Organisation

Sheep message - cute isn't it? It took 200 sheep, 6 dogs and 3 hours to arrange. It doesn't feel a bit like spring at the moment, though. It was snowing on Monday, absolutely miserable weather for Easter - according to the weather service it hasn't been that cold over Easter for 38 years! I have some time this morning and wanted to use it to take some pictures of our Easter decoration and update my knitting pictures, but somehow the camera is missing. I got told off for working too much and I promised to do less before leaving the house this morning - I had so many headaches lately. I need to organise my time better, so that I have some to rest as well....
I have now found the chip with the all the pictures on it, but the actual camera is still nowhere to be seen. So you just have to take my word for it that there is some Easter decoration in the house (and that we made ourselves) and that I knitted at least 3 Odessa hats (I'll keep one) and currently two more are on the needles. One is for my friend A's birthday - together with a biiig fluffy towel for her weekly trip to the sauna. In absolute hat mood, I have done a green beret in a berry pattern which G is currently wearing a lot as she left her hat on the train - again. I'm still knitting the second version of the Sahara in Emerald Malabrigo and should do another pair of socks for my Dad as he loved the pair I gave him for Christmas to death. I wasn't quite sure he would like them as he has freakishly sensitive feet. Buying socks with or for him requires an expert - he is just not going to wear them if they are scratchy - probably he had enough of those as a boy. Smooshy did a great job, so there will be some more of those in the future. If I'm lucky, the yarn will arrive before I leave for Germany tomorrow evening. I have to go home for some check ups and A's birthday which means that I'll miss the spinning meeting on Saturday morning. Ah, why can't I have it all?!

Easter

It's almost Easter and I had promised myself to make some praliné eggs, or at least some interesting painted eggs this year. Not so sure now, as I see the mountain of work that needs to be tackled. In the end, I went through something like 20 different interviews, but was offered exactly the one I wanted. So I am a happy bunny for Easter ;-) And, to top it all off, I'll need new working clothes..... sooooooooooo.... I'm going SHOPPING!! Ha! Maybe I find some more elegant knitting patterns that can be worn as well. Hm. Any suggestions? I better get going now, or I'll be late for work.

Mid-week s(t)ock take

It's Wednesday, and so far I only had one further (third round) job interview... still no news as to the final results, and another second round interview to go tomorrow (sighs deeply). Sunday's talks went well all things considered, but we are still quite a way away from making the new workshops a reality. Still, in the long run this will hopefully turn out as a great opportunity.
Oh, and then there is KNITTING :-) to keep us sane, right (whatever amount of sanity there was in the first place, which is debatable to say the least).
The Melon Pattern Scarf (Victorian Lace) in Rowan Kid Silk Haze (colourway blood) is now finished, complete with some lovely Renaissance beads M. gave me for Christmas. However, since it was finished on Sunday, it has not left my neck very often, so I have had no chance to take pictures, yet. The number of baby blanket squares is constantly growing, and I am planning to start blocking and sewing this weekend. I have finished two pairs of Express Lane socks (pattern by Diane Mulholland) , both made of Dream in Colour's Smooshy Sock yarn (colourway Beach Fog). One pair for my friend A. in Germany, who's birthday I missed by two weeks (!) and one shorter pair for M. for putting up with me through the interview process.
Oh, and as a post script, my mother sent a picture of the iPod sock I made her to go with the iPod she got for Christmas. Wollmeise sock yarn, combining Poison No. 5 and Rittersporn. Here it is:

Race against time

Now, racing against time usually only gets to me before Christmas - at least in knitting terms. But today it's a completely different race. M. is sitting next to me preparing the last bits of different Opera synopsis (what's the plural - synapsi?),for a meeting in a couple of hours. Fingers crossed, this meeting could make a difference in our artistic endeavours and for a lot of kids being introduced to Opera in an exciting way, so keep your toes crossed (since you are probably having both hands either on the computer or on a pair of knitting needles...)! After wading through lots of different synopsis (no, really, what's the plural?), M. should come up with a glossary of "what not to say in an opera synapsis". How about "Otello rambles on, saying something about head ache...." Not made up! It's a real example! And I am using too many exclamation marks!!Well, I'd better get back to proof reading. Have a fantastic rest of your weekend and watch this space for updates :-)

Beam of sunlight

After all the horrible news and adventures of the past weeks, finally some sunshine back. I was reunited with my knitting (Odessa Hat) on Monday. I left it at work (I know, how could I!) and it was neatly packed away in a little bag marked with my name and the word DANGER. I'm still not quite sure what the danger is - the pointy sticks or me.... Yesterday my friend A came to London to play at Wigmore Hall with the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival Ensemble. A is my oldest friend (our parents have been friends since college times) . We met for breakfast in town before she had to leave for rehearsals. Her mother recently got a little labrador (lots of pictures to see) and A's friend (who happens to be one of my sister's friends, too) is pregnant with twins (no pictures yet)! Baby shower gifts here I come again. G has done so many wonderful little gifts for her friend, but there was no reason for me to start knitting on the off chance that one of my friends would get pregnant.
The concert in the evening was quite fun and entertaining to listen to and watch. The comic bits came with the contemporary music item. G. Kurtag's six little pieces for clarinet, viola and piano had more page turning elements than actual music. R. Schumann's piano quintet op. 44 made a fantastic, powerful finale. One could see that all the players had fun and not for the first time I regretted the fact that it's not fashionable to cheer in-between the movements. Especially after the first one, which finishes on such a high and dynamic point it calls out for you to jump out of your seat and cheer. Well, maybe in a couple of years we'll change common practice and it will be accepted to do this like in the times of Schumann.