If you can't talk sense......

or in this case, write sense, don't talk at all.
My parents used to say this to me a lot when I was little as I was something of a chatterbox. I took their words to heart which is the reason for the lack of posts on this 'ere blog.

Since last we met, I have been out for my birthday meal (to the Emperor of China in Brighton Marina, and very good it was, too), argued with Dixons/Curry's/Mastercare over our less-than-12-months-old LCD TV and whether they should mend it or replace it (they replaced it - Yay!) and painted the bathroom after first patching up the loose plaster and replacing some missing tiles.
The trip to the chinese restaurant was excellent - good food, calm atmosphere, excellent service - well worth another visit.
The interaction with Dixons/Curry's/Mastercare was frustrating, annoying and extremely tedious; it would take a really really long post to cover all the details but we did get satisfaction (kind of) eventually. Needless to say, when they emailed a customer survey (actually, they emailed several - one after each phone call) they did not score highly. The TV was originally a very good deal, bought on-line last December, but their customer service stinks. If there was a national award for buck-passing, they would win, hands down.
The interlude with the bathroom was boring but necessary, what with having guests for Christmas, yada, yada. The guests in question have to be suitably impressed when they come here, they're my parents (same ones who told me, basically, to zip it all those years ago).

There has been some activity of a knitterly variety -

Wine and Roses mittens from the latest Interweave Knits magazine, knitted in Jojoland merino. It's lovely wool but I was very disappointed with the sudden colour change visible on the left mitten. The colour changes up to this point had been very long and subtle and all of a sudden this green comes along and whacks me in the eye!


Argosy scarf from the latest Knitty, using Jaggerspun Zephyr in Cinnabar colour. This may or may not be a Christmas present - I haven't decided yet. This is the first time I have used Jaggerspun and I am undecided about that as well. The resulting fabric is lovely, soft and drapey and good for showing stitch definition, but it is not the easiest to knit with, tending to split quite easily. It would probably be fine with pointier needles than the ones I am using, but my trusty Clover bamboos were the nearest.


A very orange tea cosy, pattern made up as I went along, wool is some Merino Brights by Elle yarns which I found in a local shop and haven't been able to track down anywhere on the web to see if there are any more muted colours available. This is supposed to be a present but I think it has come out too wide and not tall enough and I don't think I can bodge adapt it to fit.

As well as the above activities, I have been to work (a necessary evil) and kept the household going with food and clean clothes etc, so I've not really been slacking, although I intend to now. I know there's another load of washing to be done and I really should make more mince pies or start the dinner but I'm off to spin more silk, yippee!