Money I don’t have…

…is what I have been spending recently. But not on yarn, so that’s ok. First I bought a pattern for this
Ravelry: Tortoise and Hare sweater pattern by Kate Davies
which I can’t afford to buy the yarn for :(
Then I bought a pattern for this
Ravelry: C is for Cat pattern by Emily Ivey
which cost 99p and I knitted three cats in different yarn (two shown above). One for my daughter and two for her friends’ birthdays. As I used stash wool I saved some money on presents. Pat on the back for me.
Until I bought this Creating Time: Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life
To be fair, I did get $125 of free stuff for purchasing on the release date. I do covert anything to do with Artella. Their creativity courses are fab and great value for money. So I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get a lot out of it. I’ve been participating in the Time Expansion Moments leading up to the book release and its helped me rediscover my passion for journaling, and helped me prioritise a little better. It’s not too late to join in!
Creating Time Mega Event

Finished reading this:

And this:

And this:

And this!

Now I'm reading this:

Know It All bag: Knitty Spring+Summer 2010

I really want to have a go at making this. I may have to treat myself for my birthday, as the parts are not that cheap.

Know It All bag: Knitty Spring+Summer 2010

Craftiness

has been afoot. Gloves and socks and tea cosies have been knitted. Cardigans have been started for the winter.  I shall update asap with some photos. Meanwhile, I’m off to read my book and drink hot chocolate.

A Song for Nero

Contraptions and gadgets

Today we have been to Manor House Museum at Kettering for the first time. They are running a special exhibit called ‘Weird Contraptions and Gadgets’ which contains all manner of amusing inventions. I asked Kira to pick the gadget she thought was the  most useful, and the contraption she thought was the silliest. The winners are:

BATTERY OPERATED TORCH SPECTACLES – Kira could not see the point in these. “Why not just carry a torch? Its less hassle” she thought. I see her point, although my husband informs me you can actually buy a modern version of these glasses from the pound shop.

LADIES SPY VANITY CASE – Kira though this would be a very useful thing to have. It looks like a normal vanity case, can hold your toiletries etc, but also has a cleverly concealed spy camera in the side so you can take sneaky photos of suspect characters as you wander down the street. Pretty cool.

Altered books

I recently discovered this phenomenom after catching a friend making one at the swimming pool (best not to ask). I'm now having a go at making my first altered book. I had a brainwave that I would tea dye some paper, which seems great. But where exactly are you supposed to put this stuff while it dries. Its raining today so outdoors is out of the question. Currently my kitchen is full of wet paper. Looks good though!

Short Woods

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We had a lovely walk through Short Woods, near Oundle. I have never been here before. We got to meet some homeschoolers that we hadn’t met before, as well as some old friends we hadn’t seen for a while. Amanda organised the walk and printed a list of photo ideas for the kids, who seperated into three teams. Here is the results. Some of these were taken by Kira, some by me, and some by our friend Aidan.

It was a bit of a nippy day, so we stopped in Oundle on the way home for hot chocolate. Yum!