the week that was

thursday was great! I put myself under house arrest, only going out to post urgent packages, the rest of the time I locked myself away in the broom cupboard, I made most of a cropped lace cardi, finished Jason's socks (finally)

(Opal elements, in a not so masculine colourway...but everyone around here agrees that he is secure and wearing purple, lilac and pink will not trouble him)

and played around with some secret projects...unfortunately this

(Singer Bulky 8...eight gauge knitting machine) did not arrive until first thing friday morning, I had 5 minutes to gaze upon it before I had to leave for work...and unfortunately, gaze is all I have done since, as too many other projects have been calling out to be completed before I go down this whole new track.

Projects like this:

a mini duffel bag to complement the dpn needle roll, this bag holds a 100g ball of yarn, and the pockets hold the pattern, needles and other sundries, unfortunately the pic is over-exposed due to the ever present sun in our lounge,

but it sure beats this...my old sock project bag!

Yesterday I went to the Tapestry sale, Donni came up from Wollongong, and parked in my carspace, and got to visit the broom closet in person, she also proved to Flash that other seemingly normal looking women are as obsessed with yarn as I am. We met up with Donna in the deserted yarn store, hardly a soul to be seen...it livened up a bit, however there was no pushing, shoving or scrapping over yarn, no blood drawn...almost disappointing! I bought 20 balls of a stock standard 50/50 alpaca/wool for something for Flash, a couple of balls of Bambi in black for work socks (for Flash as well) some Heritage 4 ply tweed (80% wool, 20% nylon) perfect sock yarn, and some NZ kidsilk in a sea blue...for lazing around socks for moi. Donna has the pics...I am no longer apologising for the way I look in photos. After a stop in the QVB for re-fuelling, and picking up Lisa G on the way, we wandered to Kinokuniya...one of my favourite places to empty my purse....I bought Alterknits which is interesting, and this cute wee book of felt animals, had to buy it for the lemurs

aren't they cuuuute! Lovely to spend some time with other knitters, the ideas flowed. I didn't see my secret Pal there though...I was looking for her, I thought it would be fun.

Today Flash and I spent a couple of hours lazing in the sun at the botanical gardens, nothing like Sydney in the summer.

love

is what makes a man give up his sunday evening, to shop for and assemble a shelving unit (and big pull out drawer for yarn) just to see his wife smile.

And yes, it really is all in the way you hold your tongue!

He has put in an order for more socks though, and I am thinking that this is worth a pair in Opal silk.

I then spent an hour loading the unit down, yay! all of the stuff that was on the floor now has a home, and he has put two rows of coat hooks on one side for hanging skeins. It doesn't look like much, but you should have seen it before. There is a small shelf unit hidden under all of that stuff!







I am so glad to have my life more organised...but I am wondering where I am going to put the new (to me, but re-conditioned) bulky 8 knitter which should be arriving tomorrow, the lounge is huge space...and underused...hmmm.

I especially liked Flash's comment when he came to look at the unit when I had finished loading it,he noticed that the yarn box is full, and said "well you won't need to buy any more yarn for a while" it took me a full five minutes to stop laughing.

I am off to work this morning with a light heart, it is wednesday, which is my new friday (except that I have to go back on friday...but hey, thats FRIDAY!)

Fascinating

I've been trying to get to the handpaintedyarns laceweight for a while, but couldn't be bothered hanging the skein over the back of the chair and winding it into pull balls, I had a quick word with Donni who hooked me up with a swift in a jiffy, and now we are in business!

This is a shibori sample, I used 1 end of the laceweight at tension 6, 80 sts over 400 rows, the yarn knits beautifully through the machine, I was a bit scared that it would break, but I had no problems at all. I then placed glass pebbles at various intervals and held them in place with rubber bands, tied off the ends with rubber bands, and pleated in places which I held with bulldog clips, then placed it all in a pillowcase and threw it in a hotwash with some soap, and left it for a full wash cycle...
I could have left it for a little less time, it is a bit more felted than I wanted! After washing and felting I placed it in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover, (previously mixed with a sachet of Kool Aid in watermelon/raspberry) brought
to the boil, placed the lid on, removed from the heat and left overnight. This morning all of the colour was gone from the water...perfect! I rinsed and left the scarf to dry, then removed the rubber bands and clips, this is the result, the dye had not entered the areas that were held, and where the glass pebbles and clips had been had not felted, I like the results and have loads of ideas for future neck fascinators.

On an entirely different note, I bit the bullet and requested to work 4 days a week instead of 5, I had asked for fridays, as that works in best with Flash's work/entertaining commitments but I already knew that would be pushing things, so it has been agreed that I will have thursday off...which I will have to manage carefully to avoid going back to a drama every friday, but it is so much better than a poke in the eye! I can't wait, I had yesterday off, but had the car so ran loads of errands, went to Spotlight and Tapestry Craft for more sock dpns, and Dymocks to buy "Loop-de-loop" (couldn't hold out any longer), and scoped the book that I am going back for next thursday (will show-and-tell then) took Maria back to the burns clinic at Concord for a check up, she burnt herself in cooking, splashed hot butter on her neck, in a big sunburst pattern, it took the school and hour to call Flash, who then called me ( I work 5 minutes down the road, and the school are always supposed to call me first) I raced up there, and found her sitting in the sick bay dapping at the burns with a tissue, I soaked a towel and covered her neck and waited for Flash to arrive, by the time we got her to the GP 1 1/2 hrs had elapsed, most of that with no treatment, the GP replaced the towel with some more wet compresses and sent us to the Burns clinic, the long and short of it was that she is fine, she needs too scrub at the burns a couple of times a day to get rid of the damaged skin, and apply emollient cream a number of times a day, not to go to work for 2 weeks, and no sun for 4 months (poor thing, she loves the beach) because of the increased risk of hyper pigmentation and skin cancer, Flash has written a letter to the school board, outlining what happened, as their reaction to her burns was not good enough, they have her GPs details, and she is just down the street from the school, they could have asked us to meet them there.
On the plus side, she will be fine, and doesn't have to go back to the clinic.

It is Saturday, Flash made yummy lattes, and I got to read the papers in bed, now I will go and finish the baby cardi, then it is SSK, and Flash is off to the Motor Show, have a great weekend folks.

not so in a spin

The washing machine was ailing…the spin cycle couldn’t handle “fast” anymore, just “medium” or even “slow”, if I did a warm or hot wash the pump failed to work at all until the machine had cooled down, sometimes this took all night. I had to coax it gently, and carefully arrange the load to avoid inbalance. I hid all of this from Flash, which was easy, it’s not as though he is going to do any washing anytime soon, ( he has been banished from the laundry, after bleaching our new towels, the dark forest green now spotted and blotched with khaki and sick yellow)

I blamed myself, it had to be the felting, something had clogged the pump, and it was all my fault, Flash would find out my secret, we would have to buy a new machine, and I would be given “the look” if I ever took wool within metres of it.

This weekend the situation came to a head, the machine had been beeping for ages, while I was on the patio, Flash came out and said “ the machine won’t empty, there must be something wrong with the pump” oh no! he knows, it’s all over!, so I told him that it hadn’t been working well for a while, and to switch it off, and after a while it would be ok, next morning we switched it on, still wouldn’t work ( no no no!), Flash got his tools…uh oh, I was out of there, nothing worse than listening to a man frustrated and swearing at an inanimate object!

After a while the swearing stopped, Flash walked into the kitchen holding a piece of machinery...it was the moment of truth, he was going to tell me the pump was clogged with felted wool…I braced myself…”bloody kids” he exclaimed…”what?” I replied
“look at this” and as he bent down and opened his palms to show me the pump, and then I saw it…wrapped around the mechanism, strangling the moving parts… a lime green, child’s hair tie
phew! off the hook...for now, and the spin cycle is working better than ever.

status - normal

WIPs as follows by order of urgency:

1 pair Opal Elementale socks in a dubious colour choice, for close friend whose birthday was 24/09. 75% of 1 sock finished.

1 wrap-style baby cardi in “no weird colours at all” 50% finished

1 knitted kitty toy to test pattern…finished!

1 jellybean sock for Blaise – can’t even be bothered to frog it, let alone knit it

1 one skein wonder – 75% finished

Over the long weekend Flash realised that he was fighting a losing battle asking me to put my knitting away in the knitting closet each night when I finished, he went and bought me a rattan box/stool which suits the lounge nicely, and hides my knitting…win/win!

One of my current wips is a baby cardi, for a friends new wee girl, it is my own design, knit with 3 colours of soft baby yarn, blossom pink, white with confetti spots and pale blue. The other night I was knitting while watching House, always a mistake as the attention was drawn away from the knitting, and when the pattern changed from K2tog at the front edge on every row, to K 10 rows straight, the rythym didn’t change, and suddenly I realised that I had 10 sts less than I should have had at that point…what to do, usually I would have called this a “design feature” and knit the other side to match, but this time it was different, I was test knitting my own pattern, and really had to wrestle myself into submission, “knit the pattern as it is written” I found a needle, threaded it up with a shiny cotton yarn, and placed an afterthought lifeline, then ripped back 10 rows, and found it very satisfying, that I am finally going to knit a garment exactly as described by the pattern (unless I have made a mistake in the pattern, in which case I will edit it)
Flash had gone to bed and I got to thinking about the number of babies who have been born lately, whenever he sends me the first photos of a friend or colleagues new baby he always writes silly comments like:

John’s raisin
Love Flash

We are a little smug about new babies, new parents are always so precious, so we poke a little fun at them privately, because, I suppose it helps us deal with the (and I don’t know if grief is too strong a word) feeling s we have about the fact that we will never have a child together, we have raised and are raising heaps together, but when you think about the fact that we met later in life, when we had both thought our families complete (and had both had “the snip”) and have at least 3 children to put through tertiary education, having a new baby isn’t an option. So we pretend to each other that babies are noisy, messy, annoying little people with very few redeeming qualities, who should be banned from supermarkets and restaurants, to protect one another from the fact that it would have been very nice to have had one…and of course, she would have been the perfect princess.

Okay enough dwelling on what will never be ( unless we inherit a lot of money and have a baby created by micro surgical techniques, and hire a night time baby nurse...)

what I did last night...I have been working on some gifts for some people who can't be names, and was playing around on the sock theme, I always keep the item I make all of the mistakes on for myself...so here it is, a dpn holder, the 2 pockets towards the centre do have dpns in them, but they are shorties! There is also room for a needle sizer, I love this, it is so much smaller than my normal needle roll so I can just throw it in my bag with yarn, and know that I can knit any sock I like! The picture on the front was printed onto transfer paper and ironed on, a wee baby trying to put her own socks on, from this site - called "baby w/socks" (personal use) and the quotation is from Mother Teresa, and says "You can do no great things, only small things with great love" which I think is a particularly apt quote for sock knitters, you have to love someone to handknit socks for them.
The quote was ironed onto a seperate peice of fabric, which was then sewn to the main peice, leaving one end unsewn, lightly filled with dried lavender, and sewed shut, when the case is rolled up you get a lovely hit of lavender, the edges were then frayed. Pink ribbon sewn to the outside to hold it together, very pleasing!

(fabric Kaffe Fassett "Roman mosaic" in pink colourway, less than 1/2 a fat quarter, how's that for value! plain pink cotton for front pocket, and pocket lined with paisley flannel in pastel colours...yes I am still convinced that my needles need flannel to keep them cosy!)

shops too much...

remember that old Monty Python skit with the man called Smokestoomuch...

The building super thought it was my birthday...

here we have
2 balls Opal Rainforest Tiger (socks for Holly born in the year of the tiger)
1 ball Opal Rainforest Flamingo (no kids born in the year of the flamingo...but it is pretty)
2 balls Patons Kroy just because (all from the Naked sheep, who are wonderful speedy people)
odds and ends
the Yarn Harlot's "Yarn harlot - secret life of a knitter" addi dpns with gummi bear stoppers, and the heart stopper...Nancie M Wiseman's book of finishing techniques...I have no more excuses, and I don't care.

Fortune Cat Pattern

Fortune Cat “Pattern”

Here are my guys,
as before, don't flame me if there is a problem, just tell me what you think needs fixing,trust your instincts. Stuff his head and part of his body he can be a glove puppet, make his legs longer, make his ears longer he can be a bunny...experiment!

I ran out of yarn half way through making the bigger kitty, and his face is crooked, in too much of a hurry to get this pattern posted!
Get some DK ( if you want a smaller kitty use thinner yarn and needles, for a bigger kitty, thicker yarn and needles, my little guy is 4ply alpaca/cashmere, the big one is handpainted yarns bulky) thickness wool ( something which will felt)
We are basically going to make a little sock with no heel
With size 3mm – 4.5 mm dpns cast on 36 sts (use a provisional cast on if you are clever)
Work in rounds for about 2 cm, place marker at last st (or note last stitch)
Arms: we are going to put little armhole markers in, just like a thumb marker for mittens.
The last stitch is the middle back stitch.
Knit 10 sts, using waste yarn (smooth strong yarn), knit 5 stitches, knit 6 sts with main yarn, knit 5 sts waste yarn, knit to end with main yarn.
Continue to work rounds for 3 cm (total length 5 cm)
Legs: work as for arms.
Base: dec as follows:k 1 row
k4 k2tog 6 x
K3 k2tog 6 x
K2 k2tog 6 x
K1 k2tog 6 x
K2tog 6 x
if you are using fine yarn you might want to add a row of plain between each decrease row.
Cut thread and pull through remaining stitches, pull tight and secure, leave a length of yarn about 15 cm long.

Head.
Pick up 36 sts at cast on edge of body – except for 5 sts either side of centre back st, cast these on normally – to leave a gap in the back for stuffing.(See photo)
Knit in rounds for 2 cm.
Counting from centre back, knit sts 27 and 28 together. (nose) finish round,
Knit one round.
then decrease by knitting together 2 sts each side of that centre front stitch.
Knit 1 round
Next round decrease again, knit together 2 sts on the outside of the previous decreased sts ( you are making a “V” shape)
K 2 rows.
Knit in rounds until head measures 5 cm.
Dec for head: 18 sts back of head
13 sts front of head
Next round:from centre back, knit 8 sts, k2tog, k to last 10sts, k2tog, k to end
continue until 4 sts between decs.
graft to sts rem at front, or turn inside out.
Ears
Pick up 5 sts along sloping cast off, knit 2 rows garter st, dec 1 st beginning next and each row until 1 st rem, pull thread through.
Embroider face be careful not to carry the black yarn across back of work, as will show through.

Arms and legs: pull waste yarn out carefully, pick up sts and pick up 2 sts each side (or as many as necessary to avoid holes)and work rounds for (2 cm legs) (3 cm arms), dec by k2tog all sts, k 1 row pull yarn through stitches, secure.

Embroider the insides of the ears, and the foot paws with brightly coloured yarn.
Decorate with embroidered or chrocheted flowers, or anything else that takes your fancy.

Cut out a disc of plastic (e.g. ice cream container) about 6cm in diameter, make a little hole in the centre ( thick enough for a yarn needle), thread a yarn needle with the yarn from the bottom of the body, place the disc inside the body, pull the yarn through the centre, and secure by threading through a button a few time, and tying off, make sure the disc is centre, and provides a flat base for the body.

Stuff the arms and legs first, make sure they are well stuffed before stuffing the body, and finally the head. Make sure that the fortune cat is firm and well stuffed.
Sew up the back opening. Tie a piece of yarn around the neck, pulling it until the head is the desired shape, tie off.

Embroider the arm paws with 3 lines to delineate the fingers ( toes?)

Make a little fish by knitting a tube, then knitting little fins on it (like the ears) stuff well and sew to a paw.
Raise the right hand paw, and secure with a few sts to the side of the head.

Place in a lingerie bag or pillowcase with a towel ( to weigh it down as kitty will float in washing machine)

Place in hot wash with soap, check after a few minutes, then check every few minutes until felted to your liking, put through the rest of the rinse cycle ( in cold water) to spin the water out. Squish into shape, leave to dry.

When dry hang a bell or some chinese or Japanese coins around his neck with a ribbon.

Would look great in brightly coloured hand dyed yarn, or maybe white with embroidered cherry blossoms, make bigger or smaller now that you have the idea.

Dilemma

Caution - this post contains references to the Hunter Valley, Donni stop reading now!

The dilemma is wether or not I should post this, after the 2 warnings Donni has already given me...but what the heck, I like to live dangerously...and what is she going to do? ( apart from bury me under her enormous stash, death by wool, what a way to go!)

Yesterday Flash and I, and no children...for all of you out there, living with littlies, enjoy it while you can, one day they will turn 14, get a part time job, and ditch you, family outings will be a thing of the past (unless you regard a trip to the fashion outlet store as an outing) anyway, Flash and I drove up to the Hunter Valley the drive up took about 2 hours due to traffic, we left at 10 am, so were happy about the leisurely drive, once there we decided to just drive around ( no plan as always) and stopped at 3 wineries before lunch, I was the official taster as Flash was driving, and had to put up with some nasty choices that he made "honey I would prefer not to try any Verdelho on this trip" "sparkling shiraz is sparkling shiraz" and "pleeeease pass the water" he does these things on purpose to embarrass me in public...he can't help himself, the boyish glee on his face when he makes me taste a wine he knows I won't like...but I got him back by having the yummiest grilled sardines for lunch, and breathing.

After lunch ( he had a chicken salad, and I embarrassed him back by calling the little lizards who were running around on the restaurant deck "darling") we stopped in at couple of our old standby wineries De Bortolli for some stickies (Late Harvest Semillon only from the cellar door, and Noble One which is available everywhere) and some Shiraz - a big gutsy red that is very Aussie, it doesn't bother knocking, just throws the front door open and yells "I'm here! let's party" it has taken this merlot girl a while to get used to, but Flash was in like the proverbial robber's dog, he calls it "Shazza".
Then to McGuigans for the stock standard mixed dozen for Christmas, a couple of bottles of their yummy Rose, and some black label Merlot and Chardonnay which are great quaffing wines, when you just want to spend a lazy sunday in the sun with friends.
I hunted high and low for Pinot Gris, but the climate must not be right for it here, Chard farm Pinot Gris is probably my favourite summer tipple but impossible to get in Oz, apparently they grow Pinot Gris in South Aus and Victoria, so I will have a look when I go in December, until then I have some Pinot Grigio to get me through.

Despite Flash and his boyish malevolence we had a thoroughly enjoyable day, some good laughs,great wine and food, the weather was idyllic, warm, sunny with just a hint of a breeze. We drove back the loooong way...

okay, okay, so we didn't go via Canada!

Donni, if you are still reading this, I promise I am not even leaving the house today, it is too bloody hot, the only place I will be going out to is the pool.

Knitting content; I tried to find yarn, there was none. I took the sock, and managed to turn the heel and work to half way down the foot, so good progress there.

News of the day

You may now knit on flights in NZ...go on, do it for me.

I have committed a spot of light housekeeping on the blog, although I have a gift for confusion, I decided not to maintain it here, so have sorted the free patterns into “hand” and “machine” knit.
(by the by...my kids once had a PC game, sort of like Pokemon, some of the animals had the power of "confusion" so what I had thought was an annoying personality trait is actually a superpower! I'm going to waylay you with my power of confusion, bewilder you into submission...ok shut up now Justine)

Although I have been machine knitting for about 12 years now ( I started when I was a mere child…cough cough) and have managed to make a living out of it on occasion, I do not consider myself an expert, I know how to do what I know how to do, luckily for those interested in finding out more about machines (Donni…Ailsa…) there are some good resources online ( and offline – Machine knitting clubs abound.) my friends Sonia and Lucia have excellent info and tutorials on their sites, they are very patient and explain concepts and techniques thoroughly (unlike me) this article this week from Knitter’s review has good points for those considering buying a machine, and has confirmed my decision to by a mid-gauge machine…I have always used a standard gauge, and have been hankering after a chunky…but having knitted on a chunky at tech…realise that it really isn’t what I want, because I want to knit double knitting /worsted weight, and this doesn’t work well on a chunky as there aren’t enough needles.

I am going to look around a bit more, get some information from the local machine suppliers (e.g. prices) and try to make my mind up, I have an old electronic which uses Mylar sheets, which I find annoying, I would prefer to use Designaknit, but am not sure wether to get a new standard gauge, or a midgauge electronic…because I want to knit thicker yarns…but I am worried that when I have the Designaknit system I will actually want to knit more in the thinner yarns…dilemmas…but I have heard that the Singer system is modular, so you can start out with the basic machine and add the electronics etc to it…so many choices…I wish I could just roll up to the shop and go “I’ll have one of those, and one of these…and that over there” ahhh, one day.

It is Labour Weekend here in Sydney, the weather is beyond glorious, I had to wear a sunhat while walking to work yesterday! Today is SSK hope someone turns up! we seem to be the only family I know, not going away this weekend, although Flash has another day trip to the Hunter Valley planned ( shakes her head) his Dad is coming over soon, followed a week later by my parents, Flash thinks that if the wine rack is full then they will know that he is "looking after me" what a full wine rack has to do with love and commitment I don't know...but he does, and thats enough for me.

Lucky we didn't touch it...

Jacqui sent me this link, this is my bug...just like a common old NZ stinkbug, but flashy, it's the drag queen version, everything is bigger and brighter in Sydney.

More mail, this time a needlefelting kit, my but those needles are sharp...Flash was worried I was taking up home tatooing, the big silly! and the pattern for the Seascape Shawl I have ordered yarn, can't wait to get started...yes, yes I know I am supposed to be knitting the corset, but waiting for Ailsa to dye her gorgeous yarn, so we can be a support group for one another (anyone else is welcome to join us)

Still knitting Jason's socks, finishing the surprise baby cardi, and ignoring the karangahake wrap (wrap what wrap?)

sp1

sp1
Originally uploaded by castadrift.

Just beautiful

sp2

sp2
Originally uploaded by castadrift.

lookee my goodies,a stitch gauge( I keep meaning to buy one) yummy yarn, yummy chocolate, and 2 magazines, I am so off to have a bubblebath.

sp3

sp3
Originally uploaded by castadrift.

gorgeous stitch markers- I LOVE that dragonfly

mmmmmmmmmmail

Blaise did the usual, theres no mail for you....except thiii-iiiss when I came home from work today, interesting...my name and address as sender and sendee.
My Secret Pal is quick off the mark, generous and thoughtful.

Look at the beautiful wrapping, the little tags are SO cute.
Thank you.

little gems

I have been accused many time of not seeing the forest for the trees, sometimes I just get so bogged down by detail...this time it paid off.

Today Flash and I went for a walk around the bay from Lilyfield to Birkenhead Point and back, on the way we discovered these little guys. Can anyone identify the beetle?

Heres another shot, apparently there are 15000 species of beetle in Sydney, and it is bloody hard to photograph one when the camera wants to focus on the grass, or a line on the road...

These guys had decimated a shrub, I think they are woolly bears, they would be at home...but I am not sure, I have never seen caterpillars in such numbers.

I have written out the Fortune Cat pattern, and am testing it, so it will be posted soon because you asked so nicely Em and Mon.

I drove down to Wollongong again yesterday, spent some time with Donni, was overwhelmed at her Aladdin's Cave of yarn, and her studio...very cool, very inspiring. Then went to the SnB, and caught up with Donna and Em (above) who brought "A Gathering of Lace" along (so now I have to buy) and Ailsa, who was witty and delightful as ever, we had a great time, very much worth the drive just for the boost it gives me to keep working towards my goals.

and lastly, yes my baby came home, sweaty and happy just after midnight...I was waiting on the patio, and saw her getting dropped off by her friend's Mum, who was as bewildered as I at how fast they grow up...and since Blaise is the last of the 5...well you think I would have it figured out by now!

Just Jussi - shrugging shoulders since 1968....

I am stunned after that Imogen post, thanks for the emails and comments. I should get myself a website so that I can post patterns and things like that, without filling up the blog, but hey, we all know that ain’t gonna happen anytime soon, unless I decrease the hours I spend as a wage slave.
(note to self - add to list as reason #57 for reducing my hours)

This week I have been reasonably productive, knitting – wise
( life-wise too…I finally finished and lodged my tax return-yahoo- go me! no seriously, we kiwis have it made when it comes to tax returns…we no longer have very much we can deduct, we have no Medicare, most wage-earners don’t need to file returns, I filed one for the last tax year because I only worked half the year, so have money owing to me – yay, but this Aussie system had me pulling my hair out, Flash has conceded defeat and gone to an accountant.)

Anyway, I have made 3 One Skein Wonders…because wherever I was when I was working on them, I didn’t want to do the pick up around entire edge, so put them aside for later, and started a new one, then I sat down with all three in one evening and did the edging. The actual knitting is so easy, I no longer required the pattern after the first one, and the sizing is so good, I can make it in a thinner yarn to make a smaller size or a thicker yarn for a larger size, and have put together a bag of orphan balls of yarn that I can use to make them…guess what all of the kids will have in their stockings come Christmas! The main thing I like about them is …it’s a garment…but it has less rows than a sock.

I have played with the pattern a wee bit, as you do, tweaked it for my convenience, I am using dpns to knit the sleeves so that I manage to escape even that teeeeny bit of seaming, I have played with a picot hole before and after the sleeve “seam” increases and threaded ribbon through for added interest, and of course the ubiquitous colour and yarn variations. I will of course draw the line at a fun fur edging, I will not expose my children to rainbow feathers. Though I do think it could be interesting as an accompaniment to a ball gown…made in real fur of course…not.

So here is Blaise, with her sweet little shrug in handpainted yarns “Pagoda”, her fibrearts “desert sunset” and her Bamboo in cobalt blue (and I am tempted to make her one in Karaoke rainbow…to make up for her previous hippie comments…that said the child has very hippi-ish leanings herself fashionwise…but she calls it “bohemian”)
Though she isn’t shy about her foot long scar, wearing one of these does cover it when she is wearing skinny straps, for those times when she doesn’t feel like explaining, so that just makes this cute thing even better.

postscript: this child has just headed off to a Garbage concert...she has tickets for the Mosh pit, I am not a little nervous, this is sorely testing my mission statement to"raise sassy girls" , I want my baby home playing video games against Flash, (and winning)...breathe Justine.

Imogenings

This has been an interesting project, I started out wanting to make myself a black lace cardigan…I had lost my Manon Salois cut and sew book, and decided I didn’t want to face cut and sew lace without it, so created a fully-fashioned pattern, no more time consuming in the long wrong and a lot less stress. I made it for myself, for my measurements and fashion quirks. I can see a lot of colour and pattern potential in this style like how the cardigan can be adapted to sit neatly, or asymmetrically, or even as a sweater. It is a very forgiving pattern.

I decided to write the pattern up, and if any brave souls want to give it a try, then best of luck to them, and I hope my gibberish makes sense, I received a number of emails from friends and allies suggesting that this should not be a free pattern, and I gave this idea much thought, a lot of time and energy is expended in creating a garment from scratch, but I feel most people appreciate this and would not take advantage. I had thought about presenting it to a Machine knitting magazine, but there are precious few of those around, and frankly at present I do not have the energy to spend working up the pattern in different sizes, and writing clear instructions. I expect that anyone who does tackle this project would have a basic understanding of machine knitting, and would know where to research a term like “e-wrap”.

I apologise in advance for the lack of clarity in the pattern, I have yet to write patterns to “Knitty standard” but I am learning, I would suggest that prior to doing the shaping that you write yourself a list of numbers- the rows that you need to inc or dec on, that way you don’t need to think as hard while you are knitting. I wrote a separate column of numbers for each section, dec on back, inc on back, inc on sleeve, dec on front etc, and that you have a system, so you know when you have inc’d / dec’d (eg pulling needle out to HP)

That said, this is my pattern, I created it, I own it, I would LOVE to see pictures if you do make it, I don’t mind you making it for a friend, if she pays you for the yarn and your time…fine…but do not infringe on my copyright by using this pattern for commercial gain.

Imogen – allover lace fitted wrap cardigan.

Tension 40rows x 26stitches = 10cm (4 inches)
Yarn I used 2 ends of laceweight wool, so a 3ply or thin 4 ply.

Notes:
Once again, these are not precise instructions…more of a guide.
I have not used a hem or rib, as my fabric lies flat after steaming, and the lace makes a nice edge .Make a test square, if the fabric does not lie flat after steaming you will have to add a hem, I would suggest stst on the back of the hem, lace on the front (and a different colour on the stst will show through the lace and add a nice touch) use a tighter tension for the hem.

Size: medium 36 inch bust
If you want it smaller or larger add or subtract some stitches. You will have to adjust the dec and incs, use a programme like “Knitware” it has a magic equation facility.

Pattern: I used a small falling leaf lace from the handmade mylars lady I bought the machine from. It is an 8 st repeat.
I call a “row” the use of the knit carriage, (and row counter) the lace carriage does not knit rows.
Any problems let me know.

Cast on for back:
150 sts cast on with waste yarn, knit a few rows, then e-wrap all needles with main yarn.
K 2 rows plain
Commence lace pattern RC 000
Dec 1 st each end every 10th row 4 x
Dec 1 st each end every 9th row 4 x (76 rows)
Knit 2 rows
Inc 1 st each end every 9th row 4 x
Inc 1 st each end every 10th row 4 x (RC 154)
Armhole shaping
Dec 2 sts beg next 4 rows
Dec 1st armhole edge beg next 40 rows (RC 198)
Work 50 rows straight
Hold 14 sts beg next 4 rows
Cast off on waste yarn(RC 252)

Cast on for front:
98 sts
K 2 rows plain
Commence lace pattern RC 000
At side edge
Dec 1 st at each side seam edge every 10th row 4 x
Dec 1 st at each side seam edge every 9th row 4 x (76 rows)
Knit 2 rows
Inc 1 st at side seam edge every 9th row 4 x
Inc 1 st at side seam edge every10th row 4 x

AT THE SAME TIME at RC 112
Start dec on neck edge
Dec 1 st every 4th row 6 x
Dec 1 st every 3rd row 38x

AND at RC 154
Dec for armholes at side edge
Dec 2 sts at side edge beginning next and alt row (4 rows total of 4 sts decreased)
Dec 1 st armhole edge beg next 40 rows
Work 50 rows straight (RC 248)
Hold 14 sts at side edge next 4 rows ( 28 sts held) cast off on waste yarn

Cast on for sleeve
Cast on 64sts
K 2 rows plain
Commence lace pattern RC 000
Work 58 rows
Inc 1 st each end every 8th row 13 x
Inc 1 st each end every 7th row 4 x
Cast off 2 sts beginning next 4 rows
Dec 1 st beginning next 62 rows
Cast off by linker or chain st cast off.(RC 240)

To make up
As a jumper:
You will need to sew the front, back and other front together in the side seam.See instructions below for the rest.

As a cardigan:
Join left front to back,(wrong side facing you, right sides facing each other) by picking up stitches from waste yarn, knit 1 row at max tension, cast of loosely. Do the same with the right.

Do not unravel the waste yarn yet, as you still have live sts at back neck.

Sew up the (wait a minute! Attach the ribbon about 8 inches up from the bottom on one side)side seams, matching carefully, (I used a sewing machine), sew sleeve seam, then sew into armhole.

Back at the knitting machine, work a false cable (wiggly worm) along fronts and back neck, as follows:
Wrong side facing, pick up and place 3 sts on needles, work 4 rows at tension 8, pick up the next 3 sts (use a 3 needle tool, it will give the right spacing), place on the same 3 needles, work 4 rows, continue in this manner until all stitches have been worked (including live sts from back neck)

Now you can fasten, this is how I did it, but experiment! You can use a brooch or stick instead of the ribbon, or a big kilt pin.
I attached hooks and eyes to fasten the inner side of the wrap, one at the bottom, one a couple of inches below the armpit. You have already attached a piece of ribbon to one side, on the other front, carefully sew another length of ribbon to the corner where you started decreasing the front.

Enjoy

Spring

Today Flash and I had to get out of town, high tail it to the hills and get some FRESH AIR, so we drove through the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, to Lithgow, back around to North Richmond and home to Sydney, on the way we stopped at Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens...kind of accidentally, but in a serendipitous kind of way.

We only had an hour before it closed, but it was great, we had tea on the verandah overlooking this scenery, the colours of the hills changed as the clouds moved over them.

We ordered lime coconut cake ,scone bread pudding and a pot of Earl Grey...the cake was like a polenta cake, very tangy with long coconut threads, it came with clotted cream on the side, the pudding was made from ( yesterdays) scones with lots of dried fruit and spices (cream too) we ate half each and then swapped...we are civilised that way!(please note I did not take a photo of the food...I was tempted too, it was served beautifully on a circle of banana leaf...Flash drew the line at me taking photos of food in a restaurant)

Off we wandered, there are lots of different areas...Gondwana Forest, Rock gardens, herb gardens, NZ garden,Asiatic garden ( which will look amazing in a couple of weeks) etc etc...we have to go back for another look.

I was very taken with the number of red and pink blooms, my taste seems to be moving away from blues, towards red...I have always seen blue as calm and red as vibrant...what does this mean I wonder ? anyway, here is a taste of some of the beautiful spring flowers

The chocolate red of these tulips was striking and sophisticated...ah I miss my garden. They had many dye-plants, madder, indigo and another I can't remember the name of ...it yields a golden dye..."dyers something"

Glorious frothy flannel flowers, one of my favourite Australian natives, I can't resist their velvety softness and abundant blooms.

After the gardens we drove through Bilpin...home of the mountain apple! if you get a chance head out there for some sweet crunchy pink ladies and apple pie...every roadside fruit stall sold apple pie, and they all smelled delicious.

I have found heaven...

... and it is in Uruguay.

After tracking the parcel from Uruguay, through Argentina, Brussels and Amsterdam ( sounds like a dodgy mail run to me) the lovely DHL man dropped a big yellow bag at my office early this morning, when I arrived I noticed there were slightly more people in here than normal…5 compared to the usual 1…hovering, pretending to look for things, fix the photocopier, adjust the air-con, all waiting to see what was in the bag…I knew what was coming, but wasn’t prepared for how yummy it would look, how soft it feel, how vinegary ( in a good way) it would smell (no I didn’t taste it…not a good look when you are pretending to be the boss) 2 co-workers disappeared immediately, no doubt disappointed with my purchases, the others succumbed to the lure of the pretty colours and oooohed and aaahed like converts (one of them had to be shown the website immediately)

Look at all of this glorious yumminess, I won’t be going out at all this weekend…except to SSK of course, and this will be coming too. I have plans for the multicoloured laceweight…it will look very different the next time you see it, as for the bulky, not sure right now, but the plan will come together, it always does.


I thanked the yarn gods for the lovely ladies in Uruguay…and hope that they aren’t sick and tired of handpainting yarn, and love it just as much as I do, I worry about wether they are being exploited, or if this is a good way for them to support their families and they really enjoy it, I wonder if they knit, I wonder if their boss stresses them out because she is a control freak and the colour wasn’t “just so”and they go home yell at the kids, kick the llama, collapse on the couch to watch t.v. and tell their husband that if they never see another freakin’ skein of yarn again it will be too bloody soon.
I wonder if I should go have a lie down with a cool flannel on my forehead…

After a phonecall to a friend in NZ who knows about these things, it seems the Uruguay wool co-operatives are kosher so I should support them as much as I can…to this end I have just placed another order, this time for a jumper’s worth of bulky in the “surf” colourway, pale pastel blue shadings that are so “me”, and an “Ella”s worth of laceweight in a dark blue/white colourway which reminds me of indigo tie-dye, what can I say, I am a child of the (late) ‘60s, tie-dye is in my blood, no matter how sophisticated I seem (cough, cough) and a note to my children – no I never did dress you like hippies, yes there were some handpainted dresses, but they were made by professionals. I only made your jumpers, hats and cardis and from what I recall there were lots of kitties, and fairies on those, no tie-dye…maybe a few rainbow stripes …

I got mail

mmmm yummy silk noil goodness from Ozeyarn, of course I had to take a photo at dusk, so it looks like a big pile of orange! and yes those are addi turbos...but hush hush, it's ok, the noil isn't slippery like most silk yarn, don't stress.

Here is a link for my Secret Pal...because most of you don't want to read my questionnaire.

And a couple of things that I think are cool, saving money or sick of life in the electronic lane? Pocket-mod is your new friend.Cute fabric, good prices, my neice is so getting something made with the red bunny fabric (rompers, pinafore, sundress...)

I know this much is true...

I have been a negative whiny pain in the arse lately, between the kidney infection, and constant colds, I have become run down and grumpy, so, I have given myself a good talking to:

I will not always live in Oz, so I should damn well make the most of living in this Paradise, and quit missing Godzone (NZ).

I used to work with people who couldn’t work due to illness…not working is more stressful than working, so I need to suck it up or sort it out.

Our kids, my 3, his 2, our 5…we brought them up to be sassy, stroppy, independent young women, so why am I feeling like I have abandoned them…when they are doing what they were brought up to do…and succeeding!

I’m too fat…lose weight, otherwise shut up and buy bigger clothes!

Spring is here, get out in the sunshine and buck up kiddo!

Mag round-up
Knitty – Ella, hands down. I have been wanting to knit a shawl for ages.
Magknits – the "crime of fashion" scarf…with a “police line do not cross” motif…for Charlotte
The new australian Yarn magazine…welcome to our world. This mag promises to be sharp and styley.
The latest issue of "Creative Knitting" is out, I'm afraid I only bought it for the articles (lol) they have brought the magazine to a slightly higher standard than it was, but will have to work harder with "Yarn" at their heels, Ailsa's article is hilarious. (check it out they are discussing Clapotis in the forum there) The Creative knitting crew need to work smarter, many of the links on their stockist page are either non-existent or wrong, which just looks unprofessional.

And to end on a much more positive note than where I started...

Many of you know about my youngest daughter Blaise, living with congenital spinal defects, partially rectified by spinal fusion. So, she signs up for kickboxing...I am dubious, Flash's co-worker does kick boxing and is always breaking some part of her anatomy...I drive Blaise to the local PCYC (like the YMCA, run by the police...great idea) I hand over the completed membership form and $5, he reads through what I have written in the "does your child have any health issues we need to know about" section, and smiles..."you happy for her to do this?" he asks, "does it involve person-on-person contact?" I reply "nope just person-on-bag!"
I say "can't wrap them in cotton wool" and he replies " many people try, and it is really just a prison, your'e a good parent letting her test her boundaries"
I felt like a kid (in a good way) a police man had just given me a gold star!

Spice girls

I have to show you the present I received upon Flash’s return home,
A cinnamon tea box…made out of a scroll of cinnamon bark, and lightly carved,(like the dragon one in the centre of the page) doesn’t look very exciting, but the scent is heaven…and the customs man said it was ok, so no fumigation YAY! This was the only thing I wanted from Vietnam (I’m a girl of simple tastes) we are big on spices in our house, our breakfast usually has cinnamon or cloves, the kids add garlic and cumin seeds to the rice they cook for an afternoon snack, nutmeg oil for sprains and strains, orange or peppermint in the burner to uplift us, lavender or sandalwood to calm.

We spent the weekend cleaning like demons (him) and lying on the couch coughing (me), the real estate agent wanted to check the broomcloset (knitting room) for damage from the upstairs leaking washing machine incident of last week, and my husband wanted to make a good impression, so we girls just stayed out of his way while he sprayed and wiped and mopped...we watched dvds, made chocolate fudge cake ( hedgehog slice in Oz), and lavender – honey biscotti ( and knitted socks) now he has the silly head cold thing that I have had for the past week, and has sent himself to bed. P.S. the agent turned up last night, and looked at the knitting room damage…she didn’t really want to inspect the rest of the apartment...she was impressed…he looked like someone had just given him a medal…cute.

I am half-way through a jellybean sock the pattern is from Wise needle,every time I look at it I think it is too wide, but when Blaise tries it on it fits fine, this is my first experience of a toe-up sock, it took a bit of getting my head around the first couple of rows, but wasn’t any more difficult than toe –down, some people have very strong preferences, I’m not fussed, that said, I haven’t got to the cast-off yet! The yarn is colori from Elann…I have not taken to the colours the way I did with their pink/purple combo.

Imogen has been sewn up, just finished the final touches, weaving in of ends and sewing on of ribbon, I pretty happy with it, but there is something,I can’t put my finger on it, it is very figure hugging…maybe the problem is not the cardi…but me…oops that’s a bit deep. I decided to go with the green ribbon, rather than the black, just felt better.

The babysilk for my Corset (with sleeves) has arrived from Elann…it is so soft, with a deep sheen, can’t wait to start, but once again, that is a “wait for the weekend” job, I couldn’t bear to make any mistakes out of fatigue.I have bough Brittany Birch straights and addi bamboo ciculars to make this the ultimate knitting experience. (Ailsa…I haven’t forgotten about the Great australasian corset-along…who else can we get to join us???)

Purchased the “One skein wonder” pattern from the gorgeous Glampyre, and Blaise has decided on some red/pink hand dyed silk noil from Ozeyarns

Behold the power of the Yarn Harlot…14 year old Blaise walks past the laptop…
”whose girl is that ?” she asks ( the picture on the screen is the Harlot’s daughter in her one skein wonder)
“ a knitter/writer from Canada, she has 3 girls too” I reply,
“nice top” says Blaise,
“want one?” I ask,
“yes please…in that pinky, reddy, shiny wool”

"do you want me to teach you how to knit"

"no Mum, I'm just an actor "slash" writer"

fortunate

Yay! the camera is home ( yay Flash is home too...of course)
so here he is, my proto-type knitted fortune cat...as yet nameless.
The purple thing in his hand is supposed to be a fish, I have bought some purple yarn which apparently will felt better than this did, and I know what little adjustments to make to his shaping...but I like him despite his flaws.

here he is with some of his mates from Japan...I am loathe to say I collect them...but I have about 10...

what a man!

remember my snakes from february...my 3 wee pit vipers in the Snake Temple in Penang...well my husband just had to go and out do me didn't he...not only does he go to Vietnam without me...but on his cruise down the Me Kong delta...he meets a friend.

as for me, nothing anywhere near as exciting, work, work, work and a head cold, just sock knitting, don't want to wreck any good knitting...oh, and I miss him.

More rain...

though luckily not inside this time!
It is raining here in Sydney, for the first time in ages, and boy did we need it, I am enjoying standing at the open door and smelling the refreshing scent of rain, instead of fumes and grime, and it has been a perfect excuse for us to stay indoors, in our jammies, the kids with their books, and me with my knitting.

I have managed to get a lot done today, bacon and eggs for breakfast with the kids, a long long bubblebath, finished knitting Imogen , which is blocking all over the lounge floor as I write ( there is an upside to Flash being away, he would be griping and moaning about having to step over all of the towels). I have made a little knitted fortune cat out of lilac baby cashmere, he is about 5 inches high, with a face like a smiling Buddha, he is a delight, but the yarn didn’t felt, so I am going to have to find some non-machinewash wool and have another go, I was really happy with this one, it is nice that he turned out so well, next time I will make some small improvements…ahhh, I can’t wait until Flash gets back from Vietnam…to get the camera back!

On another subject, last weekend I was buying some clothes, and the sales guy said “I bet everyone calls you Bridget Jones” I smiled and said no, but thanks…now I am thinking…was it good or bad…was he saying that I look like fat tart pulled through a bush backwards…or do I look like I would be sexy in big pants? I know that I could stand to lose a few (dozen) pounds…but is it really that bad??? Or is it the English Rose complexion? In which case it is all good…and why do I care??? Oops self-esteem alert...definitely wine o'clock - time to relax in front of a dvd..."Much ado about nothing" I think, enjoy a glass of merlot, and shut out the world.

Ruffled scarf pattern

Ruffled lace scarf ( standard gauge machine knit)

Please adapt this pattern to whatever yarn you have on hand, there are no hard and fast rules, this is just a general guideline. I knitted this for my Nana, just to arrange under a jacket, if you want to wrap it, make the centre section longer.

I used 20g Artisan laceweight yarn in “paua” and 25g laceweight pale pink.

I cast on 6o sts with waste yarn, pull all needles out and e-wrap them with paua yarn
Knit 2 rows ( tension 4 )
Commence lace pattern ( I used a small falling leaves pattern, so that I had a decorative edge)
Work 100 rows.
Change to pale pink yarn
Work 100 rows in a different lace pattern ( I used a florets lace, just a simple 4 hole flower)
Place a marker thread across each 20th row.
Cast off on waste yarn.
Work another piece exactly the same.

Graft the two ends of the scarf together.
Block

Ruffles:

With paua yarn follow the first steps of the pattern again, but with 120 sts, knit 10 rows falling leaf lace, cast off on waste yarn, do not remove from the machine, knit 2 paua coloured, and 2 pink coloured. You see how you use an e-wrap, you release each new ruffle, as the previous one is attached to the scarf, and the waste yarn removed.

Attach the ruffles to the scarf in the following manner:
Right side facing.Pick up sts along the width of the scarf where the colours change, use a pink ruffle (right side facing) place 2 stitches on each needle, pull all needles out to HP, knit across from right to left at Tension 10, cast of with a linker, or a latchet hook, to make a chain cast off.

Pick up stitches from the marked rows in the pink section, use paua ruffles.

As you see, this pattern is very adaptable, make it wider or longer, add more ruffles, have fun.

Rain

So, I am sitting at the knitting machine, and I notice a drip, drip, drip...go into the kids bathroom, check the taps...nope, push the shower head down, a trickle of water escapes...ok,
sit down, drip, drip, drip...check the kids toilet, taps off...toilet not leaking...drip, drip, drip, ( I'm feeling like I am reading a children's story right about now) on the ceiling of the kids toilet...hmmm, back to the knitting machine...aha! water on the floor, water on cones of yarn (NOOOOOOO) water in a document box...I look up ( the ceiling is about 20 ft high) and see a crack in the plaster, quite faint, and dripping water. Grab yarn, move books and machine, grab towels, scream for Flash, he rings the super, while I go downstairs and buzz the apartment above us...not home...
The super comes and has a look at the damage...must have been building up for a while he says, we figure from the position, that the leak is in their kitchen pipes, the super goes off to call his boss and check for keys, finally the owner comes home...its the washing machine, it has been flooding for a while "but I didn't think it would cause any damage" people live below you sweetheart...water travels down! (slaps forehead) I didn't hassle her about the yarn...it is acrylic I bought to use as waste yarn anyway...if it had been the denim I would be inconsolable.

Flash left for NZ yesterday, he is staying in Auckland, taking customers to the rugby (insert suitable male sounds of approval) and having a great old time " the people are so friendly" he said this morning "the people are US you ninny" I replied. I haven't exactly made a secret of the fact that I miss home..have I ? it's not that I don't like Oz...love it, love the heat, the action, the flora and fauna, the people, the food...but I miss my friends and family, so I am very jealous that he is there, and I am here...so I have ameliorated my feelings by spending money( as you do)

I bought the pattern for this:


from here by Paypal ( have just joined and am loving it!)
I looked at the Artyarn Regal, and it is beautiful, but couldn't find a colourway to suit me in this garment, so I ended up going to Elann and buying 26 balls of Peruvian baby silk in black to make the corset with full length sleeves, ( here is an example, but I'll make them straight) as a winter evening top, I think it will great with a long full skirt, I have one from Verge in olive taffetta and black net in vertical stripes which will team up nicely.

The week has been a hectic one, the boss left on friday for 5 weeks overseas, so I am in need of some quiet and relaxation. SSK this afternoon, DVDs and Thai with the girls tonight, I want to fit in some (light) cleaning, a bubblebath and lots of knitting...still have Imogen's last sleeve waiting for me.