Well after the disappointment of Saturday came the lethargy of Sunday with very little being done - partly due to the difficulty in seeing (scratched my retina just to add to the fun on saturday!)
Today has been much better, I was able to see enough to do some more work on Kate - this has been on the back burner for a month or so as I managed to lose my pattern. It's now beginning to look as if the end is in sight. I have the back, two fronts, one sleeve + lace edging and the front bands completed.
So it's a sleeve + edging and the bottom lace hem to do. I'm going to hope I can see well enough to pick up the stitches for the sleeve tomorrow ( dark blue is not a good colour to pick up and short row in the dark!).
I've decided not to graft the lace edgings on but to knit them onto the live stitches as I go - I wasn't sure if it would work but the sleeve edging was a success so I'll stick with it. There will then be the fun of a hunt for suitable buttons....
Before all the joy of that I have the pleasure of root canal work in the morning - I say pleasure as I hope this is going to stop the pain!
An afternoon of disasters and despite Matt's best efforts we didn't get to the theatre in time.. they wouldn't let us sneak in and stand at the back so we've come home....nuff said!
Saturday night and a trip to the Haymarket theatre to see "Waiting for Godot" - it must be over 30 years since I saw the play and how could I resist a cast of Gandalf and Jean-Luc Picard!
I can't actually remember the last time I went to the Theatre in London on a saturday night and it's easily 20+ years since I came home on a night bus - wonder if the journey will be any more exciting?
I went back to work on Monday & discovered that the filing fairies hadn't been in and cleared up the mess of files on my desk. The gremlins had been in - very intermittent computer access, no access to email, new bugs in the software - so life is back to normal!
Still no proper news about the restructuring at work so lots of uncertainty; Matt's short contract ended and he's now out of work again - looks like this could be a summer of stash living!
Last weekend I was away with the Knitting and Crochet Guild Directors making plans for the AGM; revising policies; reviewing procedures etc and before anyone thinks that it was all work and no play- I'll show you the photos!
Saturday morning saw an early start when we drove from Haworth to Scholes for my first visit to Lee Mills the home of the guild's collection; library; unsorted resources and the infamous yarn mountain.
We had a very interesting talk about applying for museum status and looks like a whole heap of work needs to be done in that area!
Here's a few photos to wet your appetites for what is at the mill...
One of the first sights as you enter
a Door hanging believed to be French from the 1920-30's and behind it the cushion "Amy" that won the guild members vote one year.
I loved this example of a Cameroonian Man's hat
and the tradition of the Welsh Baby Bonnets
I love seeing the babies wearing these when I visit Wales - the only other place I've seen them so lavish was when I lived in Newcastle - wonder if its related to the mining communities that used to thrive in those areas.
A small portion of the boxes yet to be explored
and a small portion of the yarn mountain
I came away with 200 gms of yarn, a long discontinued Jaeger that lured me into the surprisingly small selection of purple yarns.
A quick stop at Coldspring on the way back to the hostel and that was soon remedied by buying a 2+kg cone of 80% Bamboo 20% merino in a deep violet shade for a mere pittance of the shop price if I was to have bought it by the ball ( I know exactly what I have bought as there is a single ball in my stash pile!!)
I came home on Sunday with my foot throbbing but my brain hasn't stopped buzzing all week!
This scarf took me a disgracefully long time to knit. I'm not sure why, maybe because I was knitting it for someone else and it would not have been my choice of colour.
Maybe it was because it was a long rectangle and I find them boring.
Possibly it was because I was unsure of the dye effect.
The scarf took one skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in a colour called Silver Birch. The scarf started mainly cream at one end and ended up with only cream highlights at the other end. The colour structure changed at the halfway mark and I can't help thinking that this would have made an odd pair of socks.
I also finished Ishbel - then thought I'd made a mistake on the last two patterns and was about to rip it out. Tonight I've been looking at completed photos on Ravelry and decided that it was obviously meant to look that way so will be leaving it! Photos to follow.
On the new knitting front I've started Helene Rush's Diagonal Square Tee using some Debbie Bliss Stella that had been marinating in the stash. I'm past the mitred section and onto the stocking stitch - probably just as well as I'm back on the pain pills which usually means I'm liable to make mistakes.
Life has been a series of ups and downs for the past few weeks, nothing major just a general malaise that has slithered into just about every area of my life.
Work is providing it's usual challenges compounded by a drawn out restructuring process and my boss leaving. My journey to and from work is taking twice it's usual time due to major roadworks at several stages en-route. I feel exhausted, both mentally and physically and was much in need of some downtime this weekend. This is partly due to a health issue which is proving to be resistant to medication so I'm now awaiting a date for more invasive treatment.
The month wasn't all doom and gloom so I'll leave you with a short photo essay of what April brought:
Easter saw my first trip of the year to Knole
Matt and I try to escape here whenever we can to enjoy lunch followed by a walk in the deer park
Some small knitting was done for a new arrival
yarn used was by Biggan, a superwash DK that comes in the most amazing array of 64 colours.
The following week saw me on the road atttending a work related conference in Leicester. I was fortunate to be driven there by another knitter and we made such good time we were able to stop for lunch, here's a view from the bistro
the town was Uppingham, famous for it's yarn warehouse - it would have been impolite for us not to have visited and made a small purchase or two. I have to say I was very restrained in my purchases - possibly as I knew that end of the week I would be in Wales for Wonderwool.
Matt and I managed to sneak in a couple of extra days to visit his Aunt and to enjoy the scenery. Why do they call these the Black Mountains?
We saw plenty of lambs but it was this character who caught my eye
he came up to the roadside every time we drove across the mountains
Back at Wonderwool the Guild had a new look thanks to Tutleymutley
and some of my shawls on display
I finally got to meet Amber Moggie and Mr Mog; enjoyed time spent with Ali, Liz, Terry, Jane, Lucy and Shirley on the stand and managed to squeeze in a few other "hellos" to stall holders and other friends but really wasn't feeling up to socialising.
The final sign of ennui was my purchases - I came away from Wonderwool with one skein of yarn from Ripples yarns; spare cords for my Knit Pro's; 2 patterns and 6 scotch eggs