FACT: Facebook is the new HEAT

I managed to wean myself off celebrity gossip magazines and the Lush forum at the beginning of the year. Magazines particularly - I still forum a bit but I'm over it. Great, I thought - more time to blog.

But, sadly, Facebook turns out to be the crack of social networking sites, and between that and Ravelry there is roughly the same amount of blog time as there was before. I keep trying to remind myself that little and often is better than these massive hefty updates, but I've always been something of a hefty girl, personally.

At least I'm reading actual books these days (5 so far this year...not bad at all. I think last year's total was 2. I'm so ashamed.)


CHECK. IT. OUT.

I have crazy knitting skills now. I made that! The blue thing. And may I just say, I think I can put a very tasteful outfit together, too. I am going to brag a little here and say that I made the matching jewellery and the fascinator, too. Yep. It's all me.

Pattern: Annie Modesitt's Silk Corset Top
Yarn: Oasis Soysilk from SWTC; two and a half balls of the dark blue, much less than half a ball of turquoise
Sundries: 30 (count 'em) dark blue shell buttons from Liberty in London
Mods: Almost none. I BO'd more stitches for the armholes, but evidently hugely overestimated the size of my arms because they are plenty roomy. I also managed to knit a whole size bigger than I thought I was knitting. I have no idea how I managed this. I CO more stitches than I BO'd for the armholes, intending to go up one size - somehow, I went up two. Thankfully it doesn't notice.
I also didn't bother with the crochet trim around the edges - one person in my knitting group thought it wouldn't look right, while the other pointed out that, with the contrast between the turquoise and the dark blue being so great, the crochet would have to be a pretty perfect effort. Since it would be my first attempt at a crochet trim, I decided against it.

I LOVE it. Check me out in a catalogue pose -



Britain's Top Models have got nothing on me.

I want to wear it all the time, but it's a handwash item and I'm soooo lazy. I intend to knit it again in something washable, and pale in colour - there is no doubt the thing is quite translucent, and I'd like something with less contrast between yarn and skin, so I have a chance of wearing to to work.

The pictures were taken at my friend Sarah's wedding, a delightful affair which took place in Bursledon this past weekend. The bride looked radiant and there were a few old school friends about to catch up with, and I had a really good time. I managed to consume quite a large quantity of champagne and wine, and decided the best way to finish the night would be with a pint of cider back at the hotel. I thankfully had the good sense to pass on the delicious port proffered by one of the navy boys also staying there; but still, when I went to the patio and pulled out the chair to sit down, my drunkeness became all too apparent. As I sat, the back legs of the chair sank a bit - I thought, into the flower bed....realising, as I keeled gently over backwards, that the flower bed was a good foot drop off the patio.

Mr Z said the next day that the first he'd known of it was when he saw a pair of feet sticking out of a bush and heard me laughing. The best man came to the rescue, but I was laughing too much to be assisted and ended up doing an undignified roll over onto my front and crawling out.

I'm just class in a glass, me.

I have also been to see Hairspray this month, which was AMAZING. Mother Hand and I had a weekend in the Big Smoke, shopping and having dinner at Wagamama and almost being late for the theatre. I really liked the stage show a bit more than the film: Amber was much funnier and meaner, and Penny much ganglier, than in the film. I guess when you cast big name actresses in a film you can't make them clown. That's a shame, really - the stage show made the von Tussles out to be the equivalent of the ugly sisters at panto, Penny's transformation at the end was all the more amazing for her earlier clumsiness, and the parts were excellently played. I was honestly enthralled by the whole thing!

I felt very cultured that week because one of the assistant heads at school had an extra ticket to see French and Saunders at bristol Hippodrome and so I went to see that on the Monday. Hilarious. They did a mixture of old sketches and new things (new to me, at least) and I left with aching sides. Very fun. Slightly unexpected invitation, though - what do you say when the assistant head comes over at the end of the day and asks if you're busy in the evening? Especially when she is close with yon woman I had a row with at the murder mystery (who has been more pleasant of late, though I try to keep my distance as far as possible). Indeed, yon woman accompanied us, but as I said...more pleasant of late.

And now, as the King of Mush might say....er....well, I don't know what he might say. But I'm saying goodnight.