“A good speech should be like a woman's skirt…”

“…long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest.”

Another finished object to show off – my second Carnaby skirt!

My first one, in black, gets a lot of wear. It’s in my regular work rotation, so probably gets worn two or three times a month. So I thought it would definitely be worth making another in a different colour.

I used to wear a white skirt to work quite often, but that one (a shop bought one) had started to come apart a bit, it had lots of threads sticking out all over, so it had been formally retired. This lovely new Carnaby can replace it.

I’m also pleased that I already had some suitable buttons in my collection:

I inherited these and I wonder if they have some sister-buttons out there on another garment…
Even though I’ve knit the pattern before, it’s still quite fun to do. It’s simple enough that you can get into a bit of a rhythm, but interesting enough that your brain doesn’t glaze over. I used the same type of wool (Cascade 220) and the same sized needle (4.5mm circular) and to be honest if I needed more skirts I would happily have more of these.

I’ve yet to buy grosgrain ribbon to reinforce the waist band, but I will do. It would be a shame for them to stretch, and I don’t want to risk my skirt falling down at work!

Yeah, maybe I’ll buy that ribbon sooner rather than later…

*Quote by Winston Churchill

"The bowler approached the wicket at a lope, a trot, and then a run. He suddenly exploded in a flurry of arms and legs…”

“…out of which flew a ball.” 

Only a short post this week, just to mention a couple of finished objects from a little while ago.

The niblings are a little obsessed with playing with balls. I cannot think of a non-dirty way to write that.They like balloons, footballs, those plastic beachy ones, they just love spheres.

So I found these two simple patterns and thought they might make good presents. Unfortunately the woven ball isn’t fastened together so I don’t think it would survive a baby’s curious fingers for long, and the stripy ball is about a third of the size I was expecting it to be.

CB speaks highly of a knitted football he and his brother had when they were younger, as it was a way to play football inside the house. I figured since I don’t live with any small ones, I wouldn’t have to deal with any broken objects so an inside football would be a great idea!

It’s a shame they aren’t really what I wanted. They could still be gifts, just not as good as I wanted. At least I got to use up some of the cheap yucky wool I have balls and balls of going spare. I bought it years ago and it’s not really suitable for many projects as it feels so plasticy and thin.  But the superscrimper in me won’t let me throw it away – it’s still useable wool after all! So back it goes into the stash….


*Quote from Douglas Adams

“The spectator is a prince…”

“…who everywhere rejoices in his incognito.”

One of my favourite words is also one of my favourite things to be:

“Flâneur, from the French noun flâneur, means "stroller", "lounger", "saunterer", or "loafer". Flânerie is the act of strolling, with all of its accompanying associations” (Wikipedia)

And I have recently had a few days to enjoy being a flâneur in Bruges with my partner CB. The early days of our relationship were spent strolling around the streets of London, getting to know the City and its rhythms as much as we got to know each other. Since moving up North our urban flânerie has been curtailed, but we do love a wander and Bruges has to be one of the prettiest places to amble about.

We first visited Bruges a year or two ago so knew pretty much what we wanted to do. Which was essentially: eat waffles, chips and chocolate (not together) and drink beer.

Add a healthy dose of snoozing in the world’s most comfortable bed (we could lie horizontally on the feather duvet atop the memory foam mattress and not touch the sides – sigh!) and all that’s missing is hours spent walking around the cobbled streets and along the canal paths.

It doesn’t hurt that Autumn is my favourite season. The colours, the temperatures (hurray! Hats, gloves and scarves!) and the smells are a tonic for the soul.

Fun fact: I always thought Spring was my favourite season until this year. At some point in September I turned to CB and sighingly told him how much I love the sights and smells of Autumn, at which point he smiled and told me that I say that every year! He said it’s clearly my favourite season, but I had no idea! Well, at least I’m consistent in feeling even if I’m crap in memory…

Although this musing is really about the loveliness of existing in a space and being part of it while also passing through it, which is how I feel as a flâneur and also how I feel about Autumn, I couldn’t live with myself if I mentioned Bruges without a shout out to the amazing Historium.

Me, eating a waffle outside the Historium <3

God I love this place. Plus now there’s a virtual reality attraction where you fly. I almost fainted afterwards, it’s brilliant.

*Quotes from Charles Baudelaire

“The magic is only in what books say…

“…how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us.” 

Another finished object to show off!

This time it’s nothing for a baby, it’s adult clothing.

No, wait…. That sounds dirty. Let me try again…

It’s a shrug made to fit a grown up. A particular grown up in fact. Me! 

I don’t have many pictures of its construction as, it turns out, tiny black stitches next to other tiny black stitches aren’t amazingly photogenic. At least, not at my skill level.

I used a pattern called Mae (Ravelry link here) by Carrie Bostick Hoge and, although I couldn’t bring myself to purchase the delicious but pricey wool the pattern called for, I did splash out on some delightfully soft merino wool – MillaMia Naturally Soft Merino in Pitch Black. Yum.

I’m really pleased. Initially I thought it would come round a bit further, but after a block it has stretched nicely, and I think a few wears will mould it to my body even further. It’s such a simple design, putting good use to simple stockinette and garter stitch patterns, but I think it looks really snazzy. Comfy but smart.

It’s also really cozy thanks to the merino wool and how it sits snugly against the neck. Perfect to go over a fancy dress at winter weddings!

*Quote from Ray Bradbury