Forwards and Backwards

Knitting
I handed over the Purity shawl this week and there was lots of squealing, so I feel reassured. I'll keep you posted.

After endless perusal of my Ravelry Favourites, sorry, Favorites, I remembered how much I always like the Summer Flies shawl whenever I catch sight of it in my Friends' activities so I cast on in the lovely soft Madelinetosh Merino Light in Denim which I can't remember buying but of which I have three skeins. It's easy and fun, and although I would like to have charts the pattern is simple enough that it's easy to follow.

Then, during a bout of sleeplessness the following early morning I had a moment of clarity and thought, 'You know, you'll never wear that, it's far too fussy for you.' So when I got up I ripped it out, because I like this yarn too much to give it away to anyone else.

I decided to have another think about the Veera Slow Line cardi I cast on a while ago, uncertain of whether I was casting on or swatching, and when I checked the pattern I discovered, in bold type, the words which I had mysteriously overlooked, 'and at the same time', so I guess that's a swatch.

Eventually I remembered that I've always planned to do another Shetland Triangle for myself, so I've cast that on in the Denim MML and I'm progressing quite happily, but it's packed away so I can't show you it. Imagine the above photo but with a tiny Shetland Triangle instead of a tiny Summer Flies.

I've also been reminded how much I like Veera's Alga, and I need to swatch my two blue shades of MML which are different base yarns and see if they'll work together so I  might take a skein or two with me to wind into balls - cat-sitting and wool-winding, what could possible go wrong?

Addi sparkly needles are clear plastic with silver sparkles in them, Mary Lou. 

Perhaps they only do them in Germany or Europe: I think I may have bought them from Germany on eBay. I have a straight pair as well which I think may have gold sparkles but I can't find them to photograph. And if you liked Alien, I think it's really worth listening to Ridley Scott's commentary on the dvd; he's very thorough and I learnt a lot from it. He shot a lot of Alien himself, with a handheld camera, so I'm looking forward to hearing what he's got to say on the Prometheus dvd. His brother Tony Scott does very good commentaries too, but I think I might be the only person I know who ever listens to dvd commentaries because my friends always look at me in amazement when I mention them. I found Prometheus a lot less creepy than Alien, Jocelyn. There is a very gruesome bit but you have lots of warning and I just shut my eyes until it was finished. It doesn't have the dark, gothic suspense of Alien which as Ridley pointed out isn't a science fiction movie, it's a locked house movie. In fact, Prometheus goes back to the idea of a clean hygienic future which was one of the conventions that Alien shattered with its big, dirty, dark spaceship and grimy disgruntled crew.

Daily Japanese Textile
My friend Valerie, one of the Idiosyncratic Fashionistas, has started a new daily blog called Daily Japanese Textile which is full of gorgeous stuff. If you're at all interested in textiles I recommend you take a look.

Daily Japanese Textile

The items range from the luxurious to the humdrum and are always photographed in detail with a description; she knows what she's talking about so unless you know a lot about Japanese textiles too, I think you'll be in for some illuminating surprises.

Telly
I think I've tried Braquo before, Lynne, and found it a bit too violent for me, but I'll have another go. I've been meaning to say how much I like Scott and Bailey and it's run through two series without my remembering, but it's available on dvd in the UK. I think it reminds me of Cagney and Lacey although it's actually so long since I saw that that I could be wrong. (Why isn't Cagney and Lacey being endlessly repeated on some cable channel, huh?) It has three very good actresses in it and although I felt that the second series was too taken up with their private lives and not enough with the work, it's still well worth watching. It's written by Sally Braithwaite, who has some good stuff in her past.