baby socks for cats and first try at dyeing

two pairs of baby socks for the open day at the cat shelter, to raise funds......hopefully more to follow. On the left - Regia Parrot. On the right - Regia cotton top. Basic rib and stocking stitch, from Cat Bordhi.



Also..first attempt at dyeing! Some wound balls of alpaca..all plain to start. I did each one separately, as a ball, but dropping it into about an inch of boiling water in an old pyrex coffee pot, and adding food colours, then leaving for several hours to soak up the colour.One using red and yellow, one plain blue, one blue with a touch of red. Great fun, and looking forward to trying skeins - I had these already to hand so it was just an experiment but takles forever to dry in a ball - even using a hairdryer :)

rain at Roland Garros......

......means reruns of Justine Henin's retirement, or footage of Anna Ivanovic practising/on an exercise bike/being massaged etc.......... :(

I know the tv companies can't do anything about the weather, but couldn't they have something a bit newer/different in stock? How about some profiles of the up and coming players, rather than the big names all the time?

meanwhile, I am 'waiting for Momo'........ :) Just had to get that in.......

JUSTINE HENIN TO ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT

......this afternoon, according to Sky tv..........

well done Saffy

I am so pleased for her.......not just getting to the final, having beaten Justine Henin and Serena Williams on the way, but beating Elena Dementieva in three sets to be the champion.

Here's hoping this is just the beginning for her......

Meanwhile Amelie has had to pull out of next week's Rome tournament, still with the rib injury; I am so sad for her, and hope she can somehow get well and back to form, and confidence. How I'd love to have her win Roland Garros......

Listening to Elton John just now, and remembering going to see him in Glasgow, many years ago, a midnight concert on my birthday that year. Birthday approaching this year......funny thinking back on all that time ago. Seems like someone else in many ways.

Some great concert memories......David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust years, Leonard Cohen(three times), Jethro Tull(Ian Anderson inspired me to learn to play the flute), the Kinks, Run Rig, lots more.....

a wish list of those I'd like to see and some I wish I'd seen:
Leonard Cohen(again)
Melissa Etheridge
kd lang
U2
John Lennon
Madness
Tom Robinson
George Michael
Queen(with Freddie Mercury of course)
Jussi Bjorling
Cecilia Bartoli
Abba
Scissor Sisters
Rufus Wainwright
Bob Dylan
Dory Previn
Randy Edelman
Birgit Nilsson

Saffy! Saffy!!!! SAFFY!!!!!!!!!

the delightful Dinara Safina: yesterday she beat Justine Henin ...... which thrilled me to bits....and today she was playing Serena Williams: I rather like Serena, and expected her to win....but Saffy did it again!

Here's hoping this is the start of her rise to the top.......

YOU GO, GIRL!!!!!!

disgusting, revolting, unhygienic.....

....one of my pet hates: spitting, which goes on all the time in football(soccer) matches in the UK. It would soon stop if the referee yellow carded a player for it........

but it seems to have started in tennis too! Not women's........but the men are at it. Three separate times this week, in Monte Carlo, and three different players, two of whom are top ten ranking and one who was at one time.

Again, if the umpire issued a warning/docked a point, that would put paid to it, I think......

Vile, vile thing to do!

clueless and bagelled

I've been waiting for a chance to use that phrase(thanks to Diane on her blog "Women Who Serve" for it)........well, that was Andy Murray in his first set against Novak Djokovic this afternoon; he went on to win a few games in the second set, but - as the saying here goes - what a tumshie(anyone who wants a translation for THAT phrase, please let me know!)

I don't follow men's tennis so much, but I watch it if there's no women's on, and usually have a look to see how the Murray Mint gets on, being a fellow Scot. Truly, I think one has to be a bit of a masochist to be a Scottish sporting follower, whether tennis, football, or anything else.........ah, well.......

started a pair of plain ss socks in the Noro, and found a knot in it already, and I'm only about half an inch up the rib. Not happy about that.

other things on the go.......the bat scarf(onto my second bat), various socks, a shawl, a cowl, and a cat's paw pattern lace scarf......more than that but those are the ones which spring to mind........

knitting is good, is great, is soothing...helps take the mind off life's shitty stuff, like emotional vampires and other things......