Night of the naughty knubbelchen

Can I first say how lovely it has been to receive such wonderful comments on my previous posts - thank you to all my followers - you're all fab!

Back at the K's house...
It's been a nail biting afternoon. 

There has been some frantic knitting in the round.

Some double decreasing. 

A little bit of hat surgery.

Some knotting of hands.

And then at approximately half past seven this evening our knubbelchen arrived.

Now for those of you who have never met a knubbelchen before there is one thing you should know.

They can be very naughty.

Immediately he danced up on to the fireplace to conspire with Mr Woodpecker.

I wonder what he wants to know?

This was followed by some frantic searching.

Nosey knubbelchen!

Until at last he seemed to be satisfied that he had found what he was looking for.

You've guessed it - knubbelchen's love a nibble.

And, after a bit of a struggle...

...he was in!

Naughty knubbelchen!

Still who could get cross with such a happy face?

So he stayed around to dance on the piano.

And sniff the flowers.

And tomorrow he will tinkle (only because he has a bell in his head you understand - he is not THAT naughty!) his way southwards to my new second cousin.

I do hope he will behave.

Jane x

Blogwhatin?

Just a quick post to ask what the heckety heck is going on with all this bloglovin palava. Do I have to do something and what will happen if I don't? Heeeellllpppppp!

Jane x

Words, finds and some crocodile karma

How many words is wordless?
Okay I'm assuming it means none so there goes that idea of attempting one of those lovely evocative wordless posts I keep seeing.
For someone who was quite a shy girl who never spoke much I seem to have turned into a middle aged woman who won't shut up! Don't get me wrong - I do not wander down the High Street shouting at strangers (although this has happened recently when merrily shouting 'hello!' and frantically waving at a fuzzy figure in the distance who, on closer inspection, turned out not to be the person I thought she was - darned these ageing eyes). But I sometimes need to use the edit button a bit more. The thing is if asked a question I tend not to just give one answer. No. That would be too simple. Life is not like that.

An example.

Q: "Do you prefer tea or coffee?"

At this point most people would give a one word answer. That would be sufficient.

A: "Well - tea first thing, followed by another cup to really start off my day. I'm not keen on coffee as my first drink of the day - it doesn't hit the same spot. But come mid morning I love a cup of coffee. With a biscuit. Then again at about four. But it always has to be tea after a meal - what's that all about when in a restaurant many people finish their meal with a nice fresh cup of Colombian. Is it the flavour? You see for me tea is more refreshing but coffee is more filling. If it's accompanied by a  piece of cake then surely coffee is best as long as the flavours don't clash. Okay - I can't answer the question because it depends on the time of day and the circumstance..."

See?
Is it an affliction?
Should Mr K receive a medal for most long suffering partner ever?
Should I just shut up now and show you some of my finds this week ?

Yes, you should, get on with it woman?

Okay here goes.

I loved these little egg cups.

So sweet and just the right size. So many egg cups nowadays seemed to be made for turkey sized eggs (slight exaggeration) and I have to make a little nest of tissue paper at the bottom for my egg to sit on. 

These are just right for Betsy's eggs (bought at our knitting night fundraiser - look at the red nose on the chicken!)

I was admiring this tablecloth and napkin set when my mum remembered that she received one as a wedding  present way back in 1959 -  alongside the obligatory Witney blanket and cutlery set! It's way too small for my kitchen table but at £3 I couldn't resist.

A summery skirt for £2.50.

Oooh how do you dooo?

A jug - just because.

A book on Vintage knits - okay I know I will probably never make any of these but I love the glamour of the originals.

 Look at the colours in this picture - I'm not surprised they look so happy.

 And who knows one day I might just need a 2 ply mohair bolero to 'keep off the chill'. 

Now for the karma.

I'm not one for dressing up.
But when word got round school that Mr K had received a crocodile onesie from Little Sis for his birthday it was inevitable that at some point I was going to have to model it. Of course over here in the UK Comic Relief has been urging people to do something ' funny for money'. Under a substantial amount of peer pressure I appeared in the staff meeting at 8.30am  on Friday in full crocodile attire. Not just me you understand - that would be weird - but nearly all of the staff were sitting there dressed in some unorthodox costume! I actually began to enjoy myself - we were 'all in it together' and had a great laugh (less thrilled however when the Head introduced me to the local MP who was doing his rounds of the local schools!) Staff were urging me (kindly) to take the bus home in full costume for some extra cash. I declined politely - then less politely - then quite adamantly! I lolloped around the corridors at break time with my floppy fleecy feet and at some point I must have stepped on a splinter. Now I can't put my big toe on the floor when I walk. Is this crocodile karma? Should I have boarded the 101 at the risk of scaring other passengers? Can you imagine a motorist driving the other way seeing a crocodile calmly gazing out of the window? Am I asking too many questions? Should I shut up now?

Okay!

Jane x

Just sat down!

Apparently I say that quite a lot. 
So much so that it was emblazoned on a T shirt for my Mother's Day present (along with some other goodies but that's not the point).

(spot the knubbelchen...)

I'm sure others of you sometimes feel this way too. 
Why do we feel the need to justify sitting down to our nearest and dearest? 

I'll tell you why!

However many jobs - big and small - you manage to fit into your day, however well you've managed your time, however well you've multi tasked the washing finishing at the same time so that you can sort it just as the meal goes in the oven whilst the toilet cleaner is working and the dog is recovering from a brisk drag along the canal (deep breath) and you put the kettle on which gives you just enough time to unload the dishwasher and empty the bin, put the coffee in the cup as you walk past with the next load of washing, noticing the fact that the dental appointment on the calendar is looming so must make phone call to check time so as not to go on wrong day (like last time but we won't mention that) realise that those cobwebs will be getting a certificate from the Queen if they don't move soon and oh - there's the bag of bulbs I meant to plant four months ago ...
However much of this you do - nobody is ever there to see it!

Oh no! 

They only arrive at that very precious moment, the one you've been looking forward to all afternoon, that elusive little oasis of time. The time when you are feeling rather proud of yourself for performing the tasks that help the every day run smoothly - those invisible tasks that nobody would really notice unless they weren't done. You might have a little piece of cake to have with your coffee. Maybe a magazine you've looked forward to indulging in. Perhaps look at a few blogs while we're about it. Bliss is just around that corner. For a few moments you arrange yourself comfortably in your favourite chair and are just about to relax when - you've guessed it.
Jessie Dog barks. The keys rattle in the door. "Hi gorgeous/ mum" (never both of these together you understand - just according to who arrives first). It's lovely. My family have returned and have hopefully had a good day and we are once again a family unit. But for goodness sake don't they realise the sanctity of my few minutes peace. 

Don't they realise I've JUST SAT DOWN!

Jane x

The box of shame

Public health warning - the following post contains some very low light levels - if you start to feel gloomy during reading think of Spring lambs and bunnies.

I don't know if it's because Spring is almost here or because common sense is catching up with me at a pace (not sure I like it - must run faster!) but I feel it's time to confess and be absolved.

My name's Jane - and I have a box of shame.

(To be truthful I have several shelves and suitcases of shame as well but let's just concentrate on the box for now shall we?)

I've always had wool, and material, and bits of things that might come in useful some day. This is a nice thing. I like to think that whatever I fancy making I could put my hands on some basics to start me off. But such is my flitting mind that it now means I could probably rival Hobbycraft with the variety of crafty items I have hidden / stored away. All well and good when it's in our spare room - a place for everything etc...

This was my methodology.
Decide what you are going to make, select necessary items, pop them in a bag and retire to making spot. When finished for the session return bag to starting point so that things don't start to build up.

Yes, that sounds really methodical and appeals to the person I would like to think that I am.

This is what has happened. 
Have a little box to put next to the sofa, just between the arm and the wall where no one will see it. Keep all necessary items in there. Now this is where the lines start to blur. 

By necessary I originally meant knitting needles, my hook book, and my little bag of notions. (Don't forget the tripod for the camera you keep meaning to use!)

Add to that the odd magazine/ knitting folder/ notebook. Keep a nail file handy just in case, and a pen. And some nail varnish.

Put your project bag in there. Keep the project you were doing just before this one in there just in case the mood takes you. And the project from before that. Make sure you have a good selection of wool to choose from when an idea strikes - a variety of colours is essential for any granny square nonsense.

If wool gets tangled start a new ball and put naughty wool to the bottom. 

Try to make sure your projects are kept in separate bags to keep some sense of order (!) Once it starts to become unstable it's time for some action. If you press down on the top of the pile you can probably fit in some more stuff. Put one of the projects away. Look at some lovely magazines/ blogs / books and get excited about what else you could make. Select necessary items and start the whole process again. 

This is the person I actually am.

Inevitably some projects may not see the light of day for some time. The novelty wears off and they get further and further down the box. 

Take my mitten.

The subject of great excitement when we had snow recently all it took was a thaw and it was left alone.

My second pair of socks.

Yes although I said pair there is only one. Truth is it was an on line pattern and I can't for the life of me think where it was from.

A lacy scarf.

I seem to have got the wrong amount of stitches somewhere along the line so will come back to it when I'm feeling more patient.

My February Lady Sweater - second attempt.

Wrong month.

Some hangers. 

One finished (thanks to a lovely pattern over at Marmalade Rose) - one not started.

And the greatest wip of all...

My ripple blanket. This has now reached the grand old age of fourteen months - thank heavens it is acrylic otherwise I think the moths would have had a field day. To be fair this does make regular journeys back and forth with the idea that if I look at it I will feel sorry for it and add a few lines to keep it company.

There - I feel better. Everything is out in the open and maybe now is the time to return to these items with renewed joy and fervour. Think of how good it feels to finish an item and stand back proudly!

Then comes a telephone call.
My cousin has just had a baby girl and another is due in July. My lovely wool shop is closing with a  sale on some beautiful yarns, ribbons and notions.
There's nothing else for it. 

A knubbelchen is on the way followed by a bunny blanket buddy.

What can I do?

Must press down harder!

Jane x

M is for ...

March

Here I am pottering around the kitchen this morning with some of my feathered friends.

Okay it's the March page of my calendar - a detail from Hanns Anker's 'Cinderella'.

Manchester

On Saturday we decided to hop on a train and visit a dear old friend in sunny Manchester. It was great to catch up and while we were there we decided to visit the City Gallery. Sadly I'd missed the fabulous First Cut exhibition but was blown away by the weird and wonderful art work of Raqib Shaw. 

A taste of what is to come in the foyer

He uses mixed media, including enamels and sequins, to produce incredibly decorative pieces.

The rich jewel like colours draw you in until you realise you are staring at part of a particularly gruesome tale - some more obvious than others.

!

And there's a fascinating video watching Raqib at work describing his reasoning and technique.

To lighten the mood a little we had fun in the interactive space.

Pressing buttons to activate an eerie scene.

 

And Little Sis becoming part of a kaleidoscopic image.

(Not sure where the little fella came from - spooky!)

I loved the luggage tags on the walls.

It's been years since I visited the gallery but have promised myself that I must try to visit more regularly.

Mad idea

The clear blue skies on our day out were producing shadows all over the place so I got a bit carried away and before I knew it I had an idea for a blog post - all about lines. Fortunately for you within about an hour I realised how incredibly boring this would be so I cut it short. Here's a few photos:

 Thank you. I have now got that 'out of my system'.

Mooch

No trip would be complete without a good old mooch around a gift shop. This time I returned with some sweet little things to help me organise my stuff.

Essential - no?

Merry March.

Jane x