woolly jumper

Annis

2010-07-19T11:41:00.002+10:00

I love this pattern....seriously tempted to knit it a 3rd time

Annis

2010-07-19T11:41:00.000+10:00

inhibited knits

2010-05-17T12:55:00.002+10:00

I am madly studying for the next round of exams ....and last 3 assignments ..as a consequence any knitting takes a knock .

I feel I have to study every night...not read or knit ...

The shipwreck shawl was coming along very nicely ..almost finished the maderia part and on to the last huge bit..it was started in April ..meant for shawls 10 in 2010...goodness knws when I'll finish

The green is a vest knitted in the round top down in inca light ..which is very pleasant and squooshy soft to knit .......... and ...........hopefully to wear.

new beanie

2010-04-19T11:37:00.001+10:00

love it ..covers ears.
only draw back double 10ply on 4mm needles ..ouch ouch ouch...
planning to knit another...in Kaleidoscope

deadly nightshade

2010-03-31T19:28:00.005+11:00

yarn=montage collection 10ply ..absolutely lovely to knit with
pattern =Saroyan.nice easy to knit pattern ...if i hadnt run out of wool i would have knit 16-17-18-19-20 repeats in the straight sections instead of 14

used 5mm needles ...has a lovely drape.
I'm not usually a fan of such a variagtion in the yarn but this has been pleasurable toknit and see the colours forming......... it thought it looked like something out of avatars jungle at night
the other pictures are from our camping trip to the snowy mountains ....yarrangobilly
(YAr-rang-O-billy ) caves............south glory walk and cave mouth..this is the self guided one

Ishbel ..apologies for the terrible self portrait

2010-02-06T11:46:00.002+11:00

Ishbel

started 1 jan finished 3 feb ........................Lost it for a few weeks ..

used Naturally Waikiwi possum /alpaca /wool /nylon 4 ply blend ..very lovely ..in fact the most loveliest yarn i have knitted for a while.

Percy Shawl

indian summer club

2009-12-07T16:37:00.003+11:00

Usually ,through geography not part of the knitting scene .
Lurk on ravelry, lurk on blogs but am fairly invisible .
havent knit a great deal this year ..university by De proving busy plus working and life in general gets in the way .
Thrilled to get the first instalment of Knitabulous's's's's Indian summer club....wool is lovely but I cant stop looking at and feeling the tiny 2mm needles.(bugger the wool its the needles occupying my plans...What can I knit with them)....

,

have pattern ........must knit

2009-03-17T15:37:00.008+11:00

oh wait ..must finish assignments first or fail university and clean house- must be able to let visitors in instead of slam door quickly..talk on verandah..esp with mother threatening to visit.

It is a suprisingly hard thing to do ,not cast on when something is calling your name ....beads and all.

I'm planning to knit the Aeolian Shawl .

I have a glorious mohair that I think will be suitable...desert red /orange in colour

Project #2 finished.

2008-11-05T15:15:00.004+11:00

Seascape stole
yarn ....Jo sharp 5ply silk georgette charcoal ,4 balls
needle size ....3.75 addis but next time I'd use 4mmm.
nice Knit ..tiny bit of thinking
lovely simple pattern
started in laceweight but found it too small

ohhh just saw the usa election result ..Wow ,I'm very suprised ...I didnt think they 'd vote him in .Well Done
Started the "mystery beret " in vintage hues ...thinking I could do the far afield vest with it ..in a dark colour way ..not the Bright orange one !!!!

project #2 ....Seascape Stole

2008-10-26T10:01:00.005+11:00

True geranium ..tough as old boots but pretty, pretty .
(terrible photo ..unblocked and odd colour)
Originally knit in a lace weight charcoal but was turning out to small ..more scarf size .
Re-cast with a charcoal Jo Sharp silk georgette (5 ply )...much nicer ..so soft and snuggly .. and the right width ..I'm on the home straight .....altho caught in the "nearly there but not quite's "
I f I sat down and applied myself instead of looking for a new project..Seascape would be done ...

The Far Afield vest from Ik recent issue has tickled my fancy ..I have a green 12 ply ...toying with another colour from Bendigo as I'm not sure I want a green( heavy ) vest..maybe charcoal grey as well ....
I saw a women down the street during Winter wearing a long grey wrappy type vest ..instant knit envy ....

this counts as lace ..doesnt it ??

2008-10-22T17:57:00.004+11:00

I think it does .

7 things

2008-03-20T17:11:00.002+11:00

RULES:

THE RULES:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.

2. Post THE RULES on your blog.

3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog. .

Tag 7 people and link to them.

5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

1)..I cannot tell left from right .
2).. I have over 40 chooks and just bought two more for a LOT of money
3).. I have to sleep with one foot out of bed , cannot bear to have it tucked in !!
4).. I lost 15 kg last year .
5)..I talk to my self when stressed ..happens often at work .
6)..My favourite colur is green >I have to stop my self wearing too much
7) ..I have one child EXACTLY like me ..right down to the breath holding ..same temperment .same thinking ...same same ..

I'm going to tag

lucky @ My knitting box
kate @knittingandknotting

Two things ...

2008-02-18T12:28:00.004+11:00

I'm knitting two items ....resisting any temptation to buy yarn or start new things until these are done .

A lace cardi from Serenity ..the cotton/ bamboo wool from patons ..very nice and mistakes easily noticed . This is very nice to knit with..cool and slippery ,only a little splitty ..lace pattern is showing very clearly

The Honey Bee Stole .This had been abandoned but recently I reclaimed it .I am nearly finished the first swarm section .I am sick of it but only 3 repeats to go ...and then onto a different pattern ..bees , I think .

We slipped down to Wollongong over the weekend ...sans children , planned a camp at tourist park and remembered too late about the huge touch football tournament ..lucky us ,getting the last camp spot from nowra right up to the outer suburbs of Sydney .
I went back to Daisy Designs , ignored the lure of wool (V.hard )....and bought 2 more addi needles ..slow on the wagon ..Aren't they fabulous to knit with !!

finally ..blogger does it ..

2008-01-21T16:23:00.000+11:00

cleckeaton country silk beanie ..adult male ..simple 2 strand cable ..
Work in progress ..northern lights tam ..from Ik holiday issue ..different colours ..charcoal patonyle and a multigreen bamboo plus oddments of left over sock wool .
I am in love with the red part ..sadly Ihave only a small amount left .
I got really nervous this morning ...buying cars is stressful ..esp when you think you do not have enough and they come down to your price ..thus, making you have to teeter oneway one or the other ..buy it or not !!??
I'm not the wheeler dealer.in this family.......I was so nervous afterwards that I sat and knitted round and round and all of a sudden I have 1/2 a beanie ....tam ..amazing ..and maybe a newe car .
AHHHHHHHHHHH

New for 2008

2008-01-09T16:20:00.002+11:00

1 Beanie
62cm man's head .
Cleckheaton country silk ...beautiful charcoal gray colour .
4mm needles ..(circular and double points.)
1 and 1/2 balls ..
It looks very nice on ...bit big for the models boy head ...the ribbing keeps it snug
over all ...-very nice ..usually I make them too big .

I am supposed to be working today ..too sick ...I have a late afternoon shift tomorrow ...not sure I'll get to it .
I have been given -so kindly , a nasty chest cold by my children ..One was so sick Christmas day ..he didn't eat ,did'nt open presents ..just sat /laid on his bed /the lounge ...I understand now how he felt ...I started taking ease- a -cold tablets as soon as I felt it ..4am sunday night !!!(night duty). These do actually help .Have tried them a few times and Blow me down ..they make it less severe ...so only hot feeling ,bone ache ,headache , tight wheezing chest ,,and horris cough ..no 41 degree temperature ..rigors /sweats...you know ..extreme sickness ..just a miserable one ..
Sadly no second sock finishes ..
Nothing new started ....
Have various ideas floating but none have come out useable .
Several swatches (read sleeve attempts ) for the brushed lace cardigan in IK ,but its not working ...

Christmas

2007-12-24T10:11:00.000+11:00

SHHHH..I am knitting a second sock and not hating it ..in fact can't wait to finish it ..I'm working tomorrow and Boxing day ...so limited knitting time available .Have until the 4th ...((Mr 6 's birthday ..))

I have invented ( well.. studied ....cut, pasted and copied ) a method I like to give a gusset and "proper" heel to socks knitted toe up .. FAB

Bought 3 new balls of a delicious bluey argyle ..cant argue when there $5.00 a ball at the wool shop ..I'm currently cooking gingerbread and making a trifle ..bribed children with a early pressie ...dvd

Have a great Christmas ..be safe if your travelling ...

yarn KAL

2007-12-19T17:22:00.000+11:00

I am knitting ..in a slow manner...the 'Angel Puff" scarf ..I like the theory of it ..I had some fine two toned "Harmony "laceweight so substituted it after test felting ..(it felts ).

Talking to my LYS lady today ..she tells me patonyle is being replaced with some thing from ???New Zealand ??? and that the pattern books for winter are full of cables .........nice cables ...

wash before wear

2007-11-25T10:37:00.003+11:00

I have discarded all socks in favour of cables ... a christmas present water bottle cover in a gorgeous colourway from vintage hues (I want to knit a jumper from this wool..one with cables and knots ) .

I have used my generic water bottle pattern and a lovely celtic knot type cable for it .

I have finished one piece .Since I am due at work this afternoon..... .the rest will have to wait until tomorrow .I found a whole array of celtic knot graphs online ..I also found a book I'd like "viking knits ".

.Its a 20 st repeat with a garter st border .

When i soaked the wool for a light block the colour ran something shocking ...definitely would need to wash this before wearing it ..the wool ,that is .

All in all , another excellent woolly yarn from clekheaton and no the photo colour is not a true representation

tyrolean stockings

2007-11-08T14:11:00.000+11:00

From interweave knits .

These are my next socks (on the long knit plan)

8 ply tomato red/orange with a tweed(-ish) fleck

The "I hate" socks have been worn to work and survived the pressures of hay carting !!!

Bamboo temptation !!

2007-10-07T15:07:00.000+10:00

On Saturday, hubby talked me into a trip to West Wyalong ..not keen was I .

It's been nearly 5 years since I was last there .

What a surprise .Still small ,but nice ..good shops ..shops like they were before the advent of super malls.

Even better ,a sewing shop with a nice array of decent yarn .The blue variegated patonyle that can be hard to find and better still "Bamboo " by Cleckheaton in 4 ply ..the 8ply is on its way .I came home with 3 balls of a green shade ...and a ringing "I do mail order " echoing in my head .....!!

Its sheeny, shiny and soft .I know that for many, variegated colours are too loud for lace but as usual any 4ply entering the stash gets knitted up as the Diamond Fantasy Shawl first chart

.SO far its not horrible ,And ,row by row, I'm being seduced by the yarn..its so soft and leads to .....to ..sort of a obsession , the type not often seen in this house . It's a shame that I have had to work most of the weekend and will tomorrow .I only want to knit !!

Summer of socks ..

2007-10-03T09:36:00.000+10:00

IS up and running .I have modest needs for this ..Finish both socks in 2 or 3 pairs .I'm a s non second sock non completer .

This is a easy start .A pair of short socks from yarn .

Joining things

2007-09-26T14:00:00.000+10:00

Firstly .. joined up for' secret of the stole .'.bit worried 'bout this as the last "secret KAL was a disappointment ...

See above swatch

I have finished all bar the second sleeve on sahara ..I love it so much

I find myself in the odd position of not knowing what to knit next....Instead of casting on willy nilly, I cleaned out the basket and have been ruthless .......................One whole bag to the brim for Vinnies.............................................still am knitless tho

Next I am toying with "summer of socks "...MY challenge would be to finish beaudelaire and knit a full other pair of socks ...I still have issues with socks .

It's So Pretty ..and finished ..finally

2007-09-02T17:08:00.000+10:00

...................But a little on the small-ish side .

SPECS :

Yarn -.zephyer laceweight from yarns online in sage .

Needles -3.5 mm generic bamboo

Pattern -Spring things

Difficulty -thinking was needed but the pattern was repetive .

I love this shawl ..it's smaller than expected ..I knew it wasn't large .

I would next time (and any time I use zephyer ) use 3.75 mm needles .

I repeated the middle pattern twice.. I should have repeated it again ..a total of 3 times ....

I learned how to add beads ..(I learned how to PICK beads !)

I 'm wearing the shawl now ..I've renamed it" Pretty Thing" .

Fingers crossed

2007-08-13T09:46:00.002+10:00

One shawl picture ..havent knitted for days ..fingers went to sleep on night duty .!

2nd son spilt Passiona on the sock (the never ending one I hate and am forcing myself to finish one row at a time ).....He doesnt know how !! Sock drying in the fire warmth .

I have been doing a lot of shawl picture searching in the last few days .

Came across one called honey bee or buzzing bees or similiar ..have the link some where . .Must have it ....in red or black .

Meet my not so shy page boy ..Has gone to one Deb ...due at another in a fortnight(Deb of the Year ,no less ) ...social bunny of a kid...means we go and get dresed nicely ,have dinner and watch the girls parade needlessly ...oh and Drink- to dull the boredom .

Spring has sprung

2007-08-10T09:42:00.000+10:00

But the Spring Things shawl is Still going .
I had it nearly finished .Tantalisingly, up to the last chart , then I looked at it and hated the beads .
Instead of soft, mossy green ,they were hard, bright ,grass green .
My husband still doesn't understand how I could pull it all out and start the edging over ...but I"m pleased that I did .
I fact I have been knitting slowly away and am starting to see results ..nearly half way thru the 2nd repeat of chart B .
I am a little concerned re its size ..AM hoping blocking means growth . Next time I will use 3.75mmneedles ,not 3.5mm .I am a firm knitter ..not tight, but firm and prefer a looser loook.I am pleased with zephyer .I have tinked it,saved it from the cats mouth (he loved it ???silk content ??) and its still holding up beautifully .
I am seriously considering what shawl next .

This work caper is seriously eating my knittng time .. I have been rostered for a LOT of night duty and there is no way I can trust my fingers or brain to knit .. I have problems remembering how to spell some mornings .!!
It seems a great waste of time but, any knitting I have attempted at night needs redoing in the morning !

(I have photos but Blogger is having problems with them ))

Spring things It aint ..

2007-06-26T09:06:00.000+10:00

More like cold miserable things ........

I have found the camera and got a move on with the spring things shawl which was languishing unknit, in the washing basket ..!

I am finally finished with the boring lace part ..I'd get lulled into a trance by the sameness and end up off count .I did 15 repeats ..up from 13 ..for a bit of extra length .

I have had my first encounter with NUPPS ..not so bad but I"M not sure if I like them..looks wise ..I finished one row ..the row I"m up to has 2 nupps per repeat ..IF I"d been organised I"d have bought beads to replace the nupps ..Maybe next time .

This is a easy shawl and fun to knit ....I love knitting with Zephyr .Altho I have concluded next time 3.75mm ,not 3.5 mm needles ..

I am alive ...and knitting

2007-06-11T16:49:00.001+10:00

spent 2 days with Mr 8 getting tonsils and other selected bits removed at the nearest base Hospital ...

braved spotlight and the rude serving staff ..bought the two (hopefull) balls of jet that were lost ..plan to finish and wear jet cables jumper by SAT ...wish me luck ..have 2 night shifts mid week ...could interrupt plans a bit ...plus the fore mentioned Mr 8 has 2 weeks off school ..that will make sleeping tuesday afternoon and all wednesday interesting , thursday I'll just be zombie like !! !!!

the spring shawl is coming along slowly ..as is sahara ..Its about 1/2 done .I'd like to wear it also this winter .....decided that the long sleeve option is out ...will go short or 1/2 sleeve (less knitting ,I'm lazy ).

I want to get them all finished as I 'm starting to eye of other things ...we all know how fickle I am ...

Been sick with a EVIL gastro bug ..4 days is Way too long ..apparently it was rampant on our school bus .Once a irecovered I suggested to the driver he get his bus Fumigated,

More on Sahara

2007-05-17T14:35:00.000+10:00

Bought from "stitch diva" website .
I am using "naturally "merino fine 10 ply in the above colour ..well thats the closest colour I could find to show you ....
How much yarn I have left will determine the sleeve length ..I'm hoping for long sleeves .I think I"ll not make them flarey.
I am half heartedly thinking whether to put beads on the neck line .The original tilly thomas yarn is beaded ($57.00 au /skein..pick me up off the floor ..yarn substitution was called for ) but that will depend on what I can find .
It is knitted in a suprising way ..the back first, then front /arm holes ...joined at the front and then in the round ....Apparently you can try on as you go ..a bit of fitting at the waist (this depends on how thin you feel ..!, lace at the bottom and neck .
So far It's fun to knit ..every thing makes sense and I have come to grips with Negative Ease .!!
I'm an inch from joining the front and starting the waist .

truly frightful picture ....

2007-05-16T17:02:00.000+10:00

(it was cold ...hence the socks pulled up under the long shorts !!)

Here's the Bonsai tunic top (vest?) finished .(Ik 2 issues ago )

Next time I make it ..I will make the bottom part shorter(I did 7".. I think 4/5 will be better ) as the yarn tends to grow ......down wards!!

A nice pattern to knit ..just don't over think,follow the pattern ..all will be ok .

I really love the lily of the valley lace on the bodice ..Next one wil be in BLAck ..funny pink doesnt quite go with many thing apart from blue denim . I have worn it enough now that a wash is needed .....I steamed blocked it ...washing will hopefully hold no suprises ...

I have finished a few beanies .halfa 2x2 rib sock .

MY 2 projects in motion are .."spring things "shawl and "sahara " from stitch diva ..a nice nitted top ........Mothers day provided the wool for that..Naturally "fine merino " 10 ply ...using 4.5 needles...................more later ...

Yarn report ..one cheap ..one not.

2007-04-19T17:46:00.000+10:00

One beanie
Panda "starshine "
4.5 needles ..
acrylic /wool content ..I found this nice to knit
with.
Its very soft,a single ply spun evenly .no real loose fluffy bits and If your 6 ..the bestest ever ..the silver sparkles attract.........just like a bower bird or magpie .
Fora cheap yarn I found this very good and not at all "nasty "
Currently delveing into the "sean sheep range ..last year "funky" and not for me ..this year ...so far ..Tencel ...nice ..good stitch definition
Armytage ..very nice , 100% wool 6.5 needle single ply thick 12ply ...?more..some loose fibers but knits up beautifully ..so nicely in fact that I am planning aboys jumper ... very happy so far .I think the non junky yarns in this range are a vast improvement on last year .(esp since my knitting budget is TIGHT ).

Non budget .
1 ball of Zephyer in "sage " .
OHH ....I thought this yarn might be overrated , but frankly , I want to never knit lace with anything else ...ever again ....
I stumbled ..(can you stumble on the net ?? ) on the Spring Things Shawl KAL ..and I had to do it .the pattern tha tsis ...havent joined .
So far I"m up to row 5 and whizzing along .After ripping and ripping the other , It is soooooo nice to find something I"m obsessed with knitting .

Just not blogging

2007-04-11T08:54:00.000+10:00

I'm still here ..but not blogging ..I never quite get around to it .There seems to be much to read ...and catch up on ..((I have banned my self a little from cyberspace ..))

The above picture is a water bottle cover I knitted using a soft, thick boucle .I have had it for quite a while and tried various patterns..... but not one really ever worked .

The colour is actually much darker in person ..........

This , I made up (altho I"m quite positive it exists somewhere ..out there !) It hasa short row shaping on the bottom and closes at the back ...There seems to be a line up as to who gets it to use in Winter .!!

I still havent found my "Jet " wool to finish the jumper ..Just how many places can yarn hide !!!???

I am 3/4 of the way thru the "bonsai "vest (new Ik) using a tencel from the "sean sheep" range .

I have to say ..NOT bad ...suprisingly good for the price ....The wool that is , not the MAg .

It knits well ,not splitty and am using the correct needles for the correct tension (miracle !!)

I have ben eyeing off another wool in this line ..can't remember its name but it is a single ply in really nice graduated colours ...

I have also knitted a kids beanie using black Panda "starshine "..a single ply (4.50mm needles ).Again ,suprisingly nice ..It was a pleasure to knit and I managed to do the beanie in the day ...Once I get it off his head (did you know you can wear a peak cap and a BEANIE !)I'll take a picture ....

Party+Fun = Mess

2007-03-28T17:34:00.000+10:00

Life gets in the way of knitting sometimes .Last week I spit polished the house (it was in shock !as was my husband ..he had to help !!)) in preparation of a 8*yr old's party +16 children ..Look at the aftermath .!!I'm told it was a sick party .....I felta bit sick looking at it ...It is amazing just where the streamer bit of "party popppers" get .

On the knitting front I have been knitting LOTS ..as well as Frogging LOTS .

I Knit a hot water bottle ..short rows and an enclosed top in a plushy thick boucle in plums pinks and browns ...very nice .I had the wool for over a year and tried so many times to knit it with out success .

I knit a glove out of an old knitting pamplet ...It's a sampler ........I used all the scrap bits of 4 ply and experimented to see what looked good ..suprising what got lost in the fairisle and what stood right out ..The pattern was different .....The glove part was knitted and then the thumb was knitted on seperately .I had my doubts but followed the instructions (except the finger part ..Iwent fingerless )..I useda 2mm needle which maDes it a little tight for my BIG hands ...next one I think 2.5 mm needles ...and a keith fassett cream tweedy yarn with green flowers and pattern ...??

I got stuck right into the jet jumper ..Only to find ..Horror .apun .Horror that I have lost the last 3 balls to finish ..They must be here somewhere ...just exactly where remains a MYSTERY ..and St Anthony is not helping ...LOL

stupid husbands ..

2007-03-15T10:09:00.001+11:00

I'm SOOOO annoyed . I just missed a lot of Lornas Laces sock yarn ...I was more than prepared to pay more .(Ebay ..my favourite place ...)....It was a nice pewter grey , perfect so I thought for the Diamond Fantasy Shawl .. ... botheration and DAMN..........

Knitting for the week ...a very GREEN week indeed !

2007-03-05T14:20:00.000+11:00

My plans are :

A) finish the back of B's green jumper ...start and finish the other sleeve.
It's a nice 12ply from Bendigo Mills ..originally the wool was for me but It 's being re -knitted as a boys(size 6 ..a big 6 ..He's skinny ) raglan sleeve cable jumper ..and its liking being a jumper .More inportantly, I can do other things when knitting it ...Good night knitting

(Oh gee the photo just came thru ..sorry its so blurry )

I'm making up the pattern ..using a basic jumper pattern and inserting the cable -with some modification .

Just looking at it ...it seems ok. I was worried the knot might look funny when I only did one repeat ..but it seems O.k .I also have elected to do a basic 4 st cable on the front and back jumper panel edges BUT, not the sleeve ... Now I"m wondering if I should have ...to tie it all together ???

Any opinions ??

B) Start and finish the 2nd tier on the Forest Path shawl ..I have not knit anything on this for over 3 weeks .......I got it out today, had a look , a think and finished off the 1st tier

I decided IT either has to knitted regularly or ,frogged and pull out of the KAL ..can't knit a long if your not knitting ..!!...I still like it ...It' not hard knitting ,just involved and long- But I know I will be suprised how far weekly application takes it !!

Wish me luck ....

I"ve been good so far ..this rule of finishing the piece I'm knitting ...be it sleeve ,sock or beanie has been working well .

Even tho I have no finished jumpers the PIECES are all finished and not laying around or shoved in the basket 1/2 done .....

Now ,thats not to say I havent had some failures.... things knitted and frogged in disgust ....but we shan't mention them !!

I'm waiting to hear back about some casual work ...I"m thinking my on spec application hasn't gone so well ...so much for being short on nurses ..think thats only in cities ..not in country towns where the jobs are tightly held and basically someone has to die to get one ...and then one is "marked "for the job ..even when advertised !!

I haven't given up entirely ..If I havent heard anything by Wednesday ..I will ring and ask ... I keep telling my husband its a shame we weren't closer to Wagga ... Wouldn't have any problem ..they are always short ...instead we're back of beyond in the dust ......I"m planing N's 8 th B'day part y...and wondering if any kids will come as were 30 kms out of town ..I"ll be blowed if I"m having it in town at the park ...

Look what I FOUND ...........

2007-02-25T14:11:00.000+11:00

*******************Posted in the wrong blog ..meant for the garden *************
4 Cute as a button langshan chicks ... The mother is funny , she's very docile but protective ..not at all like the sussex who try to rip your hand off and GROWL ......yes ... growl .She's one f my show hens and is just a beautiful example ..Note the sheeny green shiny feathers ...The chicks have black legs and pink feet with chicky fluff leg feathers . so CUTE .
I don'y usually post chooky stuff here ..that goes on the chook blog..I thought these were so cute they needed sharing ...

HEre is the dust storm that rolled in YEsterday .>> NO ,rain just lots of dust .Someone has forgotten to tell EL NINO he's finished . See the green of the septic trench ..A pair of idiot plovers(masked lapwings) have taken up residence there ...

Mr P was at Parkes yesterday and it poured there ..HE estimated a few inches ...

Looking on the weather maps ..I'm not sure what to think ..I tend to rely on an american long range forecast ..BY it our best chance of rain is TUES /WED this week .We fall into a heavy coloured area ...

Buttons ..anyone ...

2007-02-20T16:46:00.000+11:00

1 Jo Sharp Ladder cardigan finished ..Excuse the bad picture ..believe me it was the best of a BAD BAD lot !!
Next time I'll do my hair and not try on a WARM cardigan in no a/c when its 38 outside .

YArn : TLC cara mia (angora /acrylic .so so soft and nice to knit ..worsted weight raspbery in colour ).

Things you need to know :
ITs roomy ...I made a size down for winter ..in tune with my decreasing self ..IT is a little loose now ..I made size C ..I could have done B .
I was short 200 metres in the yarn ..I ended up with plenty left over ...3/4 ball in fact .
I added the ladder pattern down the back .
The sleeve is FUNKY ..seriously .If you knit it as per instructions it will not fit into the cap . I remedied this by the following ...

Knit until you do the two big decreases and start the shoulder shaping ..then ,instead of decreasing 2 every alt row then, every row .. decrease by 2 every alternate row (each end of row )until the required st tally is met .
Then ,Knit two rows and cast of according to instructions,remembering that it is a little square shaped at the top of the sleeve cap .......
Clear as MUD ?? ..good ,............LOL

NOw I need help ..the yarn is playing naughty when I try to match a button .I can't decide ..altho I'm leaning for the silver ..Hubby says not the 2nd ones ..
Anyone ??.........

Much ado about knitting

2007-02-13T09:26:00.000+11:00

After fiddling around yesterday I have come up with an acceptable Forest Path plan ..........
I found at the bottom of the wool basket a solitary ball of a green (with subtle shadings ) merino laceweight from handpaintedyarns . I think it is either 900 or 850 yds ..
Last night I knitted and knitted ......Beth suggested a garter st border instead of the deviish seed st .. So I tried this and am very happy with the result ..much neater ..(I don't mind if my items look HAnd-made ..just not Home-made !!)
I also think thatI 'm not ready for a fine laceweight .
I can knit lace well but that fine cobweb yarn put me right off !!.. it was all too awkward and loose and messy . ...
Interestingly , when I went to the hand painted site they didn't have 'Lettuce "listed in the available colour ways ..AHHHHHHH..........but with a little detective work and lateral thinking I found it ..Looks like they re-named a few colours.
Thank god I have a compulsive need to review the things I buy ..cause there I was, in bold print under a new colour name .
Now I just have to decide 2 or 3 balls ..It al depends on the metres in the ball I have in my possession ..if its 900yds Im ok with 2 but if its not I'm 50 yards short ..mmmmmmmmmmm
I just don't want to end up with 800 yards of green ....................leftover .
I have to admit I was quite taken with the cashmere yarn available from COLOURMART ...but once I calculated the cost I decided NO ..save that for when it rains ....!!! and also they didn't have the colour I was after ...

Busy knitting .......

2007-02-09T13:55:00.000+11:00

I have been lax on posting the last two weeeks ,.instead I have been knitting .

I have just about finished the ladder cardigan ..only 1 sleeve to go ..should be done by Saturday .

I have been strict with my self on the starting /not completing issue ..currently I have

1 shawl ..diamond fantasy

2 jumpers ....jet cables and ladder (I c.a.n.n.o.t knit aran weight in 38 degree heat ..this will have to wait until march ..........late march )

1 sock .............the hearts one from Magknits

Thats my 4 limit ..

I am up to the 3rd repeat on the diamond fantasy ..After 6 months of failed yarn choices for this project I"m delighted that this one is working ..Its two strands of a laceweight (bloody cobweb) and so far its Haring along ..so much so that I"m unhappy with Forest path ...(pictured above ) in comparision .

I'm thinking I will scrap this (up to the secend tier ) and use the greeny yarn pictured above ...(of whichI will have to buy more of !!)

I jsut don' thave the heart to at the very moment ....All that seed (stinking ) stitch again !!!on #3mm this time .........

I'm not sure I can handle cobweb yarn but Next week I will tink it all and start again with the other ......Roll on Monday

I've been visiting the KAL and some of the specimans are beautiful..I feeel bad in my self for not getting into this but hopeful a change to yarn I"m happy with will help ....

Just have t o pysch my self up to tackle the seed st again (**mutters to self ..IT took me 3 days last effort **).

I have also knitted 3 pairs of 8 ply house socks ..easy with a neat cable( in boys and me size )

Ripped back the feather sock and re balled it for a future boy sock .

and finally knitted falling leaves ..nice but not what I"m looking for ...

Sane again

2007-02-03T15:31:00.000+11:00

After my balls up last night and supsequent melt down ,I feel much calmer now ..I haven't as yet looked at my knitting but Will do in about 5 mins ..Look and frog .

Warning ..if the lace tier isnt fitting in as it should ,don't think you 've got the RS /WS mixed up ..you haven't ..your knitting the WRONG tier for the row .
( see .................row 1=odd # tier .
row 2 =even # tier ..there are seperate lace panels ..6 in a numbered order , depending on what pattern you are knitting .
Least tho ..One good thing ,the pattern (Fern ) looks nice and is easy to knit ...

Forest Path has begun

2007-02-02T15:25:00.000+11:00

And I can see it's going to be a looong winding path ..full of potholes and rivers .

I have managed to do the first border..all 141 sts in a laceweight (cobweb) seed stitch ..

Doesnt look like much but this constitutes 7 hours knitting (3 days of night and today )

Did I mention HOW much I DISLIKE seed st ...its related to 1x1 ribbing !At one stage, at 10pm I had 143 st knitted and I admitted defeat !!

Things looked better yesterday morning ..I cheated and did a few K2tog and , whilst its not perfect .............It will do ..by the time I block ,only those with eagle eyes will see it .

I have another concern tho ..How long is this going to take to finish.?. .I've done some calculations and this could take me ..OOOOooH..say .......7 months .. !!!I

IT must get better . ...and quicker .

Maybe using one straight needle and a circular (cause I forgot to swap and now its comfortable )will need to change .

In the KAL , we have been split into 2 groups .

I've had a lurk on all my other groupies sites and there are some lovely shawls being picked up again ..and some beautiful wool that causes much lust in my heart .

Hopefull y every one elses ..(because Everyone else's looks better) Forest path shawls will keep me knitting mine .

I"m praying once I get onto the actual lace I'll discover my MOjo and not be all fingers and slippery needles !

Oh and my baby started school Wednesday ..without a backward glance ..in fact I was instructed "you don' have to come in ..needless to say ..........I did .

edit:..10.10 pm.................OHHH. my .GOD, I just knitted a even tier on an odd row .

Did you hear me ..it should have been an odd tier on an odd row ............

****I'm off to sit in a corner and think sane thoughts , .......plain, calm,non entralac lace thoughts .. fortified by a large glass of Baileys ..SOB***********

I make resign from this KAL soon..I may have challenged myself to much ............

Falling Leaves

2007-01-27T16:52:00.000+11:00

I started "Falling Leaves " instead of the Jaywalkers ..I read the pattern and decided it would lead to the second sock not happening. Ever.

The yarn is a generic supermarket 4ply ...very soft .

So far the Falling Leaves are a easy ,pretty (vip)Toe up design .

3 rounds of the easy to knit lace pattern ..inch of 1x1 rib and they'll be done tonight ..maybe tomorrow .

Done by Monday when the Forest Stole KAL starts ....Do I mention now I have NO pattern ..no idea as yet of yarn to use ..no swatches etc etc ....I have vague ideas of what will work but nothing definite.

I have been in contact with the person (shop ) I bought it from ..very nice ..If it hasn't turned up by

Monday , She'll send a new one ....that will put me really behind .........BAH .humbug .

Hopefully Mondays mail see's the pattern here

this is how my wool knitted up

2007-01-25T17:42:00.000+11:00

I used the toe up short heel /toes method ..

I 'm pleased with the way the wool knitted ,Wasn't expecting stripes .

Unfortunately I HATE the feather and fan pattern on them ..

These have been tinked and re -rolled into a ball awaiting new sock ideas ..I'm thinking maybe a jay walker ??

Any suggestions

When St markers aren't your friend........

2007-01-19T13:59:00.000+11:00

I have learnt that 42 ' C is tooooooooo hot to knit Anything ..not even airy, fairy lace stoles ....
I tried my cable jumper(only the front left now ..I"m slowly getting there ) but it wasn't worth the sweat that poured out of me
Whilst waiting for the Forest Pattern to arrive .(.TODAY ..(fingers crossed)).I succumbed to the tempation of Eunny Jungs "print o' the wave stole ".

Hopefully before the start date in Feb I can get the centre panel done .

I have learnt that not all lace patterns treat stitch markers as a dear friend .

Some like this one hate st markers .

They get in the way of the pattern .

I kept coming up with too many or not enough st at the ends..

A bit of a google for errata found a KAl and some handy, handy errata and hints .

My reasoning is it gives me a chance to get used to 2.75 needles and cobweb yarn..(heheheee ..do you believe me ?),.............plus I had new yarn arrive .

I have a self imposed ban on ebay at the moment ..Cannot resist a glorious coloured yarn ..have two of these plus a few (4) others for the forest stole ..it will be a little smaller as I'm using a lighter yarn and size 2 (2.75mm)needles ..instead of the 3's .

I figure this will not matter much to me ..It's a BIG stole and I'm nearly the same ..guess we'll see at the end .
Lace weight Entralac is a little more tricky than 8 ply but so delicate looking ..I"m torn between this lovely cream yarn or a gorgeous green / lime yellow/purple (like hot summer forest ..) yarn .If the variagated knits up in colour blocks ..I'm sold on it ..

I'm so looking forward to laying eyes on this pattern .Every blog I visit (lurk) seems to be doing some thing great ..I wanna join in to ........

Entralac, I wonder what that's all about

2007-01-12T13:35:00.000+11:00

Well did I wonder ..since I'm signed up and awaiting supplies to knit a entrac lace shawl !
On the Forest Path Shawl blog yesterday was a few reference pages for Entralac.

I'm impatiently waiting for pattern and yarn to get here... But had no idea about entralac....it hadn't even blipped on my kniting radar as something I should try ..

Yesterday. It did ..can't knit a shawl if you have no idea about the technique used .

I liked the page with LOTS of pictures............

read it, wrote it down ..............

went away to have a go ..........

came back having cast on and knitted 3 triangles ,4 times each ending in a twisty "thing "...

this can't be right .....thought I .....yep it was ..ITS meant to look like that ..believe the instructions Melissa.

The first 2 rows were awkward and fumbly but on the 3rd..all began to make complete sense ..by the 4the row I could see the logic and pure addictiveness .

And so on ....I'm now stuck refining my technique ..I'd like to have the pick up edges perfect and the left side triangles more angular not so sloppy .

People ..entralac is not HARD ..its very simply, logical and makes you feel very clever ...even when your not .....mind you, photographing it is Hard ...

By the way ..I rang the "nurses re-connect" line , encountering many Irish voices !!! .. seems that may be the logical way to return to Nursing after the last debarcle ...I'll just have to wait and see .

Seems things are on the move again here at the woolly jumper farm ... in more ways than one

Book Tag ...thanks Jo

2007-01-09T22:43:00.000+11:00

First, grab the nearest book, post the book's name and author's name on your blog:)
How to raise and Keep a Dragon
by
John Topsell (Joseph Nigg ,Editor)

Next turn to page 123, go to the fifth sentence on that page, post the following three sentences....I dont have a page 123 ...page 23 instead

"....................The modern descendants of the ancient breeds represented here are only a few of the innumerable varieties of dragon that roamed the earth ,sky ,and seas for over a millennia.While not all of these are pure reptilian dragons ,they are nonethe less draconic .No breeders handle the Joppa Dragon or the Rainbow serpent ......"

Ok ..caught me out reading childrens books .I love books,... any book .I
have read them all ...except Mills and Boon .Can .Not .Stand. Them.
I have a problem with book collections and storage ...i.e ,I desperately need a new book case for me and one for the Kids .
I read fast ..knock over a big book in a night .This skill was taught to me by a "odd "friend of my parents ..I was about 8 and he taught me to speed read .(I was a little afraid of him ..I'm sure he was a nice man and all ..I can't even remember him much now ..
My mum getting rid of the T. V helped .
Plus the fact that I had a WILD imagination ..... Perhaps I am a little misplaced in this world ..as a child I dreamed about musty old book filled libaries ..Rows apon rows of shelves and me in charge of them all..

I'm delighted that my son ..aged nearly 8 asked for books for Christmas,..no problems mate .....
Whilst he is only a average reader(going into yr 2 ) ..I have no worries, he'll be a avid reader like me ..once he learns to read fluently ...practise makes perfect
I re read books many times ...
I have a particular love of
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ..Sherlock Holmes
Dad and Dave
Banjo Patterson
James Patterson
Celia Dart Thornton
J.R.R Tolkien
David Coperfield
Patricia Wright .....
Colin Thiele ...love his stuff
I've read the Bible as a book..hard work one night in a motel ..gideons version
Fairy tales ..and where they cam e from + the real versions
Autobiographies and true life

Too many to list really..Basically ..I'm not fussy .I read any thing .
Once I read I"m totally immersed ..driving my husband crazy ...
I can also read in a car with total concentration ...and read and WATCH T.V at the same time.Nowdays .sadly.I don't read 1/2 as much as I used to .

Last, tag three others: HMMMMMM.I'm not really too sure here ..Hands up who wants to be tagged ??????

New Years Resolutions .Or is that Challenge ??

2007-01-08T10:14:00.000+11:00

I have been reading LOTS and lots of blogs ,the last little while .
All contain many new years resolutions and reviews of the past year .

This has forced me to mull over my lack of knitting 'finishes '..I have started a LOT of things ,only to discard them ..........The ' finished' items started with the Icarus shawl and I was so suprised that I could knit it ....I went on to start and finish in record time a bolero from jo sharp .Plus lots of gloves and beanies ..a scarf or two .

I see that knit from your stash and various themes on this have popped in last month.
Me ..I will be knitting mostly from discarded wool and stash from financial necessity ..Not much money rolling in from the farm at the moment ...things are fairly tight . At this stage I"m not sure how I'll get school fees paid ..Guess that means the Handmaiden sea silk x 2 skeins is out of the QUESTION !!( I'm ok with soft merino lace weight ..I have a bit of that stashed ... )
SO that rules that out as a resolution ...If I have spare money ..It's' going elsewhere !

Next I thought for the new year ,maybe I could vow to join a swap .
I've never been in one ..I have come close to signing up but dither and end up watching ...
I get really nervous at the thought of international postage let alone buying for another knitter !!!
What if they hated my well thought present .(and worse . blogged they hated it .) couldn't stand the worry of choosing something ..Plus I'd have to find it and nice yarn is hard to find around here ..involves travel ..
The closest I came was the "who's lace is it " swap ..I went looking for possible lace yarn to send .Maybe ..just, maybe on this .

Last year I joined a KAL (Icarus )and enjoyed it thoroughly .
I'm sure it gave me the extra kick.a .long to finish ( that and my indignation at being fired !!)
So as part of my new years Finish your Knitting vow ..I'm going to CHALLENGE myself and possibly come out crazy (my husband says ..crazier .thanks Hon !).

I have asked to join the Forest Path Stole KAL and purchased the pattern ..I'm still mulling over yarn ..some is arriving from Texas (LOVE EBAY ) sometime soon-ish .
Not really sure how this will go..lace and entralac ?...together .
I was thinking "print o the waves" stole (eunny jung ) but once I saw the forest pattern all thoughts of the other flew out the window .
Wish me luck ...please..... I"ll need it !

will it post ??

2007-01-06T16:56:00.001+11:00

same blog ..new year ..grey skies......no rain

will it post ??

2007-01-06T16:56:00.000+11:00

same blog ..new year !

Christmas is Over

2006-12-27T09:22:00.000+11:00

Food eaten ,presents unwrapped,socks knitted .
All in all a nice Xmas (apart from the fact that the rain went around ,over ,anywhere but here !!)
Today is meant to be Christmas cleanup .I'm having trouble finding the enthusiasm to do it !
So far, I have played wit the digimon games and worked them out for the boys , had breakfast and wandered around outside ...I cleaned up the only clean room ( no paper or toy wrappings )

See this ... This was a Christmas present ( I did well this year ..someone paid attetnion to the list and decided that the wool lover could have wool. )

It came a month ago as undyed skeins and 6 packs of koolaid .Christmas night it turned into this ....Possibly the Baileys made it a good idea at 9 'oclock .

I'm so impressed with myself ..(i'm sure all you experienced dyers are looking at it in horror !)

Tis is crying out to be a pair of socks ..

If your interested it came from live 2 knit (forgot to bookmark her ,but google finds her site very quickly ...........Australian ).

Kate has fantastic wool and nice prices .What I have is the "Elizabeth " range of sock wool .It is very sheeny and soft and looks to be very nicely spun (i.e no thin or thick parts like I've been finding in the Opal ).

I think come early January I"m going back to buy 2 balls of "Marlene "in a Smoke colour for the Print O'Wave stole frojm Eunny Jung .

At 450 mts /ball , $16.80 ea , 50%merino 50%s silk ,I'm desperately wanting it .

She has another laceweight .. 100% merino At about 12.80 ..

Any way thats all for me ..I"m going to force my self to clean !!!!!!!

2006-12-24T10:44:00.000+11:00

Weird Needles

2006-12-20T16:59:00.000+11:00

Has any one seen needles like this before ??
They are perl -onex brand ,have a fat 4.5mm needle at the tip but slim right down after 5cm .

See the red stripy knitting .That is the arm of the jet cable jumper .
Guess who didnt read the instructions carefully enough .
Guess who had increased in every 10 th row instead of 6th ..
Needless to say it is no longer 1/2 finished..mind you these weird needles fly through the wool
effortlessly .
I'm still not liking the blue for F. Diamonds ..I'm going to knit it to the end of the ball and gift it to a niece as a baby born blanket .
Xmas sock is nearly done ..thus freeing up the needles for me ..and my green sock

Are Angels meant to have an attitude ??

2006-12-16T17:29:00.000+11:00

Totally not knitting related...........

I hate sewing by hand or machine .(I"m better by hand )

Occasionally, when I have to and when it only involves straight lines I sew .

Behold the mighty angel..I'm not sure I'd cross his path ..He looks like he'd smite you with his sword !!

Thank god for St Vinnies and the 50 cent sheet ,

The Verdict

2006-12-14T08:45:00.000+11:00

Is............ Zarina Wins .
I"m not totally happy with the blue colour , I may dye it a shade darker OR greener when I'm finished , although, the more you knit the nicer it gets .
Those who love blue in our house like it the most .
The sock wool colour variations and colour stripes make the lovely diamonds nearly impossible to see .
Utterly amazing..... .Even though it was a wasted day and night of knitting I"m glad tried the sock wool..
I haven't decided whether to knit the scarf or shawl version yet ..I"m enjoying this pattern(its a good pattern ) and I think the subtle colour variations are keepingmy my interest alive !
So, My plan is to keep knitting and when I"m sick off it then I'll see what length we have (the shawl measurements are HUGE !)

Socks and 4 ply

2006-12-10T15:37:00.000+11:00

I posted earlier about my new found understanding of sock knitting and the joys of "toe up " socks .Here is a photo of one .the other is half knitted ....in Heirloom "Argyle using 2.50 dpn bamboo needles (aren't they nice )

Saturday I went to Wagga ,and visited a new yarn shop" Simply Stitches" ..((well ,room actually )) stocked high and all around with delicious wool , some which I have ever only read about .
Boy, have I been missing out .!!
The owner was kind enough to let me fondle several lots.
I came away with a ball of Opal sock wool in a green colour.....Chameleon ....I think it was called .
Plus one lonely ball of Zarina in a pleasant blue colour ..

Still not the colour I had imagined for the "Diamond Fantasy Shawl "but I'm not sure ..I think I like it .
What do you think ..anyone care comment ?? I"m thinking I'll do another repeat of the pattern tonight and see if that sways me either way .

Seduced by socks

2006-12-06T15:34:00.000+11:00

Finally......................................... I understand the lure of socks .And sock wool ,but to be honest ..I got that !@
more later ..
knitting and knotting ....if I don't get over to leave you a comment ..can you tell me where to find ?simply stitches in Wagga ??
Last shop for christmas on the weekend !

bolero finished

2006-11-22T16:54:00.000+11:00

Specs:
Pattern :Jo Sharp Knit Issue 2 book Bolero pattern
Yarn: BendigoMills cotton/ Lycra (from the unknit pile )
Time: 2-3 weeks
Thoughts I enjoyed knitting this .It knitted quickly .I found the pattern straight forward.and It actually fits !
The cotton is a good subsitute for the Jo Sharp one .
I learnt not to short change the st amount around the curved part.(I may yet go back and unpucker parts of the curve esp the left side .. but then again, if its only around the farm no one will see ..)
I'm really pleased to have finished something that looks so good .I could wear this and feel "not home knitted".
Next is the Ladder cardigan or maybe another bolero with Long sleeves this time..maybe both .i have enough spare wool !!

Snowflake is still progressing ...I'm being to hate it and am debating where I"ll bother to knit the miles of edging ..

Caught in Lace Curtains

2006-11-16T10:56:00.000+11:00

Otherwise known as BAN ME from EBAY . I have found a fantastic ebay (KNITLAND-Knitting-Crochet )shop full of old lace patterns .
Scalloped , Lacey ,Shetland , ROSES ...AHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Its new to me ..possibly old news for the rest of you !!

I purchased this pattern(above) and the race is now on to knit it . Before Christmas ??
I need to finish Snowdrops ..I think 10 days of concentrated effort will get me close. I have already decided to give it away ..Who to ..Dunno ?
The Jo Sharp bolero is curently soaking , awaiting blocking to seam it then add a 2 inch border ..rib 2 x 2.
I am also trying to plan ahead and take advantage of the Bendigo sale .So far I have wool for the ladder cardigan in the jo sharp book , wool for the above shawl (claret red ??3ply) and wool for numbers 7's jumper choosen .
I think that that might be about all .

IWhat are your ideal lace making conditions

2006-11-13T09:34:00.000+11:00

I only have a couple of requirements .

*Cup of hot tea..so hot that when I remember it 1/2 hour later it is perfect.. temperature wise .

*Child occupied elsewhere ..room /T.V /Play station (.can't knit through the 5 yr olds prattle.)

*The over head lamp on ..doesnt matter if its bright out ..still need the lamp.
That's about it really .
Lacevember

Lacevember

2006-11-13T09:04:00.000+11:00

I have joned the Lacevember KAL group .
I'm hoping it will give me the kick along to finish up Snowflake .
I joined about a week ago and have been lurking building up the courage to introduce my self ..
I'm about 1/2 through the pattern triangle . I'm one pattern repeat from starting the plain stocking st centre .
Talking about shawls, after much indecision I have decided to order the "Here Be Dragone "shawl pattern .
The seller offers pay pal now which is most excellent and makes it a damn sight easier to pay .
Can you believe its raining here ..I can't .
I'm afraid if I go and look at it it ,I might scare it away .So far we have hada measly 3 ml (12 points) but it feels like and inch or so !!
Outside is overcast and misty ..Its so nice to have a break from never ending bright sunny skies .

Carnation Cardigan

2006-11-12T16:32:00.000+11:00

As well as the ever faithfull snowflake (which is growing slowly ) I am working on a ..well its called a Bolero ..but I prefer short cardigan.
Its from the new Jo Sharp book.
So far so good I'm powering along ..I love t.v kniting .
Stocking st goes so quickly watching a movie ..
I'm finding that I can manage to knit both projects on a regular basis .. one day snow flake and one night carnation ..(that's my name after the cotton/ lycra yarn colour ) .
I'm impress with this yarn .I orginally bought it for a lacy shrug this time last year but it (the yarn)was so not right for the lace .
It knits up beautifully in straight stocking st ...
Even though it blocked well I wasn't happy with it and ended up discarding it .
One big 200 g ball has so far completed
1 back
1 front
and 1 sleeve.
I have 1 sleeve
1 front
and a mile of rib edging to go .
Talking about sleeves ...This sleeve took an amazing amount of yarn to complete ...much more than I was expecting.
I think it loks good ... like a little bell !!
34 degrees here today ..We finally got the A/c up and going ..It's making a strange noise at the moment ..Takes a while and alot of mechanical effort to wet 9 mnths of dry pads .!!
A/c is on ..that means Christmas isnt far away ..i'd usually ad dand harvest but heres none of that this year !!!!!!!!.
Happy Knitting Everyone

Snowflake update and a side project........

2006-11-04T18:20:00.000+11:00

Snowflake is coming along nicely..I'd estimate I'm about 1/3 of the triangle through ..lets not even think about the edging yet !

I got side tracked last night by a soft lilac 8 ply and a simple ribbed hot water bottle cover.
I got to thinking about how nice a cable would look upthe centre ,plus add thickness to the hottie cover .
After delving throught lots of old cable patterns ( some really bad ...70's bad )I came across this nice one .
After a bit of tinkiering with stitch numbers and translating the cable pattern out of the vest pattern .....I came up with this

Only half a cable repeat in but its looking like what I'd hoped

Snow Flake in Red

2006-10-27T17:15:00.000+10:00

Since I was having trouble with the pattern ..(you know , keeping my spot right ) only 30 odd rows in .I decided to do a bit of cut and paste manually .

3 rows now charted out each along side of the middle row . After spending quite a while getting intimate with the pattern ,Suddenly it clicks and I have a massive light bulb moment .
"ahhh ,pattern one row * rpt patt unti l4 rows are done *rept ...repeat repeat ....repeat *until 16 columns lie along side the middle one**".
It also helps if you get out the straw markers and mark the middle ,beginning and end plus repeats in Different colours ...makes much more sense.
Sometimes ,I think I think way too much about a pattern and make it so complicated when in fact , it is easy ..its simple .
I also think this happens to be a flaw of mine ..overthinking stuff .
I many flaws ..a few i'd never in million say out loud(like ..i get unreasonably pisss and pick a fight , then am immediately sorry )
and a lot of umm. ideas ,that make me ,I guess me .
I can't stand a messy toothpaste lid ..I have been know to hurl it at the adult offender.
I always read the instructions .Always . don' bother arguing .
I can read, watch telly and chat ..all at the same time .
The toilet paper has to go on a certain way ...up and over the roll , not the other way .
OHHH dear I'm not going any further
Change of subject Here is the first part of snowflake...Got a long way to go haven't I

Jet cables

2006-10-26T17:20:00.000+10:00

The back of Jet is finished. The yarn is delicous to knit wih but thick and hot in 30 odd degree heat. I've put it away for now .
I took a big gamble and ordered some unknown lace weight of ebay ....Great gamble .. the finest, sheeniest RED yarn .
I have abandened all planned hot thing...... like, jumpers beanies ...who can think of winter when it' s HOT out the Door !!
Instead I've started 'Snowdrops " by the Yarn Harlot ...its so nice and lacy ..and red ( can snow drops be red ??)...
When I've done enough ..like tonight ot tomorrow I'll post a piccy to show my progress .
Mark is rolling his eyes at me being so excited over a ball of wool and holes in the knittng ..he so doesn't understand !
Aren't they so cute ..theres 32 of them in there ...

Is It Going to Rain Today???????

2006-10-20T09:04:00.000+10:00

Now that is the question that could earn you a fair buck or two IF , you knew the answer.
Supposedly ,Its meant to do so today ..maybe I should start a ticker count " How many days without rain !!".
Anyway -on with the gardening .................
"CoconutIce "grevillia is flowering its head off .This seems to be the most profuse flowerer and tough to boot . It has tripled its size over autumn /winter . I give this one 2 thumbs up . Amazing how tought these larkspurs are ...they are self seding each year but doing it tough this one ..the bottoms (can you see ) have all browned off but . they are flowering heavily and all colours are here ....I love larkspurs Forget the specific name of this grape(its a white one )but admire with me the grape potential visible here !!
Last year the sheep ate it back to bark ,Hopefully this year that will not happen ...
I got so angry when that happened that Mr Pea went and chicken wired the ringlock for me ..and so he should !!
I'm meant to attend a chook show in Cootamundra on Sat but since its Mr Peas B'Day I 'm thinking I'd better not !!
He' s said I can but,.. If it were me ..I'd be peeved to be left with 2 feral s whilst he went off !!
Talking kids ..master 7 has been home the last 2 days with a major belly pain ..the doctor assured me it wasn't appendix but only bowel spasms related to a virus ..poor little boy .I thought he was going to faint in the Supermarket ..HE went white and sweaty ..Quick shop on wednesday people

Last of the Iris

2006-10-18T14:35:00.000+10:00

You must all be sick of Iris pictures ..This is the last one I promise!
This one came from Ariah Park and has the oddest flower ..I can't pin down what it is that makes me think its odd .
MY grape vines ( this one is a purple ladyfinger.i think?? ) is loaded with potential grapes .This will be first year it hasn't been eaten back by sheep ..I think its making up for past years ..here's hoping we get some fruit .
Self sown Larkspurs . You can't quite see how tough they are doing it ..TO be honest I"m suprised at thee ability to produce glorious flowers when the bottom half is brown(as in dying )

New Project-----Jet Cables

2006-10-13T15:35:00.000+10:00

Its taken me a while and a lot of frogged knitting to decide what's next .I've tried lace , socks , bought patterns and searched the existing collection all for nought .
I bought the Diamond Fantasy Shawl and started but, the wool was wrong .
I finally found a cabled jumper pattern from patons using the lovely "Jet "wool . (the picture above is a pretty accurate one ...colourwise). I'm still a bit "rib" dodgy but its ok .
I wasnt really thinking of a jumper but so far its working well .
Having said that It's too bloody hot to knit today ...36 degrees on the verandah does not make for comfortable aran weight wool knitting ...shoulda did a lace knit !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We're hoping to duck across to Wagga Wagga tomorrow and try out the great indoor pool and the movie A/c..did I mention that ours isn't on ..We weren't prepared for how 35 degrees would feel ..I'll be buying a bottle of bleach tomorrow as well !

( im so blonde sometimes ..i've just spent 3 inutes trying to spell weight ... see, Its is too hot )

The Iris have flowered

2006-10-05T10:09:00.000+10:00

After a very long wait they are flowering ..I"m feeling ungratefully cause they aren't the colour I was expecting ..
I can visually see how nice they are and my husband loves them ...but me , I'm dissappointed
Now I have no idea what the others are going to be .

Decisions..............

2006-10-05T09:16:00.000+10:00

I was going to use this 4 ply wool for the Diamond shawl ..but it doesn't suit the pattern ....
I thought that it would be nice but nope ...terrible and horrid.
In fact the swatch I'm doing at the moment is a cheap big w variagated yarn .. and you know what..It looks great ..a little fuzzy. a little cheap , but really nice .
Also remember how I said next lace pattern ..solid colour ... ,Well, this pattern wants colour ...It demands colour ..
I don't have colour .. I need a greeny , bluey nice fingering weight wool .
I'm toying with the idea of usnigthe lace weight but have a sneaking suspicion I don'thave enough .!!

I don't feel like shopping.. .

Diamond Fantasy Shawl

2006-10-04T17:53:00.000+10:00

By Sivia Harding .
This is what I have decided to do next... I have always liked this and bit the bullet so to speak and ordered it yesterday .
I was pleased to be offered a pdf file that turned up this morning .
Plus I joined the Silvia Harding knits group ...hopefully if and when I get stuck ,there will be answers............
All I have to do now is decide on wool...I have just enough 4 ply sock to do the scarf.............. but also have just enough laceweight to do the shawl ..esp if i frog the bug eaten mystery shawl ......
I'm plaanning on testing each out tonight .

Hi there ..long time no blog ........

2006-09-29T11:00:00.000+10:00

Quick update ..
I won the knitting section at the show ..what a thrill . I also won most outstanding needlework item(and won a bag to hold embroidery floss, which I have absolutely no use for .!it's nice tho ). I manged to delete from the camera a couple of nice pictures of me wearing the shawl .. damn that (not !).
I have been sick since Monday and almost no knitting has been done ..
I can not for the life of me decide on a project.. I'm still quite taken with the "Here be dragone" shawl , esp now the seller has pay pal available ..
But I dunno .. I want to do a shawl .. pretty ,possibley flowery , maybe rectangular , preferable with the edging knit some what as you go .
Any ideas ??????????
I got out a Orenburg shawl book and had a go at the simple beginners sampler (mainly focussing on turning corners and doing the russian stitches ).. WOW....... is that different .. In my cold befuddled mind it made fuzzy sense but I had to put it down .. too hard to concentrate thru the medication haze !
Instead I bought the new Vogue knitting mag and found a toe up Lace sock pattern .. yes .I .Know
but I havent done a toe up sock before ...maybe its the way to break the never knitting the 2nd sock problem .
The wool I'm using is so , so nice ..its a Heirloom sock one and its so great to knit with.. compared to the thin patonyle one ..so different .
Hang on ..I'll get the label ..............Right ..back again ..
Its Heirloom"Arglye" 4 ply in a garnet red shade shot with blue .
Very very swish .. even if only one sock gets knit ....

2006-09-22T18:08:00.000+10:00

((don't you love my model demurely hiding his face !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!he doesnt visit here so im safe ))
I'm pleased to say Icurus is done .. finished and blocked .. and entered in the local show. I'm now looking for another shawl to knit .. and I'm using plain coloured wool as the varigation does hide the pattern and next ttime I want to see the knitting .
Icarus was a nice pattern to knit .. hard enough to catch your interest but easy enough to still be part of the family (ie kids can talk and you can concentrate)
The long stockinette body was tedious at the end and it takes a awful lot of wool to bind off . The designer has a good beading tut to refer to if you wish to put them in

The end is in sight .

2006-09-18T17:29:00.000+10:00

Icarus is nearly finished ..3 rows to got . I made the dreadful mistake of putting her down 10 days ago ... now i'm knitting to a dead line of..... finish and block by Wednesday to enter the local show .
i'm not cooking this year...least i'm not planning to nor will i have many presentable flowers .. but lets just see ..
i always say no.... not this year and somehow i end up entering flowers , scones and cakes .!!

Knitting Lesson # 75

2006-09-16T19:30:00.000+10:00

NO not these , these are o.k and quite nice . patonyle blue wool , 3 .25 needles and a glove pattern wih fingers removed , turning them into fingerless mittens ..kinda This is the knitting lesson .
Shamefull..isnt it . ?
I have a size 8 foot ..
Too say my husband laughed until he cried would be a understatement !
To tell yo that my 5 yr old uses it as a beanie for his Big teddy bear would be truthful !

ALWAYS , always check that the fluffy orange wool will felt ..Do not just assume it .. Read the label that clearly states "MACHINE WASHABLE".

Here endths knitting lesson #75

Can you see that the purple heel has felted beautifully ..bloody felted feet ...

woolly jumper

2006-09-02T21:40:00.000+10:00

I'm still knitting away on Icarus ..I'm up to row 14 on the last chart ... the end is nigh ".
I decided the light brown beads blended the best ..
Unfortunately being monogonmous with Icarus is leading to boring blogging .. sorry .
I do have one disaster to share ..but just have to muster the ability to face the incredulous sniggers that will follow ...

Icarus .......chart 4

2006-08-25T13:20:00.000+10:00

Icarus is flying onwards ..finished chart 3 last night and now into chart 4 ..It looks very interesting ..
I'm debating putting beads on the edges ..choice between a light brown bead and a pinky bead (as usual the colour isnt really correct in the photo ) . In real light the brown bead blends into the browns in the wool , while the pink stands out .
Mimknits has a excellent tut on how to do so ..seems she originally had beads on the edges but interweave knits nixed them as it made the pattern to long for them (fair enough)
My poor husband is feeling neglected ..he requested I not knit and come sit near him ..not in the knitting chair near the bright light ..poor thing ..you'd think he'd be glad I'm nearly finished something !!
I happened apon the "Heere be dragone "shawl the other day .Whildt I thik it is fantastic, I dont think I will do it . After emailing the designer , I feel the cost is to great ..for me anyway.(us)$12.00 for the pattern plus $6.oo for mail postage ..I was kind of hoping it would be a PDF file that would almost instantly turn up ..

Looks promising outside ...

2006-08-24T09:31:00.000+10:00

I forgot I'd planted these double Daffodils ..The Wallflowers are in full flower at the moment ..going near them raises a cloud of bees , native , and european (honey bee)
The sky out side looks black but .. I don't know there 's much there ...yet ..We've had a few mills ..maybe 4 or 5 . Hopefully the radar is right and we get a 10 , 20 , 30 , mls ..
Wish us luck.
We bought a new mattress over the weekend .. got it today .
I naively thought that $500 would buy us a decent one ...boy did I get a eye openner .
Let's say I spent quite a bit more ...(could of bought a good load of Lucerne hay , let me see . @$7.00 /bale ,
that would be over 100 bales .
I could have mulched every thing in sight and had plenty left .)
I can't even say I slept well last night .. strange mattress .. (no springs in my hip ) and the plush wool top + a wool doona led to a overly hot night !
Don't let me whining tell you otherwise ..I really do love this mattress ..and plan on lovin' it for many , many years ...gotta get my moneys worth !

Weekend at the Farm

2006-08-22T16:55:00.000+10:00

Can you see how nice the days were .. bright blue sky ..green vegetation at your feet , horizons to see over .............
Tractor roaring and the dust flying as a reminder of just how dry it really is (abc riverina radio today had a segment on EL NINO and its 66% chance of return ..AGGHHHH)
And , finally a garden tidy up ............dormant grass mowed ..well , actually the balencia clover patches mowed ..dry remnants of winter pruning gone .. half eaten lamb tails gone (grosss i know ...pound dog has a filthy garbage habit .I quite often wake up unmentionable rotting things on the welcome mat.. the words I shriek as I step on them in my late dash to the bus are unmentionable also !).all ready for spring .

Icarus .......Chart #3

2006-08-22T16:46:00.000+10:00

I'm halfway through chart 3 ....I cant wait to finish and block it ..There are completed shawls turning up on the KAL site now and thats fueling my desire to see mine finished .
I havent knitted anything else for the past month .. (wow)..I have thought about a cotton top for summer but havent put Icarus (or Pinky as I like to call it )down .
Next shawl I knit ,I'm doing it in a solid colour .When I first started lace knitting I didn't mind the pattern being obsured by the colour variation but , now I WANT to see my hard work . That and the Handpainted yarn has nearly run out .
I'm kicking myself for not signing up for the lace swap ..I procrastinated and ended up way too late to sign on..oh well next time ..

Icarus Shawl

2006-07-28T18:32:00.000+10:00

I succumbed to the lure of the Icarus Shawl ..even joined the KAL . !
I'm using handpainted yarns ..lace weight merino on 3.75mm needles
So far so good .. I'm nearly to the end of the miles (well , it felt like miles )of stockingette . I'm determined to finish this one ..the last shawl I got bored with , put it aside and when I got it out to finishe it ...horror apun horror ..holes ..not.made .by.me!
I can't describe the sad feeling I had ...especially when I blocked it and went from being crinkly to lacy and lovely ..
Knitting Lesson #201 : Finish the work . dont flit from piece to piece ...

Finished something

2006-07-06T18:12:00.000+10:00

(don't look at the carpet ...dont look at the carpet)
So far in my new knitting mood I have finished:
2 beanies
1 sock
1 pair of fingerless mittens .(same blue patonyle as the sock). What a GREAT feeling to finish something .
I have banned myself from ebay after getting overly excited and purchasing :
1 fibretrends pattern (which has not arrived yet ..its been a while )
2 old excellent glove books ..lace /fairisle /plain
and finally (this is why i banned myself)a set of german lace patterns ..yes ,thats righ,t german lace patterns ..which im sure i will only ever look at since my german from 8th grade seems to be limited to "mein name ist"(add bad german accent ) .
All in all a very exciting haul .

new post

2006-06-26T17:55:00.000+10:00

bloody blogger ate my post ................................

What Do you Do When The World Comes up and Slaps your Face?

2006-06-22T14:54:00.000+10:00

Am I the only one to find that when things are going well, the world rears its ugly head and slaps you in the face .?
Last month(may) the world was good ,we were getting along fine ..not rich ,not poor ,all healthy ,happy and glad to be here ..
This month what a different story ....Nick has been diagnosed as long sighted + a colour deficet ..in other words he's red /green colour blind ...When he's in yr 3 we'll have him further tested re glasses for the long sight and to find out exactly where he falls in the colour deficit .
o.k .fine thats the hand we're played ..
Next its the hearing test ..oops ..problems, problems ...falls on the border of having a hearing problem .. altho the nurse feels his huge tonsils are playing a part in decreasing his hearing .ok fine ...
Back to Doctor to complain about the Tonsils (we've been going for 7 months to complain about he tonsils ) more antibiotics ...referal to ENT specialist .
get appt with specalist the next day ..wow things are going well.....
ENT takes one look at tonsil ..turns to me and says with amazement ..."OOOH ,have you seen these.? they are huge ,oooh they need to come out asap "....only problem is the waiting lists in our health service area are huge .. private insurance or not (in our case not ..had to go )

Has a look at the hearing test gets very worried ,hears he is colour blind and refers us for a more in depth hearing test . Seems he's worried about the deafness being linked to the colour blindness .... congenital , that kind of thing ...

If all this isnt stressful enough .. my job has suddenly started causing problems ...
All of a sudden I'm deemed "inflexible " and asked to relincguish my part time position and accept a casual one .
the reason im deemed inflexible is confusing .. had an apprasial 3 wks ago ..deemed good .excellent .no problems then .

I get a call Tuesday to tell me im not working Friday but on Sat night(5 til 11 pm) but not the Saturday as usual..(was employed to work fri /sat ) but will be required to travel 180km round trip to work in another place on Thursday (today )
I say in a panic ..I can't- no baby sitter ..husband busy puting in crop..then ask why on a thursda y?? and in another town ..get a fudgy explaination and told if I cant meet the requirements ,then I will be asked to go casual ...WHAT THE F$%^K??........... spend the next 2 days worrying ...and well was I right to worry .

Seems that things have changed with no warning(been reviewed) and I am now required to still work the 15 hour per week but will be required to drop every thing and work when they want me too....so, to my understanding, basically be on call for work ...a part time 15 hr a week job
I asked repeatly to be given a idea of the days .. let me work out if i can ..if I hear the mantra " respite is flexible " i'll commit hurri curri on the person saying it .
I lost my temper when instead of using the respite shit she tried "shift" work ..my reply was along the lines of i know about shift work , i've done it all my working life ..

Anyway the upshot of it all is .. there's no pressure but unless I'm willing to be on call all week then i have no option but to accept reluctantly being a casual and I guess ending up with nothing ...
Gee . I wish I could know what it is that I have done to have things turn around so dramatically,
one minute every thing is hunky dory ,next I'm out on my arse . Couldn't have anything to do
with the nurse refresher course I mentioned and asked for 2 fridays off later in the year .

So THANKS FOR NOTHING Mr Howard ..hope this happens to some one close to you so you can understand the anguish it causes.
Lucky for me I have another option ..less work tho and definately casual .
God help the people out there who cant jack up like I did AND WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE THEIR JOB....not that i can but i will and we will be fine .

any wonder I cracked open the drinks last night and got merrily pissed .!!
(don't worry mum , can't afford to buy alchohol now !)
There is supposed to be some knitting content ..a scarf, a sock and some yummy wool but it seems bloggger got frightened by my rant and decided to leave with the pictures.

I'm back

2006-06-15T20:11:00.000+10:00

After a 3 month break I'm back online on looking forward to showing off my garden .. The new computer is a bit flash and scary but once I have fiddled with the 'bits over the weekend I will have some photos to share .
Winter is most definately here ...-3 overnight , huge thick frosts ..teemed with a' freezing mist'(where ice forms on glass and metal..) . very pretty but icy cold .
On Saturday last we had 39ml of rain .. very, very welcome after 7 months of literally nothing .. hopefully more coming next Wednesday. the garden is looking cold and patchy .. very little has taken off .. it has been a terrible time for vege seedlings .. between the never ending dry and marauding poultry , its been a battle .

Computers and Halfknits

2006-06-15T17:41:00.000+10:00

I'm back on line ,have nice new computer I have no idea how to work ... in actual fact its so flash its a bit scary ...
Be back on Sunday and hopefully have nice knitting pictures ...
Does the fact my husband suggested that I change the blogs name to
"HALF KNITS "
tell you anything ???

Knitting content

2006-05-03T10:58:00.000+10:00

(Still computerless . So quick post from the community access computers ..)

After a fortnight of zilch knitting , I was flicking thru the interwaeve knits mag and came across the Trellis scarf pattern ..
A study of the directions ..Especially the 5 into 7 stitch decrease (note to any one else .. Make sure you keep the stitches on the needle ..Much ,much easier to pick up the 5 st.. And use a Small crochet hook ).
So far after two night work I have 4 diamond rows (4 pattern repeats) out .. I'm using a lettuce green lace weight . !
I'm enjoying very much, this knitting ..I can see that my lace skills have improved and whilst the pattern is semi challenging ,it is repetive and thank fully has every wrong side row as garter ...I'm also finding myself daydreaming about a 8ply version done twice the width and cosy warm .
I hope to be back on line soon .
I have decided that I will buy a new harddrive tower ..My monitor, etc, are still good and I can reuse them .
I have decided to do a refresher nursing course .. In the hopes of picking up some casual work locally ..And after ten years out ,a refresher sounds really good . The job I have at the moment is uninspiring and I'm beginning to hate it .The pay is excellent, the clients great and I'm glad to have gotten it ..But ............................
Its only taken me ten years to decide what I want to do with certainty ...I'm 32 now .(god).When I turned 30 ,I had a revelation on my life ... Mind you, It might have been a combination of steam and scented body wash !
The first step was to re enter the work force in a nursing related job ..(can tick that one )to check what I wanted .. The next step is casual work in hospital /aged care setting .. Not real picky .Next year .. Boy 2 goes to school ,child care is very manageable .)The third step may not happen .. Finish nursing degree . (I like being a enrolled nurse )
Oh well ... whats life with out challenges and new experiences ...
Happy knitting everyone ..

2006-04-14T14:30:00.000+10:00

Very bad scan of fingerless mittens . the multicolour ones are the "dragon fire " colourway via ebay (200gm skein).the grey and white are Caressa .lovely and soft ..

Internet interruptus , and other assorted misfortunes .

2006-04-14T13:43:00.000+10:00

I am having giant problems with my computer ..( F.u.b.a.r ) . This has been coming for a while . The computer has been slowly crashing piece by piece ..There was time I could bore everyone silly with knitting pictures. I'm planning on a new computer by July /August...
I'm still here , altho not very visible ..possibly sitting in front of the computer fuming 'cause I can't get a connection .
Mind you, the washing is done, the garden weeded ,eggs collected ,child played with.. There is a up side ..
We are planning a mini trip to Canberra in few days .. Going to Questacon ...And the National Zoo and Aquarium .. BOY 1 and #2 are very excited ...
Or is that to do with the Easter bunny and chocolate ..I tend to let them eat it all (figure one BIIIG chocolate hit ).. They don't, mind you ,get much.
This years quota is a bilby each plus a little boxed packet of eggs ..(gotta go the good chocolate .. Cadburys this year)plus we have a bit of a egg hunt in the garden, so another few sml eggs .
Come Sunday afternoon....... .Boy #1 will be bouncing of the walls and Boy #2 will be stubbornly arguing with him ..
Yesterday we had rain ..Not much ..4ml.. But it was heavenly ..Enough to dampen and cool .Amazingly ,10 min after the rain stopped the sky went black with flying ants .
On the Knitting front ..
Have picked up the needles again ..Inspired partly by Katt . So far I have finished 1 and a half pair of fingerless mittens(for boy#2 and hubby) ..So easy and usable .. I always have cold fingers in winter but hate gloves ..Look for me in a bright pair (when I find the wool)(picture will be posted as soon as I can get them up).
Had a look a look at the new Knitty .. I quite like the "Convertable " shrug .
My Interweave subscription is due to be renewed but I'm debating whether or not to do this .
Lambing has started here ...Since it is so dry ,we have a few poddy lambs in .. The wedge tail eagles look very plump.. Bit disconcerting to see them perched high up inspecting your lambs .. Guess food is scarce for them as well.
I have watched them this year teach there fledgling how to soar up high on the thermals. We figure least a wedgy takes the whole lamb ....Not like the wicked crows who just eat their eye and tongues ..
Anyway .. Happy Knitting all ........

Sock Jinx strikes again ....

2006-03-26T19:17:00.000+11:00

. Hypothetically speaking , If your powering along knitting a easy lace sock from a recent issue of Interweave Knits,If every thing seems perfect ..Do you
A) assume the knitting gods are sending warm fuzzies to break your rut .. and knit, feeling very serene since every row is perfect and all the stitches line up.........
B)Decide to try it on, since the heel turn was very uneventful and your about to hit the never ending instep..You need some inspiration and reason to keep at it .
C) Struggle to fit it over your ankle bones ... Then try again and manage to fit it on .. But notice the lace is Very. Tight ... So tight ,in fact you think its cutting your circulation . Then panic when it proves Very.Hard to remove .
D) swear in a colourful and highly emotive manner.........Thus disturbing yoour Commonwealth Games obsessed husband (who already suspects your sanity from earlier knitting diasters )
E ) Finally , pull out the needles in a fit of peeve and discover you have been using 2mm needles NOT 2.25 ..

What to do when you are low on knitting inspiration .

2006-03-09T18:09:00.000+11:00

I am suffering a sharp disinterest in knitting ANYTHING ..I haven't picked up my astrakhan cardigan nor any lace work for over 3 weeks ..In fact I have decided toput the Mystery shawl 3 away for a while ..Whilst it is a lovely pattern, I cannot muster any enthusiasm to knit it .(.I'm at the end of clue one ..waaayyy behind ) )
the only thing I have done is finished the gnome ..altho having said that I am having trouble placing his legs ..( there is only so many times you can try wit hout pelting it across the floor ...Poor Snodgrass the gnome ). Oh no, ..I lie ..I have in fact ,finished the first piece of a toy seal...
Faux fur , Lashes , Ostrich .. All the' fancy 'stuff should only be made into gnomes beards and toy fur ..

Whilst I'm suffering this disinterest in knitting, I am interested in the cardigans that are coming into shops for winter .. knitted, knitted ,knitted !!!! I particularly like the Bolero ??/ shrug type cardigans ..so am on a hunt for a nice pattern ..
Today it is 31 degrees .. The night are getting cool but the days are still hot .. A slow ,slow slide into autumn .
I started a part time job .. So maybe some of my knitting disinterest comes from that ..??
WHAT do you do to kickstart your self again .??
Tonight I'm going to try for a few rows on the black astrakhan.. Maybe seeing a finish may help.
( T illustrate how bad it is .. Ii was given money for my birthday last week and I have no want to spend it on wool ...(or anything ). I requested money so I could buy wool)!!

2006-03-08T16:57:00.000+11:00

This is the only thing I've knitted in the last fortnight ...that and a gnome

2006-02-23T17:22:00.000+11:00

I was feeling quite supiour earlier this week ..sticking with just 2 projects, being quite happy to work on one each night ,and seeing huge progress.. feeling quite happy with myself ..when along came a kind offer to post me a gnome pattern ...
Can you guess what happened?
..The pattern arrived last night and that was it ..Knitted monogamy ceased and the gnome affair started .. (thanks so much to Rachel from "all it took was one stitch .. ")
Last night I rifled thru the spare 1/2 used balls (silly me ..Already I've run out of this green ...)
Don't you think the body looks a little like a skittle ..!?
So many increases and decreases to get the round shape ..I figure this little fellow (he's the biggest size)will be a practice run for the mule ....I have never had an interest in knitted toys before but its really quite fun ............I feel the attraction .
The needles you can see are some of my favourites .There called 'Liteflex'..(have a thin fibreglass centre and and light to knit with) ..Apart from the casein type these are my next favourites,even though they could be called plastic needles ..I have from 2's through to 3.75's ..I'd really like 4's(dpn that is )
I also have the straights in assorted sizes .
Hey , I bought the winter issue of Vogue Knitting...Its sooooo bad !!!!!!!!!!!!..Well, how about quirky, original and out there ?... I was figuring a winter issue would be ok ..mmmmm.not. Really .

2006-02-17T19:15:00.000+11:00

...................Muffin the Mule.....................Isn't he cute ..isn he isn he??.I dont buy "simply knitting "as a rule but i did today ..he is on my list to do ..I like a lace cardigan in the next issue as well.guess i will by it

My goodness ,It can't be ....Can it ??

2006-02-16T17:55:00.000+11:00

(This post doesnt make sense with only the title .. don't you hate pseudo thunderstorms that make dial up connection impossible fro the afternoon ? the picture is posted but the explanation is missing)
By this I mean ..Knitting has made a resurgence at Target .(.I only have target here ..So if for some reason this is limited to Target Country and they are foisting the rejects upon us ..I apologise ) for winter ...Now, even though I think the above jackets are a little dodgy in their cheap chinese machine knitness ... woI have found myself fondling the above jackets ...Thinking "I could do this ..Possibly a little better " and, I have to say its a nice feeling ,
Sharon by the look of the black get up ..I think you had better dust the moth balls of your 80's patterns ... I swear I can remember my mum wearing this in around 1984 - 1985 !??Actually if I really want ed to I'm pretty sure Icould produce an authentic black wide buckle belt !!

So far_ I have 1/4 of the Mystery Shawl edging to go ..I am trying to get at least 2 repeats if not 4 done a night .........the end is in sight ....
I am also working on a jumper ..well cardigan, fromVogue ...made from a lovely jet blackAstra-khan wool (really big boucle )from Thorobred ..via the knitting yarn shop.
They are very nice there ..the woman sent me a few balls to knit and try plus some strands from other astra-khan they had ..
I should have had the back of this finished last night ..but I misread the instructions ..How ,dunno .. I shortened the waist shaping and didnt realise until I was up to the shoulder decreases .Thank goodness I did realise ..

Cleckheaton has a preview of its new wool

2006-02-09T17:52:00.000+11:00

Called "Country Silk"..it looks lovely .
a blend of 85% wool and 15% silk ..
Its sems to have o.k colours .and I guess I 'll be searching around to have a look and feel.
They have also broadened the studio mohair colour palate .

Actually ,I think cleckheaton may be the ones ..in difference to random knits and shazza knits (go see their posts on spotlight and acrylic .and shazza on lack of colours .)to actually be paying attention to overseas trend ..maybe all is not lost ....

Having a quick squizz thru the books for the country silk ..I think this jumper is nice ..plain but simple .
Talking about books ..I have resisted the lure of 'creative knitting '. It is in the newsagent calling me when I'm in there but I keep remembering past issues and consoling myself that vogue and interweave knits will be here soon ..as will yarn mag .

I think ,looking on the knitting olympics list , that I'm not on .Whew , relief ..My second thoughts about this are happy .Is there room in the cheer squad for me ??

woolly jumper

2006-02-07T09:17:00.000+11:00

Mystery Shawl picture link ..forgot it in previous post

FOR FREE......TO GIVEAWAY TO A GOOD HOME

2006-02-07T09:03:00.000+11:00

One subscription to the mystery shawl 3 ..Don't ask how I managed to pay for 2 ..I really don't know myself .
This offer is free ,free ,free,- no wool attached (bad pun ,i know). I had to have a look at the shawl before I joined.
Its a square shawl .. uses 1418 yards of jaggerspun zephyr..(i'm using a laceweight %100 wool )which is 4.5 ounces worth and blocks to a gauge of 4.5 st /10cm.
Measures 51" by 51"
This offer is open to aussie or new zealand knitters only ..leave me a comment and we'll work out the details ...guess its first in best dressed ..(gee i hope someone wants this .. oh well , guess i'll see )

2006-01-26T13:33:00.000+11:00

fair isle vest

Knitting Olympics..my entry

2006-01-26T12:52:00.000+11:00

My entry will be this rib and fairisle vest .This will challenge me to actually finish it .It will also be my 2nd fair isle project . The first was a set of beanies which came out rather well. My mind has been whiring these last few hours ,trying to decide on what I'll do ..One thought was the diamond fantasy shawl , by Silvia Harding ...its sooo lovely..But all ingredients would have to be purchased . ..and i have had the wool for the vest, for a while now ..a lovely worsted weight angora /acrylic and rayon mix with green as the main body colour. Pink,scarlet and a medium denim blue will make up the fairisle accents .
I see that it starts on the 10 of February ..lovely ....,kids at school . I work on Fridays and Saturdays ..should leave plenty of winter olympics watching and knitting time.

These great buttons are courtesy of Jussi (above) and Yarnivourous(below).I couldn't decide which one I liked the most so, grabbed both .

2006-01-19T15:20:00.000+11:00

Patonyle black and white sockettes finished .

New books.. new ideas

2006-01-17T17:32:00.000+11:00

Sorry about all the individual pictures .. blogger was feeling tempremental.. Its too hot to argue so it won.
See my new books ..Can you guess how excited I am . I don't own many knitting books , let alone anything that is this nice .
(Keep me away from Ebay , please!!)
The jumper one has flip spiral pages, sectioned into body, sleeve,neckline ,pockets etc . very well layed out and grouped together.
Come cooler weather ,I plan to sit down and have a real good look......(replace look with plan and knit .. if your not the male member of this household whom I have sworn with..no more jumpers this winter )
The glove book has me feeling very excited .....Is it silly to get excited over a book and plan many grand things in ones head ..
I love books , always have and now I own 2 very good knitting books .. I feel like a" Grown Up Knitter".
These were via ebay ..I usually miss out on books as I am too cheap to bid highly .
With postage and handling these two cost me over $50.oo.. which is alot I guess ..or is it ..( $25.00 a book on average ). Anyway ..I have plans for the the glove on the top right hand corner .. and also some fingerless mitts .
This brings me to another question ...the yarn prescribed in here is from "Jamieson &Smith".. a Shetland yarn .
.. has anyone knit with this .. is it available here ...is it worth importing ($ wise as i only need a few balls ).. is there a australian equivalent (4 ply????)....any answers would be much appreciated.. very ..as I would like to do a good job wit hthese .