In a Jane Austin style

elanor
Originally uploaded by victoriaros56

I've been getting a lot of emithers each asking for more information about the dress that I've decided to make for Mel's hen do (I always like an excuse for a new dress and what an excuse this is!). The pattern arrived mid week last week through the post. Originally I'd settled on the full length A line version which was all one colour (and on reflection a bit shapeless, but I guess that is the basic problem with all dresses from this era). HOWEVER when the pattern arrived it came a variation of the long dress with a kind of top layer and underneath that a longer underskirt thing.

So pattern in hand I set out on the road to Mason's fabric shop (possibly one of the nicest places ever). It took me ages to decide on a material, but in the back of my mind I think I'd already decided it was going to be blue. If you've ever seen the BBC Adaptation of Sense & sensibility (and if not, don't worry you can check out the costumes here http://janeausten.info/moviegowns/sands1995/sands1995.htm) Marianne wears lots of turquoise dark blue stuff after she is jilted by super cad (and rake) John Willoughby. Although her clothes are lovely (and the colouring seems to suit Kate Winslet who, like me is quite a pale girl) i decided something a bit more traditional was in order. The top material I've chosen is very simular to the dress that Elanor is wearing in this photo, although blue on white rather than white on blue, and I've got a baby blue cotton to go underneath it. I was supposed to cut out the pattern pieces on Sunday night but I'm afraid I was so tired from all the decorating (and probably still had bits of wall paper in my hair) that I fell into the bath instead. Tonight might be a possibilty but I've got lots of overtime to do first. Will try and post again soon.

Arrow accurate

Yesterday's feeling that yesterday was going to be rubbish, proved all too accurate. I got dragged into a meeting mid morning and ended up missing most of the meeting about the play, although I got a recap from Becky H afterwards, (the exciting news is they they have settled on a play, Shakespeare's a midsummers nights dream, imagine the costume possibilities! I'm guessing I'm going to get some practice at making wings :-). Last night I went and gave blood, I foolishly thought I'd be able to do that and then hot foot it to the OFF meeting. I was wrong and went really woozy. I was laid out on the sofa shouting at tv characters when Mel arrived home, but I'm feeling much better this morning, although I am craving caffine like no one knows (maybe they got a pint of tea instead?).

Already I'm looking forward to this weekend. The decorating on the hall is starting in earnest on Friday night (Mat M is helping and we will be accompanied by wine which may speed it up or slow it down, depending on amounts I'm guessing :-). Friday is also the day we get paid and the deadline for the creative issue of the work mag (side thought, I've approached a local music mag about writing for them and have got a test assignment, no pressure then). I've already got plans for my pay packet in the form of a charger for my digital camera (which hopefully means more photos on here, hurrah! And that I can finish the spinning article for Elizabeth, (the roving arrived last weekend, it is georgous!)). I would have thought some of my pay packet was also destined for our local wool shop but my mum very kindly bought the entirity of my stash last weekend (and boy what a stash it is, containing some discontinued chunky Rowan in varying shades of blue and some candy floss fluffy dark blue angora, I'm thinking I may have to buy a bunny sometime in the future, as I love this fiber). Until then its going to be very hard work, better get back to it.

Tell me why I don't like Tuesday's?

Its true, they are my least favourite day of the week. The excitement of a Monday with the heady prospect of clearing my inbox has vanished and all that remains is this feeling of kind of nothingness. Wednesday's are usually slightly better because of my violin lessons (I've reached the stage in my next grade where I'm actually tackling the pieces, as opposed to ignoring them in the vague hope they go away, but the weather keeps on sending Benji out of tune, he hates the winter and summer).

So what has been going on? Well my parents came down for the weekend after looking after my nanna. Unfortunately my mum got really ill so most of the weekend was spent looking after her. They were supposed to come down last weekend so I had already made plans for this Sat night (the dreaded valentines night). I decided that rather than stay home I would do something I knew I would enjoy. So my friend Ali and I went to the Oxfolk Ceiligh in Kennington. When we got there I only got one dance with Ali and then we were asked to dance by a variety of older gentlemen (I was actually pretty pleased to be asked for every dance but its fair to say there was quite an age gap :-) I think however a good time was had by all.

Sunday my parents got up and left pretty early so witchcat and I had a lazy morning and I went of a bit of a mini cleaning splurge in the afternoon. Mat M had invited me round for dinner so come nighfall I headed off to his well wrapped up & clutching plonk. He cooked Thai green curry for me which was lush, we also disposed of a dead rat from behomd his sofa but that really is another tale... Last night Lindsay, Sam, Zoe & I tackled the pub quiz. I hope we did okay but the full results won't be announced till later today (we know we didn't come top three and hopefully we aren't last) , Lunchtime I've got a meeting with the dramatic society who I've offered to help with theiir costumes (Austin dress update, I've ordered the pattern it should be here sometime this week, next up is the search for material, I'm thinking white with baby blue flowers if I can get it, or maybe light blue, or mauve oh the decisions...) and tonight I've got an Oxford Folk fest meeting (its scarily close). Exciting stuff.

Let it snow, let it snow

I am one of three people who struggled to work this morning through a Narnia type landscape. Having got here I feel pretty hard done by no other person attempted it and this is valuable knitting time I'm loosing! But I guess we will survive with the tried and tested tea solution (drink lots of tea). This week so far has not been that great, I got struck down with the sore throat/lots of weird green stuff/I can't breathe combo on Monday night which knocked me out completely on Tuesday. Instead of going into work and spreading the joy (very counter productive I couldn't speak, nevermind deal with authors, I rested, finished Jacob's blanket and watched my second ever episode of In the night garden (I'm thinking now I've got one less project to carry on with I might make Alex an in the night garden toy, but I'm waiting to hear from Fi who is his favourite, I'd got for the three small stripy things but then what do I know :-)

Last night Mat one T from work came round for tarts and tea. It was really nice & we chatted about just general stuff till quite late last night. He really liked my house & said it reminded him of something out of Bagpuss, which I'm going to take as a complement. I was trying to run ideas past him for the work magazine but him and Mel got very giggly about our corporate values (they didn't have any booze I don't think, maybe it was earl grey fumes) so we gave up. Yesterday we had a meeting about the work mag (which was one of the reasons I dragged myself in) and the creative issue seems to be coming on really well (just as well as yours truly is guest editing it) but we are still short of a competition, I will have to get my thinking hat on about that, and also what we are going to put on the cover for April? Spring? Something about springing into spring? As you can see it needs work, any suggestions greatly appreciated :-)

After Mat went last night I was having another look at my spinning wheel, I'm pretty sure that its all working as it should (although it might be handy to have spinning wheel adjudicator Fi round at some point to check I'm right). There are now only two things it needs 1/some nice polish, although all the dust has gone its still not in the realms of sleeping beauty yet, so I was thinking something containing beeswax maybe, two birds one stone, nice! 2/slightly more crucial than that I need something to spin on it! I bought some roving from those lovely chaps at I knit London but when it came it wasn't as much as I'd hoped, so I decided to try and drop spin that and seek out a larger amount of roving from one of the nice folk on folksy. I've emailed a couple of people asking if they have anything suitable, so we'll see who gets back to me. How exciting :-). I wonder if we can go home yet? All this talk of spinning is making me yarn anxious...And its properly snowing now. I really don't want to get stuck in this office...

League of extrordinary gentleman

Is the name of the film that Mel & I watched last night, but I'm kind of starting to feel like I'm living in this film. The creative issue of the work mag is looming and all sorts of really talented people are coming out of the woodwork, its really exciting to see what everyone else does in their spare time (and alas, how we all have to come back into work of a Monday as creativity doesn't pay). This is of course what its like for the majority, but I was lucky enough to meet a guy this morning who is kind of living the dream. His name is Ali and he works in books (and coincidentally it looks like we were at uni together, although separated by a few years, I think). His first novel is coming out in summer and he's quitting work to continue writing his second (how great is that?!). I asked him if he could tell me over caffeine everything he wishes he knew when he set out on this crazy endevour. (My favourite bit of advice was don't rely on your advance, they call it an advance but you don't actually get it till your published, so a bit misleading in that aspect :-). I've written most of it down and I've promised to keep in touch when he leaves so I can ask him about anything tricky which is great, you just really don't get that many opportunities to meet people with that kind of experience, I guess.

The setting in Oxfordshire is also adding to the current creative mood, I woke up this morning to a covering of snow a la Narnia and a bus that never arrived (Which I guess is a bit Harry Potter but it was cold and annoying at the time, if it hadn't been for Malcolm the particle physicist and his wheels of steel I could have been royally stuck) but I arrived in by 9 so I guess that's not bad. I managed to see Suzi yesterday before the snow arrived (although it was still pretty cold). We went to a cafe and looked through a couple of books that I've recently bought (500 cloth dolls and Sophie Dahl's first fairytale thing, which is great) and my only one a year copy of vogue (the December issue, I can;t bear for all those trees to die just for my fashion fix, cause lets face it half of its ads anyway). Its always nice to see Suzi in that we like similar things and she gets stuff without me having to explain, like with all good friends I guess. I'm trying to convince her to get a blog as she's a really talented photographer, and it would be pretty, but we'll see. Right I better go I've got a crazy amount of emails in my inbox...