befogged

I know that some of the not-very-many people that read my blog are horticulturally inclined, so I was wondering… can any of you tell me what the heck the below flower is?

It’s lovely, but I have never seen anything like it before and the lady who bought the flowers can’t remember what the florist said.

And yes, more cut flowers on my last day somewhere They are very pretty, though, and I must say I was very touched with how lovely most of the people in my team were on my last day yesterday (not that they’re not normally, but you know what I mean!). There were other gifts, too, including a rather lovely bamboo needle set - all very thoughtful, and unexpected too

I’ll definitely really miss a lot about that place. It was a strange company, in that it was fairly large and felt at times like there wasn’t much interaction between different departments, but my team was a decent size and composed of some really great people who are really capable of such strong things. There’s a warmth to it, you know? Even if it is perfectly clear that various people within the team are not necessarily happy about The Current Situation…

I actually had an exit interview with an HR bod before I left, which was a first for me. I’d say ‘fair but honest’ describes my contribution. I feel it’s incredibly important to be honest in these things, or else the company stands to gain bugger all from them and might as well not do them at all. There’s no point going for the jugular unnecessarily, though, and although I feel I’ve either been party to or observed some poor management and decisions I don’t get my knickers in a twist over it in the same way that I did earlier in my office career. I just mentally detatch for my own sanity and hatch escape plans instead, if I can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel

Speaking of management, it’s completely possible to be excellent at managing systems and processes and bloody awful at managing people, in my opinion. I think you have to make an effort to understand people to be a good person-manager, and for all the lip service that gets paid I think some people just don’t and so think they are better at the whole managing people malarky than their subordinates think they are. People are motivated in different ways and you’ve got to learn that and work with it.

Put it this way, if someone walks into a one to one with you nervous because they reckon they’ll get a bollocking for something not looking as good as it could do without having the faintest idea of what constitutes ‘as good as it could do’ in your eyes and how to put that into practice, you’re doing it wrong. And if they come out in tears - you’re definitely fucking doing it wrong!

So, I guess at this stage it’s a question of so long and thanks for all the fish to my now ex-colleagues. And good luck!

I must have used that post title umpteen times over several years and two blogs! Still, it seemed rude not to use it since I am once again on the move in a work-related sense.

My current contract was only ever temporary, for a year’s maternity leave cover, and it comes to an end at the end of this month. Originally, my hope was for it to become a permanent role - but the thinking was that if worst came to the worst then it was a year’s good experience on my cv. Permanent, I think, wasn’t to be - bit of a cost-freezing/cutting exercise going on at the moment, so while there was a 3 month extension on offer there was no promise of anything beyond that, so it would have been foolish of me not to keep an eye out for other opportunities.

But it’s more than that. There have been so many shifts and changes over the past year that it feels almost like a different company. An incredibly efficient machine in many ways, but perhaps a less… happy one? One into which I saw myself fitting less easily, anyway, which is a shame because I really do believe in the company and the people within the team. Just my perception, of course, but it meant that in all honesty I was progressing other opportunities with something more than just the anticipated ‘I’m not sure if or for how long my contract will be extended’ feelings. I am on my third boss, and frankly was extremely unhappy with the last change. No offence to said boss, a question of The Way It Was Handled, Role Changes and Respective Levels rather than of personalities.

Happily, however, I have managed to effect an escape. I will work to the end of my original contract, take a week off to catch my breath, and then take up an opportunity about which I’m really excited, working with people with whom I know I can work, doing what I kind of wish I’d been doing all along.

I am happy.

Well, the shawl I started while we were in the Lake District in March got rather put off thanks to the Swallowtail knitalong, but here she be, finished and blocked:

A detail shot, which also gives a better idea of the colour.

Pattern: Diamond Fantasy Shawl, by Sivia Harding

Yarn: Handmaiden Sea Silk, in ‘Paris’

The yarn was an absolute pleasure to knit with - silky soft and with beautiful sheen. The jade areas are wonderfully irridescent, although I think if I buy it again I’ll choose a solid or semi-solid shade to really make the most of it.

The pattern took a bit of getting into, but again was great to see taking shape and makes a really pretty smallish shawl. Very happy with this knit, although I’m buggered if I know what’s driven this sudden interest in shawls!

Thanks to a Ravelry knitalong on the Posh Yarn knitters group, my poor Diamond Fantasy shawl has been languishing a bit these past two weeks. On the other hand, I have made a Swallowtail Shawl:

Needless to say, I’m really pleased with it I’m surprised how quickly this knitted up, too - it’s seemed to fly off the needles of everyone who was knitting it.

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl, by Evelyn A. Clark, from Interweave Knits Fall 2006 .

Yarn: Eva 2ply in Serenade, from Posh Yarn. One small business that delivers such beautiful products and excellent customer service that I can’t recommend it enough.

This is the first pattern I’ve knitted that I can actually see me making again - it’s just a really satisfying knit. I added a few repeats of the budding lace chart to make for a slightly bigger shawl, so I used about 10g of my second skein of the Eva (I should have about enough of that left to make a lace scarf, I think) - it’s still a rather nice scarf size, though.