Diana, Vanessa, Whitney & Mariah.....

Ok ok...so i'm a bad blogger. And, evidently a bad person.

I know I haven't blogged for a whole week but I wasn't sure anybody would want to talk to me! I know I made the fatal mistake of mentioning the sunshine last week and since then.....nothing but rain. Mind you, it could have been beautiful where you guys are. Maybe I only jinxed myself? Nonetheless, thanks to that HUGE black cloud that followed me around all week, I've had permanently wet washing hanging on the line (it became a matter of principle NOT to bring it in and put it into the tumble dryer!), a constantly evolving pattern of doggy footprints on the carpets, and enough frizzy hair to keep John Frieda in business for the next decade. It hasn't been pretty! For seven days I thought i'd died and been reincarnated into a Diana Ross wig.... but more about her later......

As promised, I'll get the updates done. Here are some pictures of the work I've been doing recently. The first thing I'll show is this basic red tote bag that I put together for myself! Not often I make anything for me and this will get used loads. It really is very simple, more about utility than aesthetics. I didn't even bother to line it (well, when your hair has turned to candy floss, nobody will be paying attention to your handbag, will they?!) I used a basic red cotton, my fab new singer sewing machine and the thread that I picked up in LIDL!!!! El cheapo, but I love it!

These baby booties were crocheted using a worsted weight merino yarn that I had left over in my workshop. I believe it is Malabrigo. Anyhow, I was pretty pleased with them. The pattern wasn't very clear after making the soles, so I kind of made it up off the top of my head after that. Still, I'm sure there'll be a bouncing bubba somewhere that will appreciate them! [I've been desperately trying to convince my sister to have a baby for quite some time now. She said originally that she was going to get married first, which is fine as that is only in September. But I am so impatient. I did recently threaten to knock her out and throw the ...err.... 'swimmers' up there myself. None of my own, I hasten to add.....]

I also promised to share with you all my my preliminary designs for a new top that i'm working on. Please don't all laugh! I don't profess to be an artist! The idea is that the front panels will only be attached to the back at one side, holding at the other with shoulder tabs and large buttons thus making it into a wraparound. I originally had this in mind as just a very basic daytime summer top. However, it occured to me that to use either a contrasting or toning sheer fabric at the bottom of all of the panels and creating a ruffled effect could convert this into quite a statement piece. Especially with the addition of beading, ribbons and other embellishments... This, in my eyes, is much more desirable! Subtlety has never been my strong point. Love a bit of wow factor!

My final picture is of the pencil rovings that were gifted to me by Nathan's mum. I've started knitting with them now. I'm using 6.5mm circular needles and knitting double stranded. The rovings are really quite delicate because the lack of twist means that the fibres just come apart if too much pressure is used. Because of this, the knitting is quite slow but I don't care! The colours are just beautiful and I feel like i'm playing with watercolour paint on a fresh new canvas. It is so satisfying to see the colours blending as I knit, and a final felting will only enhance this. I have stayed with my original idea - that is, to knit a vintage style handbag. I'm just making the pattern up as I go along at the moment, though i'm happy enough to do this as I am going to keep the complexity of the actual knitting to an absolute minimum in order to better showcase the yarn itself. The reason I said that I would return to Diana Ross later is that, having listened to her greatest hits album throughout the knitting of this piece (please, no comments using the words 'cliche' or 'stereotype'! I am well aware of how snugly I fit into gay popular culture!) I have decided to name the final bag 'Diana'. Ok, so in retrospect that little tidbit of info was far less interesting than I had anticipated.

Talking of Diva's, I'm so excited! Whitney Houston's first studio album in SEVEN YEARS is due for release on Septemeber 1st! I'm a die hard fan and may have to take a week off of work to learn all the lyrics! Furthermore, Mariah's new album 'Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel' is out on August 25th! Nathan detests my taste in music, referring collectively to my favourite artists as 'the whingers'! Needless to say, he is less than impressed with my daily ritual of prancing around with the hoover whilst listening to my cd's. I can't be sure, but I would suggest that this may have been what sparked his sudden interest in growing vegetables! These days he has a perfect life - by the time he returns from the allotment, not only has he avoided doing any housework but also bearing witness to me acting like a twat (his pet hate is my lip-syncing Whitney's quivering mouth during 'I will always love you'!!!!).

To finish up for today, I thought you might like to see some pictures of Archie playing in the garden with my sister. These were taken BEFORE the rain started! I went outside this morning because I could hear him whining. After checking behind various pots and over my neighbours fence, I discovered that he was on the roof of my shed! The poor little thing was calling to me and gingerly stepping onto the guttering to get himself down.....or so I thought. I perched on the edge of our low brick wall, reached up and strained to reach him. He seemed to be moving backwards and forwards, towards and then away from me, through fear. As I inched closer towards him and teetered on the very tip of my toes, suddenly my foot gave way and I went crashing into the hydrangea below. Whilst extricating myself from the mess (it now looks like Vanessa Feltz has used my favourite shrub as a cushion) who should come trotting round the corner to meet me? Correct.......

Ciao

M xxx