I gotta eat all the time. I feel great when I eat.

It's nearly the end of October, and I haven't done my traditional "October Unprocessed" post yet.  October Unprocessed is the baby of Andrew Wilder and his blog "Eating Rules", and basically it is about eating naturally; clean eating, I suppose, but what a ridiculous way of putting it.

I've been doing it for quite a few years, and you can read about it here, here, here and here if you'd like, and I've got it down cold now.

The rules go like this:

No Diet Coke (easy)
No ingredients I can't pronounce or with a number in
No eating the kids' Haribo at midnight while trying not to sob into a glass of wine
Wine is OK
If it's an ingredient such as flour, baking powder, salt etc, it is fine
No added sugar

This last one has been IMPOSSIBLE.  I may have hinted, just hinted, that I'm a little bit tired at the moment, and life without sugar in tea is not possible.  I'm only having one every few days, so it's not that bad; self justification has always been my strong suit.

Still, the month is nearly over, and I'm still standing.  I've not had Diet Coke for over a year; I now drink tonic and lemon if I want something non-alcoholic, or just stick to sparkling water like some kind of saint.

One day, I will write a long blog post about clean eating and what that means to me, and then I'll Instagram up some pictures of avocados, call myself a nutritionist and make a fucking fortune, but today is not the day.  There is knitting to do, and wine to drink, and I will try to muster up enough enthusiasm to write something tomorrow too.

My generation never votes. It interferes with talking about ourselves all the time.

I seem to have dropped into a routine I don't particularly like.  I'm working so hard during the day, I don't feel like blogging or sewing or doing anything beyond sitting in the evening.  So I'm only blogging on a Sunday night, and it's not really what I want to do, I like writing and I would really like to do it more often.

But you know, blah blah blah, work is HARD, I'm TIRED, life is BUSY, all that jazz.  I always maintain that you have time to do all the things you want to do, so maybe I just don't want to blog enough.

Enough of that.  I have been knitting quite a bit recently, plus I have PROPERLY finished the weather blanket, with a purple border and everything.  I decided against making the border too big, and it is now on our bed and we sleep under it every night.

Have a crappy iPhone photo, I haven't managed to get upstairs with the good camera, and honestly, can't see that happening for a while.  But anyway.  It is done and finished.

Hexipuff Quilt: Still at 193 out of 500.  Which sounds like nothing, but has taken a while.

The Rainbow Raglan: Inertia is still stopping me from knitting the sleeves.

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper: The ribbing for the front is done.  I'm going to do some rows (maybe 10) with the new needles and see how it works out.

The Yellow Petrie: Still just a front.  It's not warm enough to think about summer knitting.

Simon's massive man sock: getting bigger.  I'm on to the foot of the first one.  It is yet another labour of love.

Vianne cardigan: still the same.

These things are still the same.

Miette cardigan in Lemon

Cream and Beige Coco style boatneck striped top

Sun-Ray Ribbing Vintage Jumper

Finish the Wisteria so that when it gets cold, I will be warm

Finish the Peacock Mittens, ditto

Reknit Simon's Cobblestone jumper

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Lucy - bought some yarn for this.  Hurrah.

Bright Rainbow Blanket for Lucy - I'm a bit over crocheting closed granny squares, but I'll get this started in the next couple of weeks.

Burton Bear cowl for Hattie

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves also for Hattie
Minion blanket for Hattie - same as Lucy's blanket.  *sigh*

Owl Blanket for Robin's Christmas present

The rest is silence.  Because we went to see Hamlet the other night and my massive crush on Benedict Cumberbatch is just getting more massive.  

Hey, nerds! Who’s got two thumbs, speaks limited French, and hasn’t cried once today? This moi.

This month is whooshing past far too fast.  Last week was a blur of long days at work, celebratory cakes and champagne, knitting and cutting out skirts and not writing.

For those of you interested in my glittering career, you will be amazed/pleased to hear that I passed my NaSENCO course, and am now a fully qualified SENCO.  I've still not been appointed to the role, as they have to advertise internally, but no one else is qualified or wants to do it, so it's just me.  It will mean more money and more hours, but I'm already working the hours, so bring on the money frankly.  The job is interesting but really, really hard work, but this moi hasn't had a proper meltdown for at least three days now, so let's say it's going well.

One day I will write a devastating piece on the absolute absurdity of SEND funding and the lip service paid by government to the education of children with extra needs, but today is not the day, and anyway there's knitting to chat about.


Our top story this week:  THE WEATHER BLANKET IS FINISHED.  Well, the main body of the blanket is finished, and I'm about half way round the first border round.  I will do two, and then it will be done and finished and I'll never have to think of it again.  It will go on our bed, not the spare bed, and it will be beautiful and there will be photos next week.

Hexipuffs: Currently standing at 193 as of last  night.  On our trip to Brighton yesterday, I made 6, sewed them on, and I'm now sitting on it as a cushion to stop the wicker chair bruising my delicate bum.


The Rainbow Raglan: The body is done.  It looks like this:

I love it.  It's a funny shape if you look too closely when it's not on, but it fits well and hugs the curves beautifully, and skims over the tummy.  Hurrah for fitted knits.  I will finish it before the end of the year.  Probably.  It needs long sleeves, and I've found the right place in one of the yarn cakes, so there's nothing stopping me but inertia.

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper: The silk is dyed and dry and ready to be knitted up.  It looks like red string.  I'm not 100% pleased with it, but I've knitted about two thirds of the ribbing and it looks OK, so we shall see.  It's all rather exciting; I've not used a vintage pattern before.

The Yellow Petrie: Still just a front.  It's not warm enough to think about summer knitting.

Simon's massive man sock: Still the same.

Vianne cardigan: still needing a new button band.  I found the missing yarn to make the button band.  It's on the list.

These things are still the same.

Miette cardigan in Lemon

Cream and Beige Coco style boatneck striped top

Sun-Ray Ribbing Vintage Jumper

Finish the Wisteria so that when it gets cold, I will be warm

Finish the Peacock Mittens, ditto

Reknit Simon's Cobblestone jumper

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Lucy

Bright Rainbow Blanket for Lucy - I'm a bit over crocheting closed granny squares, but I'll get this started in the next couple of weeks.

Burton Bear cowl for Hattie

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves also for Hattie
Minion blanket for Hattie - same as Lucy's blanket.  *sigh*

Owl Blanket for Robin's Christmas present

The list of things that are still the same should be either shameful or depressing, but aren't, because the WEATHER BLANKET IS FINISHED!\

I got rid of all my Colin Firth movies in case they consider it erotica.

How is it October?  How?  I've been back at work for nearly 5 weeks now, and it's absolute chaos.  People keep asking me how the whole "Year 2/SENCO" thing is working out for me, and I cry, not loudly, but there are real tears.  It's hard work.  I'm getting the hang of things, but it is super hard work, and I'm basically working full time for part time money.  It's hard.

Yesterday was a bit of a write off, as I was suffering from a mystery bug; nothing to do with the three bottles of "Italian White Wine" I shared with my colleagues, followed by at least two double vodka and tonics at the Aeronaut, and all the karaoke and the dancing and the having a fun time that happened on Friday night.  I got home at 2, and had a little sleep on the sofa before going to bed in my clothes.  Whoops.  Still wasn't able to drive on Saturday morning, and my stomach muscles and legs are quite sore now.

Anyway, enough shenanigans, on with the KNIT LIST.

Hexipuffs: I've lost count.  I don't know how many I've made.  I will count them soon; I think I need 500 to make a blanket big enough to cover both of us on the sofa.  Must keep knitting.

The Yellow Petrie: Still just a front.  It's not warm enough to think about summer knitting.

The Rainbow Raglan: The body is nearly done.  Woo hoo, get me.  Making a fingering weight adult jumper is jolly hard and really quite boring.  But the colour changes make me happy, because I am simple.

Simon's massive man sock: Sock 1 is half finished.  I've turned the heel, and am about to begin on the mindlessness of the leg.  It looks pretty dull, but I think he'll like them.  He'd better.

Weather Blanket - there are now 3 squares left to make.  THREE! Once the body of the Rainbow Raglan is done, I will finish it off.  Finish it! After all these months!

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper: I've dyed a bunch of silk yarn from Texere.  It was off white and looked like grubby string, and now is bright, bright red.  As is the kitchen, my apron and my hands.

Vianne cardigan: still needing a new button band.  I might need to buy some more wool to finish it off, and I don't want to do that at the moment.

These things are still the same.

Miette cardigan in Lemon

Cream and Beige Coco style boatneck striped top

Sun-Ray Ribbing Vintage Jumper

Finish the Wisteria so that when it gets cold, I will be warm

Finish the Peacock Mittens, ditto

Reknit Simon's Cobblestone jumper

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Lucy

Bright Rainbow Blanket for Lucy - I'm a bit over crocheting closed granny squares, but I'll get this started in the next couple of weeks.

Burton Bear cowl for Hattie

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves also for Hattie
Minion blanket for Hattie - same as Lucy's blanket.  *sigh*

Owl Blanket for Robin's Christmas present