Conclusive proof that the past exists

As an avid avoider of Timeteam I approached BBC's new archaeological drama series "Bonekickers" with some trepidation. Whoever thought the title up deserves a good kicking for a start.

It has always amused me when tv series appear that are based on a subject I (or others) know fairly well. The most recent example being ITV's Primeval, where animals from past eras pop through anomalies and cause mayhem (mostly in London though - so the majority of us are ok!). My other half being a palaeontologist took great delight in pointing out factual errors ("ooh they've scaled up that arthropod about 120%!"), and even I had a baulk at some of the dialogue - my favourite line being where Cutter (the Palaeo Prof) describes the appearance of cretaceous reptiles as "conclusive proof that the past exists". The boy L ended up writing a rather good review of it in the Palaeontological Newsletter (see page 56) which I would heartily recommend. He suggested I do the same for Bonekickers but, as I pointed out to him, I'd be too embarrassed as it was more likely to show up my lack of knowledge in certain areas...

Anyway, I've only seen episodes 1 & 2 so far but it does amuse me how random archaeological facts are crowbarred into the dialogue. "Stand in or away from the trench, not on!") shouted at a postgraduate (soon to be full time team member) who really should have known that in her first year undergraduate. Wafflings of Pitt Rivers' classification systems and, my particular favourite and very close to my own heart: 'Dolly' (the loveable drunken old pervy prof) waving a magnetometer at some female students and demanding they remove their underwired bras. This is something I have done on a few occasions but sadly with less panache. You've got to love it! It's utterly ridiculous, is kicking up a storm on the Britarch mailing lists, and is clearly attempting to appeal to the Da Vinci generation, but I have to admit I'm kind of enjoying it. Just as a guilty pleasure you understand... I may try out the Bonekickers Drinking game for episode 3.

Designing my own crochet

Well, it was only a matter of time! I've been inspired by a knitted cardie I've seen to attempt to turn it into a crochet version with some amendments...

The fabulous original pattern is the February lady sweater (which itself is a grown up version of a baby-pattern).

As I can't do gull stitch in crochet I'm going to go old school and attempt crochet CABLES!! I've never done it before so am very keen indeed. Trouble is that I still have two UFOs (unfinished objects to any of you non-wool fiends), but I've also seen the perfect yarn for it in Flabberdeen in "Wool for Ewe" in Rosemount. Cue a very poor sketch...

I'm off work for a while so I'm going to use the time to a) finish the UFOs and b) start this little number. If it's successful I'll post the pattern on here and on Ravelry. I might even attempt a version in crochet symbols. I'm a glutton for punishment clearly, as well as a huge geek ;o)

From sack to shirt...

Just another quick revamp. This time it's an oversized dress/shirt I got from a charity shop for about £2. All I did was shorten it and take in the sides to make a really comfy casual shirt. I'm really pleased with it, particularly as it took less than an hour on Sunday afternoon in front of the tellybox.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

It's not exactly a smart outfit but dead good for lazing around and pairing with jeans, etc. Also, I have a large enough piece of the fabric left over to do something with - maybe a bag or something else small... Any suggestions? :o)

Another quick revamp

I was inspired by Vanessa's post on Wardrobe Refashion a while back where she cut up her old T-Shirt to make a nice fitted number, so I thought I'd give it a go with an old unflattering T-shirt from the Copenhagen Jazz festival I accidentally went to in 1994 whilst in Denmark on a Bromley Youth Concert Band tour (oh happy days!)...

(Please excuse the partially decorated hallway and my miserable face!)







I don't think it was quite as successful as Vanessa's but it's still a vast improvement from before (despite the paint spatters!). Now I've got the (sort of) hang of it I might go and see if I can get some more baggy t-shirts to try again...

Quick trouser revamp

Not my most exciting post, but I got these trousers at a charity shop last week and they were too short and a rather unflattering cut. Cue unsexy picture...

All I did was to lengthen the hem and unpick the sides to make them wider below the knee and it seems to have done the trick. Not bad for three quid! Now all I need to do is get round to ironing out those creases ;o)

Wardrobe Refashion Update

I've just realised that I've broken the back of my 6 month Wardrobe Refashion Challenge pledge. As of today I am 89 days in with 65 left to go and I haven't bought any new clothes in that time.

In fact, I'm beginning to wonder whether I'll ever go back to my previous shopping habits. Whilst my posting on the site has been sporadic and lacking in recent months (I'm blaming my broken camera lead) I've not been idle in terms of making/acquiring new items.

I've got seriously into my crochet, which is helped a *lot* by the monthly Stitches and Hos evening at the Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath. It was my second visit to the group last night and, after a short attempt at some knitting during a short crochet break I decided I might actually give it a go for a proper project (especially after I got free needles from the group!) .

Sewing has also increased dramatically, although I've got a few UFOs (unfinished objects) waiting around to be sorted. These are mostly items from charity shops that I've bought with a mind to revamp in some way.

This gets me on to my main point. I used to shop in charity shops a lot as a student for quirky or kitsch items but it's dropped off in recent years. Since doing the WRC though I've got a renewed excitement about them and realised most of my wardrobe staples can be sourced here. I've had a few really good hauls of clothes that I can wear as-is without fixing up and I have less guilt about sweat-shop brands like Primark if they are already "pre-loved". Plus it's ace for my bank balance! I don't think I'm ever going to shop normally again...

Why I need a dress form...

Why? Because I live on my own and have found it increasingly difficult to make any clothes for myself that actually fit, due to not having double-jointed arms and eyes in the back of my head! Cue the duct tape dress form...

I'm definitely going to give this a go at some point with the help of a trusty friend, despite what it will undoubtedly do to my self-esteem due to its 'accuracy'. Any volunteers for wrapping?