Thursday is Fangirl Day!

Sooooo. In an attempt to bring more regularity and consistency into this blog, I've decided that set days will mean certain types of posts. In a bit of a homage to Gala Darling, who was one of the first blogs I ever started reading, Thursday is going to be a round up of things I've been reading / dancing to / watching / loving in a particular week. I have intense, short-lived obsessions so hopefully it won't be the same thing everytime!

Reading:

I've just started Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. It's not gripped me as much as Pride and Prejudice did so far, but that is one of my favourite movies / TV series ever, so it's kind of expected. I'm only a couple of chapters in so it should pick up :)

I've also been plodding through Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson. This book is ever so slightly weird. It's so far made up of little vignettes about the life of the people living in Lark Rise and Candleford, which makes it sound a little dreary. But all of a sudden you'll look at the clock and realise you've been completely lost in their world for a couple of hours. Deceptively gripping!

I went charity shopping today (one of my absolute favourite past times) and picked up Lady Chatterley's Lover and Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence, a collection of articles written by the editor of the New York Times in the first half of the twentieth century and Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen so have a stockpile of books once the first two are finished with!

Dancing to:

Louis Armstrong, Vera Lynn, The Sonics, The Raveonettes and random songs from a collection of swing music I downloaded. My most played song at the moment is probably 'Look Out Stranger, I'm A Texas Ranger'. I've no idea who it's by, or why I love it so much but it's amazing. Go find it!

Watching:

The first series of Lark Rise to Candelford, and the new series too! Pretty outfits, cute rural life... it's my dream.

I watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for the third time this evening (my housemate hadn't seen it yet) and can honestly say it's the first time I've watched it and enjoyed it! The Harry Potter movies are always a bit of a slow grower for me as I'm such a massive fan of the books.

I've also been listening to the Terry Pratchett serialisations on BBC7; check them out on iPlayer if you're a fan, they're in perfect 20 minute segments, which suits a tea break or something to listen to while you're washing your hair!

A special mention should also go to Sherlock Holmes... what an awesome film. Oh em gee indeed.

Generally loving:

The vintage skirt pattern mentioned in my previous entry. I cut out the pattern tonight in a lovely heavy ivory silk, it's definitely a dressing up skirt! The kitty and I almost had a bit of a falling out - she has a real thing for pattern paper and always tries to nest in it while I'm pinning and cutting, and today the paper got a little ripped! Once I've started sewing I think I'll make a copy and then store the original safely away somewhere. Or knit Lilycat some little booties to avoid any more clawing mishaps...

Charity shopping: oh the amazing things you find! Along with the books already mentioned, today I found a beautiful cream silk top (pictures WILL follow, it's too good not to!), amazing post office scales that will now be used for baking purposes and a few strands of pearls to replace the ones that decide to explode in my handbag. Awesome good times.

Well I think that's it for today... I've got my bedtime cup of tea and the next episode of Lark Rise calling me.

Night all!

Jen xxxx

I am a BAD blogger

A problem often encountered by one grrl with too many projects is that some projects fall by the wayside and are left to gather dust and be forgotten. This blog suffered such a fate!

It's not because I've been gazing off at the stars though, these last however many months have been manically busy. I started a masters degree in Youth Work and Community Development, which is so much fun but a LOT of work, and also moved from my poky little flat to a lovely big house. Note to everyone: do not move house three days before Christmas. You will want to kill your new housemates before you've even unpacked! I've also been making making making! Here's a list of highlights and pictures will follow for some of them (another reason for not posting is my inability to get my act together and actually photograph my handiwork). So, in no particular order:

• Homebrewed ginger beer (one word: yum)
• A book of fake panda facts (an in-joke between my sister and I)
• Countless pairs of earrings
• A jumper
• A cardigan that has taken me 18 months to finish and looks nothing like it was supposed to
• My first dress!
• Knitted bow for my hair
• Embroidered pillow case
• Robin Hood and Jesse from Team Rocket fancy dress costumes
• Assorted soft toys as various presents for lovely friends

It's quite a collection! I've started to get quite restless if I don't have a project on the go so, hopefully, I'll start posting more regularly :)

In recent - vaguely craft-related - news, my current obsession is the 1940s and all things vintage. I've just bought a couple of vintage patterns off the supremely talented Lauren from Wearing History and will be spending my pay packet on fabric this weekend. Other treasures have included a copy of 'Modern Knitting Illustrated' from the 1940s. This book is amazing and I will try and get some pictures up because words really cannot do justice to the patterns, and also the unintentionally hilarious captions that accompany them.

Right, I think that's quite enough of a catch up to be getting on with! I'll leave you with a picture of me proudly showing off my new dress (you can't really see it, but you can see the squeeable Cath Kidston fabric) with my beautiful friend Sarah!

Bye for now (but not for long!)

Jen xxxx

Present making is maybe my favourite kind of making

On Friday, my little (step)sister turns 18! 

(My goodness this makes me feel old... I remember meeting her when she was 7 and how FLIPPIN' TINY she was. Yipes.)

ANYWAY... I have a birthday / going off to uni present planned out for her in the form of a luxury leaving-home care package.  However it is yet to be put together and will also be way too big and heavy to put in the post, so I wanted to make her something I could send up to her with her birthday card.

Enter, the snoozy skull bunny.  I love his cuteness.  

In other local news, I made vegan potato salad dumplings today.  They look seriously yummy, I'm looking forward to lunchtime tomorrow!

Jen xxx

So this afternoon, my partner-in-craft, Lainey, came over and we tried our hand at marzipan knitting!  This was first shown on the amazing VeganYumYum website and we just couldn't resist!  They took us ages, but it was worth it.  Here's some photos of the fun we had...

Me making the cupcakes...

Kitty wanted in on the action

Our workstation (aka, the coffee table so we could carry on watching Dodgeball)

My first attempt at making a scarf. I was pretty proud!

Lainey's beautiful scarf

I made a bow!

The finished articles

Us enjoying the goods!

All in all, an awesome night. We also scoffed a serious amount of pasta bake, discussed hiking in the Yorkshire Dales and I made some headway on the shrug I'm knitting. Superkool.

In other crafting news, I began making a list in my head of all the things I needed to get for my trip to Barcelona in a couple of weeks. This rapidly turned into a list of things I need to knit and sew by August 10th. So, on my current to-do list is a shrug (which I'm about a third of the way through already), a bikini (yep, I'm crocheting a bikini!), a new summer bag and, if I get a sewing machine for my birthday, a maxi dress in a fabric I approve of.  Pictures will follow!

Jen xxx