Work In Progress Wednesday Number 17

This week I have really only been working on the neverending blanket. And I've started a new book too.

The last few evenings have been depressingly chilly so I've only wanted to work on the blanket, which keeps me nice and warm while I'm knitting *laughs* I'm thinking that I might add a couple of blocks to the pattern, to make it a bit bigger and use up some more yarn *grins* I'm not following the pattern dimensions, so I think it should work, but I'll wait and see once I've finished the original blocks.

I started a new book this morning, Popco by Scarlett Thomas. It's actually been sitting on my bookshelf for months and months, but I haven't fancied starting it. This morning it jumped into my hands ready for the bus to work and who am I to argue with a pushy book? I'm only a couple of chapters in, but I'm enjoying it so far *smiles*

For more Wednesday knitting and reading, you can find Ginny's Yarn Along here, and Tami's WIP Wednesdays, here.

Q is for...

Cunning Plan

Thank you for all the fantastic comments yesterday, especially about my hand dyed sock yarn *grins* I love it, so it was really great to get so many lovely comments. Plus, it ties very nicely in with today's post ;)

I recently bought some Kool Aid from a knitter having a bit of a clearout. Of course I immediately wanted to dye something, and very nearly bought some bare yarn to have a play with. Then I stopped myself, as the phrase "one more yarn purchase can't hurt" crossed my mind ;)

So, I refrained from buying more yarn, realising that I really didn't have to use the dye straight away. And then I had a cunning plan *modest smile* I could overdye some of the yarn in my stash. I had just the yarn:

I was given 6 balls of this by a colleague and haven't had any idea what to do with it. It's good stuff, Jaeger 100% superwash, but the colours just aren't me. I planned to keep it around anyway, knowing it would reveal its true purpose in time *laughs*

Anyway, I wound it into a loop - you can see how small the colour runs are, I can't imagine it would knit up into something I'd like - and grabbed 4 sachets of Grape Kool Aid. Bizarrely, as I dunked the yarn in the dye, it sucked up all of the colour straight away, leaving the water clear, very strange to watch. Apparently superwash wool does that!

And I ended up with this, which I think is really cool.

I love how the dark blue sections are still there, they just work in the overall colour better for me. Even better, I needed some superwash wool for secret knitting, and now I don't have to buy any for that (yarn purchases for present knitting don't count as breaking my no-yarn-buying plan).

Genius ;)

Work In Progress Wednesday Number 16

Another Wednesday, another Work in Progress/Yarn Along mash-up *grins*

I'm reading a new book, having finished a couple of others this week, so I'm pleased to say that my aim of finding a little more balance between knitting and reading seems to be paying off. Partly motivated, I think, because I don't want to take a picture of the same book 2 weeks in a row for the yarn along *laughs*

Knitting-wise, as you can just about see above, the blanket is on the next cream section, my sock is nearing the end of the gusset decreases, Cria has been separated for the sleeves


I'm quite enjoying watching the way the yarn I dyed knits up, especially at points where the stitch count is different than the rest of the sock. For example, the interesting pink and purple pattern at the top of the foot, and the almost rainbow on the bottom of the heel:

I'm heading to see my mum at the weekend, so I'm looking forward to a couple of hours of in-car knitting each way. Boyfriend is happier that I will be taking the magic loop rather than the DPNs for this purpose (he was, justifiably I think, a little nervous of me knitting on tiny, very pointy needles, while in the car!)

For more Wednesday craftiness, you can find Ginny's Yarn Along here, and Tami's WIP Wednesdays, here.

Best Laid Plans

I mentioned yesteday about my excellent plans to avoid buying more yarn, thanks to my already overflowing stash. Well, I am actually getting through some of the stash, and have decided to donate some yarn to charity - stuff I know I'll never, ever use. 

That sounds like excellent justification for my small slip off the wagon, right? *laughs*

While at Knit Nation, I fell in love with Old Maiden Aunt yarns. I didn't buy any, thanks to my lack of need for sock yarn. But I started just keeping an eye on the website so I'd know when it was updated with new stock. You know, just for information *laughs*

And then I saw a yarn entitled "Orange Test #2", from the testing section (where new dyelots are trialled, some successfully, others not so much). And it was orange (ish), and cheaper than the usual yarns, and in stock, so I obviously had to have it ;)

It is almost impossible to get the colour exactly  right, it's a gorgeous russety brown, the picture below is pretty close anyway... I love it *grins*

Not yet sure what it will become though.

In other news...

I have an award *grin*

In fact, I have 2, because (and please don't desert me for having a giant head) I was nominated by 2 people... I know, right?! Thank you to Charlotte and RugbyMad :) I'm very flattered.

P is for... Plans

You may have noticed, if you've read a few of my posts, that I seem to come up with a lot of plans. And then I deviate from said plans. Then I make new plans *laughs*

Hopefully this has been less evident lately. Not because I have stopped making plans, but because I have stopped mentioning them, to save the inevitable sheepish post when it all changes... "yeah, so, about that plan I told you about..." ;)

My first plan, I think, was to knit one thing at a time *laughs* That lasted all of about a week. Then I upped it to 2 things at a time. My WIP/UFO list is currently as follows: (by the way, UFO stands for Unfinished Object, and not Unidentified Flying Object - just in case you hadn't seen that before - took me ages to work that one out!)

Blanket (ongoing)

My Kool aid socks (ongoing)

Cria (slow going)

Green cotton top (hibernating, unlikely to be resurrected, but we'll see)

Feather and fan scarf (bet no one can even remember this, it's been at least 9 months since I worked on it)

So, plan to limit WIPs was not entirely successful *sheepish grin* 

Then there was the plan in March to use up some older stash by knitting a cushion cover, followed by a post not even a week later, entitled "New Plan"... That was the point at which I tried to stop putting restrictions on my knitting, which takes all the fun out of it for me. Some plans are good, although I'm trying to think of them as aims rather than plans, but rigidly defined rules are not for me. 

My most recently stated aim was to not buy any more yarn for a while, given that I could knit from stash for probably about the next 12 months. I bought some goodies at Knit Nation in July (which was part of the plan) and have been working through my stash since then. I even went to a yarn shop with my mum and didn't buy anything. Why do I mention this plan? Well, there may have been a small purchase that snuck through *laughs* Pop back tomorrow to see ;) 

The best laid plans, and all that *grins*

Upside Down*

So, after my teaser on Tuesday, it is time to reveal what I did with this:

Geeky Heather guessed, correctly, that my FO from the tiny amount I used would be some kind of jewellery.

While I was googling the yarn, and not really loving the look of most of the items it produces, I found a comment about ladder ribbon yarn necklaces. The instructions were either for a knitted icord type or a crochet version. As the crochet version was just a simple chain (and I can do those now!) that seemed like the quickest way to go *laughs*

I wasn't expecting anything really, but I was very pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Close up to show the way it all twists:

Boyfriend saw me with a crochet hook and the strange yarn and was clearly not fantastically impressed with the situation *laughs* And then I showed him the outcome and, like me, he was really surprised at how nicely it worked up ;)

I made 3 chains of slightly differing lengths, added a clasp (you know, to make it real jewellery rather than a bunch of string tied round my neck!) and I'm pretty impressed with the outcome. As boyfriend is away, I struggled to manage to take a picture of myself wearing it, but here's my best shot ;)

So, I managed to make something I like out of the yarn, and will probably make a bracelet to match. But I still have quite a lot to get through. Some good suggestions on Tuesday's post (I like the idea of combining it with another yarn, as suggested by Tink) but even if I make nothing else, I have risen to my mum's challenge to do something with it *laughs*

As ever, you know the Friday drill... head over to Tami's, Natural Suburbia, Plumslife and Wisdom Begins in Wonder for more crafty and fibery loveliness. Have a great weekend :)

* "I wear a necklace cos I wanna know when I'm upside down" - Mitch Hedburg

What's in your wallet?

[Does anyone remember that really annoying Capital One Credit Card advert? When I was trying to think up a title for this post, it got stuck in my head and I couldn't come up with anything else!]

Yesterday, while having a look through everyone's WIPs (thanks for all the comments on mine *grins*), I saw a post on Sarah's lovely blog, Crafts from the Cwtch that caught my eye... A "what's in your handbag" photo.

I decided (despite my handbag's need for a bit of a clearout) that I would join in and take a picture of my stuff too. A little bit of pruning later...

It actually wasn't that bad, but I did need to throw away a lot of receipts and old bus tickets *laughs*

So, what do we have in there...

• Magazine, to keep me entertained on the bus or when waiting for anything (often replaced with a book)
• Beauty implements including Radley handbag mirror, lip stain, mini hairbrush, tinted lipbalm... Not that I ever use any of them (I'm pretty low maintenance) but I like having them there just in case ;)
• Sunglasses and umbrella - the weather has been so interchangeable lately that it seems sensible to keep both on hand!
• Phone and purse, as standard. Plus current bus ticket. And a pen, mum always taught me to keep a pen in my bag. 
• A piece of jewellery (black flower shaped ring) that I obviously took off and threw in my bag because it was annoying me ;)
• Packet of sweets (I believe I have mentioned before that I have a terrible sweet tooth!)
• Painkillers thanks to my propensity for killer headaches and migraines. 
• The blue string is the lanyard and fob to get me into the office for work. 
• The calculator-looking device is the chip & pin identifier thingy (technical I know!) so I can log in to my online banking
• And my house keys. That I check obsessively before leaving the house. Usually 4 or 5 times *laughs*

So, that's my handbag. I haven't submitted it to the main link, being that it is for people who have children, but it was kinda fun anyway.

When I was uploading the photo, I also decided to upload this second one that I took last night. On my way home, I noticed something strange at the very edge of the pavement (or sidewalk for any American readers *smiles*)...

Ignoring the very strange looks I got from people, I crouched down to take a picture. All of those little white blobs are miniature snails. There were hundreds of them, over quite a distance. I walked very carefully from then on, to avoid any accidental crushing! No idea where they came from, and they were gone this morning, but it was quite something to see ;)

Work In Progress Wednesday Number 15

This week will, for a change, bring pictures of a few WIPs I haven't posted about for a little while. The last couple of weeks have been dominated by boyfriend's socks and the log cabin blanket, neither of which have had much attention this week. So, new content *grins*

And I'm posting a WIPs plus book photo to join in again with Ginny's Yarn Along. I had a lot of fun finding new blogs last week, and adding books to my must-read list. 

Onto the WIPs. Well, as I said, this week I have been working on a couple of neglected things (and something new, but we'll get to that in a minute *laughs*). So, Cria has had some attention, and I have now finished the yoke and am ready to divide for the sleeves. 

Not a great photo as I was in a bit of a rush, but it looks a bit longer than last time! I'm loving the stitch definition of this yarn, it's so crisp (Jaeger Monte Cristo, unfortunately now discontinued). 

My sock has also been progressed, and I've now turned the heel and moved onto the gusset section (I really hate the word gusset for socks, it seems so wrong *laughs*)

And, as if I didn't have enough projects on the needles, I decided to cast on something new. I was in a bad mood, and wanted to start knitting a hat. So I did ;) 

It's (a slightly modified version of) this "Coffee Beenz Hat", using yarn I received in a swap. More details will follow when it is finished, which shouldn't really take very long. I love using aran/worsted weight after knitting socks, everything grows so quickly!

You can find Ginny here, and the ever lovely Tami, host of WIP Wednesdays, here.

What to do, what to do...?

Thank you to everyone who stopped by yesterday for your very thoughtful and interesting comments, it was really nice to see/hear/read(?!) your perspectives.

Onto today... When I posted about the awesome Crobots book my mum bought me, I had completely forgotten to post about her other present (no really, I forgot, I wasn't saving it for a second blog post at all *laughs*)

This came to me from Turkey:

According to mum, all of the ladies in the marketplace were knitting with it, and she thought it would be a fun challenge for me to make something with it. Thanks mum ;)

A bit of googling indicated that it is ladder ribbon yarn, similar to Bernat Matrix or Sirdar Firefly. Close up of the yarn, in case you've never seen it before (I know I hadn't!)

I've looked through some of the projects on Ravelry, but I'm not entirely sure what to make with this. I'm not generally a fan of how ribbon yarn knits up, and this is different anyway, so I'm trying to figure out what to do with it to make it look pretty and something I would wear.

I have actually succeeded, in a very small way, but it only uses a tiny amount of the yarn (and you'll have to wait until FO Friday for the reveal). So, any ideas?!

O is for... Outfits

I have a question for you...

When you choose a pattern to knit, do you make something to fit in with outfits you already have, or do you knit a pattern you like and work it into your wardrobe later?

I was thinking about this question earlier, trying to figure out what it is that I do. For example, shawls were never something that featured in my wardrobe, they're not something that ever would have occurred to me to wear until I started knitting. But there are some stunning patterns out there that I want to make, so obviously I will figure out which outfits work once they're done.

On the other hand, most of the things I have made (or plan to make) are things I would wear anyway, in colours that feature in my usual style, so I know that I have plenty of outfits that will work together. Plus I have a very varied wardrobe that allows me to throw things together and discover new outfits anyway.

Having said that, I don't wear my hand knits as much as I would like, because they aren't necessarily wardrobe staples. I could do with a new black cardigan, but I don't really have the desire to knit one - probably because I hear so many people hating knitting with black yarn!

So, I'm interested, what do you do? Do you knit things you need, things you want, things you may never wear but want to knit anyway? Or a combination of all of the above?!

TFI Friday

It's felt like a really long week this week, and I don't feel like I have made a huge amount of knitting progress (although the blanket does keep growing!). So I'm pretty pleased it is Friday!

Plus, I do have something to share for Finished Object/Fibers on Friday... I made more smoothie hats *grins*

I posted about them before, they are for Innocent Smoothies' Big Knit campaign and are a truly excellent way to use up some scraps of yarn for the benefit of a good cause. They take no time at all to knit (making them an excellent FO Friday project *laughs*) and you can be as creative as you like. These 3 use up some of the little balls of yarn I was given by a colleague that weren't enough to make anything else with.

Anyway, as they look a little weird just as blobs, here they are being modelled beautifully by an empty smoothie bottle *laughs* Taken on different days, so please excuse the colour/composition changes ;)

As ever, you know the Friday drill... head over to Tami's, Natural Suburbia and Wisdom Begins in Wonder for more crafty and fibery loveliness. Have a great weekend :)

So, Crochet Huh?!

I mentioned earlier in the week that I'd had my mum staying over the weekend. Well, aside from our misadventures in trying to find a yarn shop on Friday, we had a pretty fibre-crafty time on Saturday too *smiles*

I was helping mum with her pattern. She hadn't done any knitting in 25 years, so felt a bit rusty. It was quite funny when she first picked it back up again - she was the one who showed me that I was knitting into the back loop of every stitch (and taught me to purl) and I had to remind her how to cable *laughs*

Side note: the pattern mum is using is the most badly written pattern I have ever seen. The instructions make no sense at all. I appreciate I'm not an expert, but it's pretty hideous (the pattern, not the garment of course!) But we've been trying to make sense of it together.

Anyway, while mum was working on the short row shaping (that she was sure she'd need my help on every row, then sailed through it as soon as I'd demonstrated wrap and turn once), I decided to try my hand at crochet, so that I can start working on things from my new book.

These are the fruits of my very first attempt.

They are not very good.

*laughs*

The very first one was clearly wrong, as it came out looking like sideways knitting (interesting, but not quite the intention!)

My second attempt looked a little more like it (I think), but the laciness demonstrated that I was clearly using the wrong size hook for the yarn. As I only have 2 hooks (one large-ish and one small) I switched to a different yarn...

And decided to get a little ahead of myself and start crocheting in the round. After all, that's pretty much the basis of amigurumi, so I figured that was the more important bit to learn.

I made a circle with yarn.

Not quite sure it is right, and having done a bit of research I think I am crocheting into the back stitch *laughs at the parallel to my knitting beginnings* I also hold the hook and yarn entirely wrong, so I definitely won't be doing any in public! I think it comes from being a knitter, because I hold the hook like a needle and move the yarn rather than the hook. This is a lot more laborious than necessary, so I am going to try again. I can just about make the foundation chain when I hold everything "properly". which I suppose is a start ;)

I've heard some people say crochet is easier than knitting - is it true? Because I was having terrible trouble with it *laughs*

Work In Progress Wednesday Number 14

This week I have, once again, mostly been working on my blanket. I was feeling as though I should work on my sock or my Cria, and started to feel guilty... Then I reminded myself that there are no knitting police, and I can knit whatever I like *laughs*

I also have been reading a bit more, as mentioned recently, so here is the standard "what I'm knitting and reading" picture *smiles* Although, by the time I post this, the book will be finished ;)

So, blanket...

I'm working on the brown section on the left hand side at the moment. I've decided to extend the cream on the right as the outer 2 strips will determine the width of the blanket and I feel it is a little too narrow at the moment. I can't wait to finish this, I love it already and I want to use it!

As always, pop over and see Tami for more WIP Wednesdays. Plus, as I'm showing knitting and reading, I'm linking up at Ginny's Yarn Along too :)

Misadventures in Yarn Shopping...

I mentioned last week that my mum came to visit over the weekend. We had a lovely relaxing spa break on Thursday and on Friday we headed out to find a yarn shop.

I want to knit mum something for Christmas, but decided it would be best to consult rather than surprise her, to make absolutely sure I made something she'd like. So we wanted to go and look at some patterns and get the yarn.

We had an interesting time trying to achieve this goal *laughs* We headed to the first shop, but the roads have obviously changed significantly recently and the sat nav just couldn't cope. So we gave up on that one. The next one we did find, a tiny little place called "The Wool Shop". I did actually buy a pattern, but I'm not keen on a yarn shop that has all of the yarn behind the counter, I want to feel it and smoosh it before I decide to buy! Anyway, it didn't have what we wanted so we headed onwards...

To a house. Apparently the yellow pages app hasn't been updated in a while and sent us to a residential area. No yarn shop there. Next stop was Maidenhead, where the first shop we found may have been categorised as a yarn shop but appeared to only sell fabric *sigh* We really weren't doing very well by this point! However we did have a good look through some charity shops, where I found a couple of retro patterns to buy:

I want to make myself a cricket jumper in cream, with black and pink stripes, so I was pleased to pick up a pattern for that. Obviously there will be some modification required, but it should work. And the other pattern interested me enough to splash out 25p on it *laughs*

Anway, we decided to try one more shop. Which turned out to actually be a yarn shop... Yay ;)

Mum found a pattern, but they didn't have enough of the right yarn (no matter, the internet has already come to the rescue on that score). Plus she also picked up some lovely yarn in the bargain bin, £1 a ball:

We decided to try and find a pattern online for this, as the lady in the shop was really not very helpful at all.

More amazingly though, I didn't buy any yarn at all *pauses for everyone to get over the shock* I think it may be the first time I have been into a yarn shop and not bought anything and I was very proud of myself. They had some Manos del Uruguay (which I love and adore) in one of my favourite colourways, but I was strong and resisted. I have plenty of yarn ;)

So, our shopping expedition wasn't quite as successful as originally planned, but we got there in the end at least! The pattern I bought first is on the left, and mum's present pattern is on the right. Incidentally, this will be the last time I mention mum's present. It won't be a surprise as she knows what she's getting, but I think it'll be nicer not to see weekly updates on progress!

As this is turning into quite a long post, I'll save my stories of our knitting (and crocheting!) for Thursday *smiles* So please do pop back to see just how I got on with a hook for the very first time ;)

N is for...

Natalie, of course *grins*

I couldn't not post about myself this week, now could I?!

Travel
I love to travel... Well, that's not strictly true. I love to visit different places, see new things and all that good stuff, but the actual travelling part tends to be a bit of a pain *laughs* I've been extremely lucky to have been backpacking around Australia, lazing on the beach in the Maldives, staring in wonder at the pyramids and snowboarding in the Alps (and trust me, I really do know how lucky I am)

Hobbies
Well, it's probably fair to say that you know I like to knit ;) And I've mentioned recently that I'm trying to make time to read as well. As a bit of a homebody, those (plus cooking) are really my main hobbies. I used to fence when I was a teenager, but gave it up to concentrate on my exams. I also used to love horseriding, but don't get the opportunity so much nowadays. I write, although not as much as I'd like, and love to try various crafting hobbies too.

Colour
I love colour. I love bright colours, rich colours, neutral/earthy colours... In fact, everything but pastel really. It makes me happy (as you may have noticed from my orange obsession lately!). One of my favourite things about myself is my colour changing eyes... I have green eyes that change hue depending on my clothes and hair colour. When I had red hair they were a darker green, blonde hair makes them go almost yellow (or golden, if you want a nicer way to put it!). Some days they're more grey-green *smiles* Today, with a bright pink top on, they're kind of washed out but when I wear a blue top tomorrow, they'll go extra green ;)

Jobs
I have had a bit of job variety, working in supermarkets, restaurants and bars during my teenage years. Right now I work in Marketing and Communications (which sounds more fun than it probably is!). But my most surprising job was when I worked in security. I know, don't laugh! I may only be 5 foot tall, and weak as a kitten, but for a summer I worked as a steward/security person at various events across the UK. I worked at football matches, concerts, Glastonbury Festival, the Queen's Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace... I still find it surprising, but it was an amazing experience and I met some very cool people (including my favourite band. Oh, and Ozzy Osborne!)

Anyway, that's enough of me waffling on ;) Have a good Monday.

Finished Food Friday

This is a pre-scheduled post, as my mum will be visiting, so I haven't got anything fibrey or finished to share yet! But I have got something I made, as a present for mum...

Picallili.

That I make this is a measure of just how much I love my mum, because I hate the stuff! I hate the smell, I hate the taste and I pretty much hate making it too. But mum loves it so much. After I made it the first time she was so enjoying it and has said it is the best she's ever tasted (I know mums are programmed to say such things to their offspring, but others who have tried it have actually said the same). So how could I say no to making more?

But seriously, any recipe that involves boiling onions in vinegar just isn't right *laughs and shudders at the same time*

And that's not even the worst bit. Oh no. This is:

A mixture of mustard powder, water, flour and turmeric (I hate that stuff), into which one must ladle hot vinegar *gags* That's the bit I really hate ;) Plus, this stuff stains like nobody's business. [Side note, the colour is amazing and if it wasn't for the smell, I would totally be dyeing some yarn with turmeric]

Unlike most of the foodie items I post, I actually follow the recipe for this properly (well, 99% anyway!) so I won't post it here for copyright reasons. For anyone who would like to make this stuff, it's Delia Smith's Sweet Picallili from the Complete Cookery Collection.

Anyway, just to demonstrate how much my mum really does love this (and why I happily make it for her), compare the size of a regular jar for my uncle, to the jar for mum:

Seriously, she loves this stuff *laughs* There is also the added bonus that it lasts ages and ages, and the bigger the jar I make, the less often I have to make it ;)

More Presents...

Look what my mum bought me:

How cool *grins* I've wanted to try and learn crochet so that I can do amigurumi for ages, and now I have just the impetus.

Guess what everyone will be getting for Christmas *laughs*

Work In Progress Wednesday Number 13

Number 13 huh? Unlucky for some, but I'm not superstitious and I have some progress, so maybe not so unlucky *laughs*


The only project I've been working on this week is the blanket. I've really felt like knitting something so simple and mindless lately, so I decided to just go with it ;) I've done 2 and a half more sections since last week, and I'm still loving it.

I have also been using it to practice knitting by feel alone, as it is just garter stitch, and I can now knit it without looking. I'm quite pleased with this

Head over to Tami's for more links, plus it's her 52nd WIP Wednesday so go say congrats ;)

Pinterest

You may have noticed along the top right hand side of my blog, the social media buttons... One of which is for Pinterest. [For anyone who hasn't seen it before, Pinterest is like an online pin board, where you can pin ideas/tutorials/inspiration/things you found online and liked]

I've found, and pinned, some really cool stuff through it, and thought I'd share a few that I particularly liked. Click on the pictures to go to the Pinterest site, where you can click through to the website where the pictures originated...

First one (as this is a knitting blog after all) - how pretty is this gift wrapping idea?! Colourful yarn instead of ribbons, I love it *grins*

One of my pin boards is entitled "colour", I love colour and find it very inspiring and cheering. I'm also a big fan of children's films. How are they related, you ask? Well, check out rainbow Mike Wasowski below *laughs*

This next picture works either in colour or "for the home"... I've mentioned before about having one bookcase where the books are all backwards, well I also love this version - arranging books by colour:

I also am incredibly jealous of the size of that bookcase *laughs*

Anyway, that's just a few of the things I've pinned (or re-pinned), but there's so much cool stuff on there, from fashion to DIY to craft to food to home styles to... well you get the picture ;)

M is for... Many things!

[Side note: boyfriend's suggestion for this post was "M is for Monday. Ugh. The End" *laughs* Whilst accurate, I don't know quite how inspiring or interesting it would be for anyone reading!]

Unlike last week, I had too many ideas for this post, and not enough to say or show about any of them. So...




M is for My Mum, who is coming to stay with me for a few days this week *grins*


M is for Muscle pain thanks to all the cleaning and gardening I did in preparation for the above visit ;)

M is for Massages. Mum and I are having a mini spa break, with much pampering (my muscles are pleased about this)

M is for Many Minor Modifications to Man socks (more about that on Wednesday!)

M is for Menorca, Majorca, Malta, Margarita and Maldives... All places I have been to, beginning with M. My dad and I had a plan to do an A-Z of the world, visiting a country beginning with each letter. Some will be difficult/barely possible, but we wanted to try. I'm going to try and do it for both of us. I seem to have a fair few M countries already though!

M is for Metric - for some reason I switch between metric and imperial measurements (not in the same project though - that's never a good plan). I weigh things in grams, measure length in inches (for short things) and meters (for longer things) and generally have very little consistency in my approach. I've never been able to understand why.

M is for Mattress Stitch. I hate it. That is all (ok, I know it is amazing and wonderful and finishes things beautifully, but I hate doing it!)

M is for Making - I like making stuff *laughs* But you probably already knew that ;)