I've just taken delivery of various 2006 diaries, which I will recover in interesting fabrics for members of the family for next year. There's something optimistic about a new diary that I quite like, but I often think that by the end of the year that it's somehow failed to deliver. Perhaps this year I will put some rubber stamp images on certain days inside, like my birthday for example, to try to jolly them up a bit. *:)
Jonathan and I recently got a wedding invitation to one of my friend's weddings in Scotland in December. In a very fancy castle near Edinburgh. It looks fantastic - and very expensive! How guilty will I feel if I don't go because I can't afford it? Hmm. December is expensive enough as it is! Will have to see about this one.
I saw my brother Pete for lunch yesterday, he was in London on a rare day off. We went to Simpsons on Cornhill in the City for good old fashioned chop house grub. Mmm mmm. If you are ever in the City in London, check it out.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Friday, October 14, 2005
Knitting
I wrote this a few weeks ago but Clare said I should put it in. What do you guys think?
Strange things are happening – young professional women are going back to knitting. There has been a steady stream of articles about it lately. It seems that women have been knitting quietly at home for some time, but been too ashamed to come out about it. My best friend is knitting claret coloured walking socks (and very beautiful they are too). I’ve started knitting and embroidering recently, and making things on the sewing machine. What I find intriguing is how we are suddenly discovering that loads of women are doing these things. Clare and I had not started sewing and knitting because we’d read about it and thought it was trendy. We just (independently from each other even) wanted to give it a go. And then we discovered that we’d each bought an embroidery kit. And then I read that people like Sarah Jessica Parker and Uma Thurman and even Russell Crowe were knitting, and now I find that millions of young women are knitting, with groups that meet weekly, and internet chat rooms about it swapping patterns, the works. Even www.macuser.co.uk is giving out free knitting patterns for iPod ‘socks’. And it’s like when you discover a new word, and suddenly you see it three times in two days in the newspaper and on the telly. Young women knitting are everywhere.
So what is it that is attracting women back to these old fashioned activities? And why all of a sudden? I am open to suggestions on this. It could be something in the water (too much oestrogen built up from all the contraceptive pills), or subliminal messages in the middle of Desperate Housewives. Or, perhaps women have started knitting because they just can’t find what they want in the shops. I admit to walking into quite a few high street chain stores and feeling deeply depressed with all the over-priced tat that they try to flog these days. The seams are wonky and the embroidery pulls the fabric, which itself feels like it probably cost $2 a roll.
Or maybe, having spent so long becoming emancipated, women are now are hankering back after the more feminine pastimes, where you can quietly create something useful and personal.
What about the therapeutic aspects of knitting? A comment on www.ukhandknitting.com by a psychotherapist Betsan Corkhill says that research done in 2004 shows that the brain can be distracted away from pain, and she is of the opinion that the same can be done with depression and stress. Thus knitting can be used as a distraction tactic. Also having an attainable goal and end product gives a great ‘feel-good factor’. Betsan is starting up www.stitchlinks.com for all those who use stitching as therapy.
It seems that there is also a good social factor to it these days, with knitting groups springing up all over the place. There are ‘Stitch ‘n’ Bitch’ or ‘Knitwits’ groups in most major towns - www.knitchicks.co.uk lists many of them. And a book called The Stitch & Bitch Handbook by Debbie Stoller has become a bestseller in the US and is doing well in the UK too.
I wonder how much wool sales are going up?
Other sites I like:
http://www.laughinghens.co.uk
Books:
· Stitch 'n Bitch Handbook: Instructions, Patterns, and Advice for a New Generation of Knitters and Stitch ‘n’ Bitch Nation - Debbie Stoller
· It's My Party and I'll Knit If I Want To!; Paperback ~ Sharon Aris
· The Urban Knitter; Paperback ~ Lily M. Chin
· Hip to Knit: 18 Contemporary Projects for Today's Knitter; Paperback ~ Judith L. Swartz
· Weekend Knitting: 50 Unique Projects and Ideas; Hardcover ~ Melanie Falick, Ericka McConnell
· Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits; Hardcover ~ Julie Carles, Jordana Jacobs
Strange things are happening – young professional women are going back to knitting. There has been a steady stream of articles about it lately. It seems that women have been knitting quietly at home for some time, but been too ashamed to come out about it. My best friend is knitting claret coloured walking socks (and very beautiful they are too). I’ve started knitting and embroidering recently, and making things on the sewing machine. What I find intriguing is how we are suddenly discovering that loads of women are doing these things. Clare and I had not started sewing and knitting because we’d read about it and thought it was trendy. We just (independently from each other even) wanted to give it a go. And then we discovered that we’d each bought an embroidery kit. And then I read that people like Sarah Jessica Parker and Uma Thurman and even Russell Crowe were knitting, and now I find that millions of young women are knitting, with groups that meet weekly, and internet chat rooms about it swapping patterns, the works. Even www.macuser.co.uk is giving out free knitting patterns for iPod ‘socks’. And it’s like when you discover a new word, and suddenly you see it three times in two days in the newspaper and on the telly. Young women knitting are everywhere.
So what is it that is attracting women back to these old fashioned activities? And why all of a sudden? I am open to suggestions on this. It could be something in the water (too much oestrogen built up from all the contraceptive pills), or subliminal messages in the middle of Desperate Housewives. Or, perhaps women have started knitting because they just can’t find what they want in the shops. I admit to walking into quite a few high street chain stores and feeling deeply depressed with all the over-priced tat that they try to flog these days. The seams are wonky and the embroidery pulls the fabric, which itself feels like it probably cost $2 a roll.
Or maybe, having spent so long becoming emancipated, women are now are hankering back after the more feminine pastimes, where you can quietly create something useful and personal.
What about the therapeutic aspects of knitting? A comment on www.ukhandknitting.com by a psychotherapist Betsan Corkhill says that research done in 2004 shows that the brain can be distracted away from pain, and she is of the opinion that the same can be done with depression and stress. Thus knitting can be used as a distraction tactic. Also having an attainable goal and end product gives a great ‘feel-good factor’. Betsan is starting up www.stitchlinks.com for all those who use stitching as therapy.
It seems that there is also a good social factor to it these days, with knitting groups springing up all over the place. There are ‘Stitch ‘n’ Bitch’ or ‘Knitwits’ groups in most major towns - www.knitchicks.co.uk lists many of them. And a book called The Stitch & Bitch Handbook by Debbie Stoller has become a bestseller in the US and is doing well in the UK too.
I wonder how much wool sales are going up?
Other sites I like:
http://www.laughinghens.co.uk
Books:
· Stitch 'n Bitch Handbook: Instructions, Patterns, and Advice for a New Generation of Knitters and Stitch ‘n’ Bitch Nation - Debbie Stoller
· It's My Party and I'll Knit If I Want To!; Paperback ~ Sharon Aris
· The Urban Knitter; Paperback ~ Lily M. Chin
· Hip to Knit: 18 Contemporary Projects for Today's Knitter; Paperback ~ Judith L. Swartz
· Weekend Knitting: 50 Unique Projects and Ideas; Hardcover ~ Melanie Falick, Ericka McConnell
· Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits; Hardcover ~ Julie Carles, Jordana Jacobs
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Disappointing
I have been reading a bit about ley lines and earth energies, and discover that one of the authorities on the subject, Paul Devereux (editor of The Ley Hunter Journal from 1976-1996), has concluded that they are a load of old tosh! Also, another chap (with years of dowsing experience) writing about dowsing for earth energies says that 'it should be given up as a bad job', as nothing conclusive has ever been found. This is rather disappointing. I was hoping that I would be able to find something exciting on the farm, but it appears that its nice vibe cannot yet be put down to something mystical. Perhaps it's just mum's cooking after all.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
NYC and New England in the Fall...
Clare and I had a wonderful trip across the pond. We spent two days in NYC, where Rich's friend Bob had taken time off work to completely look after us and show us around all the sights and remind us to leave tips. *;) Thank you Bob, we had a terrific time! It was slightly surreal being in a city that I've seen so often on TV, but good fun to spot the places you knew. I loved the Statue of Liberty and the Chrysler Building at night.
We saw Rich's parents and brother on our way to New England, as well as some of Rich's work colleagues, and they were all the most lovely people. I don't think either of us realised how well known we are over there! I hope we didn't disappoint. It was a rather emotional day but I feel much better that we made the visit. I need to send thank you letters to everyone but I just don't know where to start, they were all so, well, lovely!
New England is a beautiful place. We scooted through Mystic and Newport in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and they are very cute fishing ports, then headed north via Boston into the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont. The scenery was gorgeous up there, even though we were a bit too early for all the leaves. It was just starting to turn and you could see from only the few trees that had gone what amazing fiery colours you get there. Considering how many thousands and thousands of acres of forests there are, it must live up to its reputation!
I did too much shopping and got told off at the airport for having an overweight bag, but hey ho, watchyagonnado, right?
We saw Rich's parents and brother on our way to New England, as well as some of Rich's work colleagues, and they were all the most lovely people. I don't think either of us realised how well known we are over there! I hope we didn't disappoint. It was a rather emotional day but I feel much better that we made the visit. I need to send thank you letters to everyone but I just don't know where to start, they were all so, well, lovely!
New England is a beautiful place. We scooted through Mystic and Newport in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and they are very cute fishing ports, then headed north via Boston into the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont. The scenery was gorgeous up there, even though we were a bit too early for all the leaves. It was just starting to turn and you could see from only the few trees that had gone what amazing fiery colours you get there. Considering how many thousands and thousands of acres of forests there are, it must live up to its reputation!
I did too much shopping and got told off at the airport for having an overweight bag, but hey ho, watchyagonnado, right?
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