The Way I Want to Go

OK, you may think this in poor taste, but when I read this newstory my immediate thought was "there are worse ways to go"

Man Dies After Falling Into Chocolate Vat
Yesterday, 11:00 pm © Sky News 2009

A 29-year-old man has died after falling into a vat of molten chocolate at a factory in the US.

Vincent Smith II was with three workers dumping chunks of chocolate into the simmering liquid when he somehow lost his balance and fell in.
TV pictures showed one of his distraught colleagues standing outside the factory in Camden, New Jersey, his clothes covered in chocolate.
He had apparently tried to rescue the man, who had died by the time emergency services arrived at the scene ten minutes later.
Jason Laughlin, spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, said an investigation has been launched into the incident.
"He somehow slipped and fell into the vat," he said.
"Inside the vat, he was hit by a piece of equipment called the agitator that's used to stir, and that killed him."
Mr Laughlin said the vat at the Cocoa Services Inc plant was around 8ft deep.
"At this point there's no suggestion of foul play," he added. "It appears to be an accident.
"This man unfortunately fell into this hole and passed away before anyone could rescue him."
Cocoa Services employs another company - Lyons and Sons - to do the mixing at the factory.

of course, i understand this in no joke to this unfortunate man's family and friends, but still...if i could choose how i'm going to go, this would be right up there

link to actual story

My FGS at The Loopy Ewe

as you all know as spend a good deal of time on the knitting (etc.) site, ravelry. i've met some lovely people who share my interests but it's no easy feat, in my mind, to make a friend on-line. a real friend. someone you can talk to about anything and everything. someone who will give you straight advice just when you need it. someone you just know you will get on with like a lifelong friend when you finally meet in real life. well, I've been that lucky. behold my FGS:

susan lives in the U.S. while I am in the U.K. she is a huge fan of The Loopy Ewe yarn shop in St. Louis, MO and is a regular attendee of the annual Spring Fling organized by the amazing owner, sheri. you can read all about Spring Fling 2009 on sheri's blog. susan had been telling me all about the wonders of The Loopy Ewe and the build up to this year's Spring Fling. after living in Iowa for years i cannot believe i had never discovered this shop/event. i was ever so slightly envious of susan and all the other Loopy Groupies {as a quick flight from Scotland to St. Louis was out of the question}. to make me feel better, susan "took" me with her. SEE:

i've been having a rather crappy time of it lately, and this absolutely made my day. ok, it seems just silly, but no! susan went to all the trouble of saving my little orangutan pic from my avatar on Ravelry, which is originally about 2" square. she enlarged it, and remembered to pack it for the trip. and she posed "with" me for a photo {big thanks to the photographer helper!}. on top of all this, susan has been doing a bit of shopping for me so i can knit Cookie A patterns from the Sock Innovation book in the yarns the designer used but can't find suppliers for here. hense, my FGS, Fairy God Susan!
Thanks, susan!

Best Friends

knitter's porn: Jordana Paige Knitter's Satchel in Ocean Blue, ahhhhh. Pure lust, every knitter should spoil themselves with one of these. The bags are so well thought out to accommodate what knitters on the go need, and Jordana is an absolutely lovely lady, and incredibly helpful. She has donated a PINK Knitter's Satchel as a prize for my Makin' Cookie's KAL on Ravelry. So I thought it was about time I showcased mine.

and mine was actually a gift from one of my oldest and best friends, David, who lives back in Iowa. i've been having a rotten time of it lately and he sent me the loveliest email yesterday and today a big box of goodies arrived for me. many many miles and one rather large ocean separate us, but true friends stay true. even though he rarely reads my blog - thanks David and I miss you x

PicKnit time

ok, i'm a bit behind in posting about this as I saw it a the glasgow SECC back in february, but it is spring now, and picknit time, so here is Shaun the Sheep's traveling knitted picnic:

and a close up of the absolute best bits:

yum, yum, yummyyyyyyyyy
read more here

The Cookie Has Landed!

so, my postman (i'm not being sexist, he is a man, i checked ;-) is rather used to delivering small puffy parcels to my door, especially lately thanks to the Makin' Cookie's knitalong i'm running on Ravelry. he is also rather used to me greeting him with a happy smile when i see what he has to offer.

TODAY he was just a tad surprised at my reaction to this in his hand from Loop in london:

which i promptly ripped open, shredding the pretty orange tissue paper:

for the grand reveal:


ah, yes, the long awaited Sock Innovation pattern book, possibly the most highly anticipated knitting book in history (purely my opinion, but i can't be far off...)

just look at the loveliness of that! this book is 1/2 patterns (15 in all, for men and women) and 1/2 tutorial/workshop on how to adapt/modify AND design your own socks! Cookie A has the mind of a genius when it comes to stitch patterns and socks! check out where she blogs with her bkff {best knitting friend forever - we all need one of those, and i have one!}, Kristi Geraci - a fantastic designer in her own right, see just 2 of her socks, Cachoeira and Rimbalzi for examples. Check out Cookie's designs here. i dare you! resistance is futile, you will be assimilated...

because i live in the UK i waited a bit longer than some for this amazing book to arrive, but, as you can see above, it was well worth it!

let the frenzy begin....

you can join Ravelry here, you can join the Makin' Cookie's knitalong for this book (on Ravelry) here, and you can follow our progress on the knitalong blog.

C'mon!