One's trash, another's stash...

I was most excited to have the opportunity to increase the ol' stash last week, when my mum dropped by with a couple of bulging shopping bags...

Mum volunteers at a local charity op-shop that happens to be situated next door to a yarn shop, and on the day in question (your Honour!), a lady had gone next door with these bags of leftover yarns - although I'm not entirely certain what she thought the yarn shop were going to do with them - and finding them shut, went to the op-shop and left the bags with mum...

And here are the contents!It's not fabulously clean and not much of it is in complete skeins, but a lot of the colours are quite complementary, and because there's a lot of fancy and interestingly textured yarn I'm seeing the potential for a couple of scarves knit with several yarns at the same time... Should be fun experimenting, at least!I'm not even sure what the smeg it is, or even if it IS able to be spun, but I'm sure I'll have fun trying to find out...

And another op-shop find by my talented mum:
I don't know if this Cleckheaton Panama yarn is even made and sold anymore, these look like pretty well-travelled balls... but it is 100% cotton, and I reckon that once unwound and washed, I could dye them some nice kiddie colours and knit up some comfy cotton tops, especially for Little One (who, for those wondering, is showing NO signs of heading south!) later on this year.

I'm getting a lot of fulfillment from knitting children's things right now, there's such a sense of achievement when several projects come off the needles in the space of one month! Although, that being said, I really must pull the drape cardigan out and have a proper crack at it - maybe a new year and a fresh eye on the pattern will help me figure out what I thought is a hideous mathematical error in the increases on the front of this cardie, but as there's no errata listed for this magazine (Simply Knitting?), I have to come to the conclusion that I mustn't be reading this correctly...

I digress. Finished projects?

Here's the finished and blocked Baby Wrap Top, by Erika Knight;... and the next two squares knit for January, ready for the 2009 'Year in a Blanket' KAL. The intarsia on the giraffe isn't completely setting me on fire, but I'm coping (hehe), and the mitred square is a little smaller than I'd intended, but that can be remedied with a crochet border.

Last bit of knitting news (hopefully the last before I have a baby to announce!) is that the Clapotis is underway, and looking loverly so far. With the colour being such gorgeous deep reds, I feel like titling it the 'Raspberry Clapotis'... all ready for hospital knitting!

Block Party

Finally. The reason why I have had so few posts to feature finished objects lately?

I've been too damn busy/lazy to block the little buggers, and I think it all just looks so much nicer to post once blocked. Call me a perfectionist, but there you go!

First up, there's the Fern Lace Scarf. I've enjoyed knitting this one, don't get me wrong; it's just that I had to put it down so I could jump into the 'Baby Mine' cardigan as soon as the yarn and pattern arrived from Blue Moon. It feels like an age since I completed that one, too! This has been knit with Noro Kureyon, sock-weight that I bought on an anniversary weekend away with Pete in Sydney. Nothing says 'I love you' like a trip through Morris and Sons, looking for a 'souvenir yarn' while Pete sits patiently in the husband chair!A word on my stashing: when we go places, particularly if it's a special occasion or a place I've not been before, I love to go to a local yarn shop and just pick up one skein of this or that, as a bit of a souvenir. It might be enough for a pair of socks, a hat or a scarf, and the finished item always reminds me of that trip. It's also great because I can get away with buying one skein, rather than breaking the bank on a jumpers' worth of yarn, particularly if I have no idea of the pattern, yardage, etc. With the bigger projects, I'm a planner - I need to know exactly what I'm doing with the yarn!

Next up, the very first square in my "Year in a Blanket". I joined this Ravelry group in December last year, loving the idea of commemorating Little One's first year as a blanket made up of all different patterned and pictured squares. Since my squares are smaller than the average, I'm aiming to get at least three done each month. Debbie Abrahams' books on knitting squares for blankets and afghans are a real inspiration - I picked up 'Blankets and Throws to Knit' from our local Angus and Robertson, and it has lots of good ideas for squares with lots of detail and textures (lots of beading and sequins, too - but I can't really put them on a baby blanket), as well as funky stripes combinations to set the detailed squares off beautifully.Here's some blocking. A whole lotta blocking goin' on. Most of these items though, were fished out of boxes from storage after WonderBoy had outgrown them. The little blue jumper with the sailboat (my first attempt at intarsia) was never even worn, as I couldn't finish it in time and he'd outgrown it!Two newer items though are a little crossover jumper I've knit with more of the Blue Moon 'Socks that Rock' mediumweight I used for 'Baby Mine' - It's an Erika Knight pattern, from her book 'Simple Knits for Cherished Babies' and knit up quite quickly. I've still got more of this yarn left, hopefully enough for a little pair of socks - we'll have to see. To its left is the second blanket square, a wee blue-and-purple giraffe. Better shots of that once it's dry, I think.
And the reason I'm still blogging from my lounge here at home? Little One shows no inclination whatsoever to make any movements south, so to speak. I was due last Tuesday and am still hoping against hope that something will happen soon, without too much intervention...

Nearly there!

Okay, I have been knitting (and completing!) objects with almost alarming speed this week. Being told to rest helps a lot, since I rest by knitting!

Only problem? I haven't blocked anything. Not a single item. And I'd rather have all the items in question beautifully finished and blocked before presenting proud photos... hopefully I'll get it done in the next 48 hours. Fingers crossed!

A selfish knitter.

Is exactly how I describe myself! It doesn't sound good at all, does it?

I was chatting with some very good friends of ours on the weekend about starting small businesses, particularly online businesses. I have harboured a long-term goal for myself that eventually I would be well-practiced enough to be able to spin and dye yarns that are appropriate to be sold. The fact that I have one small child and one on the way hasn't interrupted this idea too much, it's mostly a thought that I will spend the best part of the next five to ten years building my skills and buying better equipment so that I will be able to devote enough time to this harebrained scheme and have it pay off as a legitimate career venture.

I've always felt very strongly that if you do something that you love as a career, you will never view it as 'work', or as something that you 'have to do'. However, this idea had a bit of a shake up on the weekend when Pete suggested that I could knit and sell the knitted items, particularly babies and children's clothes.

I thought about that and found that I just had to respond, saying "No, I don't think I could at this stage". I don't knit super-fast right now, and don't have huge, huge tracts of knit-time and so as I said to Pete, "When would I knit for me?" ('me' meaning me, my family and close friends - I'm not that selfish!).

And so, as much as I'm really looking forward to unleashing my peculiar talents on the world (and expecting them to pay, of course!)... for now, I'm incredibly grateful for any time I get to craft for me and my loved ones. Every stitch is an effort, a step towards a completed project (whether a jumper or a washcloth) that says "I made this for you".

Even if that 'you' is really 'me'.

Happy New Year

I had intended on just one more December post before this, but with Christmas being such a busy time... I don't know how Stephanie Pearl-McPhee does it! She manages to add photos and text to her blog, regardless of how long her Christmas knitting list is getting, no matter what family crisis may be occurring (the most recent is the sad demise and removal of the Honourable Sir Washie on New Years' Day). My hat goes off to her, as always.

We're on the countdown now. According to my dates, there are merely ten days between me and the birth of our second child, but as always with babies, Little One could join us any day in the next three weeks. I'm terribly excited, and can't wait to meet our new arrival...

... and have been knitting my way over Christmas and New Year's, preparing another two little jackets.

This is the Debbie Bliss Duffel Coat, from her book 'Essential Baby'. One of the most economical garments I've knit, the yarn is Cleckheaton Country 8 ply Heathers that I liberated from my Mum's stash and the pattern book was borrowed from Mum, as well. It's a lovely little coat that knit up quite quickly, and I hope that Little One gets lots of wear out of it this year.

This work in progress is a little Garter Stitch Wrap Top by Erika Knight, from her book 'Simple Knits For Cherished Babies'. I had been searching for a baby knit to use up the rest of the delicious mediumweight sock yarn from Blue Moon Fibre Arts that I used for 'Baby Mine', and on Christmas Day at Mum and Dad's, I cast on, hoping I had enough yarn left. These photos were taken as I was praying I had enough yarn to complete the jacket, which is why I haven't added it to my projects list in Ravelry yet - I'm only a few rows off finished and now I'm wishing for there to be enough yarn!

Next up? My hospital knitting project/s... the first square of my Oddball Sampler Afghan (I received several balls of WOOLganic Organic Merino 8 ply for Christmas), and a Clapotis for me. In the distance is a new jumper for WonderBoy. New Year's Knitting Resolutions? Probably... watch this space for news of Little One's arrival...

Twenty-two centimetres is roughly ten thousand, three hundred and forty stitches;

And ONE CENTIMETRE in garter stitch is a LONG TIME...

Let me demonstrate*:

I've been motoring along on the Debbie Bliss Duffel Coat, which I'm knitting in a nice bluey-purpley-heathered Cleckheaton Country 8 ply 'Heathers' that I gained in a stash dive at Mum's (free yarn is good yarn!).

The first three pieces - back, left and right fronts - were knit up pretty quickly, even for me, and I'm quite pleased to be able to say that this piece, knit entirely in garter stitch has actually taught me to be able to knit without having to look intently at my knitting - without too many errors!

The next step was to join at the shoulders then to knit across both fronts and back to begin the hood. Crikey, I'm glad that I'm knitting this for a six-month-old and not an eighteen-month-old! Ninety-four stitches across, over twenty-two centimetres, in garter stitch, seems like it's taking forever! I of course, have made it worse on myself by measuring that I take about five rows to knit one centimetre, and so I've led myself to the calculation above of a rough total of 10, 340 stitches to complete the hood - phew!

Here we are, with countless ends to weave in, showing just how far I've gone in hood-stitchery.I quite like the double-breasted thing this coat has going on. I bought little wooden duffel toggles yesterday, anticipating a quick finish on the sleeves and sewing up... though just saying that would certainly be tempting the Knitting Fates to step in and stuff me about at this point!
I'm nearly there... nearly! Looking forward to the next step...

A couple of weeks ago, I had quite a vivid dream about going to hospital, knitting whilst in labour, only to find out that I hadn't packed enough yarn to keep going on this duffel coat project, and that I just had to send Pete home to get more out of my stash cupboard... clearly something in my mind has snapped, or I've come to the much more sane conclusion that I should have some sort of (non-complicated) knitting project cast on and ready to go, should I want to knit in labour. I don't see why not - knitting calms me, and will certainly give me something to focus on as I go through the first stage, at least.

Anyone think I'm entirely crazy?



* Anyone familiar with the film 'Yellow Submarine' will hopefully understand my adaptation of that line!

Embracing Toddlerhood

I am in the calm point of my day at the moment, and thank goodness for that because I am having such crappy thoughts about today that I felt just about ready to punt my firstborn out a window.

That's kind of why I'm not saying 'today is crappy' or that 'I'm having a crappy day', as it suggests that the day you experience is subjected on you, which is bollocks. You are the person in control of how you experience your time and perceive those experiences, so I certainly do not like to hand responsibility for my time over to some omniscient presence.

I feel really crappy about today because I am reacting to WonderBoy's (developmentally appropriate) toddler behaviour in such appalling ways, and I cannot begin to fathom why - especially since over the last few days I have been ultra patient with him and really enjoying time spent with him.

Today, ever since we got up, I'm losing my temper so much more easily and shouting when he does something wrong or silly, or just plain doesn't listen (all things he's supposed to be doing now - he is only two years eight months old), and that is sometimes the worst, because then you see what a hypocrite you're being when you're asking him to speak politely to you. Sigh.

I'm going to knit on Little One's duffel coat for awhile, then put my head down and practice my Calm Breathing. I'm going to focus on a few (there were a few) of the happier things we did today, and on how much I love the little bugger. Hopefully when he wakes up, I can behave like the mother he deserves.

All part of being in a family, isn't it?That's me, lying on the floor under the whole family. Or, I could give that statement a positive spin and uplifting attitude and say I'm being the foundations for my family.

Or, I could go for the correct option, which is: WonderBoy placed his amoeba-like representation of me there in a totally random and uncontrived manner because he is two years old (!)

In the meantime, here are the socks I finished last week...
As I've mentioned earlier, I'm happy with the way they've knit up, and they're even and comfortable... I just wish I knew the magic spell to really get those Jupiter stormclouds patterns swirling the way I'd envisaged all along...