This year's New Year's Resolutions (in no particular order of sense or importance):
1. Slightly knitting related - be more careful about measurements rather than blithely carrying on thinking everything is going to be fine. It isn't, and it's much easier to fix when you first spot a mistake than after you've cast off, sewn up and woven in the ends. Yes, cardigan, I'm talking about you.
2. Wear lipstick more often.
3. Read more literature. I have often posted a reading list at this time of year, but this year I won't be as the list could be pretty much summed up as vampires (some sparkly, most not), spaceships and Anna Karenina. So I have taken the Top 100 Book list from a couple of years back, removed the ones I've already read and sorted them by number of pages and the cost to download for my Kindle. This afternoon was spent very pleasantly reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, which is a. very short b. very good and c. free. Next up is Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.
Showing posts with label misc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label misc. Show all posts
Monday, January 03, 2011
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Happy New Year!
I hope that everyone reading this had a very Merry Christmas and Santa brought you everything that you asked for. I did pretty well with the gifts, particularly in the chocolates and biscuit areas, so I am looking into the future and predicting that my trainers are going to be seeing a bit more use in the near future. Either that or I will be hitting the sales in search of jeans in a slightly bigger size.
Well then. So 2007 has passed away - with quite a flash and a bang last night thanks to the neighbour's fireworks - when did this become such a part of new years celebrations? It took me ages to persuade Mr C to come out from under the sofa. Grrr! But anyway.... and we are now into 2008. A whole new year filled with promise and without any mistakes in it (to (mis)quote Anne).
As is traditional I have been looking back over the last year's accomplishments and casting a critcal eye on them.
So. Knitting. 2007 was definitely the year of lace. Although there has not been so much of anything of late and I still have the second Earl Grey sock and the circular shawl on the needles (oh, and a bit of a crochet blanky done).
Swallowtail Shawl - first lace. Prettiest lace.
Cabled hoody - finished at last! Phew.
Zebra socks - not especially impressed by the stripnicity.
Lambchop - Probably my favourite knit of the year. Now residing in my sister's cupboard. Ah well.
Cherry leaf shoulder shawl - in pale green Posh Yarns Eva. Turned out very nicely.
Bayerische socks - Boo! to the Sock Hater.
Tank top - very handy for work. A black one would be even better.
Forest Canopy Shawl - great present for step mothers.
Clanger - very cute, very pink.
Dobbin aka Sheldon the Turtle - great pattern. Definitely want to make more of these in different colour combos.
Felted slippers - fun to knit but tedious tedious tedious to felt to the right size.
Seashell socks - the merino yarn didn't like it in the washing machine. Oops. If only the felted slippers had felted this easily. T'uh.
Artemis top - looks nice on the hanger but could do with a bit more shaping to make it a bit more flattering.
Devan - I really liked making this and was very pleased with the way it turned out. This was my favourite non-lace, non-toy knitting this year. Last year. Um.
Ugly socks - hmmm.
Earl Grey socks - on the heel. Am really liking Garnstudio's Fabel sock yarn. It's very fine and soft. Using smaller needles gives a very comfy sock indeed.
Circular shawl - still on the go. Now I have all the needles I'll ever need I shall be able to finish this shortly. Promise.
Not as much as last year, but the lace knitting is a bit more time consuming than plain. That is my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I think next year I will try to use up some of the contents of my stash that has been waiting around for the longest. I had thought that while I was off work over the holidays I would get lots done, but it doesn't seem to have worked out like that and I've been doing other stuff instead, like reading, cooking and drawing. I think the knitting will return once I get back into the routine of work (boo!) again.
Next. I read some books.
33. Assassin's Quest - Robin Hobb (current)
32. Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb ***
31. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens ****
30. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman ***
29. Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb ****
28. The Tale of Beatrix Potter - Margaret Lane ****
27. Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier *****
26. Girl With a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier *****
25. Cat Confidential - Vicky Halls **
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling ** and a half
23. The Crystal Cave - Mary Stewart **
22. We Need To Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver *****
21. The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman ***
20. The Good Life Gets Better: Panning for Gold - Dorian Amos ***
19. Friday's Child - Georgette Heyer *
18. Rilla of Ingleside - LM Montgomery ***
17. The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells ****
16. Yarn Harlot - Stephanie Pearl McPhee ***
15. A Game of Thrones - George RR Martin *****
14. Do You Remember The First Time? - Jenny Colgan ** a warning that you shouldn't read books that come free with magazines.
13. What Katy Did - Susan Coolidge *** + an extra * because I loved this book as a child.
12. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson *****
11. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde ***
10. The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux * but I deduct that * because of Andrew Lloyd Webber
9. The Remains of the Day- Kazuo Ishiguro ****
8. Moonset - Louise Cooper ****
7. Northern Lights - Philip Pullman ****
6. Eclipse - Louise Cooper ***
5. Hide and Seek - Ian Rankin **
4. Knots and Crosses - Ian Rankin ***
3. Artemis Fowl - Eown Colfer ***
2. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood *****
1. Bleak House - Charles Dickens *****
I think my favourite book would be a choice between The Girl with a Pearl Earring and Cold Mountain. They are completely different though, so I can't decide. Read them both.
What else did I mention? Cooking. I did a fair bit of baking this year, mostly trying to bake decent cookies. I still haven't managed it but considering the size of our Christmas goodies stash and how I really shouldn't indulge so much if I want to fit into my clothes, I don't think this is a hobby that I should be persuing!
Drawing and painting. I have to confess to being a doodler. Give me a pen and paper and I will scribble. I was given a lot of super arty stuff like paints, instruction books and posh paper for Crimble (I think the rellies were a bit relieved that there wasn't any knitting stuff on the list!) and I have made a decision (which in itself is unusual!) to try and improve my skills, particularly with watercolours. I am thinking of starting a painting blog separate from this one to keep notes on my progress and encourage me to paint regularly. Today would be a good day to decide, as I could do a drawing a day. Maybe. We'll see.
Well then. So 2007 has passed away - with quite a flash and a bang last night thanks to the neighbour's fireworks - when did this become such a part of new years celebrations? It took me ages to persuade Mr C to come out from under the sofa. Grrr! But anyway.... and we are now into 2008. A whole new year filled with promise and without any mistakes in it (to (mis)quote Anne).
As is traditional I have been looking back over the last year's accomplishments and casting a critcal eye on them.
So. Knitting. 2007 was definitely the year of lace. Although there has not been so much of anything of late and I still have the second Earl Grey sock and the circular shawl on the needles (oh, and a bit of a crochet blanky done).
Swallowtail Shawl - first lace. Prettiest lace.
Cabled hoody - finished at last! Phew.
Zebra socks - not especially impressed by the stripnicity.
Lambchop - Probably my favourite knit of the year. Now residing in my sister's cupboard. Ah well.
Cherry leaf shoulder shawl - in pale green Posh Yarns Eva. Turned out very nicely.
Bayerische socks - Boo! to the Sock Hater.
Tank top - very handy for work. A black one would be even better.
Forest Canopy Shawl - great present for step mothers.
Clanger - very cute, very pink.
Dobbin aka Sheldon the Turtle - great pattern. Definitely want to make more of these in different colour combos.
Felted slippers - fun to knit but tedious tedious tedious to felt to the right size.
Seashell socks - the merino yarn didn't like it in the washing machine. Oops. If only the felted slippers had felted this easily. T'uh.
Artemis top - looks nice on the hanger but could do with a bit more shaping to make it a bit more flattering.
Devan - I really liked making this and was very pleased with the way it turned out. This was my favourite non-lace, non-toy knitting this year. Last year. Um.
Ugly socks - hmmm.
Earl Grey socks - on the heel. Am really liking Garnstudio's Fabel sock yarn. It's very fine and soft. Using smaller needles gives a very comfy sock indeed.
Circular shawl - still on the go. Now I have all the needles I'll ever need I shall be able to finish this shortly. Promise.
Not as much as last year, but the lace knitting is a bit more time consuming than plain. That is my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I think next year I will try to use up some of the contents of my stash that has been waiting around for the longest. I had thought that while I was off work over the holidays I would get lots done, but it doesn't seem to have worked out like that and I've been doing other stuff instead, like reading, cooking and drawing. I think the knitting will return once I get back into the routine of work (boo!) again.
Next. I read some books.
33. Assassin's Quest - Robin Hobb (current)
32. Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb ***
31. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens ****
30. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman ***
29. Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb ****
28. The Tale of Beatrix Potter - Margaret Lane ****
27. Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier *****
26. Girl With a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier *****
25. Cat Confidential - Vicky Halls **
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling ** and a half
23. The Crystal Cave - Mary Stewart **
22. We Need To Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver *****
21. The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman ***
20. The Good Life Gets Better: Panning for Gold - Dorian Amos ***
19. Friday's Child - Georgette Heyer *
18. Rilla of Ingleside - LM Montgomery ***
17. The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells ****
16. Yarn Harlot - Stephanie Pearl McPhee ***
15. A Game of Thrones - George RR Martin *****
14. Do You Remember The First Time? - Jenny Colgan ** a warning that you shouldn't read books that come free with magazines.
13. What Katy Did - Susan Coolidge *** + an extra * because I loved this book as a child.
12. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson *****
11. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde ***
10. The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux * but I deduct that * because of Andrew Lloyd Webber
9. The Remains of the Day- Kazuo Ishiguro ****
8. Moonset - Louise Cooper ****
7. Northern Lights - Philip Pullman ****
6. Eclipse - Louise Cooper ***
5. Hide and Seek - Ian Rankin **
4. Knots and Crosses - Ian Rankin ***
3. Artemis Fowl - Eown Colfer ***
2. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood *****
1. Bleak House - Charles Dickens *****
I think my favourite book would be a choice between The Girl with a Pearl Earring and Cold Mountain. They are completely different though, so I can't decide. Read them both.
What else did I mention? Cooking. I did a fair bit of baking this year, mostly trying to bake decent cookies. I still haven't managed it but considering the size of our Christmas goodies stash and how I really shouldn't indulge so much if I want to fit into my clothes, I don't think this is a hobby that I should be persuing!
Drawing and painting. I have to confess to being a doodler. Give me a pen and paper and I will scribble. I was given a lot of super arty stuff like paints, instruction books and posh paper for Crimble (I think the rellies were a bit relieved that there wasn't any knitting stuff on the list!) and I have made a decision (which in itself is unusual!) to try and improve my skills, particularly with watercolours. I am thinking of starting a painting blog separate from this one to keep notes on my progress and encourage me to paint regularly. Today would be a good day to decide, as I could do a drawing a day. Maybe. We'll see.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Having a bit of a break
Oops. My 'it's been a few days since I blogged' seems to have unintentionally stretched out into 'quite a lot of days since I blogged'. I don't really seem to have much enthusiasm at the moment and so I have decided to take a Blog Summer Holiday for a short while till the slump is over.
Rest assured, all is well with us and I shall be knitting and doing and hopefully will have much to tell of when Sheep Happens returns...
Rest assured, all is well with us and I shall be knitting and doing and hopefully will have much to tell of when Sheep Happens returns...
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Sad Day
It is a sad day when people that you had respect for turn out to be idiots. I grew up with Patrick Moore's Sky At Night programs, as I am sure many children did, and he brought the wonders of the sky and space to our homes and for many years I had dreams of becoming an astronomer. Now today I see him quoted as saying things like "I used to watch Doctor Who and Star Trek, but they went PC - making women commanders, that kind of thing. I stopped watching" and realised that it was actually only the boys that he was talking to and not me at all.
I wonder what Heather Couper makes of this.
I wonder what Heather Couper makes of this.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Yarrgh, tis me Pirate Duck.
I got some cool stuff in the post today from Lapina, including me new mate, Pirate Duck! He doesn't swim too well (probably too much rum on the voyage over from the Americas) but here he is enjoying a relax by the bird bath.
I have cast on for the second Bayerische sock (no SSS for me) and also for the front of the tank top which I will do when all the fiddly cabling gets too much for me.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The 10 Steps to Happiness
There is a new tv show starting, or possibly it has already started, called Making Slough Happy or something along those lines. I was reading the page on the BBC website about it where they outline 10 steps to leading a happier lifestyle. Being happy sounds good to me, so I read with interest and thought I would give it a go. This was last week. Over the weekend, I had dreams about arguing with people, didn't sleep well and woke up tired and grumpy - and then yesterday I had a busy day at work, nearly ruined dinner and make a BIG mistake in my knitting and got myself in a right foul mood, so things do not seem to be starting out in the right direction. I think I find having a whole list of things to do EVERY DAY quite stressful and feel a bit of a failure if I don't tick off each and every one. Feeling like a stressed out failure does not seem to be particularly conducive to me being happy, in my opinion, but from small beginnings and all that, so I shall perservere a while longer till I forget about it completely.
So here they are:
1. Plant something and nurture it
I have houseplants. I don't so much nuture them as let them take over, although admittedly they are all tough varieties like cacti, ivy and spiderplants that don't exactly need much looking after. The one thing that I try and try to grow on my kitchen windowsill is parsley but always without longterm success. I've just thrown some in the compost this last week. I still have some seeds, so I'll give it another go.
2. Count your blessings - at least five - at the end of each day
I started out forgetting to do this one completely. However, the last few nights I have said the same things and it could get a bit repetitive, but trying to think of different positive things is hard without resorting to being thankful that the roof doesn't leak and the boiler still works (for now, finger's crossed...)
3. Take time to talk - have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week
Not a problem. My Mum could talk for England.
4. Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up
This is easier said than done, most of my friends whom I don't see on a regular basis anyway are scattered far and wide across the country but I shall make more of an effort to keep in touch.
5. Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it
Hmmm, how to do without gaining a stone or crippling myself financally? Some suggestions have been: bubble baths (doesn't really fit into my helping the environment thinking but one now and then is nice), painting my fingernails, reading a favourite book and listening to a favourite CD. It has also been suggested that my treat could be watching whatever tv I fancied...(see point 9!) This week I have been recording films that are shown during the day to watch later on, as I am aware that there are many many classic films that I've not seen. Today, I have mostly been watching Zulu!
6. Have a good laugh at least once a day
I was given a Gary Larson Off The Wall calendar for Christmas, so this is pretty much sorted. On the rare occasions of it being a cartoon I don't get or find funny, I always have my forum friends to keep me entertained. There are quite often amusing things said at work, but generally that is more a case of laughing at, rather than laughing with, which probably doesn't help with the karmic (is that a word?) nature of this exercise.
7. Get physical - exercise for half an hour three times a week
Exercise. Yes. Well. I'll definitely do some tomorrow...
8. Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day
I do this. I start conversations with people in shops. Strangers probably think I'm some kind of loony.
9. Cut your TV viewing by half
In these days of such dire tv shows as Celebrity Singing, Celebrity Mincing, Celebrities on Ice and Celebrity Bullying, this should be quite easy to achieve. However, I do like to knit while the television is on as background noise. I've listened to some audio books before and they were quite entertaining and don't require me to look up from my knitting so this could be a plan. I shall probably also fail to catch any of the program on Slough's happiness too, but this will be by accident rather than deliberate attempt to cut down on viewing time. It is also the Cricket World Cup this month, starting today, so I suspect that my tv viewing will be dominated by this for a while. I don't mind cricket at all, so come on England!! (We're playing our first game against New Zealand on Friday).
10. Spread some kindness - do a good turn for someone every day
I let a lady out of a side street while driving to work this morning and a little voice in my head piped up 'that's that one done for the day'...how bad is that?! I think I might amend this one to whenever the opportunity arises, rather than limiting it to one per day...
Wish me luck and spread a little happiness ;)
So here they are:
1. Plant something and nurture it
I have houseplants. I don't so much nuture them as let them take over, although admittedly they are all tough varieties like cacti, ivy and spiderplants that don't exactly need much looking after. The one thing that I try and try to grow on my kitchen windowsill is parsley but always without longterm success. I've just thrown some in the compost this last week. I still have some seeds, so I'll give it another go.
2. Count your blessings - at least five - at the end of each day
I started out forgetting to do this one completely. However, the last few nights I have said the same things and it could get a bit repetitive, but trying to think of different positive things is hard without resorting to being thankful that the roof doesn't leak and the boiler still works (for now, finger's crossed...)
3. Take time to talk - have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week
Not a problem. My Mum could talk for England.
4. Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up
This is easier said than done, most of my friends whom I don't see on a regular basis anyway are scattered far and wide across the country but I shall make more of an effort to keep in touch.
5. Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it
Hmmm, how to do without gaining a stone or crippling myself financally? Some suggestions have been: bubble baths (doesn't really fit into my helping the environment thinking but one now and then is nice), painting my fingernails, reading a favourite book and listening to a favourite CD. It has also been suggested that my treat could be watching whatever tv I fancied...(see point 9!) This week I have been recording films that are shown during the day to watch later on, as I am aware that there are many many classic films that I've not seen. Today, I have mostly been watching Zulu!
6. Have a good laugh at least once a day
I was given a Gary Larson Off The Wall calendar for Christmas, so this is pretty much sorted. On the rare occasions of it being a cartoon I don't get or find funny, I always have my forum friends to keep me entertained. There are quite often amusing things said at work, but generally that is more a case of laughing at, rather than laughing with, which probably doesn't help with the karmic (is that a word?) nature of this exercise.
7. Get physical - exercise for half an hour three times a week
Exercise. Yes. Well. I'll definitely do some tomorrow...
8. Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day
I do this. I start conversations with people in shops. Strangers probably think I'm some kind of loony.
9. Cut your TV viewing by half
In these days of such dire tv shows as Celebrity Singing, Celebrity Mincing, Celebrities on Ice and Celebrity Bullying, this should be quite easy to achieve. However, I do like to knit while the television is on as background noise. I've listened to some audio books before and they were quite entertaining and don't require me to look up from my knitting so this could be a plan. I shall probably also fail to catch any of the program on Slough's happiness too, but this will be by accident rather than deliberate attempt to cut down on viewing time. It is also the Cricket World Cup this month, starting today, so I suspect that my tv viewing will be dominated by this for a while. I don't mind cricket at all, so come on England!! (We're playing our first game against New Zealand on Friday).
10. Spread some kindness - do a good turn for someone every day
I let a lady out of a side street while driving to work this morning and a little voice in my head piped up 'that's that one done for the day'...how bad is that?! I think I might amend this one to whenever the opportunity arises, rather than limiting it to one per day...
Wish me luck and spread a little happiness ;)
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