Birthday Meme

I got tagged with my first meme by Carrie. Go to Wikipedia, type in your birth month and day. Choose 3 events, 2 births and 1 holiday. My birthday is one of the most depressing days of the year. Apart from the getting older side of things, everyone's already partied out, so there's not much festive cheer around. I mean, have YOU ever been out on Jan 2nd? Here goes anyway......

3 Events
1870 The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge starts. I am always fascinated with history channel type documentaries on building bridges, or any sort of construction for that matter. The last one I saw was about the Golden Gate bridge. The people who engineer these projects have such strength, vision and determination.
1974 - Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum US speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo. I first visited the USA in, from memory, 1995 and remember the limit still being 55. Seems like a leisurely pace of life - maybe we should go back to that.
1979 - Sid Vicious goes on trial for the murder of Nancy Spungen. It is pretty much impossible to find anything nice going on on Jan 2nd. Unless you live in Scotland - see holiday below :-)

2 Births
1642 Mehmed IV, Ottoman Sultan -Turkey is one of my favourite countries. I travelled there many times in my 20's. The Istanbul skyline rivals Manhattan's beauty in my eyes. And the Turkish people are very warm and welcoming, despite having frightening moustaches.
1973 Lucy Davis, British Actress - Famed as Dawn in the UK version of The Office. Love her. And her Dad. She was married in St Pauls Cathedral, same as Princess Di.

1 Holiday
Second day of the Hogmanay Bank Holiday, Scotland. Yes, the Scots know how to do it. I have spent a couple of Hogmanay's in that land (hic).

Monkeys

Here are my completed Monkey Socks. Pattern from Knitty.com. Yarn is Socks That Rock, colour 'Watermelon Tourmaline'. Thanks to Carrie for sending me the yarn - it was very nice to knit with and makes these socks really cosy. I will definitely be checking out some more of that in the future. I enjoyed making these a lot and may consider making more.

I really like how the colours pooled in a sort of spiral around the socks.

This first picture is of Hubbs and I modelling the socks and showing off our tattoos. She has the stars, I have the flowers.

I love my tattoo. Sometime, I'd like another. Maybe my boy's initials. But where?

Never the shrinking violet, Matt wanted in on the sock wearing and camera action. Here he is in Hubbs' back garden. She has the most wonderful lawn, manicured lovingly each week by her husband, the great JT. He mows it once, then again the following day, with what I can only describe as an antique! Looks great, doesn't it.

Knit In Public

Did everyone know that it's Worldwide Knit In Public day?

I did, but had no plans to do so. Until I walked out of John Lewis in Welwyn Garden City today and found the KIP tent with a lot of lovely ladies making tiny hats for Innocent drinks. Go here to find out more about their charitable efforts for the elderly of the U.K.

There was also a lady with a MASSIVE pair of needles made from broomsticks. She very kindly allowed me to try them out. They were quite difficult to manoeuvre to begin with, but I could see it being addictive once you got the hang of it.
Above, Teddy is holding the tiny hat I made with RYC cashsoft.

Hogwarts here we come

I'm not a fan of Harry Potter, although I did read the first book. But who can resist taking this picture in Kings Cross train station?

:-)