Messy tuesdays wednesdays

I've been really inspired by the 'messy tuesdays' posts. If you've not spotted this yet, Felix's manifesto puts it so very well "You are not your flawless surfaces. You are not your orderly laundry-pile. You are not the seamlessness of your Finished Objects. You are not your risen cakes. You are not your sewn-in ends." Domestics in drag may be oodles of fun, but our lives aren't like that. Indeed, the messiness of the world is just as interesting as that oddly modernist aesthetic that seems to have embedded itself in the world of the craft blog; its not all clean lines, good light, an apparent complete lack of 'stuff'. Wouldn't it be lovely to celebrate the forms of domesticity we experience on an everyday level rather than voguing some fantasy we don't especially like that much anyway?

Except, my life is way too messy to get around to actually blogging on a given day. So here it is, a good 36 hours later I planned. Our round-and-round knitting jar (circs and dpns). Though, there appear to be a few standard straight needles that have inadvertently made there way in there.

It once held jam, though credit where credit is due, the domestic goddess of the household did sterilise it, and probably used it for several types of jam, chutney and marmalade in the meantime. The circs are more than a bit tangled, the dpns aren't neatly sorted and knotted together with string (as they once were). Its way too full. Also, the cables on the circs stick out more than there is space for on the shelf where they usually sit. Consequentially the whole caboodle tips over on regular occasions and, domino-like, scatter all over the kitchen floor. In fact, when I went to replace it after taking the photo, I managed to knock its neighbouring mug of crochet hooks everywhere.

I have to admit, I moved it to take the photo to somewhere with more light. I suppose this is cheating; playing to voguing a world where you can turn your home into a studio. In my defence (a) the only spare time I had was at 7:40am (b) our flat's bloody gloomy at the best of times (c) there wasn't much point posting an image of the kind of grey/ brown blur you can't see anything in. Bah, I'm sure the ability to cheat is part of the celebration of messy tuesdays!

I know I probably should finally get around to sewing that circular needle case from the SnB book. But I have a thesis chapter to write, it took me nearly two hours to get home from the library, and I'd much rather spend the free time I have this evening casting on Muir. Plus, if we're talking chores, there's the hob to scrub, knickers to wash, a button to sew back on, floors to sweep, mould to wipe off the back wall, and darnit I still haven't phoned the student loans company.

I'd suggest 'Yeah, I'm a slacken, and?' pin badges, but I fear people might take the other meaning (and on that, it is a bit shocking that one word can refer to both untidy and sex-worker).

5 things (2 FOs, 2 WIPs, one other)

I've been tagged by Louise. It's the meme where you publish five things you've never mentioned on your blog before. Trying to keep with the knitting, this'll include two "FOs", two "WIPs" and only one piece of extra-knitular information.

1) I finished some "red herring legwarmers". It's just Cookie's pattern for herringbone socks, but worked over an extra 12 sts and minus the foot. I used knitpicks essential, from my now not-so-secret pal (roughly a ball of each).


2) I caved and decided to knit some Anemoi Mittens. I fell in love with the pattern as soon as she put it up. I thought about dark brown and bright pink yarn I have in my stash, but wasn't sure the design would work so well with strong colours. But I've since spotted a few others using the same combination, so cast on last week.



3) I finished some chunky legwarmers. I used some black chunky merino I bought at the same time as the green stuff I used on my recycled jumper. Four balls, plus about two thirds of a ball of gold fingering weight I picked up a few months back when I was feeling festive.



4) My current bus-knit are a load of bits of scarves for these lovely ladies. Due to a major admin mess-up, my grant's over a month late and there is no way I have money to buy yarn with. Finding this project was a great blessing - I can just use up a few half balls in my stash. You don't get a picture because at least one of the stitch patterns might get re-done into a proper design sometime.

5) My eyes are two different colours. Or rather, one of them changes colour independently from the other. Sometimes they are both a sort of green-ish brown, sometimes I look all lopsided because one of them has gone all blue.