All Fingers and Thumbs

...from this little corner. Our lovely mewler Miss Bingo (aka Lily, Lilith, Martha, Lilith Martha Malone, Patch, Mogus, the Maid and about a hundred other names) passed on to higher catly things on Friday night. She was an old girl who'd had a good life, but that only reduces the sadness by a minuscule fraction. She was ours for just over five years as we were her third set of owners and definitely her favourites. She was a gentle, dear creature. We're missing her very much.

.. ah yes I was off to Ghent - super beautiful weekend - look see: The centre building there with the black umbrellas outside is the oldest building in Ghent from the 1200's, a grain store on the docks where the markets were held I think, now a swanky restaurant. This folk museum used to be an almshouse where they sent old ladies to live out their days. There was a little flea market happening in front of it.  Nina looking beautiful on our boat trip. My visit coincided with a little festival celebrating the area of the city which contains lots of restaurants and bars.  I love the ornate facades of so many of the buildings but this was my favourite. It's hard to see on the photos but the centre of each flower was set with a light. It's a city that loves it food and its beer. Lots of cafe culture, we stuck with it despite the lack of sun. As I'm just back from being cooked in Southern Germany for work (sorry forgot camera for that trip!) the cool and ...

Ooh ooh sewing I love you! I just sewed a peplum! Peplum peplum peplum - love that word. It was a smidge fiddly. Doing the gathering and pinning I was wondering at the wisdom of this choice of project: but now look: Soooooo cute hey? This is just a couple of hours (spread over two evenings) work - hasn't my sewing improved? I'm making the Summer Fun Playtop from one of the fab sewing books - One Yard Wonders - I got for my birthday - thank you to Fran for the gift and to Charity for the recommendation - it's the one skein wonders equivalent for sewing and it's great. I'm a little stuck now as I haven't joined the edge seams of the back outer and lining and yet the only instruction left is for the buttonholes - hmmm. I decided it was time for a break and a google - there are errata here  which is useful to know if anyone does use this book - can't see a correction so it may just be tired eyes reading the instructions wrong. Another good reason to have...

I got away from work on time and the first sight that greeted me as I got out of the car was our front bed buzzing - four species of bumblebee (buff-, white- and red-tailed and the common carder) and about a dozen honey bees feasting on the lavender in the warmth of the afternoon sun. The noise was truly fabulous.  I took so many blurry photos for just a few in focus, though sometimes blurry is best. This one below captures more about the feel of sitting on our path in the baking sun with winged creatures flying all round than any other shot I took.  Then I headed out to the back garden to lay out my squares together to look at what colour combinations I should focus on to get a nice balance. When allowed the rare treat of choosing which colour I should add next my Mr always tells me to go for black and it's only seeing it on screen that I realise he's quite the expert colour adviser. The darker colours balanced with the light work much better from a distance. The squares...

..while knitting and sewing have been getting all the attention I've just, here and there, been making my pretty granny squares . This is now the ultimate in relaxing craft-ivity for me - what a difference  a few months and lots of practice makes!  I got some new colours of Patons Diploma Gold DK for my birthday so the latest squares have been featuring a new daring building brick shade of orange and a darker more muted green in particular. I've just been squirrelling the squares away in bag so knew they were mounting up but not quite how much. 49 squares already, I'm going to go and play some more and think about actual blanket plans. It surprises I'm getting close to that already.

..AND I LOVE HER! Pattern:  Miett e by Andi Satterlund Yarn: All Seasons Cotton in Sunny Needles: 4.5 and 5mm Started: July 8th 2011 Finished: July 31st 2011 Ravelry page Though I think the look on my face here expresses The Traumas I go through to bring you a modelled shot!! I always like to see other people wearing their knits so I try though it can be painful!  Here's a more reasonable buttoned up shot and we didn't need the top of my head anyway did we? I also think I look a bit dwarfy but praps that's because I am. I actually think I'll wear it more unbuttoned. I don't think the raglan style does me any favours around the shoulder/upper arm area but it is a peach to knit from the top. It's all knitted as written except that I did the arms on 4.5mm rather than 5mm as that was the size I had in a nice short circ and the buttons are on the wrong side as I skim read the instructions and did the right button band without button holes - that's what knitting...