to think about it.

I'm all for freedom of speech, it's one of the things that makes Britain so great. But this was jsut distasteful. I think the guys behind it should be made to do a month in jail. At least.

What makes me laugh though (and try not to cry) is that the people arrested at the parade were British (Christian, we assume) guys, trying to get at the muslim protesters to do some damage. HAH. It's not politcally correct here to arrest an ethinic minority when they're in the wrong!

Here's a couple of links (one, two, and three) to some news stories if you're interested.

And as for the crochet, I'm makling a Mirasol Miski scarf, and still doing the Spirit scarf.

Sorry for the completely off topic rant, I just HAD to get it out!
The following lovely poems are all WWI poems, written by the men who saw death at the Front and were claimed by him there. I've highlighted a couple of key phrases, just to emphasise my point that soldiers don't choose where to go, they are just chosen by those in charge.

"The thundering line of battle stands,
And in the air Death moans and sings;
But Day shall clasp him with strong hands
And night shall fold him in soft wings"
-Julian Grenfell, 'Into Battle'

"And your bright Promise, withered long and sped,
Is touched, stirs, rises, opens and grows sweet
And blossoms and is you, when you are dead."
-Charles Sorley, 'Two Sonnets'

"I have come to the borders of sleep,
The unfathomable deep
Forest, where all must lose
Their way, however straight
Or winding, soon or late;
They can not choose."
-Edward Thomas, 'Lights Out'

awards, scarves and daily rudeness...

I got an award, thankyou Leslie!

The text accompanying the award reads as follows:
"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award."

So, I'm picking the following people:

1. Martha
2. Caroline
3. Frewen
4. Kaz
5. Kris
6. Bianca
7. Kirsty
8. Kristina

Just because I didn't pick you, doesn't mean I don't love you. Hopekins, Leslie, Gina, Rebecca et al, you were got to first, so I thought I'd share the love with others!


Ok, so I'm making a scarf for myself out of the frogged Twilley's Spirit (was armwarmers that looked CACK), but it's a work day project, i.e- I'm only doing it at work when there's nothing to do. I've worked out a pattern (ten rows dc -sc for you USAliens- and five of htr -dunno what that is? Double?-) and it's starting to look quite groovy! Hopefully will get snaps this weekend. I'm also making a scarf for my godmum's birthday (ok, it's the 9th so it probably won't be on time) and to cheer her up because she's signed off work sick at the moment after being in a bit of a fender bender. Nothing too serious, but a bit of whiplash and not feeling too great. I'm making it out of a lovely middleing pale orange crochet cotton, which was a RAK from the lovely Nicola. I'll get a pic of this one too at the weekend. When she said it was a cone of cotton, I thought it'd be one of those little three inch high ones. Noes- it's HUAGE! It must weigh at least 300g! So thankyou Nic, from me, my mum (she's reminiscing again- two mum friendly RAKs in one week. The first was two vintage patterns from the 1970s) and soon too my godmama!

And the daily rudeness I'm alluding to is the commute into London every day for work. I hate it. I will tell all one day... but for now, I'm just going to seethe lol!

well, it's been a while!

Ugh, it's been so long since I blogged that blogger's forgotten me! I had to username and password like a normal person! Woe!

Apologies to my loyal readers (all like 2 of you lol!) but life's been a bit of a poop storm recently. Everything's getting in the way of me doing the things this blog's about.

I have been finding time to do some crochet and felting (and also art now too, since the IME has rekindled my love of putting pencil to paper) so it's not a complete bust.

This post is gonna be full of photos...

Here's some things I've been working on:A felted cuff! Made from merino tops in yummy berry colours!My stripey hat- I'm so proud I can do stripes all by my self now! I only had to undo two rows twice to correct a mistake, so it's not too bad!RY Lux beanie for Martina (at last) to match her christmas scarf.This is Tinkerbell destroying a needled felted ball I made for her. It's ok though, it was a test run. I think I know how to make them more dog-proof!

So that's what I've been doing lately, as well as some art and moleskine doodles. I spose I could show you all one or two of my roughs...Old English/Celtic stule horse heads. I love to draw these, have been doing it for years. They're like MY symbol now!This is a crysanthemum believe it or not! It's Chinese style, and since my Chinese painting stuff is somewhere I'm not, it's in pencil, trying to look like brushwork lol!Lotus bud, also vaguely Chinese style.Horsie in the style of George Stubbs (one of my favourite painters)- actually modeled on 'Whistlejacket' (said painter's best painting imho)

Well, there we are, all caught up.
As I say on my dA (where my subscription has run out and I'm too poor to renew atm!) "constructive criticism appreciated, flames will be laughed at"

busy busy busy

I've finished Mark's hat. He should be wearing it about now, so I'll try and get a pic later (then you'll all also be able to see who exactly it is that I'm planning on spending forever with- urgh how sappy) so you can see my handiwork!

I've started nana Duane's scarf after a few false starts. The one skein one-der pattern seemed to be growing by about an inch outward every three inches length-wise, so we had to stop that one.

Tried to make some armies out of my lovely World of Wool Shetland Moorit DK but I have problems crocheting tubes, so that particular pattern was abandoned, and mother and I are going to have a look at making one up later.

My wooly fluff from World of Wool arrived, along with Kristina's gift, so all I need to do is fish out some bubblewrap and then I can make some felt! WOO!

Also the beautiful and wonderful frewen sent me a felting needle along with her IME moley today, so thankyou! I now have three moleskines sitting on the table. Confused? Slightly.

Now I must away to finalise the stitch markers and teabags for the E group IME or else Leslie will murder me slowly.

it's christmas eve eve...

... that's what I've called Dec. 23rd as long as I can remember.

Finished mum's scarf yesterday, at last! Just bit the bullet and fastened off. It looks ok to me... we'll see what she says on Thursday.

Slightly off topic, if anyone knows how to get chilli residue off your hands, please tell me. I used one chilli in my dinner last night, chopped up, and still have hangnails that taste of fire. And would you believe that I've washed my hands at least four or five times since then?

My best friend is meant to be in town today for the day, so we were gonna look at wool and drink coffee, but as yet she hasn't got in touch with me... so I don't know what I'm doing... I need to go to town to pick up my Thor comic (issue 12, woo, at last!) and a whole list of them for SO who has to go to work today, rather than buy comics. Since he can't get to the shop before xmas, kind girlfriend here has volunteered to get them. He has a list as long as my arm. Well, no, it's seven different issues. I'm just hoping they're all the $2.99 ones (will cost about £2 here) and not the expensive ones!

(I can't believe I didn't get the job I went for last week... the interview seemed to go so well...)

Leslie's moleskine now has some doodleness in it. I'm not going to say what, but there's about four pages of ramblings, one page with a nice drawing and a page of insanity. So hopefully she'll enjoy that! I look forward to getting moleskines in the I.M.E, but I also have the horrible fear that when I pick up my pen/inks etc, it'll be an artistic abortion. I'm looking at inspirational art today to help improve my own, so hopefully everyone will get something they won't shudder to look at. I've also signed up for round 2, so there'll be two moleskines for me to draw/post at once. I do hope I don't get confused! This shall be my reason for going on JSA- so I can pay postage to frewen, and whoever comes after me in round two. Ooh I'm so excited to see who'll be grouped with me!
I think we're sending the round 1 chicklet 'skines off in January... but don't know when!

So now I'm off to drink tea and possibly crochet some more hat. Yus.

I'm still here!

Yes, I'm back from my one day hiatus.
My mummy dearest has a week off work, so we're escaping to the shopping centres of doom to finish kringus preparations.

Job interview was... ok. I felt good about it, but I'm not talking about it anymore because of past experiences with the whole "I'm terribly sorry, but we chose an applicant with more experience" bull...

Have had strange asthma today. One instance of feeling like the breath had all been sucked out of me, and two of random coughing for about 5mins... strange. Oh well, it's stopped now.

As promised, my very easy peasy scarf pattern (I'll try and translate it to American when I've finished translating it from my shorthand to English first!)

1) Ch 14 (or any multiple of 5/10 with 4 tc)
2) Dtr in 4th from hook, *ch 1, miss 1, dtr in next (*rep across, ending with 5 spaces
3) Ch 4, turn, *dtr in chain space, ch 1 (*rep across
repeat row three until scarf is desired length.
See! Easy!

Now for the translating:
ch= chain
dtr= double treble (US= treble)
(a good guide to translating British/US terms can be found here)

You can check out my ravelry projects for three examples of the scarf pattern in action (Collarette, Natalie's Scarf & Moonglow Scarf)

Honestly, I don't get on the IME Chicklet board and they rack up 40 posts without me! I'm offended ;)

Also, check out my cool new project bag I picked up shopping today! It's made of one long continuous zip! Epic win! It's called a Zip It bag (unsurprisingly)... and when you want to fold it away, it just unzips and rolls into a small coil! HOW cool? VERY cool!

productive-ish weekend

I had no social life this weekend, so decided to crochet instead.
Made myself a little scarflet (collarette), my cousin's christmas scarf and have started another hat. I've also got the scehmatic for SO's crocheted xmas gift down like a clown, so yeah, all is good!

I've got a job interview today, hence the short update, BUT I'll be back tomorrow with another free pattern y'all can use (for a SCARF!) and hopefully more interesting news... we'll see! ;)
Also, stay tuned for pics of my collarette!

finished things

Thought you might like to see what I've been working on recently!
I know it pops up in the sidebar with little pics of my projects, but these can be biggified, so you can see better!

Pic 1= my Seija set hat for little Jessa
Pic 2= Kathleen's scarf
Pic 3= Emma-Lee's christmas hat
Pic 4= Starburst hat... must have made a mistake somewhere!
Pic 5= me and SO having a day out in Rochester. Note my hand crocheted beret AND scarf!

recent pics...

Top is the view over the river in Rochester/Strood at sunset on Saturday
Below is Mummy's Xmas Scarf- not done yet!

wintryness

Yes, it's all winter-y (wintry?) in Essex.
I like winter because I get to show off all my handmade goodies and have people ask me if I bought them in a shop! No! I made them, woo! :D

My christmas making list is decreasing, hallelujah, praise jebus and Odin and everyone else (but not Allah because he tells Muslims to kill animals halal-y and I have an objection to that)!

As of today it looks like this:
DONE:
My mum-in-law's (hat, my own pattern)
My sis-in-law's (hat, my own pattern)
My best friend's (Rasta bag hat, modified version of an internet pattern that I'm still looking for again!)
My other best friend's (scarf, "Dave 2.0 Scarf" pattern from crochetme.com)
My other best friend's (wristlets, "Openwork Wrist Warmers" I think from crochetme.com)
My grandparents-in-law (shell pattern tea cosy, from an old book)
My godmum (Froth n Frills Scarf from 'Fun & Funky Crochet')
My best friend's dog (Scare Bear Costume from Crochet Kitten)
My friend's baby (Seija Set hat from 'Happy Hooker')
Cousin 2's toddler (my hat pattern in mini form with a scalloped edge)
My dad-n-law (another "Dave 2.0 Scarf")
Cousin 2's hubby (beanie in camo colours for when he goes fishing)
My friend (now penfriend) in the USA ("Zen & The Art of Stash Diving" Scarf @ crochetme)- see pic above/right!

DOING:
Finishing the dog coat.
Finishing my friend's hat matching pouch.

ON THE LIST:
My other half (a Trevor in white made to look like the SSBB punchbag/sandbag)
Cousin 1 (scarf)
Cousin 2 (scarf)
Another friend/friend's fiance (a head hugger)
Another friend (wristy gauntlets)
Boyfriend's uncle (earflap hat like mine)

At least I've actually decided what I'm making now!

Anyway, I have one last run to the post office to make before I forget... oh and the library! Sooo I'm offski!

...nearly didn't make it!

Had another fun (not) run to the Post Office to get the presents sent off to the friends. Still haven't got Kathleen's sorted- the damn thing worked up too small. Oh well, back to the drawing board and a crochet frenzy!

I might make her a stash scarf instead. I really like this pattern so I might start on it in a bit. As soon as I've drunk my tea!

Sorry for the short update, I've been a busy little bastard today!

mummy's christmas present

I'm making her a scarf! Mainly because she never wears anything bar her coat in winter and I'm worried she'll freeze :( I don't want a mummy ice lolly.

So I'm making this scarf here -beware it opens as a PDF- (I already have one in Spirit shade 'Bracken') for her out of Wendy Chameleon wool in shade Greta. I hope she'll like it.

If she doesn't then I'll take it away from her for being ungrateful, lol! :D

So if you guys make one, let me know how it turns out- mine seem to increase at the far end- must be the tension.

lion brand again!

Yes, I've been back to their site!
Their list of free patterns is huge though, and some of them are really lovely!
I thought a nice easy looking pattern like this one would be good to use up some of my wool surplus, and also make a nice Christmas gift for someone!

I'm going to get back to making my cardigan belt and possibly a new scarf out of my 99p a ball Wendy chameleon.

I'm warming to my tiny 2-strand headhugger. Pity it won't fit me!