i finished the ribbed scarf!!!!! i actually finished it a couple of weeks ago, but i've been without t'internet. i need to upload a pic to prove it.
i have now started on a cotton halterneck top in a gorgeous burgundy/plum colour. i'm speeding up with my knitting and i'm knitting 'tighter'. not sure how to explain. it's not that i was knitting too loose, just that my stitches are now uniform. my knitting now looks like the pics given as demonstrations of new stitch patterns.
and this project is cheaper. £5-£7.50 depending on whether i do need to use the 3rd ball of yarn.
but i am now halfway through the ribbed scarf. i cannot wait for this to be finished, but i think i might be looking at another whole month....damn me having a full-time (and then some) job!
i read somewhere of a woman whose job is designing and hand knitting a range of clothes. if i had to live on what i made from knitting i'd need to charge £10,000 per item!
i think i might have finally understood knitting in the round - not that i've tried it yet....'walking before i can run' etc etc ad nauseum.....
i am starting to realise how expensive knitting is. i wanted to make a bath mat from a pattern and worked out that it would cost me $212 (without shipping to UK) for the yarn. if i can't afford to buy a bath mat then i most certainly can't afford to make one!
so i bought stitch n bitch. so i completed the garter stitch scarf. i'm now on the 'ribbed for her pleasure' scarf. it's taking an age!
ok, so maybe i haven't been spending as much time on it as i should have, but the scarf needs to be 64" long.....so far it's 10" i never thought i'd get completely bored of a project before i finished it. does that happen to other people? am i just impatient?
i want to knit a sweater ffs!
and by the time i finish this scarf it'll be april and too warm to wear it.
*sigh*
Having had time to peruse the update, i'm having a stab at guessing what i will and won't like:
CARNAVAL DIABOLIQUE: opium smoke, lemon flower, heliotrope, tuberose, black musk, vanilla, coconut, apricot flower......this has some notes that have worked really well in other blends so i will need to try it.
MIDNIGHT ON THE MIDWAY: sugared incense and night-blooming flowers.... was ready to ignore this (it was the incense. most incensy blends really don't work with me unless it's a tiny proportion) and then someone said it might be the snake oil of the series....well thank you....5ml on it's way to me!
THE PHANTOM CALLIOPE: black cherry, patchouli, cassis, cardamom and verbena...i'm thinking this might be like blood countess or lady macbeth. fruity but with darker depths.... might wait to see what the reviews are like before i take the plunge
THE CANDY BUTCHER: Dark chocolate with a heavy cream undertone.... 13 and gluttony really do not work with me so i'm not going to bother with this one.
MME. MORIARTY, MISFORTUNE TELLER: Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, patchouli leaf and wild plum....pomegranate and vanilla, you say? cannot wait for this one. it sounds fab!
THE ORGAN GRINDER: Almond milk, sarsaparilla, tobacco smoke, black patchouli and white pine bark....i really don't think i'm going to like this...it's the tobacco and the pine. again, i'll wait for reviews.
PULCINELLA & TERESINA: Labdanum, cedar, teak and red rose.....not sure i'll like this. i'm not too into rose and woods often don't work well with me. i'll pass.
MELISANDE, THE PUPPET MISTRESS: Jasmine sambac, dark musk, violet water, vanilla bean and mimosa....apart from mimosa which i don't think i've ever tried, there isn't one note here that doesn't work with me....a possible favourite blend as well as a favourite portrait.
DOC CONSTANTINE: Sheer musk, cedar smoke, fir needle, black amber and leather...not sure about the leather (hated dead mans hand) and fir needle sounds too close to pine for my liking. i'm not fond of smoke smells either....another pass.
XANTHE, THE WEEPING CLOWN: Guava, orange peel, white pepper, spun sugar and apple blossom...i'm thinking this might be remeniscent of eve, sugar skull or eden. sweet sugary fruits. i'll have to get some to test ;-)
GENNIVRE, L'ARTISTE du DIABLE: Hyson tea leaf, pale mint, sugar cane, orange blossom, lemongrass, and honey...although i love mint (esp peppermint) bpal mints don't often work with me, but i think there might be enough to tip the balance. i'll get a bottle.
THEODOSIUS, THE LEGERDEMAIN: Earl Grey tea leaves, a white fougere, jasmine leaf, pearlescent white musk, and vanilla bean....how many people out there are thinking dorian?! i'll be getting some to try on himself!
ANTONINO, THE CARNY TALKER: White musk, wild plum, vetiver, black coconut, verbena, fig, and lavender....for some reason i'm thinking oneroi...might be very, very wrong though. i'll wait for reviews, i think.
and the GC scents:
I DIED FOR BEAUTY:The Venusian splendor of ylang ylang and violet stirred by hyssop, frankincense, and grave loam...love ylang and violet. not so sure about grave loam (hated zombi and burial). i'll wait for reviews.
THE JERSEY DEVIL: Pitch pine with blackberry leaf, cranberry, cedar wood and tomato leaf....NO, NO, NO! pine and tomato leaf? yuk!
THE TAVERN OF HELL: White gardenia, ambergris bouquet, lavender fougere, orange blossom, melissa, tobacco flower, coriander, ebony wood, ylang ylang, absinthe and aged whiskey...love bpal boozy scents. i'll try this without a sniff first, i think.
LES BIJOUX: Skin musk and honey, blood-red rose, orange blossom, white peach, red apple, frankincense and myrrh...no idea about skin musk, but i love bpal fruity blends. gotta get this one!
CALIBAN: The scent of the salty seas, bittersweet wine, palm and tropical ferns...don't often like the aquatics and ozone blends, but this sounds intriguing. i'll try this.
LADON: dragon’s blood resin, golden apple, apple blossom, white musk and hyacinth....i love dragon's blood. love fruits/blossom. gotta try this one!
TANIN'IVER: dragon’s blood resin, patchouli, pomegranate, myrrh, mimosa, cassia, blood musk and smoke...dragon's blood again and now with pomegranate, another favourite. not sure about smoke. will wait for a review.
MAG MELL: The warmth of amber, the puissance of white ginger and the clarity of verbena, with fresh green grass, lush sage and cleansing droplets of summer rain...sounds gorgeous!
MANHATTAN: sheer amber, black leather, white mint, lemon peel, white tea, grapefruit, kush, teakwood and orchid...not sure about leather, but the rest sounds great.
PONTARLIER: Swiss ferns, lilac, blackcurrant, Gallic rose and lavender with a dollop of sugar and absinthe...not sure about the rose and ferns but the rest sounds good. i'll try this.
PORT ROYAL: Spiced rum and ship’s wood mixed with the body-warmed trace of a prostitute’s perfume and a hint of salty sea air on the dry-down...i'd get it just on the description alone!
URUK:Thick bitter almond and heady night-blooming jasmine with saffron, cinnamon leaf, red patchouli, river lilies, bergamot, fig leaf and the sacred incense of Inanna...almond tends to overwhelm blends so not sure. it can also give me the huge red marks that cinnamon does...will need to test an imp before committing myself.
COCKAIGNE: milk and honey, sweet cakes and wine....not sure about the cakes but the rest sounds good. i'll get this.
THE ISLES OF DEMONS: The scent is of wet, dark greenery, carnivorous flowers, volcanic gas, and the hot black musk of the demons and wild beasts that populated the islands...not sure. it's not grabbing me. might swap for an imp.
JEZIRAT Al TENNYN: smoke and fire, earth and wind. The rage of the elements blasting over a primordial paradise...no idea lol....will try an imp!
KUMARI KANDAM: Thick incense, clay, stone, and hothouse blooms with a spike of frost, a hint of decay, and heavy, dolorous aquatic notes...incense, aquatics...not looking good.
LYONESSE: Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss...vanilla and amber, 5ml coming up!
ELIXIR VIII: BITCH: i neeeeeed this!
ELIXIR IX: TKO: ditto!
CLOISTER GRAVEYARD IN THE SNOW: Three white musks, ozone, frankincense, mint...love the snow/winter blends. i'm thinknig nuclear winter.
DEATH OF THE GRAVE DIGGER: Snow, soil, opoponax and myrrh..not sure about soil, but i need to try the snow part!
THE FOX-WOMAN KUZUNOHA LEAVING HER CHILD: White tea, cherry blossom, wisteria, star jasmine, and teak...could be one of those that i either love or hate. i'll give it the benefit of the doubt!
THE PENITENT MAGDALEN: Immortelle, lily of the valley, gaiac, amber, honey, white sandalwood, almond flower, blonde musk, and hyssop....ditto above
SILENCE -- White sandalwood, iris, blue musk, lotus root, moonflower, plum blossom, green tea, white mint and white peach....tea, fruits and mint. could be a favourite for summer.
THREE BRIDES -- Moroccan rose, king mandarin, red sandalwood, Egyptian amber, orchid, carnation, benzoin, tonka, calla lily, vanilla flower. benzoin, tonka and vanilla.....cannot wait to try this!
i never bother with updates as soon as they happen. never. so tell me why i am hurriedly making a huuuuge list of all the new things i want? huh?
i wouldn't mind if it was just CD that i was after but oh no. it's GC as well......the 2 new elixirs and the other new GC stuff is calling me.....i can't afford this!
i really need to get those 30 5mls that don't agree with me on ebay to pay for it all. that's how i managed to get pumpkin patch last year
i can't be the only one suffering in 'can't afford all the bpal i neeeed' hell
just put in my first order in a good few months....
10ml snake oil and cheshire cat and 5ml of et lux fuit. cannot wait. i need to have some snake oil aging nicely as i am down to the last 2ml of this 10ml bottle i have right here....
ETA i now have a 5ml aging...thank you ebay
i have too much BPAL. it's all aging and changing and i haven't even got used to how it used to smell when fresh! i'm currently putting it all into categories of things to wear when it's really hot, cold, snowy, overcast, when i'm happy, sad, nostalgic, horny etc etc!
so far as it is REALLY hot today i have a row of bottles by the computer: numb, aizen-myoo, neo-tokyo, spooky, the hamptons, swank, embalming fluid, kumiho, phantasm and the dormouse...... i know there are more in my stash but it's hard going sorting them all!
the last 6 weeks have been awful. a complete rollercoaster of emotions and most of them not good. i can count the number of days i haven't felt stressed and upset on the fingers of one hand. today is one of them though! i really feel that it is getting sorted out finally. fingers crossed.....
