Friday, December 29, 2006

Stashing again

So yesterday I pop past to check my PO Box. Things have slowed down now that the nomination period for the fiction awards I've been judging is over and it's a bit sad to not have any mail.

I like the small post office where my box is. It's that old skool Australian vibe thing, small business and family run and they know who you are and stuff.

So the conversation yesterday:
Me: Two (red cards) today!
He walks off to get them from the back room and comes back with two decent sized packages. One looks like a book (and it is).
Me: Ooh! They look exciting!
Him: And ones from overseas, darling!

For some reason when a really ocker man over 50 calls me darling, it's not offensive at all.

So I wander off wondering why I have an overseas package. I see it's from Sophie's Toes and thus that it must be yarn. But for the life of me I could not remember ordering any. I have a feeling I paid for it whilst we were sitting in mourning for my grandmother who past away (late October).

It was indeed yarn that I did indeed purchase. I am very happy with two of the colourways (latte and walnut) although I think one might have been for socks for the bf, which is a bit sad. Debated whether I could make a pair for him that I could still fit into. The third skein is like, hello? the same as two others I have bought this year. It's called City Lights but looks pretty much like Chocolate Covered Cherries which looks like another one I also bought. I do that. My wardrobe often has shirts that all look kinda the same. I like something and then I just continue to like it. A lot.

I mean it's okay cause it means one of them could be a sock gift for next year without too much pain. But still.

I'm thinking of putting my favourite skeins on display. The bf's sister suggested it - that it could be an installation in constant transition. It's not a bad idea - I like the skeins for themselves alone, regardless of whether I knit with them. Why not get to appreciate them whenever I walk past them in a room?

Relief!

I can't express how great a feeling it was to rip out Sarcelle, put away the ridiculously small needles for such thin yarn and pull out a new pattern and start over. I really love the Print o Wave Stole by Eunny even though I left it tinking back the first row on the second repeat! It is a much simpler pattern to learn on and I have raced through (my measure being when I surpassed the length of the yarn I had ripped out from Sarcalle) and even though it's only an inch long, I can see that I could finish this.

Sarcelle looked like maybe I never would even pick it back up again.

Although I should not knit lace at 7 in the morning. And I should remember this and work on the many socks in progress instead.

I feel like I should have a knitting new year's resolution.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

And we're back

I must say this blog feels quite funny - like I'm talking into a big empty hall. But that's okay cause it does work well to chart and log progress of projects. That's something I'm hoping to be more diligent about next year. Especially since I've already gone through the year's knitted gifts and allotted items to birthdays and so on. So I should really be able to plan all that a bit better in 2007.

I'm having difficulty taking photos too - I think it's an issue of light and the time of day I am home to catch up on things like this.

But the most important things to say is 1) I finished the Clapotis. I hated knitting the second half of it. It was sooooo boring and as soon as I was finished, I loved the look so much I am honestly contemplating another one. But see I do that. Enjoy a project and then flog it to death (see photos to come of the scarves I am working on). 2) I am giving up on Sarcelle. For now. I think when you don't work on a project that says something to you about what you think of it. And knitting should be fun and the gift is wayyyy late. I'm going to try Eunny's stole tonight and see how I go with that.

And that brings me to the saddest part of the post. I am in the midst of doing my yearly wrap up and self examination of performance (I gave myself a 7) and setting of goals and aspirations for 2007. One of the things I want to reach for next year is balance in all things. And it's made me realise that in order to do that, I have to work less knitting in my week. I think that's sad and I will likely miss it (although have had very little time these last 3 weeks for knitting and I've been okay) but I need to admit I've been a tad over-obsessed with it to the detriment of other things (like cleaning the kitchen, doing the laundry, going out to do things with friends). I think this summer we will do lots of gadding about with talk of the outdoor cinema and such. I don't really think I'll be taking knitting along with me. So I think there will be less of knitting, which maybe there should be. I was getting into about 6 to 7 hours a day, sometimes 2 hours before work and 6 or more afterwards.

I'll need to rethink the bootie thing too. But that's for another post, another day.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Knitty Gritty

I just saw my very first episode of Knitty Gritty which only just premiered on Australian cable this month.

I dunno. The very first thing that struck me is that um, it's al upside down. I had no idea what she was doing from the angle it's filmed from. But, you know, it's cool that there's a whole show on knitting.

And I enjoyed the Simply Quilts which was also on. Again, the instructions were hard to follow - maybe it's the medium, I just can't follow it.

Friday, December 08, 2006

The Clapotis

Very little knitting got done last night. I was a very lucky girl in that I got picked straight up from work and whisked off to the casino with the bf and another couple to have dinner and see Kylie Minogue. Twas a fantastic concert but a late night.

When I got home, and after the friends had had supper and left, I had to finished detangling my ball of yarn. And it got a knot in it that could not be undone. So ... yes. I had to start over with the Clapotis. By the time I left for work this morning, I was right back where I had originally got up to! Sigh.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

gj got her groove back

All day yesterday I dreamed about my Lisa Souza Can't Elope colourway. What would I make out of it? What pattern? When could I start? Could I justify knocking something of the needles for it. And then it came to me! They don't have to be socks!!!! And from there, it was easy. I thought about it and I thought it was time for the Clapotis to be trialled again.

I had a terrible time with the Clapotis a fair few months ago. I bought yarn specifically for the project but could never get the pattern to work - either it was too light, or the needles were too big or not sharp enough or maybe wrestling with Sarcelle has given me some lace knitting practice. In any case, Can't Elope is making itself into a Clapotis and I'm enjoying it - I'm still untangling my ball which is pretty much par of the course with me (never enough patience to ball the skein up first, and usually start knitting whilst balling and/or don't take the time to ball it up properly and tangle the last 20 m or so. I never learn).

Can't Elope is probably a lot more rockmelon-ey in colour than I was expecting. My version has just the slightest hint of green in it. I shall have to give the pattern a little bit longer to knit up before I decide on it. Photos to come when I get my camera back.

In addition, I had extra time yesterday afternoon so I knit a miniature sweater - like it's maybe 2 inches long? I got the pattern from What's that Gonna Be's post the other day. I used some leftover sockyarn that is supposed to be knit into baby socks for sale on my new website ... but, um, yeah, gotta a new miniature knitting addiction.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

It Knits

Progress has been slow of late. I have almost finished my sushi kits which of course means I have turned to other projects. I am working on a bday present and I am staring at all my socks in progress. You see, yesterday, I got some gorgeous Lisa Souza sock yarn in the mail and have not a spare set of dpns anywhere to cast on with. That'll be a December project me thinks - free the dpns!

Friday, December 01, 2006

Sushi!!!



I'm kinda up to my neck in sushi right now. Oddly it's all I'm knitting and I have so many other projects to do. But I keep finding more people who need a set.