A little bag

This is a little bag.
But if you have even been to Britex, you will know the joy that this could hold. This bag catches my breath. And holds limitless potential. It congers up dreams, visions, and color expeditions.

And a bag this small could only come from the 3rd floor. Buttons and Ribbons and Bridal. Ahh.





In fact, I was there looking for some lovely ribbon to make some belts. Not only do they have the ribbon, but of course they have, all the trimmings too. I wanted some simple d-rings, and was steered over close to them. But the buckles were all lined up there, and the little rings just paled. They looked like "hardware". I picked some 'shell' buckles, and an interesting green one.
the ribbons are fantastic. And while, yes, they may be expensive... they are reversible! So does that make them worth twice as much?



When they put them all in the bag, and added everything up, it was heart stopping. They should issue warnings at the door. Or at least have bouncers in front of the elevator.

Cup o' tea?

I have returned from 10 days in London, visiting MFMIL (My-future-mother-in-law). Understand that I am on a pre-wedding diet. "we" in fact are on a pre-wedding diet. I managed to say "no thank you" to a great number of the offers, and yet, I still gained 5 lbs in 10 days. That will tell you how much food was brought out. It was like being on a cruise ship. England must be run by the Lords of the national dairy council. Strawberries and cream, scones and clotted cream, bread and butter, tea with milk, coffee with milk and sugar... and it went on and on. If you are familiar with Weight Watchers at all, you are shivering in horror. I have visited the grocery store, and I am now supplied with rice cakes, salsa, lettuce, and protien powder. And that is what "we" will be eating for the next 6 weeks. I'll hide the McVitties!

Debbie Bliss in London

I was able to organize to meet Debbie Bliss for a coffee and a croissant! How fantastic. I am a big fan of hers. And I am happy to report to you that she is super nice in person. It is funny, she is much more famous in the US than she is in England. I almost expected paparazzi to be following us. They werent. But I got a picture none the less. So, while this may not be the cover of People Magazine next week, it will certainly be the highlight of MY trip.

London

Oh, here we go!
It takes SO SO much to mount an expedition. Two people, both with their own small businesses. Lot's of plates in the air.
I feel the sensible thing to do is to sew a new skirt for the trip. I mean, there are several hours before we have to get on the plane. (!!!???) The craft-over-committal-syndrome has clearly extended to BEFORE the trip, and not just to the airplane ride. Frightening!

I cannot wait to go to Liberty's, and to the V&A. And I could LIVE here.
Ta ta.

I'm done!... or am I?

Ahhh, the cable sweater.
So I garter stitched until my fingers bled, and I finished the final panel! (final panel on the FRONT side. I still have sleeves, and a collar and a WHOLE back, which is the same as the front!) Victory on the first third.
I read the next instruction, and was confused. I looked carefully at the piece. (Can you see it???) There are 7 stitches more on one side than there are on the other side.




This sweater is constructed with one section knit (horizontally) and then the next section is picked up, and knit (vertically). So, to fix the issue, I have to knit cast-on seven stitches and work the vertical section, and then pull back the cast-off sections, add more yarn, and figure out the cable piece.


Now, back to the garter stitch panel.

bouncing in the storms

I flew across country today.
You know that feeling you have right before you are going to be sick? Where you close your eyes, and try to breath deeply, and you feel the sweat start to sting your face? You swallow often, trying to remind your body which way the system works. Food goes in the mouth, not out of it, "come one stomach, hold on there".
That is the horrible limbo, where you don't know which way the story is going to go.

And that, my friends is where I spent some hours today. The pilot said "oh, we are just hitting the tops of the clouds, so you may feel some bumps." These bumps were violent jolts in a sea of smooth air. Then later we had to circle "for 20 minutes", and then another 20 minutes. Then we landed on a 'vectored course' (which just means slowly and out of our way in pilot-speak) I was so illin' when I got off I nearly kissed the ground.

I connected to my next flight in the Charlotte Airport.
Some brilliant designer came up with the idea of setting in a row of rocking chairs along the length of the main concourse. They are kind of folksy. And certainly unique. But when you have just "hit the tops of the clouds" and bounced and giggled, and swung, and circled figure eights in a holding pattern for hours on end, and you are greeted by a row of rocking chairs is literally nauseating. It's like asking a drowning man if he is thirsty, and then lining up really interesting glasses full of water in front of him.
I couldn't even look at them. And to add to it, they sit in front of the moving walkway. So the back drop is people moving at abnormal pace in opposite directions behind a line of people in big spindly high back rockers, and bobbing at random intervals.
I ran to my next gate, and avoided the chinese food, the Chili's on-the-go, and even the Body Shop. All I needed was a big hit of some mango hand lotion and I for sure would have lost it.