six and a half stitches

THE ONE WHERE ALL IS REVEALED

Ok. I'm not really having an affair, I'm just very in love with Mr Ashford Swifty and can't imagine what the hell I did without one of these in my life. Suddenly the afternoons spent de-tangling wool from around the back of a chair as I wound onto the ball winder seem slightly ludicrous,

and just a tad naff.

It's bordering on a piece of art, really, I am sure.

Some serious blogging stuff now: 2 thankyou's.

First to Nicole for these -

Handmade soap and bath milk, which after what we've been doing this week will be soooooo welcome I cannot tell you. There's also a monkey sock kit included, but I'll reveal that when it's been done.

And secondly, to Jenanne who graciously RAOK'ed me with her own handspun yarn and candy in the most pretty pink daiquiri concoction of a colour. I look at it, and marvel how we can take something off the back of a sheep, and end up with something like this.

Go check out her other spinning pieces, because she has an amazing sense of colour and texture.

Meanwhile I have let Linework lapse. Not because I haven't been creating, painting or drawing, but because the scale has drammatically increased over the last week. We finally started work on the front garden, and spent the weekend digging up all the garden bed, and sifting through old builders rubble to find something which resembles dirt. Notice I didn't say soil, because that would be lying about what is in our front garden. By the end of this week, it will be soil, so help me god. And then we got extremely overexcited (or I did, and the Husband stood next to me with that look that says, well, ok, if you're sure that's what you want to do right this very minute) and started painting the front of the house. Tonight we finished the second, and final coat. a damn fine job. And what's more, I am sure the colour will piss the neighbours off no end.

THE MONEY SHOT

Well hello, come in and sit down. It's been such a long time, My Gosh. Tea? Have some cake, why yes I did make it myself, and by the way I'mhavinganaffairwithMrAshford.

Hmm? What's that dear, oh look, you've spilt your tea everywhere. Let me clean it up for you.

Yes, dear, I know. I'm married. Oh no, the child will be perfectly allright, he actually quite likes Mr Ashford as well. He likes playing with his full length. He likes to watch. No, of course I don't mind. It's quite educational and he gets such stimulation from seeing how it all works.

No, no, not long. About 2 weeks. But it's pretty full blown. I'm quite swept of my feet. Haven't you noticed the glow about me? He seduced me, of course. At the insistence of my husband. What, did I not tell you my husband was involved as well? Yes, he likes to see me happy, and if there's an instrument which can service my needs, he'll seek it out. He actually made the phone call, set it all up and wished us on our merry way.

Aha, he most certainly does. Don't snortle through your nose dear, its very unbecoming and you're splattering bits of tea across the room. Mr Ashford has all the right moves. He's very nimble, and flexible. And very strong, despite his wiry frame. But the bottom is firm, and he has a lovely nob. He gets into the most amazing positions, and stays there. Wherever I want, he'll be there, erect. Close your mouth dear. But I must tell you, once he starts turning those little fingers of his, there's just no stopping him and he just goes and goes and goes. He really does leave me just spinning around, and sometimes I hardly know where to look, as he just seems to be everywhere.

Oh yes, I plan to keep seeing him for a long time...

Some footnotes:

• Nicole - pure smut!
• Cari - and you thought I was such a nice girl
• Mum - you'll regret giving everyone my address now, wont you

And She Blew Every One Of Those Thirty **** Candles Out Herself

Apparently it was my birthday yesterday, and now I'm all mature and responsible, supposedly, which leaves me in slight trepidation of the next post, which will fly in the face of ethical righteousness, But hey, I'm still technically early thirties, so we wont overdo the responsible thing just yet. We'll just toy with it a bit.

I had a great birthday which started in the supermarket, and ended with my husband taking me to the hardware store to buy bits. In between I had a mini life crisis (wait till I hit 40), morning tea with my child in a park, and delicious cheesecake with a friend in the afternoon where there was much laughter and my child pooed in their garden.

But most importantly, I have been incredibly amazed by two gifts sent to me which I will post proper pictures of eventually and credit dully tomorrow * . The soap and bath salts are very cool, and the handspun yarn just impresses me no end. And a HUGE thankyou to everyone who left a comment, or sent me an e-card. Without sounding soppy, I am touched by each one.

Now, forgive me, there's something I have to get off my chest before collapsing into bed.

* - We moved into our house a year ago today. A year ago we planned major redevelopment of the front garden. We talked a lot about it over the last year. But never did anything. Until this week when we've been hoeing and raking and digging and bagging dirt like there's no tomorrow, and because it was quite hot, we kept going, and now we're both very tired, and we think we might just go to sleep now, thankyou, so we can get up and do it all again tomorrow when I repaint the front of the house with a 2 year old hanging off my leg. So forgive me for not collecting links so I can make this a proper blog post.

A JAPANESE FEAST

I'm thinking: Autumn leaves drifting slowly downward, scented with green tea and red bean paste, with a long elaborate silk kimono and obi in golds, rusts and browns and reds - deep reds, and a hint of pink. A little bit of Mt Fuji in the background, and a big iron pot of sukiyaki on the hotplate of an outdoor eating pavilion.

Remember this from Cari?

Well it's becoming a little kimono wrap top, based loosely on an Erika Knight pattern I have done too many times, but which never ceases to delight me. The bottom edging is left over Danette Taylor superwash wool in Tahiti in garter stitch, and the main body is a Brooks Farm Fiber hand dyed 4 ply wool/silk mix in autumnal shades done in seed stitch. It has no recipient yet, despite every person I know being pregnant at the moment. And because I have no idea who it's for, I can't say whether it's male or female, but could work equally well for either depending on how I trim it. Oh yessiree, there will be trimmings, and secretly I hope it's for a girl baby, and then I can go to town with the ribbons and stuff.

And galloping along in the background is Noro Gloria, which is starting to look like it should.

However I've broken the cardinal rule of knitting with Noro, and instead of 'being at one with the colour of the wool', I've been selecting colour threads to ensure murkiness. Sounds fine, but at some point I'm going to have a hell of a lot of colour bits left. I can either raid the other Noro I have in similar colourways, or go the colour. Raiding and pillaging seem like much more fun.

I've just re-read this post. It started out with such promise, and turned into another boring knitting post. Next one I'll make interesting - there'll be some sex, some wood (there has to be wood if there is sex), some deep secrets revealed, some joy, some celebration, some unveiling, and some candles...

NOW I'M IT

I was happily walking along, when all of a sudden, I felt a little tap on my shoulder, and before I knew it, I had been tagged, and now I'm it. And my, I am feeling the music pressure, because Cari is the doyenne of impeccable music taste, and I have such an eclectic music collection, I've had trouble sorting through the styles and deciding what I want you to see. It's the internet - I can edit my life as I see fit, and there are some things in my cd library I'm not sure you all should see. What Enrique and I do behind closed doors is between him and me.

1. Total amount of music files on your computer?

First question, and I'm failing miserably. Zero.

2. CD you last bought?

The Dears

3. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?

Tubular Belgians In My Goldfield - The Departure Lounge

4. 5 6 songs you often listen to, or which mean a lot to you

This was a hard one. I have so many, and they're all for different moods, different occasions. So I went for the songs I always keep going back to, and which take me to a place in my life and are very evocative, for me anyway. And there's six. 5 is such a little number...

- The Killing Moon, Echo and The Bunnymen

- Out To Get You, James

- A Question of Lust, Depeche Mode

- Morning Glory, This Mortal Coil

- Kyoto Song, The Cure, or maybe Pictures of You, it's a toss up

- If U Ever, Sinead O'Connor

5. Who are you going to pass this on to, and why?

Another hard one because so few of my friends have blogs.

- Di, because she has quite different tastes to me, and a great collection

- Nicole, because I'm curious

- Mon, because I bet she's got a damn eclectic collection and can put together an amazing list.

Tag guys. Now you're it.

LINEWORK

Starting today, you'll notice something new in my sidebar, called Linework.

It's a very simple concept for me. This is my baby for 2005, and perhaps even beyond. When I started blogging, one of my aims was to put subtle pressure on myself to do the creative things I feel I've left behind as life took over. Instead of 'one day' never coming, I'm making every day, one day. The aim is to get back in touch with my creative and artistic side - a part of me which gets lost and suppressed sometimes amongst budget constraints, deadlines and design by committee, family and the general tire of everyday life with a toddler. Despite working in a design field, in a senior design position, the chance to explore and draw, or paint, or let  my mind flow through other media is often stiffled.

Each day I will draw, paint, create, photograph something and post it in Linework. It might be simple -  a fragment, a layer, a sketch an idea, something fleeting. It might be more resolved, more complex, layered, contained and requiring depth or explanation. At the end of the year I'll collate all the images, in order, and in their original media whether that be scanned, or on hard copy, and bind them as a book, which will be something special in itself.

What would make this so much more inspiring though, is if you were to join me, and contribute if you feel the need. Your piece would be included in the book, as another fragmented layer in my year.

NEWS JUST IN...

A second sock tragedy was narrowly averted today with the completion of The Second Retro Sock. It ends months of speculation that a second sock could not be completed, and brought with it an outpouring of relief from it's maker.

The knitter was heard to say to members of her household "I am just so happy, I always knew I had it in me, but there were times I almost gave up. This is just such a relief, and I couldn't have done it without the support of my husband, my son, and CSI Las Vegas". She thanked everyone as she graciously accepted the congratulations of well wishers, but said she was very tired now, and might go and have a nap before embarking on her next project.

WISH YOU WERE HERE

May the seeds of your loin be fruitful in the belly of your woman.

                              

The scene is as such: Neil from The Young Ones is chanting auspiciously about fruit, loins and bellies, while Kym Wilde sings Cambodia in the background. Meanwhile my husband has read the postcard from Di who claims she is the woman above incarnate now (ie quite relaxed and having a damn nice time and quite obviously running around naked except for some very fine silver jewellry), and declares - "So Di went to Cambodia for a boob job. Nice one". He's all class.

Now that I've read the lyrics to Cambodia, the real lyrics not the 'nana na na na in Cambodia' lyrics I realise it's a terribly misfortunate song to have in the background for two very young lovers embarking on their first holiday, but I can't help what theme music my head plays and I am in no way suggesting the lovely S will never come back again or that Di will dissappear in a haze and never see his face again as though she knew the truth, lost in Cambodia.

Good coffee there though, apparently. And she's very inspired.

Fruit, Fibre and Nuts

It's Monday, I need Monday morning relief, nothing too heavy, nothing too light with just the right amount of fruit and fibre, and a hint of nuts. I went lurking, and found something to play along with.

Grooming Products

Shampoo - MOP

Moisturizer - Naturapathica

Cologne - Lolitta Lempicka/Chanel Allure

Razor - Gillette Venus

Toothpaste - Colgate

Electronics

Cell phone - NEC e616V

Computer - Toshiba Satellite laptop

Television - Hitachi Widescreen

Stereo - conglomerate HiFi – Sony and NAD and I'm getting me one of them iPod Shuffles when they finally hit our shores because I've well and trully missed the boat on the iPod and the Shuffle is way cooler, just ask Nicole.

Home

Sheets - 100% cotton from Habitat or Designer Guild

Coffee-maker - Krups

Car - Alfa GTV/Mazda Tribute

Stationery - Smythson/Lotta Jansdotter/My own designs

Beverages

Bottled water - whatever is avaliable

Coffee - Lavazza Espresso

Vodka - definitely NOT Polish Bison because that just does amazingly terrible things to my little tummy. 42 Degrees.

Beer - Stella/Coopers

Clothes

Jeans - Marc Jacobs/Seven

T-shirt - Gap

Briefcase or tote - YSL Leather tote with big bone handle

Sneakers - Puma

Watch - Gucci

Favorite Places

London, Paris, Strasbourg

Necessary Extravagance
Prada underwear, any yarn not available locally.

A Zillion Months In The Making

Firstly, thankyou to everyone who left a comment in the previous post or who contacted me privately. There's some great ideas, and you've all given me some things to go away and think about. I'll post an update when I've made some decisions.

Well, it's done. Fini. It is no more. The sad bag of blossom sleeves, back, fronts and wayward ends needing weaving in have become something, and seeing as it was a wee bit hot this weekend, what better way to celebrate the middle of summer than to weave in ends and sew up a rather thick woollen cardigan, on my lap in the hottest room of the house.

 

This has bugged me for months, but I couldn't find the right button for this. The usual places of button wonderment did not inspire, and I had resigned myself to good enough buttons. Until I came across this beautiful silver draginfly in a japanese clothing shop.

And also because it was hot, I draped wool roving over my arms and in my sweaty hands and sat outside in the evening breeze and spun quietly while the mosquitoes nibbled furiously on my legs and arms.

It's a wool/silk mix from Virginia Farm, is very elastic to draft down, and very forgiving for a beginner spinner. I seem to spin and spin forever without actually denting the amount of wool I have. It's plying nicely on my sample pieces, so when it's all done - 40gms spun at lace-ish weight singles, 140gms left to go I'll ply it. It might be a while. I'd go and get a cup of coffee. You can meet me back here later.