Waiting

I wouldn't describe myself as a very impatient person, but I'm not really all that good at waiting for stuff. If I am working on something myself I like to get it done as soon as I can. I don't do it at the expense of quality but if I've got a definite goal to reach I'll work until I get it finished. So, I find it hard when I have to wait for other people to do things, especially when there's no reason for the delay.

Some people might find this a bit sad, but since I found out that Debbie Stoller was bringing out a Stitch n Bitch crochet book (The Happy Hooker) I've been waiting to be able to buy it. The UK release date was Monday 24th April. It if officially out here now. I called Waterstones and Borders at the start of the week. They both have copies on order but they haven't arrived. Every time I ring they suggest I ring the next day but still nothing has arrived. Now I feel slightly cheated. 3 months of expectant waiting has come to nothing. It shouldn't be a problem really because it's not like I am planning a massice crochet project which relies on having this book or anything. I just know I'll enjoy reading it. I feel like I've been denied a treat I was promised. I hope it arrives soon. I think I'll phone some Newcastle bookshops and ask them to reserve me a copy when it comes in.

(Before anyone suggests it, I know I could order it online but I know it would either arive in Newcaslte when I was in Leicester and end up getting sent back or something or it would arrive in Leicester when I was in Newcastle and I'd end up having to wait an extra week for it anyway.)

Just in case anyone was wanting to see the finished toffee crisp here it is

We ate the majority of it last night at Atousa's house along with Jafzilla. Jafzilla tasted quite like an authentic jaffa cake (I know it doesn't look that good). The toffee crisp was nice but the toffee wasn't quite runny enough. I think the toffee crisp was actually the most realistic of the two. Anyway, we learned some valueable lessons for next time. Pimpin'

Update on the Happy Hooker: After ringing round a few bookshops in Newcastle I finally got someone at Borders to ring the suppliers and find out why SnB Crochet hasn't arrived anywhere yet. It turns out they are reprinting and they won't be done until the 7th May. I don't know if some places have it and some haven't or if nowhere in the UK has it. Pretty stupid way to carry on if you ask me. How hard can it be? It's already been out in North America for a month.

Procrastination

This week I am trying for the title of Queen of procrastination. I don't think I am quite there yet. I think at the moment I am just a Dame of procrastination, or a knave of procrastination, since I have actually done some work today. I am trying to write a paper and for some reason nothing is coming out. Maybe this is all part of the organic process of writing and maybe my brain is actually doing something while my attention is elsewhere. At least I've managed to fill the remaining holes under the bay window so we can paint them later. I've also made a lovely list of materials I need to make various secret baby items. I have browsed a number of knitting blogs and am currently trying to stop myself from looking at online yarn shops. I haven't stooped so low as getting my knitting out, but that might be due to the boring 52.5" of 1x1 rib on 13 stitches which I meant to be knitting, rather than my will power. I am now going to concentrate for 20 minutes.

p.s. I am loving my new short hair and am wishing I'd had it cut months ago.

Holiday Withdrawl Symptoms

I was feeling pretty gloomy yesterday morning. Post-holiday blues coupled with PMT. It's strange to go back to it being just the two of us after being with my family all week.

Easter Sunday is a weird day. Everything is shut like at Christmas, but unlike Christmas it isn't required that you spend the entire day couped up with your family, stuffing your face and watching rubbish on TV. So, what to do? We had various chores that needed doing around the house, but most of them required a trip to a DIY shop (which was shut). It was sunny outside. Graeme suggested we go along to the coast, to Seaton Suice where it might not be so crowded. I think this was partly a move to combat our coastal withdrawl symptoms and partly to put a stop to my tidying (I moved all his shoes).

I'd only been to Seaton Sluice once before. My memory was that it was a bit grim. I was quite surprised when we got there. The beach is lovely and long. The sand is redish. At the northern end you can see the wind generators on Blyth peer and some other industrial stuff but it doesn't look terrible. We had a lovely walk along the beach, all the way to the windmills. On the way back we stopped in at the icecream parlour. I was curious to see what it was like. About 7 years ago, when I was in halls of residence, I knew a girl who used to go on about how nice the icecream was there. I wondered if it lived up to her discription. It was good icecream. Not too sweet. I had a scoop of lemon and a scoop of fruits of the forest. Yum! I recommend it. They also do fish and chips, which looked tasty.

When we got back near the carpark we topped to fly my lovely Seahouses kite.

I felt much better when we got home. We had shark steak for dinner. I bought them in Craster,at the kipper factory. I've never had shark before. I quite liked it. I did it in an anchovy, mushroom and white wine sauce, with new potatoes and steamed baby spinach.

I didn't feel so bad today. We ended up doing the chores I mentioned. We began preparing the render at the front of the house for painting. I planted some heathers in pots to put at the front with U1 and U2, our yew trees. Then we had kippers for tea, with brown basmati rice and grilled veg (corgettes, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes). We bought the kippers from Craster too. I found out last week that kippers were 'invented' in Seahouses. Someone left a fire burning over night by mistake in a shed where some split herring was hanging. In the morning they found the 'ruined' fish. Someone tried the fish and found them to be quite tasty. The kipper was born. Mistakes aren't always bad.

Graeme finished off the rollmops and salmon pate we bought from Seahouses for lunch. That's all the holiday food nearly gone. We just have a piece of smoked haddock left. Then it will be back to normal (sigh!). I have to say, I really enjoyed my holiday. I don't think I've felt so relaxed since I started writing my thesis, over a year ago. I still have tommorrow off, then it's back to work. I'm quite looking forward to getting stuck into the paper I'm writing. Wonder how long that will last. :)

Packing

Things to take on a weeks holiday:

1. Clothes, toiletries and other boring things

2. Books to read. This time it's The Shipping News to start off with and possibly something borrowed from Graeme's collection which I haven't chosen yet.

3. DVDs to watch (Howel's Moving Castle and The Joy Luck Club)

4. Completed pieces of and stuff to finish the clover leaf lace wrap cardigan from SnBN. Only 1.5 sleeves and the edging to go.

5. Terrible brown chunky knit cardigan I knitted over Christmas which turned out about 5 sizes too big and looks awful on me. I intend to pull it to bits, since no sane human being is ever going to wear it. The yarn is a pretty cheap wool, acrylic blend. I will either make a smaller skinny jumper that actually fits, or use it to make some cushion covers. I have come to the conclusion that chunky doesn't suit me.

6. Six skeins of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in a lovely blue-green colour (forget the name). I might just sit and stroke it. I almost don't want to make anything from it in case I mess it up, because it's such lovely yarn. It makes me think of shallow sea or a calm lake on a lovely warm day.

7. Assorted needles and the usual knitting accessories.

8. 101 knitting stitches book (or whatever it's called) and other assorted knitting books for browsing and inspiration.

By the looks of it I am going to spend the entire week knitting. Maybe appropriate if the current weather is anything to go by. We're going to Beadnell on the Northumbria coast. I think there are a couple of wool shops in Alnwick so I can alwasy stock up if I run out. ;)

Meant to go down to the Cumberland Arms this afternoon and meet up with some of the North East knitters, but Graeme rang me to say that he's finished the work he needed to do, so it looks like we're going to set off early. By the time I'd have arrived the pub it would have been time to come back. Hopefully I'll make it another time.

I don't think I've been so excited about going on holiday for ages.

Emergency Vest

OK. So this is my emergency vest. I am very proud of it. I searched high and low for a top to match that skirt for a wedding I was going to and eventually knitted my own. It was kind of a last minute thing. I began it last Thursday at 10 pm and finished it on Saturday morning at 11 am. The wedding reception was at 7.30 pm and I had a million other things to do that day. I made the pattern up as I went along, which meant I could actually increase properly to accommodate my ample bosom. I think I might make some proper straps for it when I have a bit more time and yarn (I was running out by that point).

Some detail

I think I might knit a few more things for myself, but next time I'll allow a bit more time. The lesson I learned from this is, if you know what you want then knit it yourself because the chances are noone will have done it for you.

My new blog

A significant amount of effort has gone into choosing the name for this blog. When I say significant, what I really mean is that I discussed it with a variety of people on MSN and this is the name that came out as the most popular and was also my favourite.

The reason I have started this blog is so that I can share my obsession with knitting, cooking and making things generally (and probably my various neuroses) with anyone who'll listen/read. I hope it ends up being enjoyable.