currently

 and in no particular order...

·         blogging in attempt to avoid my bastard thesis (for this is the only way i refer to it these days)

·         weaning myself off sugar in my coffee (a habit i took up again when i moved back to switzerland)

.       about to go for a walk to try and blow my thesis blues away

·         swooning over my gorgeous boyfriend (a daily occurrence of course)

·         looking forward to skiing as a treat once i’ve finished two more chapters

·         feeling proud of various members of my family

·         waiting to sign a contract for a new job. i’m going to be a swiss resident again. so thrilled!

·         uploading videos of my granny to flickr (that i’ve been taking over the past five years) to store them there and one day get around to editing them for the whole family

·         finishing knitting projects for polly, wilfryd and bess

·         planning knitting projects for raffaele and darcie

·         designing business cards for figs and roses

·         contrary to the above, wondering if i might abandon the whole figs and roses plan and just enjoy a year (or two) of knitting for friends and myself (i’ve never knitted anything for myself!) and learning more and more skills*

·         feeling the closest i’ve ever felt to quitting my PhD. which i won’t. ever. i just wish i had never started one**

·         collecting recipes and ideas on pinterest for my office packed lunches

these are  two images i spotted on pinterest the other week (via as petals fall) to inspire me to push on through this hideous phase. the image at the top of this post is some post it notes i bought myself to cheer myself up through this stage too. i love them.

*i never intended figs and roses to make serious money (that would never work with the hours required to knit one single item but it would have covered the cost of materials of course. now i have a job which will mean i can afford to buy all the yarn i want (!!), i wonder whether i should just indulge in projects that take my fancy and get pleasure from giving them to friends. we shall see...

**i still believe that a masters does not *nearly* equip you with an idea of just how tough a thesis is to write. the first few years are fine, the data collection is wonderful. but the writing up stage? hell. on. earth.

this blog was inspired by bleubird vintage's post 'saturday'. what are you doing currently?

over at figs and roses...

it's been a while since i haven't felt the need or desire to blog for such a long time but there are a few things i want to share over the coming weeks.

in the mean time. you can see what has been going on at figs and roses HQ in the past few months. the launch is still a way off but i am busy preparing stock, ordering business cards and clothing labels and brainstroming oh so many ideas.

swis life continues to be utterly wonderful and just continues to get better! life is very full at the moment and that suits me very well indeed.

wishing you all a belated new year and hoping 2012 is a fantastic one.

so, here are some pics of the first batch of cowls. click on the figs and roses link to read more and see what else we've been up to...

over at figs and roses...

if you don't follow my other blog about my newly launched business - figs and roses - you will have missed me talking this week about the inaugural bristol knit club (pictured below) and about raffaele's inspirational nonna who is still working as a seamstress. at 92!!

you can read more about it on the other blog (just click on the 'figs and roses' badge under the blog heading and it will take you straight there). you can see more photos there too. as you can see, theo didn't knit but i'm sure we'll have him casting on soon enough.

so, here is a friday night shout out for my new company before i attend to the more pressing matter of my thesis.

did you know you can show your support (which would be most welcome!) by becoming a fan on facebook? all you have to do is click here and click 'like'. easy! you can also follow @figsandroses on twitter to be kept up-to-date with developments.

right, back to work. a chapter deadline is looming...

introducing...

...my new business

thanks to the wonderful veronica who designed my logo in return for this cowl.

i think it was a perfect trading of talents.

click on this link - figs and roses blog - to see more information about what i'll be selling. so exciting!

responding to the knit signal - somalia appeal

do you have a newborn or know of a friend's baby that you'd like to buy one of these hats for?

UPDATE - only one left! the coral and lemon one. get in touch before you miss it! 

they have been knitted in 100% fairtrade organic cotton (debbie bliss eco baby) and they can be machine washed at 40 degrees. the size is approximately 0-3 months. the colours (which are slightly distorted here are lemon yellow, coral and grey).

so, here's what you do. if you'd like to buy one, just head to the MSF website and donate whatever you can afford to Médecins Sans Frontières MSF (Doctors Without Borders) Somalia appeal. then contact me to tell me you've done so, tell me which hat you would like (only one per order) and give me your address so i can post it to you (i will post anywhere in the world).

 

photos from the MSF website. i am donating these knitted these hats in response to the knit signal that was raised by MSF/p/hop

 i look forward to receiving your order. first come first served.

treats

when i started the process of writing up my empirical data i promised myself some treats along the way. with my holiday to italy fast approaching, i have been extremely careful about what i eat and have virtually cut out alcohol so champagne and cake are not a great option.

as i mentioned in my previous post, i have a birthday coming up and so decided to buy myself a generous present. i have considered knitting a throw on and off for years and i might one day start some sort of patchwork blanket to be completed over a decade but, for now, i would rather spend A LOT less money on a machine-knitted throw than splash cash on wool to make my own. why oh why does yarn have to be so expensive?

anyway, i have just ordered the above throw and, since i have been working on the chapter from hell, would feel i deserved it even if i didn't have a birthday coming up.

but the best treat imaginable is having some time off to spend with friends who will be visiting next week from cyprus. CANNOT wait.

photo of lara (with her baby thalis) taken by her sister clio.
throw available from here.

if in doubt, knit

 
i continually marvel at the therapeutic properties of knitting. i often find myself thinking 'i'd rather be knitting' and when my stress levels are too high, knitting just a few rows makes me feel lighter.

i am particularly enjoying my current WIP (work in progress for the non-knitters among you). it's a top secret project for a wonderful trade of talents which i will reveal soon.

anoushka's lovebug booties

after a refreshing hiatus from blogging and twitter, i'm still not sure what i think of it all but i wanted to share a few bits of knitting i've been doing recently. first up, these sweet lovebug booties for my friend's baby anoushka. first time round i struggled with the pattern as had never properly understood how to place markers (odd i know) but once lucy (serious expert knitter in my eyes) showed me the way, everything fell into place.

a very pleasing mini project and anoushka's granny popped them straight onto her feet when they were unwrapped. there's a lot of room for her to grow into them so they should be perfect for autumn.

stats: the boots are designed by the wonderful carrie bostick hoge and you can find her designs here on ravelry or visit her lovely blog and see what else she's been up to. i used debbie bliss cashmerino aran so chunkier than the pattern requires which made for a slightly fatter boot.

i'll have no wifi for the next few days but i'll update with more knitty goodness soon (including knitting for japan - not forgotten despite dropping out of the news!).

to all knitters attending the stitch london crawl this saturday, have a fabulous time. it looks wonderful and yet another year passes when i can't attend and meet up with all the wonderful london knitters. my PhD wins. but for this year only.

there have also been some very exciting developments on the knitting front which i will share at some point over the summer.

n x

short-term incentives

i have draft posts piling up in my head as i write up the first (of four) empirical chapters of my (eight chapter) thesis. the road is long.. and the posts (on italy, china, things i've knitted recently, knitting for japan, bristol, why i have no interest in pinterest, mini rant (oops trying to stay positive) etc etc) will have to wait.

the good news is i'm enjoying the process more than i thought i would. the bad news is i'm a week behind but i can't let the deadlines shift or i'll be still be doing this at christmas. but let's get back to the positives. i am going to be able to take a (wait for it) WHOLE day off on easter sunday. and i have spotted a few fun things on the interweb i'd like to make. chances are i'll just flake out, eat lots of yummy food and cuddle with my almost-too-old-for-cuddles nieces, which will be just lovely too. i also hope to make some sort of interesting alcoholic concoction or lavender lemonade but can't find the links (mine and others) just now as my mind is fRRazzled.

botanical eggs. spotted here and instructions here.

bunny biscuits. spotted here and recipe here.

pattern here

all a bit cutesy but fun (i think) too.

have a lovely easter everyone x

MSF p/hop

source

it is now just over a week that the earthquake and tsunami hit japan. i am still glued to news reports on the emerging footage, the clean up operation and tales of survival. of course, those that did survive are having to cope with the nuclear crisis and many are displaced due to any or all of these disasters. the fact that there is so much snow just seems so very unfair on top of everything else.

it is true that japan is a highly developed country with infrastructure and teams who were ready to cope with earthquakes and tsunamis. but it is the scale, and the combination of disasters, which makes it so incomprehensible and upsetting and is the reason why japan still needs help.

this week, i have been sorting out yarn to donate to a very worthwhile cause - MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) via MSF Phop. MSF have explained that they have not launched a specific appeal for japan but  are drawing on existing resources and have a small team based there. you can read about what they are currently doing here.

MSF p/hop is a fantastic way to raise funds through knitting and all things yarn. 'p/hopping' involves getting hold of yarn which has been advertised on their ravelry group and donating to them (with all proceeds going directly to MSF). you decide how many pennies to give per hour of pleasure, hence the term 'p/hop'. genius! you can also download one of their patterns. just don't forget to donate to MSF p/hop afterwards. you can read more about what is involved here. they just recently won an award for 'most creative fundraiser' at the just giving awards. i first p/hopped in response to the haiti appeal and the wonderful clare, aka @GingerKnits, was one of the recipients of my first lot of donated yarn. i have borrowed this photo from her blog of the wool and card i sent her:

so, this time around, i am donating the following:

head over to my ravelry post to see the details of what is pictured above and get donating!

i am doing more knitting for japan but will write this up in a separate blog post where i will link to a few other great ideas to raise funds.

happy knitting / donating / p/hopping.

x

co-ordinated break

writing is *finally* picking up pace but i always manage a little knitting with my coffee break.

betty and effy - keeping me company while i knit

quite a few friends have recently told me how they want to take up knitting because they've got young children so can't go out as much as they used to but are bored just sitting watching tv and therefore want to do something useful with their time.

there are so many reasons i love to knit but creating something lovely while watching something great on tv is a particular pleasure.

noah's ear flap hat

in november i went to stay with my dear friend heather, her husband james and their sweet boy noah (2). to thank them for having me, i knitted noah this ear-flap hat in baby alpaca. at first noah wasn't too sure as it was a little big and, instead of wearing it, he pulled it around in his trolley.

he is inseparable from his little monkey (or is it a bear?) leon (a gift from me when he was tiny) and even faces him forward in the car so leon can see where he's going. although at this point, he was talking to leon

for his second birthday (in december) i knitted a hat for leon too

i asked heather the other day if noah had made any progress trying the hat on and was thrilled to hear that he now wears it (although with the front rolled up so it doesn't get in his eyes). i think it really suits him :)

happy new year!

hope you all had a wonderful break and it doesn't feel too far in the past yet. i spent christmas in brighton and new year in bristol and a highlight was a boxing day walk on brighton beach (pictured above and below).

i gave up making new year's resolutions a few years ago when they just repeatedly got broken. and so early in the year too. but there are a few goals i want to achieve this year and i think i've kept them attainable.

first up, to continue to spend carefully. towards the end of 2010 i *finally* got better at living within my means. about time at the age of 33. i've found that i get just as much satisfaction from scoring a bargain or selling something as i do from splashing out on something lovely. and i always ask myself 'how much wool could i buy for that?' which helps stop me from parting with money sometimes. i don't want to be dull or obsessively frugal about this but just sensible given my limited income at the moment.

become a better frugal cook (see above). i enjoy cooking and i'm good at it but i never have much of a budget in mind when i buy ingredients. i think my food will taste so much sweeter if i know i've been careful about my purchases.

be more active. nothing specific about this goal otherwise i'm just setting myself up to fail. possibly. this does not involve forking out on joining a gym or the clifton lido (which i've previously considered) especially since there are so many beautiful spaces to walk so near to where i live - ashton court being just one...

image via 

finish my PhD (eek!) my scholarship runs out in october so this is when i aim to submit it. i am fairly determined and on track to finish on time so i should be Dr West before the year is out!

image via

blog more about the PhD process. i am saving any thoughts about my findings for my published work. so, my thesis or any articles i get around to submitting for publication. but i think i'd like to record these final two terms - the process of writing up, some methodological thoughts etc.

knit something for myself this year! i have been knitting for about four years and have learned lots of new skills just in the last few months (which i'll blog about soon). but every single item i've knitted so far has been a gift or a commission. my friends just keep having babies and now that there is a lull in pregnancy announcements, i plan to knit something (even just little) for myself.

learn a knew knitting skill each month. next up, cable!

learn to crochet.

take a photo everyday. this is off to a good start. i upload my daily pictures to a flickr set but may record them weekly or monthly in some other way. not sure yet.

and finally, keep from being too narcissistic on this blog. so, not to only focus on what i'm up to but also showcase others' work particularly those who create beautiful things. i do this already but i want to increase it and have so many draft posts lined up...

what are your resolutions / goals / aims for 2011?


nancy x

ps - blogger drives me mad with the layout sometimes and resets itself everytime i edit the post. it's still not right! any ideas on how to avoid this?

via

 
here are some pictures from my current favourite blog. liivia is a finnish artist and, though i have no idea what she's saying, the photos are gorgeous and show glimpses of her daily life. there are simply too many lovely ones to show all my favourites here but visit her blog to see many, many more.

she recently visited berlin and took so many beautiful shots of my favourite parts - kreuzberg (where my brother recently lived) and prenzlauerberg (where i would live if i lived in berlin). she reminded me of all the wonderful cafes there and i really must go back and visit.

liivia is a knitter which makes her blog all the more wonderful

frogging the noro stash

i've been diving down to the bottom of my stash and discovered this lovely noro yarn (bought four or so years ago when i first took up knitting). perfect for frogging and re-knitting.