What a delightful way to end the day

Today was a strange day. With a delightful twist at the end.

It was with dread I went to work but it is now done and I have a weight lifted off me. I can smile, really smile, not just pretend.

When I got home, the postie had left a parcel at my back door and just looky looky what gorgeous goodies had arrived......

I'd entered a give-away generously sponsored by Penelope from L is for Love

for  some 'skinny yarn' she had fallen out of love with.

I was really chuffed when she said that my name had been selected.

So when a parcel arrived today.....

I was quite surprised at the shape of it!

The yarn was there - in the most hearty-love paper bag

But - be still my happy heart - look what else was hiding inside....

I certainly didn't expect all the lovely extras she'd thoughtfully wrapped and added to the yarn.

Cheerful yellow vintage knitting pins

ooh yum yum

And a wrapped parcel within a parcel -

even more intriguing..... 

Oh ho ho! How wonderful!

I am going to have such fun !

Oh oh oh!

And, all the while, some one small and furry was showing interest 

at all the excitement 

A little face kept peaking over the corner of the table

while I was taking photos of the yarn

A  happy smiley face!

Thank you Penelope - as I said in my email - your timing was perfect

thank you thank you thank you!

Fairisle for a fair cat

Had a thought*

Borrowed a knitting machine **

Learnt on a swatch***

Even tried out pseudo-fairisle!

Stuffed it with wool scraps and catnip.

Had fun!

*Potentially dangerous as I often think way out of my ability
** thanks Jak!
***Silly to waste a swatch

October's end

October's last day - Samhain tonight. The village will be filled with little ghosts and princess-witches. There will be knocking at the door and sweets given and costumes admired. This is the first year in many that we have simply not got involved. Oh - we have the sweets and we will answer the door and light up the window skyscape and pumpkins but the boys have suddenly grown up and don't want to actually join in with the festivity of it......boo.

We have a diva in our midst.

She poses and pouts. She wears her outfits with aplomb. She knows how to work her adoring crowds.

Oh, oh - here she comes!

Pan models a seasonally coloured cowl with wooden buttons made for a metro-sexual Siamese 

(his owner's description, not mine!)

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I thought I would do an October montage

A lot has happened.  Birthdays, foul weather, walking, Samhain, autumn arrived and Lily* vanished. 

*Yesterday, as I flung open the bedroom curtains, a big ginger cat was sitting on the kitchen roof. My heart did a skip but at the same time I knew it was not Lila. The cat turned and stared, it was a huge tom cat, short coated and sporting - a purple collar and bells.... He jumped off the roof and disappeared.

I think that this cat is the one that folk have been seeing. She has been gone for 15 days now, not a sign, nothing. We have to face facts - she is gone.

Celtic designs and city skyscapes

Still on the theme of 'decorating for Samhain', the three of us (Himself was busy doing the loft conversion) got creative.

In between walking around the village for Lily (there has been several possible sightings of her  so we have been out all times of day and night in hope) Youngest and I have been carving pumpkins and Eldest has made a brilliant window display.

He first drew a skyscape on black paper, cutting many windows. He was definitely practising multi-tasking as he was watching Fawlty Towers at the same time.... !

We had, on one of our Looking-for-Lily walks, collected some very vibrant leaves, which Eldest then painstakingly taped and trimmed to fill the windows with colour.

I then taped it to our front window for him and we strategically placed fairy lights behind the windows and....

Just look at this!

before switching on the lights

The leaves made gorgeous colours and they really showed off all his 'windows' he had created - I am really pleased with his creativity.


Youngest and I ended up with two decorated pumpkins and a huge pot of pumpkin, chilli and garlic soup and home-made cinnamon bread - aaah heaven!

So, now the house is fully Samhain-ed and souped up.

PS - the possible sightings of our dear Lily are still coming in, I have just had another phone call saying that a cat was spotted - So without much of a thought apart from grabbing a coat and a torch, I set off, but  - nothing.  We do still have hope - how many deep red super furry fluff-cats live in our village?

This and that and thank you x

Thank you all for your kind words and suggestions. Some we are following up, others we have already done, posters, checking sheds, garages, speaking to dog walkers, checking drains and ditches, rivers edges, walking out during the day, walking out during the night, ringing veterinary surgeries, local cat rescues, the cleansing department, the ID chipping centre etc etc.

But we have to face facts that today is a week and no sign. No body, no sightings - nothing. I still look out the window at any movement - just in case.

We are keeping our little Pan indoors, not that she is that put out, she is more timid, preferring our company than being on her own and as the weather cools, she is happier to stay at home. But that is not the answer, cats should be allowed out and about. Any hoo........

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Youngest had asked a week or two ago for a knitted kerchief to wear whilst out walking. We chose a deep forest green in double knit with a black textured stripe as a contrast.

He wanted to wear it before I even had a chance to block it - so this weekend the kerchief had a walk out first and now is being blocked whilst Youngest is at school. Pan keeps sitting on it - hummmmmm, need to cat proof my blocking!

I then offered to knit one for Eldest. His reply - was very gracious (as gracious as a 14 year old teenager can be) in his new baritone voice 'No thanks......but, can you make one for my cat? In bright blue?'

I swear she is smiling :)

And finally, I have been doing a test knit (my first) and had fun doing it. Helped keep me busy. As the pattern is now out for sale I am sure I can share pictures and links.

Meet Humphrey the Camel.

His creator is Linda Dawkins from Natural Suburbia. Linda designs and makes the most gorgeous knitted creatures and I have long been a distant admirer, not trusting my novice ability on her patterns so when she asked for test knitters, I jumped at the chance and voila!  Humphrey.

I have other things on my needles, one item has been 'affectionately' dubbed the re-frogged scarf. I am on my third attempt....the previous two being frogged almost at point of completion. I should go with my gut instincts.....both scarflettes irked me as they grew on my needles but I kept going - just in case they improved....they didn't. So were duly frogged.

The present pattern I am now doing has potential - I just need to get further than frogging after about 30 rows. I will get there eventually!

I also have another cat cowl and crochet string bags on the go. Shame I have to go to work.

Lily

Not sure how to start this post. Had planned to show some w.i.p.s. Chat randomly about this and that.

But all that seems a bit frivolous.

Lily - wonderful, beautiful precious Lily is no longer. And we don't know where or why. We hear rumours in the village about cats going missing.   The more posters we have put up and the more people we have spoken to, the more we hear about other cats disappearing.

Most stories have the same alleged ending.
The same name keeps coming up.

The same man .... and his gun.

I am running out of ways to comfort my boys and to shelter them from the possible way their precious cat was taken from them.

Lily

aka Lily Purkins, the pompom of doom, bogbrush tail, Tiger Lily

01.10.11 - 15.10.12

You are missed and were dearly loved.

The calm AFTER the storm

Yesterday when I returned home from work (Thursday afternoons are mine and mine alone) I had an unhealthy itch to bond with the vaccum cleaner. Bordering on obsessive I whipped up a storm of plaster dust and building rubble as vacuum cleaner and me worked through in a determined-come-hell-or-high-water type of way. I am sure that the carpet was lifted off the floor with the suction to return to it's usual position in a quivering submissive manner. I dusted and wiped with a wet cloth, the water turning black with every rinsing. A red mist filled my glazed eyes - I*was*going*to*reclaim*my*house*from*the*plaster*dust* (this madness was briefly interrupted by the school run, feeding children, cats, dog, chickens, dispatching one off to music and dragging the other one up to his room to continue the BIG clean)

We continued, walls were vacuumed  skirting boards washed, curtains flicked and earmarked for the washing machine (which was already chewing it's way through a years worth of stashed clothing - the boys have inherited my tidying up genes....see abombstrukket). Pictures were removed off walls, dusted and stacked ready for the walls to be painted, toys were separated into re-home, keep, throw away - Eldest was shattered and pleaded to go and do homework (now that is a first!) 

Youngest returned from his musiscand was gang-pressed to continue in his brother's stead. We continued the unrelentless slash and burn action on the house. I was possessed. Youngest was procrastinating and eventually was banished to his  homework.

By 9.30pm I was finished - not in a-clean-house-sort-of-way, but in a-I-couldn't-do-another-thing-coz-I-was-so-tired-sort-of-way.

This morning - that whirlwind energy has all gone, I am back to my sore head and throat state, where only a mug of tea and some yarn action is all I can cope with....... So, the more gentle activity of knitting and tea sipping is bringing me back to equilibrium.

Don't think I could handle another frantic tidy up session for quite some time. If I show any inkling of doing so - please waft some wool below my nose (not too close I am still snotty!) to bring me back to my normal state - I thank you. 

WIP and help

Waiting to be played with.

Now, sitting in the sun, just about to press - ..Publish.. I am enjoying the quiet time, only the cats and the washing machine and me.......And Oh Yes In Case You Hadn't Realised! It Is F*R*I*D*A*Y!!

Have a good one xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx