House hunting

Each morning, as we walked out of the hotel, this house on the ridge opposite caught my eye. Wouldn't it be great to live in such a place, with that open sided room at the top of the tower offering glorious (cool) views of the lake and the mountains?

But then, think of getting right up there every day - it's on such a steep hill, and I think this one on the lakeside might suit me better? We could moor our little speedboat in the boathouse and entertain friends in the garden on balmy evenings.

Hmmmm....that tower might attract bats though, and could be a bit creepy. Perhaps there's somewhere else further along the lake?

This looks just the place! We could walk in the grounds, cruise off across the lake to Bellagio whenever we cared, and the extra income from the film could come in very useful. I suppose I could get used to drinking Martinis shaken, not stirred?

But oh, those tourists passing by, taking photographs - it would feel as though we were living in a goldfish bowl! I need somewhere more private.

How about this place? Set on the sunny side of the lake, in large grounds, set back from the road and with a beautfully private entrance.

What a pity George Clooney bought it first. I suppose we'll just have to stay put for a while.

Inspiration

The shoe shop in Menaggio had this curious pair of shoes on display, which the assistant referred to as "contraband shoes".

Not sure if she meant they were a bad copy of some designer trainers, or if they were made to conceal illicit goods, because of course, no-one would notice if you walked through customs wearing a pair like this, would they?

But aren't they great?

The streets of the small towns and villages around the lake are steep, many with steps (which wasn't great for my dear Mummy, who walks with a stick!) But wonderful inspiration with light and shade, glimpses of promised lands awaiting at the top of a long climb and such an evocative palette of colours.

I think I see a quilt here. Possibly a free-form log cabin?

Walking along the lakeside in Varenna, these little ferns grabbed my attention. No larger than two or three inches in size, they clung to the stones and spread beautifully across the surface. I felt they'd make a wonderful series of small embroideries, but have a feeling I've seen something similar before. Isn't it hard when that happens? Would hate to think anyone thought I'd been anything less than original!

Almost every time we hopped on a steamer, the first stop was Varenna, just across the lake. These little houses, clinging to the hillside shouted Paul Klee to me.

Back home again

Back from a week in Menaggio, on Lake Como, where my Mum and I had a relaxing break.

Didn't do a great deal - sat on steamers as they went up and down the lake, ate gelati, drank wine and bought shoes.

Isn't Italy great?

(picture shows Varenna, just across the lake from Menaggio)

Just in case you thought I sat and twiddled my thumbs, here's the evidence that the sock progressed. Actually both socks progressed.

To keep body and soul together, a small plate of yummy salamis etc was enough for lunch.


Isn't Italy great?!

Catching up - again

Had a slight blogging intermission this week, as I left my camera in a friend's car for a couple of days.

Both pairs of socks are progressing nicely. The green lace ones are on the generous side and with hindsight, could have been a little more snug fitting, but I'm not taking them out now. The toe up pattern is ok, but I'm not sure I care for the look of the heel turning.

The Koigu Crusoe socks have been taken out and reknit, following Sally's observations when she knit the pattern and found she couldn't get the things over her heel. Catherine, from the NYC SnB list made some suggestions, including the fact that there simply didn't appear to be enough stitches in the pattern - I wonder if the design was "worked down" to require just two balls of this quite expensive yarn? Still, I've cast on 60 stitches this time - more like the usual number - and we will see. They knit up quite quickly so it won't be quite the disaster if I have to unpick. But I shall try them on at every stage, just in case.

There will not be much knitting tonight, however. We have tickets.

Caterpillar emerging

When choosing the beads for Caterpillar bracelets, I felt a contrast in texture would be beneficial, and picked the yellow/pink/orange sparkly mix for the top beads in the pink bracelet. However, once I'd got going on it, I didn't think much of the twinkly fairy-light effect and reconsidered. Fortunately, my bead stash provided one or two alternatives, from which I chose a matte pinky toned replacement - a little safe, but more to my liking than the original idea.
Do you agree?