Hemlocks and Festivals

Well, Hemlock is finally finished and blocked and, I have to say, a bit of a disappointment. Considering how much I loved knitting this, it hasn't come out as amazingly as I had hoped. It may be to do with the fact that I used cheap yarn, so it may serve me right. I blocked it, then read a comment from Lin which said don't be scared, stretch it out big time, so I re wet it and did that.




Anyway, thank you so much to Stacey, who sent me the pattern in easy to understand format. I loved knitting it. And sometimes the process is better than the result, and that's fine.

This last weekend, we lost 4 days at a festival. An absolutely fantastic time, with the most friendly and fun crowd of people (well, 9000 of them) and the most amazing music from The Hoosiers, Morcheeba, and GRACE JONES!!!!!!



I was at the front for that, I could have touched her leg I was so close! What an awesome woman. Considering she is 60 this year, she has legs I would die for and a body of an 18 year old. She was as controversial as I remember her, laying on the front of the stage with her legs waving in the air, late to start and then finished really abruptly when she's had enough. Lots of people moaned about that, but I was just blown away by seeing such an icon in the flesh. I spent many a night in my teens, in a darkened room, listening to Nightclubbing, with the bass turned right up!!!!!!

It was a really relaxed weekend, with great food, amazing music, a lot of laughs and plenty to look at. And hot sunny weather as well. What more could a person ask for?

There was a guy on a bike he'd built a frame round, so could do a forward roll on it!


The lights at night were beautiful

Haybales to sit on and watch the world go by

Check out those amazing dreads! She had a beautiful tattoo on her arm, too, and I not generally a fan, but that one could convert me. Their dog and Flossie liked each other!

A bubble slide down the hill into the stream

My posse!

How cool is this? A sand sculpture, ready made for sitting and knitting on!

Me and Floss chilling out

Rob in a tricycle downhill onto a ramp at the bottom (which he still has the grazes from!)

Main stage

Aaaah!



I received a parcel this weekend, from my UK swap pal. Thank you so much! I was rubbing one of the skeins against me cheek, when I read the cards, which said, "I hope these goodies survive the cheek test!" Well, they did! Beautiful colours, and the Mirasol baby alpaca is my MOST favourite, I could sleep on a bed of that stuff. Thank you so much!



Mary is now a lot better and home. She has finished some absolutely amazing mosaicing on her garden furniture, and if I can only work out how to import the photos she sent me into iPhoto, I shall wow you with them. Her work is truly stunning.

I am feeling a whole lot better and more confident about becoming a weight watchers leader. From speaking to a couple of social worker friends, they said it's like being a social worker to people who have a food problem, instead of drug and alcohol problems! Which is what I did in a previous existence. And they're right. It's the same skill base that I will be using. And I have really missed social work since I gave it up. I don't miss the politics, but I do miss working with people, so I am feeling that this really is the right path for me to be taking! And I shall meet some interesting people too, and I am hoping it will lead to a lot of other things too. What, I don't know yet! My mm used to say life was a corridor with a lot of doors off it and I feel like I am in a corridor now. And it's a nice feeling. A change is what I need and it has come at a great time for me. I just need to summon up the nerve now to stand up in front of a room full of people!!

If nothing else, it will help me stay at my goal weight!!

I am waiting for a pattern to arrive in English from Phildar. I can speak pretty good French, but not knitting pattern French! In the meantime, I am knitting Portia, which is boring as it is all st st, and trying to finish my patchwork bag. I have a good idea for a blanket, too, wich came to me on the way home from France and was inspired by the journey!!

I hope it's warm and lovely wherever you are!