A Host of Golden Daffodils

I simply had to post these pictures, taken on my journey to work yesterday morning. After the coldest Winter in the UK for over 40 years Spring is finally here. Everything is flowering about 5 weeks later than normal and the Gardens in the centre of Bournemouth are looking spectacular.

I have been temporarily distracted from my beading by my OH's request for some red socks. This is the first pattern that I have made up as I go along. It is knitted from the toe up and is based on the Lifestyle Toe-up Sock recipe by Charissa Martin Cairn on Ravelry. I have also incorporated Evelyn A. Clark's gusset heel and her instructions for the stretchy Russian bind-off. I just cast on and improvised. It did mean that I had to rip the first sock back three times to get it right but I am very pleased with the result.

I have also completed a Haruni shawl by Emily Ross. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it on Ravelry and had to make one. It was my first complex lace pattern and I learnt so much from it. I now feel that I could tackle most lace knitting with full confidence. I have worn it to work several times and absolutely love it. Perfect for this time of year when you need something cosy around your shoulders but don't want to wear a sweater.

Life's ups and downs

Life is a bit hectic at the moment. The beginning of the new University term is looming so I am spending my time preparing for the Autumn round of teaching. Last Saturday was a welcome break from this. I attended the inaugural meeting of the Priory Beaders. There are 20 members so far and we meet in Stanpit Village Hall on the outskirts of Christchurch. It is a lovely venue with great views across Christchurch Harbour towards Hengistbury Head. The Beadworkers' Guild are celebrating their 10 anniversary in 2009 and to mark this occaision they have asked each of their members to make a beaded bead. These will then be made into a giant necklace, with the aim of getting into the Guiness Book of Records for the longest necklace in the world. It will subsequently be auctioned for charity. As most of the Priory Beaders are members of the Beadworkers' Guild we decided to spend our first day together making beaded beads. For those of you who are wondering beaded beads are just that - beads made out of smaller beads. They can be hollow or have a wooden core. You can see some superb examples on the BeAdfinitum web site created by Gwen Fisher and Florence Turnour. I am in complete awe of their talent.

Some of my beaded beads

The weekend was also spent knitting a second Marsan Watch Cap for my Other Half. He liked the first one so much that he asked for another. I used differnt yarn this time and to my utter frustration it has turned our shorter than the first one. I will now have to partially unravel it and reknit it. Grrr!!


Spurred on by my good friend 'A Girl in Winter' I have cast on for the February Lady Sweater featured on Ravelry. It has an intriguing structure in that it is knitted in one piece from the top down. This has the advantage that you can try it on at any point to check the fit. I will let you know how I get on.


Finally after a lovely, relaxing weekend disaster stuck. On Sunday evening I bit into an oatcake and broke a large chunk off one of my teeth. It just goes to show that eating low fat food really isn't good for you. I am sure that it wouldn't have happened if I had been eating a chocolate digestive! After an emergency visit to my dentist yesterday I emerged with a temporary filling, another appointment on Monday and a bill for nearly £100. That was a very expensive oatcake!

Back again!

I have sadly neglected this blog over the last few weeks. I had some more time off from work - to recharge my batteries before the onslaught of the new academic year. I took the time to concentrate on my beading and my other creative work. I have decided not to post any pictures of my passion flower vase until it is finished, which hopefully should be quite soon. I have also been trying very hard not to be seduced away from beading by the knitting bug. For that last few evenings I have been obsessively knitting a scarf. The yarn is a beautiful skein of Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend which was purchased on a trip to London with my friends. The colours are gorgeous and I am really looking forward to wearing it. Every time that I do I will be reminded of that day spent with three wonderful women, 'Chesh', 'P.' and 'A Girl in Winter'. It was filled with laughter and friendship. I have never had a large circle of friends and I really cherish the ones that I do have. I am not really an outgoing person and I think that it probably takes people a while to get to know me. I am really glad that I have these three in my life.

My Other Half wanted a hat so I looked on Ravelry and found a great pattern to knit him one. It was fun to do and only took me a couple of evenings. However, he wants another one and a scarf and gloves too. I now have lots of knitting projects queueing up in my head. I need several lifetimes to get through everything that I want to do. If only I didn't have to go to work! I am just kidding - I love my job, but it would be nice to have some more creative time.

'Marsan Watch Cap' from Ravelry

And finally - Autumn is on its way. there is a definite chill in the air. Last weekend I glumly contemplated my sparse winter wardrobe and tried to steel myself to go shopping. I would normally rather stick needles into my eyes than shop for clothes - I absolutely loath it and usually end up totally depressed and disheartened. However on my way home recently I saw these boots and fell in love (virtually unheard of for me!) Now all I have to do is persuade my Other Half that they are worth every penny!

Bank Holiday Blues

This Monday was the May Bank Holiday, normally a time to spend with family and friends and enjoy the Summer weather. The weather was not too bad but unfortunately this weekend was marred by sadness, as a close relative was taken into hospital unexpectedly at the end of last week. She has a potentially serious health problem so we could have a stressful time ahead. Her test results will come back at the end of this week so we will know more then. So, I was in a very sombre mood when I arrived for work yesterday morning. As usual my friends and colleagues were a great help. Lunchtime spent with two friends sitting in the sunshine lifted my spirits. I rarely take a real lunch break, often eating at my desk, so it was a real treat. In the evening I attended our craft group where we chatted, laughed, knitted, sewed etc. and ate Jaffa Cakes! Who could remain blue after a day like that. When I got home my Other Half was also feeling a bit more positive about things too, so the day ended much better than it had started. Such is life!

My current knitting project is a scarf. I was tempted to buy some Manos del Uruguay yarn recently which is absolutely beautiful. It is a mixture of silk and wool and is hand dyed, so every skein is unique. It was quite a challenge to find a pattern that does justice to such a stunning yarn, but I am a member of the Ravelry online community and I found the ideal pattern on their website. It uses slipped stitches to break up the coloured patches on the yarn and so make the most of the brilliant colours.

The Prismatic Scarf designed by Huan-Hua Chye.

The slipped stitches show off the beautiful yarn to perfection.


The reverse is just as beautiful as the front.

I have my precious camera back at last from being repaired. I collected it on the way to work this morning. It is such a beautiful day that I took some photos of the Gardens in the centre of Bournemouth whilst I was standing at the bus stop. As you can see, Summer is well and truly here.