Post postal-strike post

I am still waiting for both my secret pal parcel item and my copy of Simply Knitting.
I have to wait until the 31st October (21 days after shipping) before I can lodge a complaint with Play that it hasn’t arrived. What’s annoying is that other items posted at around the same time have got through. I don’t know what’s happened to these two bits of post.
I think that if the final item doesn’t turn up by Friday, I’ll just have to post the secret parcel without it, and send my apologies but that it will be in the next parcel. How annoying. It goes well with the rest of the parcel too. This is my first “themed” parcel.
In my impatience to devour more knitting text, I’ve bought myself two more American imported magazines. The first is Vogue knitting. They do an “adapted” version for the UK, but I don’t know what the difference is. The adverts are all still American! I’ve also bought Knit n Style. I haven’t had a chance to have a look through that one yet. I’ve read the first half of the vogue one and I am quite impressed so far! The articles are quite interesting, long enough to have information in them but short enough that I don’t lose interest! There’s a special article this month about UK knitters (The British are Knitting!) which is next for me to read. I ran out of time on my lunch break (blogging is more discreet than reading a magazine!) and so it will have to wait until this evening. I’ve looked through the patterns too, there are some pretty things I would like to make. I didn’t expect that from Vogue knitting! I thought it would be all crazyness, so I’m quite pleased. There are some crazy patterns too though.

I did my first bit of Christmas shopping yesterday lunchtime (don’t shoot me). it was mainly because I was in town buying something for my sister’s birthday. I saw something that I thought Leon would like, and something that I thought my dad would like. I bought some not-necessarily-Christmas paper too, gold with stars. I used the last of last-year’s paper to wrap the gift for Leon and wrapped my sister’s birthday gifts in the gold star paper. I haven’t wrapped my dad’s gift yet. We need to get our usual stock of wrapping paper in, then I store all the Christmas gifts until there are enough to merit wrapping (Leon’s gifts notwithstanding, they have to be wrapped so he doesn’t see them) and then I wrap everything. Okay, it takes hours. But at least then it’s all done, and honestly I enjoy it. I love putting on the Christmas music (in my case, Girls Aloud’s Christmas songs CD) and singing along while I wrap. Spot on. but I don’t like wrapping the gifts until the tree is up, and we don’t put the tree up until December.

Well, this weekend we’re off to visit my sister and deliver her birthday presents. I’m also treating her to a sports bra – she’s just joined a gym, and it’s my opinion that a good bra is as important as good trainers. Also then you’re not getting your nice bra all sweaty and icky. Of course, it’s also a good excuse to go shopping. Which I shouldn’t, because I should be saving my money and paying off the mortgage and stuff.

We’re busy for quite some time now, it’s nice and also not nice. it’s nice because we’re doing interesting things and going places to have fun. I like that. it’s less nice because there’s the whole issue of not being at home. That issue is multifaceted for me. I have issues. Not being at home means I’m not able to slob around so much. That’s probably a good thing though. It means I get less knitting done. That’s a pain especially with the deadlines. Not being at home means that when I do get home and the place is a mess (as usual) I feel grumpy. I worry about leaving Aston on his own, even for one night. There are goof sides to the awayness though. This weekend I get to see Gayle, which happens less than it should. The weekend after involves train journeys, which are a perfect time to knit. Woo! Also, weddings mean nice frocks and new shoes (maybe). The weekend after that we’re going to get to go to Chatsworth. It’s forever since I’ve been there! I’m hoping that the house or gardens will be open, but if not we might just tramp about in the park. There’s also the chance to maybe go to Matlock, and hopefully some knitting time in the big old house we’re staying in. after a weekend off (!) then it’s the Stitch and Craft show in Harrogate, which I'm excited about. I’m doing my best to not buy yarn in advance, just in case. However, I do also need to organise myself. Then it’s the first weekend in December, and we have the Gymcrack Christmas party, followed midweek by the other Xmas party. Currently December is reasonably plan free, until the 21st then. Hopefully we’re off to Speen via Cottenham via Gainsborough. I also hope to pick a weekend to do some more looking at the archives, depending on how the knitting has gone by then.
I set myself a target of finishing each gift item within 10 days. I was ahead of schedule with the first few, but I’m about on-target now. At least the crochet ones take a bit less time. I have to stop adding extra bits though.
I’m making the Manly Sweater for Leon too, though probably not in time for Xmas. I might get chance to cast on over Christmas, depending on how my tank top goes, which is my next project after the Xmas gifts. And working on the Gypsy Socks. And my two scarves. The zig-zag bag is looking more and more like it will be forever in the UFO pile. And I keep seeing new things I want to knit. (my own fault, keep buying magazines and browsing ravelry.)
I am thinking about rearranging my blog too, but I am not sure yet. It depends on whether I can find (or make) a template that I like. I could adjust existing templates but my web-coding skills are somewhat rusty. I'm sure I could work it out, but…
Anyway, step one will be to design myself a nice banner header thingy. Which will be uploaded onto my blog possibly via my webpage (which I never use, but it is there!) We will see.