Bloody Hell

I'm knitting another leaving scarf (garter stitch, 3.5mm needles, 4ply, based on a description the recipient gave me of a long-lost treasured grandma-knitted scarf.) Not v interesting, I grant you, but I am SO tired that anything more interesting might just make me cry.

I was feeling very pleased with myself as it craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawled along. Then I realised. I've dropped a stitch a fair way back. Do you reckon I could get away with leaving it? (As it's a leaving scarf for a non-knitter, I reckon she won't notice.)

Sigh. Can't even do bog standard garter stitch scarves now.

I need to be more organised!

So, I think I need to reassess some things. June/July will be an expensive month and I need to plan ahead to Ireland. I have a wedding to go to on July 24th and nothing to wear (day after next payday) and I have a leaving do next Friday. Also, I'm going to be paying my petrol money (£20 a week) instead of monthly... So, this will be an expensive month. Then I'll need some money to pay for my half of the Ireland trip... sigh.

So, as a public declaration, I am going to do the following:

1) Not buy any more yarn. Swapping yarn is fine but NO NEW PURCHASES.
2) No more brand new clothes. I shall have to find a dress on eBay for the wedding and it shall be one that I can wear again.
3) Ditto shoes. No new ones. Not even flip flops (can I get away with a pair of flip flops at aforementioned wedding if I paint my nails?)
4) Don't buy any more tea. I have plenty to be getting on with. (Have you seen my tea blog?)
5) Don't buy any more books. I counted my unread books and found 38. And then I also have library books and a copy of Neil Gaiman's Graveyard Book on the go.
6) I don't need to buy any more make up.

So, that leaves me with a small amount with which occassional purchases of tea and cake and a haircut.

I can stick to this, right? Right?

Sometimes I wonder...

... why I love knitting so much when it causes me so much frustration. For every fab project (hello, Adamas Shawl) there are two that are really, really not working for me. For example, recently, I have tried to knit both Multnomah and Mountain Peaks Shawls. Both have ended in tangled frustration.

On the other hand, a Branching Out scarf I made turned out to be brilliant.

This is a relationship like a few I've had (soaring ups and crashing lows), but at least I get something back from this one, I guess. Like handknit socks. Boyfriends, bosses and rubbish friends never gave me those.

So, for a while, I am going to knit socks. Plain socks in fancy colours (which is especially easy now I'm a member of the Three Irish Girls sock club). I'm going to stockpile in case we get another bitter winter, hopefully with attached snow days and everything.

In other news, looks like that from September, I'll be off on Fridays to concentrate on my writing. Yay!

PS- please check out my tea blog here. I'm currently taking part in a challenge I set myself to find the best Earl Grey teas!

Exciting

So, tomorrow I am going home to Yorkshire for a few days for the first time in a couple of years. This is exciting in itself, although nowhere near as exciting as finally seeing my grandma's life's work (or last 26 year's work) on TV. Last night, the BBC showed  'The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister' (NSFW) and a documentary which my grandma (Helena) featured prominently. I am so proud of my grandma's achievements! I shall be seeing her on Friday, so I can't wait to catch up with her!

Also, a quick plug for a new blog I've set up- The Tea Taster, in which I get up to all kinds of tea-related japery.

I'll see you in about a week.