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I knit. I quilt. I spin, sew, weave, crochet, bake, run and garden too. I'm basically Martha Stewart, but without the whole audience thing. (I'm totally kidding- this is just the blog of a 20-something yarn junkie)
The first few pictures are from the hot springs, which were just beautiful. I was expecting it to smell really bad- like algae and sulfur- but it didn't. The only thing that wasn't perfect about it was the sheer amount of tourists walking around, making it impossible to get a good picture- that being said, I can't complain- I was one of them.
The Jane Austen Centre was much anticipated and slightly dissapointing. It's an old building, but it's not actually the building in which Jane lived- that one is now a dentist's office down the street- and I didn't want to go THAT badly. There was also hardly anything from Jane's actual life in the center- there was lots of reproductions of regency-era clothes and a few pieces of furniture from the late 1700's, but hardly anything in the place had actually belonged to Jane. There was a 20 minute talk on her before they let you go through the building by yourself and it was mostly about her family- which was actually nice because after 2 years of studying Jane Austen, there's not alot you can tell me about her that I don't already know. I'm a smarty-pants like that when it comes to my chick-lit. There was a small bookshop in the centre and I bought a nice copy of both P&P (Pride and Prejudice) and S&S (Sense and Sensibility), my favourite of Jane Austen's works.
The Fashion Museum: rocked. They had actual garments (not reproductions, *ahem Jane Austen Centre*) from the Georgian period including a dress that Marie Antionette had worn to court. I can't believe how itty-bitty the waists are on those things- I couldn't fit my leg into one of them, much less my whole torso! I loved how the giant hoop skirts were so huge...you have to respect a woman who can wear a 60 pound dress and look fabulous- all while not breathing. They had really awesome exhibits from "300 years of gloves" to "the evolution of underwear". I just love how the trends change as women climb up in society. There were some great flapper dresses from the 1920's- which were a hoot! It cracks me up that a curve-less woman was the ideal- women used to tape their busts down to make them look flatter- how opposite from today. And to think- that was only 90 years ago. I also loved the corsets- they amaze me. I would love to wear a corset just to see how small I can really get. I guess that's just me though.
It's a truly perfect Valentine's Day gift. It's amazing how a perfect stranger could get everything so right! There were chocolates, body butter from The Body Shop, a card, little stuffed animals (one of which is holding my keys, having broken my keychain opening the door of my flat to hurry up and open this package- perfect timing, eh?) and my favourite thing ever: sock yarn. It's Lana Grossa something or other (I was about to miss the bus so I had to open it quickly, snap a few pictures and run to catch the train, so no specifics- sorry!) and the colours are perfect; I would have probably picked the exact same skien had I been given the choice! It's Valentine-y, but not nausiatingly so. I adore it. In your next swap, pray to get "Itsgoodtoknit" as your partner. She truly made my V-day.
So...today I went out and did the rounds with Marylyn, which included a quick trip to Tesco for dinner, picking up some lottery tickets (If I win 7 million pounds, I'm turning in a bank note with my name on it and calling it a term paper) and then visiting Jerry and Jeane, people I used to know when I lived in France and England when I was wayyyyy younger. I've been wanting to see them since I came to England, but I wasn't sure if they'd even remember me, and I haven't spoken to them in 10 years, so I didn't think it would happen. They have the most awesome house ever- it's 400 years old and has a most permanent resident- a nurse that died during WWI. Apprently her ghost lives upstairs and creates all sort of havoc for anyone staying in the guest room- HER room. Pretty much every woman that has stayed in that room (not knowing it's supposedly haunted) has told them about someone pushing on their stomach in the middle of the night- as if someone was trying to deliver a baby...spooky. Jeane said there was also a time where she filled a doorway with books so they couldn't get into the den....since the door opens inward, there was no way a person could have done it and then left. Since the house is so old, they can't do any modifications to it, so it's very...wonky. The floors and walls are all crooked and the ceiling is so low at points you have to duck (and I'm on 5 feet tall). It's an awesome house, and Jerry and Jeane are awesome people. Jerry had been a Major during WWII and told me all about D-Day and even cried a bit at the end. I can't imagine living through something like that, especially knowing that some of your closest friends didn't. The best part of it all? Jerry and Jeane were the first people from my past that haven't told me exactly how much I look like my mother. It was awesome. After that we headed to shop to see if the blankets Marylyn liked were still on sale...they weren't...but I found a really cute bag that was (as if I needed another one) and the most perfect summer dress....which didn't come in my size. They told me to come back March 1st -that's when they get a new shipment in. That's a good enough reason for me to come back and see Alex and Marylyn, so it looks like I'll be getting that dress after all! Besides, I'm going to a wedding this summer- I totally need something to wear to it! Well I guess that's about it. Enjoy the rest of your Valentine's Day- I'm going to go have a romantic snuggle up with a hoodie that I had to partially frog and am just now getting around to working on it again. Bye!
My latest knitted addition to the "Pash Stash" (my pashmina collection, don't judge. They're pretty. And were only a pound each!) It's a simple fan and feather lace pattern in Southwest Trading Company's beautiful Bamboo yarn. It took just over 1 skien. It's known on Ravelry as "Penny Lane."