another busy week

Time is just flying, I keep saying I'm going to do this, that and the other, before the week is out, and I get nothing done. What a wonderful week it was though, with the sun shining it was hard to concentrate on anything other than its sunny!I should be outside! I was supposed to go Wicklow, then Dublin for a few days, but I couldn't leave, couldn't pack, couldn't think about anything. I just pottered around the house, the garden, and made more Innocent Smoothie Hats. Their campaign is really kicking off. With over 200 hats already made by Ravellers, and with the word being spread, its really kicking up steam. There's loads of events being organised as we speak/write/blog. You can check them out on the Innocent website and on the Woolly Way. (The new fantastic textile blog!)

Here's a few of my latest hats. I'm trying to write up the patterns for the crocheted ones, as soon as they have been tested, I'll put them up..



























I eventually left for Dublin on Saturday morning. How do Dubliners manage the Mad Cow Roundabout? Its insane. Completely insane. Its like an evil giant moles revenge against the gardener. You can't even make out what they are trying to do, let alone what lane is going where. Luckily I had been told no matter what happens stay in the left lane. If I hadn't, there's no way I would have found my way onto the M50. What if they now run out of money and cant finish it!!


On Sunday, exhausted from a long Saturday day and Saturday night, I made my way over to the People's Park in Dun Laoighaire. My family are from around there, so I feel like the park belongs in my childhood. Its come a long way since I was last there. Theres a fantastic Sunday Market. A latte, and a large blueberry muffin later I finally meet up with Stephanie from the Yarn Room. This is my second time trying to meet her, and of course Toddler started moaning as soon as I stopped. I think he's starting to recognise balls of wool. He knows that when I'm in the vicinity of wool he'll get ignored. Whether its me just sitting on the couch trying to get another row done, or standing in the wool shop, chatting and deciding. I don't get many opportunities to ogle wool, but I needed to do it now. I've been hearing so much about types like Noro, and Debbie Bliss, and to be honest I've never held, bought, let alone made anything from these famous brands. Stephanie has a lovely selection and before Toddler gets too vexed, I grabbed a few to play with when I got home.

Then, it was up to the Ranelagh Arts Festival. It was lovely in the Gardens, surrounded by other happy parents, relieved to be able to spend another day out of the house. We were there for the launch of a new statue of Richard Crosbie. Ranelagh Gardens is the site of the first manned balloon flight in Ireland. On 19 January 1785, Crosbie launched his ‘Grand Air Balloon and Flying Barge’, (Apparently 35,000 people came to see him take off. He intended to cross the Irish Sea, but landed in Clontarf instead). We arrived there at 1.40pm, to catch up with a few others before the official launch at 2.40pm. but, in typical Irish fashion, they held it at 1pm. Not even the artist himself was there.



Apart from the launch disaster, it was a lovely day. Congrats to the organisers for making it a great kid-friendly day. There was loads of freebies; tea, coffee, water, chocolate, apples, Frisbees, straws, balloons, even noodles and pizza. The Children’s Pirate and Crooked Crew Parade, with a great samba band, The Mad Hatters, and then Conor Lambert’s Punch and Judy Puppet Show. Its the first time I've ever seen a Punch and Judy show done with a strong Dublin Accent. The PC part of you is going, "its so violent", but most of you just thinks its hilarious. Then it was back to the sisters place to put Toddler to bed and drink bottles of wine. I had planned on doing a little walk around Dublin city, but it was raining, so we just headed home.. the end of another busy week