tile dreaming

If small squares of glass could embody all that I find appealling, these tiles are 'it'. I love them; earthy, cool yet warm, full of deep sea myths and mossy boughs.
We faced a bit of a dilemma with the building of the studio in the garden; a space where the teens could go hang out and be noisy without us spoilsports telling them to 'Ssssshhh alright' all the time, where i had a space to make a creative mess and LEAVE IT OUT (nice right?) and a place where we could retreat to in winter and have some sunny and bright living space. Although our house is lovely with a great view, it sits in the bottom of a small valley and in winter can be quite dark and just a little cool!
As the planning and building evolved we constantly faced the dilemma of under or over capitalising "if we're spending money on a roof and walls then maybe we should try and keep it warm? if its got a roof lets put solar on it, if its warm in there maybe we should include some more floor area, if its that big we can put in a sink, if theres a sink we may as well have some lights, if theres lights we can put in some couches....' so we put in the light, the sink, the solar, the couches. We scrimped on the couches (new covers on op-shop finds that I have been lugging around with me for years) the sink (cheap reject) the floor (old Greenpeace newspaper cuttings on ply), spent big on the bi-fold windows and deck and the last job, the tiling behind the sink was giving us grief. Nice seconds were hard to find and I got picky until i found these. We both loved them so much we forgot to ask how much they were when we ordered them, i mean just how dumb is that? but after towing a kid around tile shops and you find just the ones you just think Hoo-bloody-rah! and go with it.
Ouch.
Finally the space is ready.

an indulgent bit of naughty- cloche de beurre

I blame Julie from Towards Sustainability and Em from Dance of Small Things for this indulgence. I had never heard of such a thing before they both posted about them. A butter bell, or french butter dish, designed to keep butter in an air tight, oxygen free environment by hanging it in a water bath thereby eliminating rancidity but still maintaining room temperature as it needs no refridgeration. Wikipedia says

This 19th century French-designed pottery crock has two parts: a base with a hollow cylinder attached to it, and a cup that also serves as a lid. The cup holds the packed in butter, and the base holds water. The water creates an airtight seal that keeps oxygen away from the butter so that refrigeration is not needed, and the butter can be used in its soft form. This method will keep butter for around a month provided it is kept at temperatures below 80F (27C).

The online literature says its traditionally French but my francophile husband reckons he never saw one in all his years in France! An American company has trademarked the name butter bell and seem to have a sales and production monopoly, so that got up my nose and i searched around, high and low for a producer/retailer in Oz. Zip.
Looks like this little invention has slipped by our national consciousness. So instead of waiting for the next local market to chat with the resident potter, i purchased this lovely hand made crock from Jim online...in Oregon. oops.But its lovely and looks just right in the kitchen. No more stilton style butter for me.

a circle of sorts

Ive been looking, but i cant find one; a knitting circle close by. Initially my reaction was "oh bummer, i s'pose thats it then, cant find one, not gonna happen" That would be the sometimes rather thick, non-problem solving, giving up straight away Kel talking. Then my inner lightbulb went on... "so start one". oh poop! my brain automatically darts to the percieved emotional responsibility for the hanging together and successful meeting of a group. Hmmp. Old Kel tape. Insert new one. I think Im up for it...Im not going to be part of a circle if i dont.

No choice. Embrace it. Its on my list for 2009.

I love the 'idea' of knitting and every winter i get inspired find some wool and set down to make something fabulous. I want to make socks, that beautiful blanket, a jumper for the bean. I can cast on, i can rib, i can drop and pick up and i can do it in the round, until something unidentifiable happens and i cant work out how to solve it. i need to be around knitters who know whats going on! I want to chat, sip tea, eat chocolate, learn to problem solve with sticks and string and make new friends. I started a wonderful bookclub and its still going strong 4 years on...we all get on well and have successfully weathered a few storms and seen new members come and go. But i have never been involved with a 'creative club' like this. So, i have a few questions for those of you who belong to knitting cirlces or any other kinda circle.

How did yours develop? was it word of mouth to friends, through local advertising or some other way?

Where do you meet? Have you always met here or have you changed location for some reasons?

How do you structure the group and the time you are together, if at all?

Do you have rules and are there any things that in reflection you regard as really important about running/ being a part of a group like this that i should know?

Lastly, if you're local and belong to a circle can i join you? lol or does anyone wanna join me in a new one? I really want to finish this scarfe...