Inspiration

Found this awesome picture directory of blogs today and thought I'd share it, I've been clicking randomly on links and found some amazing blogs and lots of beautiful things people have made. Hope it inspires you to get making too.

Random photo of nasturtiums and geraniums with bee, because.

Today was better than yesterday.

Radio silence

I haven't posted for a while because there hasn't been a lot to say. It's just more of the same, more feeling awful, more waiting for appointments, more impromptu trips to the doctors', more things I need to do piling up undone, more depression, more antibiotics, or antibirockets as a fellow raveller put it.

I feel truly pathetic for getting so down, other people have things far worse than I do and manage to live with far more grace, although I know depression doesn't help me to do this. Life is just so hard, unrelentingly so and I'm trying so hard to hope. Being so isolated doesn't help either, particularly spiritually, being an isolated Christian with depression isn't easy, I'm trying to believe, trying to keep communicating with Jesus, keep worshipping, but not succeeding very well.

At least I've got an appointment later in the week to see Father Andrew, a lovely retired vicar or priest (he wears a dog collar so he must be something like that?) who is wonderfully understanding and one of those people who is so Jesus-like. Crucially he is also easy to talk to; I find even when I do see people that it's really hard to open up. I guess you're never sure how people will react and it's rare that any one's got the time and inclination really to listen. And I don't know how to start or what to say and I don't really have the energy to socialise anyway. It's that catch-22 situation of being lonely but not well enough to see people.

However, before this all gets too depressing for words, there have been a few other things going on. The loaf of bread I made overnight in the bread maker has come out very nicely, a light wholemeal loaf. But I have had to undo ten days' hard work on a cardigan I have been working on because of a simple mathematical error that means it was working out far too small. One of this afternoon's tasks will be to start the cardigan all over again. Such is knitting I suppose, one blessing is that the yarn doesn't seem overly bothered by being undone, some of it for the second time. It is a bit disheartening to see ten days' work reduced to a pathetic huddle of bundles of yarn.

I am going to go outside into the garden now, since the weather has changed once again, from November back to proper August weather.

Oh and while we're on the subject of the radio - Radio 4 has just started another of its modern production of lost Paul Temple serials, past ones have been superb, truly the BBC at its very best - you simply must listen!

Sunday afternoon

A beautiful sunny afternoon, a shady garden, a comfortable chair, some good reading material, some knitting and that classic retro treat: a strawberry split. The birds were singing in various trees and bushes and next door's cat was fast asleep at the bottom of the garden.

Above me an awesome sky. Gloriously relaxing.

Destruction

Watching the beautiful William Morris wall paper in my parents' hall, in one of my favourite patterns, Willow Bough, being ripped off, so cracks in the plaster behind can be attended to, is making me feel most sad.
I know that soon Morris' masterpiece will be up there anew. But for now I feel sad.

Cable time

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven

Ecclesiastes 3.1

Now is my time for cables it seems. To date this year I have mainly been doing fairly plain knitting, vanilla socks, lots of garter and stockingette stitch. Now I have launched into a baby jumper full of cables and I'm just ready for the challenge. Soothing as mindless knitting can be, sometimes knitting that requires real focus and concentration can just hit the spot. It is absorbing and stops me thinking too much.

Then there is the feeling of achievement - knowing that you have followed these instructions and produced some fabulous looking cables. The yarn, Rowan Wool Cotton, is giving the cables beautiful definition, they really do "pop" (as they say), is so soft and has a gorgeous lustre. The pattern in question is Baby Poonam, one of Berocco's free patterns (ravelry link) and incidentally my first ever knit by the designer Norah Gaughan. It's such a sweet miniature aran sweater complete with shoulder buttons, which my friend and fellow knitter Cara introduced me to.

The knit so far has not been without incident, when I saw Cara's version last week I suddenly realised that I had somehow altered the textured stitch, producing more of a mistake or waffle rib rather than the texture originally intended. After much bemused head scratching and reading and re-reading the pattern I realised that I had misplaced the asterisk in the repeat, meaning I had neglected to p2 across the row. However, the pattern I've created is rather nice, I think it would make some rather awesome socks, will have to experiment some more.

I've just realised though that instead of returning to my knitting, I should probably wrap my mother's birthday presents, since it is her birthday tomorrow. Hope she likes the Garter Stitch Loop Through scarf I've made her.

P.S. I've also finally started an Ishbel, in Artesano Alpaca 4ply, more of that anon.

Glorious Glads

Image0580
Originally uploaded by foggyknitter

The late evening sun was just catching the gladioli in the dining room tonight, it was such a glorious sight I had to get a picture. Not a bad photo from my mobile either.

Thought for the day

"...I will be flesh and blood;

For there was never yet philosopher

That could endure the toothache patiently,

However they have writ the style of gods,

And made a push at chance and sufferance."

Much Ado About Nothing, Act 5, Scene 1