Good or sad ?

Am feeling a bit bewildered by my day…

Took the afternoon off to go and look at craft shops around Oxford Street. The Cloth House was very nice, though I was less enamoured at the second outlet (the southern end, 98 ?). However, the prices were pretty steep, so for a newbie to sewing, it was off-putting. No doubt when (if !) I’m a better seamstress I’ll feel more confident at spending £14 a metre on material but for now, that seems a lot to drop.

Popped into Libertys but their wool section is basically Rowan now and quite rubbish.

I then went to John Lewis and the joy of going round their crafts department (inbetween fabrics and wool) was tempered by the fact I just didn’t want anything. I picked up some craft scissors, some coloured elastic thread (brown, for my Clessidra socks) and then some yarn from their bargain bin. But I got gawked at the assistants when I asked for the Happy Hooker crochet book to check the yardage for a project I wanted to do and when I looked at the cotton-based yarns, I realised  asimple summer top, short-sleeved, would cost me close to £50. It was quite depressing, so I wandered round a bit more, put everything down and then left.

So, I didn’t buy a thing. Which means I ‘saved’ about £70 as that’s how much stuff I had in my arms at one point, but I think I would have had buyer’s remorse as soon as I left the store. Am trying to concentrate on how glad I am I didn’t buy things that I didn’t really want but I still feel a bit odd about it. Maybe it feels like a waste of an afternoon off ? Maybe I should go and knit ALL evening now to make up for it !

Did a spot of quilling at lunchtime, and remembered how much I liked it. The perils of being a dilettante !

Drowning in books

Quick update – finished Parisians, and enjoyed it on the whole. Some of the chapters were a bit dull but it was still a blast to read. Am now reading Seeing Further and the book is GORGEOUS. I’m thinking of buying a copy for work, but as the Young Chap was reading over my shoulder, I might get him a copy too. Again, each chapter is ‘by’ a different person (the Parisians book wasn’t really, but when you read it, you’ll see) and they’re not all scientists, which is nice.

Got a bundle of books from Amazon today (which I’m now going to have to carry home…)

Get a Hobby (101 hobbies plus extra ideas for any spare time you might possibly have) I’m a dilettante crafter, so no doubt I’ll find more pastimes to pick up and then put down again.

Beaded critters It may be aimed at kids, but the creatures are really, really cute, so I don’t care.

Knitting 24/7 Yummy stuff, including hats with brims, cute socks, and a bookmark that I’m hoping I can turn into a scarf.

I was told there’d be cake and How did you get this number both by Sloane Crosley.

And there’s at least one book waiting for me at the library. And Jezebel did a list of good books and darn it, if the commenters didn’t then mention loads of others that they’d recommend. AND have been emailing a friend back and forth (Hello !) about being overwhelmed by books and yet we’re still talking about other books we want to read. The one concession I’ve made is to not borrow books from people at the mo, except for the Young Chap. I know I won’t read it, and they’ll just get (righfully) resentful.

I believe I need to insert a #FirstWorldProblems tag here…

Filling

Tried two new recipes this weekend, both from my newest cookery book “Mexican food made simple” by Thomasina Myers.

First (for dinner) was chorizo, potato and thyme quesadillas. These were lovely but the recipe said makes four and I made six, with stuffing left over. They were delicious but very unhealthy, what with fried potato, chorizo and onion and then another quick finish in the frying pan once they were made up. Would make again, but half portions and with a leafy salad on the side to soak up the chorizo oil.

Then for lunch today we had ham and cheese empanadas. Very easy to make but for once, I think using bought puff pastry made things more difficult. As it thawed, it got quite wet and sticky and the empanadas got a bit messy. If I’d made the pastry myself, it would have been less sticky. Delicious, not too rich and the chillis were a very good touch. Like a spicy ham and cheese pasty but 100 times better. And again, some green veg on the side would have been good, maybe some of the green rice that’s in the book too.

I’ve tagged the meatballs de Mehico and the queso fundido for next week. I’ll have to remember that Mexican food seems to be quite filling.

“Germania” review

FINALLY finished this. What an utter drain. I can’t remember the last time I was so glad to finish a book, normally because if I’m not enjoying books nowadays I give up on them. I really wanted to enjoy it, and it wasn’t a bad book but it covered SO much history. I had to finish it because it was an Amazon Vine book, and here’s the review I gave it :

The only book on German history you’ll ever want to read That might be because a) you’ll have learnt SO much you won’t need to read anything else or b) because you’ll be put off any more histories of Germany because it’s just too boring.
I really liked the author’s style, but can imagine the regular insertions of personal thoughts might be irritating. He’s quite funny and he obviously knows Germany very well (though it’s curious that he says he can’t speak German).
On the other hand – what a slog. Due to Germany’s fractured past, there’s a LOT of history to get through, and each tiny little state and kingdom gets equal time. It’s not the fault of the author but Germany’s history is just too much to take in one book. Having studied the period of 1848-1944 previously, I could comprehand this part of the book better, but the years between the Romans up to the 17th century were just a blur of castles, princes, forests…
For people with a longer attention span than me (I was reduced to telling myself to read a chapter a time, and soemtimes couldn’t even manage that) it may be an enjoyable, informative read. If you’re familiar with Germany or Austria, you may recognise some of the places and characters. For the average reader though, I’m not sure I could recommend this. Any book where you have to force yourself to read it – not good.

“Parisians” next – and it’s due back at the library the weekend after this, so best get cracking !

Grumbles

I know Venezia is a free pattern but mistakes are still going to result in used-up yarn. Now I have to put my thinking cap on and figure out how to make this cardigan work.

I like a gallant gentleman ( hey, a gallant lady too) but to the man on today’s train – while you’re letting everyone go in front of you, there’s a big queue of people behind you who aren’t feeling quite so gallant and who would like to get off the train.

Germania is really really tiring. I’m going to finish it, and write the Amazon Vine review but it’s been a real chore to read it. I’m still only up to the 18th century…sigh.

I always imagined that if I got RSI, it would be because of the knitting. It turns out that typing is what’s doing it. Ouch.

And finally, why can’t cats go to the litter box quietly ? Why do they have to dig around in their litter before and after ? Why do they wake me up ?!

Am trying to think of good things but my head is full of achy hands, ripping back a project by 50% and sleep, sleep, blissful sleep…

Dipping in

I feel guilty for chopping and changing my mind so much, and then I remembered what I called this blog…

Got a little way into the Pomatomus sock and realised that the scratchy Noro sock yarn was not going to work with the knit-though-back-loop instructions. It was an absolute nightmare to knit and a miserable experience, so I frogged the wool (it turns out that Tilly the cat likes imported yarn…) and have started a completely new project with fresh yarn. Am doing the Sole Mates sock from The Joy of Sox, using Trekking green variegated yarn. And they’re coming along very nicely, am onto the foot already.

Finished the Robert Winston book Bad Ideas. I’m still not sure really sure what the point of it was. I think it was a big grump-fest. It really truly sounded like each chapter described the invention of something, described all the innovations that followed this invention and then some horrible thing that happens nowadays. Example – from the printing press to…cyber-bullying. I will not be re-reading this one, and am quite disappointed I got it. Now I’m down to a one-credit membership plan from Audible, I have to make each purchase last a month.

Knitting frustration

How I hate going off on a trip and trying to start a new project only to find…you can’t. Was all revved up to do the Textured Stripe Socks from Knitting the Perfect Pair, only to find that they were toe up AND needed a crochet hook. AND my train was delayed and yet I couldn’t knit. Moan, moan, moan…

So have switched to casting on for Pomatomus, which looks like quite a challenge (am a bit nervous, it looks quite complex, like most of Cookie A’s designs) but I wanna knit ! Blackrose was the other possibility but Pomatomus was already in my Ravelry queue, so it seems I should do that one first.

As I’m starting a new sock it means that I’ve finished one, and yes, I finished the Diagonal Ribby socks. I was starting to get very bored with them, and the soft yarn just wasn’t so lovely the second time round. We won’t discuss the Simply Lovely Lace Socks, which have been resting by the side of my bed for over two weeks. I cast on, did about 1cm of the leg and then stopped. I should do more, as they are being made in cotton so they’d be really good in this hot weather.

Dinner tonight is all ready – I made two lots of the Jamie Oliver recipe for Crunchy Garlic Chicken, so tomight I’m going to shallow fry the second portion until it’s heated up and then serve with a salad. I baked them yesterday, but they weren’t very crunchy. Still very tasty though. That Ministry of Food book is REALLY good, even for someone who knows how to cook.

Kittens – now with pictures

Kittens !

The newest members of the household arrived last night. Henry and Nibble, the two kittens, came first, and then their mother Tilly was persuaded to come in from the garden and has been settling in.

No photos as yet, as Tilly is still quite nervous, and we’re trying to leave her to relax into the household a bit more. She’s eating, nursing the kittens and ignoring us, which we take as good signs. She was NOT happy last night but she seems calmer now.

If only I could have taken in as much information as I have this week, while I was at university. This time last week I knew very little about cats. I have now learned :

• nursing queens should be fed with kitten food (that’s food for kittens, not food made of kittens !)
• cat mums are called queens
• mums usually teach their young to use litter boxes
• kittens look like furry rats when they’re very young
• you don’t need to decide when to wean a kitten – the mum will make it obvious, by pushing the kittens away
• upset cats have a variety of noises to tell you they’re not happy (they can sort of growl and they really do hiss – I’ve never met a hissing cat before)

Quiet weekend planned, while we get Tilly used to us. We’re ignoring the kittens a little for now, as they don’t seem to care what’s happening, and they’re being looked after anyway.

And in completely different news – the new Knitty is up. This is their First Fall issue and it made me sweat just looking at it. It was 30 degrees plus yesterday and Knitty was full of cardigans… I can’t say I love any of the designs yet, but a lot of Knitty designs do tend to grow on me.  And at the moment, knitting isn’t quite as lovely as kittens and tomatoes ! I’m half way through the second diagonal ribby sock and should finish this weekend, but I might switch back to the crochet patchwork – it’d be lovely to clear out all those quarter-balls of wool and have a tidier stash. Especially now I have kittens (did I mention that ?)

Geek overload

Not that it’s a crafting thing but it is a passion of mine – Underground trains.

Have just visited Aldwych station, which closed on September 30th 1994, and is mainly used for filming. There’s an exhibition going on for a fortnight, describing all the changes happening on the network, and what passengers can look forward to over the next few years (air-conditioned trains ! Glass-covered ticket offices ! Crossrail !). But the main pull for me was going to visit the station and see what it looks like after being closed for nearly 16 years.

And I wasn’t the only one…The exhibition obviously recognised that train geeks would be going along, so the history of Aldwych is nicely integrated in with the artist’s impression of Tottenham Court station in 2016, for example. The station still seems in good shape and part of the exhibition is in one of the lifts, the main reason the station is now closed. There’s a large copy of Beck’s original Tube map, a piece of track (?) and if you talk nicely to the staff, one of them will let you know how you can see the original entrance/ticket office (it isn’t signposted, and is hidden away).

But it’s a sad/glorious day for a geek when someone who is PAID to know about the subject says “Ooh, you know your stuff” to you…