October « 2007 « Tangelled Angel

October 31, 2007

SShhpooky

Filed under: General Ramblings — sweensie @ 7:00 am

We bought a skeleton in a cage that howls , eyes flash red and it shivers when there is a noise nearby (or us clapping at it)and hung it in the hallway in preparation for Halloween. Its battery operated and we have batteries in it and we had it switched on and tested, all ready to go.

My sister and BIL were round for dinner on Monday (it was a bank holiday here, much needed!) and we were all in the kitchen sitting round the table chatting after dinner, cats were out the back with the door closed, and next thing the skeleton in the hallway started howling all by itself!

We were a little spooked, sent my boy out to have a look, but there wasnt anything going on out there except the skeleton howling and shaking all by itself.

Maybe it just wanted some company?

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October 29, 2007

OOh La la, more vino anyone?

Filed under: General Ramblings, Inspiration — sweensie @ 7:39 pm

I know, this subject shouldn’t even be mentioned before Hallowe’en, but it IS coming up to Christmas, and like myself, I know that a lot of people like to stock up a little bit on beverages for that time of year.

Check out Petite France. It is an Irish website that is run by a cousin -in-law of mine. (Is that the right way to describe him? He’s married to my cousin…) He sells wine from the Alsace region in France, (where he is from) and other french goodies like foie gras* and pate, not to mention the pottery and the beauty products!!

At the moment they have a rugby world cup special on, which is still running even though France (and Ireland) didnt quite make it to the end. Its running up until the 10th of November, so pop on over and have a look!

Petite France also have a stall at the farmers market in Clontarf and as this is where one of my Guild colleagues also has set up her weaving business, I really should pop over there myself and have a look!

Okay, I know that a post without pictures is lacking a little something.

Here you go.

Taken on a walk through St Stephens Green in Dublin last week before knitting group.

*edit-I admit that I was a little ignorant about what this was and now that I know what it is, I’ll be having a little talk with my cil….I definately don’t condone this

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October 23, 2007

Tea, anyone?

Filed under: Knitting — sweensie @ 6:03 pm

Believe it or not, there is a finished object in this post!! Even if this is a little blurred ( it looked okay when I took the pic)

I don’t know if it was certain discussions amongst some of my knitting friends about teacosies, or the fact that the night before SnB in town (the first that I have been able to go to since before the Summer!!!) I emptied out my huge shoulder bag that I bought in Italy in order to make way for several knitting projects as I couldn’t decide what to knit on in SnB, and I came across a knitting pattern for a tea cosy that Ive been wanting to do for ages.

A quick scan of the pattern and I reckoned it was a good project to be doing whilst in a group of people, as we all know that knitting and bitching at the same time can often lead to the frustration of frogging back later on

I found some orange yarn that I got in the Avoca sale back in February, conveniently near me as I had wanted to knit a swatch of it to see what gadge it had and what it was like knit up (nice!), and a ball of recycled merino/acrylic blend yarn that was also near to hand.

I think the month thats in it also may have dictated colours.

I’m undecided yet about putting pompoms on it or not. Here’s one I made earlier…

Pompoms that is.

And I’m telling you, I think this is the last tea cosy I make where you need to sew up the sides…..it’ll be circular needles from now on and steeking if I have to!!!

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October 17, 2007

Knitting like a maniac

Filed under: Knitting — sweensie @ 8:00 am

My brain is being overrun with things I want to cast on, and I’ve done a little bit of that, and now I’m trying to slow it down a bit as I have so many things cast on (I’m terrified to even count them) by trying to actually finish something.

I can’t remember when I cast on for this*, but it is the most excellent pattern (Elfine’s socks) from Anna Bell and I tell thee, I WILL finish a pattern of hers before the year is out (we won’t mention the ever languishing Bridie in my knitting bag, looking at me mournfully every time I open it, “Knit me, Knit me”, she cries plaintively as I hurridly close the bag again)

* Ravelry comes to the rescue, it was June of this year. Hurrah for Ravelry!!

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October 15, 2007

Hero Worship

Filed under: Knitting — sweensie @ 6:20 pm

Thanks so much for all the congrats on the gate in the last post.

Its my first such project and I felt as if I’d just mastered a really difficult knitting pattern and put it on!!

I’m afraid, at this stage, I am not taking requests, sorry

Jo asked to see my C-Lap, and I have to admit that I haven’t touched it since I got back from Clare.

Well, I tell a little white one, I technically did touch it, as I had to take it out and arrange it to take a few photos. (Can you see the little paw on the right, Ronnie wanted in on the action)

Can you see the point where I changed over from struggling with the stitch markers and went to purls instead?

And here’s a bit of a close up on the dropped stitches, including bit of paw for size purposes.

But of course, we all like a bit of hero worship for our knitted items (I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy)

Even if he then feigns nonchalance and has a good wash.

Then I bundled it up and put it away again. After I picked off several black hairs…..

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October 11, 2007

What REALLY went on in Clare

Filed under: Clare, Friends, General Ramblings, Inspiration — sweensie @ 6:36 pm

It wasn’t all fun and games and watching the surfers in Lahinch and enjoying the sunny weather, and drinking beer and drinking wine and walking on the beach, dipping toes into the cold atlantic, watching and helping a 2 year old making sand castles, only for her to collapse them immediately.

It wasn’t wandering around Ennis with my friends, finding some old patterns and yarn in a charity shop, going for lunch, going for dinner, making dinner, drinking wine (oh said that already), chilling, knitting, watching my friend renewing her interest in knitting, explaining how to read a pattern to her, watching her knitting grow, hoping she wasn’t going to run out of wool, drinking wine, forgetting to tell friend not to knit while drinking wine,

I was working. Hard.

I made a Gate.

Look –>

Honestly, I did!

Here’s what it used to look like

Okay, thats really the original gate. Nice and red, just like a country gate should be, but falling to pieces.

It was kind of in position whenever we bought the cottage, but gradually fell apart. It was always on the list of things to do.

So a little bit of wood

Cut to size and sanded

and hung properly on the original fittings by my darling boy

while the original gate ~~stood by~~ relaxed, knowing that its work here was done.

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October 7, 2007

just popping by

Filed under: Clare, General Ramblings — sweensie @ 3:18 pm

Just back from Clare and had to say hello.

hello!

I really created confusion with my abbreviation of the previous post, didn’t I?

For those of you who are going and searching through Ravelry, and Knitty, and googling the word, C-Lap was an abbreviation (a little bit naughty) of Clapotis, and I just wrote it like that to be naughty but not to attract those lovely spam bots that are out there who hook onto naughty words like that….

So sorry!! hope you all get a laugh out of it anyway…

Comments (3)