distraction tactics

You will be pleased to know that the new car made it home safely, made it in through the ancient rusty gates safely (about 15cm total clearance - takes me 10 minutes to get in and out of the drive now), and has received cat approval. Susie was most miffed that I took her red car away, but she has decided, after some judicious sniffing, that the shiny new silver car is an equally good heat conductor, and just right for sunbathing (after total block has been applied to her ears). Oh, goody, cat claws and shiny new metallic paint.

I only wish, Daisy, that I could reprogramme the car to allow knitting! Or perhaps find an ever so helpful monkey to help share the driving duties.

And it is nice to know that helpful people, aka Carrie K, are trying to encourage me in finding my way through the maze that is Lord of the Rings (and no, I haven't watched all of the movies yet, and I'm liking the knit so much, that I've decided to do it all again - update soon, over on the official FotRS site, as soon as I stop crying.)

And I have found yet more distractions - and then was so distracted that I forgot to mention them. But I signed up for The Amazing Lace the other week (look, button in sidebar and all, how official), which is the devious concept of Theresa and Rachel. I'm sure that it is meant to encourage us all in the knitting of lace, but seeing as my current progress can be measured in minus numbers, I'm not sure that I'll ever make it to the end. Still, many pretty things over there to look at, so go look.

What else, what else. Well, apologies for having not been as good as going round all the blogs recently, as I am still silly busy - so could you just all stop being so prolific, maybe just try posting once every couple of weeks or so? That way, I don't get so behind, and miss out on visiting some of my favourite people and seeing what they have all been up to.

What else - oh, you came for knitting? So could I get on with it? Well, no knitting going on here, but I have a double confession. Which I had been hoping I wouldn't have to make, what with the distractions and all. For not only have I been playing on the dark side (yes, the evil crochet), but that I also I killed some yarn.



I happen to be lucky enough to know Hello Mango (Hi, Mango, waving frantically), in actual person, down at the local knit club. And every so often, Hello Mango brings some of her handspun with her. Beautiful stuff, soft, delicious, and colours which just called to my inner 5 year old child, bright, vibrant, screaming out to be made into a dinky little summer bag, with a great big crocheted flower on the outside. So over the weekend I hooked up a bag, for felting (yes, I know, officially it is fulling). And I threw it in the washing machine, because pah, hand-felting. And it felted just fine, down to the right size, kept just a hint of stitch definition (which I wanted), small enough to make the inner 5 year old happy, just large enough to put a couple of summer essentials in. But. And this is where it gets awful. I killed the yarn. I've already grovelled to Hello Mango (who does have a name, Zoe, but I like writing Hello Mango) and apologized, and she has been very kind and not threatened to never sell me yarn again. But I killed it. Because I borrowed a pair of jeans to throw in with the bag, and didn't stop to think about dye. So the denim dye did what it would do, and dyed Hello Mango's bright lucious colours a slightly denim dull dye shade. Readers, I made the yarn die. I am sorely ashamed, and so ashamed that I cannot give you further details of my heinous crime. But apparently, Puplet, who has no shame, has kidnapped the bag, and will be giving full details, with photographic evidence, of how I killed a fimble last weekend.

And now, I will leave you with the final distraction, a photo of Fran, the great huntress. Little Fran is growing big and strong, gamboling through the tall, weed-infested grass out back (wildlife friendly, I'll have you know, not lazy gardeners), and bringing home her kills to share, and be admired.

And what would the great huntress be bringing home? Why, the most deadly creature know to cat or human, the most difficult to trap, to carry, to capture. Nothing other than the garden worm. Our kitten, the great worm-charmer. Lovely, underfoot, first thing in the morning.