Bill

I so want to see this.

less than perfect

More thoughts on the planned quilt. I love Lotta Jansdotter's fabric and also the way she puts her pieces together in a kind of haphazard way. Am thinking of working on a small quilt in the same way, mixing in some linen, and letting it come together more of a free-style kind of way than I usually work. I mean, symmetry and rigid lines are all well and good, but there's something liberating about the wonkiness of her work that really appeals to me.

Meanwhile, I've been listening to this album. Lots of catchy tunes that the little one already loves to sing along to.

planning

Planning what, I'm not quite sure but I was lucky enough to get a Christmas gift certificate from my dear sister to buy some fabric from here. I went straight out and got the Lotta Jansdotter fabric I had been hankering after and here it is, mixed in with some fabric from my stash, bought along the way (in Sham Shui Po for the most part). I'm keen to make another throw/ quilt but want to do something a little different with the design. And there I draw a blank! Watch this space, as they say.

dog days

As the owner of a dog who loves the water (and this one does look a little like my dog), but apropos nothing else, these are some funny pictures of dogs diving.

a winter walk

One of my new year's resolutions is to walk the dog more. He's getting fat, bless him, and that's nobody's fault but my own. Usually we walk down to the river near our house or along what we call 'The Avenue', which must have once been the tree-lined drive to some large country house. Or we head further afield to a country park or wander around a nearby lake. Today, I took him along the canal in Ellesmere, which was built in the late 1790s to take iron and coal from Wales to the sea ports in Liverpool. And what a beautiful day it was, almost spring-like and very sunny. Wrapped in a coat, a hat and my new Uggs, I was overdressed! In January!

There were flocks of geese flying overhead and many had stopped for a breather in the fields opposite, taking the occasional dip en masse in the canal. It was beautiful and peaceful and quiet, accompanied by my fat, furry, faithful friend.

covet

I was lucky enough to get one of Arounna's bags for Christmas (from my lovely mother-in-law). Arounna's home is featured in this month's issue of Covet Garden. Their place so perfectly individual and simple, with every piece so thoughtfully chosen. I mean, I know it's edited for the shoot and all and each shot is styled to look good, but even so. You get the sense they really live like that. No piles of paper on the counter. No baskets piled with random plastic toys, hair brushes, mystery keys, felt tip pens. A place for everything and everything in its place. Minimalist indeed, but still warm and welcoming. And I love the fact that they have an Ikea kitchen. Doesn't get classier than that.

I feel a sort-out coming on...

knitting for africa

With my family's potted colonial history, we have some words in our vocabulary that elicit confused looks in others. If something's particularly fancy, we call it maridadi; we put our clothes in the dhobi basket instead of the laundry, we wear takkies instead of trainers, and we eat naachis instead of satsumas (or clementines, or whatever you like to call them).

If we had anything in abundance, be it hats or bags or carrots, my mum would say "you've got [whatever it was] for Africa". Well, now I'm knitting for Africa as part of the Knit A Square project that Jigsaw is doing with KasCare, an African charity founded to take care of AIDS orphans.

It's my kind of easy-peasy knitting and all in a good cause! You can do whatever you like - knit or crochet - any colour or stitch you like (I've started with garter stitch but have grand ambitions of moss stitch and other more complicated patterns), and it takes but an evening to get one on the needles and off again.

Oh, I do like a project.