Dear Brain,

Please learn to communicate better internally.

I appreciate that the past two days have been very boring for you. I appreciate we have not done much together as a collective lately, but there is a good reason for that.

What you seem to have missed, Brain, is that Body is not feeling well. Body has a cold and Body needs to rest. As such, Body (and I for that) would really love to get some sleep. Neither Body, nor I, are particularly impressed with your chatting all night long and keeping us all up. I know you're bored and as soon as Body is feeling up to it, we'll do some fun stuff. I promise.

But in the meantime, please just be quiet and let us sleep.

Yours,

Me

Golden Brown

Today has been the first day that it has really felt like autumn. I've been quite disappointed with the season so far - the weather has been strange and so the trees haven't known what to do and so have not yet displayed their amazing colours or dropped many leaves. One of my absolute favourite things to do during the aumtumn is walk down the road stomping through the crispy leaves.

I've been craving this season for some reason this year, more so than previously. It's my favourite time of year, particularly the colours and, of course, the knitwear.

I can tell I've been looking forward to this season because of the colours I've been choosing to knit with. Or rather, the colour.

It started while I was looking for the perfect DK or heavier weight yarn to use to make a Caireen shawl for the Three Countries Shawl KAL group on Ravelry. I couldn't find the brown I was looking for in the UK, but I did find the perfect colour in a fingering weight. So I got that instead and then ordered some of a similar golden brown from Sanguine Gryphon in the Traveller base which is DK. The Caireen is now off the needles, the fingering weight will, I think, become gloves to match.

Then, I decided to join in with another KAL in the APlayfulDay podcast group on Rav which is a sweater KAL. I've decided to knit Hannah Fettig's Effortless Cardigan and managed to find a site selling Araucania Nature Solid on sale. To be fair, I thought it was a mossy green I had ordered. When it arrived, it wasn't green at all. It was entirely brown. And lovely. So was the definitely brown yarn that I had ordered to knit a Koolhaas hat with. That one is also off the needles - it was a crazy quick knit that was done in three days!

Incidently, to prepare for the sweater KAL, I have made a swatch. For the first time ever (it made me fall in love with the yarn even more).

Then, while in London, I stopped at Loop. There I came across the most beautiful shade of madelinetosh tosh sock called William Morris. It is (you guessed it) a deep and luxurious brown with accents of blue. That one is asking to be socks at the moment.

To counter all of this brown, I have also cast on (finally) for my second Pomatomus sock (the first has only been waiting for three or four months for a friend) which is not brown. It's taupe.

P.S. There would have been photos to go with this post, but sadly the downside to autumn (especially the day after the clocks go back) is that there is no light when I'm actually at home to take photos. I will try and get some over the weekend.

P.P.S. the other downside to autumn is that my nose has decided to get all blocked up today. I'm off for an early night I think.

Three Oaks, Two Fingers

Not in that way. In the 'I've finished two fingers and have two and the thumb to go' way. I would never put two fingers up to these gloves, because I cannot express how much I love these gloves in words. So here it is in pictures:







It fits beautiful, looks way more complicated than it actually is, the yarn is just gorgeous and I think will wear quite well, and, even though I've knitted it on DPNs (the pattern is written for magic loop, but I'm not a fan), I'm really keen to start on the next one! So happy I picked this pattern.

For more WIPS, see Tami's Amis.

Umm...Oops

So, it's been a while. To get me back into the swing of things, here's a very brief rundown of the past few weeks:

- Started back at work
- Got Ofsted-ed (inspected) in the third week of the term
- We got a 'good with outstanding features' result, which is the second highest you can get (after 'outstanding') and pretty darn good bearing in mind less than five years ago we were a failing school on the brink of closure
- I've completely overhauled my eating habits and am eating much better and loosing weight as a result
- This led to chronic tummy aches for a week or two while my body got rid of toxins and means that any time I have a glass of wine (or more) I get tummy aches :(
- I've signed up to do a photography course with the Open University (expect lots of pictures starting in the next few weeks)
- I've decided that next year I'm going to grade for my black belt in kung fu
- I've finished my eleventh shawl and so completed my '11 shawls in 2011' challenge
- I just need to photograph and post up the last two...
- I've cast on for the most beautiful pair of gloves ever
- Three Oaks
- In this yarn from the Uncommon Thread:



- While I was looking at the Uncommon Thread, this yarn accidently fell into my basket too:



- But it doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up yet.

Testing...testing...123...

One of the problems with being on holiday is that the days tend to run into each other. As a result, I forgot it was Wednesday today, so this is a WIP Wednesday with no photos.

My main project, however, is not one that I can take pictures of. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was doing a test knit. There is a deadline to it, but it's not for a while, so I've been working on it between other projects and I'm now more than halfway through. The pattern is an enjoyable one - complex enough to keep my interest, but easy enough to be able to watch TV and suddenly realise I've done three repeats, but best of all, I've been able to pick out some errors. Nothing major at all, just something that got missed in a rewrite and a couple of checks over technicalities that may lead to a slight rewording, but it makes me feel like I've actually been useful as a test knitter. I think that maybe if I had just knit the item and it had all been fine I would have been questioning why I was needed as a test knitter at all.

As I said though, the deadline is not for a little while yet, so today I decided I would finally cast something on using my Wollmeise. After a LOT of searching, I finally settled on the Frangipani Shawl. At the moment though, I've only cast on a few stitches.

So my WIPs this week include a project I cannot take photo's of and one that's not worth taking photo's of. Probably a good thing I forgot about taking them then...

For more WIP's, see Tami's Amis.

Had Enough Now

What a rubbish week.

I've already written about my numberplates being stolen on Tuesday while we were out trying to help clean up London. Incidentely, this is a really irritating kind of crime. As I don't typically live in London, am only here on holiday, all my paperwork pertaining to my ownership of the vehicle is 100 miles away, so trying to get replacements has been a nightmare and I'm not allowed to drive because I only have temporary plates. So I went to the DVLA today and I've finally got the paperwork I needed and the plates are on order, but not until I'd been treated like I was the criminal and messed around for over an hour.

On Wednesday morning, I found a massive blob of something nasty looking and black sploged in the middle of my sister's windscreen. Upon cleaning, it was discovered the be a dark purple and smell of Vimto, so we suspect it was fruit. Further investigation showed a patch on the back bumper or my car and my sister's boot no longer stays open when it's unlocked, so we also suspect it was climbed over. We also found a dead pigeon in our front garden. No kidding.

Then on Thursday morning, my mother woke me up early-ish (for a holiday) as on her way to work she had noticed that my front passenger side window had been smashed in. The glove box was open and had been rifled through, but nothing had been taken. Well, my CD player plays CD's, not MP3's, and I doubt I have the same music taste as the young thugs who have taken such a liking to my car.

The police (who I called after the plates went and after the smashed window) have been asking me if I've done something to annoy someone. I've replied that I'd have to be pretty damn annoying to put someone's nose out of joint from 100 miles away. But for whatever reason I've been targeted lately, I'd really like it to stop now.

London Calling

Whilst I may not live there full time anymore, London is, always has been and always will be my home. I was born here, spent the first eighteen years of my life here and visit regularly. My family live here. It is where I feel most at peace.

For the last three days that peace has been shattered. I'm not going to go into details, because you probably already know. If you don't, check the news.

Today, I went with my sister and niece (Mini-C) to Clapham Junction. We went loaded up with old ski gloves and bin bags and Mini-C took a scoop so she didn't have to touch the broken glass.



We went to join in with the riot clean up. We went to show our solidarity for London and the amazing people who live here. We went to show that no matter what you do to us, our city cannot be destroyed.

Sadly, we weren't allowed to go through the police blockades as Clapham Junction was still a crime scene and still unsafe.



This was as close as we could get - right on the barrier. Behind me as I took this photo stood approximately 200 people, also ready to help out. The strength of London.

More sad news came though when we got home to discover that my car number plates had been removed. I had parked that morning on my parent's driveway, so they have walked onto our property in order to steal them. They will have taken them to fix onto a vehicle of the same model presumably so they can drive to areas of rioting and join in without fears of their car getting done - I will be instead.

Despite this, I am proud to be a Londoner (in spirit, if not always in body) and I am proud to have been here when all this happened. Standing shoulder to shoulder with others, ready and prepared to fix things that people seem so intent on breaking.

But they won't break us.