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.

Long time, no see

So, after an absence of three months (nearly), I thought it time to resume blogging duties- this may take some time to read! Lots to tell!

The last few months have been fairly quiet in some respects- just pootling along at work, although I did try and resign, only to compromise that I would try going down to four days a week next year and move over to the Media department. This was just before the bombshell that if our English department wanted a new head, one of us would have to be made redundant. So, hi-jinx have ensued and the head has shot himself in the foot, as he has now lost three excellent members of staff who figured it was time to look elsewhere. I'm going to hang on and see how going part time works. I am very angry about the whole thing, for reasons I don't want to go into here, but the whole thing is just rubbish.

I feel a bit weird going part time, but the rationale behind it is to a) save my sanity and help me deal with the depression I've been battling for a couple of years and b) to keep working on my journalism. I recently had a review published on the Fat Quarter website: http://www.fat-quarter.co.uk/archives/1327 and have a few more ideas in the pipeline- the extra day will free up time for research and writing; something that can be in short supply at the moment.

In terms of crafting, I finished my Adamas shawl (and few other bits!)

I also have taken up a spot of embroidery- the Mary is for my mum and the peacocks grace a bag I've taken to carrying around. I'm also attempting to stitch a Tenniel drawing of Alice, but we'll see how that works out... At the moment, I'm knitting a Mountain Peaks shawl in some yarn I dyed myself.

So, currently, I'm listening to an album I loved when I was 17 and feeling nostalgic. I'm enjoying the weather (although snails ate most of my seedlings a couple of weeks ago... gutted.) My exam classes have left- and I felt a little bit emotional seeing my Year 11s off; despite the fact that they drove me mad and I saw them nearly everyday, I watched them in their last lesson and realised how much *some* had grown up. It was a surprise even to me.

So now it's downhill all the way to summer!

Writing and Stuff

So, I'm sat here with a note book poised on my lap, listening to an as unyet released album and writing notes, so that I can write a review of it. It seems surreal; when I was a student, reviewing albums was the way I got CDs and I only just realised how much I miss it. Actually, the album is pretty good, but I don't want to say what it is yet; I have another one to do as well, so no rest for the wicked!

Never has a saying been so apt, the last few weeks have been hectic at work, hence the lack of posting. Also, I was working on an article about women in graphic novels, so hopefully I'm beginning my new year resolution of writing more in a good way...

Knitting hasn't been so succcessful, nor has reading. Looking forward to the half term holiday!

Unexpected Free Time...

I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone at the moment- my school will be shut tomorrow, making it three days. When school shut in February for two days, there was uproar and it was apparently the first time in thirty years we'd shut. I honestly only thought we'd be shut for two days maximum.

I'm not complaining, mind you, although it has been a bit weird. I've made headway on my Ishbel (which has taught me a lesson to read a pattern before I get stressed out) and I've watched the entire series one of Doctor Who. Ophelia has also been living inside and, if I'm honest, it's been like having a toddler who's eaten too many Smarties dashing around the house. Great fun though :)

I think Benn was a bit disappointed- he'd booked from Tues-Fri off for study leave for work exams and only got Tuesday with a quiet house. The rest of the week has resembled a slightly Benny Hill-esque procession of humans, headstrong rabbits, confused cats and scared mice..

We have to go and buy food tomorrow, as all we have in is a jar of honey, some dried pasta and a part-baked baguette. We're going to attempt it, anyway.

Oh, and officially? I've spent the last few days 'creating resources'!