- Managed to finish another book, the story of an American blogger, her blog and an aspiration to cook, in a year, all 524 recipes from Julia Child's cookbook.
Funnily enough, reading it didn't have me wanting to cook but left me wondering if there would be any demand for a novel based on the
disconnected ramblings and predilection for all things cake of a middle
aged, supposedly academic blogger from a whatever-the-word-is-for-the-opposite-of-salubrious town in north east England. It's OK. I know the answer.
- Sewn up a cute baby jacket and matching hat knitted from eye wateringly expensive cashmere and silk yarn, which I only discovered was eye wateringly expensive when I got to the checkout in Hobbycraft, the only source of knitting parafernalia round these parts. For what I paid, the expected recipient could have been togged out for his/her entire first year. I then did as I was told in the pattern and experienced something called "blocking" for the first time. When I used to knit in days of yore there was no such thing as "blocking", I just pressed the garment with a hot iron over a damp tea towel like Aunty M showed me. It never failed to produce lovely flat results immediately.
- Thrown afore mentioned baby jacket and matching hat into the bin, swiftly followed by the knitting pattern. The damp tea towels I'd used for blocking? They turned the pins rusty. Then when I tried to wash the rust marks out, the red colour from the little clown buttons I'd bought in Harrogate ran into the lovely cream coloured and eye wateringly expensive cashmere and silk yarn. If you're wondering, the rust marks stayed well and truly put. I've resolved never to block again. When the Mister found the pinned out jacket and hat under damp cloths on the ironing board (I couldn't think of anything else to use that would withstand all of the dampness), would you believe he asked if it was part of some sort of ritual?
- Knit myself a hat for the colder weather which, if my olfactory system (I told you I was academic) is still working, isn't that far away. The hat is more a beret (remember this one that I loved?) but I doubt I'll wear it, partly because the 100% un-dyed virgin wool I used is .......what's the word?.........unwearable but mostly because it's somehow ended up with a pointy top. I've tried it on and it's a definite no and I'm not aware that the pixie look is in for the autumn but correct me if I'm wrong. So I'm well on the way to resolving never to knit again.
..............and it's only Wednesday.