Menokreatikkul; Saturday Stitches

I teased you with a bit of stranded work in grey and red last week. I wanted to do a knit project that was straightforward but still had some complexity. Using the grey demanded that it be a little more dressy than my usual gypsy-like products. Also, it should be suitable for spring, not too heavy. I am very happy with the scarf/shoulder stole that I ended up with, adding the tassels to lift the appearance. It is super drapey and just right for this time of year.

The yarn is aran-weight, from the Women's Institute range. I had one full ball left over from making the heritage afghan blanket. The red is also a WI yarn, but not being 'tweed', and, despite being aran, is ever so slightly thinner, which meant I had to slacken the tension a bit on the stitches using that to avoid puckering. Of course, there had to be a matching 'topper'! Not having circular needles, I knitted on straight, decreasing to a point, then seaming up the back. The decrease in the moss stitch is a little bit messy, and purists looking at the crown would be picky-snicky, but this was my first-ever go at a full-knit hat, and I am quite happy with it. 

Then I couldn't resist a quick, small scarf... followed by a 'Miss Marple' (used an actual pattern for this one, adapting it to different yarn and needles). I love that this can also be used open as an additional neck warmer, and as a head scarf, leaning back into the gypsy-pirate! Right, that's all the tell, now the show...

Menoturals; Flowery Feature

Time to share with the LLB Gang's Nature Friday meme. I find myself out of animal-related info to post, so for a few weeks, I am going to fall back on the remaining flower photos from last summer's visits to various gardens. Let's begin with a couple from the blue spectrum...

Menondering; This, That, The Other...

April is a slightly challenging month for me. It didn't used to be, but the way things have fallen, it has become something of an administrative month... and I am finding, despite once being an ace administrator, that I am now a bit more of an ostrich. I have to work hard on myself to get things done. Home insurance, vehicle insurance, vehicle registration, vehicle service... and now for the first time, add in MOT (in early May, but still to get booked), certain other fiscal matters. I am realising my age and the desire to not have to deal with all this stuff. Gone are the days when things were set in place and then left to roll over. Now, every year, one must do one's diligence and be prepared to shift to yet another provider to get the best deals. 

Ugh.... Anyway, bit by bit, I am chipping away at the tasks. In between, I continue to distract myself with viewings, listenings, and yarnings. 

I have been watching Person of Interest on Prime... the looming of AI makes this a disturbing, yet riveting watch. Now we also have The Copenhagen Test and The Capture, two shows taking us on a trip into the hi-tech chicanery available to us. On a lighter note, there have been the likes of Great British Menu, Beyond Paradise, and Race Across the World. 

Books listened to have been from authors such as L J Ross, Richard Osmond, Stuart MacBride, Marion Todd, Denzil Meyrick, and Alex Pine. I am reaching the 'caught up' stage for most of these now and am on long waiting lists for the next in series (if at all they are yet available). 

I did a podcast post recently, but this week, on The Rest Is Politics: Leading, the interview was no less a person than Volodymyr Zelenskyy... and if I tell you it was beyond impressive, trust me - it's fifty minutes of your time well worth spending. The warmth, the charm, the dedication, the logic and strategic-mindedness... the common sense that flowed from him was moving in the extreme. I am going to embed it here - but you may have to go to Spotify for the whole thing (or find it on your own preferred platform).