Ideal

I had an interesting week just gone. I baked some cakes for charity and ate lots of them too, including a coffee cake and walnut loaf that my colleague made. I've started taking dance exercise class to burn of all the calories from those cakes and chocolates. Gyms don't agree with me, I just get bored and give up, but dance is fun (and we have a sexy male instructor....hee heeee).

Jaxs and I went to the Ideal Home Exhibition on Saturday. I met Jaxs at Earl Court almost 15 years ago and then kept in touch at Uni. Gosh, I can't believe I've been with him for so long.......Hee Hee Hee......Jaxs is OK.....we've had our moments, but we're still going to Earls Court together...Hee Hee Hee! Also he's been very sweet buying Let's Knit Magazine for me while the checkout guy and the couple behind him laugh.

The Ideal Home was fun and interesting, there is a lot of focus on home improvement and making the most of what you have got than buying and renovating. Jaxs was surprised by the amount of focus on textiles and now understands my obsession with fabric and yarn. Here are few photos of what we saw:

A beautiful beach hut decorated in light blue and cream, my favourite colours.

A wooden boat...yes...I'm thinking of the sea now.

Pretty French Macaroons from a Laduree stall.

On our way home, I couldn't resist taking a photo of this Ikea poster, there were more of them at Earls Court Station. Funny eh...

Sunny Mothers' Day and the Stitch and Craft Show

I had a really bad time last week (London Transport related as usual and will blog about this later) so this weekend I decided to really treat myself.

On Saturday I went to the Stitch and Craft Show at London Olympia. There were more people than last year, I guess lots of daughters (and/or sons) decided to treat their mothers this weekend. Before I went I had a chat with Gracie who told me to not to buy anymore yarn, which is good advice as I'm running out of space in my small flat. I said I wouldn't buy yarn but I didn't say I wouldn't buy fabric...Heeheeheeee! The first stand that caught my eye was Fabric Galore. Two Hippos is so right, it is such a great shop (in Battersea). The lady at the stall said that what she had on that day is just a fraction of what she has at the shop. I must make a visit there when I get the chance. Anyway, this is what I bought:

When I miraculously find time to do some sewing, I'm hoping to make a skirt with the green Liberty fabric and a bag with the leafy fabric. Two more weeks to my Easter Holiday, when I hopefully get more sleep and time to spend with my Rascal...and do some sewing or knitting.

I also had a good day today...the sun was shining, the birds were singing and Rascal and I skipping by the docks (yes....this is not a joke...we really were doing that....that's what people do around here when the sun is shining ....Gracie knows all about that).

I received a lovely daffodil (in a mini Evian bottle) and a card from my daughter. We decided to have strawberry muffins for breakfast and tea (from a teabag given to me as a Mothers' Day present.

We spent the rest of the day around the Docklands and then to the Childhood Museum.

I hope everyone had a great Mothers Day!

Cables and more Painting

I have been avoiding cables since I started knitting. A lot of my knitting friends have said that it is very easy, but for some reason it just looks too fussy to me. Anyway, the other day Jackson's Aunt knitted my rascal a beautiful cardigan with lots of cables (will post a photo when I'm at home during the day instead of being at work). Also, after reading Kyoko's blog which have lots of pretty patterns involving lots of cables, I simply had to overcome my fear. So last week I ask my Mother in Law to show me how to knit cables, and it clicked! I can do proper cables and read knitting instructions with them now. Here is a small swatch of our practicing session. Not bad eh...

This weekend, I took the rascal to Greenwich to Biscuit the pottery cafe to do more painting. She painted pretty plate which should be ready for us to collect next week.

Jax is not very keen on kids painting, playing with Plasticine and play dough. To be honest I don't think my parents where either as I don't remember don't any of those things when I was a child. However, my Rascal enjoys all of these things so I have some play dough, Plasticine and paints in our flat so she can be creative and enjoy painting and making things. I've also bought two compact water paints as well so we can both do some painting over Easter. Hee! Hee! Hee!

Stitch and Creative Craft Show

I took my rascal to the Stitch and Creative Craft Show at London Excel on the 28th last month. The venue is smaller compared to the Knitting and Stitching Show, at Alexander Palace which is a good thing, because I could take my rascal there and still be able to see everything. My rascal tried silk painting and thoroughly enjoyed it, here is a photo, I must frame the painting.

[Half way through the painting]

There wasn't much in terms of knitting and sewing there, but I'm planning on going to the one in London Olympia this month [if my daughter is ok] which promises two floors of crafting, one for sewing and the other for knitting. Yay!! Looking forward to that... let me know if anyone is interested in going, it would be nice to meet some fellow bloggers there.

On the cardigan front...not much happening but I've started another hat....Hee! Hee! Hee!

Here is a photo of some seriously delicious [I can't remember what these are called...choux...something] made by Gracie (it was so yummy that I secretly ate 3....Hee! Hee! Hee!)

[My daughter helped with the chocolate topping and the cream...]

Spring and Female Icons

Happy Spring! It's lovely that the days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer (I hope the reports on more snow and cold weather are not true). I'm still finishing of the cardigan and avoiding new projects so I have nothing to show. Hopefully I'll get my act together, but feeling very tired after work. Anyway, I found this meme on Sweet Tiding's blog and thought I'd test it out. I was secretly hoping that I would end up being a Audrey (Hepburn) or a Grace (Kelly), but look who I am:

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Katharine!

You are a Katharine -- "I am happy and open to new things"

Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.
• * Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.
• * Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.
• * Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.
• * Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.
• * Don't tell me what to do.

What I Like About Being a Katharine

• * being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down
• * being spontaneous and free-spirited
• * being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.
• * being generous and trying to make the world a better place
• * having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures
• * having such varied interests and abilities - not sure about abilities, but I do have a lot of interests. Hee! Hee!
  What's Hard About Being a Katharine
• * not having enough time to do all the things I want - you can say that again
• * not completing things I start - well apart from ballet, piano and my yoga course, I think I have completed most things....ok I will finish the cardigan.
• * not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career
• * having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies
• * feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship

Katharines as Children Often

• * are action oriented and adventuresome - my Mum knows all about this. I was fairly active as a child, you can often find me hanging upside down in the playground and/or on the monkey bars (until I broke my arm)
• * drum up excitement
• * prefer being with other children to being alone
• * finesse their way around adults
• * dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up

Katharines as Parents

• * are often enthusiastic and generous
• * want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life - Jaxs knows all about this
• * may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive - ahem...yep guilty, but only when I'm reading or knitting. Honest.

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at

Go on have a go....