Green Goodness

I'm so ridiculously pleased with my new cardigan (Rav link). I used Berocco Ultra Alpaca in "Pea Soup" and Fearthainn's handspun. The idea was to have a garterstitch yoke in handspun wool and then hopefully have enough to incorporate it into the cardigan's edgnings. It worked beautifully.

I used The Garter Yoke Cardigan as my template but actually did not use the pattern itself except for the yoke math as we are talking about a bogstandard top-down raglan (which I can pretty much knit in my sleep). I did pay extra attention to my gauge as Berocco Ultra Alpaca tends to stretch and flomp. I went down a needle size and also brought some negative ease into play. Again, it worked beautifully.

The only bad aspects about this cardigan? Firstly, that I have finished knitting it because knitting it was so damn awesome. Secondly, that I had a bad experience with a button-seller on eBay which effectively put this cardigan into hibernation for four weeks. Eventually I went with different buttons but boo to you, eBay lady.

Photos were taken today at Glasgow's Kelvingrove Museum because the weather didn't permit any frolicking about in the park. Thank you, Other Half.

If all time is eternally present ...

A deadline has been and gone. Yesterday, in fact. So I can finally start thinking about packing for Denmark, buying Branston Pickle for my Danish friends (don't ask) and even post-Denmark things. As I'm flying out on Monday, you could argue it is about time.

I'm still torn on whether I should buy A.S. Byatt's new novel, The Children's Book, for my holiday or whether I should wait until I come back and will have actual time to read (isn't it funny how these things work?). Part of me wants to tear into it as soon as possible and another part of me wants to savour it. A new Byatt novel is always a cause for celebration, even The Biographer's Tale which I read travelling around New Zealand and cannot remember very well except for a faint pang of disappointment.

After the deadline was met yesterday I met up with Tigerlilith as she wanted my opinion during button shopping. We found the perfect buttons at Mandors where they also had the most stunning Liberty fabrics. Specifically this red/blue print called out to me - I was already visualising a 1930s inspired tailored shirt when I reminded myself that I need a new hobby like I need a hole in my head. A reminder I also needed last night when Kirstie Allsop was trying to wheel-spinning yarn on primetime TV.

Finally, I'm completely sold on Patrick Wolf's new single, Vulture, and the streamed bits I've heard of his forthcoming album, The Batchelor, sound amazing. My 2007 was soundtracked by his The Magic Position and if 2009 turns out to be soundtracked by him again, I shall be rather pleased.

(Title is from TS Eliot as per usual, you might say..)

But Then Again..

I could show you a photo of my recently started Ishbel, but I ripped it out ten minutes ago when I realised that dark wool + lace knitting + stressed Ms Bookish = constantly being two stitches short (and then having three stitches too much). I could show you a picture of my recently completed cardigan which is so pretty, so soft and so green, but my personal Official Photographer guy has been busy and a photo shoot won't happen until the weekend.

I could show you my latest yarn acquisition, but 2400 yrds of cream laceweight lambswool on a cone? Not that photogenic.

I could show you my shopping list for Denmark, but my mind keeps changing at the moment. Do I really need more laceweight - even if it's Faroese or Icelandic? Do I want to lose my cool over the Danish 40% sale on practically all DROPS yarns which is going on throughout May? Do I want an Amimono kit or a Geilsk kit? And what about trying new brands (to me) like Karen Noe (click on "kvalitetsgarn") or Marianne Svit? But do I actually need more yarn?

I really need a holiday.

Linkage

Link dump day! + Europe, Explained: a nice map which summarises it all for confused non-Europeans. + Puppets need puppets too. + Vegetarian-friendly roadkill carpet + The prettiest yarn shop in Denmark? I like my yarn shops over-stuffed, but if you like minimalism.. + Sweden has its own Etsy-like site. + This is a real film: Tiptoes stars Matthew McConaughey as a "normal-sized dwarf", Gary Oldman as his, er, dwarf-sized dwarf brother and Kate Beckinsale as the love interest. Peter Dinkdale features as a a crazy French radical dwarf. I kid you not. + 13 Alien Languages You Can Actually Read. + This is what happens when knitting gets serious. Like, REALLY serious. Sock Summit 2009. Check out the graphics. + Maia Hirasawa: The Worrying Kind. A stunning, stunning cover where I don't think you need to know the original to appreciate it. + Jar Jar Binks salad + British Library's treasures. You could spend an entire afternoon just faffing about (well, I could). + Field Notes. I covet. I covet badly.

Spinning a Yarn - Living History in Glasgow

If you are in the Glasgow vicinity and stuck for what to do this bank holiday weekend, why not go down to Kelvingrove Museum? They have Living History visitors - including Joyce who would just love to show you her drop spindles, fleeces, naalbinding projects, and a very big loom. Yes, we had a great conversation which included endangered British sheep breeds, how to make naal-binded heel flaps and even how to use natural dyes on wool. Apparently I was her favourite kind of visitor ;)

The Kelvingrove Living History exhibition is free and runs until Monday the fourth Sunday. Apart from the very lovely Joyce, it includes falconry, archery, sword demonstrations, wolf hounds, amd fighting enactments.

(At the moment I'm actually pretty preoccupied by knitting and wool traditions. I've been looking into traditional North Atlantic patterns and wools and plan on picking up some Icelandic and Faroese wool when in Copenhagen. My conversation with Joyce reminded me that I need to pop into the National Museum of Copenhagen and pick up one of their naalbinding booklets. Knitting is more than just a pleasant hobby for me - it is also a way to (re-)connect with the past. Incidentally I'm also strongly considering getting myself a drop spindle now after speaking with Joyce. Don't blame me if you pay her a visit and you fall into the same trap. )

Eurovision '09: Preview

After Georgia pulled out/was forced to pull out of this Eurovision Song Contest with their gun-to-head song called "I Don't Wanna Put-in" (get the "pun?"), what can we expect from ESC? You know I'd only do this for you, my lambs. I've sat through every.single.entry and this is the cream of the crop (in more ways than one).

Armenia: Bizarre video - part glamorous folklore, part gym class, part street dance. Surprisingly catchy but maybe be too weird for mainstream Eurovision.

Belarus: Mullet plus "his admiration with the vocal capabilities of Ian Gillan inspired a spiritual journey into the creative heritage of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Even today Petr cherishes the hope to perform the part of Jesus in the famous rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar." A must-see video (for about forty seconds).

Bulgaria: A former mime(!) who sounds a bit like Jimmy Somerville. Classic Eurovision, in other words. In my weak moments I might put this on my iPod.

Estonia: The song reminds me a lot of Georgia's 2007 entry whilst being really interesting in its own way. I also rather covet the singer's hair.

FYR Macedonia:  "I can't see it qualifying, unless Europe is overwhelmed by a simultaneous and collective wave of nostalgia for early Bon Jovi b-sides."

Norway: Full-on favourite to win - with good reason. Bloody catchy and upbeat. Looks even stronger now I've sat through the other countries.

Slovakia: Jesus, I've got records older than that girl. It is the year of dull ballads but at least this one has drama. Reminds me of Cyprus in 2000 (amazing and underrated).

Slovenia: Quite a year for violins. You only need to watch it from the 2.10 mark on maybe twenty seconds onwards. That dress. The voice. The song. Words fail me.

Turkey: Hotly tipped to win or go top three - and while it is certainly one of the most interesting songs this year, in a stronger year it'd just go top ten. Not a patch on last year's Turkish entry (one of my favourite songs of the noughties in a completely un-ironic way).

Acts hotly tipped: Norway, Greece and Turkey. Finland and Ukraine are outsiders. Estonia is the dark horse.

And as Germany has just roped in Dita von Teese to help with their stage show, they'll get some votes now. UK is completely deluded in its belief that a Lloyd-Webber dirge will win, of course. I expect Denmark to land midfield, bless Brinck.

Over all: A really weak year (unless you like boring ballads).