Labyrinthitis

No, not a word of the day unfortunately, this is apparently what I have wrong with me, although the doctor couldn't spell it. It is basically gunk in my inner ear, caused by an infection, which has completely ruined my brain's ability to detect where I am in space and time (the practical and rather comical result being that if I turn my head left I fall over).

The good thing about this problem is that as long as I don't move too much or too quickly, I feel fine. I can't ride a bike therefore, but I can knit (and type). Hoorah! The bad thing is that it might not go away, which is a shame as I have a nice shiny bike waiting for the good weather in the shed. Ah well.

As a consequence of aforesaid labyrinth issues, I decided to make something nice and easy and non-brain-taxing yesterday - and chose the Watch cap from the Opinionated Knitter. This uses Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Prime Rib" stitch, which creates a lovely thick stretch ribbed fabric. I knitted it on 7 1/2 mm needles, with some gorgeous space dyed Freedom Wool (which smells so sheepy - mmm) and it took less that 100g to make a warm hat with quite a big turned up brim.

Then I tried to photograph it on my head. Bearing in mind that I can't look too far up, these were the results ...



I think you get the gist of the gorgeousness of the hat. I was going to give it away, but given the weather today I think I might have to knit another one for the intended recipient.

Small hats, small coats, small everything ...

Well, once again I have been delayed in posting, this time by the insistence of a friend that we all go out for a meal together last night. Being forcefed calzone and zabaglione - what a trial!

Anyway, on to the myriad crafty things I have been up to recently.

Up till recently, my craft space has consisted of a cupboard and an old bureau in the spare room. The bureau didn't open out far enough to put anything bigger than A4 on it, and wasn't strong enough for my sewing machine (which spent its working life on the floor), and the storage space - well, don't get me started ...

So a couple of weeks ago, I hit upon a cunning plan. I persuaded my dear husband that the bureau would be much better placed in the library, where it could house the laptop and modem and look a lot nicer than the large melamine ikea table we had in there already. Of course, we'd then have to find something to do with the table ... can you see where I'm going yet?

So now, after much planning, painting, drilling of holes (it's a chimney breast so we kept hitting stone lintel - I have much filling and repainting to do - sigh), organising and reorganising, my "craft room", which used to look like this:

now looks like this:

I have lots of drawers on the right for all my paper-related crafty things, boxes above for my fabric, a linen-basket under the desk in which shall live my yarn (until deemed pretty enough for display in my new display thing - more in a later post when I've photographed it - suffice to say I am turning irredeemably girly), a board for inspirational/unfinished items, and a plinth on the left for my sewing machine. Bless Ikea! I'm feeling more creative already!

Other craft news is mostly knitting related, as that is my latest fad. I've made a start on some hats for the innocent smoothie people who put them on the top of their drinks bottles and give 50p to age concern for each one sold. They are dead easy to make, and may make a small dent in my yarn mountain. Some require bobbles, and I have rediscovered the lost art of making pom poms, which pleases me no end.

and finally, possibly the most exciting news. After reading all about her work on the web (and becoming a little obsessed, it has to be said, I was inspired by this picture on Brooklyn Tweed's blog to overcome my miserly nature and buy the book to get the pattern. And lo, the postman did provide, and he provided mightily:

and out of the book, came forth marvellousness ...

jellyfish? terrible mistake??

but no!, it magically turns into this

hoorah!

This is made in nasty cheap wool, but now I know I am capable of such wonderful things, I'm straight off down to Stash yarns asap to stock up and start making some of these (hope it's cold in york this winter otherwise the recipient is going to be a little warm!)