September 05, 2010

Silk purse - first design



Ages ago I made an undertaking that I would try and get some pictures online of various things I've been knitting. Given that I take on projects in spurts and post to this blog rather infrequently, that hasn't happened yet, but I wanted to post now because I'm rather proud of this purse I made - in particular because I designed it.

It's knitted with Rowan Pure Silk DK yarn, which I had a small amount of left over after making a cushion for my grandmother-in-law as long ago as Christmas... and I finally finished it last weekend. Glueing the frame was a bit of a messy business, but so far the whole thing seems fairly stable. I'm pretty pleased although if I attempt any future purse designs, it would be nice to get the bottom a little less, um, bulging. Still - not bad for a first effort!

September 04, 2010

Allotment progress pictures

Having just eaten some potatoes dug up earlier today, I figured now would be a good time to post some of the pictures showing the progress we've made. First I've uploaded a before and after picture showing what it looked like when I first planted the seedlings I'd grown in the kitchen, and what it looked like after a few weeks of rain last month, albeit before the carrots and lettuce started showing themselves in the plot at the very bottom of the photo.

And just to be smug, there's also a picture of today's harvest, including rhubarb, a courgette and potatoes. I'm still astounded by the fact that all of this comes from a few seeds - I will never stop being amazed when those seeds start turning into plants and those plants start bearing fruit and veg! I can now nod my head in agreement when people talk about how much better freshly-picked sweetcorn tastes, and I can't wait to see what this little patch of ground can produce when I've got a full year to work on it. Watch this space...

Allotment update... and a new job!

Well, it seems I've finally found something I can stick at - it's been slow progress, but the allotment is looking pretty decent and we've been harvesting courgettes, sweetcorn, rhubarb and potatoes (as well as some very small onions).

Only half the plot is dug over for now but I've got plans to start digging over the other half in the next few months, and I've made a start on planning what will go where next year. I'll try and get some pics up soon.

In other news, I am no longer a reporter - I've started a new job as a press officer for a fantastic national charity that's doing some really important work. The nerves have subsided after a few days in the job, as everyone has been really lovely and helpful and I've already got plenty to be getting on with. An extra plus is that it's much closer to home - meaning I no longer need to commute up the A14 and I can get home with lots of time to do things in the evening - like working on the allotment. Bonus!