Warrgarrbbllll/Flail

Still here. Not dead (yet). Lots of blog-reading to catch up. Excellent reasons for being a bad blogger.

So, here’s what I’ve been up to:

• Spun, plied, set and knitted with the merino.  I have a finished object to photograph at some point soon.
• Started spinning the only other fibre I own (some sort of purple/blue/grey wool stuff with slubs of silk scattered throughout) SEE PHOTO BELOW
• Picked up my Blooming KAL shawl again. And knitted on it.
• Applied for, and been given, a place on a Masters of Science course at university.  History of Science, Technology and Medicine, hopefully leading to an MSc in the History of Medicine in two years time?!  Funding support pending, of course.
• Enjoyed the early Spring sunshine (a rare treat ’round these parts)
• Remembered why I hate paperwork, form-filling and admin, but also how grateful I am that “my” university seems to be very accommodating to disabled students.
• Ordered (and received within 7 days!) some yarn dyed with walnuts (!) from Karen B.
• Wound 5 skeins of sock yarn into cheeses (or cakes, if you are North American)
• Had the remnants of this Godzilla of a cold run through my system a few more times
• Had an ear infection (I know, how novel. Never had one of those before!)
• Went into Manchester to see AudreyM at Purl City Yarns and wore some fab black, knee-high, biker-style boots which were entirely inappropriate on the hottest day of the year so far.

I think that’s it.  I have a bajillion photos to take and then edit.  A sock pattern to write.  Forms to fill in, GPs (General Practitioners, not Grand Prix) to badger.

No rest for the wicked …. or the good

Juggling with an octopus

Not that I’ve actually been at depth and wrestled with a cephalopod, but it’s just that’s what it feels like working on the button band for the sesame cardigan.

It seems to be all limb at the moment because the only things that are attached are the shoulders.

It also feels all limbs to the pump because I’ve decided to go for my Master’s in Science.

I know.

I’m waiting to hear back from my university about if they offer any funding options and if they say “No” I have to find £1045 by November the 15th. Easy!

Boudica:

Say what?

No, I haven’t forgotten about my Queen of the Iceni, in fact I have finally started the heel turn.

You may recognise the yarn from the new header image (eyes up).

Urchin:

Keeping with the nautical theme of today’s post, I present a 6/8ths-completed Urchin hat (from the latest issue of knitty – and the link for it’s Ravelry page.)

The yarn is King Cole Magnum Chunky (with which I seem to have some sort of growing obsession) in a kind of lilac-denim blue-light grey melange. They don’t have colour names, these more budget yarns, so I’ll probably come up with something.

Heather-jeans?

Smurf-barf?

Suggestions welcome.

And if you have a spare couple of hundred quid floating around, chuck it my way, will ya?

OK, so I lied!

The last post isn’t the last one before Christmas.
I just logged on to my university’s website to accept my degree and I found out the classification.

A closer look?

It’s a 2.1!!!!!!!

I’m not normally a fan of the over-use of the exclamation mark, but I think it needs it!
As I mentioned previously, I thought I’d get a 2.2, so this is a complete surprise. I hadn’t felt like celebrating yet, just in case they’d made a mistake and were going to take it away from me. Bring on the Dandelion and Burdock* – let the part-ey begin!

And now, I promise, that’s it. Really. Totally nothing until after Boxing Day. Or at least Boxing Day. Christmas Eve?

*I can’t drink alcohol for medical reasons (well, I could, but I’d have to have 999 on speed-dial) so this is as wild as I get!

I am normal?

I’ve been prodded, poked, had blood taken and stuck my head inside a giant magnet, and apparently I’m “normal”. Part of me is relieved that they haven’t found anything (specifically no spinal chord compression like my mum, which was my biggest fear) but I’m also dissapointed because … well … they’ve not found anything?!

Reader questions answered:

Yes
No
Yes
Only with a banana
And yes.
Seriously though, Emma (the one that’s moved to France, not the one in the north-east of England) asked if I knew my degree classification yet. I can work it out manually, but can’t be bothered. It should be a 2.2 (where 1 is the best, 2.1 is what most people get, and 3 is the lowest). Given all the problems I’ve had during this degree (my cruddy health, my mum’s worsening condition, my grandad dying) I’ll take it!
2Paw – yes, the OU is the Open University. They are lovely in all their loveliness and I love them.
April – yes, 7 years is a long time. A very, very long time!

Knitting? On a knitting blog?

Surely not!

Top-down hat in lemon and red Rowan Cashsoft DK {commence drooling over yarn}

Up next will be some mittens and booties for Baby F (in case anyone was wondering, that’s not her actual name.)
I got some craft fabric for … well, crafting. Can’t say anymore about specifics in case CERTAIN PEOPLE are reading this. All will be revealed in good time.
I also got an amazing pair of cuffs from France as part of yet another Craftster swap (somebody stop me). I’ll show just one of them here, but more photos can be seen here.

I’ve nearly finished the black and white check shirt (just the buttonholes and buttons to do) so that should be the next thing up. Something to look forward to?

---

Technorati tags: yarn; knitting; hats; hat; fabric; sewing

I’m no longer an undergraduate

BECAUSE I’M A GRADUATE!!!!!!!!!

I can now add “BSc (Hons)” after my name (although I think it would be a bit pretentious if I did). I still have to wait for the confirmation of the award (probably in the new year), but this should be it. Seven years … I’m shattered!