Weak weak weak

I thought I had ended the West Wing with series 6 but there is a final series 7. My friend has the boxed set and it haunted me. I have borrowed it and somehow find time to watch 2 episodes a day-even though I know I will feel really awful when it is over-like a binging crack addict I compulsively keep watching-living in this alternative reality of intelligent government.
My weakness does not end there. I keep starting more and more projects. I can justify MY FIRST COMMISSION, which also justifies watching the West Wing whilst knitting. But how do I justify the wrap cardigan that I buggered up and needs reknitting, the grey silk/wool jacket, the crochet squares, the socks, the slipper socks for all and sundry and the 2 shoppping bags all that need finshing. Before I know it I'll not be sewing in my ends as I go.

Taking photos, common sense and the mathematician

My friend Julian is quite simply a lovely person and profoundly intelligent-he has a Doctorate in Maths. Once when I was feeling especially humbled and stupid in comparison he told me that I had common sense and he didn't. Last night this common sense was needed. Julian went to the USA today to work on Maths Camp (where young maths genius types spend their summer doing maths and not being the maths freak for once). Last night I had to help him pack up all his belongings to send them to storage. There was stuff everywhere-Julian was very proud of the fact that he had packed 7 bookcases up. However there was still lots of rotting food left over from organic boxes, other food, papers, clothes etc etc. My job was to sit there, knit to maintain my sanity and yell at Julain not to look at bits of paper, especially bits of paper with fun maths on it. (Did you know maths can be beautiful or fun?)

Moral of the story-knitting keeps you sane in all sorts of situations.

Yesterday during the day I went all around London with a camera taking photos of anything that caught my eye especially focussing on colour. I am no artist but the more I look the more I see and it is incredibly satisfying. Some of these will be used to do stripped samples for my City and Guilds course-I really reccomend a day with the camera-you will see your stash in a new light.

Age embrassing moment

These are photos of Ruthie in her super quick knit bat wing jumper-it is actually a teal colour but this has not come out.

Amazing how good batwings can look something to do with the fact that she is 20 and has not added massive shoulder pads a la the 1980's.

The buttons are completely fabulous-the poor husband simply cannot see the appeal.

Had one of those moments-for some reason my phone started playing the music Hannah loaded on to it when it was hers-I felt like a top of the bus thug walking down the road with my Justin Timberlake shrieking on my phone.

I asked for help in the changing room of the gym. The woman I asked had no clue either-we tried randon button pushing and looking inteligent all to no avail. Finally this woman who was under 30 came in and we lunged at her with this phone now playing some god awful hip hop. (Is it just me or does any one else listen to that music and think it's only justification can be to compensate for the singers minute genitalia and lack of sexual prowess.) The poor woman looked a little worried by our presence but managed to turn the thing off in a nano second-another aged moment.

Oh joy

My neighbour has given me her button collection-oh joy! She is 73 and some are her grandmothers oh joy joy.
Time to go off and sort buttons-oh joy

Knitting the bat wing

My relationship with sock knitting is not going all that well. Learning magic loop really improved my relationship with sock knitting but the spark has now gone. I am still under the spell of the big needle thing.
I finished knitting a bat wing jumper for Hannah's friend Ruthie-wonderful-2 pieces Aran weight and it looked great when it was finished.
I am now doing a jacket for me in a lovely textured wool/silk mix-no buttons, no bands, it just needs a broach to hold it together in all it's simplicity.
In fact I should be honest I am currently in a brain dead knitting phase while in a good book reading phase along side minimal tele, difficult Sudukus and even more Radio 4 than normal. Maybe my brain can only tolerate so much loftiness and I need to be brain dead in some part of my life.
I went with a friend to see the Last Deb exhibition at Kensington Palace. The construction of the dresses was absolutely fabulous and as for the lingerie and gloves-quite frankly I think I was born in the wrong era. We then saw the Diana dresses and quite frankly in comparison they were shit. The 1950's dresses although most of them were in small sizes were still shaped for a women where Diana's dresses looked ideal for a skinny transexual.-Let us all celebrate the wonders of the pleat and the dart!