tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13578507148088381222024-03-05T08:38:00.448+00:00Idoru KnitsKnitting, crochet, design and blogging.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-64647653436310817752017-08-21T19:13:00.000+01:002017-08-21T19:13:29.881+01:00Published: Lotus Blossom Wrap pattern<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>My latest magazine commission is now available from all good newsagents!</i></span></span></span></h3>
<br />
<hr color="#444444" size="2" width="100%" />
<br />
I’ve recently had another pattern published, this time in <i>Knit Now</i> magazine. This is another rectangular wrap, like my <a href="http://idoruknits.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/new-pattern-poplar-tree-lace-wrap-now.html" target="_blank">Poplar Tree Wrap</a>. It looks very different, though, and uses my new favourite stitch: lotus flower. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4KV2o4IeeYj3P-q8H_8hJgSb2s4qd2yRxF6-bQL90L2qD5T9VGcuJECr-uKdZycyAyo93SMGx3n3wH3adz4BV2PNsP32FHCctRvoS7BUTCT560FH1yIKXYhBcDJl2p-Mx9f0Igvg5Wo7/s1600/LotusWrap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="714" height="602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4KV2o4IeeYj3P-q8H_8hJgSb2s4qd2yRxF6-bQL90L2qD5T9VGcuJECr-uKdZycyAyo93SMGx3n3wH3adz4BV2PNsP32FHCctRvoS7BUTCT560FH1yIKXYhBcDJl2p-Mx9f0Igvg5Wo7/s640/LotusWrap2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Lotus Blossom Wrap pattern in situ. This features in<i> Knit Now</i> 77.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The brief for this was Indian summer, so I wanted something inspired by India’s national flower, the lotus. I Googled it, thinking it might bring up some images I could use as a base to create a lotus using yarn overs or different textured stitches.<br />
<br />
Instead it came up with the lotus flower stitch. This is created by knitting five times into a knit five together. This makes a stitch that looks like a five-petalled flower resembling a lotus floating on water. I had the main body of a wrap. Next I worked out a lacy leaf edging to complete the piece. <br />
<br />
I wanted a varigated silk yarn for this, and the one suggested by the magazine was lovely. It felt luxurious and the yellow, orange and red colour wss so vibrant. I almost changed the name of the pattern to Fire Lotus, but decided not to as not everyone would use that colour or even that yarn.<br />
<br />
The silk wasn’t perfect, though. The dye stained my fingers yellow – I looked like I had an 80-a-day Woodbines habit. So if you do use it, take care. I would also suggest giving the finished wrap a wash to get out any stray dye. <br />
<br />
The wrap appears in <i>Knit Now</i> 77, which is on sale right now from newsagents and the <a href="http://www.knitnowmag.co.uk/" target="_blank">magazine’s own website</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqrq5U-tLIuayoOA9cmws2SewnuMp85Ivutw6j_hyeQ1GqizX3EIIOMD53Ck8esVbXM2UOoX7LW3Zz7kk0KBZ1D8U_fmAotSQy8WSaWBjfZP-xZ2KV-yGQNJqOTjyaIluJvRfA2O2uTQv/s1600/LotusWrap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="531" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqrq5U-tLIuayoOA9cmws2SewnuMp85Ivutw6j_hyeQ1GqizX3EIIOMD53Ck8esVbXM2UOoX7LW3Zz7kk0KBZ1D8U_fmAotSQy8WSaWBjfZP-xZ2KV-yGQNJqOTjyaIluJvRfA2O2uTQv/s640/LotusWrap.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close-up of the leaf edging and lotus flower stitches.</td></tr>
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<br />Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-48979737590909082442017-08-15T18:24:00.000+01:002017-08-15T18:24:00.317+01:00New pattern: Poplar Tree Lace Wrap now available<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>My most recent pattern is now live on Love Knitting</i></span></span></span></h3>
<br />
<hr color="#444444" size="2" width="100%" />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>WELL</b></span> that was quick! It was only yesterday that I wrote about my Poplar Tree Lace Wrap knitting pattern awaiting approval on Love Knitting. That same evening I received an email confirming that my pattern had been published. Indeed it has, and it can be <a href="https://www.loveknitting.com/catalog/product/view/id/190558/" target="_blank">found here</a>.<br />
<br />
Please do take a look, share it with any other knitters you know and, of course, you could buy it …<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkB_Sk5gHhZNYqOXzRN91YSETYIqWxlNjzSuIiAzP2jRMrbtfSxtx6vckzEb6BrP80b2K08J2eDiY7mLagj41PYUKxpm04MneoXfdR_FCGkWyyTWAFr7CKP8wsYVlDHq-yuXngPBTsK-H/s1600/Poplar+Tree+Lace+Wrap+2LR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkB_Sk5gHhZNYqOXzRN91YSETYIqWxlNjzSuIiAzP2jRMrbtfSxtx6vckzEb6BrP80b2K08J2eDiY7mLagj41PYUKxpm04MneoXfdR_FCGkWyyTWAFr7CKP8wsYVlDHq-yuXngPBTsK-H/s1600/Poplar+Tree+Lace+Wrap+2LR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Poplar Tree Lace Wrap by Idoru Knits.</td></tr>
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<br />Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-733168063031760782017-08-14T14:04:00.003+01:002017-08-14T14:04:21.558+01:00Poplar Tree Lace Wrap knitting pattern<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>My latest pattern is finished and currently waiting approval. Fingers crossed!</i></span></span></span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #444444;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
<hr color="#444444" size="2" width="100%" />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>FIRST</b></span> some exciting news: someone bought one of my patterns! My <a href="http://idoruknits.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/design-notes-stars-and-stripes-crochet.html" target="_blank">Stars and Stripes Fingerless Mitts</a> crochet pattern is live over on <a href="https://www.lovecrochet.com/catalog/product/view/id/177191" target="_blank">Love Crochet</a>. And just last week it was downloaded for the first time. I’ve asked in the pattern that if anyone makes the mitts to share on social media and to tag me. I really hope they do. I’d love to see their finished product and hear what they think of both the mitts and the pattern itself.<br />
<br />
My latest pattern was submitted to Love Knitting for approval on 11 July. It takes five working days for approval so I’m currently waiting with baited breath. This is a rectangular lacy wrap: Poplar Tree Lace Wrap knitting pattern.<br />
<br />
I really like the way this has turned out. I originally made the pattern for <i>Knit Now</i> magazine and I didn’t like the yarn they chose. It was varigated, which I think is wrong for lace as it disguises the pattern, and a double knit, which I thought too heavy. So I reworked it for Scrumptious Lace by Fyberspates. This is a gorgeous luxury yarn and a solid colour. You can make the whole wrap with one skein, so it doesn’t end up costing too much. I think it works much better in this yarn.<br />
<br />
I should find out if the pattern has been approved by the end of this week (18 July 2017). I’ll post a link as soon as I have one...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0E70fYBsRXq_Ma4oS83dthMi5aa08G7uMvcSvC2JIhCnpykBFVMOz2yfN1wNJQIWgUYeq8lYkDjdPPgXCcA5amjdkBqs9rKQtboI47D93X2wqD_nsuqnTm9ONJG0VHmG0U0YjQwHbpR3m/s1600/Poplar+Tree+Lace+Wrap+1LR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0E70fYBsRXq_Ma4oS83dthMi5aa08G7uMvcSvC2JIhCnpykBFVMOz2yfN1wNJQIWgUYeq8lYkDjdPPgXCcA5amjdkBqs9rKQtboI47D93X2wqD_nsuqnTm9ONJG0VHmG0U0YjQwHbpR3m/s1600/Poplar+Tree+Lace+Wrap+1LR.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Poplar Tree Lace Wrap. I really like this. It's a fun knit and makes up surprisingly quickly.</td></tr>
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<br />Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-6653623916130787332017-07-26T13:42:00.002+01:002017-07-26T13:42:37.544+01:00Big Sam version 2<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>This was for an assignment for a creative writing course I did. This was my original idea, but I soon realised I wouldn't be able to fit it into the 1,000-word limit, so I changed tack. <a href="http://idoruknits.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/big-sam.html" target="_blank">That version can be read here</a>.
But I wanted to continue with my first idea, and this is the result.</i></span></span></span></h3>
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<hr color="#444444" size="2" width="100%" />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>THE</b></span> man checks his watch and grins. Same time, same place, every day. He pushes the street cleaning machine up the dropped curb and onto the pavement, stopping in exactly the same spot outside McDonald's as every other morning. He switches the machine off and locks its wheels in place. He checks the heavy-duty black plastic bag; it's half full, just as it should be at this point in his morning routine. He pulls off his gloves and tucks them into his belt before yanking open the heavy glass door and entering the restaurant.<br />
<br />
At the counter he orders the same thing he does every morning: bacon and egg mcmuffin with fries and a large black coffee. He waits the few moments it takes for the order to be prepared and then carries it over to his usual table. He settles into the yellow moulded chair, his food and drink carefully arranged in front of him. He starts, as ever, with the coffee. First stirring in three sugars, he takes a sip of the hot, black liquid. The sweet, insipid taste floods his mouth as he swallows, relishing the slight burning sensation at the back of his throat. He unwraps the muffin and takes a large bite. He chews enthusiastically, shoves a few of the fries into his mouth. The muffin is demolished in two more bites and he turns his attention to the fries, finishing them with the same efficiency. He wriggles his ample backside against the smooth, cool plastic of the seat and holds his cardboard coffee cup in both hands.<br />
<br />
His colleagues on the council cleaning team can't understand his love for McDonald's, the cheap fast food and watery coffee, or his pleasure at the ritual repeated every morning, but he doesn't care – it's his routine and he's going to stick to it. He smacks his lips as he drains the last of his drink and congratulates himself on a job well done. Gathering up the detritus from his breakfast to be tipped into the bin on his way out, he returns to his cleaning machine on the street.<br />
<br />
Big Sam they call him at the council and he knows they laugh at him behind his back because of his routine, but he doesn’t care. Order is important. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444;">***</span></div>
<br />
Sam checks his watch. He grins – he’s done it again. Same time, same place, same ritual. The girl behind the McDonald’s counter smiles at him; she’s already started on his order. He pays for his food with the exact change, and takes his tray to his usual spot. <br />
<br />
Sam freezes. He blinks hard and, balancing the tray with one fist, rubs his hand across his eyes. But when he opens his eyes the interloper is still there. A boy sitting, no slouching, in Sam’s seat. The seat that he always sits in. The boy can’t be older than 15, wearing a hoodie and jeans that must be at least three sizes too big. He’s shovelling fries into his mouth, chewing loudly. <br />
<br />
Sam doesn’t know what to do. In all the years he’s been coming here this has never happened. He waits. That kid should be on his way to school, Sam thinks, outraged. But the boy shows no sign of moving. Seconds stretch to minutes and Sam’s food is getting cold. He will have to sit down and eat. But where? He manoeuvres to a table close to the invader and sits down. <br />
<br />
He tucks into his breakfast, but finds he can’t enjoy it. He eats quickly, glaring at the teenager in his seat. But it makes no difference. The boy doesn’t even notice. Sam abandons the remains of his meal on the tray and leaves the restaurant. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444;">***</span></div>
<br />
The display on his digital wristwatch informs Sam that, as ever, he’s arrived at McDonald’s at exactly the right time. But for once he doesn’t feel like congratulating himself. Instead he’s apprehensive – what if that awful teenage boy is in his spot again?<br />
<br />
He cautiously enters the restaurant, forcing himself to look only at the counter. He doesn’t want to crane his neck around and see his seat already occupied. He’s determined that he’ll behave exactly as he has done in all the years he’s been coming to this McDonald’s on the Lewisham high street. The person behind the counter has changed, he notices. This doesn’t concern him – the ephemeral nature of the staff is, paradoxically, one of the many constants about McDonald’s that Sam finds so reassuring. <br />
<br />
Sam orders his usual meal and as the server passes the loaded tray, Sam takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. It’ll be all right, he reassures himself. He turns towards the seat, his seat, and there he is, the invader, the cat among Sam’s well-ordered ranks of pigeons. Sam is horrified. This time, he decides, this time he isn’t just going to put up with it. <br />
<br />
He marches to the table and hauls his bulk into a seat on the opposite side to the boy; the wrong side, it feels strange and Sam thinks he doesn’t quite fit, like there’s slightly less space on this side of the table. The boy frowns. <br />
<br />
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Granddad?” He asks, his belligerent tone masking his shock. <br />
<br />
“This is my table,” says Sam. “I always sit here.”<br />
<br />
“Not today, you don’t.” <br />
<br />
Sam ignores him and starts to eat. “How old are you, anyway? Shouldn’t you be at school?” He asks after a while. <br />
<br />
The boy shrugs. “No point, innit. What does school get you?”<br />
<br />
“An education. A proper job.” Sam indicates his green council-supplied overalls: “You don’t want to spend your life wearing these, do you?”<br />
<br />
The truth is Sam loves his job. He believes he’s doing good – keeping the borough clean and nice. But he knows that most people look down on him. He didn’t finish school, didn’t get any qualifications and if he regrets that now he knows it’s too late for him. But this kid is just starting out. <br />
<br />
The boy shifts uncomfortably in the plastic seat, recalling the argument with his dad. The old man was a loser, and the boy tried to tell himself that he didn’t really care. <br />
<br />
“What’s your name, anyway?” Sam asked. “I’m Big Sam.”<br />
<br />
Sam’s voice pulls the boy from his reverie. “Oh, yeah. Paul.”<br />
<br />
Sam nods as if he somehow expected this answer. He turns his attention to his breakfast and for a while silence rules. <br />
<br />
And then Paul begins to speak. He’s not even sure why, but this quiet, big man instills a kind of trust. “It was my dad, weren’t it? He said school’s no good for the likes of me. Said I’d never amount to nothing anyway, so’s I might as well not go.” <br />
<br />
There’s a catch in Paul’s voice as he talks, and Sam briefly glances at him; the boy doesn’t notice, he’s staring down at the scratched plastic table. He reminds Sam of a frightened puppy and the big man knows that he’ll have to be careful not to scare the boy off. Sam hasn’t got kids of his own, but his sister Jemima had four strong boys and Sam had always been good with them.<br />
<br />
Sam thinks of his own pa, how he was no more than 18 years old when he’d given up everyone and everything he knew to get on a leaky ship to London. That journey from the West Indies almost killed him, he always said, The only thing that kept him alive was determination; Winston knew that he was meant for better things than death at sea. He would make it to Great Britain and make a life there. <br />
<br />
Winston found a home in Lewisham and there he met tall, beautiful Ghanian Wanda, whom he courted and married and who gave him two children. But Wanda failed to flourish in cold, wet London and every year there seemed to be less of her, until eventually she was just gone. <br />
<br />
Sam wonders what Winston would say right now. Winston, who had always told his children that they could be whatever they wanted, who had worked three jobs to give his kids the best start in life he could, and who had dropped dead of a heart attack at 50. He was simply exhausted, the doctors said. Winston would never have allowed the words ‘never amount to anything’ pass his lips, especially not where his children were concerned. <br />
<br />
“Well, it seems to me,” Sam said, slowly and thoughtfully, “that maybe your pa’s jealous.”<br />
<br />
Paul opens his mouth, ready to defend any perceived slights to his family, but he realises there were none. He thinks on what Sam said. “Why would he be jealous of me?”<br />
<br />
“He sees that you got all kindsa opportunities he never had. He’ll be worried that some day you’ll just leave him behind.” <br />
<br />
Paul pulls a face. He’s not convinced; far as he can tell it’s the other way round: his dad’s the one leaving him behind, him and his mum. But what if Big Sam has a point, Paul wonders. His dad always said he didn’t have much time for education, but maybe the truth was that education had never had much time for him. <br />
<br />
Sam thinks he can almost see the thoughts whirring behind Paul’s eyes. He doesn’t know why he cares about this kid who has now ruined his breakfast two days on the run. But for some reason he does. Somehow it matters to get just this one boy back into school where maybe he can make something of his life.<br />
<br />
“My old pa always said people could be anything they wanted to, so long as they tried hard enough.<br />
<br />
Paul laughs. “Yeah? So how come you ended up sweeping the streets?”<br />
<br />
There’s a silence as Big Sam turns his head to stare hard at the boy. “Maybe I didn’t try hard enough,” he says.<br />
<br />
Paul frowns. He feels like he’s been tricked somehow, but he’s not sure how. He thinks over Sam’s words; they make sense. But he still can’t shake the feeling that he’s somehow having the wool pulled. The boy gets up to leave, sliding his skinny bum along the slippery seat. He doesn’t say goodbye, but as he passes Sam, the older man mutters “See you tomorrow?” Paul nods. <br />
<br />
The next day Sam finds himself hurrying on his round just a bit. He arrives at McDonald’s before 9am and cranes his neck to see if Paul is at what he’s already thinking of as ‘their’ table. The boy is there and Sam realises he’s pleased, and he doesn’t at all mind that he’s early. <br />
<br />
Paul picks disinterestedly at his fries, his eyes darting towards the door every few seconds. He clocks Sam and the corners of his mouth turn up, until he catches himself and carefully puts his expression back into neutral. <br />
<br />
Sam takes his food to the table, sits down and starts to eat. At first they sit in silence, but then: “Did you go?” Sam asks.<br />
<br />
Paul shrugs his left shoulder. “Stuff to do,” he says. Sam nods his understanding, as if this truncated reason explains everything. “What ‘bout today?”<br />
<br />
That shoulder rises again, almost touches the boy’s ear. It’s a gesture of defiance, but Sam sees the doubt in Paul’s eyes. He reckons he’s got the boy. Paul’s scared, though he’d never admit it, but the seed that Big Sam planted yesterday has taken root: school might not be such a bad idea. But Sam realises it’s today or never. If Paul procrastinates any longer he’ll talk himself out of it. Today is vital. <br />
<br />
Sam leans back in his seat, stretches his long arms and with exaggerated movements looks at his watch. “Still plenty of time,” he says. A ghost of a smile appears on Paul’s face. The boy gets to his feet. “Fries are cold,” he says by way of explanation. He abandons his rubbish on the table, despite the many signs asking customers to use the bins. He doesn’t say goodbye, just takes his leave.<br />
<br />
Big Sam’s mouth stretches into a grin that seems to cover his whole face. He’s proud – of himself and Paul. He’s already looking forward to seeing the boy the following day.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-86594827938260460642017-06-25T10:29:00.000+01:002017-06-25T10:29:11.425+01:00Big Sam<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>This is the final piece from the creative writing course I've just taken. I really enjoyed writing this. I hope you enjoy reading it</i></span></span></span></h3>
<hr color="#444444" size="2" width="100%" />
<br />
The man checks his watch and grins. Same time, same place, every day. He pushes the street cleaning machine up the dropped curb and onto the pavement, stopping in exactly the same spot outside McDonald's as every other morning. He switches the machine off and locks its wheels in place. He checks the heavy-duty black plastic bag; it's half full, just as it should be at this point in his morning routine. He pulls off his gloves and tucks them into his belt before yanking open the heavy glass door and entering the restaurant.<br />
<br />
At the counter he orders the same thing he does every morning: bacon and egg mcmuffin with fries and a large black coffee. He waits the few moments it takes for the order to be prepared and then carries it over to his usual table. He settles into the yellow moulded chair, his food and drink carefully arranged in front of him. He starts, as ever, with the coffee. First stirring in three sugars, he takes a sip of the hot, black liquid. The sweet, insipid taste floods his mouth as he swallows, relishing the slight burning sensation at the back of his throat. He unwraps the muffin and takes a large bite. He chews enthusiastically, shoves a few of the fries into his mouth. The muffin is demolished in two more bites and he turns his attention to the fries, finishing them with the same efficiency. He wriggles his ample backside against the smooth, cool plastic of the seat and holds his cardboard coffee cup in both hands.<br />
<br />
His colleagues on the council cleaning team can't understand his love for McDonald's, the cheap fast food and watery coffee, or his pleasure at the ritual repeated every morning, but he doesn't care – it's his routine and he's going to stick to it. He smacks his lips as he drains the last of his drink and congratulates himself on a job well done. Gathering up the detritus from his breakfast to be tipped into the bin on his way out, he returns to his cleaning machine on the street.<br />
<br />
Big Sam they call him at the council and he knows they laugh at him behind his back because of his routine, but he doesn’t care. Order is important. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
Sam checks his watch. He grins - he’s done it again. Same time, same place, same ritual. The girl behind the McDonald’s counter smiles at him; she’s already started on his order. He pays for his food with the exact change, and takes his tray to his usual spot. <br />
<br />
Sam freezes. He blinks hard and, balancing the tray with one fist, rubs his hand across his eyes. But when he opens his eyes the interloper is still there. A boy sitting, no slouching, in Sam’s seat. The seat that he always sits in. The boy can’t be older than 15, wearing a hoodie and jeans that must be at least three sizes too big. He’s shovelling fries into his mouth, chewing loudly. <br />
<br />
Sam doesn’t know what to do. In all the years he’s been coming here this has never happened. He waits. That kid should be on his way to school, Sam thinks, outraged. But the boy shows no sign of moving. Seconds stretch to minutes and Sam’s food is getting cold. He will have to sit down and eat. But where? He manoeuvres to a table close to the invader and sits down. <br />
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He tucks into his food, but finds he can’t enjoy it. He eats quickly, glaring at the teenager in his seat. But it makes no difference. The boy doesn’t even notice. Sam abandons the detritus of his meal on the tray and leaves the restaurant. <br />
<br />
In his haste, Sam has left the place early; he hasn’t checked his watch and, distressed by the presence of this stranger ruining his carefully planned routine, he isn’t looking where he’s going. The first he sees of the woman is when he collides with her. He’s a big man and he’s moving fast, she doesn’t stand a chance - she goes straight down and lands heavily on her backside. Just like a sack of potatoes, Sam thinks, and immediately recalls the disappointment of eating his fries in the wrong seat. <br />
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The woman emits a loud ‘oof!’ as the air is knocked out of her on impact with the pavement. Sam’s attention is pulled to the woman. She’s inspecting her palms, the skin has been scraped off. It stings, but it’s the only injury she’s sustained. <br />
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“Oh my word!” Sam exclaims. “I’m so sorry.”<br />
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“Sorry?” She squawks. “Sorry won’t get me up off this pavement.”<br />
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Abashed, he extends both hands to take hold of her wrists and help her back to her feet. Gently he pulls her to standing and as she rises he realises he knows her. She’s older - who isn’t? - but he would recognise those sparkling light brown eyes anywhere. <br />
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“Lottie?” He asks, still holding on to her bird-like wrists. “Lottie Mabuse? I sat next to you in English class.” <br />
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Lottie nods, but the look on her face is quizzical. She doesn’t recognise him. And then a smile breaks out, revealing a row of shiny white teeth behind her red lipstick. “Sam Benson,” she says. “You got big. And older. But I guess we all got that.” Rather sadly she touches her greying hair. <br />
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“Oh, but we should go out for a drink this evening. Talk about old times.” <br />
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Sam is gobsmacked. Go for a drink with this grown-up vision of the girl he had such a crush on at school? But this evening is Gogglebox on the telly and shepherd’s pie for dinner. He thinks about the boy in his seat, about how he wouldn’t have bumped into Lottie if that boy hadn’t been there. He grins and says: “Yes. Let’s do that.”Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-82443465253539010862017-05-08T19:40:00.003+01:002017-05-08T19:40:55.556+01:00Disco Inferno<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>I’m doing a free online course in fiction writing. The piece below was the first writing assignment, inspired by the first thing heard on the radio. I heard Burn, baby, burn! Disco inferno!</i></span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>DISCO</b></span> pulled the curly platinum blonde wig off her head to reveal her own short, greying locks. She pulled a face at herself in the mirror, the same one that George the landlord had stuck lightbulbs all round the edge. “Just like a real dressing room in one of them fancy theatres, Dis,” he'd said. “It won't be long till you've got one of your own, one with your name on the door.” But that was 30 years ago, and George and the mirror and the lightbulbs and Disco herself were all still there. “All a bit tarnished now,” she muttered to herself ruefully.<br />
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She tugged a baby wipe from the tube on the dressing table and started cleaning off her make-up. Underneath the thick foundation her skin was pale and lined. She was tired, she realised. She'd been Disco Inferno for so long, singing the same songs, performing the same dances, she could barely remember her real name or the mousy girl who had hidden behind the stage make-up and Marilyn Monroe wig.<br />
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She was only 50, but she felt like she was 100 years old. It was her birthday; no one had wished her happy birthday, not even George. She picked up the rapidly warming glass of chardonnay and saluted herself. “Half a century and what have you done with your life?” She asked the reflection in the mirror. No career, no family, no husband. George had asked once. Convinced she about to hit the big time, she'd said no. He never asked again.<br />
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“We've seen some changes round here, ain't we, Dis?” George had said to her earlier that evening. She grunted non-committally. She didn't want to be reminded of the lost years, of how she hadn't made it out of Deptford, hadn't even made it out of the Dog and Bell.<br />
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She dropped the soiled baby wipe in the waste paper bin and tossed back the rest of her wine in one gulp. She buttoned her faux fur coat over the skimpy outfit she knew was too young for her. She pushed open the door into the bar; George was still wiping down tables. “All right, Dis?” He said. “Another drink?”<br />
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“No, thanks. I've got to get off home.”<br />
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“Course.” He smiled and his face lit up.<br />
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He's got kind eyes, she thought. I should have said yes, all those years ago.<br />
<br />
“See you next week, then?”<br />
<br />
“Yeah, next week.” She smiled back and left the pub.<br />
<br />
There was no one about as she walked along Watergate Street, going in the opposite direction to her tiny flat. She stopped at the edge of the Thames and stared down into the dark water. Would it be cold, she wondered. Would her body go numb before the sodden weight of her coat dragged her into the murky depths? “I'm sorry, George,” she whispered into the night, and took one final step.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-77963509205700911482017-03-16T18:19:00.001+00:002017-03-16T18:19:40.877+00:00Design notes: Stars and stripes crochet fingerless mitts<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Learning a new crochet stitch inspired these warm and comfy fingerless mitts, the pattern for which is my first on Love Crochet</i></span></span></span></h3>
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<a href="https://www.lovecrochet.com/catalog/product/view/id/177191" target="_blank"><b>THIS</b> pattern</a> was inspired by a video on how to crochet the star stitch, which popped up on my Facebook timeline. <i>How might I use that stitch?</i> I asked myself and these fingerless mitts were what I came up with.<br />
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The star stitch creates a very thick, stiff fabric that I thought would make a really cosy mitt. The yarn I used was left over from another project, but I thought it would be ideal for this one. It’s acrylic so hard wearing but also very soft. An aran weight, it crochets up quickly and the colours really show off the pattern.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFH-Fv5GLG88mZKJsHTzsnZNRMm1piHT5ISDM0lCTlaGLKLG8jyAKuvRQLWDJDanDWOJqtPOQtCK7cCNRVK0r14ar3IxBUcqdeKsGK5uQkq8Lnkrn1REAiqBie5ZEOb3hd_KeMDb_fb7f/s1600/StarsAndStripesFingerlessMitts1LR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFH-Fv5GLG88mZKJsHTzsnZNRMm1piHT5ISDM0lCTlaGLKLG8jyAKuvRQLWDJDanDWOJqtPOQtCK7cCNRVK0r14ar3IxBUcqdeKsGK5uQkq8Lnkrn1REAiqBie5ZEOb3hd_KeMDb_fb7f/s640/StarsAndStripesFingerlessMitts1LR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really like the stripped effect and the way the yarn really shows off the star pattern</td></tr>
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I wanted a ribbed cuff at both ends of the mitts. These are to help keep them in place, while the one that covers the fingers can be folded back to free up those digits if you need to use them – great for if you’re shopping at a farmers’ market and don’t want to take off your mitts and risk leaving them behind (or is it just me who does that?). I’ve been on crutches recently and discovered that the mitts are a great way of keeping your hands warm while having your fingers free to grip the crutch handles. <br />
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I adapted the star stitch slightly from the instructions given in the video. I think the resulting pattern stands out more, it looks more ‘starry’. As well as amending the star slightly, I also had to work out how to create a thumb. I figured it would simply be a case of adding some extra chains at the right place in the mitts and then working these stitches until the thumb piece was big enough. <br />
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I tested out several different ways of working the stitches: double crochets, half treble crochets, slip stitches, working just the front loop, the back loop and so on. In the end I went for the simplest option and I really like the way it turned out. <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Please do check it out, let all your crafting friends know about it, and maybe even consider buying it</b>
</blockquote>
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This is the first – and as yet only – pattern I’ve got on Love Crochet. So far I’ve had no sales; obviously I hope this changes. But my timing wasn’t great – I uploaded the pattern at the end of February, when crafters would be thinking about spring and summer makes rather than cosy mitts. <br />
<br />
The <a href="https://www.lovecrochet.com/catalog/product/view/id/177191" target="_blank">pattern is available here</a>. Please do check it out, let all your crafting friends know about it, and maybe even consider buying it. It’s never too early to start crocheting those Christmas presents ...Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-18661379460787372572017-01-17T19:51:00.001+00:002017-01-18T15:02:21.288+00:00Patreon and cost of producing a knitting pattern<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>A new Patreon is looking at the financial side of designing knitting patterns. Interested in the outcome, I signed up</i></span></span></span></h3>
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<div class="content-box-grey">
Edited to add some facts and figures. As of today (18 January 2017), there are 157 patrons signed up to this project, pledging a total of $578. This works out to just under $4 per patron ($3.68), which means some people have chosen to pledge less than the $4 minimum to receive the patterns.</div>
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<b>A</b> couple of weeks ago someone I follow on Twitter retweeted an intriguing tweet from <a href="https://twitter.com/knitgrrl" target="_blank">@Knitgrrl</a>, AKA Shannon Okey. It was about a new<a href="https://www.patreon.com/knitgrrl/" target="_blank"> Patreon aimed at looking at the true cost of producing a knitting pattern</a> and how much money designers make.<br />
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The project takes place over the whole of 2017 and the idea is that patrons pledge $4 per week, in return for which they get a knitting pattern, again on a weekly basis. As the experiment progresses, Shannon will look in depth at the financial side – how much patterns cost to produce (photography, tech editing, sample knitters and so on), what was earned from sales on Ravelry as well as via Patreon, who got paid and why, and so on. She will consider whether the summer knitting slump has an effect and if knit-alongs or other events help sales.<br />
<br />
Money and creative people is a contentious subject. There seems to be a prevailing belief that we shouldn’t ask for any, that we do what we do out of love and being paid for it somehow detracts from that. This is rubbish. Creative people – whether designers, artists, authors or whatever – need to eat, and our time is just as valuable as the plumber who comes to fix your dodgy piping. You wouldn’t offer to pay them in exposure, would you?<br />
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<a href="https://www.patreon.com/knitgrrl" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IBlANA5zO0Y_5wQw1e-ljMnEbx8Uh2J4zcUmh8Iijwp5cYTnwK25_xxmBaUG5uJJnyrIvQctxybseCEH-gHq6szSKTV9iKVDJA7v3WhY8sC8EbBes9xPDxN0TO_BUAfplV3XWdAeIos8/s640/KnitGrrlPatreon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It’s incredibly hard to make a living as a designer and it seems that we’re being squeezed harder all the time. Knitting is a very time-consuming activity and there’s a lot of effort in getting to the final written pattern. This can involve coming up with the idea, making notes, sketches and swatches, sending proposals to magazines, sourcing yarns, knitting a sample, writing the pattern, getting it tech edited and test knitted. And this doesn’t even begin to cover the cost of having a website, marketing, creating and maintaining a brand etc etc. <br />
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I’m very interested in seeing how this project pans out. Over a whole year, $4 a week adds up to quite a lot; $208 in fact, which is more or less the same in Sterling following the Brexit idiocy. Will I like the patterns? How will I feel paying this amount of money over a year? What will I think when I find out to whom that money actually goes? <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>There seems to be a belief that creative people shouldn’t ask for money, that we do what we do out of love and being paid for it somehow detracts from that</b>
</blockquote>
<br />
The first pattern has already been released. It’s a bobble hat called Signy. It’s <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/signy" target="_blank">available on Ravelry for $6</a>. So what do I think? It’s a nice pattern, but it’s not something I would have chosen to buy. I don’t often knit hats and rarely wear them. I like the idea of wearing hats, but then forget to or choose not to because they’re just another thing to lose. I’m very good at losing things. <br />
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The PDF is nicely designed with some good photography. The layout of the text could use some cleaning up; there are some bad breaks, with words hyphenated across columns, making it difficult to read and which, as a magazine editor, I wouldn’t have let through. The three-column layout is quite cramped. But the pattern itself seems well written and easy to follow. Three sizes are given so it should fit most people.<br />
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As the project goes on, I shall document what I think of each pattern. I’ll also try to knit each one, or at least the majority of them, and talk about the finished article. Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-70726144160228988562016-02-03T13:59:00.000+00:002016-02-03T13:59:25.648+00:00Review: Sampled at Sadler’s Wells<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>This wonderful show provides a taster of some of the goodies that will be available in this north London venue’s 2016 dance programme</i></span></span></span></h3>
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I can’t claim to be a dance expert. I’ve been Sadler’s Wells a total of five times, I’ve seen <i>Billy Elliot</i> and I watch <i>Strictly</i>. That’s the sum of my dance experience (unless you count the many lost hours in various clubs, which it’s probably best not to). But I do love it, so I’m trying to get to know it better. <br />
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It was with this in mind that I went to <i>Sampled</i> at Sadler’s Wells on 30 January. This two-hour show provides a small taster of the venue’s upcoming season, hence the name. I didn’t really know what to expect as I’ve never been before. The show started with a short film of interviews with some of the performers of the first piece, <i>Outlier</i> by Wayne McGregor. Then the auditorium went completely dark, the lights on the stage went up and the performance began. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PXGL3ysGIRF53z5Bk54DB5oe-tuvHVNBpVgxFcF1vBqV3oGrlJx4vXzTrVn1s5S67vQ4WaHXt3k63-kJcfE__21bOdi0-TPtat5zR7VuLObfZPc_Pt5IJmCPIjY7inABlaWER3g95q82/s1600/SampledLR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PXGL3ysGIRF53z5Bk54DB5oe-tuvHVNBpVgxFcF1vBqV3oGrlJx4vXzTrVn1s5S67vQ4WaHXt3k63-kJcfE__21bOdi0-TPtat5zR7VuLObfZPc_Pt5IJmCPIjY7inABlaWER3g95q82/s320/SampledLR.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sampled at Sadler's Wells. I was a lot higher up than usual. Bit scary.</td></tr>
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<i>Outlier</i> is a contemporary ballet piece. To me it looked like ballet but exaggerated. There was an air of threat, of violence, to the performance. It was awe inspiring and powerful, but didn’t have the grace and beauty that I associate with ballet. It was stunning. <br />
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The act that really stole the show for me, though, were the duets by Julia Hiriart Urruty and Claudio Gonzalez. They danced two tangos in the first act. The first was heart-breakingly beautiful – the story of a man remembering his dead wife and bringing her back to life through dance. It moved me to tears. They also danced a more contemporary version to the song <i>Wicked Game</i> and then an impressively athletic tango in the second act. They were frankly amazing and I want to see them again – which is surely the point of the show. I will certainly be going to <i><a href="http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2016/immortal-tango/" target="_blank">Immortal Tango</a></i> at The Peacock next month. <br />
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Equally impressive, and also on the ‘must see again’ list, was Connor Scott performing his piece <i>Get Up</i>. This contemporary dance won him the BBC Young Dancer 2015 award, and it’s easy to see why. The piece was powerful, athletic and yet graceful; this 17-year-old is certainly one to watch. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>The first was heart-breakingly beautiful – the story of a man remembering his dead wife and bringing her back to life through dance</b>
</blockquote>
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Special mention must go to The Ruggeds, a world champion b-boy crew from The Netherlands. They performed <i>Adrenaline</i>, possibly the most appropriately named piece of the evening. This isn’t a dance form that I would usually watch, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and anyone with an interest should really book tickets to <a href="http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2016/breakin-convention-16-international-festival-of-hip-hop-dance-theatre/" target="_blank">Breakin’ Convention ‘16</a>, Sadler’s Wells’ festival of hip-hop dance. <br />
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Much more traditional was Zenaida Yanowsky’s rendition of the Dying Swan from <i>Swan Lake</i>. Making up the rest of the programme were BBC Young Dancer finalist Vidya Patel, performing a traditional Kathak dance <i>Khoj - The Search</i>, and 7 Fingers with <i>Nocturnes</i>, a dreamlike contemporary dance and circus crossover. <br />
<br />
They were all excellent. All incredibly different and a wonderful example of the breadth of dance styles. I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening and will definitely be sampling (haha! Sorry …) this show again next year. Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-22247214477255198742015-11-12T18:48:00.001+00:002015-11-12T18:48:41.073+00:00Art: Empty Lot by Abraham Cruzvillagas<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>The latest installation to grace Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall provides interesting comment on the urban and natural environments</i></span></span></span></h3>
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I really love the Turbine Hall installations at Tate Modern. I love how they’ve used that space, turned it into part of the art itself. It would have been so easy to simply convert it into more gallery rooms, but instead they’ve made that cavernous area into both a challenge and an opportunity for artists – how are you going to fill this, how are you going create art here?<br />
<br />
The latest artwork is an interesting one. It’s called <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/hyundai-commission-2015-abraham-cruzvillegas-empty-lot" target="_blank"><i>Empty Lot</i> and is by Abraham Cruzvillegas</a>. It features two sets of massive triangular seed trays. These are suspended above the floor of the Turbine Hall on scaffolding. All the materials are found or recycled.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkBH7GBQyrAdOwC8fxVDApH6FciuzDHCdpPH8wbsPneBeFCBzU2QbP-QWb5jNCq4oJOxuDZBEnjqrIJqO_WL6K3_qpEG7FxeMJUPUbuycCJbXtPBDNOPqHVILaw4hQHQONhciVohr6lTh/s1600/Empty+Lot+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkBH7GBQyrAdOwC8fxVDApH6FciuzDHCdpPH8wbsPneBeFCBzU2QbP-QWb5jNCq4oJOxuDZBEnjqrIJqO_WL6K3_qpEG7FxeMJUPUbuycCJbXtPBDNOPqHVILaw4hQHQONhciVohr6lTh/s640/Empty+Lot+1.jpg" width="589" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing has started growing in this series of trays yet. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Each of the trays has been filled with soil from parks and gardens across London. The soil is being watered and lamps provide light and heat. And that’s it. The artist – and his audience – is simply waiting to see what will appear. It’s very likely that the soil will contain all kinds of seeds; mostly grass seeds, but there could be all kinds of wildflowers and maybe even some insect lavae. The question is whether any of these will develop.<br />
<br />
When I visited one set of trays was just soil still, but the other side had a variety of what appeared to be grasses growing. My plan is to go back several times throughout the exhibition – it runs till 3 April 2016 – and see what’s changed. Will the plants that started growing survive? Will more grow? What sort? Will swarms of insects emerge from the dirt?<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>There are plenty of examples of species thriving in an urban environment, Red Foxes being one of the most ubiquitous, but Collared Dove and Carrion Crow are also survivors</b>
</blockquote>
To me this piece represents the interaction between the urban and natural environments: in these times of increasing urbanisation how will nature react and survive? There are plenty of examples of species thriving in an urban environment, Red Foxes being one of the most ubiquitous, but Collared Dove and Carrion Crow are also survivors. Sadly there are many more that are suffering. My knowledge doesn’t run to plant species, but it seems likely that these will be mirroring animals: the most adaptable species will increase while the more specialised will decline and eventually become extinct. <br />
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I also think the work says something about the tenacity of nature. The grasses are growing – and hopefully more will do so – despite being transplanted and a lack of natural sunlight. We tend to think that our imprint on this world will be permanent, but it won’t. Humans have had a devastating effect on the natural environment, but this won’t last. The world will long outlive us.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ml8sxBG8pS-AOxkaavZJsUUAg0UN03mCa8Ag8sD3NidZ9GaNFGvRHnb3F7GpvmxzLNwsTptYlx3jKpFZQ1ytdBZAnixLTq0cRhxuxZfWkxirwXU_ED__HgO_BwA7WQafb4LGs63tZnDn/s1600/Empty+Lot+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ml8sxBG8pS-AOxkaavZJsUUAg0UN03mCa8Ag8sD3NidZ9GaNFGvRHnb3F7GpvmxzLNwsTptYlx3jKpFZQ1ytdBZAnixLTq0cRhxuxZfWkxirwXU_ED__HgO_BwA7WQafb4LGs63tZnDn/s640/Empty+Lot+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Above and below:</b> grasses are beginning to develop</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xP7tOqtpXFbUL5SwA-VpLNF0JjXIDG28dsG5-smWxsTcBrkyvN4onSQTz_mHLblfg-X499q73MPsAMt33yhX4Gm5WH9LORAR_2y6PV183jEB5sHCb4Ecob6o01e6ocRsm6b9bRG-pwwy/s1600/Empty+Lot+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xP7tOqtpXFbUL5SwA-VpLNF0JjXIDG28dsG5-smWxsTcBrkyvN4onSQTz_mHLblfg-X499q73MPsAMt33yhX4Gm5WH9LORAR_2y6PV183jEB5sHCb4Ecob6o01e6ocRsm6b9bRG-pwwy/s640/Empty+Lot+3.jpg" width="545" /></a></div>
Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-31548066100489463692015-10-27T13:27:00.000+00:002015-10-27T13:27:08.214+00:00Falling leaves<h3 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>One of my newest projects is this fun mystery crochet-a-long</i></span></span></span></h3>
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I’ve still got a knitted dress and a crochet blanket to finish, so starting two new projects might not have been the best idea. But they both sounded like a lot of fun. Here I’ll talk about the first: a mystery crochet-a-long. <br />
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I only recently completed my first-ever ‘a-long’, <a href="http://idoruknits.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/update-roseroot-shawl-knit-long.html" target="_blank">a knitted shawl</a>. I liked the finished piece and enjoyed the mystery element, so when the designer, Rohn Strong, mentioned a mystery crochet-a-long (MCAL) on his <a href="https://instagram.com/rohnstrong/" target="_blank">Instagram account</a> I decided to sign up for it. All I knew about it at that stage was that it would be an afghan.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_12TJ81waV8G9c-BsrZ8ggpFZfUrOgdMwOaj5_ya1DRNMEuUwqJgxlEFlB-AlMkUM1p84Qm8Qwmbut9mnDEmIzJBRLxHmhz4XYb1g04nEKGhqv6jvEpiHFcezscXitxEU2Mb5fhxZLlh/s1600/ElfEars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_12TJ81waV8G9c-BsrZ8ggpFZfUrOgdMwOaj5_ya1DRNMEuUwqJgxlEFlB-AlMkUM1p84Qm8Qwmbut9mnDEmIzJBRLxHmhz4XYb1g04nEKGhqv6jvEpiHFcezscXitxEU2Mb5fhxZLlh/s320/ElfEars.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were meant to be leaves; they look more like elf slippers, or maybe ears</td></tr>
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The pattern calls for yarn in five different colours. It’s called <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fall-garden---mystery-afghan-crochet-along" target="_blank">Fall Garden</a>, so I chose a selection of autumnal shade. The suggested yarn is Deborah Norville Everyday Soft, but I couldn’t find that in the UK. Instead I’ve used Stylecraft Special Aran, which seems to be very similar.<br />
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I’ve completed the first four clues and the fifth and final one arrived in my inbox late yesterday (27 October 2015). I had some issues with the first clue. I was supposed to be crocheting leaves but what I ended up with looked more like elf slippers. I did five of them before I thought to check on Ravelry. And yes, I had got it wrong. Thank the knitting gods for Ravelry and for people uploading their photos! A lesson on why it’s so important to read the instructions properly. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4y3YR_NXsckvIau2FOk8cTFX37xM_qbT9iOE8NT9Z4NYvWKzNmRw0fCIDgO26NTYa8Lp8JBEnoOqd1HIA0zaOBqZuu07XXugyJuEuMDOMzDm168ph6fIq3PplglIpY-ocM0UlUS4V_-p7/s1600/Leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4y3YR_NXsckvIau2FOk8cTFX37xM_qbT9iOE8NT9Z4NYvWKzNmRw0fCIDgO26NTYa8Lp8JBEnoOqd1HIA0zaOBqZuu07XXugyJuEuMDOMzDm168ph6fIq3PplglIpY-ocM0UlUS4V_-p7/s320/Leaves.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaves, as they're meant to look!</td></tr>
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I undid the five elven slippers and made some leaves instead and from then on I’ve been going great guns. Clue 2 was a flower. Clue 3 was five more of the flowers in a different colour and clue 4 was the same. I like these easy clues! The final clue is how to assemble the afghan.<br />
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I’ve enjoyed this MCAL. I’ve learnt some new techniques and I think both the flower and leaf motifs look lovely. It’ll be interesting to see how it all hangs together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rl5VJcqqLiAQl0EaMJ8VJnOgSHJRcg4BLHSSWJaYzvNGrWNvBfTTj17oTMvxXlLCV-KrW4h2_2qFT29z-UID-75X1rkHS-aCVywwZ6mJplFDihUXHeGGfD8qnyGDY9mHq6XphN6xUhMq/s1600/Flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rl5VJcqqLiAQl0EaMJ8VJnOgSHJRcg4BLHSSWJaYzvNGrWNvBfTTj17oTMvxXlLCV-KrW4h2_2qFT29z-UID-75X1rkHS-aCVywwZ6mJplFDihUXHeGGfD8qnyGDY9mHq6XphN6xUhMq/s320/Flower.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first flower. There are another 10, in two different colours.</td></tr>
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<br />Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-81597080739728802522015-10-01T21:16:00.001+01:002015-10-01T21:20:30.764+01:00Toxic masculinity and how it damages us all<h3 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Masculinity and privilege are thorny topics, as writer Matt Haig found out recently. Here’s my response to his blog post</i></span></span></span></h3>
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This was going to be an email to Matt Haig in response to his blog post about <a href="http://www.matthaig.com/some-thoughts-on-privilege/" target="_blank">mental health and masculinity</a>, but it got too unwieldy for an email so I thought I’d post it as a blog. Really it’s too long and unwieldy for a blog post, too, so read as much or as little as you like. <br />
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I pretty much agree with everything Matt has written. I’m rather disappointed that he’s been discouraged from writing a book on this subject by Twitterers who essentially think he’s wrong to care that men are killing themselves in increasing numbers.<br />
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Concepts of masculinity that repress emotion and encourage violence are equally bad for men and women. We need address this if we are to improve life for all genders. <br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Boys don’t cry</b></span><br />
We start them young, telling schoolchildren that ‘boys don’t cry’. I believe this amounts to psychological abuse. Crying is an important – if not necessary – emotional outlet, and to deny that to a child must be hugely damaging. How else is that child going to express emotion? Well usually through the only route left to him: violence and anger. <br />
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We encourage boys to fight, telling them to stand up for themselves, to not be weak or cissies or, worst of all, girlie. Because this is what happens when you admit of two, polar genders. What one is – masculine = strong, admirable, desirable and so on – the other becomes the opposite, making the feminine weak and undesirable. Being a girl is bad; for a boy, being associated with girls and girliness is hugely insulting. <br />
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There are massive problem with this, for both boys and girls. Being strong brings benefits: adventurousness, confidence, self-belief, among others. Girls who show these characteristics are called tomboys, because girls aren’t meant to be like that, are they? They should be demure, quiet and retiring. Adventurous, outgoing girls are a bit abnormal, a bit boyish.<br />
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Our girls are growing up with no self-confidence (read <i>The Confidence Code</i> by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman for more on this). In world already stacked against them (think unequal pay, women underrepresented in all walks of life, lack of power and so on and so on), we aren’t adequately preparing our girls to succeed. <br />
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And what about the boys? There are the ones that don’t fit the mould. The ones that don’t want to raise their fists to defend themselves, who cry when they’re hurt, whether physically or emotionally. These children are bullied, made fun of, laughed at, and not just by other kids but by adults too, who should know better. And then there are the ones who do resort to fighting.<br />
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In either case these children are not being given the tools they need to deal with the complex emotions that human life brings. Instead they’re being taught that emotions are not for them, not if they want to be real men. Feelings should be hidden away, repressed, their only emotional outlets are anger and violence.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSW0IUXxukURbkReyVrngVM6QlDxZLZ_mgR9yGqwDTdHvzoPTc743I6bfaIXJwB46CHr4_fDXofUA0zJ8wmtGyw_E1hSj2wphItZpqnYDhMUl3exoea3dijgL151moPK6r2GRQC7DxSIHa/s1600/Regret_Neil+Moralee1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSW0IUXxukURbkReyVrngVM6QlDxZLZ_mgR9yGqwDTdHvzoPTc743I6bfaIXJwB46CHr4_fDXofUA0zJ8wmtGyw_E1hSj2wphItZpqnYDhMUl3exoea3dijgL151moPK6r2GRQC7DxSIHa/s320/Regret_Neil+Moralee1.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/neilmoralee/13747234805/" target="_blank">Regret by Neil Moralee </a></td></tr>
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Boys who can only express feelings through anger and violence will grow up to be men who can only express feelings through anger and violence. This won’t always come out as actual violence. In fact mostly it won’t. One of the more confusing things we do to our boys is punish them – with violence, either physical or verbal – when they do ‘stand up for themselves’. So they learn to express their anger in other ways. <br />
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In the adult world this could be aggressiveness in the sports field or in business; it could be a need to control a man’s own life and those of people around him; it could be that he completely shuts down when faced with emotions he can’t deal with. <br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Silent isn’t strong</b></span><br />
How can you talk about something that you’ve hidden so deep inside yourself that even you can’t recognise it anymore? You can’t. How do you admit you have an emotional problem when your entire life you’ve been told that men, real men, don’t have emotions? You don’t. <br />
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A friend of mine once described depression as anger directed inwards. There are many ways in which I don’t agree with this. I think of anger as being quite a galvanising emotion – it prompts you to get up and do something, even if that something is negative, whereas depression is all about the apathy. <br />
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But in other ways it seems totally right. Anger is an incredibly destructive emotion that causes all kinds of damage, and depression is so very damaging. It separates you from yourself and then turns that self into an object of hate. The final, though certainly not inevitable, outcome of that hate is suicide.<br />
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The most recent figures for suicides relate (<a href="http://www.samaritans.org/about-us/our-research/facts-and-figures-about-suicide" target="_blank">from the Samaritans</a>) to 2013. In that year, 78% of all suicides were men and the rate of suicide among men was at its highest since 2001. Suicide is the leading cause of death for men aged between 20 and 34 in England and Wales. The proportion of male to female deaths by suicide has increased steadily since 1981. <br />
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These figures don’t show the whole picture, of course. Men tend to choose more violent methods of suicide which are more likely to succeed. When you take into account attempted suicides, men and women are more evenly matched. But still, more than three quarters of suicides were men. That’s shocking. And one of the reasons given is that men are reluctant to seek help. Think about what this means: in modern society people are being driven to take their own lives rather than admit they have a problem. There is something deeply wrong with this. <br />
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If your reaction to this is a sarcastic “Boohoo!” or “Didums!”, as some people’s was on Twitter, then that’s part of the problem. Ridiculing men who don’t fit into a fixed and dangerous concept of masculinity contributes towards male anger and violence, it strengthens those forms of masculinity that we should be breaking down. If someone is in pain, we should react with sympathy, regardless of gender.<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Anger turned outwards</b></span><br />
Arguably much more frightening is that anger that isn’t turned inwards. The anger that leads to violence towards women. Last year 150 women were murdered by men. This is significantly higher than the average of 104 women killed in this way per year. Male violence towards women increases in times of economic hardship (this government is creating a situation in which women die). <br />
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As a woman, this is both shocking and terrifying. What’s worse is that it doesn’t even begin to cover the amount of violence and abuse that women experience on a daily basis. One thing that I’ve experienced is a man standing in front of my gate so I couldn’t get into my flat until I gave him my telephone number. He then phoned the number to ensure it really was mine. Only then did he leave me alone. I have plenty of similar stories. <br />
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<b>Boys who can only express feelings through anger and violence will grow up to be men who can only express feelings through anger and violence</b>
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There are women who have been threatened, spat at, even punched just for turning a man down. It’s incredibly common for a woman to be called a bitch or a slut because she didn’t react with rapturous joy after a man has yelled at her in the street. I count myself lucky because these things haven’t happened to me. Lucky because I’ve not experienced violence and abuse. That isn’t right.<br />
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There’s a growing movement on social media that says that we need to teach men not to rape instead of telling women not to get raped. This should be the ultimate no-brainer. I shouldn’t have to avoid going out at night, avoid certain areas of town, avoid wearing certain clothes, to ensure my own safety. I should be able to take it for granted that I’m not going to be attacked. <br />
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The vast majority of rapes and sexual assaults are not about sub-human monsters hiding in bushes and jumping out on unsuspecting women. No, most rapes are committed by ‘normal’ men – men we’re friends with, who we work with, who we sit next to on the bus, who pour our drinks in bars. Ordinary men who think they’re entitled to access to our bodies, who think that sex is a right rather than a privilege.<br />
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And why do they think that? Because that’s what society has taught them. And when they’re thwarted in their desires, they can’t go home and shed a few tears because they feel humiliated at being turned down (because let’s be honest, being turned down isn’t nice, it’s upsetting), they can’t turn to a friend and say “She said no and actually that hurt my feelings”. No, they have to ‘stand up for themselves’ and take what’s rightfully theirs. <br />
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Feminism is surely about equality. About lifting us all up so that we all have the opportunity to succeed. Mostly this will be about giving women more power, more opportunities, because, obviously, historically we have been denied this. It’s also about creating safe spaces for women by removing male aggression. The quickest way to do this is to remove men – give us women-only spaces, which is happening and is a good thing. <br />
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But even better is to have spaces where men and women can be together and be safe. Equality can’t be about dividing genders. It has to ultimately bring us all together. We don’t just want safe spaces, we want all of society to be safe. Doing this must involve giving men the emotional outlets they need so that they don’t have to resort to anger and violence.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-85507145890164845852015-09-09T13:41:00.001+01:002015-09-09T13:41:43.157+01:00All sewn up: the Rainbow Picnic Blanket<h3 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>My latest finished object is a crochet blanket that I’m really rather proud of</i></span></span></span></h3>
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It’s taken four months, but my <a href="http://idoruknits.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/on-needles-rainbow-blanket.html" target="_blank">Rainbow Picnic Blanket</a> is finally done, and I love it. <br />
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When you’re not following a pattern, just making it all up as you go along, you don’t really know how the thing is going to turn out. I didn’t know if the squares I’d chosen would work with this particular yarn. I didn’t know if the colours would go together. I didn’t even know how big the blanket would turn out. Did the squares need a border or just the blanket as a whole? <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikyszIf58JiUlC2cElJ5LAB75MOI8k1l8YQO4-BE6lU0oRqyN8Q2ZUmzByVIGtcs2IAtwQnoZgpSIm6n9hm3_QAfuo8W4TaFp1kq1s7Svy-GBc3SFBf0RfnqS2GlVGu94EMjWABcH_XebS/s1600/RainbowBlanket3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikyszIf58JiUlC2cElJ5LAB75MOI8k1l8YQO4-BE6lU0oRqyN8Q2ZUmzByVIGtcs2IAtwQnoZgpSIm6n9hm3_QAfuo8W4TaFp1kq1s7Svy-GBc3SFBf0RfnqS2GlVGu94EMjWABcH_XebS/s320/RainbowBlanket3.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished blanket. The colours work well and I like the scalloped border.</td></tr>
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But half the fun of creating your own pieces is the experimentation. I liked the way the squares turned out, they both really showed off the varigated nature of the yarn. But I wasn’t sure what to do about the border. In the end I decided to join the square in strips. I was going to crochet a border around each strip, but some good advice via Facebook meant I didn’t. Instead I sewed the strips together and put a border around the whole thing.<br />
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<b>I really don’t think I’d change anything about this design</b>
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My concern with simply joining the squares was that the colours might get lost next to each other, but I really didn’t need to worry. The colours work really well and definitely stand out. I always knew I wanted a white border around the whole of the blanket, finished off with scalloped edging using a fan stitch. So that’s what I did. <br />
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I really like the finished object. The colours are lovely, the yarn is soft but hardwearing (ideal for a picnic blanket), it’s just the right size and the border finishes it off perfectly. I really don’t think I’d change anything about this design.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SQUygDWO50kl0NUatKhmT9qT0fXWwPJ7cPhGhm9OIeUzKAdF9TcaD544DE4RvJzhRJ948XN8nFPgiC1WQGlTpOSeet8sGS4fpWxhvgQ5HIOa4D2AX5Jo8rMW_CkfmeH3Ob-LnDOntyba/s1600/RainbowBlanket4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SQUygDWO50kl0NUatKhmT9qT0fXWwPJ7cPhGhm9OIeUzKAdF9TcaD544DE4RvJzhRJ948XN8nFPgiC1WQGlTpOSeet8sGS4fpWxhvgQ5HIOa4D2AX5Jo8rMW_CkfmeH3Ob-LnDOntyba/s320/RainbowBlanket4.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blanket has got the all-important Betty seal of approval.</td></tr>
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Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-62810142427754502762015-08-25T13:42:00.001+01:002015-08-25T13:42:47.188+01:00Update: Roseroot shawl knit-a-longStandfirst and line style:
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>A couple of problems I’ve encountered while doing my first-ever MKAL</i></span></span></span></h3>
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The Roseroot shawl was my first-ever mystery knit-a-long, or MKAL; you can <a href="http://idoruknits.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/my-first-knit-long-great-shawl-mystery.html" target="_blank">read about how things started out here</a>. At that point I was on clue 3 and things were going well. Clue 4 had just been released and I was about to start.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQO5an6-gDvo8VkEf5r_N8h6q-PlFA2ngOXIlY5zPDeJa1oPqVDsaZhHpuBhpmhqkSD46garWsepXmkCT_eTWyQ-xRPW10rR5k51bzbL5jKrltn-zpqp2FnLoK5xVBY_2iMuAP33DuZ9q/s1600/RoserootMKAL5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQO5an6-gDvo8VkEf5r_N8h6q-PlFA2ngOXIlY5zPDeJa1oPqVDsaZhHpuBhpmhqkSD46garWsepXmkCT_eTWyQ-xRPW10rR5k51bzbL5jKrltn-zpqp2FnLoK5xVBY_2iMuAP33DuZ9q/s320/RoserootMKAL5.jpg" title="" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While I still love this yarn, I really don't think it's the right weight for the shawl.</td></tr>
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It was at this point that things started going wrong. Not because of the pattern or the organisation of the MKAL, I hasten to add. No, it was because of me. I got to row 2 of clue 4. This is the first lace row of the clue as all the odd-numbered rows are wrong side. The pattern is to repeat the lace chart until the last 9 stitches. However, I knitted across but had 10 stitches left.<br />
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I was sorely tempted to simply add in a k2tog – keep in mind here that there are 327 stitches to work through at this point – but I wasn’t sure if this would throw the lace pattern out. So I undid the whole row and counted all the stitches to make sure there really were 327. There were. I repeated the row. Same problem. I did it again. Same problem.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>The problem with being a perfectionist is that when you’ve decided you don’t like something, well, that’s it</b>
</blockquote>
Now lace rows are complicated and it’s very easy to miss out a k2tog or an ssk. But it is unusual for me to make the same mistake several times over, so I really couldn’t work out what I was doing wrong. I even put in stitch markers and knitted very, very slowly.<br />
<br />
After trying one more time I logged on to Ravelry to ask the designer if there was any advice he could give me. He mentioned slipping in a cheeky k2tog, too, but advised against doing that, so I’m pleased I didn’t go for that option. He gave such a generous and full response I was actually quite moved. I followed his advice and tried again. This time it worked. <br />
<br />
But another, much bigger, issue had now surfaced. I no longer liked the yarn. Well, I still liked the yarn, just not for this project. It was more to the laceweight end of things than 4-ply and the shawl just seemed too small. It would grow with blocking and in many ways the size isn’t hugely important, but the problem with being something of a perfectionist is that when you’ve decided you don’t like something, well, that’s it. So I undid the whole thing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupjJ4yyDp8YHAQDufWqZa2QusfFzfLk4wywVEfCCPhuBIrtNdRlWOMjpo39Qiy_f7MTXz2vSdpYFIvRWGwhzTrgYSSQAJlgnlXvXtr1W18pm46-gdFSPv6lsks13CoILqAdibYTOFcQ5g/s1600/RoserootMKAL6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupjJ4yyDp8YHAQDufWqZa2QusfFzfLk4wywVEfCCPhuBIrtNdRlWOMjpo39Qiy_f7MTXz2vSdpYFIvRWGwhzTrgYSSQAJlgnlXvXtr1W18pm46-gdFSPv6lsks13CoILqAdibYTOFcQ5g/s320/RoserootMKAL6.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This merino definitely works better to my mind.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was just prior to heading off for 10 days in Sardinia, where I would have very little to do other than eat good food, drink good wine, read and knit, so at least I was going to have lots of time to make up what I’d lost. And I have, in fact I’m even further on – I’m now up to clue five and will hopefully be posting pics of the finished thing soon.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYbmkgtu6EobfGGfHLPXehgGemtQPJegudt0v96tGWGp4v1gXCX7bAhjTO2KfZN13jgbyDq_d84AUOxeAvp0obL_lazAY-_Xzm959DY-hbII2HTb7-1JKAZFdW8uMv5JvxRo7Uv5esIW3/s1600/RoserootMKAL7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYbmkgtu6EobfGGfHLPXehgGemtQPJegudt0v96tGWGp4v1gXCX7bAhjTO2KfZN13jgbyDq_d84AUOxeAvp0obL_lazAY-_Xzm959DY-hbII2HTb7-1JKAZFdW8uMv5JvxRo7Uv5esIW3/s640/RoserootMKAL7.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up shot of clues 4 and 5.</td></tr>
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<br />Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-28430263975477816362015-08-10T13:46:00.000+01:002015-08-10T13:46:00.725+01:00Trip report: Birding and walking in the Highlands<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>A Highland break 'da solo' turned out to be huge amounts of fun</i></span></span></span></h3>
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<hr color="#444444" size="2" width="100%" />
<br />
I’d never been on holiday on my own before. Mostly because I couldn’t afford to, but also because holidays have always seemed like social things, to be enjoyed with another person, or lots of people. However, there was no way I was going to get The Chap on a birding and walking break and my mum, who would usually come with me, was in Wales with her sister. <br />
<br />
My birding targets aren’t very ambitious when I do these breaks. This time around I wanted to see Capercaillie and Dipper. The latter can be seen up in the Highlands anywhere there’s suitable water, while the former involved an early morning visit to Loch Garten RSPB.<br />
<br />
I decided to stay in Grantown-on-Spey as it seemed very well placed for exploring the wider countryside, as well as having plenty of walks, cafes, pubs and a couple of good hotels. This proved a good choice and I’ll definitely be coming back. My first choice of hotel, the Grant Arms, was fully booked, so a bit of research turned up the Craiglynne Hotel. Another good choice: the hotel was really well located, the staff so friendly and helpful and the food great. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-L8ryefAWe33s3gOj0N62XedbcnS69D-k0XnKKTK1Y4Udtst8P8KcUAbWLVIUWEk1RB0ipAo_7V_iOz7iWlPyAIY5saQInAVsJf9FL0HgCaxPFCQ0aIHpz7w7MGHrd6vS3tCNjcFyykP/s1600/Grantown1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-L8ryefAWe33s3gOj0N62XedbcnS69D-k0XnKKTK1Y4Udtst8P8KcUAbWLVIUWEk1RB0ipAo_7V_iOz7iWlPyAIY5saQInAVsJf9FL0HgCaxPFCQ0aIHpz7w7MGHrd6vS3tCNjcFyykP/s320/Grantown1.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The River Spey. </td></tr>
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<br />
Once I’d checked in and unpacked my case, I headed out for a walk to the River Spey and then into the town and back to the hotel. It was a nice start to my break and after an evening in the hotel bar and then restaurant, it was time for bed for an early start the next day. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Aside: good eating</b></span><br />
I’ve been to Scotland three times now and each time the food has been superlative. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many good restaurants in such a small area as in Edinburgh, while both my trips to the Highlands have offered up some bloody good food. The only disappointing meal I had this time around was that first night in the hotel. It wasn’t bad, just a bit tired seeming, like it had been out too long under those powerful lights they have in restaurants. <br />
<br />
Particularly good were the pearl barley risotto and chocolate pudding in the hotel and the pies at the famous ‘pie pub’, the Craig Bar. The bar is worth a visit even if you’re not eating. Massive selection of whiskies and really friendly staff. <br />
<br />
Sunday was Capercaille Day. I left early to get to Loch Garten RSPB. When I arrived there were already a number of people in the hide, but no Capers had been spotted. One had been around the previous day so we all had our fingers metaphorically crossed. The female Osprey was on the nest so most of us passed the time by watching her. <br />
<br />
Several hours went by and no Capers were seen. Then Caper-watch ended. This was the last one of the season and it was somewhat disappointing not to get my target. I headed back to the hotel for breakfast and a short nap. Then it was time for another, this time much longer, walk. And guess what? Fewer than five minutes into it, I stumbled across my other target: Dipper. An adult and a juvenile were bobbing up and down on stones in a fast-running streamlet. I watched for while, observing the youngster begging for food, which was steadfastly ignored. This was an excellent start to the walk, making up for my failure to see Capers.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9O-_bfzqaCb6VX7H6dl_tLrOtXbRKbUKwqX59DQj0nd27Uy1f-BhsvXUhuvTfqEcmh38tEq06-z5I1reYgI0svH1m_rm794jR5EhyEe_7i0NFXopVkOPXA6GwQZFIFnDJ_G55VW2zAUly/s1600/Grantown2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9O-_bfzqaCb6VX7H6dl_tLrOtXbRKbUKwqX59DQj0nd27Uy1f-BhsvXUhuvTfqEcmh38tEq06-z5I1reYgI0svH1m_rm794jR5EhyEe_7i0NFXopVkOPXA6GwQZFIFnDJ_G55VW2zAUly/s640/Grantown2.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dipper site. You can't actually see the Dippers in <br />
this photo, but they are there.</td></tr>
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<br />
The rest of the day was taken up with reading, colouring and checking emails and social media; along with drinking coffee and then later on a cheeky glass of wine, of course. Well I did say my birding trips were rather relaxed affairs.<br />
<br />
The next day was designated a walking day. I found a really lovely 5km circular route with views over the town, appropriately enough called the Viewpoints Walk. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Aside 2: ain’t technology grand?</b></span><br />
I got to Grantown using Google Maps on my phone. I got to Loch Garten and back the same way. I found the Viewpoints Walk by simply googling ‘walks around Grantown-on-Spey’. I found an excellent website called <a href="http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/" target="_blank">walkhighland</a>s that had a whole range of walks in – you guessed it – the Highlands. I downloaded the Google Earth app to my phone, downloaded the walk and used this to direct me. A little blue dot showed where I was on the walk so I couldn’t possibly get lost. This is quite important when you’re walking in the Highlands on your own. <br />
<br />
This was a very enjoyable, not-too-challenging walk for this lowland-dwelling walker. And the views were indeed spectacular. <br />
<br />
The afternoon brought lunch (a cheese scone and bowl of ice cream – all that walking meant totally guilt-free eating!). Then back to the hotel for rest and relaxation. <br />
<br />
The next day was my last full day in Grantown, a prospect that was rather sad. I was enjoying myself so much I really didn’t want to leave. I was planning on birding, but the day brought rain and I decided I didn’t fancy the drive to Loch Morlich. So instead I found another walk close to the town. This time an 8km trek through forest. Again it was beautiful. Photos were taken, warblers and tits were spotted and I fully enjoyed myself despite the rain. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>I’m not so bothered about not seeing Capercaille; it just means I’ll have to go back next year</b>
</blockquote>
Far too quickly it was time to go home. On my final morning, I breakfasted, packed, checked out and left for the airport. I had an excellent solo holiday and would definitely do it again. And you know what? I’m not so bothered about not seeing Capercaille. It just means I’ll have to go back next year …<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KHA7msY432PjBaBPEwtRvSDINGSM5riyWSb7Zbal9sZoYcoAm1pNZ2PD42_byqDKKE3BAaCgi_M1iuRr1N8Ddqe_d2K6gYmFAwcJDEdA-rIh3OzWtOasAqjyhDfNB4-FjXii3V0FKYZr/s1600/Grantown3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KHA7msY432PjBaBPEwtRvSDINGSM5riyWSb7Zbal9sZoYcoAm1pNZ2PD42_byqDKKE3BAaCgi_M1iuRr1N8Ddqe_d2K6gYmFAwcJDEdA-rIh3OzWtOasAqjyhDfNB4-FjXii3V0FKYZr/s320/Grantown3.jpg" title="" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first view from the Viewpoints Walk.</td></tr>
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<br />Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-91243343856189859122015-07-17T14:01:00.002+01:002015-07-17T14:02:04.615+01:00Review: King Rat by China Mieville<div style="background: white; border: solid 3px #882222; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18px; margin: 40px; padding: 10px; text-align: left;">
<span i=""><i><b><span style="color: #882222;">VERDICT: </span></b><span style="color: #444444;">A beautifully written modern-day urban fairytale
</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKundaDp67CJ3RM8lnKFiRXZ8h5Vnn7rXZs5nR0Gs-FKZTdmd8ncKWAe6JK2v_NbvXswA_BmeGDNyN_VVolR7GlQBdyyrYHuGUnwCaSpyRcJMZeO63Q2go64sx4_zxFGTLrxv4-Q_EcLw9/s1600/KingRat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKundaDp67CJ3RM8lnKFiRXZ8h5Vnn7rXZs5nR0Gs-FKZTdmd8ncKWAe6JK2v_NbvXswA_BmeGDNyN_VVolR7GlQBdyyrYHuGUnwCaSpyRcJMZeO63Q2go64sx4_zxFGTLrxv4-Q_EcLw9/s200/KingRat.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
I put off reading this for years because the blurb mentions drum n bass and jungle – two types of music I’m really not interested in. However, Mieville is one of my favourite authors and I plan to read everything he’s published, and that includes this book. And boy was I pleased I did. <br />
<br />
I’d describe this as a modern-day urban fairytale. It follows Saul, a young Londoner whose life is turned upside down when he comes home to find his father murdered. All the evidence seems to point to him as the murderer, so when a mysterious stranger, the titular King Rat, comes to bust him out of jail Saul has little choice but to go with him. <br />
<br />
What follows is a music-fuelled adventure through a fantastical London underground, complete with characters from myth, such as Anansi the spider. As Saul spends more time with King Rat he learns more about his own true character, and becomes embroiled in a centuries-long and deadly battle between King Rat and the Ratcatcher. <br />
<br />
The book is beautifully written. It reads as if written by someone totally in love with language, and I was surprised to find out it was Mieville’s first book – it seems like a much more accomplished novel. Although he was writing essays and articles long before he published his novels.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>I wonder if maybe at some point Gaiman and Mieville sat down and riffed on alternative Londons</b>
</blockquote>
There are definite shades of Mieville’s own <i>Un Lun Dun</i> and <i>The Kraken</i>, as well as Gaiman’s <i>Neverwhere</i>. This book, however, predates the first two by more than a decade and was published just two years after the <i>Neverwhere</i> TV show aired, so couldn’t have been influenced by any of these titles. I wonder if maybe at some point Gaiman and Mieville sat down and riffed on alternative Londons. <br />
<br />
This is one of Mieville’s most accessible books and would work as a great introduction to his work. I read it in just five days. It’s full of action but also quintessentially Mieville’s New Weird. Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-54101488899791412015-06-02T13:48:00.002+01:002015-06-02T13:48:40.562+01:00My first knit-a-long: the great shawl mystery<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>The Roseroot shawl by Rohn Strong is a shawl pattern that arrives as separate clues; I’m really enjoying this sweet little mystery</i></span></span></span></h3>
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<hr color="#444444" size="2" width="100%" />
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A knit-a-long is when several knitters all follow the same pattern, usually over a set period of time, and then compare the results. It can very local – a knitting group, maybe – or truly international, via Ravelry, for example. All participants can use the same yarn or choose their own, so the finished pieces might look completely different. <br />
<br />
Until now I’ve never taken part in a knit-a-long. I’m not really sure why. But when I saw that a designer of lovely shawls that I follow on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/strongandstone" target="_blank">@strongandstone</a>) was running a knit-a-long I decided I would give it a go. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0UWEHCQeh8PK_GyICYzRDeMPtfxyp81zxRo44MBiObXoDAzeLOk9zLKa5fcy6g_znGQVWwEc0ksUfQFJi8JyHH4PZgUo9Gw8ZwB83z71HBakB2n2QRQ_tarWBaCN_Dp4ch2BeBoqzxTd/s1600/RoserootMKAL1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0UWEHCQeh8PK_GyICYzRDeMPtfxyp81zxRo44MBiObXoDAzeLOk9zLKa5fcy6g_znGQVWwEc0ksUfQFJi8JyHH4PZgUo9Gw8ZwB83z71HBakB2n2QRQ_tarWBaCN_Dp4ch2BeBoqzxTd/s320/RoserootMKAL1.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the beginning: I've just started the first clue here.</td></tr>
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This particular KAL has an extra layer in that it’s a mystery. An MKAL. This means that we don’t get to see what the finished object looks like in advance. We know it’s a lace shawl or shawlette, depending on how much of the pattern you decide to follow, but that’s it. It also means we don’t get the full pattern, instead it comes in separate stages, or clues, every Friday.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>There’s something quite exciting and rewarding about watching a piece grow when you have no idea what it’s supposed to look like</b>
</blockquote>
I’m a bit behind as I’m still on clue three and clue five has already been released. That’s OK, though – I knit pretty quickly so I can catch up if I really want to. The stitch pattern for clue three is somewhat complicated and it’s really fun watching it knit up.<br />
<br />
Clue four is where we decide whether to go for the shawl or shawlette. Those choosing the latter simply miss out this clue, taking a week off the knitting, and go straight to clue five. I’ve already decided I want to do the full shawl. <br />
<br />
I’m really enjoying the MKAL. The pattern so far is lovely. I didn’t go for the suggested yarn; in fact I don’t think it’s available in this country (Rohn Strong is US based). But I did get one that’s very similar and is very gorgeous. It’s knitting up really well. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Gw6n6Je9NV4MYtuwDpMbBC4WHsgJifgA42K-g7vlhlC-PaOPF7myJL6osvZl_QBKoFzX6xbQPwXN7fblw_VxcaUcDDNetQuhE_jS8RWjbMHZviKmXw6lizrTrEesSApjAlAwqc7vBo1z/s1600/RoserootMKAL2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Gw6n6Je9NV4MYtuwDpMbBC4WHsgJifgA42K-g7vlhlC-PaOPF7myJL6osvZl_QBKoFzX6xbQPwXN7fblw_VxcaUcDDNetQuhE_jS8RWjbMHZviKmXw6lizrTrEesSApjAlAwqc7vBo1z/s320/RoserootMKAL2.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shawl grows: clue 2 is well underway.</td></tr>
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There’s something quite exciting and rewarding about watching a piece grow when you have no idea what it’s supposed to look like. Obviously it helps that the pattern is absolutely beautiful. I get the final clue today and hopefully will have the shawl finished by the end of the month. I will of course do a show and tell.<br />
<br />
I’m sure this won’t be the last MKAL I take part in.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6I-ufTFnjqDZZxGE7gRJVGmts8cOIjNvLko5q09UCOm_qqqyVQdi8hScMLZDPxWSvAaMLFbm3_efuJOiDJd-QmSx-XZhSK4Qr6_6yRf10QLpD44TSHisqSjghBSU53MmpAMGX-q9FdSSf/s1600/RoserootMKAL4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6I-ufTFnjqDZZxGE7gRJVGmts8cOIjNvLko5q09UCOm_qqqyVQdi8hScMLZDPxWSvAaMLFbm3_efuJOiDJd-QmSx-XZhSK4Qr6_6yRf10QLpD44TSHisqSjghBSU53MmpAMGX-q9FdSSf/s320/RoserootMKAL4.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About halfway through clue 3. You can really see the different stitch patterns now.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQO5an6-gDvo8VkEf5r_N8h6q-PlFA2ngOXIlY5zPDeJa1oPqVDsaZhHpuBhpmhqkSD46garWsepXmkCT_eTWyQ-xRPW10rR5k51bzbL5jKrltn-zpqp2FnLoK5xVBY_2iMuAP33DuZ9q/s1600/RoserootMKAL5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQO5an6-gDvo8VkEf5r_N8h6q-PlFA2ngOXIlY5zPDeJa1oPqVDsaZhHpuBhpmhqkSD46garWsepXmkCT_eTWyQ-xRPW10rR5k51bzbL5jKrltn-zpqp2FnLoK5xVBY_2iMuAP33DuZ9q/s320/RoserootMKAL5.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole piece so far.</td></tr>
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<br />Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-64430706058331444782015-05-22T08:55:00.001+01:002015-05-22T13:22:45.725+01:00Review: Nymphomation by Jeff Noon<div style="background: white; border: solid 3px #882222; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18px; margin: 40px; padding: 10px; text-align: left;">
<span i=""><i><b><span style="color: #882222;">VERDICT:</span></b><span style="color: #444444;"> This alt-Manchester-set thriller and urban fantasy is exceptionally well written
</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDp3lTYY-z8XfUbWkLkMoZX2qcqAC0l-8roYnZ8mPppGr4-V_VAHRcK1d1QU1ni4LZURXJeIgGL_SjFyEbXwK_Xet7KWheRgvy_iLyGOX8Va9bnQkjq5w5kttFD2koLpxpzgN-mRtSMhS6/s1600/Nymphomation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDp3lTYY-z8XfUbWkLkMoZX2qcqAC0l-8roYnZ8mPppGr4-V_VAHRcK1d1QU1ni4LZURXJeIgGL_SjFyEbXwK_Xet7KWheRgvy_iLyGOX8Va9bnQkjq5w5kttFD2koLpxpzgN-mRtSMhS6/s200/Nymphomation.jpg" width="138" /></a></div>
This is an exceptionally hard book to review. Not because it's bad – it isn't, it's excellent – but because it's almost impossible to define what it's about. <br />
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Gambling? Definitely. It nicely sums up our seeming obsession with the National Lottery and Euromillions, the faith of the poor and the desperate that a game of chance will turn their lives around. <br />
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But it's about much more than that. Love, friendship, mystery, murder, maths and the idea that information creates more information – it reproduces, hence nymphomation. <br />
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It’s 1999 and Manchester is in the grip of a new gambling game based on dominoes – match your domino with the randomly chosen one to win. One side means a smaller win, getting both means winning big. Every Friday night the populace of Manchester hold onto their ‘bones’ and hope to match the winning numbers. A double six garners the best prize, while a double blank (the ‘joker bone’) is the booby prize – no one knows what it is, but everyone knows it’s bad. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>A double six garners the best prize, while a double blank (the ‘joker bone’) is the booby prize</b>
</blockquote>
<br />
But of course there’s much more to it than that, and a small group of Mancunians are brought together to look at what really might be going on. What does the joker bone really represent? Who is the mysterious Mr Millions? What does all this have to do with groundbreaking yet dangerous maths research from the 70s? And what it the true nature of luck?<br />
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It’s hard to go into further detail without giving the game – pun intended – away. Suffice to say this is an exceptionally well written thriller crossed with urban fantasy. It’s part of Noon’s Vurt series, but doesn’t require the others to have been read.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-6468380508766847082015-04-21T13:57:00.002+01:002015-04-21T13:57:53.952+01:00On the needles: Rainbow blanket<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>My latest project is a crocheted blanket in a rainbow of colours</i></span></span></span></h3>
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I wasn’t meant to be starting another project (I still have a dress to knit and a blanket to crochet), but someone on a Facebook group I'm a member of advertised for sale a pack of acrylic in rainbow colours and my brain just went ‘That would make a great blanket!’ So I bought it. <br />
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I knew I wanted crochet rather than knitting, and I knew I wanted granny squares: something plain to show off the varigated nature of the yarn combined with something more lacy for interest. I found two suitable – and free! – patterns on Ravelry and started crocheting. <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>I knew I wanted granny squares – something plain to show off the varigated nature of the yarn combined with something more lacy for interest</b>
</blockquote>
<br />
I didn’t know how many squares I’d be able to make with a single ball of yarn, so it was really just a case of getting on with it and hoping I’d have enough squares to make a decent-sized blanket. I wanted one colour per row, and I figured I’d need two of the lacy squares and a minimum of four solid so that I could swap the positions of the former around in each row. <br />
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It turns out that I can get two lacy squares and five solid ones from each ball. Each square is 18x18cm and there are eight balls of yarn. That gives a blanket of 126x144cm, which is a pretty good size. I’ve done six of the eight balls so far, giving me 42 squares, of which 18 have been pinned out and blocked. I hate blocking, but the squares do look so much better afterwards, so I can’t help but think it’s worth the extra bit of effort.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlX8SBS5smk7fTafkcq8vQ9cjJdtk8PUuA0AZJwWIAhsl3Ny4mO16B5aOY5sYACXf87hbRfvfnFauVZmL6fY_cxeQziAk27meNikgL74GaZkJnGfMnHU4uPjiSlrhFuxraKZ-CJ7eJwRN/s1600/RainbowBlanket1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlX8SBS5smk7fTafkcq8vQ9cjJdtk8PUuA0AZJwWIAhsl3Ny4mO16B5aOY5sYACXf87hbRfvfnFauVZmL6fY_cxeQziAk27meNikgL74GaZkJnGfMnHU4uPjiSlrhFuxraKZ-CJ7eJwRN/s1600/RainbowBlanket1.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nine squares blocking.</td></tr>
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What remains is the decision on how to border and join the squares. I see three options. One, no border – just join. The second option is to join the colours in a strip and then put a white border around each of these before joining them. Third would be a border around each square and then joining the squares. With each option I would finish by crocheting a white border around the whole blanket. <br />
<br />
The first option would best preserve the rainbow effect and involve the least work, but the colours might not stand out enough and the effect of the lacy squares could be lost. I think the third one would look good, but the rainbow would be lost – it’s also the most amount of work. <br />
<br />
Trying to picture the three options in my head, I think maybe the second could be a good compromise between one and three. A thin white border between each strip should make the different colours stand out and show of the lace squares, while preserving those rainbow shades that really were the whole point of the blanket in the first place. I would then add a slightly thicker, possibly even scalloped, white border around the whole thing. Decision made!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwySZgS8OOm0bmSb0H-5J_rE9jwx10pceUHwwf0Drq-8C887abpmPMCTHyhYJl9vT1IU0SxCDH06N3azHIp70daXYiBKD_SOYJTA_wIgvAoetVmjIDnhTtzYO3o0QozLrNQ38oWK5LVviU/s1600/RainbowBlanket2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwySZgS8OOm0bmSb0H-5J_rE9jwx10pceUHwwf0Drq-8C887abpmPMCTHyhYJl9vT1IU0SxCDH06N3azHIp70daXYiBKD_SOYJTA_wIgvAoetVmjIDnhTtzYO3o0QozLrNQ38oWK5LVviU/s1600/RainbowBlanket2.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I might not enjoy the blocking, but the squares do look better, especially the lacy ones.</td></tr>
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<br />Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-54002585447629440362015-03-29T15:45:00.001+01:002015-03-29T15:47:04.857+01:00All sewn up: The Jane Deep V sweater<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>My latest finished project is a sweater that I designed to replace a worn-out but favourite item of clothing</i></span></span></span></h3>
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I recently put the final stitches in my Jane Deep V sweater. This is a sweater design based on Jane Norman piece I bought secondhand. The original was starting to fall apart and really needed replacing, so I took some measurements, bought some gorgeous alpaca yarn and started knitting. <br />
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I’ve changed a couple of things. The Jane Norman sweater has this thing at the front that I can only describe as an insert. I don’t really know what it’s there for – I guess it’s so that you can wear the sweater without something underneath, but why design a top with a deep V neck and then chicken out and put in that insert? It’s surely much better to keep the V and then use a different range of tops underneath to vary the look? <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMXa2WiEM3aAFHV1kjA66OxFlyQATBDaQ0Vru-Sudocp-z_MHcstnL8hVmgtsN1LmxnoUv5nMpB7QEuAVCZ8_XjFTRgpfvRkzlZ5gXlVP2akgZiYnmJNrzpCc-rBjwNwI0vODTzMctGUx/s1600/JaneSweater1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMXa2WiEM3aAFHV1kjA66OxFlyQATBDaQ0Vru-Sudocp-z_MHcstnL8hVmgtsN1LmxnoUv5nMpB7QEuAVCZ8_XjFTRgpfvRkzlZ5gXlVP2akgZiYnmJNrzpCc-rBjwNwI0vODTzMctGUx/s1600/JaneSweater1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Jane Deep V Sweater. It's very pink, and I'm not sure about the shoulder shaping, but overall, I'm <br />
pleased with how it's turned out.</td></tr>
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<br />
I also wanted more contrast between the collar, cuffs and hem and the main body of the piece, so I went for a pale pink for the latter and much brighter shade for the former. <br />
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It’s taken ages to finish this piece. It really has. Knitting the sweater was simple enough; it’s just a 2x2 rib for the edges and stocking stitch for the main body. But working out the maths to get that V right was complicated. Then I made a few mistakes as I went along and had to undo it several times. I forgot how to shape the sleeves at the shoulder, too, and had to redo those three times. I’m still not entirely happy with how they’ve come out. They look a bit puffy to me, but they’re close enough. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Can anything really be too pink?</b>
</blockquote>
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I’m not sure about the colour either. I never thought I’d say this, but maybe it’s too pink? Can anything really be too pink? I’m not sure. The size and shaping are pretty spot on, though. It fits really well and I love the way I can change the look just by changing what I layer underneath. A plain black polo neck with jeans and I’ve got a work outfit; a lower-cut lace-fringed strappy top and I’m set for going out. <br />
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I’d quite like to make this again in different colours. I think white with black trimming would work well and allow for some really bright colours to be worn underneath. <br />
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Overall I’m happy with the result. I think it looks better than the Jane Norman sweater it’s based on. What do you think?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVQI-CZvMtoqJkgygnDvx1s-xLwBJTYlCeiXUKxOOw6jLYz743_4m6Kjh7H6EIOiaBmFE8YHsJlZYkcHcNKn9tY_quUD9dXpdV81nAt9ynO41q7zDlUq8h03ccT5_xvORbliOUWKGeeM6/s1600/JaneSweaters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVQI-CZvMtoqJkgygnDvx1s-xLwBJTYlCeiXUKxOOw6jLYz743_4m6Kjh7H6EIOiaBmFE8YHsJlZYkcHcNKn9tY_quUD9dXpdV81nAt9ynO41q7zDlUq8h03ccT5_xvORbliOUWKGeeM6/s1600/JaneSweaters.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My take (left) on the Jane Norman sweater (right). I think I prefer my version, although I might be biased.</td></tr>
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<br />Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-16396622410472823642015-01-27T20:41:00.002+00:002015-03-04T13:35:15.494+00:00Review: Survivor by K R Griffiths<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>This novel take on the serial killer plot didn’t quite hit the spot</i></span></span></span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzg9vVZkhuHKtcwMP9fjfsQR-llex1JVnvu6IZYWP9Pt2ZL2cXsVcBFJ9tosrRlEIAhPFcCI9-Sd7yLUzQ2kurnNu_OhpBn3c3yGJ8KpLB10sVewN8oUay3R2b7mauBEQy5uJmHC0vmpM1/s1600/Survivor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzg9vVZkhuHKtcwMP9fjfsQR-llex1JVnvu6IZYWP9Pt2ZL2cXsVcBFJ9tosrRlEIAhPFcCI9-Sd7yLUzQ2kurnNu_OhpBn3c3yGJ8KpLB10sVewN8oUay3R2b7mauBEQy5uJmHC0vmpM1/s1600/Survivor.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8xyW8lb1K-NyLMTtWu5vRjqcU1e-Ce-bOr_auP8A1ADFNPffPCIfHle-rLASjxoTHFBcjLO1XfVvT31gMXBFl7OHQ9UA_UmNhIn-yCgcso9UBlJCx1VEnLDVGkOjXFHFOsJmW7Aa55Cp/s1600/2Stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8xyW8lb1K-NyLMTtWu5vRjqcU1e-Ce-bOr_auP8A1ADFNPffPCIfHle-rLASjxoTHFBcjLO1XfVvT31gMXBFl7OHQ9UA_UmNhIn-yCgcso9UBlJCx1VEnLDVGkOjXFHFOsJmW7Aa55Cp/s1600/2Stars.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>
THIS</b></span> is an interesting take on the serial killer story – told from the point of view of the killer. This gives us the opportunity to see how a person comes to be a serial killer.<br />
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We first meet Clive Barrett at work. Barrett is the perfect employee for his City bosses: quiet, successful, unassuming, he keeps to himself and doesn’t cause trouble. If anything the only problem is that he doesn’t join in enough, and in fact in these opening passages he is making his excuses and leaving his colleagues to their Friday night drinks. Barrett has other plans for his evening. <br />
<br />
Barrett wants to be the most notorious serial killer the UK has ever seen. But there’s set to be a spanner in the works; one of his previous kills didn’t stay dead, and she wants revenge. Thus begins a deadly game of cat and mouse. <br />
<br />
Barrett is a fledgling killer; he makes mistakes – the biggest of these leaving his new adversary alive. He tries to learn from these slip-ups. He has big plans. This is a completely different approach to the serial killer plot as I know it. The <i>Dexter</i> series of books is the only other story I know of that takes the serial killer as the main character. I haven’t read these but as far as I’m aware Dexter is already established as a very competent and deadly killer. <br />
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There is an awful lot of violence against women in the book. But it’s well handled. It can be easy for such stories to descend into misogynistic torture porn but Griffiths manages to avoid this. <br />
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So why only two stars? I don’t think we get enough into Barrett’s head – we don’t really understand why he’s a serial killer (unlike with, say, Dexter). Also the man is clearly a psychopath and it’s hard to have any kind of emotional connection to a character who himself is lacking emotions, even if it's just to dislike him. This is also my issue with <i>Dexter</i> and why I haven’t read it. <br />
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My main problem, though, is the ending. I found it deeply unsatisfying and unconvincing. I feel that Griffiths has sacrificed a realistic ending for the sake of a twist. And unfortunately I didn’t think the twist was that good. I won’t say what it is – you’ll just have to decide if you want to read the book!<br />
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For sake of clarity, I’m not comparing this book to the <i>Dexter </i>series, just using the latter as a reference. <br />
<br />
I received this book as part of the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_blank">GoodReads FirstReads</a> scheme.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-85369022153316069122015-01-08T13:25:00.000+00:002015-03-04T13:40:52.406+00:00Update: the Jane Deep V sweater <h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Holiday knitting meant some serious time devoted to finishing off this long-standing project – as well as plenty of eating, drinking and reading</i></span></span></span></h3>
<hr color="#444444" size="2" width="100%" />
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Well, the Christmas break is well and truly over. Nine days of not having to get up and go to work, of time to just knit or read, of presents, food and family – bliss. I used a lot of it to really get on with some knitting. I’ve been working hard on the Jane Deep V sweater, and I’m almost at the sewing up stage (my least favourite part, but never mind). <br />
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Front, back and one sleeve are all knitted up and I’ve already blocked the front and back. Sleeve one is currently on the blocking board. Sleeve two is almost finished, too. I cast on for it just before Christmas and had hoped to finish it before heading back to work. I didn’t quite manage that, but I was close.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73qhYEFAOCSBBXvdcQkEzMR2L3gnLY6VECA1xSzM5wyLyVbk0VswpezWBeQ5AluoEvvS0oHU7l5cdR1E0_-1KDWrEcYFl4_qr_GftdBM9Zx2SZVlDpq-32vkR6SD7v1mAQdFpU42xMPDf/s1600/JaneSweaterFront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73qhYEFAOCSBBXvdcQkEzMR2L3gnLY6VECA1xSzM5wyLyVbk0VswpezWBeQ5AluoEvvS0oHU7l5cdR1E0_-1KDWrEcYFl4_qr_GftdBM9Zx2SZVlDpq-32vkR6SD7v1mAQdFpU42xMPDf/s1600/JaneSweaterFront.jpg" height="320" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Jane Deep V sweater on the blocking board.</td></tr>
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As you can see from the photo above, this sweater has a really deep V neck (hence the name). I’m going to finish the V off with about 5cm of rib in the bright pink. Usually when I do the neckline on a sweater I sew one shoulder together and then pick up stitches around the whole thing, knitting the collar in one go. But I’m not sure if that will work on this sweater.<br />
<br />
The depth of the neckline means I’m going to have to pick up a huge number of stitches along the two downstrokes of the V, and I simply don’t know if even my 100cm circular needle is going to be able to cope with that many stitches. If I don’t do it in this way, though, how am I going to make the bottom of the collar work properly? <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Design is all about experimentation!</b>
</blockquote>
<br />
Normally with a V neck, you knit the collar in a single piece, using decreases at the bottom of the V to pull it in and preserve the V shape. If I have to knit the two sides separately I’m not sure how I’ll be able to replicate this. <br />
<br />
The only thing I can think of is to pick up stitches down one side and along the bottom of the V, knit the 5cm collar and cast off, then pick up the stitches along the other side, knit the 5cm and cast off again. This will give me two separate pieces of collar, with the first side having an ‘extra’ bit from the stitches along the bottom of the V. This would then be sewn into the edge of the light pink section, covering the edge of the second layer of collar. But I don’t know if this will look as good a ‘normal’ single-piece collar. This really isn’t easy to visualise, so I’ve sketched it out. Badly. The first sketch below illustrates my usual way of knitting the collar; the second my alternative.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBwL5oh_jk4WvKiSSfh0tKsigFnZCJB1OYr7AAGyRB0RV9SOX_2v99FH_X2Gg3md6JcxnLmn5ATr_O-vzLY2MklwYXRIOIff8yO2wKFaH9oKyW9HUlBjH1JfVLLxNvNILozzZ86_zZJmB/s1600/JaneSweaterSketch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBwL5oh_jk4WvKiSSfh0tKsigFnZCJB1OYr7AAGyRB0RV9SOX_2v99FH_X2Gg3md6JcxnLmn5ATr_O-vzLY2MklwYXRIOIff8yO2wKFaH9oKyW9HUlBjH1JfVLLxNvNILozzZ86_zZJmB/s1600/JaneSweaterSketch1.jpg" height="320" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top image demonstrates a 'normal' V neck, <br />while the above image shows my alternative.</td></tr>
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I can see this neckline turning out to be something of a challenge. Even if I do manage to fit all the stitches on the needle, it’s going to involve an awful lot of picking up of stitches and then of knitting all those stitches to complete the collar. And then I may well end up picking up several hundred stitches only to find that I can’t fit them all on the needle and have to undo all I’ve done and start again. Oh well – design is all about experimentation after all!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-79461973812948159802014-12-14T19:07:00.003+00:002014-12-14T19:07:55.670+00:00Rainbow blanket<h3 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Despite having several projects ongoing, I decided to start a new crochet blanket. It is winter after all, and you can never have too many blankets</i></span></span></span></h3>
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Given that I’ve already got three projects on the go, it probably wasn’t the best idea to start another one. But I bought some Ice acrylic yarn via a Facebook Group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/431491536903297/" target="_blank">wool for sale</a>, and felt inspired to crochet a blanket. There are eight balls of wool, each a different colour and varigated, so the idea was to make a rainbow blanket.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CD-NXnfqXFw/VI3edgHC1TI/AAAAAAAAD6s/yVMSHmWVO0k/s1600/RainbowYarn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CD-NXnfqXFw/VI3edgHC1TI/AAAAAAAAD6s/yVMSHmWVO0k/s1600/RainbowYarn.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magic Light from Ice Yarns in rainbow colours.</td></tr>
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I knew I wanted to create the blanket using crochet squares, using two or three different styles. The main square would be very plain to make the most of the varigated colours; the other squares would be lacy and there would be two per row. So I headed over to Ravelry and started searching. I quickly found three free patterns that exactly fitted what I wanted.<br />
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A couple of weekends ago The Chap and I went to Edinburgh for a long weekend, so I packed the patterns, a ball of yarn and my trusty crochet hook. First things first, I needed a sample of each square to see if they were the same size, or at least could be made to be the same size. And that’s when things started to go wrong.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0_7CdJ8CeZg/VI3e9PVzuHI/AAAAAAAAD60/oL-s095bRio/s1600/LacySquare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0_7CdJ8CeZg/VI3e9PVzuHI/AAAAAAAAD60/oL-s095bRio/s1600/LacySquare.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Locutus.</td></tr>
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I started on the first square, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/veolias-mormorsruta" target="_blank">Veolias Mormorsruta</a>. It soon became clear that the pattern was impossible to follow. It’s translated into English from Swedish, but I don’t think the translation is the problem. The pattern reads much like a technical challenge from <i>Great British Bake-off</i>: I’ve got the materials needed and some basic instructions, but half of it seems to be missing. I couldn’t work out what to do by studying the photo, and even checking Ravelry didn’t turn up any errata.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>The pattern reads much like a technical challenge from <i>Great British Bake-off</i>: I’ve got the materials needed and some basic instructions, but half of it seems to be missing</b>
</blockquote>
So I had to move on to the next square, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/locutus" target="_blank">Locutus</a>. This was much easier – I couldn't follow a couple of the instructions, but happilty I could work out what I was supposed to do by looking at the photo. The final square was a simple, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/solid-granny-square-2" target="_blank">solid granny square</a>. So having made a couple of samples of Locutus, all I had to do was work out how many rounds were required to make the solid square the same size. Turns out it was eight rounds of treble crochet with a final round of double. Simple.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P59Ggb10tho/VI3fFG8G5mI/AAAAAAAAD68/dm-88H6ooM8/s1600/SolidSquare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P59Ggb10tho/VI3fFG8G5mI/AAAAAAAAD68/dm-88H6ooM8/s1600/SolidSquare.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solid granny square.</td></tr>
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One ball of the Ice yarn will produce two Locutus squares and five solid ones. This should give me a blanket that’s about 130cm wide. With eight balls of wool, each in a different colour, it should be about 150cm long. So a nice size and when it’s done it’ll be perfect for wrapping around me when it’s cold.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-37499484813676934102014-11-26T13:58:00.001+00:002014-11-26T13:58:26.648+00:00All sewn up: Sirdar hooded baby jacket<h3 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>I’ve got several projects on the needles at the moment, so it’s been nice to finish this one off</i></span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #444444;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
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I have finished the Sirdar baby jacket I’ve been knitting for the past few months, and I think it’s looking good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mSop8YqzcyU/VHXbxHgn_LI/AAAAAAAADqA/crhLeQCyyoE/s1600/SirdarBabyJacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mSop8YqzcyU/VHXbxHgn_LI/AAAAAAAADqA/crhLeQCyyoE/s1600/SirdarBabyJacket.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished article. I really like the way this has turned out.</td></tr>
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<br />I really like the way the yarn has knitted up. The speckle effect works really well and the yarn is super soft (<a href="http://idoruknits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/review-sirdar-snuggly-baby-speckle.html" target="_blank">read my full yarn review</a>), so ideal for baby clothes. This is the first time I’ve used this yarn and I’m pretty impressed, although it did get rather splitty when reknitting after having undone a few rows.<br />
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I really enjoy learning new techniques, and this pattern involved two novel things for me: making a hood and raglan sleeves. The former was great. Hoods are so easy! This is good because I want to make a Little Red Riding Hood cabled cape with a hood. So now I should be able to work out how to make one in the right size. <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Overall I really like the finished piece, but I’m concerned about the size – I just hope the recipient gets some wear out of it</b>
</blockquote>
It’s really just a case of casting on sufficient stitches for it to go all the way round your head, knitting until it’s the right height, casting off a third of the stitches, working a third and then casting off the remaining third. You re-attach the yarn to the remaining stitches, and continue working on them until the piece is deep enough to cover your head. This forms the top of the hood.<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fR7KT69Etls/VHXcBQgg1pI/AAAAAAAADqI/LWItO_gMpZI/s1600/SirdarBabyJacketHood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fR7KT69Etls/VHXcBQgg1pI/AAAAAAAADqI/LWItO_gMpZI/s1600/SirdarBabyJacketHood.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hood detail. Photos by Idoru Knits.</td></tr>
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<div>
<br />The raglan sleeves, on the other hand, were a bit more tricky. This was down to different tensions, and is explained <a href="http://idoruknits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/update-where-i-am-with-my-wips.html" target="_blank">in more detail here</a>. But after a few attempts I got it right and they look OK. I’m also pretty impressed with my seaming. It’s so neat.<br />
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Overall I really like the finished piece. But I’m concerned about the size. I made the 6-12 months version and it matches the measurements given. In fact if anything it’s a few milimetres over. But it seems really small. I know babies are small, but they do grow quite a bit in their first year and I just don’t know if this will fit. But there’s not much I can do about that now. I just hope the recipient gets some wear out of it. And that both mother and baby like it.</div>
Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1357850714808838122.post-67398548533610347602014-10-15T14:03:00.002+01:002014-10-16T13:22:49.099+01:00Update: where's my knits at?<h3 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>A look at the projects I’m currently working on</i></span></span></span></h3>
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I’m working on four projects at the moment, two of which have been on the back burner for a while. Here’s where I’m up to.<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Baby jacket</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EYJTPOZk8nY/VD5tuxXO7AI/AAAAAAAADX4/8_LpkeLpMl8/s1600/BabyJacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EYJTPOZk8nY/VD5tuxXO7AI/AAAAAAAADX4/8_LpkeLpMl8/s1600/BabyJacket.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It might look a bit like a spider, but it's actually a baby jacket.</td></tr>
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This is what I’ve been working on most recently. It’s not going so well. As it’s a jacket there are five separate pieces: the back, two fronts and two sleeves. So far all five pieces are different lengths, and I’m not convinced any of them are the <i>right</i> length. It also seems a bit small. I’m making the 6-12 months size and it fits the measurements given, but it’s very little. But then I guess babies are still little at that age. I’ve checked out some sizing charts and compared it to baby clothes in BHS, and it seems to be the right size.<br />
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The different length pieces are more problematic. I’m not really happy with any of them, and while it’s possible I could fix them with blocking, I don’t really want to do that. Which means I’m going to have to undo them all and reknit them to make them the right length. <br />
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This is a lesson on why gauge is so important, and how difficult it can be to achieve. I did, of course, do a swatch before starting the jacket and the problem I had was that my tension was spot on widthways (number of stitches), but different lengthways (number of rows). So I had the exact number of stitches in my 10cm square, but too many rows (32 instead of 28). I don’t actually know how to fix this. If I upped the needle size then my stitches would no longer have worked, but if I don’t then my rows don’t work.<br />
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Usually the number of stitches is far more important than the rows – if your rows are too tight, like mine, then you simply knit more, if they’re too loose, then you knit fewer, you lucky thing. But this particular piece has raglan sleeves, so needs a nice even decrease along all the separate sections. This means the number of rows knitted becomes rather significant. All I could think of doing was to add in a few rows at regular intervals where I don’t decrease in order to make the raglans longer but still even. The problem with this is that I pretty much had to guess how many extra rows would be needed. My first guess was clearly wrong and the pieces were too short. So now I need to undo them all right to the beginning of the raglan shaping and add in a couple of extra extra rows. <br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Jane Deep V sweater</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ufT0O218Mps/VD5t6-n2YlI/AAAAAAAADYA/9U08z5wkhl4/s1600/JaneSweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ufT0O218Mps/VD5t6-n2YlI/AAAAAAAADYA/9U08z5wkhl4/s1600/JaneSweater.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back of my Jane Deep V sweater. <br />
I'm pretty much up to the neck shaping.</td></tr>
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This is one of my own designs that’s been languishing. I’ve completed the front but I’ve kind of got stuck on the back. I gave up on it for a while after having to undo about 30cm having found a mistake. I could have left it, I guess, but that’s just not the way I do things. I was right up to the neck shaping and had to undo it almost to the start. It was pretty demoralising. <br />
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The back is a simple stocking stitch, though, so reknitting won’t take too long and I have already completed a significant chunk of it. This does raise an interesting question though. I could easily have left this mistake. I had k2tog where I should simply have knitted. I was one stitch out. One. If I was using a chunky yarn that one stitch might have made a difference, but I’m knitting with 4-ply. All I had to do was decrease by one fewer stitch than I’d expected to at the neckline and it all would have been fine. So is it best just leave such mistakes or should you go back and correct them?<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>I shall take the finished blanket on many sunny, champagne-fuelled picnics</b>
</blockquote>
I always do the latter. I hate knowing there’s something wrong in my knitting. But this is time consuming and can be really quite demoralising if I’ve knitted a lot after having made the mistake. It would surely be better for my sanity if I were to leave such mistakes, but I just don’t think I’ll ever be that person.<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Dress</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rOVJBorg6LI/VD5uZhgxo-I/AAAAAAAADYI/liSgAGk09n8/s1600/Dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rOVJBorg6LI/VD5uZhgxo-I/AAAAAAAADYI/liSgAGk09n8/s1600/Dress.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back of my dress. It hasn't got a name yet.</td></tr>
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I started this ages ago and shelved it in favour of other projects. It’s another of designs and I’ve actually done quite a lot. The front is finished and the back is nearly there. So then it’s just the sleeves. The plan is to do full-length bell sleeves (ones that flare out towards the bottom), or ‘wizard sleeves’, as one of my friends calls them, because wizards’ robes always have flared sleeves. I do love this style of sleeve, although it’s not totally practical when eating soup. I guess wizards don’t eat much soup. <br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Picnic blanket</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gpYWDunWaug/VD5ukkQ57iI/AAAAAAAADYQ/uw2Ws6rtFMk/s1600/PicnicBlanket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gpYWDunWaug/VD5ukkQ57iI/AAAAAAAADYQ/uw2Ws6rtFMk/s1600/PicnicBlanket.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picnic blanket. This will be 2 metres long when finished. <br />
It's going to take some time.</td></tr>
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This is the only crochet project I’ve currently got on the go. I started it around the beginning of summer, knowing that it would take ages to complete. As there are so many different colours, it’s not the most portable of projects, but I did take it to Sardinia in June and managed to do quite a bit of work on it then. It’s something that I can easily pick up and put down and I’m planning on having it ready for next summer, when I shall, of course, take it on many sunny, champagne-fuelled picnics. <br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Postscript</b></span><br />
Since writing this, I’ve taken out the Jane sweater and managed to knit right back up to the the neck shaping while on a nice weekend trip to Cambridge. Yay for quiet weekends with the parents! <br />
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I’ve also undone and reknitted all the separate pieces for the baby jacket and am now adding the ribbed borders to the two fronts. Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07226320451102111523noreply@blogger.com0