Guess which book......

... I got for Christmas.
Just in case there is anyone out there who doesn`t recognise this warshrag (and I can`t really believe there is) it was Mason Dixon Knitting and I couldn`t resist making a Warshrag, I used some Anchor Magic and an unidentified white cotton I had lurking and this little beauty just flew off the needles. Guess who is now on the look out for some cheap cotton to make more. I never quite appreciated the attraction of knitted dishcloths before - but now.....
Oh, and yes, it is curly at the edges, but surely you don`t need to block dishcloths, do you ?????
Other knitterly pressies were a subscription to Simply Knitting from DH and DD bought me some row markers so I no longer have to fiddle with contrasting yarn (though she found the lady in the LYS to be less than helpful, which is rather sad considering todays youngsters are tomorrows knitters)




Not knitting, I know, but I was rather pleased with the way my Christmas cake turned out so I thought I would share it with you, sorry the photo isn`t a very good colour - it was a white cake, honest - I`m not entirely sure how DH managed the sepia look, our camera isn`t that clever!

Well having spent the entire festive period extracting cat from Christmas tree, or catching the whole `kit` and kaboodle as it fell, we decided enough was enough. The poor tree could no longer take a fully grown cat launching itself half way up the trunk and I had had to remove said cats mouth from around fairy lights on one too many occasions, so we took the whole thing down yesterday - Christmas is now officially over in the Modelwidow household for another year.
(would it be really awful of me to cheer quietly?)


Anyway, I`m looking forward to New Years Eve, a chinese takeaway with really good friends, (5 of us adults and 5 `children` ranging in age from 13 to 17, and all get on exceptionally well.) Can`t think of a better way to start 2007.

So here`s wishing you all a happy and healthy new year.

Perhaps I`m not so weird after all ....

....or maybe I just don`t realise it.

Thank you to Queen Frogger for tagging me to come up with 6 weird things about myself, so here goes .......

1: I adore chocolate, I would die if they stopped making it, bars of it, chocolate cake, chocolate pud, choccy biccys yum –but I HATE drinking hot chocolate!

2: I can never stop a knitting pattern on row 13 – I`m afraid if I do, something bad will happen and I will never get back to it.

3: My left foot is bigger than my right foot – even though I am right handed.

4: I have a reputation among DD`s friends as being scary – but those who actually know me can`t understand why!

5: I have a teenage daughter and we don`t argue – in fact we are the best of friends. ( Judging by DD`s friends and their mum`s that is weird anyway).

6: I get really seasick – but I love going on cruises

actually the last one is a bit of a cheat – cos they do a fantastic anti seasickness injections – but I got stuck, I thought finding 6 things would be easy – so maybe I`m not as weird as I thought I was :-)

and because of:

THE RULES:Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

I am now tagging Tarty Crafty , Army of Knitters, Library Girl Knits , Knityoga, Float`n`purl and Two Fish Knitting . Sorry guys!

Les Dawson is alive and well.....

.....and playing the organ in our local church!

I am not a regular church goer, but I always make a point of going to the Carol Service - I think it is important to do something at Christmas time to remember the true meaning, so ever since DD was old enough, she, my Mum and I go along each year. It`s only once we`ve been to church that I really start to feel Christmassy.
DD is now 13 and to a great extent we share the same humour, so when the organist started playing a la Les Dawson, we didn`t dare look at each other, and certainly during ` The First Nowell` I have no idea what he was playing but it definitely wasn`t the same as the congregation were singing! ( hopefully you will recall the way he played the piano or else you will be wondering what on earth I am talking about!)

When I was about 5 or 6, I came home from Sunday School delighted to have learnt a new carol, which I proudly told Mum was called `The Trifle Song`, after much questioning she discovered it was in fact

`Oh come all ye faithful,
Trifle and joyumphant`

- now for some reason she and DD find this highly amusing - so when Les began playing this particular carol in his unique style - poor DD sitting between us just didn`t know which way to look and ended up studying the floor lest she catch one of our eyes.

I`m pleased to say we both made it through the service without either giving in to the threatening bout of giggles.

Now onto something a little crafty - DD was invited to a birthday party for a Goth friend, and having found the perfect necklace - a cross set with black stones on a black and silver beaded chain - we needed to make it look that little bit more special than just wrapped in birthday paper. Out came a remnant of black satin and some black lace and ribbon, and in no time at all, behold a presentation pouch. Some of DD`s friends were amazed.
" Your Mum didn`t really make that, did she?"
To DD (and me) it seems the most natural thing in the world, but isn`t it sad when others don`t realise the pleasure and satisfaction making something brings.

Yay....Knitting again

Well I can`t say it is because of the Dog Oil, which though nice to massage with didn`t actually help - in fact other joints have now joined in :-(

But I seem to be able to knit again :-) admittedly a little slower than usual (and I am slow enough anyway) and not for any great length of time...but I am knitting.

The photo doesn`t do this justice - the yarn is Patons Spritz in colour spritzer which is just sparkly enough to be interesting without being OTT, and the pattern is from the latest Knitting, and it is all for me!

The countdown...

...has begun!

Some years ago when I was into patchwork and quilting, I made this advent calendar for DD and it has been a firm favourite ever since. Incredibly easy but oh so satisfying.
Now that she is taller (errr.. taller than me actually) I have taken to wrapping each little gift to keep the suspense going as she is prone to peeping! - they are only little inexpensive things (you know, rubbers, pencil sharpener, cheepy earrings, hairbands, or fun sweeties, that kind of thing) but we both enjoy it.

And DD...if you are reading this, I may or may not have included any or all of the above...ha! thought you`d find out didn`t you? x