Bright light, bright light!!

Knitting_Nora

Ta very much DwDD!

ZTD - am liking the theory. Am a very, very distant smoker from back in my teens - plus it explains why potatoes are sooo addictive...let's be honest, there's not a bad thing about a spud (well, that's both legal and morally upstanding - please!). And really, you're doing the healthy thing of reaching for a potato rather than a cigarette....I salute your stance!

Hmmmmm, do you think the self-medicating aspect can be applied to chocolate given the smoochy chemicals it releases within the brain? *plots*

And maybe we need to get Martin to start the 'half potion, half price' campaign for those of us who never manage a whole one...

Knitting_Nora

Ooooo, just found a random 45p down the back of the sofa (um...I don't normally root around my sofa at this time of night, but I was looking for the knitting needle I'd just lost down there).

Anyway, how twinkly to find silver coins! Almost as impressive as Scotdebs' 'sock drawer of allllll hoooooopppppeeee and posssibilityyyyy'.

Have just done the happy dance all the way to my payment a day (PAD) pot...well, that wasn't at all embarrassing...

I'm officially obsessed!!

ZTD

Knitting_Nora wrote: »

ZTD - am liking the theory. Am a very, very distant smoker from back in my teens - plus it explains why potatoes are sooo addictive...let's be honest, there's not a bad thing about a spud (well, that's both legal and morally upstanding - please!).

What's this "morally upstanding" thing again? :huh:

Use small words...

(But not this small...)

Knitting_Nora wrote: »

And really, you're doing the healthy thing of reaching for a potato rather than a cigarette....I salute your stance!

Well I would never reach for a cigarette in any circumstance. I believe eating a lettuce is generally regarded as the healthy option - and I'd never reach for one of those either... :eek:

Knitting_Nora wrote: »

Hmmmmm, do you think the self-medicating aspect can be applied to chocolate given the smoochy chemicals it releases within the brain? *plots*

It can, but not to the non-smoochy chemicals that accumulate around the hips...

Knitting_Nora wrote: »

And maybe we need to get Martin to start the 'half potion, half price' campaign for those of us who never manage a whole one...

He may find that too much of a witch's brew to contemplate...

Knitting_Nora

*slaps head* And I was ever so pleased that I got 'campaign' right!

There are some late nights when I shouldn't be allowed at the laptop. And on that point, I'm off to bed.

ZTD

Knitting_Nora wrote: »

*slaps head* And I was ever so pleased that I got 'campaign' right!

And you got potion right too! But let's face it, how could you mizpelt campaign in such a way to let me make a pun of it? It's difficult.

And yes, I know punning is the lowest form of wit...

Knitting_Nora wrote: »

There are some late nights when I shouldn't be allowed at the laptop.

If mispeeling got me banned from a computer, I'd never be on... :eek:

Knitting_Nora wrote: »

And on that point, I'm off to bed.

Good night. :wave:

Knitting_Nora

Morning! :wave:

Ahhh, ZTD, you do make me laugh...though I wish you'd wait until I've actually swallowed the tea - can't afford a new laptop!

A belated 'hellooo' to Beanielou, Beat the Debt and Freshair - thanks for stopping by and welcome to the wild rumpus! That said, after a naff night, today is going to be more 'sloth-like inactivity and lots of yawning'....

Yesterday I spent much of the day undoing a jumper I've been making for a friend for Christmas, and turning it into something else (she's put on weight, so I'm changing the jumper to a shrug to accommodate any shape change).

It may be the lack of sleep, or the lack of chocolate (soon put that right), but my brain has just associated the jumper-that's-now-a-shrug with Tracy Island. You know - the place where the Thunderbirds live. Hmmm, maybe the shrug will change into something else when the world is terrorised by string puppets? But wouldn't that make it more of a transformer rather than a thunderbird? :think:

Ok, moving on (because that made my head hurt). I also took apart a throw I'm knitting (on huge, 2ft wooden needles if anyone's interested) for my sister for Christmas - turns out the colours are now wrong for her new decor. This is technically a little annoying as while the wool is cheap individually you need 6 balls per throw, so it adds up.

However, in a marked change from my normal attitude, I didn't simply reach for the credit card. Instead, I've decided to wait until payday to get the new wool, plus I've worked out three other projects (including two birthday presents and a Christmas present) which use up the 'wrong' wool and save me both from the associated shopping trips and from spending what would have been a lot more money on each of those three prezzies between now and spring.

To be honest, I'm feeling a little smug - if you're following my insane ramblings, then please feel free to stop for a second and feel smug alongside me....there...don't say I never give you anything. :kisses3:

Slight aside, I'm trying out the fab smileys - fingers and toes crossed that they work when I post this...otherwise there will be some very random words typed after certain comments!!

Ok, time to liberate chocolate from the fridge otherwise I'm going to be a complete beast to anyone coming to the door today.

Have a goodun'!

Knitting_Nora

The smileys worked!! Haha...ooooo, that's it now.......

freebyfifty

Morning Nora, you are up and about early.

I love your idea of knitting presents for Christmas, I used to love to knit and cross stitch but haven't done any for ages and ages. My two DD's would rather go naked than wear something their mother had cobbled together and as for my friends???? well?????? If it ain't got a designer label/huge inflated price tag then it is treated with the same disdain as a blocked loo.
Am I the only person I know who can appreciate the work and thought that goes into handmade presents?????? Maybe I should buy some little labels and sew them on and become the next new thing :rotfl:
Or maybe you should!

Knitting_Nora

Morning fbf.

I find that there are two groups of people - those who appreciate handcrafted (and in terms of my knitting, sometimes lopsided) gifts, and those who don't. Those who don't are unlikely to change (and get given boring old CDs or DVDs for xmas and birthdays)...until they see something you've made for someone else, and usually immediately want it for themselves because they have no clue that it took you a month to produce... the eventual owner of the once-was-a-jumper-but-now-a-shrug is like that - you'd think she was doing me a favour by asking for this for Christmas!!

Total aside, depending on the ages and interests of your daughters, handcrafted knitted things have appeared on all the fashion catwalks for the autumn/winter ranges...think big scarves, wraps, snoods (but nice ones which act more like cowels around the shoulders)....or of course, there are always bags.

Bags are how I started - there are amazing, and cost-effective, yarns on the market these days. Just knit a rectangle, sew up the sides, knit, crochet, or acquire a handle, line it if you can and voila! A bag. I've given dozens of these as gifts - including some in jewel colours which I've shaped like envelopes by decreasing at certain points (add a press stud to keep the point closed), and work really well as evening bags.

But I reeeaaaaallllllyyyy like the idea of the labels *plots*...*remembers plans for NSD today* *sighs* *adds labels to the wish list*

Shower-of-roses

Hey KN is that a kiss smilie? Wow that's clever, why didn't I find that...grrrrrrrrrrr! You are doing amazingly well. I feel a little bit proud of you. (Being as I garnered your very first post!)

P~A~D....You've taught me something new, fantastic idea, thanks Nora.

Hey freebyfifty, my daughter is 16 and also very fashion conscious (moody, narky, hormonal, tetchy, twitchy and all other teenage adjectives), but as I left my Mum's yesterday evening, she'd grabbed a stool, perched at her grandmother's feet, and asked her to show her how to knit. It was so sweet. I managed to get some half price wool yesterday, as I've mentioned elsewhere, and some of it is called Sirdar denim aran. Mum is knitting said daughter the most gorgeous cable jumper out of it for Christmas and we 'think' she'll love it. She asked for a jumper after she saw her mate in a hand knitted gilet. I think knitted stuff might be becoming popular because the wool shop was very busy with all mixed ages. There is some lovely wool now. Even I fancy this little two piece jumper and skirt combo. And I think I'm Carla Bruni:rotfl:We do live in the back of beyond though, dunno how it would all go down in the cities!!

I also used to knit and cross stitch but gave it all up when my sister-in-law looked at me as if I was nuts when I gave her a beautiful wall hanging I'd made for her baby with date and name etc stitched in. I'd spent weeks days and nights getting it ready in time, I was crushed!!!

Now I think sod them. Mainly because I see Lemon tree and Nora here and I get a bit jealous. I'm not sure we should be bullied into designer gifts every Christmas/birthday etc. I'm making a MSE stance and gaining all the therapeutic effects of being a home knitter, lower blood pressure, less eating, nimble fingers, bigger bank balance...;) Of course, I've actually yet to start