My Amphetamines & My Purls

Bwa ha ha ha...the triumphant return of my camera. One of the best things about Christmas in Kingston (being a hole notwithstanding- see previous post) is that our neighbourhood is full of birds and beasts. We celebrate First Foot with the animals in the backyard each year. This year we have a new generation of squirrels with white tips to their ears. They are very nice and all seem fat and fluffy. Most importantly they are not evil (I had altercations with some of their ancestors growing up). Ginny the cat is very entertained by their antics and has made a few new friends. Her other friends include sparrows, cardinals, pigeons, outdoor cats, starlings and a mummy skunk. Thankfully she has not met the racoons that pillage based on a keen sense of karma.


Also superb about being home is getting to use the Drama Room space at the high school where my Mum teaches. Now we have photos of the Fiddlesticks Raglan (hmm it needs a new name) on me. If my needles were longer you could see the front too (though I'm worried it's a bit of a mess in places. I will be closing and creating a lot of eyelets come blocking time.


I've been wondering through big bookstores (something I hardly ever do) looking at all the new needlecraft books thinking what would really come in handy-at least in terms of knitting-is a guide on turning a pattern for one thing into another. Elizabeth Zimmerman and Barbara Walker have explained how to make things from scratch-based on measurements and percentage systems-but nobody has really stripped down an existing pattern and explained how to change it from any given point. For example-gauge switching, changing from straight to circular in terms of stitch patterns and colour work, when you need to factor for salvage stitches, how to remove elements and features without distorting the flow of a garment or pattern....at least all in one book. It would be a handy thing and I would buy it.

Soundtrack:"In Bed All Day", Tilly and the Wall