And our garden after some severe weather:
And the green gable getting more and more done...
17 January 2010
Today in Hampstead Heath
And our garden after some severe weather:
And the green gable getting more and more done...
03 January 2010
Happy new year!
Happy new year! Already January... I can't deny that I have a bit of January blues.
I've been making decent headway on Green Gables:
Everything I knit comes out a little bit too big for me, even though I always make the smallest size. And I'm a normal-sized person - maybe on the small side of medium, I'd say. So with this jumper, I'm making the xs size and using a size 9 needle rather than 10.5. I also put in some waist shaping. So far, I think it's working, but now I'm on the first sleeve and I'm not sure what to do - I'm thinking about not putting in the increases, because, honestly, my upper arms are not really that much bigger than the part of my forearms immediately below my elbows.
By the way, I forgot to mention, the lovely Jamieson's wool that I got for this jumper is part of my Christmas present from my mother. Isn't it gorgeous? I'd had my eye on it for a long time! She also got me a big 6.5L stockpot from the John Lewis sale that I'd wanted for ages too. I am a lucky girl, aren't I! I especially appreciated the gifts this year, as I was a bit short on dosh after our big move, and wouldn't have been able to splurge on these luxuries without my mother's generosity.
I'm not a very good baker, but I made this recipe for pfeffernüssen, and they've been coming out really well. I made some alterations to the recipe: only 3/4 cup sugar; 1/2 white flour, 1/2 whole wheat flour (and more than the recipe called for to make up for the sugar); nutella instead of marzipan (as I couldn't find any at M&S without glucose syrup in it!!). I would include a photo, but neither batch that I made lasted long enough to be photographed for posterity. Maybe next time. Anyway, they were really easy and really satisfying to make as everyone's enjoyed them.
I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions, but I would like to somehow add up all the disparate bits of my working life into one more cohesive one. I always find that I'm a bit at odds when people ask what I do. Over the weekend, my niece asked me what it is I do, and I said "write and teach," but that's a bit too cohesive. A happy medium between the overly terse and the overly complicated is what I'd like to find.
I've been making decent headway on Green Gables:
Everything I knit comes out a little bit too big for me, even though I always make the smallest size. And I'm a normal-sized person - maybe on the small side of medium, I'd say. So with this jumper, I'm making the xs size and using a size 9 needle rather than 10.5. I also put in some waist shaping. So far, I think it's working, but now I'm on the first sleeve and I'm not sure what to do - I'm thinking about not putting in the increases, because, honestly, my upper arms are not really that much bigger than the part of my forearms immediately below my elbows.
By the way, I forgot to mention, the lovely Jamieson's wool that I got for this jumper is part of my Christmas present from my mother. Isn't it gorgeous? I'd had my eye on it for a long time! She also got me a big 6.5L stockpot from the John Lewis sale that I'd wanted for ages too. I am a lucky girl, aren't I! I especially appreciated the gifts this year, as I was a bit short on dosh after our big move, and wouldn't have been able to splurge on these luxuries without my mother's generosity.
I'm not a very good baker, but I made this recipe for pfeffernüssen, and they've been coming out really well. I made some alterations to the recipe: only 3/4 cup sugar; 1/2 white flour, 1/2 whole wheat flour (and more than the recipe called for to make up for the sugar); nutella instead of marzipan (as I couldn't find any at M&S without glucose syrup in it!!). I would include a photo, but neither batch that I made lasted long enough to be photographed for posterity. Maybe next time. Anyway, they were really easy and really satisfying to make as everyone's enjoyed them.
I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions, but I would like to somehow add up all the disparate bits of my working life into one more cohesive one. I always find that I'm a bit at odds when people ask what I do. Over the weekend, my niece asked me what it is I do, and I said "write and teach," but that's a bit too cohesive. A happy medium between the overly terse and the overly complicated is what I'd like to find.
24 December 2009
14 December 2009
A new colour
After a decent period of not knitting very much, now I have started up again, with one project well on the way (the Leaf Yoke Top - rav link), and another waiting in the wings.
Our kitchen is still not done.
09 December 2009
New knitting!
Well, okay, I haven't started yet, but I got some of this yarn:
I know. I keep buying the same colour wool. I can't wait to start knitting, though!
I'm doing a project at a school that's right next door to a farm and there's a farm cafe. The farm is beautiful and the cafe is very sweet. Here's a photo from around the cafe:
Yesterday, I went to Paris to spend the day with my aunt. I was really lucky, it was a lovely day. I came back with some new books to keep my French up to date. I've already finished one, on the train on the way home.
I know. I keep buying the same colour wool. I can't wait to start knitting, though!
I'm doing a project at a school that's right next door to a farm and there's a farm cafe. The farm is beautiful and the cafe is very sweet. Here's a photo from around the cafe:
Yesterday, I went to Paris to spend the day with my aunt. I was really lucky, it was a lovely day. I came back with some new books to keep my French up to date. I've already finished one, on the train on the way home.
24 November 2009
Settling in
We've been in the new flat for almost a month. It's finally starting to feel like home; hopefully the nightmare bit is over. Did I tell you that our estate agent deliberately misled us, and had a damp survey altered to hide the fact that the kitchen has a lot of damp? Yes, well, he did. Luckily, R caught him, and they're now paying for it, but they're not paying for all the upheaval and misery it caused us. And, he didn't even get fired, despite the manager's insistence that they are an honest company who care about their image.
Despite all that, we are starting to settle in. The garden is no longer just a square of mud. Last week, Rog started to shape it:
And this week, we put in a path (see the compost bin in the back, there?). Next week, we should get some flowers.
We ordered some little fruit trees to put in that big patch at the front (closest to the camera). It's all very exciting!
I haven't been knitting. I've barely even looked at Ravelry. I know. It's weird. One of the jobs I have, where I work freelance, is undergoing huge changes, which aren't really affecting me, but I am watching some of the other freelancers who are being affected overreact, and it's stressing me out. Of course, the majority are silent, and it's the vocal few. People seem to feel that because it's an arts organisation, it shouldn't treat them or this particular programme as a business. But it is a business. It does have to make sure that it is being run efficiently. If not, the money will run out, and there will be no programme, and then everyone's out of a job.
I guess I look at this from an art history background, where this whole notion of the artist not being a business person is fairly recent - 150 years or so? And a very Western idea as well. So here is this arts organisation asking artists to act like business people, and they can't because of firmly entrenched ideas of what an artist is. Well, that's my hypothesis.
Hopefully I'll be back soon with some knitting pictures!
Despite all that, we are starting to settle in. The garden is no longer just a square of mud. Last week, Rog started to shape it:
And this week, we put in a path (see the compost bin in the back, there?). Next week, we should get some flowers.
We ordered some little fruit trees to put in that big patch at the front (closest to the camera). It's all very exciting!
I haven't been knitting. I've barely even looked at Ravelry. I know. It's weird. One of the jobs I have, where I work freelance, is undergoing huge changes, which aren't really affecting me, but I am watching some of the other freelancers who are being affected overreact, and it's stressing me out. Of course, the majority are silent, and it's the vocal few. People seem to feel that because it's an arts organisation, it shouldn't treat them or this particular programme as a business. But it is a business. It does have to make sure that it is being run efficiently. If not, the money will run out, and there will be no programme, and then everyone's out of a job.
I guess I look at this from an art history background, where this whole notion of the artist not being a business person is fairly recent - 150 years or so? And a very Western idea as well. So here is this arts organisation asking artists to act like business people, and they can't because of firmly entrenched ideas of what an artist is. Well, that's my hypothesis.
Hopefully I'll be back soon with some knitting pictures!
12 November 2009
Out of Practice
Well, we've moved. It's not love at first sight; we'll have to get comfortable in this flat and this neighbourhood, and that takes time. It's taken up a lot of time and energy. Not quite so central as before, but we have more space (I can be in one room and have no idea in which other room R is), and we have a garden. We hung up a bird feeder, and we already have little birds coming by, which is lovely. So far, a robin and some blue tits. I also got a composter, which I'm very excited about.
In knitting news, I have mostly been knitting scarves and also some wrist warmers.
I knit some of these wrist warmers for my yoga teacher as well.
I'm now trying to decide on my next big project, and am thinking about this. But, it means buying wool as I don't have any chunky yarn, or not enough for a jumper anyway. And, what with the move, I am a bit on the skint side.
I'm feeling very out of practice blogging.
In knitting news, I have mostly been knitting scarves and also some wrist warmers.
I knit some of these wrist warmers for my yoga teacher as well.
I'm now trying to decide on my next big project, and am thinking about this. But, it means buying wool as I don't have any chunky yarn, or not enough for a jumper anyway. And, what with the move, I am a bit on the skint side.
I'm feeling very out of practice blogging.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)