Still alive

Yes, I'm still alive. Yes, I did get through the madness of Christmas and the New Year in the restaurant and now I have semi-retired, working only three days a week, so should have more time for everything I want to do but never seem to get round to.

That, at least, is the theory. Up to now I have felt as if I am on holiday, so there has been lots of lounging round the house, reading novels and eating chocolate, and very little of anything else. Shortly, the new regime really will begin and who knows what will happen then.

Part of the reason I haven't blogged for a while (the other part being "that holiday feeling", see above) is that I've been fighting with the computer. I want to have a gallery of my finished knitting, with the vital statistics of each project attached. Something along the lines of Wendy's gallery. (Not that mine would have nearly as much stuff as Wendy the Uberknitter's has.)

Not having the faintest idea how to go about any of this, I set about a little research. (You know me, I'd rather read about it than actually do it.) It appears you can do something called "multiblogging", which seems to be where you insert one blog seamlessly into another. I don't know if it's like putting your foot into a sock or like putting a sleeve into a jumper, but whatever it is, it sounds just the ticket. However, I cannot for the life of me understand how to do it. Further research needed.

I downloaded some software for making a photo album, thinking that if I could add a text bit to each picture that might do the trick. The software (JAlbum, if you are interested) is excellent. It appears you can add text files to the jpeg files displayed in the albums and it sounds just perfect. However, I cannot for the life of me understand how to do it. (Where have you heard that before?) There are tutorials and forums and help pages and something called "skins". I still can't work it out, and quite frankly, I'd rather be knitting.

So, the gallery will have to wait. Rest assured, it will arrive at some stage but not until it is exactly as I want it.

I have managed to do a little knitting on the Garden Shawl. Here we see illustrated, once again, the drawback of knitting lace (at least for blogging purposes):



There she is in all her glory. All scrunched up (technical term) on the needles, looking most unphotogenic. I know that she will be transformed in the blocking, rather in the manner of a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, or a cygnet changing into a swan. I know it will happen but it's not a lot to show you, is it?

There is a sale at my LYS (Shipston Needlecraft) during the month of January. I managed to pop in there today but "'im indoors" was waiting for me (out-of-doors, as it happens) and while he didn't have his nose pressed against the window to see what I was up to, he might as well have done, for all the discomfort I felt in the shop. I shall have to make another excursion, during the week, on my own, in some of my now copious "free" time.

I have plans to make Charlotte from Rowan 38, but don't fancy Ribbon Twist or Big Wool and thought Colinette Shimmer might do instead. I just need to decide on the colour. I also want to make those Nutcracker Slippers from Handknit Holidays but I tried them with the Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4ply recommended and it just wasn't working. I think Louisa Harding Fauve would be a much better bet, if I can get the gauge to come out right. (Actually, the pattern is not that hard, I think I could probably adjust it for a different gauge if I had to.)

My knit bud sent me this link to a pattern for a shawl from Elann and I must say I like the look of it very much. It would certainly make a change from the 2.5mm needles the Garden Shawl is currently occupying.

I thought about signing up for Secret Pal 7 because I like the idea of it and now I have more time I might actually be able to get to the Post Office once in a while. Of course, the anonymous e-mail business stymied me (how have I managed to even start a blog when I can't work out how to get an anonymous email account?) and now it's too late. Would anyone like to adopt me?