heads up

I’ve just spent a rather frustrating 45 minutes trying to change my header on my blog.

I tried many.

As you can see.

but nowhere did I find a delete image button.

So I had to accept a few blacked out images.

And I can’t find a way to restore my original!

It seems that the close up shots I do for Ravelry and here on ta daas, are not appropriate for the header.  Gah!  I shall have to start photographing my knitting from middle distance too in order to get a new header shot.

Unless you have some tips for me?

Take care,

nyaz

 

summer has arrived

The sun is out so it’s time to have a fun, colourful nail varnish!

This is a Barry M nail paint I bought for £4.99 at Superdrug. 

I hadn’t bought any for an age, so I treated myself.

I’ve never used this this particular colour before, but I figure I’m young, and I love green.  So why not give it a go?

What do you reckon?

Take care,

nyaz

PS have you done anything different recently?

watch it!

When I was a kid my friend Kate had a pop swatch watch.

I thought, at the grand age of 8, that everything she did was fantastic.

I immediately wanted a pop swatch watch.

It was big and clear and mine was a groovy teal and lime colour and I think it had a space theme.

After incessantly begging my mother for a few months I was granted with this treasure for my passing an entrance exam to my brother’s school that had recently gone co-ed.

I loved it.  Scrub that. I adored it.  So much that I popped it in and out of it’s holder so many times in my lessons, and often found myself motioning to classmate neighbours to kick it back over to me when it so often fell on the floor.

The watch I wear at the moment is a fossil watch that beloved bought me for my 26 birthday.  It is beautiful with silver circles that link round to make a bracelet.  It is perfect.  Only now I’m a teacher, I need to be stricter and clearer with the time.  My current watch only clearly defined position “12″.  Nothing else.  It’s a little hit and miss whenw e make playtime.

So I find myself hankering after another pop swatch.

So clear.

So big.

So… expensive!

I went on to ebay to goggle them and I couldn’t believe it – £99.99!  for a second hand watch with no battery???

So I headed over to the official pop swatch site – which I assume is for an out of date company as only nearly new watches or older are available,

me oh my I love them:

(£69)

 This was the one Kate had… (£75)

Apparently they are collectors’ items now.

Who knew?

I just can’t afford one, but oh boy if I could!

Take care,

nyaz

PS have you anything on your wish list?

update – still here!

I am not good with general anaesthetic.  Since Monday, I have basically been asleep knit one row of knitting, slept, one row, slept, then gone to bed.

We are experiencing a little heatwave in Britain at the moment, and yesterday the conservatory thermometer read 40degrees. 

That is not a comfortable temperature for me.  I feel like I might melt at any time and cease to function.

Most people in Britain are going mental for the heat and turning themselves into walking lobsters, jamming the roads to get to pretty places and generally going heat crazy.

I am not one of them.  I go pink as a cooked beetroot if you even mention heat. Beloved is the same.  I love the light and the world is a much happier place in the sun.  I’m just more of a spring/autumn/crisp winter sun person.

Unusually for most people I find myself longing for winter already.  Cosy nights in front of the fire reading and knitting up a storm, listening to vinyl in the conservatory listening to the rain patter on the roof, looking out across a bleak beach and grey sky enjoying a thermos of tea with beloved.  Christmas lights twinkling from every front room and catching the glitzy paper on the presents under the tree…. mince pies, hot coffee, hot chocolate, tea, christmas dinner, *sigh* can’t wait!

Anyway…. my stitches are irritating my skin and bruises are popping up all over my stomach, and when I stand up it feels like under my belly button is ripping a little… add a bad reaction to general anaesthetic and it’s a second week off in the run up to half term (although yay! I get to be at home!)!  Add heat and I’m not the most laid back I could be.

I’m not a grump.

Just not a hot person!

Take care in the heat, put some suncream on, then aftersun (even if you are working in the garden and 33 and my beloved who is now pink and thought you knew better…), and keep hydrated.

nyaz

PS any tips to cope with the heat?

knit marathon

Over on my bloggy friend Cheryl Marie Knits she has invented a rather genius monthly event.

She does a marathon of knitting.

Yes you read that right, she knits for 26.2 hours over 2 consecutive days to give her knitting a real push!

She blogs throughout the day about it too.

I’m hoping to join in this month too (although I may spread it over 3 days due to my surgery recovery).  It starts today!

I’m going to do this every month that I can, although my dates my differ due to work commitments.  I can’t wait to see my knitting productivity fly!

If you do swing by her blog, let her know you came from here!  I’m trying to persuade her to do me a guest post!

Take care, keep knitting – and if that’s not your hobby, find some extra time to do what’s dear to your heart instead!

nyaz

ps – leave a comment and let me know what your hobby is!

tadaaaaa!

It’s done!

The never-ending cardigan has ended!

I spent 8 hours finishing it over the weekend and immediately whipped it on and forced beloved to take some snaps using my phone camera.

So the total time was 30 October 2011 – 20 May 2012 (EPIC!),

the total yarn used was 250g double knit inherited from beloved’s gran,

and the pattern was from “Vintage knitwear for modern knitters” by Lise-Lotte Lystrup.

It was a dull knit, the three row pattern only being broken up by a cast on of 80, and after 16″ a cast off of 80, but it was a useful talking/tv watching project, and it looks great.  So for a knit I give it 3/5 and for a garment I give it 4.5/5.

Take care,

nyaz

PS what have you finished recently?  Was it worth it?

the big day

Today I have my little op to see whether I have endometriosis or not.  I’m kinda hoping yes, as it would explian so much and bring investigation and uncertainity to an end, but then who wants to have endometriosis?

Still by this time tomorrow I’m hoping to be home, awake enough to knit and drink tea, and relish being alive.  I find illness does that for me, brings life into focus.

So for now, take care and keep well,

nyaz