Pattern: Faith by Kim Hargreaves
Yarn: Garnstudio Safran, colour #51 Petrol, just over 6 balls
Size: 34″, no modifications
Needles: 2.75mm, 3mm, 3.25mm

Reasons to love this top:

• The colour. Bright yet deep, vibrant but not garish. A feast for the eyes.
• The fit. Absolutely almost-perfect - I could wish for it to be perhaps an inch or two longer, but that’s just nitpicking (and I could probably block it out to that length if I wanted). If I had used the recommended yarn, RYC Bamboo Soft, the length would have very probably been fine as bamboo tends to droop a little.
• The yarn, which is smooth and soft and light, and perfect for warm summer days.
• The slightly puffed sleeves. (I love puffed sleeves.)
• The picot edging and eyelets, which are sweet, but not cloyingly so.
• The buttons - a lucky find in my local fabric shop, bought for a bargain price from the friendly proprietor.

Other reasons to be happy:

• It’s the weekend!
• Wimbledon has started, as has my extremely fickle method of tennis-watching (I decide who I’m supporting after about ten minutes into a game and stick with that decision until the match is over. In their next match I’m all too likely to prefer the other guy.)
• There’s a big clearance sale at John Lewis, starting tomorrow. I’m going yarn-hunting. Wish me luck!

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Today’s interesting links:

• Twitter / MarsPhoenix

  The Mars Phoenix Lander is blogging (twittering? tweeting?) on Twitter. 'Nuff said.

• Cool Things: 10 Very Rare Clouds

  Awe-inspiring images of unusual cloud formations.

• Panache Shawl by Lankakomero

  Gorgeous lace shawl based on a Peacock's Tail doily pattern. I'd like to make the 3/4 circle version.

• knit lit: bonnie: the long & the short of it

  A knitted reproduction of Bonnie's yellow sweater from 'Bonnie & Clyde'. Sadly no pattern, but it makes me want to improvise my own version.

In lieu of a ‘proper’ entry, here’s a collection of the interesting and inspiring sites I’ve found over the past few weeks. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Art:

• Catherine's Animals
  Catherine Ledner's enchanting animal portraits span a whole range of species, from alligators to zebras. You can view the pictures and order prints from this site. Cow 2 is my favourite, although Ostrich comes a close second.
• Dan Hiller Altered Engravings (NOTCOT)
  NOTCOT's article on Dan Hiller's amazing illustrations of human-cephalopod hybrids. Bring on the tentacles!
• Desiree Dolron
  I keep returning to these outstanding photographs, especially the "Xteriors" series. There is a stillness about her work that evokes old portraiture and religious tableaux.

Fashion:

• Barbican - The House of Viktor & Rolf
  A new exhibition from the Dutch fashion duo - it's a complete collection of their work starting from 1992, but reproduced in miniature for dolls in a "theatrical installation". Sure to be interesting.
• Wardrobe Refashion: Sign Up
  Sign up for this year's Wardrobe Refashion, where you pledge not to buy new clothes for 2, 4 or 6 months. Instead, clothes will be recycled, renovated, pre-loved, thrifted or handmade.

Food:

• BBC Food - Recipes - Best chocolate cake
  Made this for Father's Day and it was a great success. Not too rich for my on-the-fence-about-chocolate mother.

Knitting:

• Handspun Recycled Newspaper Yarn | greenUPGRADER.com
  Use up old newspaper by spinning it into yarn and using it for household projects.
• Twist Collective
  An exciting online knitting magazine to be launched in August. You pay per pattern, giving the designers a better deal (something which I fully support). Some of my favourite knitwear designers are involved. The teasers are very tantalising!

Media:

• The Big Picture - Boston.com
  My new favourite blog. Powerful high-quality photographs of recent news stories. Not to be missed.
• The Incredible Hulk | Reviews | guardian.co.uk Film
  Hilarious review of The Incredible Hulk. Best line undoubtedly "Roth groin area ambiguous." Recommend everyone read this instead of watching the film, which sounds dire.

Misc:

• Your Personality Type: The Reliable Realist
  My personality type according to iPersonic.com. It seems pretty accurate.

Shopping:

• Ruby Emporium
  An UK-based online shop which sells Bésame cosmetics. I’ve been wanting to try these vintage-inspired products for ages, so I may have to place an order.