Night off and naughtiness!

Now, THAT caught your attention!! What debauchery is MsB confessing to??? Sadly, the night off from bleary-eyed literature reviews is mine ... but the naughtiness belongs to poochy. Now bearing in mind (and I wish she would) poochy sneaked back into the household 'undercover', you would reckon she'd at least try to lull us into a false sense of security and be the 'model' new inhabitant ... As if! This morning, she managed to munch her way through THREE toilet rolls, leaving the loo roll confetti as evidence! Was that enough mischief?? Not a bit of it! She also used my comfiest, lolling around mules (which didn't hurt even when my joints are bouncing) as chewy bones! Shoes in the bin ... pup in the naughty corner:) ...

Now talking about naughty corners, here's one for knitters! I came across this tonight and it made me giggle so much I had to share it with you I've signed up for this KAL already! Here's the link to illicit bad yarn behaviour/acquisition across cyber space (http://nigelk.org/knitters/?p=354)

Dull brain and sock choices

Well, it's official ... academia is hazardous to your health!! I've spent most of the past week, tweaking and shaping the literature review for my dissertation. And the end result?? I do have words on paper but the most striking outcome is that my brain has taken on a blancmange-like state!! And its seriously interfered with the finer things of life ... like knitting!!

I have been attempting to select the pattern for next month's offering in the sock-a-month challenge. I'm torn just now between Flickering Flames socks, pattern by Black Dog Designs (http://designsbyblackdog.blogspot.com/2006/09/flickering-flames-socks-yarn-my-own.html) and Purple Iris socks, by Judy Sumner (pattern available at http://www.getknitted.com/acatalog/LLPatterns.html). At the minute, I am swaying more towards the Flickering Flames ... this would involve my first attempt at a picot edging. Given that all my knitting projects will be small :( until the dissertation is a painful past memory, then I'd like to try new techniques with socks in the meantime. Aha! Decision reached ... Flickering Flames it is!!

Lassie comes home!

Pic 1: Baby, at 10 weeks

Pic 2: Big girl, aged 8 months




In June of last year, Molly (our mongrol princess) had 4 puppies who took over our home and hearts until they were all re-homed with folk we knew, aged 10 weeks. We still had regular contact and visits from 2 of the 'girls' and were able to watch them grow and reap 'pup havoc' in their new surroundings...

My favourite baby featured in my avator on a knitting forum and I was heartbroken when she left home originally. Guess what's happened?? Unfortunately (or fatedly! Is that a word??), her new home didn't work out for very valid reasons not really relating to the dog. She has been with us for nearly 4 weeks and we have now decided she'll be with us permanently! I am thrilled to have her home. However, that's now it!! The kids have been well warned that the 'ark' doors are now closed! But I absolutely love our menagerie of now 3 dogs, 4 cats and 2 rats (MsB's jury's out on the rats, though DD1 swears they are completely loveable??? They've got ratty tails and eyes - how can that equate with loveable???).

Almost in the 21st century - not!

MsBlethers is joining the 21st century!! Hmmmm .... well, at least in the sense of trying to get more familiar and jazzy with the blog layout! This morning I managed to add a counter and was staggered to see a total of 20 'hits' flagged up throughout a 10 hour period - and, even more amazingly, ONLY 2 of those were attributable to me!! It absolutely struck me then what a fantastic place the cyber community can be ... creating the opportunity to 'meet' and learn from kindred spirits around the world who, pre-internet days, I may not have been blessed to encounter. My! How my internet use has matured since the heady days when I floated around Compuserve, cluminating in my 'union' with MrB!!!!! Och well, there's only so long you can get away with being a cyber floozie:) Enough! On with the new, improved, more mature (yeh yeh) me ...

My early morning success spurred me on to tackle widget incorporation to chart my somewhat embarrassing array of ongoing works in progress, aptly named 'Unfinished business'! Can I get the muckle thing to work?? Not a bit of it! Unless you deem a green bar, falsely boasting 100%, as technical success! Not to be deterred, this old burd is not giving up. However, I am acutely aware of my limitations and I reckon I'll be calling on blog AA/RAC assistance over the weekend from my knitting forumee computer whizz.... Jacquie ( http://bloggersparadise) ... HELP!!!!!

Good news to from DD1; she passed the theory paper for her driving test yesterday! Look out (hopefully!) if you are driving the roads of Cardiff in the very near future!

Slouch socks and yarn dreams

Pic 1: Slouch socks in their finished glory
Pic 2: Temptation ... temptation ... I couldn't resist this scrumptious yarn - Lorna's Laces Maple Leaves, purchased from Yarnela, eBay seller


At last! Houston, we have a pair!! Please welcome DD1's cosy new Slouch socks (pattern by Sue Morgan,
http://www.getknitted.com/acatalog/Patterns.html), knitted in Artesano Alpaca lemon colourway. I just can't tell you how cosy and snuggly these wee beauties are ... in fact, if the weather continues to be as cold and miserable as its been over the past week, I may be tempted to become 'bad mummy' and whip her socks! Whilst doing the 2nd of the two, I used bamboo dpn's and found that these created a much nicer tension, especially over the lacy heel flap. However, as the yarn is prone to splitting a little, I had to revert back to ye trusty olde metal pins to pick up the gusset. And wonders will never cease, the Growley One (DD1) has openly expressed the fact that she likes these ones!!!! Pass the smelling salts ... sock knitting mother faints!!

I just had to share a pic of this drool evoking yarn for possibly my March entries to the sock-a-month KAL ... Lorna's Laces Maple Leaves, purchased from Yarnela, eBay seller in Canada. I could just sit and lust quietly away at this one (ooooh the colour, the pattern potentials) whilst maniacly hissing at DD1 and DD2 'This one's mine ... all mine"! (Don't sock yarns bring out THE worst in me????). After much drooling I found the ideal pattern, Cascading Leaves sock pattern. NOW, could I find the pattern once the yarn had wung its way across the Atlantic??? NO ... NO .... NO... Like a woman demented I had to seek help from my fellow forumees in the Yarn n'Crafty Things forum ( http://craftythreadsnyarns.myfreeforum.org/index.php) and we sought endlessly through cyberspace till we solved the riddle. The pattern is available to members of the TownsendKAL (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TownsendSocksKnitALong/).

I now have both in my grubby hands and life feels complete ....