a southern gal in the north

interesting: alpacas shearing day

Alpaca shearing day in Germany

socks (contd)

my sock is finally proceeding 

as is my method of learning - i have ripped this poor sock out at least three times (not that i am keeping count) but that is how i learn - by practice... i dont see the point of abandoning half socks or socks that dont work out... so photos taken and then rip rip rip. 

i was rather unhappy with the feel of the fabric of the recent attempt - it just felt too flabby and smushy and not right.  this is SOCK IT TO ME Puzzle (discontinued but was a gift years ago before sock knitting seemed a possibility)  was already knitting on size 1.

so i ripped yet again and went down to size 0 and ... now ! a sock that feels like a sock - nice tight fabric.... still only getting 7 st but it could be the yarn (sock it to me puzzle) so i am now at the heel AGAIN (will have this method memorized by the time i actually complete the second scok! 

i am forging ahead even though i am getting tired of this colorway - the stripes are nice but i am ready to try another sock yarn.  

i have been limited at starting with another yarn because of only having one set of size 0 needles... but that has been remedied ... and soon will be able to switch between two different socks.  which will hopefully help with the oft mentioned second sock syndrome i have heard about.  

and also looking forward to just knitting the sock instead of all this restarting - although i know that it has been part of the process.  in effect i just knit three gauge swatches and three technique swatches.  i dont mind the time, its not wasted, just ready to move forward to the next stage.

its fun perusing a new technique and for items that are practical - i hate store bought socks and have never had a pair of hand knitted socks so am looking forward to this.  and to actually wearing my knitting. 

i adore shawls, and have made quite a few about half and half in terms of giving and keeping,  and wear them as i like.  love sweaters but work in a very warm (temperature) office with no regulation temp wise so for the foreseeable future, am not planning much sweater making ... would like to knit a fair isle sweater because of the technique (love stranded knitting) but have to plan for that budget wise. 

sock knitting seems to fit the bill for now.  

will try to post photos of the latest incarnation shortly. 

socks!

(wherein i document the progress of my first sock knitting)

how a sock starts (toe up).

uh oh.  

i have discovered sock knitting. 

it has started innocently .  an impending gift and out of ideas of things to make (and time) decided to surf my stash and found a pair of SOCK IT TO ME and thought .. why not? 

had ventured in this territory once before - one sock of the HEDERA pattern and for some reason abandoned it and have since frogged it - maybe because it was top down and so you start with tons of leg and i must have become bored. 

anyway

the thing about a new knitting method and me is that i will (and have) spend(t) hours surfing and reading all i can stand about as much of the new method as i can find... and then of course it took hours to find a pattern that appealed and then was not too advanced - even though i am jumping in with all five needles - 

so as a true knitter i found two patterns - ON YOUR TOES (Ann Budd) and the wonderful Wendy Johnson's FINGERING WEIGHT SOCKSpattern .

and actually got as far as a heel. 

but well,  i didnt like the way the colors worked on the heel

 

ugh .

so i ripped and ripped and then tightened up my tension - and researched some more.. and found a heel that people whom i admire recommend.  

and well, its a sock. so NBD . i ripped and reknitted up to the heel and then last night turned the heel. (really cool BTW) 

ok so there is pooling but its less rows and because its the blue stripes, it looks better IMHO.

so first heel completely completed (rather than done and frogged) and an inch beyond. so now comes the great question of what to do on the legs. i think i am going to stop and do the other sock to the same point and then work away at both to the grand finish.

Kingdom  (that wonderful but cancelled series) helped during the anxiety of the first heel turning [this must be my third time watching it]  i alternate watching a bunch of series depending on mood - last night was Kingdom and Single Handed (first viewing - although i started dozing off so will rewatch the first episode tonight)  also working way thru George Gently, Midsomer Murders, Inspector Lewis, Spiral(French crime) and Borgen with Kavanagh QC being meted out slowly as John Thaw is dead so as to savour them all.  there is a long list of comedies and dramedys (like Ballykissangel) that i cycle thru.  some nights a little comedy is the thing to relax after a long day dealing with clients!

and since i know you are longing to see the WIP as of today - voila!

 

British Dramas

In comments to my 1–4–13 post re Downton Abbey, the DUCHESS OF DUKE STREET was mentioned by several writers, as being superior to DA.

In my thinking, that is one of the very best British TV Dramas that was produced during that wonderful time in the 70–80's along with UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS and a whole list of others –  below is an incomplete list of my top favs.

To Serve them All his Days

Lillie (life of Lillie Langtry and the breakout role for Francesca Annis)

A Testament to Youth (with fabulous Cheryl Campbell)

MAPP and LUCIA (Prunella Scales and Geraldine McEwan

MULBERRY (Geraldine McEwan) not seen often in the states but available to order –  do get it –  the most quirky and delightful four person ensemble –  created by the great team of ESMONDE and LARBEY (who went on solo to create A FINE ROMANCE (Dench and Williams and AS TIME GOES BY (Dench, Palmer etal) also created THE GOOD LIFE (P Keith, R Briers, F Kendal) and EVER DECREASING CIRCLES as well as a whole list of others

the Dorothy Sayers Harriet Vane-Lord Peter courtship triology – Strong Posion, Have His Carcase and Gaudy Night –  with Harrier Walter (the perfect Vane) and Edward Petherbridge (still my first choice for LPW) too bad they ran out of money or time or whatever and didnt do Busmans Honeymoon.

the original Miss Marple series with Joan Hickson (while I admire Geraldine McEwan and Julie MacKenzie they were hampered with so many plot changes in their productions)

the unflappable and only Hercule Poirot which David Suchet has conquered so admirably –  he only has four left to bring to production the ENTIRE CANON of Poirot stories! 

other impeccable series –  MORSE, SANDBAGGERS (Roy Marsden in a cold war thriller series about MI6), BERGERAC, POLDARK, the PD JAmes adaptations and yes, MIDSOMER MURDERS (while certainly formulaic they are all beautifully written each episode bringing to life another set of characters who need Barnaby to solve their murders and assorted problems)

the original SHERLOCK (with Jeremy Brett still the best SH)

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL (Robert Hardy and Peter Davison in breakout roles)

one must also mention I CLAUDIUS and THE FORSYTHE SAGA  as groundbreaking early shows and of course BRIDESHEAD REVISITED.

other notables:  FLAMBARDS, CAMPION, this is a frustrating post –  it could go on for pages. 

check these links for more ideas…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_television_programmes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_BBC_sitcoms

http://www.comedy.co.uk/

 

the inevitable post on DOWNTON ABBEY

I am finally succumbing to the DOWNTON ABBEY craze... had watched the first two episodes sometime last year and was not impressed enough to continue; besides I had the first two seasons of FORBRYDELSEN (The Killing) to enjoy:  unfortunately since the 30 episodes are subtitled, it put a damper on any multitasking –  i usually have the laptop open and am knitting and watching TV… one needed all one”s wits about them to focus on Sarah and her escapades –  still have to find a copy of the third season –  why o why can we not buy it in the US –  well, i know why but its stupid –  anyway, looong tangent.

So however, with the third season of DA starting this weekend in the US, and it being the dead of winter and with several knitting projects in the works, I decided to catch up and see what everyone has been talking about in the media and elsewhere.  (I do tend to save up episodes and then watch in several sessions... still have the last season of In Plain Sight to watch as well as a few other series to catch up.  but moving on)

so last night I took the latest project (a fair isle tea cosy –  maybe another post on that) and knitted and watched eps 3-7 of the first season .. plan to get thru the second season and the Christmas special this weekend to join the rest of the US for the third season.

observations on season one

- Mary is a twit. (i felt like taking her shoulders and shaking her MANY MANY MANY times, silly spoiled selfish girl)
- Ethel is a twit (she and Mary deserve each other as sisters - although the reason WHY they are such bitches to each other should have been more explored)
- Sybil shows signs of redemption (especially her aiding Gwen and, from what i can foretell, her inevitable relationship with the aspiring politician cum chauffeur)
- love Cora and Violet and Isobel.
- Lord Crawley - nice guy but doesn't "make the heart beat" for me
- didn't like Matthew at first but well, he grew on me (he deserves better than Mary unless she matures in future seasons).
- Thomas and O'Brien should be shot (not really but awful people they are)
- LOVE Anna, Mr. Bates, Carson, Mrs Hughes, Daisy, Gwen.. actually all the servants except for the two bad apples.

Best actors: Joanne Froggatt(Anna), Brendan Coyle(Bates), Jim Carter (Carson), Phyllis Logan (Mrs Hughes), Elizabeth McGovern (Cora), and of course Dame Maggi Smith (Violet) (splendid role for her) and the two bad apple servants (its not easy playing a three dimensional bad guy)

Julian Fellowes managed to pack the entire season with lots of clichés from lots of different sources. the flower show episode - cant believe the Wyler heirs didn't sue (not really, but Blatant stealing). Gosford Park was absolutely perfection. love his language, but not sure of the arc of multi seasons ... except for the Turkish death a lot of what happened in the first season was "expected" in this kind of series. wish for more depth to characters - more insight to what makes these characters tick - esp the upstairs .

OTOH its a large set of characters to develop and juggle all the stories - maybe almost too much (although in GP it worked).  For example, O'Brien and the soap caused miscarriage of the next heir - this is actually a rather tragic event - yet its glossed over in a few scenes...its a huge undertaking - all of these characters and an average 45 min episode to present the latest plot developments and develop characters. 

The production values are incredible - clothes and decorations impeccable. However, it is rather genteel. Life seems rather wonderful at Downton - yes, the two bad apples are annoying but to be honest it really is a high brow soap opera. (and I watched GH for years so I know my soaps) 

I agree with a FB friend - UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS still is the BEST - it gave us drama and REAL believable stories and characters. and death and tragedy as the seasons went on , we continued to discover more about the characters.  Its hard not to do compare/analysis against Hudson, Mrs Bridges, Rose, Sarah and the others downstairs as well as the lively upstairs family. 

we shall see what transpires in the Second Season - from the little bits I have read it seems to take a rather huge turn - whether it will be for the worse or better, will be interesting to see. 

NO SPOILERS PLEASE if you comment TIA

fall.the return to knitting

even tho its warm today, there is a cold front moving in saturday night.  and all i can think about is knitting.  

started back on a two year old project (oi) a lace shawl in a gorgeous red (long stewed in stash) last week - to give my hands something to do while watching season one of HOMELAND... now am almost out of yarn  (and out of season one... waiting to get my hands on season two... torture)

this shawl pattern is one by one of my favorite shawl pattern designers - Evelyn Clark - this one is PRAIRIE ROSE LACE - here is the color... i LOVE it.

   

have wanted a red shawl for many years.. kept waiting for the RIGHT Red cashmere yarn.  eh, life is too short. so i started this awhile ago (the last two years there has not been much knitting happening)

so the last week of september was rainy and chilly.  inspiration enough to pull out this project - about half done - and get to it. 

now i am feeling the old knitting yen percolating up ... and with a three day weekend (yah) have visions of sorting thru the stash (around the apt and in the studio in the basement) and gathering all the UFOs and WIPs that are in hiding - for a big sort and clear out to figure out what's worth finishing and what needs to be frogged.  

may wait til sunday for this as saturday is supposed to be warmish as well... but once that cold front moves in... playing with wool wont be a chore. 

now if i can only find a source of unedited* copies of the second season of HOMELAND without having to subscribe to showtime...

amazon is suspiciously quiet as to season two being available on instant video (purchase or rental).  bummer.    *CRACKLE is showing it with edits and VUDU which has the real version doesnt work with my ROKU box. yes i am obssessed with this show - and am figuring out when i can buy a new roku (mine is one of the originals). 

will sign off with a photo of the garden with the crazy roses blooming...love that the begonias are still going strong.  

and the latest garden project ...

Visual treats | Inspiration

Visual treats | Inspiration.

do visit this wonderful blog …

wherein one returns to blogging perhaps?

lets start with this lively photo of Queen Elizabeth in her first official Diamond Jubilee appearance - this is the first time I have ever seen the Queen in RED and such a glorious red...and if you notice that hat - its KNITTED!!!!

 

and here is a closer look at that HAT!  would love to see more .. but that is the best photo I could find.

*  *  *

some things happening finally for the better in this house... more to come soon as superstition reigns supreme ... until all is dotted and crossed and in place... suspense will continue.

*  *  *
in other news, what a weird winter - i do almost feel as if i am living in Louisiana again - i did treat myself to using the heat over last weekend - the first time in over three years (yes really) - its a new furnace and hopefully the bill wont be too much more (penny pinching still rules) but i needed wanted to celebrate a bit and also had a few days off. so instead of a short trip decided to staycation and turn on the heat.

the cats were rather amazed that they didn't need to burrow under wool blankets or cuddle together (well, not really together - opposite ends of the sofa)   how i envy them their fur coat sometimes - but not really this winter. 

[side note - what happened to the Flickr app for chrome?  its missing...  I started this post using scribe fire and then went back to blog jet which never published the posts so now I am using windows live writer… and it seems to be pretty good.]

up there they are inspecting a new toy … which of course has disappeared… along with a few others

this week we are seeing temps in the mid 40s!!! in FEBRUARY!!!  whew... i shudder to think of the summer if this is the winter

Seasons Greetings!

Once in Royal David’s city Stood a lowly cattle shed,

Where a Mother laid her Baby In a manger for his bed:
Mary was that Mother mild, Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from heaven, Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable, And his cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,  Lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And through all his wondrous childhood He would honour and obey,
Love, and watch the lowly Maiden, In whose gentle arms he lay;
Christian children all must be Mild, obedient, good as he.

For he is our childhood’s pattern, Day by day like us he grew,
He was little, weak, and helpless, Tears and smiles like us he knew;
And he feeleth for our sadness, And he shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see him, Through his own redeeming love,
For that Child so dear and gentle Is our Lord in heaven above;
And he leads his children on To the place where he is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable, With the oxen standing by,
We shall see him; but in heaven, Set at God’s right hand on high;
When like stars his children crowned All in white shall wait around.

Words, CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER
Melody, HENRY JOHN GAUNTLETT
Harmony, HENRY JOHN GAUNTLETT AND ARTHUR HENRY MANN
Arrangement, STEPHEN CLEOBURY

  

 

  
Nativity with St Francis and St Lawrence
Caravaggio 1609
Oil on canvas, 268 x 197 cm
Palermo, San Lorenzo 
Merry Christmas!

 A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
(available til Dec 31st)

the dark side of the roast....

An open letter to Howard Schultz, chief executive of Starbucks:

via www.observer.com

lemons

asdfjkl asdfjkl adfjkl adsf a asdjfkla asdfjkl; asdjkl; asdf  asdjfkladsf  asdfjkl asdfjkl adfjkl adsf a asdjfkla asdfjkl; asdjkl; asdf  asdjfkladsf  asdfjkl asdfjkl adfjkl adsf a asdjfkla asdfjkl; asdjkl; asdf  asdjfkladsf  asdfjkl asdfjkl adfjkl adsf a asdjfkla asdfjkl; asdjkl; asdf  asdjfkladsf  asdfjkl asdfjkl adfjkl adsf a asdjfkla asdfjkl; asdjkl; asdf  asdjfkladsf asdfjkl asdfjkl adfjkl adsf a asdjfkla asdfjkl; asdjkl; asdf  asdjfkladsf asdfjkl asdfjkl adfjkl adsf a asdjfkla asdfjkl; asdjkl; asdf  asdjfkladsf asdfjkl asdfjkl adfjkl adsf a asdjfkla asdfjkl; asdjkl; asdf  asdjfkladsf asdfjkl asdfjkl adfjkl adsf a asdjfkla asdfjkl; asdjkl; asdf  asdjfklasdfjkl asdfjkl adfjkl adsf a asdjfkla asdfjkl; asdjkl; asdf  asdjfkladsf 

[deleted stuff that would be too revealing]

suffice it to say that today and this week sucked

one wonders what the f#$k

life sucks a big lemon today

 

Remembrance poppy.

From Cosmicpluto knits!

Remembrance Day is this week (along with Armistice Day/Veteran’s Day) and here in Canada we wear a poppy to remember the sacrifices of those who came before, and to remind ourselves to look to the future in peace.

These knit poppies are super quick to knit and I love that we as knitters can make them with our own two hands (and pointy sticks).

You can download my Poppy for Remembrance pattern from Ravelry here.

Poppies are not bought or sold; you can make a contribution to your local Royal Canadian Legion or through me to be passed on to them.

the computer geek strikes again

my vista laptop had been getting slower and slower and crashing and finally -

WHUMP !  ENOUGH!  Time for a cleanup!

last night copied off all important files to the portable hard drive and then WIPED the WHOLE DANG THING and ran system recovery set to "Fresh From the Factory"

of course one consequence is the time it takes to reinstall necessary and wanted programs - but am taking much care to install only what is really needed.  part of the reason the laptop was falling apart and misbehaving so badly was an, uhm, propensity to try out new things - and after two years, things like file sectors and memory were a bit messy.  

usually do a clean sweep at least once a year - somehow let it slide much too long.  

its so nice to have a fresh clean laptop running fast and responding quickly

and it was fun too (call me a geek)

and so it goes

so bad things come in threes?  hopefully mine is over for awhile!

with the two from yesterday - the ruined pants and the colleague giving notice comes one from today .... 

i had bought a lovely cinnamon roll to eat with breakfast today.  after making my daily espresso, popped the roll in the toaster and went to check on clothes in the dryer.  

come back a few minutes later to a STONE COLD toaster oven.... after unplugging and turning on and off and to various degrees, have to pronounce this toaster dead.  

Universe, please - NO MORE BAD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

long time

yeah so i havent posted in a while - well, truthfully - a loooooooooong while... why has to do with part of why i AM posting today (night?)

it was one of those days - where i spent two hours dealing with stupid and vindictive financial people (with a few reallllly nice and helpful ones in the midst) and then went to the place where i work (LPJ) and things went from bad to worse:  a really good worker/colleague has given notice - the second one in three months - can we say rats and sinking ship?

then i come home to find the REALLY good pair of pants that i had to wear cause tmy work pants had not finished dryng before i had to leave - anyway - the REALLY good pair HAD F#*$(#G bleach stains down the front of one of the pants legs.  not even not noticeable little ones - but huge splotches.  

i am soaking that leg in a ton of SHOUT but the bottle even says it probably wont get out bleach - and i am SO F-ing FURIOUS... and feeling so impotent -  dont really have the money to replace these GOOD pants and hate that they were ruined making such little money that i cant even replace them  - well i could replace them and just not eat next week. or not feed the cats. or not buy gas - oops need to buy gas to get to the LPJ

i guess i will have to try to dye them ... or use a sharpie.. UGH UGH UGH 

at least in the pouring rain when i came home i found a parking spot near my apt and didnt have to park/walk several blocks away.

DAS RHEINGOLD

finally after all the hype... 

opening night last night at the Met for this season and the first in the new production of the RING cycle.  

i had to work and so taped it (although i managed to hear the SSB and the opening 15 mins, Bryn's debut scene and the closing scene via my Blackberry and stealthly hidden earphones).  

came home armed with a venti vanilla latte and am now at the final scene ...

Bryn sounds wonderful but ERIC OWENS - WOW!  what a voice!   and Stephanie Blythe sounds gorgeous (as was to be expected).

now need to figure out what arm i am going to cut off to get a ticket in the house.... 

cats adventures

Knitting goes from school curriculum

7 May 2010 

DEDICATED knitting lessons for pupils in Shetland will cease this year as far reaching local authority cost cutting measures start to bite. Shetland Islands Council services committee on Thursday agreed to save an annual £130,000 by dropping a subject seen by many as fundamental to Shetland's cultural traditions. 

When it came to the vote in the council chamber just five councillors were in favour of maintaining knitting lessons while the Blueprint for Education review takes its course, but ten councillors said knitting was an extra and not a core subject and therefore had to go.   

Fourteen part time staff, making up 4.4 full time equivalent jobs, will have to be redeployed within the council or offered voluntary redundancy.  The council's schools service will now look into other ways of teaching knitting through arts and craft classes and by depending on volunteers.

North isles councillor Laura Baisley warned colleagues that it was a grave mistake to cut funding for teaching the two crafts Shetland was world renowned for - Fair Isle and lace knitting - as well as music tuition, for which the council is in the process of introducing charges.   She was supported by veteran councillor Florence Grains who argued that it was deplorable to pick on the two cultural subjects knitting and music.  She claimed that in fact no money would be saved should the part time teachers be re-deployed, but was told by councillor Bill Manson that she was talking "rubbish".

"They will be re-deployed into vacancies and therefore there will be savings," he said.

The education spokesman told fellow members that for years the council's education budget had been squeezed, and it was not just knitting and music that were being targetted.

"If you want to continue knitting tuition you have to give education an extra £130,000 for the next years," he said.

Shetland Islands Council has to identify almost £10 million of saving in the current financial year of which £1.2 million has to come from the education budget.

The meeting heard that officers were working hard to identify those savings, although £900,000 had still to be found during 2010/11.

Shetland North councillor Alastair Cooper reminded members that they had approved the council budget back in February and should therefore stop "tinkering around the edges".

Shetland South councillor Allison Duncan said that 60 years ago it was a necessity for local people to have knitting skills as it helped families to supplement their income.

But now knitting was a "dying art", he claimed, adding: "We have to make difficult decisions now and this is only the beginning."

    

via www.shetland-news.co.uk

reflections on elspeth

the gardening blog community is reacting in shock to the recent suicide by elspeth thompson.  below is a comment i left on a fellow ET lover blog:

i reacted as you did - and was in shock. and still am. my life is rather tough right now and one way i cheer myself up is reading several women's blogs - yours and Elspeth's are among the ones that help me feel less blue - by reading of the glimpses of life in your blogs i feel a part of a kind of life i wish i were living - and may never have - however for a brief time it helps take me away from the current troubles.

i am still reeling in a deep place inside about ET's suicide ... depression is a dangerous black place to be ... and takes a strong sense of survival to climb out from under - the hardest part is the facade that was in her posts - i love that she continued to find joy but ache that she felt she couldn't share or get help about the illness (although i don't know that)

in trying to explain to myself, i seem to remember something about her mother's death last year - was it the anniversary? - in trying to understand why?

to me her life seemed one of charm and beauty and grace and joy and love from family and friends - many things that to a mere reader seemed to add up to a wonderful life.

oh the ache and tragedy of it! and the pain she must have had in that final act.

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Garden cleanup (update)

the latest photos of the cleanup
(Start on the 35th photo)

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