dolly dimple knits

Busy doing nothing

Isn't it amazing how busy you can be doing absolutely nothing ? I've been on holiday for the last week and feel like the time has flown past yet I've done nothing. Apart from of course the endless washing / feeding / chauffering service that is a mother's lot, and knitting - that's a given.

In between doing nothing I've been raking through my current projects basket and doing the odd row on whatever takes my fancy. Want to see ?

Currently, we have -

a finished toe-up sock. I haven't started number 2 yet, not because I have second sock syndrome - I've just been too busy with this doing nothing thing, you understand ?

We also have about a quarter of a lacy scarf -

This is a lace scarf in Louisa Harding Kimono Angora . It is SO soft. I love it. But it's heading out of scarf weather (I am of course ignoring the SNOW that fell last Sunday when we were visiting here).

Even though it's heading out of scarf weather, I've done quite a bit on this -

A huge twirly wirly crochet scarf using 2 strands of Rowan KSH - one in Candy Girl and one in Liqueur. I would link to them but as they look identical on the Rowan site, there's no point. They're not identical. Candy Girl is bright fabulous lipstick pink and Liqueur is a rich, deep wine. I think they're gorgeous put together :0)

This scarf is inspired by Flourish but not identical as I think I'm going to make mine one sided rather than going for the full boa look. I do like the beads I've got for it but I haven't reached that bit yet as I've run out of Candy Girl at the moment ....

The main cause of my doing nothing however, has been this -

The beginnings of Cloud which has been on my to-do-list forever. One of my favourite work jackets is dark chocolate brown with a pale powder pink piping down the inside edges - so you just get a flash of it now and then. I'm trying to get the same sort of look with Rowan Calmer in Coffee Bean and Powder Puff. It's a pretty mindless 2x2 rib until you get to the lace edging so perfect for doing nothing.

Trying hard to keep doing nothing for the rest of my break, I have been making plans. I whiled away a rainy afternoon going through all my old Rowan magazines right back to no 1 and picking out the little summer tops and cardigans I like the best. Once Cloud is finished, I feel a little 4ply cotton coming on.

Unless of course, I get distracted by this or this. These are both fabulous additions to the knitting library.

Knitted Flowers is simply gorgeous - with so many quick, simple, use up all your ends of yarn ideas. And as for Kay and Ann's - if you haven't got it yet, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ?

It's like your favourite ever knitting meet-up, in a book. They think like us - only funnier and more articulate. They also inspire.

In one of the sections, Kay talks about visiting a knitter's home for the first time and demanding the obligatory fibre arts tour. That made me think. Somehow I don't think raking through the basket of scarves and gloves at the front door or the mountain of sweaters in the bottom drawer would cut it.

I don't knit for my home. Not a warshcloth (actually I don't think I could ever use my knitting in that way ..) not a cushion. Nothing. Zip. Nada. I need to redress the balance. I see a blanket in my future .........

It has to be said ......

you could not PAY me enough to be a wedding photographer. Really. I mean it. EVERYONE hates your guts while you do your job. Including it has to be said, us.

The wedding went well and despite rain in the morning, the sun shone in the afternoon so the photos could be taken in the garden of Eastwood House. And that's where the problems started.

The photgrapher insisted on taking photos on the lawn. The nicely soaked, 3 inches deep in mud lawn. Let's just say my suede heels didn't do so well - and when we had to rescue the groom's mother whose cream coloured heels had sunk so deep she couldn't actually move ......... well, you can guess how popular the photographer was. I just hope the photos turn out to be worth the countless pairs of shoes he ruined last weekend !

While we're talking about feet, I've been whiling away my free time this week with this

Wendy's toe-up, short row toe and heel sock using one of the double skein sock yarns from Curious Yarns. I think the colour was called Sloe but don't quote me on it !

I've never tried a toe up short row sock before (let's face it, this is only my 3rd pair ever of knitted socks ...) but I really like it. I think there's something psychological about it that makes it feel like it's going faster and I think it's easier to make it fit exactly.

I have ridiculously small feet for an adult woman so I've only got 52 stitches (8 stitches to the inch) on size 2.5mm needles and it's flying ! These were meant for Rosie but they fit me so well that I think I'm just going to keep them ........ and keep on ignoring the small quiet voice of my conscience that says, "But Rosie takes the same size as you, they'll fit her perfectly too ....."

Conscience ? What conscience ?