Knitting again

Just a mini posting to show you all the completed second Forest Canopy shawl using a random sock yarn so the colour pattern is rather strange! Livens up the grey sweater dress but this yarn doesn't drape as well as that used for the first shawl.

Working backwards, here's the shawl being blocked, hi tech stuff this pinning it out through a towel on carpet, but hey, it worked and the pointy bits show!

Finally, the yarn before I started to knit,

It is Aviemore 4 ply from Stylecraft Yarns, 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon bought for £6.00 for 100 grams from Squires Garden Centre. There is a little yarn over so that will be used for hexipuffs. Total is 189.

Today on Christmas Eve, whilst listening to a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings,  I would like to send Christmas Greetings and my best wishes for 2013 to all who read this blog. Thank you to all who respond, to those whose format, ideas and thoughts that I may have used and my apologies to anyone that has been upset, angered or annoyed by my writings.

Just a quick update, an appointment came through for me to see a musculoskeletal physiotherapist about my painful shoulder, apparently a rotator cuff tear. Yvonne the physiotherapist gave me exercises to do thrice daily, these have been much help, although there are movements that are impossible or very painful.    I see Yvonne again in the new year, if she has the results from the x-ray by then it can be determined if I have a partial or full thickness injury. Rapped over knuckles for not going to see GP immediately after I fell, paracetamol and time were never going to repair the damage from this simple fall.

Good news on the knitting front, this be day 26 and since I last wrote I have made a cowl for myself. Have not worn it yet, it requires steam pressing but will do so as I wish to wear it tomorrow. The pattern, Rivulet Cowl was bought through Ravelry, the yarn is Spud and Chloe it is super bulky wool and organic cotton so size 10mm circular needles, such a contrast from 2.5mm size that I used for the socks.

 Photos were taken using my iPad rather than my Canon camera, will try to be photographed wearing the cowl.

Now to decide what to make next, maybe I will continue with the hexipuffs, 161 completed and not start anything else but I have yarn specifically for cushion covers, plus loads of wool to use. Was very satisfying to complete something in a few days so maybe more big needles and chunky wool

On the fourth day of thirty one ...

Well earlier in the day I tried a couple of times to post this on my iPad but it just gave me a Google error message so on our return from home group I have opened up the laptop to give you an update. Even here it started to tell me about an error.

The iPad photos I took of my knitting will have to wait for another attempt, can say that it has been a good 24 hours as last evening I realised that I had misread the pattern! Oh doh! As I had the right number of stitches couldn't understand from where the extra ten stitches to be knitted were coming. It wasn't ten to be counted, it was to knit ten to reach the beginning of the round.

Went to knitting group, didn't feel part of it, maybe because I no longer read or post on Ravelry - just use it to record my projects and stash - the conversations were lost to me, I felt like an outsider.

Have worked on a hexipuff at Home Group and worked on the giant squares for the throw at other times. I don't do the socks unless I can ensure I have time to work on both, perhaps tie on luggage labels to identify which round I am on. Should have put a ro-tallies on when I started, too late now.

Home group was interesting, kind of refresher course about worship, better than the York Courses or discussions about hypothetical topics that have no relation to the lives of the group, all of whom, with one exception, are all retired.

Will try to add pictures tomorrow.

Good night.

Clocking in.

Time to tell you about Ian's clock that has been lovingly restored by Mike, who blogs as The Armoury. http://falconsuffolk.blogspot.co.uk/ .

We had taken the clock with us to Z's bloggers' party in May,  http://razorbladeoflife.blogspot.co.uk  Mike kindly agreed to look at it, today they brought it to our house, Ann and Mike were visiting family not so far from here so not too far out of their way.

It was lovely to welcome them here, to see the clock back on the wall, for our other clock to be identified as coming from the Black Forest and to have tea/coffee and cake. Cake was coconut slices, my mother's recipe, very yummy that once my father's friend ate a whole cake. It is cooked in a square Yorkshire pudding tin, iced and cut into either 6 large or 8 standard slices.

A view of the clock and its surroundings.

Knitting has been done whilst watching TV, in the car, travelling to London last Wednesday thus the number of hexipuffs has reached 136, including completing the 'lost' hexipuff that was found in the kitchen drawer in a small brown paper carrier bag. Picture below shows all the hexipuffs so far, about one third of the number required for a throw. Not sure yet how I will join them, want the back to look as good as the front. That was my dress making rule, the wrong side was as neat as the right side.

Suggestions and advice welcome always. Off now to continue with collar of a baby's jacket I'm making, will carry on whilst watching the Olympics closing ceremony. Just wish it finished before 11.30, must stay awake.

Coincidence?

As you may know, I am one of many volunteers at the Richmond Local Studies library, one of the projects on which I am working is recording the details of the illustrations that the collection holds. The catalogue for local studies is here: http://www.calmview.eu/Richmond/calmview/ .

Today I was looking at this photograph

and noticed that is was taken from the Richmond and Twickenham Times dated 20th June 1912.

Yes, exactly 100 years ago today. What a coincidence. This local newspaper was owned by the Dimbleby family until recently and was a treasure trove for local history. It has in a way been part of my life, my birth was recorded there, I was once on the front page in a story headlined "Penfriends meet after 10 years", and if I was wanting to plough through the microfilm records I could find other family events recorded there. When I was at Liverpool Library School my mother dutifully posted the paper to me each week. Today, like many local newspapers it is a shadow of its former self, hardly any news and no longer a record of the local community.

The feature in the century old paper was about the queue at the boarding point for the motor bus, this queue was holding up other buses and traffic in Hill Street. The bus was a 37 going to Isleworth, today there is still a 37 bus route across the bridge going through Isleworth today and thence to Hounslow. There was another photo from the same publication date showing two buses passing each other on Richmond Bridge, the article commented that the buses were forced into the gutter because the bridge was so narrow and when it was wet weather the water and mud splashed onto the bridge. These buses were a 37 going to Herne Hill and a 27 going to Twickenham. I suspect that many of today's London buses follow similar routes to these, I remember the 27 route, I think it went to North London. Perhaps there needs to be a massive overhaul of the routes that buses take.

The bridge, opened in 1777, has been widened since 1912, but it was amusing to me to come home by bus across that same bridge which still seems narrow for modern buses and vehicles. It still affords one of my favourite views, that of the River Thames, the Hill topped by the Royal Star and Garter Home.

As you will have gathered, it doesn't take much to please me, a sense of history, a view and today a little warmth and sunshine. Even the traffic jam from St Margarets to Twickenham meant I knitted half a hexipuff on my way home.

Oh, and I didn't show you the photos taken today of the Gloriana which was moored just below Richmond Bridge. That will be another post.

Twickers tattle

MonDAY, February  13, 2012

Simple Woman's Daybook: 13th February

Outside My Window ... cold, grey, rain, wind. I don't plan to go out.

I am thinking ... how fortuitous it was to have all our family here on Saturday. Martha came for the rehearsal for the concert (10th March, in aid of Pancreatic Cancer) and Adam and Juliet came after work, we'd not seen them both since Christmas Day. They had won the opportunity to have photos taken by a studio so that wanted to show us the picture they'd selected and the others on a CD. Interesting to see some one else's take on your own son. 

For once I prepared the meal as Ian was at choir practice with Martha. We dined on cottage pie, (I make a mix of ordinary and sweet potatoes for the topping), carrots, spring greens. Then crumble with plums and blackberries from the freezer. My crumble mix includes porridge oats and some walnuts for texture. When Ian returned he made custard, shark infested as opposed to egg custard.

Great laughter after the meal as the young people were talking about the hymns they'd sung in primary and Sunday school, what was fascinating was they remembered the words and actions  of such delights as If I were a butterfly. 

From the learning rooms ... Ian is well into his MS208 course now, tutorials are fortnightly, so with online conversations, U tube, course materials there is plenty of support.

From the kitchen ... need to think about evening meal, chicken? Ian was talking about making bread whilst he thinks about a maths problem - think it's about sets.

I am wearing ... green cord East skirt, honey coloured cashmere cabled Uniqlo jumper topped with warm cream cardigan. It is that cardigan - the one I picked up and completed after 20 years.

I am creating ... Hexipuffs, and a "Sporty car coat", not in Sublime but in Artesano hummingbird variegated yarn. Rather interesting design and pattern from the random dyeing of the yarn!

As you can see I have finished the back and nearly completed the right front.

For the first time ever I made a sample square to check my tension. Now, do I frog it, it is 4" square, do I always make a tension square and join these up to make a throw or cushion cover. Answers on a post card please.

 
I am going .. to be helping, as a volunteer at the Who do you think you are show at Olympia. This is for Richmond Local studies stand, they have been exhibitors for a few years now. I think the idea is I help to show people the Calm site so they may be able to see the plans for the houses they, or their families lived in. Or they may be interested in the schools or public buildings in the area. We shall see.

I am reading ...  The hare with amber eyes. Have to complete this by next Monday, but knitting seems to have taken over. Does reading the newspaper each day count for reading?

I am hearing ... just the 110 year old clock ticking behind me.

Around the house ... mmmm, need to complete the ironing. After all Monday is washing day!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week ... will go to local studies, not sure which day yet. No other plans made but something will turn up. At least there should be time to finish the book.

Bath, marmalade, thoughts

Still excited about the Liebster Award, have tried to put it at the side on the advice of Perpetua.

Now I need to tell you about the trip to Bath, this event took place on Monday 16th January and if you were in the UK you will know it was a very chilly and dry cold day. Way back in November last year on our local Freecycle site I spotted an offer for return tickets from Twickenham and Bath. The kind person offering them had the wrong date, apparently it was cheaper to reorder and give the tickets away. There was the condition too that the tickets were linked to Senior Railcards, so no problem for us there. Don't know if any one applied, but we were so lucky to receive them just before Christmas so January didn't seem a blank prospect.

Everything went so well, we travelled on the earlier train from Twickenham as we didn't know our way around Reading station. That turned out to be easy peasy so plenty of time for a hot chocolate before train from Paddington arrived. Reserved seats around a table, so good. Of course train journeys give an ideal opportunity to work on hexipuffs so now I have completed 82.

We met with my friend at Bath station, as her birthday was the next day we had arranged to meet up so we could take her out to lunch. Bit disappointed with my choice, the Brunel Brasserie in the Royal Hotel right opposite the station. Apart from the fact there were only two other diners, A. chose the dish of the day, which was chicken based, when eventually the food arrived it was duck on the plate. Meant a long wait for A. for her meal, we'd had ours served, fortunately I am a very slow eater, the mixed grill was a much larger serving than the chicken so there wasn't much difference in our finishing times. So, we won't be going back to that venue, although the food tasted fine, thought it would be a change from the usual chain meals, good as some are.

Interesting to potter around the Highgrove shop in Bath, especially as there was a sale on. Didn't actually buy anything but viewed some lovely glassware. We are attempting to clear rather than acquire. Also found Wool, a yarn shop and although they didn't stock the yarn I  wanted, I did buy some sock yarn in greeny, browny random shades which will make loads of hexipuffs and balance out the colour scheme a bit.

Back home it is marmalade time, in between bashing the keyboard I have been leaping up and testing the rolling boil that is the preserve on the point of setting. This third batch is a different mix of fruit, a LOL (lemon, orange and lime) - Martha suggested the latter. The finished product doesn't seem to differentiate between the different fruits.

First batch here:-

To me marmalade making has been part of my life for ever, whilst cutting up the fruit I just think, often about the other times in my life when I have been doing this, and when my mother made it when I was a child. Even though I know that today one can put the spare fruit in the freezer to make at a later date this seems 'wrong' to me and so I have three more pounds of fruit to slice and cook. On a wet, cold grey day like today that is an enjoyable task and certainly not a chore.

Marmalade makes a good gift, often instead of wine.

Just a rather late mix of thoughts and some pictures.

Let us start with these photographs taken last Friday in London.

This is the memorial to Sir Richard Francis Burton, and his wife, Isabel in Mortlake in the cemetery attached to St. Mary Magdalene's RC church. It is in the shape of a Bedouin tent, one can climb up a wonky ladder at the back and look inside where it is furnished in the style of such a tent.

This memorial was one of the delights of our monthly Strollers walk from Barnes to Kew. Well of the eleven proud walkers, 4 of us opted to jump on the 65 bus to Richmond  after lunch, where as the others walked to Richmond along the tow path past Kew Gardens. It had been an interesting walk, by train to Barnes Bridge a chance to travel on the loop line through green suburbia. In Barnes we wandered past the pond and looked inside the parish church, it had been reconfigured when rebuilt after a fire in the 1970s. No pews, the altar faces north not east. Background to this is there is much discussion at our church of the need to make better use of the space, provide toilet and catering facilities and replace uncomfortable pews with chairs.

Problem is two ends of the same borough but Barnes is Hollywood on Thames and we are in Whitton.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any more pictures so cannot show the stretch of the Thames Path along which we walked to Kew Green. As I have said before, why do we ever need to go away with such beauty so near?

Today had a pulmonary appointment with a physiotherapist, blood pressure, lung function and oxygen levels checks. Glad to report all well, not changed from last year but have to have exercise that makes me puffed. Walking is the best, so last Friday was good from both a health, sociable and fun viewpoint.

This good news merited a wander around the shops of Teddington, browsed Oxfam for books, we purchased one on decorating woodwork just as an assistant bought a beautiful small pink leather Radley handbag out to put on display. It never got to the display, £20.00 and this perfect, unused bag was mine.

About 7" x 6", so neat, will take essentials like inhaler, purse, hanky, keys.

Oh, nearly forgot. There was a yarn and fabric shop in Barnes so I popped in and bought a grey plastic circular needles to carry around so I don't break even more bamboo ones. Cannot say I like knitting with them, they are slippery and cold but the hexipuffs and thus the Beekeepers Quilt  is devouring lots of bamboo needles. Anyway, I have made 60 hexipuffs so far, nowhere near one a day though.

Am knitting this hexipuff with moss stitch, have made a few this way, makes a more interesting texture although have needed to concentrate a little more. Picture shows also the plastic and grey needles.

Right, time to do mundane house chores, like loading the washing machine and thinking about supper. Will be casserole and apple pie as there is enough from yesterday. So Jill Archer.

Changing times

Well life for this household is going to be mighty different from this week.

Last Monday darling daughter drove away with a few belongings in her car to live in Sussex by the Sea.

On Wednesday it was her birthday so we braved the heavy rain and hail to drive south to see her and deliver her pressies and to take her out to lunch. Research had been done to find a good restaurant in Chichester, none of us realised quite how far it was, nor how one small set of road works could cause such interminable queues, nor how heavy the rain would be once we reached a space in a car park.

So we turned tail and ate at White Swan near Arundel, ok usual pub food.

More jams ahead .....

Next day, another long drive and rain to Aylesbury to help Adam with DIY, always helps to have another pair of hands. Also I am now familiar with the stock at B&Q, more building materials less fluffiness than Homebase so it is good both stores have branches locally for Adam and Juliet. On a prosaic note the countryside looked fabulous, it is a colourful Autumn and the Chilterns excelled in their colours. Should have taken pictures but doubtful about the quality when inside the car.

Have spent much time this week searching for my hexipuff knitting, have revisited locations where I might have had need to open my big Radley handbag. Luckily, was just carrying around the half completed hexipuff on the Magic Loop and was at the tail end of the Rowan purelife organic cotton yarn in oak bark colour that was being used and not the rest of my kit. The house and cars have been turned upside down, phone calls made, church searched. I have spare Magic Loop but the needles are 3.75 not 3.5 as per Little Owls pattern. Should be okay for now, I am a tight knitter sometimes. Tight as in tension, not tight as in drunk or as in mean. I hope I am a generous person and nowadays it seems I rarely have alcohol. Not sure why, I like a glass of good red, but it doesn't fit with lifestyle and I will not have drink if I am driving or expect to drive in the next 24 hours.

Stay at home day, laundry chores but anyway just didn't wish to go out. I like my home and have plenty to do here.

Good night to my readers and fellow bloggers.

Ramblings

Simple Woman's Daybook: 12th September 2011

Outside My Window ... blue skies, warm weather but very windy.

I am thinking ... how I find it hard to be motivated at times, I spend too long on my laptop or iPad, just playing or reading interesting blogs.

From the learning rooms ... well does last week's visit to the Royal Institution count? To be really honest, I was not sure about this talk, I am not a scientist, wasn't aware of Copernicus apart from the name but I had looked at Dava Sobel's Longitude book many year's ago and found it readable so had agreed that Ian should book tickets for her talk. So pleased I did, it was fascinating even though of course I didn't understand all the scientific concepts but Dava's talk was so inspiring that it didn't matter. The atmosphere was like listening to a university lecture, felt so stimulated by this and by the questions that followed. May I commend this website to my readers,  http://www.davasobel.com/

I am thankful ... that the Royal Institution talk was so good as the next day we were not able to celebrate my birthday with a trip on the river because the weather was so appalling. Rather unusual, most years I have had great weather, sun and warmth as the school term starts. Instead we had lunch at Kingston Strada and ordered a freezer for son and D-in-L for their new home.

From the kitchen ... nothing much happening, I should be going to prepare tea, but rambling away here.

I am wearing ... red Gap top over natural colour M & S trousers

I am creating ... hexipuffs, am working on the 18th and cardigan as before.

I am going ... not interfere or micro manage Martha's move to Sussex. However, if any one here knows of a double room in a house in an area between Littlehampton and Worthing that is available at the end of October we'd be pleased to hear from you.

I am reading ... new book from reading group, Diary of an ordinary woman, by Margaret Forster.Have read this before but it is worth a second read. Can't say that of much fiction these days.

I am hoping ... that Martha sorts out insurance for her new car. 

Around the house ... nothing much happening, just washing up from our tea as Ian gone off to a Pastoral team meeting at church.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week ... nothing special planned, domestic chores as I have had a day off today. Maybe a visit to Sussex with Martha at the weekend - a Mummy-and-Martha day.


Off to write a thank you letter to Ann, a friend from primary school days and then will knit my cardigan, hexipuffs are for knitting in company and whilst travelling.