World AIDS Day

This time last year, I said I would donate to the Terrence Higgins Trust 10p for every comment to my blog for World AIDS Day. 26 people commented, which is lovely, but that only came to £2.60.

So, I decided that I would donate this year... after one year's worth of comments. Including those first 26 comments, there have been 247 comments. So, this makes it £24.70. Round it up and we have £25. So I'll times that by two and I'll be sending a cheque for £50 to THT.

Thank you, everyone.



http://www.tht.org.uk/

For Paul.

Squares

I was originally planning to make a black n white scarf for my friend Debbie... but the yarn has gone missing. It's somewhere in the house, but I've no idea where. So, I'm using the rest of the "Twilleys Freedom Spirit" instead.



A good stash bust.

Books - the Sixth in an Occasional Series

Over the last few weeks, I has been mostly reading Asimov (and mostly eating roast chicken and mostly wearing Prada and watching old episodes of "The Fast Show"). I has also read:

1. "Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks" by Christopher Brookmyre, in which the git has killed of Jack Parlabane. If you are a fan, and didn't know this, this was not a spoiler. It's there on the blurb. The focus of bile on this occasion is dodgy mediums (of the 'knock if there's anybody there' variety as opposed to being an example of some size-ist venom from me) and right-wing Christian fundamentalists. It's very good.

2. "The Brightonomicon" by Robert Rankin is pants. Don't bother with it. It's rubbish. Actually the first half is ok and then it's as though he got bored with it. Don't know why I finished it.

3. "A History of Modern Britain" by Andrew Marr - I needed something to read something good after Mr Rankin's printed diarrhoea. This covers the history of Britain from WW2 to the present day and marvellous it is too - apparently Peter Mandelson's grandfather was as slippery as his grandson. And Manchester was where dog racing started. And "Passport to Pimlico" and "Whisky Galore!" are based on true stories.

4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Various "Foundation" volumes by Isaac Asimov - sci-fi, future, collapse of intergalatic civillisation and attempts to create a new Empire. Marvellous. But not a robot in sight, which was disappointing.

9. Back to Robert Rankin with "The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse" because the BF said it's good. And it is. Set in Toytown with Eddie Bear PI investigating the murders of Humpty Dumpty, Mother Goose and other Pre-Adolescent Poetic Personalities. So, good in fact, that I chanced the sequel:



10. "The Toyminator" wherein various toys get bumped off. Very good... until half way through, and the jokes become very old, very repetitive and make me want to gag. I'm off Rankin for a while. He's not as clever as Douglas Adams.

Warm Hands

I also rattled these off at the weekend... but forgot to photograph them last night, and then couldn't be arsed. I've had a wodge of "Twilleys Freedom Spirit" in the stash box since last year's trip to Ally Pally. This was intended for a tank-top for me... but then I went off the idea.

So, here is a pair of wrist warmers for Liz - she's a photographer and needs something to keep her warm for her outside Winter pix, something warm that she can still wear whilst snapping away.



And a pair of gloves for Doreen.



This has used just over two balls of "TSF"... so there's a few more gifts to be gained from the tank top. A good swap, I think.

The Gift Haul

Long time, no blogging - I've had bronchitis. OK, so that wouldn't stop me typing, but I couldn't be arsed. However, I have been knitting and finished a couple of items though I still have a few things to finish off completely.

Granda's "Retropolitan 3.0" needs its button band, but I can't do that until it finishes blocking in the bathroom.



I've also been having a look at where I am up to with the rest of the Christmas knitting, so here's Lois's stash - a cardi, some socks and "Puss in Boots".



Socks for me Mam (the ones on the left) and for Peter. He's not a fan of pastels.



Here's Thomas's "Zoo Bag" with five jelly babies and a newly-finished jumper knitted in "Rowan All Seasons Cotton" (aranweight). It's yarn left over from last year's Christmas jumper for the BF, so a good little stash buster. This was a simple pattern to follow - raglan sleeved in moss stitch.