My Christmas Post

So... are you ready for a nice picture-intensive post about my Christmas day? No? Tough :P

I started off the day with some delicious Sausage and Cheese muffins...



Then I put my prepared-on-Christmas-eve turkey in the oven and spent a few hours staring wistfully at my pile of presents.



Actually, I watched The Santa Clause and did some crochet, but I just wanted to show off how many presents I had :P

My turkey was a magnificent success!




The kitties enjoyed it too.



Lexie wasn't too happy with the hat from her cracker though. Hehehe



Then it was time for presents! And my god, I was spoiled. Aside from books and chocolate and teddy bears...



... and jewellery and socks and monkeys and candles and soaps and bubble bath... I got 34 balls of yarn! 34!!!



They varied from small balls of toy yarn, to huge expensive hanks of yarn that were specifically dyed for me. Look at them!






And I got this amazing little angel ornament that someone made for me.



And oh oh oh! One of the partners I got in a swap makes a living from handmaking colourful accessories and things. She made me this cute little Slytherin bag...



Check out the label she put in it.



Even the cats got presents. Quite a few actually. Here's one of their favourites.



And finally, just before the Doctor Who Christmas special, it was time for dessert. When we were little girls, Dad used to make Jennie and I a baked alaska for Christmas dessert, but once Tracy and the boys came along, it just wasn't possible. So this year I made my own.



That's chocolate cake, with mint choc chip ice cream on top, covered in meringue and stuck under the grill to brown. It was delicious, but took a bit of a strange effort to make.



Lol.

I hope you all had a lovely day :-)

2nd Crochetversary - Mammoth Secret Project Reveal

Two years ago today (well, Tuesday actually) I was in America. Living at the University of Southern Maine. I decided that I wanted to learn how to crochet. Technically I'd wanted to know several months before hand, but I just couldn't get it. I tried and failed many times to even start off. But at this time, sat at my desk in Phillippi Hall, I decided I was going to learn, damnit!

To YOUTUBE!!!

I watched several dozen videos, and eventually taught myself. And I made this:



And once I figured out that I could do it, I just didn't stop. I kept going and going. I made several little amigurumis those few months in America,and now I'm making huge things. Like the Mammoth Secret Project, which I can finally reveal!

My little sister Jennie got married last November. Last April I started making her and her husband a purple quilt. It took a really, really long time. They opened the parcel a few days ago, only 10 months late.






I'm quite chuffed with it :-)

Here's to many more years of crochet.

a shawl for a wedding

As you may or may not know, my middling sister is getting wed in November. Since it's november, I needed a cardigan or a shrug or something, so I made myself this:





It's my first ever shawl. Well, the second I've started, but the first one I completed and didn't frog. It's made of Malabrigo, so it's deliciously soft, and I'm ridiculously proud of it :-)

Zig zag scarf

You like? It took forever to do, but I could do it without really thinking. Nice simple pattern, but not so simple it was tedious. And it's deliciously soft :-)

Crochet Critters part 1

I've talked about my troubles with crochet and I thought I'd show you a nice picture of my second creation. The first one is still awaiting some eyes.

A Rare Stitching Blog

Haven't done one of these in a while, but I'm about to blog about stitching. When I went to Walmart the other week with the other internationals I was amazed at the size of the place. It was absolutely ginormous, and had just about anything you could think of for sale. I turned a corner at one point and spotted a nice wall of yarn. First I squealed, then I took a picture...



...and then spent twenty minutes stoking the yarn and trying to decide what stuff to buy. I chose a nice blue yarn for my darling GKL and some delicious purples/blues stuff for me. Back home I tried to figure out what to do with it. I'd already brought one knitting project (and several embroidery projects) with me, but I've never been one to ignore a bout of startitis. I spent an hour or two browsing this wonderful site, and finally came up with a pattern. For a stocking. Only problem was that it involves some Short Row Shaping. This is a, theoretically, easy knitting technique, but I'm 3000 miles away from my GKL who rescues me when I get stuck.

BUT...

With the help of a Youtube tutorial, I managed to do it. I completed the project, with my first ever attempt at short row shaping, without having to rip it back once! I'm so proud :D



And I can 100% guarantee that GKL will be proud of me too.

More purple

I doubt anyone is interested, but if you are, here's the picture of my completed white board...



Also, here's a picture of my poor poor ankles on the nice purple comforter that my wonderful boyfriend Neil brought me.

Classes continue

Yesterdays classes were a mixed bag. First of all I managed to miss my Politics of Maine lecture. The building it was in was insane, and I had two different locations written down. I looked for about an hour, then started to cry so I gave up and sat in the quad outside Luther Bonney for a bit.

My second class was Early 20th Century US History, which was interesting. The lecturer is a little insane, but it'll make things interesting I guess. All of the rooms I've been assigned to have those stupid fixed desk chairs. I haven't actually tested one yet to see if I fit. Although I do plan to at some point. In US History I sat in one with a semi desk, and it kinda poked into my belly a bit. For a 1 hour 15 minute class it's okay I suppose, but still annoying. The good news in the class that two of the books on the list were either/or, I didn't need both. Yes! There's some money saved.

After that I had a four and a half hour break before my next class, so I ran some errands. FINALLY found a post office, and posted off some swaps packages and a couple of postcards. Then I went on a hunt for sun lotion, which I finally found in the same shop that was selling big packs of Twizzlers for a dollar. Needless to say, some Twizzlers were purchased. I also went past an IHOP, which I'm looking forward to going to visit. PANCAKES!!! Yummy.

My Holocaust class was... interesting. There was a fire drill in the first half hour, but after that we watched two videos. One was a tour of Auschwitz, with some historical video and photographs. The director showed us the ceiling of the gas chamber, where the people had clawed at the concrete ceiling. It was, like I said, upsetting. It's a very intense course, and we've only had the first class. I'm glad I have Wednesdays off. After a late night on Tuesdays (I didn't get back to my dorm until half eleven) and such an intense class, having the next day off is gonna be useful.

And speaking of today, I spent a lot of it sleeping. I also spoke to my handsome Neil, since I now have a phone line. If anyone wants to give me a ring, feel free! Message me and I'll get you the number. Also, if anyone wants to send me any post, that'd be very gratefully received.

This evening our RA Aimee ran a crafty event upstairs. We were decorating whiteboards to stick on our doors for messaages. I did one with all types of different purples, surprise surprise, and then started a big eyes poster. I'll post pictures when they're dried and finished. It was fun, chatting away and cutting and gluing. Kinda made me miss my Brownies though. I might write them a letter sometime soon.

PS> If anyone is interested, here is the link for the blog I mentioned needing to do for my Maine History course.

New hair dye, and a missing friend

In preparation for meeting SN on Saturday night, GKL and I dyed my hair again. Unable to get to the shop that sells the brightly coloured Dimensions dyes I love, I ended up getting a Live Highlights one. Bright purple, naturally. We couldn't be bothered to just to the streaks, so GKL plonked the whole lot on. Now I have, surprise surprise, purple hair. Well, more of a plum actually. But it looks good. My hair always does.

And speaking of SN, aside from that very brief conversation on Facebook late Saturday evening (in which he promised to make it up to me however I wanted), I haven't heard from him since. No delivery reports coming from texts I've sent. He hasn't messaged me on Facebook, he hasn't been on MSN. Considering we spent all of last week talking through one of those three mediums, him disappearing is making me a little uncomfortable. How long do I give it before I assume he's done what all the others did, and what he swore he wouldn't do?

I dunno. It's a shame. OK, him being so nice got me a little confused about my relationship with N, but he was nice, and I hoped we could be at least friends. Looks unlikely now, doesn't it.

New Thing # 14

Week 14: 30th March 2009 – 5th April 2009

Date:- 4th April 2009
New Thing:- own llama

This week's new thing will only really make sense to knitters, or anyone who can appreciate the delights of yarn.

For GKL's birthday a month ago we were going to go on a tour of five or six yarn stores across the local area, do a bit of experimenting. See if we couldn't find somewhere to shop other than Abakhan (which was getting a bit tedious). Then she had an accident and the trip was postponed. On Thursday we decided that we'd do it, and on Saturday we went a-travelling, with C along for the ride.

Let's skip over the getting lost part (we weren't lost. I knew where we were the whole time, it just wasn't where we were meant to be) and move on. We visited 3 of the 5 stores on my list. Another one was no longer around, and we gave up on the last one so we had enough time to get back to the first one. The first two shops were linked, on the same stretch of road. I'm not going to tell you where it is, because the three of us decided to keep it as our own secret little heaven, but those shops are absolute heaven.

Of the two shops, one sold really good yarn, and the other sold really REALLY good yarn. No one but a knitter will know what this means, but they had Noro. Lots and lots of beautiful, delicious, expensive Noro. NORO!! While C and GKL were fondling the Noro and looking at books, I was over at a display of all kinds of yummy soft yarn. I held a ball of alpaca (practically drooling) and C points out that they might have the llama I wanted.

Quick explanation of the llama thing - I'm a nerd. I'm obsessed with a flash video online (google 'llama song'), so much so that I had the word 'llama' tattooed on my hand in mirror writing. So when I found out that you could buy yarn made from llama hair, I knew I had to have some. C's knitting goal was to own a ball of Noro (which he now does) and mine was to own llama.

The lady in the shop (wonderful woman) says that, actually, they do have llama. I start grinning. She hands me this skein of terracotta orange yarn. I take it from her and have a mini orgasm at how wonderful it feels. I can't describe how soft it feels. All the words I can think of are wholly inadequate. I'm there, holding this yarn, stroking it and I'm giggling and sighing and drooling and getting dizzy and getting palpitations and all sorts. This yarn is amazing! I take it over to C and GKL who admire it with me, and I say that I might buy it, no matter how expensive it is, even though it's orange. Then that wonderful shop lady tells me two pieces of information. A) it's only £5 something a skein, not nearly as expensive as I was expecting. B) they have it in other colours. Holding my breath, I ask if they have purple. And she hands me this beautiful skein...




OH MY GOD! Not only am I holding deliciously soft, 100% baby llama yarn, but it's in purple too!

I brought the skein. And, on the way to the counter, when the yarn in my hand begged me not to leave its lover on the shelf, I picked that one up and brought both of them.

So now I own two skeins of deliciously soft, 100% baby llama yarn, in purple.

(Viva la purple!)

Pierre

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present my good friend Pierre the Penguin.

Purple Dreams

I had a dream last night. Well, today. It was about N and for once it wasn't a perverted dream. I dreamt we were living together and we had a house, and everything was purple. EVERYTHING. Purple leather sofa, purple tinted window, purple cutlery, purple lightbulbs, purple toilet paper. Everything was purple.

It was a very strange dream. What is perhaps more strange is that I didn't wake up thinking "how weird", I woke up thinking "what a cool idea".

Don't be surprised to discover that more and more of my household objects turn purple over the next few years. :D

Viva la purple!

Purplocity Archive

Thursday, 19 March 2009

Birth of Purplocity

While sat in bedroom, on my purple sheet, with my best friend dying my hair (purple) I was flipping through her knitting magazine. My eye is naturally drawn to a purple headed advert, and said best friend (known as GKL - see my other blogs for why) yelled out "Purplelina, that's a perfect name for you."

We'll ignore the fact that the advert was actually for PurpleLinda, because she was covering my head (and my shoulders and my back and my bed) with purple gunk at the time. I laughed, thought about it a second, and as soon as possible grabbed my laptop (unfortunately not purple) in order to set up a new blog. I was appalled to discover that purplelina.blogspot.com was unavailable and looked up this blog that must be so wonderful to have stolen my moniker. It isn't wonderful. It's one, very short entry from a woman who calls herself Violet Girl, from a year ago. A travesty! But, I settled on Purplocity.

Why, I hear you ask, am I writing a blog about purple? Well there are many reasons.

1) I like to type, and I like to write. This gives me another reason to do both.

2) I like purple.

Let me elaborate on number two for a moment. I REALLY like purple. In my line of sight at this precise moment in time is my purple hair, my purple socks, my purple sheet, three of my many purple skirts, three of my purple tops, my purple knitting bag, my purple bra, my purple monkey, numerous purple socks floating around, my purple boots, the purple monkey I am knitting myself, the purple sweater I am also knitting myself, and the tub of washing tablets I brought just cos I liked the purple (I neither know nor care what they do for my washing).

I am a large girl, yet whenever I enter any clothes store or charity shop I still automatically reach for anything purple even though I know it is never going to fit me. It is purple, and must be admired. When I enter yarn stores I gravitate towards purple yarns. In fact, all but three balls of my stash are purple of some description. I have so far completed 11 knitting projects and have three on the go. 12 of these are purple. My wardrobe consists of black and purple. The only other colour is blue (and that's only cos Girlguiding UK doesn't make Guider uniforms in purple). I have a purple Keele hoody, even though it doesn't fit. I have purple sunglasses, I manage to dye all my non-purple towels and underwear purple by not separating my laundry, I purposely dyed my jeans purple because I couldn't find purple jeans in my size...

Do I need to go on? I am obsessed with purple. It is my favourite colour, and I feel it expresses me. It's slightly gay, like me. It's slightly wacky, like me. It suggests fun and randomness, like me. It has regal qualities, which I would have if I were slightly more ladylike. While on holiday in New York a few years ago I found a shop called "Purple Paradise" that sold everything you could think of, but in purple. I had very little money due to a repacking accident, but still spent that day's food allowance in there. Oh, and four hours. FOUR HOURS!! In a shop full of purple.

I have many obsessions. This one deserves its own blog. Here it is.

Viva la purple!

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Monday, 23 March 2009

More adventures in purple

I am currently sat on my bed watching a movie (The Changeling, for anyone who's interested) and trying to get a decent picture of my brand new purple hair. The lighting in this room sucks. I'll try it again tomorrow while I'm out.

I'm also working on the purple penguin I'm knitting. The pattern (unsurprisingly) calls for black and white yarn, but because I'm me I'm using two different shades of [purple. I've done all the knitting I can do on it at the moment, I need to go by a yarn of something contrasting for his feet and beak. I seem to be developing a pattern (pun entirely intended) for purple soft toys. Purple, slightly misshapen, a little bit ugly soft toys. Observe the evidence so far...




I'll post my penguin as soon as he's finished.

Viva la purple!

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Tuesday, 24 March 2009

Gaining a Reputation

Today I went to my local yarn store, Abakhan, to get some yarn. I needed another ball of purple James C. Brett Marble Chunky for the sweater I'm making myself, and I needed a ball of King Cole Bamboo to finish off my penguin.

I took my purchases to the till, where the lady asked: "Is your favourite colour purple?"

Now, there are many things that might have made her ask this. It could be the purple vest I was wearing, or the purple skirt, or the purple streaks in my hair, or even the purple ribbons in my shoes. It might have been the ball of purple yarn I had placed in front of her. I think it was probably the fact that I go to Abakhan quite a bit, and that I buy yarn quite a bit. This particular lady serves me quite often. She might have noticed that 99% of my purchases are purple. Purple yarn, purple embroidery silks, purple beads, purple buttons. If they sold purple knitting needles I'd buy them too!

Viva la purple!

Purplocity

I suppose the big news is that I saw Cirque du Soleil today, but I'd rather just mention my new blog...

purplocity.blogspot.com

I have three blogs now!