Just good to look at

Headlamp from an old Packard car

When a design is pleasing it can be pleasing in all kinds of media and forms.  This headlight is simply good to look at as well as being unusual.  And I can't help thinking of a bobbled beret, or a table centre, or a good warm textured circular shawl for those cold January evenings.

The Packard in question

January, the time to plan

January - bare trees against a blue sky

Went for a walk on Friday, quite a long one.  Very little caught my eye for a worthwhile photograph.  But that's January.  Time to plan and look ahead, write lists and enjoy a bit of a daydream.  I'm having fun thinking about the '6 things' projects and I keep refining my list of 6 things to aim for  which now stands at :

• 6 things knitted from the stash
• 6 WIPs to  be completed
• 6 new techniques to be mastered
• 6 things to be knitted that I have never tried before
• 6 things out of all the above that I am really pleased with
• 6 photos that I am really pleased with
• 6 novels of Jane Austen - read them all in 2012

Eve Arnold

News today of Eve Arnold's death.  She photographed some of the most famous people in the world and her pictures of Marilyn Monroe are iconic.  

Eve Arnold was a photojournalist and didn't just photograph Hollywood legends.  She also travelled in China, the Middle East and South Africa taking often stark photographs of the lives of people there.

If you get a moment, google her to see examples of her photos.  The link below gives a You Tube recorded interviews with her talking about Marilyn .

Eve Arnold talking about Marilyn Monroe

New Year's Day - hope you had a good one

Yvette - the sleek and lovely Citroen Traction Avant

We went to a car show in West Sussex on New Year's Day and really enjoyed ourselves.  Only a little informal gathering outside a pub.  The Citroen Traction Avant is one of my favourites and I was pleased to see a late model.  These were made from 1934 for many years, so stylish, so French.  They were used by both the Gestapo and the Resistance.  This one is called Yvette and is a bit of a film star.

The Peugeot 402

In spite of my love for the Citroen, my selected 'Car of the Show' was this Peugeot 402.  I've never seen one before and I would go all the way back to West Sussex in the rain to see it again.

Looks like it might have been made from three different cars, but it still works for me

Deco trim on the rear wheel arch - if you look closely you can see
the head of a big cat echoing  the mascot on the bonnet

Front indicator light - look at that beautifully moulded glass

Flowing Lines

On the drive down, I managed to knit a wrist warmer in Sirdar Persia.  Not a particularly enjoyable yarn to knit with, but comes in some good colours.  I've completed a beret, a wrist warmer and am about to start a scarf for the full set.  All from stash.  Yay!

New Year Resolutions

Part of the stash - Part of the New Year Resolution

First of all - Happy New Year - May 2012 be full of all kinds of good things for you.

Then, the Resolutions.  I have joined a Ravelry group called 'Underrated'.  This group is for under achievers like me who would like to think they could knit 12 things in 2012, but don't really believe they will.  So we are going for 6 things.  There are different threads in the group and I will be working along on these :

• finishing 6 WIPs in 2012 (from all the heaps of bags around me I can certainly find 6 abandoned items)
• 6 items knitted from the stash

along with this my other resolutions include :

• no yarn buying in 2012 (Oh really?) owing to the giant proportions of the stash
• along with busting the stash learn new techniques, there are some things I would like to try.  (see the excellent Pinkundine's blog for a list of the things she aimed for and achieved in 2011 - she's only been knitting a year)    Pinkundine's list of things to try

I'm working on my list of techniques to try in 2012, but as for specific items ...

• make a pair of socks - never done it
• make a shawl - never made one

Also,

• work a bit harder on the photography
• give more back to the blogging community in terms of the quality of my blog and networking / sharing
• Enjoy it!