A belated thank you to Amber Moggie

Amber Moggie was my "spoilee" in Secret Pal 12 and, at the end of the game, she sent me my very own wee parcel containing: A moebius scarf/neckwarmer, knitted by her own fair hand and...a ball of Rowan Felted Tweed in a lovely rusty red (the photo looks more strawberry!) called Rage! What a treat. Thank you, Amber Moggie!

Ali the Artist is struggling

I've been wanting to work on some artwork for over 4 weeks now and have made not one iota of a start on anything. Life gets in the way too much. I've been really sore, aching and tired for several days and just can't clear the space in my head or my life to do anything.

However last night, while doing some work on Shrink Yourself, I committed to (at the very least) working out a plan of action and taking the first baby step.

Today, when I was walking the dogs, I took some photos in the woods. It was a bright sunny day today and actually quite warm in the sun (though cold out of it and it's freezing again tonight) and the sunlight on the trees was amazing:

I have promised myself to make a start on a watercolour of this, my favourite little bridge, sometime either at the weekend or on Tuesday next week (I committed myself to Tuesday then remembered I'm free all weekend!):The shadows are perhaps a bit too strong to deal with in a painting but we shall see (I might try to leave them out!). Watch this space!

Secret Pal 12 Final Parcel - wow!

Here we go with my final parcel. What a whopper!
3 purple tissue paper parcels, 4 white tissue paper parcels and one green silk bag with something in it! It feels like... so much generosity! I'm a wee bit overwhelmed.

First parcel unwrapped:
It's a very bad photo but I think it's clear this is a pawprint paper punch! And green!!

Second small purple parcel (funny how I went for the purple first!):
I squealed with delight. Buttons. Stars, of course, I always love stars.

Then the mysterious long thin purple package:
It's a Namaste Cali needle Cozy! I've never seen such a thing before. What a great idea and such a gorgeous colour!

Ok, onto the white parcels, clearly something soft and interesting in each. Left to right, here's number one:
Definitely a big squeal with this one! Socks That Rock yarn!!! Yipee!! Wow, I know I'm going over the top but I am so thrilled to get some yarns that I've only heard of. Thank you SP!

White parcel no 2:
Gosh I was touched. Knitted by my SP herself, especially for me. Lovely thick yarn in gorgeous colours. Lovely wristwarmers. Gosh I'm still touched! And, having checked my SP's blog (see below) I've discovered they're made in Manos del Uruguay 100% wool. How lovely to see them being knitted!

Here's a photo of my left arm with one on!
Ok, onto white parcel no 3:
Lovely sock yarn. This time a name I've not heard of. Gosh when will I do all this knitting? I can't wait!

White parcel no 4: Aurancia Atacama! Oh yummy! I've always wanted to try their yarn! Oh the joys of having a Secret Pal from the States! Isn't this yarn gorgeous? I'm gobsmacked by all this. And there's more to come!

The bag turns out to be a Della Q Eden silk project bag. Another glamorous name! Such a treat, all this is. And inside:Oh huge whoops of delight! Noro Iro, wool silk blend! Oh oh OH! What will I knit with this?! Oh!! The photo makes it look much browner than it is; in reality, it's a gorgeous blend of pinks and purples and browns and turquoise and... I can't wait to knit this up and to scour the internet looking for a suitable pattern! Maybe a Moebius cowl... Yu-mmy!

I am really overwhelmed by the amount of yarn, it is such a luxurious treat to be given so much, especially yarn I've only heard of on the internet or in Ravelry.

So who is this wonderfully generous woman who's sent me all this gorgeous stuff? Her name is Mia, her blog is here. Mia, thank you so very very much for all your lovely and thoughtful (purple and green!) gifts. I really am blown away by your generosity and the care you've taken in choosing for me.

THANK YOU, MIA.

Sirdar Donegal Tweed

I'm adding this photo in order to give the shade chart a url.

I forgot to mention Ùlpan!

There was a meeting last Saturday with Susanne, who trained on the Ùlpan course I took part in, and Morag, who trained earlier in the year in Portree, about regular Ùlpan courses in Skye & Lochalsh. There were only 5 people there out of the 13 on my course, with interest expressed by another few. Most of the people there hadn't done Ùlpan before and were keen to start. The most likely class looks like a morning one twice a week in Sleat. Some of us post-beginners wanted an early evening class, others wanted a Friday night/all day Saturday ever 3 (or maybe 4) weeks. I can the pros and cons of both. Twice weekly is a big commitment and life (and work) will inevitably get in the way. However regular drip drip feeding will be more effective than a blast of it on a Friday and Saturday every 3 (or 4) weeks, but could be more manageable in terms of planning. I don't care really, I just want it to happen. As they need 8 people to make a class viable, I'm not sure we'll have enough of us post-beginners. I would hate to have to wait the 12 weeks it'll take for the beginners to catch up, as I'm quite sure I'd lose a lot of what I've gained in the first 24 units. Watch this space as something is definitely going to happen!