Songs in my Head - Wednesday 7th January

'No Air' - Jordin Sparks (was on the radio and I hate it)

'Human' - The Killers (downloaded the backing track for a friend last night - and I hate it)

A bizarre medley of 'Dance' by Lady Gaga and 'Disturbia' by Rihanna (anyone else get those two mixed up?)

Songs in my head - Tuesday 6th January

(Ooh Aah) Just a Little Bit - Gina G (I have no explanation for this)

Breathe Easy by some band like Blue (possibly because I have a slight cold and this song makes me think of Vicks)

Chasing Rainbows - Shed Seven (hubby has been singing this a lot so it's his fault)

Stash Wars: THE cardigan

Yes, tis true, the cardigan is finished! Only it didn't go quite to plan ...

The pattern is from 'Stitch'n'Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook' by Debbie Stoller and is called the 'Go Everywhere, Go with Everything Cardi'. Those who have the book will know where I've gone wrong - it's meant to be waist-length! Because I was using yarn unravelled from a tired old jumper, I was very conscious of making sure I didn't run out because finding matching yarn would be practically impossible. So I knitted one of the front panels much tighter than the rest, so had to do the same with the other front panel and hope for the best. I could've redone the back too, but that would have taken ages and I was losing the will to live, so I tried to make it work. The result is an unintentionally cropped and slightly A-line cardigan which looks a bit wrong. Hey, it might work as maternity clothing in years to come! I'm still quite proud that I recycled the yarn though, the only bit I bought were the buttons. And it means I've reduced this pile of yarn ...

... to this ...

Not bad, eh? Although what I'll do with those oddments I've yet to work out. Otherwise, I've managed to reduce my stash from this ...

...to this...

Not a huge reduction, especially as I missed a couple of smaller balls out of the original picture and had that little transgression last summer when I bought the beautiful Bluefaced Leicester. But I'm going to work on reducing it even further now. Next project is a scarf made of said beautiful Bluefaced Leicester, then I might do a few novelty projects like dolls, cupcakes etc to reduce that nasty pile of acrylic. But no more big garments for a while, I couldn't face another one!

In other news, the Christmas fairy (i.e. my Mum) got me loads of needles for Christmas, so I now have almost a full set of single pointed needles, just a few chunky ones outstanding, hurrah! Even better is that Mum got them secondhand at a charity sale, so they're Generous needles too!

Belated festivity

Just to prove I have been knitting recently, here's a picture of Millie getting into the festive spirit ...

See, as a break from knitting THE cardigan, I decided it'd be funny to make a Santa hat for Millie, so I got out my red and white cheapy yarn and figured out a pattern myself (clever me!). I like the way she wears it at a jaunty angle in this picture. There is a better picture of it, but it has me in a bathrobe in the background and that's just embarrassing. Anyway, I was going to post it before but couldn't work out how to get the picture off my phone, then forgot. Sorry that it's now a touch unseasonal.

The cardigan is coming along by the way, just not quite as expected. I'll explain when it's done and I can post a picture, but let's just say I'll be very careful about tension in future ...

New Year, New Ideas

Happy New Year! Sorry for the lack of posting recently, but when you spend your working days staring at a computer, when you're on hols you want to avoid PCs. That and I've been busy spending time with hubby, knitting, buying kitchens and other fun stuff. 

Anyway, my little break from blogging has made me rethink the blog a little. My most regular feature is This Week, which is an idea I nicked off Fi. Now, it works great on her blog because she's very dedicated (and has stuff to talk about) so she blogs daily, but as I can go for weeks without blogging about anything in particular, it's a bit like treading water. So I'm ditching it. But instead I'm going to add a new item which I can drop in regularly or randomly, dependant on my mood and time restraints. This will be 'Songs in my Head'. I frequently have a very strange mix of songs going round my head and, to stop me just confusing my office mates by telling them about it, it might be entertaining to note it down on here. 

I'm also going to try and do a bit more blogging around my hobbies. The book reviews attract a lot of hits which is fab, so I'm keeping them, but I'm going to also try to write more (and post more pics) about my knitting and maybe also write a bit about acting and singing too. And of course I'll try to carry on my Generous journal (maybe even write it more frequently!)

I'd love to know the thoughts of anyone who reads my blog, so leave comments to let me know what you do and don't like!

200-word review: 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte

I should have read ‘Jane Eyre’ years ago, when I performed a monologue based on an extract from the novel at two drama festivals, but I started halfway through to save time and soon gave up. I wish now that I’d stuck at it, because this is a brilliant novel, deserving of its status as a classic work of English literature.

A plot summary wouldn’t do the story justice. It takes place over at least a decade, covering the childhood and early adulthood of the eponymous heroine, and incorporates several different storylines, the most famous being that of her relationship with Mr Rochester. I already knew the story, having seen a couple of screen adaptations, but this didn’t dampen my enjoyment of the novel. The use of language is bewitching, particularly the distinctive Bronte touch of incorporating landscape, weather and superstition into the narrative as if they are all inextricably linked.

The only bit I didn’t like was the section about Jane’s time in Morton, which, while not superfluous, seemed to drag and detract from the far more interesting love story. Other than that, I loved the novel and will almost certainly read it many time in years to come.

This Week I will mostly be ...

... still knitting that cardigan! (Actually, reknitting part that I'd knitted far too big last time - it ain't gonna be done for Boxing Day as planned)
... reading 'Jane Eyre'
... watching Christmas TV and maybe 'Prince Caspian'
... overeating
... seeing my wonderful family (and hopefully hearing from big bro in South Korea)
... wishing all her friends, family and readers a very merry Christmas!

This Week I will mostly be ...

... not rehearsing! Yay!
... partying at various Christmassy do's
... reading 'Jane Eyre'
... trying to finish the cardigan, although it would appear I don't have enough wool :S
... watching something, I can't remember what Lovefilm sent us
... basking in the glory of having done all my Christmas presents (and worrying that I've missed someone!)

This Week I will mostly be ...

... reading past copies of 'Big Issue in the North' (had to return 'Jane Eyre' to the library so am reading odds and ends until I can get it back and finish it!)
... knitting the last bit of the cardigan when I have time
... either rehearsing or performing, tonight is my only night off until Sunday
... maybe watching 'Donnie Darko' if I get time
... wearing a nun costume
... very, very tired

This Week I will mostly be ...

... rehearsing, rehearsing and rehearsing
... reading 'Jane Eyre'
... watching 'The Colour of Magic'
... hopefully finishing that blasted sleeve
... cold
... trying to build up flexitime so I can have Christmas Eve off (my train pass runs out on 23rd!)