Final instalments

My final instalments of the steeplechase club and the GBWC arrived so click on the photo above if you want to see them. The steeplechase club was a one off lace club from the Yarnyard.  There were a couple of delays to the parcels from the original schedule which I would bear in mind for next time but I would recommend signing up to a club from Natalie. The yarn was beautiful, each time not something I would have bought for myself so it did the job of helping me try something new. The GBWC from the Natural Dye Studio is also one I would recommend with the caveat that some of the parcels smelled extra sheepy.  The club is run to promote and support unusual breeds of British sheep and is run in three monthly segments.  I don't know whether to just stick with the 300g that I have, and make three separate projects or possibly a tank top out of them, sign up for another quarter (if there is space) or buy some more skeins from previous months so I could knit a whole jumper.  Decisions, decisions...

The Yarn Yard Steeplechase Club

I received the 2nd instalment of the Steeplechase lace club yesterday. It's rather behind the original schedule of mid-July but I wasn't disappointed by the contents. It's a beautiful colour, a beautiful yarn, probably something that I wouldn't be brave enough to buy for myself. It arrived in two skeins of 50g, 600m each which is less daunting than one whopper of 1200m. I've no idea what to make with it so I'm content to look at it and cuddle it lovingly.  Click on the photo below if you want to see - I didn't want to include any spoilers for people who hadn't received theirs yet. 

I just put the heating on...

...it's only been on for 10 minutes but now I'm feeling much more snug.  I put it on to encourage my washing to dry.  It's been raining all day and I'm beginning to develop trenchfoot to supplement my winter blues.  Happy July, everybody.

My hours at work have been cut slightly from this week (poor weather = poor sales) and I'm determined to make the most of it.  I walked to work, even though it was raining (although I hadn't realised it was raining as it was invisible sideways drizzle) but drove back after lunch.  I developed a raging bad mood due so wasn't disappointed to have to leave early.  What better remedy than boiling up milk for a restorative hot chocolate and settling down for Japanese homework.  If I can manage half an hour each day and half an hour of stupid boxing and dancing with the wii I'm sure I'll start feeling more cheerful.

Some pretty things that make me happy arrived last week from Fripperies & Bibelots.  My only complaint about the company is there are far too many wonderful colours to choose from.  Whittling it down to five sets (wimbledon, breakfast at tiffanys, dusky sunset, rock chick, scaly simple solid rings) was a feat of great restraint but now there's an olympic set and I'd like vampire's kiss and not to mention there's a limited edition club set being released on Sunday night.   Now that I have so many stitch markers, I really should put some to use but I made myself finish a project before starting a new one.  It was supposed to be the simplicity cardigan but evidently if a cardigan has already taken a year, it's not going to knit itself.  After a brilliant wedding on Saturday (more about that another post) I finished a sock yesterday. Hangover plus channel 5 films all afternoon makes perfect simple sock knitting time. So, this evening, having done all the smug things mentioned earlier, I wound my steeplechase green silk and am ready to embark on Echo Flower Shawl. Bon voyage.

Breakfast show thankyou

I woke up this morning to my radio playing Never Forget. I thought, crikey, did Gary Barlow die? Chris Moyles wouldn't play it without a good reason.  The next song wasn't a Take That anthem though, so I realised it wasn't a memorial marathon but the chatter afterwards definitely confirmed something was up.  The news at 8.30 reiterated what I had missed - Chris Moyles was leaving the breakfast show in September, we were being forwarned of the end of an era. Here's how I felt.

Finding out that over 8 years of waking up to the same voice was coming to an end was quite a shock and I guess people in the studio felt that way too as the team seemed rather stunned and subdued.  They kept playing songs, which is very odd behaviour. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, but Chris Moyles has seen me though changing jobs, moving house, changing jobs and moving house again.  When I was struggling to get out of bed in the morning in a post divorce funk, he was struggling to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro.  And I thought to myself, well, getting out of bed is hardly a mountain, is it? He, along with his team and listeners, has raised millions for charity but I wonder if he realises how much influence his show has had on people personally.  Perhaps he will after all the tweets and messages have had their chance to reach him today.

I was surprised how upset I felt this morning, even though I tried to be sensible.  He wasn't dead, simply moving on, making a change, and with all the milestones we've passed together, perhaps a new morning show DJ would signal a new phase of my life, even if I am not target audience anymore.  Think of the under 30's, people! I tried to cheer myself up by shortlisting who would be acceptable to me as a replacement: Zane Lowe, Mista Jam, Dev and Grimmy were the ones I could come up with but didn't expect any of them to be chosen.  While hell for me is a GP's waiting room with Radio 2 playing, I would consider switching to Classic FM or 6 Music if pushed. Well, at 10.30, it was announced Grimmy is the successor.  I cheered up immensely and felt ever so slightly youth. Radio 2 can suck it.

In knitting news, I have finished Percy#3 and it is now blocking. I've become a laceweight convert.  You get so much bang for your buck, knitting is slower but the finished product is sooooo beautiful, and you gain mucho bragging rights when you show of hundreds of metres of patterned loveliness.

With that in mind, a little while ago, I signed up to a lace club. I'm not normally one for surprises, and had never committed to a club before, but I had a funny five minutes at work one day and signed up to two. The first instalement of the first club arrived a few days ago. I was not disappointed.

The Yarnyard Steeplechase Club Instalment 1: complete with lovely letter, stitchmarkers and a yarnbra.

The yarn is 1000m of silk, dyed in three layers of colour and it is beautiful. I don't know if I'm lucky or not as I bought a similar colour from Nimu in a silk blend also during the very extended funny five minutes of stash enhancement at work. I've never joined a surprise club before as I've been convinced I wouldn't like the colour, but in this case, I definitely do.

Stitchmarkers by fripperies and bibelots:

Great name for a company and great product. I've slaved through three Percys now using scraps of yarn as stitch markers and on the #3 little wisps of colour were graffiting the lacework. I used to have many pretty stitch markers but stopped using them when I found they snagged on the yarn. Ornamental, rather than useful and so, not fit for purpose. Well, now I've been introduced to these snag free markers and I am a born again addict. So, finding the yarnyard had no more stitch markers, I google fued and visited the etsy shop. Money spending followed...