BROADCASTS.com

b'

Today we\\u2019re having a bit of a catch up, with some knitty chatter along with some discussion of recent reads during lockdown. I\\u2019m also gardening quite a lot at the moment, so I talk about that. There hasn\\u2019t been a huge amount of knitting at Chateau Shiny. I\\u2019ve noticed on social media that this seems to be a fairly common problem for knitters at the moment. As such, there has been a lot of planning and looking on Ravelry, and not a lot of knitting. I\\u2019m taking the attitude that this is like an athlete preparing for a race. More of a mental approach to knitting. As there hasn\\u2019t been a lot of actual knitting to discuss, today, it\\u2019s more of a covid time capsule of what\\u2019s going on here. My hope is that I can keep you company for 30 minutes or so, a little bit of light entertainment with a side of knit. Life in lockdown continues. The children continue to alternate between being bored and being too tired to do any school work. The Beast produced some choice Covid artwork, declaring her death from \\u2018bore\\u2019. It was terribly Victorian of her. Not Charlie Dimmock Gardening has featured in the creative pursuits over the past week. I\\u2019m not the most accomplished gardener, so it\\u2019s been trial and error, including the regrettable purchase of four Buxus balls. What I didn\\u2019t know from Pinterest, is that English Buxus smells of cat pee. Joy. I\\u2019ve also been accidentally ordering massive plants from the local garden, due to not having any pictures or dimensions. I\\u2019ve been planting some Begonias into hanging baskets and playing frost roulette. They\\u2019re not supposed to be planted out yet I don\\u2019t think, but I went for it as the weather is due to be good for the next couple of weeks. As long as it isn\\u2019t frosty, it should be fine. If you have any good recommendations for gardening people to follow, who aren\\u2019t too serious, please let me know! Mini Driver Lockdown has reignited my love for driving. A new car is high on the list for post-covid life. My current ride is called Norman. Remember the Twix advert that was all grey, and the main character was Norman? He had a very grey and boring life, until he ate a Twix. This is how Norman the car makes me feel. The speakers are \\u2013 frankly \\u2013 inadequate for singing along to Tiffany. Wholly lacking in bass, despite being the upgraded speaker pack. You can hear about how Norman tried to kill me in the pod retreat 2 episode. Poppy the Naughty Nova features in the first car story. My Mum is an absolute demon when it comes to running cars on fumes. The Nova was once stolen and used in a smash and grab at Debenhams. Despite me thinking my second car was called Rob, I remembered afterwards it was actually Derek. Curry has also been bringing me deep joy in lockdown. My favourite curry house has reopened and is providing the fine people with excellent curry. Gratitude has been high. Lockdown has recreated a semi-permanent feeling of post-China come-back, where when you find a little victories in being able to get things easily. Or read signs. What things can you do today to get a little victory? Knitting-wise, there hasn\\u2019t been a lot, as afore-mentioned. It\\u2019s difficult when knitting is a method for grounding and calming the mind, or as a creative act. I\\u2019ve found it strange that I don\\u2019t want to knit. This is also for no good reason; it\\u2019s almost a mental block. I\\u2019m not at a hard point in the pattern, I\\u2019ve enjoying the yarn, I just can\\u2019t be arsed. Not being able to be arsed isn\\u2019t really a feeling I am accustomed to associating with my knitting. Instead, I have taken to researching what patterns I will be knitting when the mojo comes back. I have just purchased Evolution by Susan Crawford. Orchidacae is definitely my pattern for the Nurturing Fibres yarn. I also love Denby, which is part of the collection. This is a colourwork hat with both a beanie and slouchy option. You can order the printed book at susancrawfordvintage.com and you will receive all the pdf patterns as they are released, followed by the printed book. Beaded knitting seems to be calling to me at the moment. I might need to knit a Boo Knits pattern when I can get some beads. A lot of people don\\u2019t enjoy the stop-start nature of beaded knitting, but I just love the fancy sparkly effect. Enquiries have been increasing from people looking for baby knitting yarn. I\\u2019ve also had a lot of people asking about learning to knit resources. I will cover these in the next episode as the free resources can be incredibly hit and miss. I\\u2019m also planning to crochet a African flower blanket. Reading I\\u2019ve read the following recently: Recipes for Love and Murder \\u2013 Sally Andrew Death on the Limpopo \\u2013 Sally Andrew Old Baggage \\u2013 Lissa Evans Unnatural Magic \\u2013 C M Waggonner The Last Smile in Sunder City \\u2013 Luke Arnold You can find me on Goodreads if you want to connect there \\u2013 www.goodreads.com/jomilmine Music for this episode is by kind permission of Adam and the Walter Boys, available on iTunes.