Emily knows a thing or two

That it will never come again

Is what makes life so sweet.

As written by Emily Dickinson.

I do so agree with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee when she says that she will resist hoarding that very special wool for that very special project – until they are just right and the project is ‘worthy’. She comments that if she knits the wool, she doesn’t have it any more and thus cannot look at it and think about it and the potential it holds within the ball.  Once knitted all that potential has gone, it is just a garment now. Whilst un-knitted it has all the possibilities of the future. I am like that sometimes myself. I have some lovely wool my daughter gave me and it sits in the yarn stash drawers and every now and then I look at it and feel it but never knit it. Perhaps as the new year starts I will gain the courage to knit it up.

And then there is Bo Derek:

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping

or as Stephanie says about her yarn stash (and it applies to our wardrobes too) ‘Just why did I buy that?!’ So Bo Derek is wrong?

The colour isn’t right. The texture is wrong. For that weight you will need more wool than you have for that project. The wool is old (I rescued it from my mother-in-law’s drawers) and falls apart and you really don’t want a garment that is all knots. And yes that wool was really too much of a bargain, the colour runs or it is rough on your fingers to knit and even rougher to wear!

No matter the discount,  not everything is a bargain.

 

 

 

 

Zen trances:knit yourself sane?

Knitters who have been at it a while experience a trancelike state that provides the same benefits as other forms of meditation.

Unlike, other forms of meditation though, when all is said and done, knitting produces beautiful, handcrafted, wearable works of art.

Each garment reflects its unique moment in time and is as singular in its construction as the person who knit it – an image of its creator’s spirit.

Bernadette Murphy

Zen and the Art of Knitting

Grace and Dancing: Murder and TV

Graceful immortality by Robert Downs

True confession time – I read this book almost as soon as I got it – but forgot to write the review – probably during the period just after my last operation when the drugs and their side effects were still making me very confused.

This is a murder story with a private investigator, the cut-throat world of dance and ballet, and some people with very few scruples.

I am writing this review during the final – the very final session – of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing  programme on the TV –  which seems so appropriate! I have watched this series almost from the beginning, though confess I find the Sunday programme rather boring and video it and then skip to the actual dance-off. Just as we video the Saturday programme and skip over the telephone numbers and lots of the chat… there is far too much chat and not enough dancing.. we don’t want the professionals to dance either. Aren’t we picky? Just the celebs.

They are dancing their last dance – just the final 3 couples – my husband and I are quite good are scoring – we are right within a point or two and got the celeb who was to leave the semis right too, we have learnt a lot about the art of ballroom and what a ‘frame’ is and how the hands should look and so much else. [pause while I watch a pasa doble with Kevin and Frankie]

I find Robert Downs a consistent author – both his books read well, the characters have character and an amount of wit and the storyline is well paced and well crafted. As a book reviewer himself Robert must know [pause while Caroline and Pasha dance the Charleston] what he likes to read and thus should know also what others would like to read too. This not always being the case with authors who have been known to write for themselves rather than their readers.

Strictly is an interesting programme because it is not really about modern dance but more about classic dances with a twist – but not too much gymnastics please! And I think the audiences think so too.. although the muscles are pretty impressive at times and we do see some tattoos – which seem to be the latest in the way to dress up males [ pause for Simon and Christina to dance the Argentinean Tango].

So the final has finished and Caroline won – she got a straight set of 10s from every judge for every dance – unheard of before and I think she was worth it. Her feet and hands were so beautifully positioned and stretched and she was fearless in the way she allowed Pasha to throw her around.. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30536720 gives all the details and some great photos]. She does have some background in dance though – According to the Telegraph [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/strictly-come-dancing/11306462/Caroline-Flack-5-claims-to-fame-before-she-won-Strictly.html] Flack played down her pre-Strictly dancing chops, but in fact she won 2010’s Dancing on Wheels competition, during which she was coached in ballroom dancing by Strictly pros Kristina Rihanoff and Brian Fortuna in order to partner wheelchair-user James O’Shea. It’s also emerged that Flack trained from 1996-99 for a musical theatre qualification at BodyWork Company Dance Studios in Cambridge, although Flack says it was more drama and singing than dancing.

Also, can anyone tell me who pays for Darcy  Bussell’s dresses – they are stunning and must cost over £2kea – is she expected to buy them? Surely not.. Perhaps the designers lend them to her for the show – in which case we need a list of gowns and the designers. ‘Course, she has a great figure still and those long legs are so enviable.

All a long way from the book of course, but all about dancing and ballet and…

Robert – sorry for the delay in writing this up, but I did enjoy reading the book and hope to read some more by you in the future!