Craft Catch Up and colour

I don't think I've explained Craft Catch Up yet.

Once upon a time, many many years ago a group of us used to get together once a week for Monday Night TV (which, oddly enough, was on Monday). Monday night was always good for TV and was usually the only night we used to watch. Programs included Secret Life of Us, Sex and the City, Queer as Folk, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and the first (and second) series of Big Brother.

We used to take it in turns to host the evening, with the hostess providing the main course and the others bringing wine, pre dinner nibbles and the all important chocolate for the official chocolate box.

But over the years the shows ended, or moved to another night and then ended (Secret Life) or people moved to another city (Hi Kerry! We need to talk about a July visit and retro night!). Monday Night TV sort of petered out.

One of my key words for 2006 was Creative (along with Connected, Focused and Frugal, if you're at all interested). So I came up with the idea of a Monday night Craft Catch Up to replace Monday night TV, which I missed - thus killing two words with one night (as it were) and getting some UFOs sorted.

(I'm considering starting a virtual Monday night Craft Catch Up Flickr group but that's another whole story.)

After a week off last week (as we were doing a "Let's go to the pub as I've got rid of my P plates" on Tuesday) it was good to get back to the Dioresque jumper, now renamed The Jumper Based on a True Pattern.

Why is it called that, you ask? Well you'll remember I bought a pattern for it way back here. And I didn't actually read past the "Cast on 71 stitches and rib for 30 rows" before I started changing things. Intentionally ("30 rows of rib is way to much, I'll do 14", "If I use the same sized needles for the rib as I do for the rest of it I'll get that slightly baggy look, especially if I use a sizer larger needle right through") to the unintentional ("Hmm... pattern says I should have this many stitches when I hit the shoulder but I seem to be 22 short. Maybe I should actually have read the pattern where it says to do some mad increasing after the rib to make the bottom boofy. Maybe that's to hide my muffin top?)

J christened it The Jumper Based on a True Pattern in the long tradition of the Films Based on a True Story. ie: both jumpers use mohair. Both start with the same number of stitches (on the body, anyway - I just started the arms tonight and they're nowhere near what the pattern suggested). Apart from that there's not much in common between the original story/ pattern and the movie/ jumper. And the name has stuck.

It will actually be sort of sad when I've finished my JBOATP. Although I have created a lot more UFOs to take its place. Opps...

And it's time for a little confession. I do have some colour in my life. The files I was supposed to sort out over the weekend The cheap wool remnants I bought at lunchtime today at the Op Shop round the corner from work. Most of the balls will be used to make the triangles in this (for Little): But I think I'll also be using some of them to make brooches like this for winter. All this colour is a bit much. Our technicians are looking into the fault and normal transmission will resume soon.

(Soundtrack: Greg Johnson, Chinese Whispers)