Wibbo's Words

What's off (and on) the needles, Wibbo?

Another Forest Canopy Shawl, this one in Trekking XXL in a pretty purple/blue/grey tweedy combination. I love this pattern (you'd never guess) - it's easy to remember, but never boring to knit. I've knitted it in cashmere oddments from Colourmart, Hand Maiden Sea Silk, Cherry Tree Hill Merino DK, Rowan Kid Classic and several sock yarns. This is my comfort knitting, perfect for whiling away the evening with a good audio book!

On the needles (apart from a couple of stalled projects) are these:

Evelyn Clark's Seafoam Lace Scarf in Liz's hand dyed laceweight in a blue/green/turquoise colourway,

edging for a Brighton Stitch 'n' Bitch group project in unidentified Aran yarn,

freeform piece in crochet and knitting for Prudence Mapstone's Pink Project on Ravelry.  Oh, I'm Wibbo on Ravelry, just in case you were wondering...

Now, this is really worth looking at!

Issue One of The Inside Loop. I love the lace shawl and the crochet scarf, not to mention the socks and there's also one of Ruth's hats. And the patterns are pdf files so they're nicely printer-friendly unlike patterns in some other online knitting magazines...

Well done ladies!

This morning, there were lots of runners...

...taking part in the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon.

If you look at the right-hand edge of the photo you can see the Tai Chi Man, oblivious to the world.

I don't know his real name, but he's a regular on Hove seafront doing his Tai Chi exercises.

Twenty minutes later, there were just a few stragglers jogging past, with most of the runners already heading back along the seafront towards the finishing line at Brighton Marina.

Accidental starlings

I've been trying for ages to get a photo of the huge flocks of starlings that swirl and swoop across the sky on their way to roost at Brighton's West and Palace piers. No luck at all until yesterday evening, then it happened purely by accident.

A murmuration of starlings swooped across the sky just as I clicked the shutter to capture the sun going down! I didn't realise the birds were there until I looked at the photos on the computer much later in the evening.

Thursday eye candy...

Oranges

I am heartily sick, sick, sick of the name-changing that goes on to make products 'acceptable'. These, folks, are not ruby red oranges or naturally pigmented oranges, they're blood oranges. Got that?

Lots of knitting

I had fun on Friday and over the weekend at the Brighton Centre, knitting, nattering, meeting up with old and new friends and swopping Moo Cards.

 

And there was, ahem, a stash enhancement opportunity too!

Top to bottom: Araucania Ranco Multy colour PT502, Artesano Hummingbird colour 858, Colinette Jitterbug colour MIst. They say that confession is good for the soul, so I'd better admit to also buying 4 balls of Noro Silk Garden Lite in purple and pink. And some packs of the-now-sadly-discontinued Jaeger Matchmaker DK and 4ply. Oh, and a little more sock yarn managed to squeeze itself into my bag....

This week, with pics

This week has somehow disappeared without me noticing. It's Friday tomorrow and I'm off to Creative Stitches at the Brighton Centre to do my bit on the Knit 'n' Natter stand. I'm there on Saturday and Sunday as well, so that's the coming weekend gone!

Last Sunday, I fought with the wind walked along the seafront towards Brighton. It was seriously cold, blowing a gale and really hard work walking along in anything resembling a straight line.

When I'd got as far as Adelaide Crescent,

good sense won out and I caught a bus back towards home.

What else? I bought a new orchid

to take my mind off the boxes at the back of the living room. It works fairly well looking this way, but a little further across the room the full Box Horror is revealed.

I've also wound yarn. This is Lucy Neatby's Celestial Merino in Aquarius, a very jazzy colour combo

that'll be fun to knit!

Weather watch

Unlike a lot of the UK, it's beautifully sunny and warm here today. Warm enough to sit outside on my balcony and linger over a cup of coffee and the latest Interweave Crochet.

Flossie's very intrigued by The Outside World.

Almost there...

A minute later, she turned tail and fled for the safety of the bedroom!

My amaryllis Apple Blossom is looking rather lovely