Thinking sheep

I'm off into Glasgow tomorrow for the third Glasgow School of Yarn, a woolly event organised by my favourite wool shop The Yarn Cake. I'm excited. If I can stop sneezing I will be very excited.  I don't wish to sneeze all over the goodies in the marketplace, or through the Shetland Lace workshop I'll be attending. I know, Shetland Lace, coals to Newcastle, eh? But I've only recently started doing lace, I'm really more of a Fair Isle person, so it'll be interesting.

Illustrating this post is a photograph of a photograph, which can more or less be subtitled 'What happens when somebody gets bored of painting the house'. This was many years ago, and Dad was the culprit. On three sides of our house were fields of sheep so this fitted in quite well really. (No, it wasn't permanent. Alas. I could have lived with it like that!)

Happy times

Cake:

more cake:

 a trip to the frozen north:

 loot from the 'Glasgow School of Yarn' event:

 and finally, a picture and story by Miss Mouse:

'I wish I had a coin ov choclit.'

 I like the snails she's done at the bottom of the trees - click to embiggen, they're a cheery bunch and worth a look.

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It's been the October break here - the kids went back to school yesterday. The holiday started with Miss Mouse's birthday party, then the next day on her actual birthday we headed up north to see my parents for a few days (hence cake picture no.1). It was cold but glorious there, and it was snowing lightly just as we left. The last chilly picture was taken mid-morning the day we left.

When we got home we had a couple of days lazing around and I made Miss M a birthday cake, cake pic. no.2. I always make the kids a chocolate sandwich cake with chocolate buttons on top on their birthdays - it's not an intentional tradition, it just evolved really. Of course we were travelling on her birthday, but although she had cake at my parents' she couldn't miss out on her own special cake could she? I think the chance to blow out candles may have something to do with it of course!

Then on Saturday I had some glorious time to myself and went into Glasgow for day two of the Yarn Cake's second birthday bash, the 'Glasgow School of Yarn'. I caught up with old friends, met some Ravelers (Ravellers?) in real life for the first time, bought some very nice yarn and generally had a brilliant time.  I'd been saving since last year's GSoY but actually I was fairly restrained. Possibly if I'd been there on Day One I'd have spent more as I imagine quite a lot had already sold by the time I arrived on Saturday lunchtime!

I've just realised there was something stuck to my monitor that kept making me imagine rogue commas - very distracting, I kept trying to delete it!

Relaxation

Knitting on my lap, feet on footstool and small cat on my legs - isn't that just the epitome of a cosy evening in?

I've gone back to my razor-shell scarf which I hadn't done anything on for a couple of weeks. I'm into the final slog now - it's about long enough to wear but I want a properly long scarf so although I'm actually getting pretty bored of it now I just need to keep going. And going..
I really love the look of it though and just want to wear it now! I'm hoping I'll get it finished before the I go to 'Glasgow School of Yarn' woolly event, a week on Saturday.

I had a great time at GSoY last year, despite feeling a bit rough (no, not a hangover, I'd had a cold and was still a bit feeble) so I'm looking forward to this year's. I'm not going to do a workshop, tempting though they are - I'm just going to meet up with people I've not seen for a while, eat cake, knit and peruse the stalls in the marketplace.  It's nice to have something to look forward to that's purely for me :-).

Making Monday and GSoY loot

On Saturday I went to the Glasgow School of Yarn, an event organised by the Yarn Cake to celebrate their first birthday. There were classes and a marketplace, coffee and cakes. And lots of lovely knitters - many of whom seemed to have been there for both days (it started on the Friday). I had been looking forward to it for ages and even ensured that we'd be back from our little jaunt up north in time for it. Unfortunately by the time I got there I felt lousy - really drained and dizzy and just not right. It's probably as well that I'd been too disorganised to sign up for any classes. I kept having to sit down, and couldn't focus (mentally) which possibly was a good thing in a way as the Marketplace was very tempting and had I been well I'd probably have spent far too much. As it is I came away with two (signed!) books and a skein of Colorimetry yarn.


It was lovely to sit and chat. Knitters are such nice people aren't they? Angela had been to a steeking class and was full of enthusiasm for getting the scissors out. And she mothered me most excellently when I was being peely-wally! And despite the wooziness I did have a great time. I caught up with Purplejen of Colorimetry who I've not seen for Far Far Too Long, and Added Sparkle who works with my Beloved and has been turned to the Motorbike Side..

The venue, the Mackintosh church, was interesting. It amost feels like heresy to say it, living so close to Glasgow, but I *whispers* don't like the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh that much. As Angela pointed out there was a period when you couldn't move for Mackintosh-inspired stuff in Glasgow and I suspect that may coincide with when we moved down here - it was ubiquitous to the point of silliness and I think it put me off.

It's a nice building though.

It wasn't until today that I noticed the colours in the Colorimetry I bought were very like those in the Peerie Flooers I'm knitting at the moment - that's probably what drew me to that particular skein when usually I'm drawn to greens!


Which brings me to today's Making which has been limited due to dishwashing, cat-litter-changing, hoovering, post-school-obnoxious-child-wrangling and similar exciting projects. Today I have been mostly knitting Peerie Flooers and making another apple and blackberry crumble. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.