Violets Are Out; Knitting is In

The last seven days have been nothing short of yuck. Yup, mighty peculiar indeed. And not in a good way; more's the pity.

If I totally believed in horror-scopes, I would blame the alignment of the planets, or crappy Mars as influencing those around me and my pleasant Piscean nature....

But only half of me believes in that stuff, so what does the other half of me blame for all the headaches, neckache and backache? It's probably definitely all stress related - there are pros and cons to owning your own business! Some people can be downright mean, and others rude, and still others lazy and incredibly demanding. Thank goodness for the nice ones though! I think I've dealt with them all this week. And yet....I still go on [laughing].

About 8 years ago, African Violets (AVs) were the love of my life. They totalled about 150 in number [insane I know] and lit up my otherwise drab office. I still have a totally awesome African Violet teacup collection that comprises 60 plus collectible teacups....but that's another story for another day.

Over the years my AVs have brought me much joy and many gorgeous blossoms. Sadly, some of them had succumbed to disease, pests and neglect. Their once thriving numbers had dwindled to a mere 40 a week ago. Not even a nice one in that bunch to enter into the Ilderton Fair!

Then, following a particularly bad day last week, I threw the whole lot OUT. The mealy bugs and thrips were out of control, and I just didn't have the time for the TLC they so desperately required [sigh]. I will start a new collection next spring, time permitting. There's something very nurturing in putting down a bunch of leaves and waiting 6 weeks for all the little baby plantlets to emerge. Then mothering them for three months until they are young adults and flowering prolifically.

Amongst all the yuck stuff lately were a couple of positives. For instance, the arrival of my much anticipated KnitPicks order. I got a fabulous new book "Simply Shetland 4: At Tomales Bay", some acid dyes (orange and tuquoise) for dyeing some Briggs and Little, and a norwegian finger guide for one-handed fairisle knitting.

And then, I started my first of a million Christmas knitting projects: the La Dentelle Belle Scarf by Teresa Murphy. This is my first lace project and I've called it the Gerlinde Lace Scarf cos it's for my Mum. I'm using some fabulous Handmaiden Mini Maiden yarn in the Paris colorway! This yarn is 50% wool and 50% silk, so it's very soft and shiney. I love it!

My hope now is for a much better week ahead for me and for everybody else out there who needs me for something [laughing].

I'm still 50% convinced of celestial interference this last week [scowling skyward].........