skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I admit, I've been 'too busy' to blog lately, but I can say that I've been very busy knitting! So, that makes up for something, doesn't it?
I've just come back from two weeks of school holidays, or "Mummy and WonderBoy time" as we term it at home. I've made the most of his continuing to nap for around two hours every afternoon, using the time to rest my increasing girth stretched out on the lounge, knitting away like a madwoman. It's quite interesting, really; it doesn't matter how frenzied the knitting gets, it's still a calming exercise.
Here's the first finished object. It's Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's 'Baby Mine', something I am exceedingly proud of completing. I bought it from Blue Moon Fibre Arts, along with two skeins of 'Socks That Rock' mediumweight the day after Stephanie mentioned casually on her blog that the pattern was available for sale.
Tell me that lace pattern isn't beautiful...
The pattern is just so well-written, easy to follow and understand. All this, plus the fact that there are no seams to sew, to complete it. None at all! *Sigh*. Stephanie, you're marvellous!
I loved the colourway, Pebbles, as soon as I saw it. I wasn't in love with the idea of knitting it in solid cream, green or yellow (all the 'safe' colours!), but when I saw Pebbles, I jumped. Looking at it now, I do have the odd concern that maybe it isn't quite as non-girly or neutral as maybe it should be. Pete thinks maybe he feels this one might be a girl, but we will have to find out the old fashioned way...
The next finished object is a facewasher for WonderBoy. Lately he's been into using the facewasher in the shower to pretend to be different things. When he scrunches the washer up and places it in a ball on his head, he says "Look Mummy, I'm a potato!"... Surreal. He then wraps it around his neck and tells me he's "a man". When I asked him how he's a man, he explained to me that the washer is his 'black tie'. I think he got this one from The Wiggles, bless them... The last pretending is with the washer around his neck again. This time, he tells me it's his stethoscope, which he then uses to listen to my stomach. He tells me "I can hear the baby knocking, Mummy!" and pretends to be my GP checking up on his new baby brother or sister...
I chose the design, 'Luv Bug' for WonderBoy's washer, and he watched the progress of the knitting with great interest as I completed it over a couple of days...
Next up, a baby blanket for Little One! Stay tuned...
August has truly been a fertile month. I know of at least four friends and family members who have popped in August or are well due to pop late August (ie. now!).
So at the moment, I've put aside my Noro lace scarf (which is probably the best option for me at the moment - I can't knit more than three rows without screwing up! I'd like to blame pregnancy hormones for my total lack of ability to count, but I know it's because I still try to watch DVD episodes of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' while knitting...
I have taken up one of two wee hats that I really should have got started, like, the day I found out these two little darlings joined the world, but I was more than a little waylaid with my scarf. And then there's a little face washer for each in the queue. Here's the first hat, nearly there. I hopefully should have it done by tomorrow afternoon, especially since we're off to Sydney. I do all my best (by my best I mean my most productive, of course!) knitting as a passenger on long car trips.
The yarn is Shepherd 'Colour 4 Me' 8 ply. I don't think it has a colourway, per se, but it doesn't have a bunch of numbers that are probably irrelevant to most people. I bought it under consultation from WonderBoy, at Lincraft... he's pretty good with colours. Loves purple, for some reason.
Still, it'll be good to get going of some baby stuff for my Little One!
I do love knitting and using face washers. I find that they're the softest to use on delicate skin, even more so after each wash and trip through the dryer. I use the patterns that most people knit to use as dishcloths, but... I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I just can't bear to use these lovely handknits to scrub dishes and wipe the benches with!
Which is why I've recently spent a heap of expanding my face washer yarn stash (Peaches n' Creme) at The Wool Shack, in Perth. They are a great bunch of people to buy from; exceedingly helpful and friendly - they called me once after I'd ordered a heap of Peaches n' Creme, to apologise that they had run out of one of the colours I'd asked for and to ask which I'd like instead. Such lovely, personal service! Sadly, however, they are now unable to stock Peaches n' Creme because the freight costs are just too expensive. I sympathise with them - I tried to order from their American website and found that the cost of the yarn was fantastic, even with the exchange rate, but the cost of the shipping was about three times the cost of the yarn itself. Boo. :(
I just wish I knew of a similar worsted weight cotton yarn for face washers and dishcloths available in Australia. Any ideas?
I knew it, I knew it! I tempted the Knitting Goddess to wreak havoc, on Christmas Eve of all times, and she certainly delivered a blow to my knitting ego! I was motoring along on my mother-in-law's washcloth when around 10pm, I realised I wasn't coming back to twenty-one stitches at the end of each segment; I was coming back to seventeen. What had I done with the extra four stitches? Buggered if I know, even now - I chucked it all in my knitting bag and huffed off to bed. Haven't even looked at it since! Mostly, for this reason:
This is my Christmas present from Pete: A fair-dinkum, real, true Jordana Paige Knitter's Satchel! Featured here in the colour 'Cappucino', it is a gorgeous way to schlep my current projects around and the ill-fated washcloth just didn't make the Christmas morning cut. WHen I showed my mum, she remarked "Oh, it looks just like a normal handbag!" I replied "And thus the deception is complete". Pete bought it through the Aussie website YarnsOnline, and the lovely bags can also be seen in their natural habitat, at Jordana Paige.
Meanwhile, the Christmas treats continue. Pete took me to the movies today for a nice Wonderboy-free outing (we do so love the little bugger, but it is nice to go out and about, just the two of us every now and then. Can I hear it from the parents out there? Yeah. That's what I'm talking about) to the Greater Union 'GoldClass' cinemas to see 'The Golden Compass'.
First, the cinema - oh... my... goodness... What a way to relax and enjoy a movie! We were ushered into out own little area, like a V.I.P. spot, behind closed doors, where we reclined on sofas and ordered our lunch and drinks. Luvverly.
We were escorted to our pre-booked seats in the cinema, where we found they were plush armchairs with electric recliners and enjoyed the film. Occasionally, cinema staff would quietly let themselves in, creep over to your seat and deliver your ordered food and drink. Sure beats the hell out of cold popcorn!
A very civilised way to enjoy a film. You certainly pay for the privilege, but we figured that we don't go to see films anywhere near as much as we did before Wonderboy arrived, so it's nice to treat ourselves when we do.
Which lead me to wonder, as I watched the film; how many other knitters out there were watching and thinking about the fantastic knitted garments featured? I'd love to post some examples from the movie, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to, especially when everything is copyrighted so much. Grrr. I couldn't even get pictures from the official website.
But, for the curious, check out 'The Golden Compass' on IMDb, and Froggie Meanie added her own 'Lyra's Hat' patterns to her blog and on Ravelry. I can't wait to make a little wee one for my little wee Wonderboy!
I did spin that night, and so have asked for trouble. Trouble hasn't yet arrived, but I think the flight will come in later this week - I'm due to pick trouble up from the airport. Have I used that analogy up yet? Yeah.
I have to say, time flies when I'm spinning. I hadn't got anywhere near the wheel since my last lesson (too much Christmas knitting!) and so I was worried when I didn't just pick it up again straight away. This was one of the first times I'd had to set everything up from the get-go, and figure out the tension myself. As a result, I feel that quite a lot of it is overspun, but I think I might be getting better at maintaining a reasonably consistent thickness (apart from joins - I still have to practice at this) as I spin. I might do a bit more spinning tonight...
In the spirit of really rolling out the red carpet for Trouble, today I took Wonderboy to our local indoor play centre (Mummy went to a Christmas party last night and needed some time to knit while Wonderboy could play in a padded, fenced off area). Instead of continuing with the first of a pair of 'Fuzzy Feet' (a fuzzy foot?), where I am decreasing for the toe - I have never done Kitchener Stitch and did not want to try it in a crowded children's play centre; I chose to keep working on a new washcloth I started (for myself!) last weekend. I have so many other UFOs to be getting on with, but goodness knows I don't have the attention span to keep on with the same one in any extended period of time!
And here it is: I have to say, I am IN LOVE with the pattern this cotton has formed as I knit. Every few rows, I would hold it up to show Pete, saying "Look, look! Can you believe the way this is turning out? Aren't you amazed?". He was less than totally blown away, but here it is for your consideration. What do you think?
And this is the final washcloth for the time being; this is the first one I completed through the "Monthly Dishcloths KAL" I joined on Ravelry awhile ago.
It's a bit hard to see the the squirrel here; you'll have to trust me that's it's there. My camera tends to smush all the detail together when I try to take close ups with the flash on.
Often the themes to washcloths (I find I can't call them dishcloths; I wouldn't be able to bring myself to use one to scrub out a filthy saucepan!!) are seasonal to the United States, and so I found myself knitting a washcloth with a squirrel on it! Hehehe... I still giggle when I use it in the shower, and Pete still thinks I'm a raving lunatic.
It's good to see that nothing changes around here.
Tell me that lace pattern isn't beautiful...
I chose the design, 'Luv Bug' for WonderBoy's washer, and he watched the progress of the knitting with great interest as I completed it over a couple of days...
