I'm still here!

We've Been Camping...
And we chose the hottest week on record to go. What a sensible thing to do, 2 adults and 6 children - actually it started off that way, we swelled to 3 adults and 9 children for 2 days and ended up with our original number - we'll just say that not everyone is suited to the outdoors, especially those who chase their children with antiseptic wipes and allow them to bring their expensive hand held computer games and bibi guns instead of a bike - to steal a phrase from across the pond - gimme a break!! Now I have rant number 1 off my chest I will move smoothly on. We enjoyed our outdoor life immensely. We were not far from home, it was a first for camping for my friend and her children. This was a trial run to see how things went. They loved it. We are planning a next trip further a field, say the Lake district later for next summer.

Knitting News
Still loosely linked to camping though. I took Gwen and the log cabin blanket with me. Gwen was not touched and I managed to finish one more block on the blanket, so I'm just about to start the 4th block. I know I'm not good at following instructions, but I came across my first problem or error on my part. The rules are pretty loose, as I understand it. For the most part you use garter stitch, you use the ridges as counters which means you have an even number of rows, which in turn means you should always cast off on the right side. You can be quite mathematical about the number of ridges so that your shapes look geometrically matched or you can just go with the flow and see what happens. I have been quite meticulous about row counting and making sure I cast off on the right side, in order to turn the work to the right so that the last stitch is in the bottom right hand corner ready for the new pick up of stitches. So why did I end up on the wrong blooming side (i.e. the left side instead of the right side) on my cast off row? I've asked my friend to double check what I did, more on that later.

Sad News
I'm not a fanatic about knitting and knitting accessories. I purchase yarn from time to time and buy the odd book when I can. I have limited my subscriptions to Rowan Magazine ( we went a little on the side of excess a while back and subscribed to everything under the sun) - I became an avid knitter because of Rowan and still consider myself a Rowan girl and my magazines are my babies (not to be confused with number 1 son of course) but yes they are my babies. They are cherished and loved. They are not in pristine condition, they are lovingly thumbed through and caressed on a regular basis for inspiration and the pure yum factor. I also pick up the odd Interweave or Vogue or what ever tickles my fancy when the occasion arises. So what was I thinking taking Rowan 39 along on the camping trip? Yes, I threw caution to the wind - in other words, I couldn't find the copy I made which was neatly placed in a plastic wallet for protection and robustness so that I could work on Gwen. The magazine taken of course in the knowledge that great care and caution would be excersiced at all times. The magazine was well protected and used only when necessary. Every night my baby came into the tent for a good night rest and relaxation. So how the monkeys tails was it left out in the open when we went out on a day trip to welcome an almighty thunderstorm? Granted it was under a tarpaulin protection - which dutifully collapsed under the weight of rain. I was completely forlorn at the state of my magazine. Fortunately I didn't bring a camera to record my moments of shame and neglect - with some TLC, and a gallant gentleman (thanks Brian) who tenderly separated each page, we have a slightly swollen, but still functional number 39. Lessons learned, just one. Never, ever think you can out smart Mother Nature, she will always kick you in the butt, no matter how smart or careful you think you are.

Exchange Gift
This year's Rowanette Exchange was Hearth and Home. This is better said in pictures - look at my goodies!!

These beautifully made cushions - in MY colours - are from Sue Powell. Note the flower power stitch markers - they are cool and funky and just what I needed.

This is a lavender pouch made using Regia stretch

The cushion is knitted in hand dyed Indian silk.

This cushion is made from Sari silk - the needle case is a gift for Shea - note the handmade stitch markers. He's already told me hands off!!

Sorry the photo's are not great we have grey skies at the moment and I managed to delete all the pic's of Sue's lovely wrapping.

Thank you , thank you wonderful Sue!!

Apologies about the layout, I'm at tantrum stage because the blog thingy won't stay in the layout I want!!