The devil's in the detail

On a rainy winter Sunday evening one year ago yesterday, I sat down and started up this here blog, purely on a whim. I had been intrigued by the Stitch Ya Neck Out exchange which was then just getting started, so I thought I'd commence blogging.

I gave the blog a long name which was a mis-remembered quotation from an old favourite Calvin and Hobbes cartoon. (In retrospect, perhaps that's fitting.) I set out wanting to talk about all the little things that get added to work and sleep which fill out this funny life of mine. The adventures encountered on my daily commute, the observations made on my daily rambles, the things I make and do in the corners of my spare time.

So far you've seen lots of knitting, a bit of origami, a few random observations, and probably more sport than I expected to talk about. Massive thanks to you who took notice, who commented, or who left an artifact in the digital archaeology of this blog. It's been so good to know you.

This year, I still have no plans for the blog. You'll probably see a bit more knitting, origami, sport, and other random events and observations. I hope you'll keep tuning in.

And now, what you've all been waiting for - the CONTEST!!!

Since it's the little details of life that really make me happy - the cakes on display in the cake shop window, the gargoyles looking down from a sandstone building, the way Guinness can spend 10 minutes sniffing a single blade of grass, the homemade dill mayo on my favourite lunch cafe's tuna sandwich - I have decided to ask for blog-birthday presents from all of you.

In honour of turning one year old, please leave me a comment and tell me about a little detail in your life that makes you happy. It could be something you pass every day on your way to school or something you've just happened to notice once and it's gone. It could be an amazing design detail in the jumper you're knitting, or something you've seen in a picture somewhere. If you feel like making this into a post on your own blog, go for it! Give us all the details on your favourite detail. Just leave a comment here to tell me you've done it.

And what do you get for participating? (yeah yeah, calm down, I'm getting to the prize bit now.)

I have dug deep down into my teeny tiny stash and pulled out two skeins of very special yarn to give to one lucky winner. I shall enter everyone's name into a random draw in order to decide who shall be the lucky recipient of these two 100g skeins of JJ's Montage Collection Hand Painted Mohair in colourway Aubergine. This is a difficult colourway to appreciate in an online medium (see the shocking photo (and a few more details about the yarn) here!) but take my word for it, it's got lots of dark purples and black, struck through with reds, oranges, and blues. It comes from New Zealand, which is renowned for its colourful fibre animals.

So get cracking! I will be looking for all your devilish details to be submitted by Monday 7th August at 1pm Australian Eastern Standard Time!