Curtain Stages

Spent last night pinning out the curtains. So, step-by-step photos coming up:

1. Pinning out the lining.



2. The elephant rim - trimming but before pinning.



3. Pinned edge - sharp corners.



4. Hefelumphs.



5. Botched mitred corner. Can't do it properly so this will do, for now.

It's Curtains....

...Or it will be, once I've made them.

We painted the spare room - Tuscan Terracotta and Apricot Summat or Other, which sounds garish, but isn't. The furniture is all seriously dark wood. Sounds oppressive, but isn't. I had bought material to make cushions (lovely contrasting cream - sounds like a bad dessert, but doesn't look like one). I also bought material to make curtains (though on a rethink, decided that this would be hideous).

I should take a picture of this room. It may help with descriptions.

So I went shopping again. The plan was predominantly cream curtains with a rust coloured pattern. The BF casually mentioned that something along the lines of my Mam's elephant rimmed plates would be good as a trim - a gold, orange and black motif.

I went to Dunelm's. Look what I found.



So, the BF has designed the curtains. The plan is to make a cream curtain - that has some sparkly bits on - with a trim at the bottom.

In other news, I decided to do some Christmas knitting at the weekend and I have rattled off two pairs of socks in "On-Line - Circle" for Niece Number 1 and my Mam. Here's one of them.

Rethink ont' BF's Christmas Jumper

The original plan was to knit the BF "Avast" (www.knitty.com". However, I'm not sure he will be too keen on the yarn ("New Lanark - DK"). While I do tease him about his princess and the pea qualities, I don't want to make him something that he won't be overly keen on.

I do suspect it will be a 'grower' though, i.e. he would hate the idea if I suggested but once he sees it, he will like it... and it's a cardi so won't be touching his skin.

Meanwhile, he loved the "Sublime - Retro Jumper" I knitted for him last Christmas in "Jaeger Extra Fine Merino", and said I could knit him another one in different colours.



Since Jaeger have discontinued their yarn production, balls of this lovely stuff can be found with some searching. I went back to Cucumber Patch (www.cucumberpatch.c.uk) and picked up a batch of "Biscuit" for the bargain price of £2.25 per ball - previously knocking around for between £4.50 - £5 per ball. It's also a fantastic substitution for the "Sublime Extra Fine Merino", producing a beautiful drape in the finished material.

While I love knitting for the BF and he loves what I make for him, he still has a tendency to hang jumpers on the floor.

Pay £5 per ball to make him a jumper? Bugger that for a game of soldiers.

"Davy Jones" by Middle Earth Yarns

I finished the "Captain Jacks" and while I had thought that the pattern of the colourway was too dense for the stitch pattern, I'm really happy with the finished results. The yarn is beautifully soft and lovely on the feet.



Having enjoyed knitting this so much, I dug out the other skein I bought from Cazza - "Davy Jones".



It also meant I was able to play with my swift.



And, I'm knitting another pattern from the 'Vogue Ultimate Sock Book' - 'Big Bamboo'. I think the shades are really appropriate for bamboo.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Sid (no idea what his/her real name is, but Sid'll do) has been trying to get onto this window ledge for months. Tonight he managed it. "I can haz rools the street."

Then he got stuck, and didn't look quite so smug.

He fell off (in a controlled sort of slide down the tiles) and strolled off: "Nobody saw anything. Everything is cool".

My Socks

Finally, I get my act together and take a photograph of my socks in progress.



I'm really pleased with these. The yarn is lovely and soft and the stitch definition is fab. One 'concern' is that I think the colourway variation is too dense for this pattern but that's my fault not the yarn's. :-)

Next pair, I think will be Cazza's "Davy Jones" in 'Big Bamboo'. I think.

Jollies Update II

Thought I'd present some alternative holiday shots - you can find better shots of the major tourist sites on any holiday website, or in nice books, or if you go and have a look yourself. So, instead...

The seagull sitting next to me on top of the Castel Saint-Angelo in Rome. The Castle was originally constructed as Emperor Hadrian's Mausoleum - him who built the wall, you know.



The crush of people, herding themselves through the Vatican Museum, ignoring the tapestries, the frescoes, the paintings, as they dash as quickly as they can to the Sistine Chapel... where they will talk endlessly and noisily, ringing their pals to say: "Guess where I am. My gawd, I'm in the Sistine. It's like so impressive." Before saying to the people with them: "Quick! Get a picture of me in the Sistine". "Quick get a picture of me next to this statue, and this statue and that statue."



The dumb pigeons in St Peter's Square. I threw them an icecream cone. They just looked at it. I stamped on it, and look how they reacted. Brains of Italy? Methinks, not.



A statue of St Francis in the Church of St Maria in Trastevere. There are hundreds of little letters at his feet and his arms. It looked amazing.



And, finally... Get a load of this piece of chocolate cake. We had lunch in the roof garden of the Uffizi in Florence. Delicious, and the gallery wasn't bad either.