Blogging

As I've been catching up on my blog-reading this week, I've noticed that quite a few people have been a philosophical mood - discussing stash and blogging. Queen of the Froggers wrote a particularly nice piece about her views on blogging. Inevitably, I started thinking about this too.

Blogging is a fairly new activity for me - my first post 'published' in December last year. I have never been much of a diary writer, but the idea of having a blog always appealed. Why this should be, I've no idea. The idea of spouting my views and putting them into a public sphere for anyone to read filled me with unease. Now, I am no stranger to the soap box or my high horse, and I trained to be a journalist, so why would I be so nervous of sharing my thoughts in this way?

There were several reasons for this:

1. It seems to me that for many people chatting online there are not the same "courtesy controls" as in day-to-day, face-to-face life. There are no reins on some of the sheer spite that people feel they have the right to vent. Despite being a stroppy mare recently, I don't really like rows. Did I want to open myself up to such behaviour?

2. Why would anyone want to read my views on anything? I didn't actually have anything to talk about. For example, I didn't want to have a blog commenting on the news - there are many, many other people doing this and doing this far more eloquently than I could. While I find my life interesting and exciting, I'm not a fan of the "Christmas Letter" approach that people inflict on families and I would be taking wider with the internet.

So what changed?

I started knitting and while my Mam has taken up knitting, and my friends are impressed by the finished products, there's no-one I can talk to really enthusiastically about my hobby. Actually, some people get a strange look in their eyes if they think I'm waxing too lyrically about sock yarn. :-) Understandably - now I get a taste of how it feels to be an IT geek like the BF.

I love the fact that I can bimble on, on my blog, about what I'm making - its progress and the yarns I'm using. I'm not an expert on knitting, by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm learning and I'm really enjoying the learning.

When I first started the blog, I made myself some rules. I was only going to talk about knitting, yarn, plans for projects and shopping for yarn. My personal life was to remain out of it. However, that hasn't been possible. It's inevitable that personality and life creeps into the posts - it's probably more interesting that it does. I personally prefer blogs that are a mixture of knitting and life because I'm interested in people and their lives. (And those of certain monkeys too).

Recently, the stress of the rubbish that has been going on with moving house has made me post more personal posts too. It's been really helpful for me. I've been so angry and depressed by it all that blogging about the situation has made me feel like I've been letting off steam to a lot of people.

So, there are no more rules - I'll post what I feel like posting. Here, have a chocolate!

"Archie" and "Snug"

The crocheted blanket was making good progress until Wednesday night, a few more stripes - adding a dash of navy to ensure that it will be an actual blanket rather than a strip. I was using a plastic hook which was perhaps tempting fate, and as a newbie crocheter I am probably very heavy handed with it. So, perhaps it wasn't so surprising that the hook snapped.

As a result of this I was forced to sew up "Archie" and "Snug" last night. Here's the jacket ("Archie"). I think it looks very effective in "Opal - Lollipop" and will be fine whether Bump is a boy or a girl. The collar seems crooked in the photograph but it actually isn't, I promise. :-) I will wait until Bump is born before I buy some press-studs for it - I'm hoping I'll be able to get the type that have ceramic pictures on the fronts.

The jacket took only one ball of sock yarn - the way I knit, anyway.



Of course "Archie" wouldn't be complete without "Snug" and here is the finished hat in "DB Cashmerino DK" and the "Opal - Lollipop". I decided to knit the trim in the lovely blue because it will be fine whether Bump is a boy or a girl. "Snug" used virtually a whole ball of "DB Cashmerino" as I knitted the trim, deliberately, on smaller needles to give it a really tight, snug feel. There is over 90% of the "Lollipop" left over - that's a lot of booties.



My brother reckons that he and his wife need to do some work on their timing. Bump will be their second Christmas baby.

Falling off the Stashalong

I was packing up my yarn today. Here's a satisfying picture (and there are a couple of layers there):



This isn't actually all of the yarn. There's another box and a bag of sock yarn and odds and ends to be used up in charity knitting. However, the BF came in while I was doing this (and the yarn for his secret jumper is under that lot). He was actually quite shocked by it and told me I need to knit faster...

Then...

He asked me if I wouldn't mind making a couple of outfits for his nephew's birthday and Christmas present. He would buy the yarn. So he has picked out a star and striped jumper ("Rowan Babies") as part of Thomas's "Christmas Box" and these two from the "Dale of Norway - Soft Treasures for Little Ones". The vest has to be done in time for his birthday in August.



I ordered the yarn from "Dragon Yarns" tonight. The "Ull" yarn is much cheaper than an equivalent in "Rowan 4ply Soft", and I'm looking forward to making these two outfits. They are knitted in the round, until you reach the armholes, when you start shaping the front and back seperately. That's very usual in traditional Norwegian knitting isn't it?

PS

Contracts were exchanged today. Yesterday we agreed to the 6th July, reluctantly - the vendors kept phoning me to mither me about contacting our buyers and solicitors. Their solicitors then contacted our guys to tell them we had agreed to the 6th when they rang us on Sunday afternoon to see what we had decided.

No, we hadn't.

I'm relieved that we have exchanged and am happy to get the house we wanted. The BF is still annoyed about it all. He also pissed off our solicitor and his assistant by bawling them out yesterday. While I stand by the BF's stance, I do think there are better ways of tackling it - I had a lot of bridge building to do today.

A very bitter taste has been left in the mouth. I don't much care whether we have been misled by estate agents, solicitors or vendors but I'm pretty confident about who I would put my money on.

Thanks to everyone who has sent really supportive comments over this. Thanks to everyone who has read my whinging updates.

Out-manoeuvred?

On Friday, we were supposed to exchange, with completion on the 29th. Exchange had originally been set for Tuesday but this was moved to Friday. The BF was suspicious. I foolishly thought the best of everyone involved.

Amazingly, the vendors' solicitor was not available until after 4pm.

Then, it emerged that the vendors' vendor wanted to complete on July 6th, and the buyer's solicitor disappeared for the day. Does anybody actually work on a Friday?

Surprise, surprise - we were annoyed, again. We decided to write a note to the vendor, explaining our viewpoint and leaving our phone number. Twenty minutes after we delivered it, they called - relieved that we had got in touch and cursing their estate agent. We had a pleasant chat - both sides telling their situation.

Basically, they could move on the 29th but it's inconvenient, and we could move on the 6th but it's inconvenient for us. Their story had a few details that just didn't tally with what we know - based on what they've said on their website and what our estate agent and solicitors were able to find out. We will see what happens tomorrow.

So, here's a picture of some sunflowers I bought to cheer myself up.



I finished knitting "Archie" though haven't sewn it up. This is the second time I've made this - the last time being over a year ago for the BF's nephew. For me, the interesting thing about making "Archie" again is that it shows me how much my knitting has improved - neater and faster.

Last time around, it took me nearly two weeks. This time, I knitted it all up in four evenings.

On Thursday night, I started knitting "Snug" (which is the hat). I'm making the trim in this gorgeous blue "DB Cashmerino". However, I had to stop knitting as my thumb and finger started to really hurt. So, I resumed...



crochet! (Yes, I could have sewn up "Archie" but we know how I feel about sewing). I'm making another baby blanket for Bump, and using up some yarn.



This is a very random blanket - made in double crochet and treble crochet in random 'clumps' of pattern. The yellow yarn is "DB Cashmerino" while the purple, green and white stripes are "DB Cotton DK". The varying texture is working really well.

Crochet - A Dark Art

Actually, it's not. For months I've been trying to crochet and been getting nowhere with it. I decided to give this dark art another bash yesterday. What triggered this was knitting group the other night - Mad Knitters' Tea Party - when one of the ladies who comes to the group gave three of us a master class in crochet. The main thing was that she showed me a way of holding the hook and yarn that 'clicked' for me.

Here are the results...



This is a 'twirly' scarf for my niece. I did a row of double-crochet in shocking pink, then a row in lilac of half-treble, and finally the triple-treble. However, it looked like I was running out of lilac yarn, so the middle third is back in the shocking pink. It doesn't look much but I am incredibly pleased with it.



This morning, I still had the crochet bug... so I improvised a flower badge to go with the scarf. I can't believe how quick crochet is to create something. Ok, so I was only making small things but the speed is so surprising.

Knitting remains my first love, but I was still on the instant gratification kick, though not for socks, and I started making "Archie" ("Rowan Babies") in "Opal - Lollipop" for Bump. The back is already finished. Instead of buttons (as I don't know whether Bump is a boy or girl), I'm going to use press-studs.



PS On Friday, after a few mini-panics because the vendors' solicitors were not replying to faxes, it was finally agreed that we would exchange on Tuesday or Wednesday... we think. I am such a pessimist, but living in such a state means never being disappointed. You're either proved right or pleasantly surprised!

:-)

Blanket for Bump

I finished the "Moon and Stars" blanket for Bump last night. It's from Zoe Heller's "Nursery Knits" and is a fantastically easy pattern to follow. Being unable to follow instructions, I veered from the pattern requirements of eight balls of "Rowan Handknit Cotton" for the main colour, two balls for the border and one of "Rowan Chenille" for the stars.

I also thought the colours were rather cold, so I used "DB Cashmerino DK" in navy and gold, and used far less - five balls in navy and one-and-a-half in gold. (I haven't checked the length of "Rowan Handknit Cotton" in comparison with my choice, but five versus eight seems a significant difference).



I've also been working on some socks - "Fortissima -Sombrero" - but it's been heavy going. However, I think I had just 'gone off' the yarn, because I'm actually really pleased with the way the sock is takin place.



That doesn't mean I'll get it finished today. :-) I'm going to play with some crochet, I think.

Stressed, moi?

I hate moving house. If I ever manage to move house this time, I'm never moving sodding house again... at least not if involves dealing with people.

In case you haven't been keeping up, we've been in the process of selling and buying since the end of April - offers made and accepted; and a moving date agreed with the sellers of the house we want to move to. End of June.

On Thursday last week, I rang around all parties to check that this was still on. (Why I pay my solicitor I don't know). Everything was fine. Yesterday, the seller's estate agent rang to say that there had been a change of plan - was it alright to move at the end of July? No, it bloody wasn't. Our buyers are champing at the bit to move in this week, so there was every chance that, with a further delay, they would drop out on us and nobody would be moving.

Additional annoyance was the fact that the agent let slip that this discussion was held last week. When were they planning to let us know?

The BF was full of vengeance last night and spent the evening plotting. As part of this he Googled our sellers. You never know what you might find out. We discovered their blog, with the address of the new house they are moving to. (Why would anyone post so much information? "Hello, here's where we live and here's all the stuff that will go into our house when we move in." It's like an example from the campaign that advises people not to advertise how to break into their homes). On it, dated 3rd June, was also their intention to move in July. I say again: "When the hell were they planning to tell us?"

So, this morning we went to see our solicitor. Before we went I rang the agent. Had she managed to speak to the seller? No. Had she tried ringing her mobile phone? No.

There was much to-ing and fro-ing between the solicitors and, to shorten an already long story, we left the matter with our solicitor. We were offered middle of July while we were in his office.

Yes, we are playing hard ball. While moving dates change and "these things happen" when you move house, I don't see why we should put up with people not having the decency to get in touch to discuss matters - especially when we have been working to their deadlines in the first place.

By mid afternoon, there was another letter from the seller's solicitors. It had all been a misunderstanding - the fault of the estate agent - and there had never been any deviation from the end of June as our moving date. Yeah, right.

Nothing is yet set in stone so we're still waiting. The last 24 hours have been rubbish but the situation appears to have improved. We will see.