I don't have a home Jason, I live in a boundless void

We went to Kew today, in company with the rest of West London.  First sign of a bit of sun, and we all head to the green spaces.  It was absolutely heaving in the Princess of Wales greenhouse for the Orchid Festival; everyone trying to get out of the wind, which was pretty ferocious today. 

Some pictures.

If you are in West London between now and 11th March, you really should go, it's utterly lovely, and there are at least 4 Thai water lizards in the greenhouse.  Hattie swore blind she saw one; obviously, we dismissed her as making it up, this is the child who apparently saw a badger in broad daylight on Dartmoor, and didn't say anything to anyone as she didn't want to disturb the driver after all, but for once she actually saw what she said saw.  Wonders will never cease.

Tor would like to quit and be a florist, Gunther does interior design

Today in pictures.

The zoo today.  It was grey and unpleasant, and I concede that I might not have chosen the best shoes for today - Clarks gold shoes are brilliant and sparkly, but the cold, damp ground seeps in and my feet are still defrosting.  The reptiles were very active and running around, as were the hairy armadillos in the tropical zone, where my camera lens steamed up, making me an even worse photographer than usual.

Knitting is happening.  Lots of hats, mostly, although a Rockhopper shawl as well, in one of a kind hand dyed yarn, which is a bit nerve wracking.  Ever played yarn chicken?

Oh, Charles. I can't take that. It's clearly not cash, and I don't have time in my life to return things.

Cold today, colder than yesterday, but bright and sunny, so we went down to the seaside.

Featuring hunting for stones.

Camouflaged shoes.

People swimming.

No family arguments.

A trip onto the pier with the bright lights and the noise and the people and the horrific sensory over-stimulation.  We went on a ride too, and it was awful.

Pokemon hunting.

Seagulls.  I scared them in order to take this because I am all about the photo.

Abstract art.

Living my best life, fam.

Lovely start to the year.

Sorry it took me so long to answer, I was just thinking about how weird it is that we eat birds.

Blimey.  2016 is over.  

Not much happened here of any note, except for a new kitchen and a new nephew, both of which are marvellous, but I just ran out of steam for blogging.  It felt like another chore on top of work and life and looking after the girls, so I just stopped.

I did lots of other things though, and now I want to start blogging again; I quite enjoy writing, and if I want to get better, I need to practice a bit more.  

My words for last year were Do It, and I did.  Learning to make trousers, 10ks, half marathon, no navel gazing about work and stop putting things off.  I didn't set making goals or plan much beyond the following week, which fell down slightly when it came to weight loss, but then my scales broke, and everything is alright with the world again.  So now I need to apply last year's words to this year, and write, and see how things go.  I'd love to say that I will write in the blog every other day, but I know that school will drain me of all energy in a few days time, so no fixed commitments.

I change my locks every 16 days. That key's been useless since the 2nd Tuesday I gave it to you.

After this week, probably.  It's all a bit much really.  The children are clearly insane, and I'm catching it off them.  What fun. It was Mothering Sunday today, and we spent it in Spitalfields Market, where I failed to buy a little black dress and did buy some star print African wax cotton (5m for £12!) and some posh tea and had daytime gin (the best gin) and a chocolate brownie, and it was great until about three quarters an hour ago when we had the "I'm really tired but I'm not going to bed, I'm going to sit here and make NOISES and kick you and PUT MY COLD FEET ON YOUR TUMMY and whine" time until I gave up on supper and threw them into bed with mild threats.

They are quite cute when they want to be.

Anyway, that was today, but that's not what I wanted to talk about.  

I started a jumper a few weeks ago, part of the Mason-Dixon #bangoutasweater KAL, which was super fun and not hard at all.  A picture says 1000 words; a collage even more, and saves me boring on.

Genuinely one of the easiest and quickest knits I've ever made, and such a great, cosy jumper at the end of it.  This is not my last go at this pattern, and I'm going to use the Lett Lopi yarn to make an owlsjumper soon, as well as two Penguins jumpers for the girls.  

What else is new?  The Knit List is moving along slowly.  Most of the stuff is still in storage, but we're looking at about another fortnight of building chaos until I can put my living room stash back in its proper place.

The following things are being worked on:

Audrey in Unst: I'm at 26/36 rows of twisted ribbing.  I put it down to work on the Stopover and only picked it up today.  I can't say I love it.  I can't say I don't love it, but I don't love twisted ribbing ONE BIT.

NEW: A bright yellow Owligan: I love this.  It's bright and spring-like and will be a great cardigan to wear outside once I don't need a coat.  So, you know, May.

The Rainbow Raglan: huh.

These things are still in storage.

Hexipuff Quilt
Simon's Cobblestone jumper
Simon's massive man socks: I bought the yarn.
This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper
The Yellow Petrie
Rainbow jumper for Hattie

These are things that are waiting to be started.  I've added something.

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Lucy
A circle blanket for Robin

Cream and Beige Coco style boatneck striped top

Sun-Ray Ribbing Vintage Jumper
Ishbel scarf thing
Waterhouse Mittens

Bright Rainbow Blanket for Lucy

Burton Bear cowl for Hattie

Minion blanket for Hattie

Finished:

Stopover Sweater
Yellow Myrna cardigan
Vianne
Wisteria
Elwood Mittens for Lucy
One MASSIVE MAN SOCK
Weather Blanket
Separate but matching vests for twin boys
Urchin hat
Peacock mittens

Right, there is gin to drink and the X-files to watch.  Hurrah for Sunday nights.

Yeah, it's these grown men running around in their long underwear flapping their arms, which they do a lot of in ballet.

Evening.  In the language of my people, howzit?  

The builders are still with us, the house is still freezing, the crazy thick jumpers are still very necessary but the world is still turning and it is all nearly over.  I've nearly worked my way through the cut out pile, I've just got two dresses for the girls to make, and I need to take in the grey and blue Coco - it is far, far too big.  Hurrah.  I'm going to remeasure myself and draw all over my pattern, so I can make clothes that fit the new shape.

I made a Francoise dress, which is in the wash, and because I cut it out based on my old measurements, it is the right size on my hips and across my stomach, maybe a bit big, but much, much too big around my upper bust.  I am actually swimming in it.  This is frustrating in some ways, but massively pleasing in others, so let's not complain.  I will take some crappy iPhone photos of it next time I wear it, which will probably be before I adjust it, as that will take time and I don't have much of that.

In other UFO talk, I made a Delphine skirt.  This skirt has been a bit of a pain really.  I cut it out around my birthday, sewed it up, put in a beautiful invisible zip and then found that it was cut wrong, and just didn't fit.  Into the bin with it while I sulked.  I removed the zip and unpicked the back seam, and got ready to fit it to my friend Karen, but then we were too hungover and then I forgot and then it was now and the weight loss has happened, so I wrapped it round myself and found I could probably wear it after all.  So I finished it, and I've been wearing it obsessively ever since.  It stands away from my waist in a strange way, but is the right size everywhere else, so overall, it's a win.

How do you like the badger jumper?  It's fabulous and a size 12.

So that's that for this evening.  All the weight loss, all the sewing, all the fun.  Time for a single cashew nut and a magazine that tells me that tells me how old and fat I am.  Night all.

You do not obey, you choose to co-operate

It's half term here, and we're jolly busy already.  The girls are swimming every day; I've paid an arm and leg for them to have private swimming lessons, and it's really helping them - Hattie can now swim 10 metres on her front and back, which is fantastic, and Lucy is getting much better at breaststroke, and her teacher has agreed to sign off her swimmer's badge for Brownies.  She is very excited about this, as is her nerdy mum.  She's been a Brownie since September, and was enrolled a couple of weeks ago.

We are all very proud of her. She was the first one in her group to be enrolled because her Brown Owl was sure that she would be the one who knew the promise and would say it in a big voice and get it right.  Of course she did.  She doesn't let us down.

She's going to get all the badges.  Every one, if it kills us.

In other news, I have bought a large quantity of this warm Icelandic yarn in order to Bang Out a Sweater, Mason-Dixon style.  The colours I bought are grey, pink, green and orange, and I should be able to make a beautiful jumper in under a fortnight.  I've been dithering forward and backward about making this jumper, so I've totally missed the KAL, which is a shame, but I'll still have a lovely jumper at the end and enough to start an orange penguins jumper for Lucy.  Hurrah.  I'm so glad we're having all this building work and that the house is freezing.  It means all my warm woolly jumpers are getting an airing, and now the work's been pushed back by a fortnight, I'll have even longer to wear them inside.  Yay!

My mom used to send me articles about how older virgins are considered good luck in Mexico

After a very active January with all the running and the cycling and the running and the whatnot, I've not really done much exercise this month.  I ran just over 8km today, and I'm planning a 12k run next Saturday when the children are away, so that'll up the average a bit; perhaps I'll even do a bit of running during the week.  Simon isn't planning to travel during half term, so I can go to the gym in the evening, and that should up my total mileage from 17 km to something a bit more respectable.

That's enough RUNCHAT, time to talk about knitting.  The majority of my stash is almost totally inaccessible, and I am totally fed up with the Rainbow jumper, so I moved a load of boxes and climbed over a few loudspeakers to get to my wool, in order to have a new project to cast on.

Super Lemon Myrna is finished and blocked and has buttons and ribbon stabilising the button band, which I sewed on by hand, I thankyew, and I am actually wearing it at the moment.  The house is SO COLD, so I'm wearing it over about three other tops.  It's a bit tight with all the clothes on.

It fits just fine over my running gear.  The yarn is Sublime Extra Fine Merino DK, in Soft Yellow, and it is soft and warm and cosy.  The yarn is from Mr Bunty in West Ealing, and I bought the buttons and the ribbon at the same time.  I was going to make a Miette out of it, but the Myrna is a better pattern for my shape, so that's what happened instead.  However, I have limited use for a wool cardigan with short sleeves, and the puffed sleeves don't do much for me either, so I picked up 68 stitches around the armholes and decreased every four rows seven times, while knitting the sleeves flat.  I sewed them up, because I get a bit of a better fit that way, and also I dislike the fiddly-ness of knitting sleeves in the round.  I've got some red yarn somewhere to make another one.  I just need to find it. *sob*

The Rainbow Raglan: I've done a couple of stripes, and I'm just getting on with it.  SLOWLY.

Hexipuff Quilt: Still at 237/500.

Simon's Cobblestone jumper: in storage.

Simon's massive man socks: I should buy that yarn really.

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper: Stored.

The Yellow Petrie: I looked at it today.  It's still too cold for summer knitting.

Rainbow jumper for Hattie: Storage.

These are things that are waiting to be started.  I've added something.

NEW: Audrey in Unst Cardigan in my favourite Sublime Yarn, this time in pink.
Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Lucy
A circle blanket for Robin

Cream and Beige Coco style boatneck striped top

Sun-Ray Ribbing Vintage Jumper
Ishbel scarf thing
Waterhouse Mittens

Bright Rainbow Blanket for Lucy

Burton Bear cowl for Hattie

Minion blanket for Hattie

Finished:

Vianne
Wisteria
Elwood Mittens for Lucy
One MASSIVE MAN SOCK
Weather Blanket
Separate but matching vests for twin boys
Urchin hat
Peacock mittens

I've found a great website with ALL the Parks and Rec gifs.  What fun.

And then a car coming the other way swerves to avoid you and goes off a cliff

It'll be 2016 in a few days, and the start of a new year, and time for resolutions that I don't keep.  Looking back, my resolutions for this year were to be a size 12 (ha!) and to make trousers (ha! again), so this year, my resolutions are going to be pretty much the same.  I've just joined our local cheapy gym, and I've been for a 6.61km run today, and done a load of sit ups and stuff, so things are moving in the right direction.  I've got 20 pounds to lose; so far I've lost 1.  At Christmas.  You can touch me if you like.  I have some photos of me in my workout gear which when I'm feeling brave I will post as a before picture at some point, so brace yourself for that.

Anyway, the point of all this exercise is to make the sewing and subsequent photos more enjoyable.  If I'm going to have to take all sorts of inside leg and around my bum and thigh measurements, it had better be an interesting rather than horrific experience.

Knit chat, as well as FIT CHAT.  No finished objects, but lots of progress.

Hexipuff Quilt: There are 237 hexipuffs done and sewn together and looking gorgeous.

The Rainbow Raglan: it now has a sleeve.  However, knitting the sleeve made me realise that I had knitted in some form of side boob, and so I had to rip it back to the armhole and start again from there.  *sob*  It's coming along pretty well, and I'm almost finished with the waist shaping and then it's only a few rounds after that until the body is done.  AGAIN.

Simon's Cobblestone jumper: round and round and round I go, where I stop, I do not know.  *sigh*

Simon's massive man socks: Need more yarn

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper: Grumpy

The Yellow Petrie: I appear to be using the orange I used for the facing for something else, so I will need to have a think about that.

Miette cardigan in Lemon: changed to be a Myrna cardigan, again by Andi Satturland for her Selfish Knitting Knit-Along, starting yesterday until Valentine's day.  Myrna is very cropped and LOOK AT MY BOOBS which fits the new aesthetic very well.  I'm going to give it long sleeves and make it a bit longer, so it looks less pornographic and is more wearable.

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Hattie: swapped out for a Rainbow Owlet jumper without owls, so a DK weight raglan sleeve jumper with rainbow stripes, which I started in Cambridge on Tuesday and am nearly done with.  Hurrah for quick fixes.  Not sure how to do the stripes on the sleeves though, but I'll work it out.

These are things that are waiting to be started.

A circle blanket for Robin

Cream and Beige Coco style boatneck striped top

Sun-Ray Ribbing Vintage Jumper
Ishbel scarf thing
Waterhouse Mittens

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Lucy 

Bright Rainbow Blanket for Lucy
Burton Bear cowl for Hattie

Minion blanket for Hattie

Finished:

Vianne
Wisteria
Elwood Mittens for Lucy
One MASSIVE MAN SOCK
Weather Blanket
Separate but matching vests for twin boys
Urchin hat
Peacock mittens

It's not looking that bad really.  Just got to keep going, one stitch at a time.  

Hey Nolan, I came here to watch Batman, not Kung Fu Panda.

The collect for the day.

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee by plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

The will was stirred up, the fruit was plenteously brought forth from Tesco, and the reward will be an inadvertently egg-free Christmas pudding on the 25th.  I do love a family tradition, and I've made this pudding by Dan Lepard for the past 3 years, and we all stir and wish and generally our wishes come at least partly true.

It doesn't look much now, but it will taste wonderful.  Even without eggs.

Anyway, enough of that.  On with the knitting.

Peacock Mittens: This is the second one, and I've done more than that since I took this photo.  I might even finish them this week.  Might.  

Hexipuff Quilt: I've made another 2 today.  When there are 8 more, I'll recount, and see where we are with the whole 500 titchy little hexagons.

Simon's massive man socks: still the same.

The Rainbow Raglan: Still waiting for sleeves.  Having just been stuck on sleeve island with the Wisteria, I'm disinclined to make another trip there.

This One's for Parties Vintage Jumper: Still not happy with it.

The Yellow Petrie: Shshshsh

These are things that are waiting to be started.  Still.

A present for Robin: I've changed my mind again.  I'm going to make him the same blanket as I made his sister, but in different colours.  And not as many circles.  And not for Christmas.  Maybe for Easter.

Reknit Simon's Cobblestone jumper - I'm getting moaning about this, so this is up next.

Miette cardigan in Lemon

Cream and Beige Coco style boatneck striped top

Sun-Ray Ribbing Vintage Jumper
Ishbel scarf thing
Waterhouse Mittens

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Lucy 

Bright Rainbow Blanket for Lucy
Burton Bear cowl for Hattie

Mini Hetty cardigan with sleeves for Hattie
Minion blanket for Hattie

Finished:

Vianne
Wisteria
Elwood Mittens for Lucy
One MASSIVE MAN SOCK
Weather Blanket
Separate but matching vests for twin boys
Urchin hat

I'm sure I've made more than that; it doesn't seem that much really.

Man, do my feet hurt in heels, and other things women talk about

Another September almost gone, another Yarndale whooshing by just like that.  We went up to Skipton on Friday, I spent a very happy day on Saturday shopping and taking photos, then we went home via Leeds on Sunday.  I can't believe it's already over.  

We loved Yorkshire so much again, we've sort of decided to back up there for a long weekend in May, around half term.  Shame I've come back with a bit of a cold.

Anyway, you don't want to listen to me sneeze, you want to see pictures from the weekend.

So many colours.  So many people.  Normally I freak out a bit in large crowds, but the feeling of height and light and space meant that I didn't feel under pressure at all.  It was absolutely lovely.

I've been to Yarndale three times now, it's a fixture on our calendar, written in pen.  It's got better and better each year, with more and more vendors, and more and more fun.  This year, I surpassed myself, and I am now no longer going to buy an overlocker, or go to Ally Pally in a few weeks.  So not sorry.   I shamelessly used my children as a way to photograph Lucy Attic 24 again; such a fan girl.  She was lovely and very patient; and must be utterly exhausted now.  I was, and all I did was shop.

The mandalas were fantastic, and it was so good to be able to get right up close and personal with them this year.  Mine never really got off the ground; maybe I'll send something in next year.  

I brought some things back with me.  Let's see if I can knit them up before next September.

Easy Knits sushi roll and sock yarn.  Last year, I bought a lot of Aran weight, but apparently it didn't sell well, so it wasn't there this year.  Shame.  

Ginger Twist Studios yarn to make a cowl.  Very difficult to choose a colourway, so I might have to buy more.  Eventually.

Triskelion Yarn and white undyed stuff from somewhere else, can't remember.  I'm going to use these two to make the Penelope jumper; the KAL starts tomorrow I think.  

These three gorgeous things are from Midwinter Yarns; the red is for a hat, the blue is just because.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I didn't buy this book when it first came out.  I've got it now, however, and I've also got the yarn to make the Cockatoo Brae jumper on the front.  It is drop dead gorgeous, but OMG all the miles of stockinette in fine grey wool.  Mindless knitting at its finest.  I feel faint at the thought.

Well, there's knitting to do, and a glass of wine to drink, so roll on next year, can't wait.