skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Okay, I've got me some completed, blocked squares for May, all ready for showing off!
This was the first completed for this month, designed with a froggie theme in mind. I'm really quite enjoying the design aspect of the squares I've been making lately. When I couldn't find an image designed that already suited what I needed, I charted my own using colour knitting (with both intarsia and stranded/fair isle techniques) as well as textured stitches, to create the wavey bit in the middle...
This one sort of emerged as I knit it. As I completed the striped section, I decided I needed something else to set it off, and thought about using duplicate stitch to get the pattern happening. The heart was measured and placed using the same heart design used in the first January square...
And the third, which is the first letter of Lola-Frog's name. I'll be knitting the other letters, one at a time, over the next few months. I'm still not entirely convinced that the 'L' stands out enough and is readable enough, but I'm coping with the decision through laziness!
Now, seeing as today's the 28th of May, I'd better get cracking on the June squares!
And I even have knitting to show for my absence!
We were off the air for the last three weeks or so, with our internet being capped after we exceeded the monthly download limit. So, I've been knitting, rather than blogging about knitting. It's been a bit tricky this month; I've found it somewhat difficult to commit myself to getting the three May squares done for Lola-Frog's 2009 blanket.
I've been distracting myself with lots of little projects - probably the biggest I've been able to dedicate myself to has been WonderBoy's Weasley Sweater (which I'm not too far off finishing - just doing the second sleeve now). Apart from that, I finished a 'beret' (I use this term loosely, and you'll see why very soon) designed by Wooly Wormhead, called the "Baby Rollin' Beret". She designs the most fabulously interesting hats, for adults and children, and I love her designs.
In this case, though, I don't think I have done the pattern justice, because even though I managed to get the maths right to up the pattern to the next size, believing it would fit Lola-Frog's huge head and taking into account the different weight of yarn I'd decided to use, I did not plan for the right amount of depth required, and so we're left with what appears to resemble a wee baker's cap:
I did finish up the May squares, though, and I'm pretty well pleased with the finished products. I'm getting into the idea of designing and charting my own patterns, using intarsia, stranded (fair isle) and textured stitches to make up the pictures and patterns. They're blocking right now, but I'm hoping to be able to take the photos and upload them tomorrow.
As well as all this, our knitting group have been very busy preparing 'cup cozies' to hand out to people on World Wide Knit In Public Day next month - we're going to be knitting at a little cafe on an outdoor plaza, and so we hope that the cozies are used with disposable coffee cups on the day. Should be good.
As I'm struggling these days to get to bed at a reasonable hour, I must leave it here. Lola-Frog's darling wee nose is a snot playground right now, and so I have a feeling I'll be up a lot tonight. Possibly a chance to get more of this sleeve knitted!
Firstly, a big Happy Birthday to my darling husband. A prince among men, and a lunatic among sane people. Hope you've had a lovely day, honey; despite getting over illness and helping to deal with sick kidlets these last few days. Big kisses!
Pictured next to Pete, on the left, is our good friend and one big bag o'crazy, Stevie G. Happy Birthday also to him, for May 1st.And secondly, to quote Professor Farnsworth of Futurama fame, "Good news, everyone!"
I've finished my version of Yarn Harlot's "Not Original Hat"!
I'm assisted in the modelling by young WonderBoy, who announced to his auntie on the phone, "Mummy's wearing a crazy hat!"
It's a good, quick knit with a well-written pattern that's easy to read and follow. I did get a bit unco handling 8mm dpns, though - plus a cable needle. I have to say, I'm more dexterous when handling smaller dpns. But, this won't stop me knitting this again. I'm going to try knitting it in a (slightly) finer gauge yarn with smaller needles, and see if I can come up with a version that'll fit Lola-Frog. She's a hearty lass; as of today, she's thirteen weeks and six days old, and I put her to bed tonight in a size zero WonderSuit! So I figure that a hat only a little smaller than mine should fit her before long. I'd much prefer something a bit too big than too little.
And now, back to WonderBoy's Weasley Sweater. I'd like to complete the front side before I crack on with the May squares for the 2009 Blanket.
Okay, so I put the computer down last night after posting, picked up my knitting, and proceeded to complete... two rounds.
Two lousy rounds!
But I guess that's the risk I take when I try knitting while watching 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Good film to watch, not to knit to!
I'm not at KnitNight tonight, sadly. Pete's been crook as a dog this week (we're talking 'I need a young priest and an old priest' sick here), and so I've stayed home tonight so he hasn't been left at home to deal with both kids whilst sick.
I am, however, knitting a hat. Why, when I've got both a scarf and a sweater on the needles, I don't know - I'd just been looking at the Yarn Harlot's pattern for her 'Unoriginal Hat' for quite some time and wondered if the chunky yarn I had stashed would work. So, on pulling the yarn out last weekend and swatching, I decided I might as well start it and hopefully finish it within a week.
I'm pretty sure my gauge is okay. I kept thinking I was well off and knitting a tiny hat, but I 'think' (read: hope) that it'll fit me:
Whew, time to get the ol' eyebrows done, eh?
I'm not so great at taking photos of myself. I'm pretty happy with the the cables, too! Actually, after finding reasonable success with the cables I've attempted on squares of Lola-Frog's blanket, I've been quite keen on continuing to practice cables. That's probably why I'd been watching this hat pattern, almost willing myself to have a crack at it... I should be finished in a day or two, hopefully, and if it's successful, I'm going to try swatching the same pattern with a smaller gauge yarn and needles in an attempt to make the same hat but smaller, for Lola-Frog. She doesn't have a knitted hat of her own yet.I'm still cracking on with WonderBoy's Weasley Sweater, up to the intarsia now. I decided not to put the 'H' on the front, I've charted an 'X' instead. I gave WonderBoy the choice between 'A' for his proper first name, Alexander, or 'X' for his shortened name, Xander. I like getting his input for his garments - he even chose the blue yarn on the Bendigo Woollen Mills website!Well, back into it. Maybe I'll get the rest of the second set of repeats done on this hat tonight!
Or, "Learning to Remember Regular Dental Check-Ups"I've come back from a long appointment with my dentist this afternoon, having complete the second stage of Root Canal Treatment on one of my molars (plus an extra little filling). Now, don't get me wrong, I am totally and completely aware of the fact that my presence at the dentist's this afternoon is my fault. Completely my fault. The sad truth is that I just haven't been going to the dentist for regular check-ups since I finished orthodontic treatment. And that was quite some time ago.
I have always been quite proud of myself having never had, in my twenty-eight-and-a-bit years on this planet, a single filling in my teeth. In the last year or so, when I had been feeling the odd twinge here and there, each time thinking 'I must make an appointment with the dentist'.
Correct, but waaaaaaay too late.
But I digress. I'm actually not blogging to discuss how the appointment went, how noisy the drills and other instruments were, or even how many local anaesthetic jabs I required (that'd be four, though). It occurred to me as I lay there, that I was thinking a range of rather interesting and somewhat oddly disconnected thoughts. I do enjoy the concept of metacognition ("knowing about knowing", or "Thinking about thinking"). These disjointed cogitations led to me pondering the possibility of gathering said thoughts to create a new blog post.
I think strange things. Things link inexplicably to other things, and I wend away on these fabulously meandering thoughts until I stop and look back at where I've come from, and realise that quite frankly, I think up some weird stuff.
I listened to the music on the radio (ABC Radio National); classical music which is mostly quite soothing to have on in a dental surgery. I heard them play first the Peer Gynt Suite, then followed by... The William Tell Overture. Hmmm, an interesting contrast there. But, it did keep my mind occupied as the dentist got on with it.
I did some mental knitting. Literally. I had completed a few rows of my Noro Striped Scarf as I was waiting to go in, and so I did a few mental rows in my mind, watching the yarn and needles as they went in, round, through and off. A good mantra.
I practiced my Calmbreathing (thankyou, Peter Jackson!), especially while anaesthetic was being administered - very effective, and this led me to reminiscing about WonderBoy and Lola-Frogs' births. Good times.
I heard the radio click over to the news at four o'clock and heard an announcement about the Reserve Bank declaring that Australia had already gone into recession, never mind what the Prime Minister has been saying. Also, that the Prime Minister was planning another economic stimulus package. At this point I gave an interested grunting-type noise, intended to say, 'Oh how interesting. I do hope he slings us another cool grand. I shall use it to pay this dental bill'. Not sure if the dentist picked up on this in the grunting.
I looked around a lot. I noticed that the dental nurse was wearing a Pandora charm bracelet and thought about how I'd like one, too. I thought about which sorts of charms I'd like to get. A ladybeetle for WonderBoy, and a little froggie for Lola-Frog, to start with. Maybe initials as well? Hmmm.
I looked at my dentist's eyes and saw that they are almost the same shade of blue as my husband's. I wondered what had made him decide to be a dentist, and thought about a character on one of my favourite British sitcoms, "As Time Goes By", a dentist who comments, 'Odd things to peer about in, mouths'. I wondered just how gross my dry scaly tongue must be looking by now, and thought somewhat reassuringly, 'at least I remembered to brush my teeth before I came in today'.
I do have to give my dentist a big plug, though. He's very gentle and explains everything he's going to do throughout the whole procedure, often apologising for noises and other possible uncomfortable situations as he goes. If you've gotta have someone drilling into your head, Dr Fisher is the guy to do it.
I have been a parent now for three years, one month and fourteen days.
I had talked myself into believing whilst I was pregnant with WonderBoy that, being an Early Childhood teacher would put me in reasonable stead, parenting-wise. I had fairly confident ideas about guiding and modelling positive behaviour, about feeding them good food, making the most of teachable moments (ie. counting how many duckies he's lined up together, rather than just saying, 'ooh that's nice. Quack, quack'), reading at least three books a day (thank you Mem Fox - a literary genius.), and things like making sure they're always kept warm etc.
Until recently, I felt I was able to keep to these ideas (ideals?) fairly faithfully. They were serving me, Pete and our family quite well. People both in our extended family and in the wider community would comment on WonderBoy's delightful manners and happy, engaging nature. Don't get me wrong, they still do. He's brilliant at behaving in public, which is as my Mum says, the place where you want the best behaviour.
Things are changing. Not in a bad way, of course - the arrival of Lola-Frog was a huge but positive change, as was starting Preschool. But along with this change has come a shift in understanding, relationships, behaviour and power. All my training and experience tells me to go slowly and tread carefully to ensure that precious little self-esteems don't get squashed, that everyone feels empowered in each situation and that we all learn something out of each confrontation.... no, not confrontation... discussion?
Yeah, well. It turns out this isn't The Brady Bunch here. We're flying by the seat of our brown trousers, and it doesn't seems to matter what we do, I usually end up feeling guilty for yelling or being sarcastic when I know I shouldn't. Honestly, I can see and hear myself saying these things and screaming in my head, 'What ARE you doing??'. Feeling guilty for not playing one-on-one enough. Guilty for spending too much time playing and the house is filthy. Guilty for spending too much time playing and not encouraging him to learn to play on his own. Guilty for bailing out and putting the TV on all morning... not to iron, to knit, or read.
And now that Lola-Frog is here, there's guilt about not spending the same kind of time going for walks and playing with or talking to her. She seems to placed quite conveniently in a safe place to kick and wiggle while I deal with the latest WonderBoy thing, or while I get washing sorted or something and next thing I know she's back to bed again. *sigh*
What freaks me out is that all parents are in these positions as well! No one knows the answer, and we've all been having babies since time immemorial. Is it a time thing, where the answers are always changing and so don't apply to me, just as how my answers won't apply to my children when it's their turn? Or is it an individual thing, where all our answers are totally different?
Probably both, and it's exceedingly frustrating.
Pete keeps saying to me, "We're doing our best, and it's no more than anyone can ask of us". I know this is true, and still can't help but feel lacking... inadequate. Maybe this is an evolutionary trick to keep us trying our best so we won't eat our offspring. If so, it's working. WonderBoy will wake up soon, and come to me in the family room, arms outspread and say, "Hi, Mummy!" like I haven't seen him in days, even though he was taken forcibly to bed in a monster tantrum only a couple of hours ago.
I could learn a lot from his truly unconditional love and his ability to forgive and just get on with it.
Love you, WonderBoy and Lola-Frog.
This one sort of emerged as I knit it. As I completed the striped section, I decided I needed something else to set it off, and thought about using duplicate stitch to get the pattern happening. The heart was measured and placed using the same heart design used in the first January square...
And the third, which is the first letter of Lola-Frog's name. I'll be knitting the other letters, one at a time, over the next few months. I'm still not entirely convinced that the 'L' stands out enough and is readable enough, but I'm coping with the decision through laziness!
Now, seeing as today's the 28th of May, I'd better get cracking on the June squares!
