Pretty things

I've got some stuff to show off. A random collection of pretty things that have come my way.

First up, the final part of the box that came from Amy in Rhode Island a couple of weeks ago. It's her Pay It Forward gift to me (and a timely reminder that I need to make some too!)
It's one of Amy's hand made books. Isn't it gorgeous?! The red paper is very fine and delicate and the whole thing is beautifully put together. Thank you, Amy!

Next is some fibre from Queen of the Froggers! I won Lin's blog contest!

Some of it is spun.



And some of it isn't!



What I haven't got a photo of right now is the drop spindle that came with it and sadly snapped in transit from the UK. I was devastated when I opened it at work, but Sean thinks he can fix it - and when he does, I'm going to give spinning a go. I don't imagine I'll ever become an obsessive spinner, but I would like to try it.

Remind me of that when in six months time from now I am spinning in my sleep, ok?

So thank you, Lin. It's so beautiful and I keep stroking it all and wondering what I will make of it.

Also, some flowers I got last week from a friend who thought I could use some cheering up. She was right. I needed it and they helped.


It's strange but lovely, when you think about it - receiving flowers because you get your period. Imagine how much brighter each month would be if we got flowers when the cramps set in, and not just because it meant yet another failure.



So thanks friends for pretty things. I value and treasure each one of them.

Bells

My brother's vest

My little brother turned 29 last weekend. I remember the day he was born. My grandfather collected me from school in the little town in Tasmania where we lived and said that Adele and I had a little brother and his name was Keith David.



Twenty-nine years later, he's probably got less hair (by choice) than he did that day in 1979.

He also happens to like my handknits.


This is the second vest I have made for him. The first was presented around this time two years ago but photographed a year ago and it's survived well, considering the treatment it's received, including being washed in the machine by one of his friends after a cat vomited or pissed on it. I'm not sure which and I declined to find out more.

This one was by request and I was pleased to oblige.


Conveniently, after George gave me the pattern (Patons booklet #1266) I saw that Donna also made it and that she converted it to be knit in the round instead of flat. I've always wanted to do this and conceptually understood it, but some of the finer points needed a little help and Donna kindly obliged.

In the end, it came together in ten days. Yes, ten days. Blissfully, satisfyingly fast. Having his birthday as a deadline helped. I only missed it by 2 days.

Here are the specs:

Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills 12ply Rustic in 'Earth'
Sticks: 6mm Knitpicks Options
Start: 10 May - 20 May 2008
Modifications: Knit in the round up to the armholes where it was then divided and knit flat, front and back. That was so damn easy. I'll be doing that again. I always thought it would be a method that would suit me and now I feel really good about having converted a pattern. What a confidence booster!

And here's a funny thing. My mum is knitting a vest for my dad and she called one day recently to tell me she ordered from Bendigo Woollen Mills and she had ordered Rustic in the Earth colour.

Too funny. We have both chosen to knit vests for the two men in our family and have separately chosen the same wool in the same colour. Bizarre.

I'll have to get her to take a photo of Dad in his vest and we can see the boys in their matching vests.

I think Keith likes the idea of being a shaved headed guy with tattoos and big biker boots (which you can't see in the photo) while wearing a vest knitted by his sister. It's a bit of a strange, contradictory look but I think it works. It helps that he's so handsome.

Bells

All About Me

This is a nice meme I haven't seen before and I was tagged by PrincessPea. She's a relatively new blogger I was put onto by my friend Carol. It's fast become a favourite blog of mine.

It's the Peeps I Want To Know More About meme. Here are my responses.

The rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1) What was I doing ten years ago?

Exactly ten years ago I was working as a nanny (actually, glorified housekeeper) in a big house in the Cotswolds, England. In a town called Cirencester. I was just days away from quitting and walking away from the horrid, nasty woman who employed me. From there I went back to London for the remainder of the year before returning home.

2) What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:

As I'm about to leave work on Friday afternoon, all that's left is non-work things!

1. Go home to a house freshly cleaned by someone other than me (my cleaner. Oh the luxury!)

2. Open a bottle of wine.

3. Cook dinner (pasta)

4. Knit my clapotis

5. Watch British Friday night crime.

How good is that list?!

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Cheese. Any variety but the softer and stinkier the better.

Chocolate. The darker the better.

Peanut butter on white bread. Evil stuff.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Quit work and find something better to do with my time. Like writing.

2. Travel to Europe and set up temporary home somewhere picturesque.

3. Return to Australia and set up a permanent home somewhere near a big city but not in it, where I would write, knit and garden for the rest of my days with, it has to be said, a fabulous wine cellar.

5) Places I have lived:

We moved a lot when I was a kid. My dad had itchy feet. I've lived in Melbourne, a small mining town in Tasmania (Rosebery); a small town on the New South Wales south coast (Eden) and for thh last 18 years, Canberra. But there was that year in England in 98.

6) Jobs I have had:

Many.

Part-time library assistant. Part-time chemist assistant. Runner on my family's milk run. Part-time novelist. For the last 10 years I've been a Public Servant in many Government departments. Yawn.

7) Peeps I want to know more about:

I just scouted down my blog reader list and came up with these

Louiz

Gemma

Carol

Jess

Em

Sarah

Kim

Right, time for my weekend to begin! Have a good one everyone.

Bells

It's the little things

I don't know where I read it but recently I came across the notion that if you are always waiting for the big things to make you happy, you're probably not going to be very happy very often.

In need of some cheering up this morning, I scouted for little things that might help. Some days, you just need to do this.

Ladybird miniature pegs from RoseRed's Box of Happy.TM


A keyring from Amy in Rhode Island.


My baby broad beans that finally sprouted. I thought they never would.

My baby thyme. It was the only cutting that survived.

Baby broccoli with tiny droplets of water.

Lovely autumn growth on my hebe

Snapdragon seedlings

And then there's always the knitting and all those tiny, tiny stitches. Even my Clapotis is still a little thing.

If I can't find some happiness amongst these things, there's something wrong.

This button that Amy gave me makes me smile. I pinned it to a small bag that Michelle made for me.
Somedays, you've really got take it where you find it. The little things don't fix everything, but they help.

Bells

Well that was fun!

I don't know about you but when you put me in a large but confined space with

a) loads of people (many of whom are friends)
b) heaps of noise
c) money in my pocket
and
d) mountains of yarn

what happens is I have a little explosion in my brain.

I mean really, look at it all! Piles of the stuff!

This!

Monica's hand dyed

And this!

Waratah Fibres (no link)

And this!

FARM Yarns (no link)

And that's not even a fraction of it.

Olivia's Pods

The Old Bus Depot Markets are, just that, an old bus depot that's been weekly markets for many, many years. They have themes some weeks and once a year, we get to go hang with the fibre.

Jejune's Knitting Art

This year, I got to hang, for the most part, with George, Kylie (who was in town from Wollongong for the weekend) and young PJ.

You can so tell PJ is the son of a yarn addict knitter. He knows all about the soft squishy goodness.
When he wasn't touching a skein to his cheek to check for softness (as if there was anything softer than a toddler cheek!), he was playing with sheep

Or digging in the bins.

Between the yarn, the accessories and a toddler, there was loads of fun to be had.


Now, what did Bells buy?

First up, I bought some gifts for other people. They can't be blogged, only mailed.

I bought this to make a clapotis. As Kylie said in her write up, she and I both bought some for this purpose because we must be two of the last remaining clapotis-less knitters in the known universe.

It's from Fibreworks - 8ply Merino. Hard to see but it's got charcoal and a smokey green in it. Love it.

Next, some red stuff.


Very red, huh? Not quite so fire-enginey in person but not far off. It's from a producer from Gerringong, NSW called Glenora Weaving and I loved their stuff. Such luxury. Let's not dwell on the fact that I'm yet to complete an item in laceweight yarn and yet I keep buying it.

Finally, the last purchase, made on impulse while George and PJ were listening to a band, some undyed merino in an enormous hank. Kylie and I were both smitten with this stuff. We wanted a jumper's worth but somehow managed to restrain ourselves. She got the chocolate. I got the vanilla.

Am not planning to dye this. I've been having visions of earthy toned, natural, unadulterated yarn lately and imagining cables, warmth and, yes, even a little scratchiness. Call me crazy. I want the scratchiness. Not that this is awfully scratchy and it does have little flecks of grass in it.

After that, I went home and collapsed. All that over-stimulation leads just wore me out but it was worth it. So very worth it.

We got stuff for RoseRed too but she'll have to wait until it arrives before she gets to see what goodies we found for her! Shopping with someone else's money, for them, is strangely scary!

Bells

New Socks and a Button

April really was Sean's month. First of all he got the pi shawl blanky (which I have wrapped around my shoulders right now and is also pictured). Not long after, he got some new socks.

These were so good I think they will become my go-to pattern for Sean. They fit him like a dream.

Pattern: Gentleman's Plain Winter Socks from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks
Sticks: 2.75mm/US2
Yarn: Zitron Trekking (XXL) in black (with slight flecks)
Started: 7 April 2008
Finished: 1 May 2008
Thoughts: Great yarn - part of the German haul that some of us got from Georgie's German connections last year. Fabulous in every way - just a bit sticky if it gets in any knots inside the ball.

Great pattern. The longer than usual cuff in 2x2 rib really works. I will use it more. Sean has solid calves and slender ankles and so the tapering is just perfect for him. Also, the Dutch Heel construction (which an older Dutch woman told me at SnB was nothing like she or any of the women in her family had EVER knit) was perfect for him. A nice new trick for me and a great fit for him. I'll use it again.


Just an aside, Sean attended a work planning day on Friday with his branch and, as you do at these things, you play one of those Getting to Know You games where you tell some thing about yourself that no one is likely to know. Sean announced he was wearing hand-knit socks. He was asked, 'Did you make them yourself?' and he talked about being a knitting widower.

Albeit, one with warm feet.

Also, here's a button from All Fingers and Thumbs. Sarah is behind this blog, and therefore this button. If you don't know her, check her out. She has a lovely, lovely blog. Great photos and lots to keep you entertained.



Recently when I asked if knitting could be a metaphor for life (as many have asked before me) Sarah wrote in the comments that she is always muttering 'as in knitting, as in life' under her breath which tickled me no end. This is how the button was born. Sarah designed it.

And it's just so true. I'm not sure I can see a difference anymore between my knitting and my life. One is intrinsically a part of the other. If you agree, and you like buttons, feel free to add it to your sidebar and link back to Sarah's post on the subject.

Off to the Celebration of Wool at the Old Bus Depot Markets today. Over 40 wool and fibre producers. Oh my....it probably explains why I'm up and awake before 7am on a Sunday!

Bells

Old faithful

Around four years ago, I bought a black t-shirt. Not a momentous occassion by any stretch of the imagination. I think I even bought on it sale. At Allens, as I recall, which is odd because I'm not in the habit of shopping there. It's not that I don't like it. It's just not in a location that I pass easily.

This t-shirt was a soft stretchy fabric and fitted me very well. Scoop necked, clingy in just the right way. I've learned from Trinny and Susannah that someone with curves and lumpy bits needs supportive fabric. This t-shirt soon showed itself to be exactly that. And it went with everything.

In next to no time, it was my best friend. Or bestie, a term that's being thrown around a lot now and which grates on me ever so slightly. When I went back some time later to get a new one, because one is just not enough, there were none left.

Interestingly, I've never seen anyone else wearing my favourite t-shirt. I feel somewhat bitter about the fact that clearly everyone bought one that year and yet I've never seen another around town.

Canberra's not that big. In a town where you can see two girls wearing the same skirt from Target on the bus, seeing no one in your favourite t-shirt that clearly sold out is mystifying.

I think if I did see one, I'd wrestle strongly with the desire to offer the wearer money for it

Some time later, when I found I adored Nigella Lawson's look of a soft cardi over a scoop necked black t-shirt, it came in particularly handy. This is the look I was shooting for.

So comfortable and when you've got a variety of different coloured cardigans (I began collecting them) it proves an invaluable way to mix n match without actually having to think about it much. Probably most of the photos I've posted of myself here show me wearing Old Faithful!

So I went in search of other black t-shirts. I have loads now and not one of them is as beloved as my scoop necked Allens t-shirt which probably cost me as little as $20.

In the cycle of life, all things have their day and I think Old Faithful's day is nigh. It's not here yet but as I pulled her off the drying rack this morning (I wear her 2-3 times a week!) I stopped and felt how thin she is. The support isn't there anymore. The fabric is weakened by wear. There's a kind of low-level pilling showing up all over her.

I sighed. I'm not ready to let her go and so most likely she'll be relegated to weekend wear some time soon. Isn't that akin to putting your horse out to pasture? It's still with you, just not as useful anymore.

I've been attached to clothes before. I never have an extensive wardrobe so I do tend to get very attached to one or two pieces but this one is different. I've never known anything like her and I can't imagine life without Old Faithful.

She's the best of both worlds, fabulously familiar and comfortable and incredibly utilitarian. She can be dressed up or go casual. She's a t-shirt for all seasons and when I put her on, I feel I am ok.

I'm heartbroken and she's not even gone yet.

Bells

A Day In My Life: 14 May

I've watched RoseRed do this meme for a couple of months now and have always chickened out at the last minute because I forgot my camera. Not this time. I was armed and ready yesterday!

Here we go. This was my day on 14 May 2008. Start to finish. Only the interesting bits, I hope!

6am - 7am: It's an injection day. That's always a fun one to start with. Get up, shower, dress, check blogs over tea and discuss the Federal Budget from the night before. Honest response? Feeling miffed there was so much in there about 'families' of which we may never be one 'with children'. Just a reminder that makes me feel sad.

7am-ish: Leave the house together (usually we bus separately) but it's blood test day so we headed out to Deakin nice and early. The world looked like this.


and this

I do honestly live in a city although it's hard to tell from these photos. This is one of the reasons why Canberra is called the Bush Capital. Lovely, huh?

8am: Leave Sean in Woden and head for the city by bus. Treated myself to a donut and coffee (decaf) before work. I like to do this after blood tests. It helps replenish my blood sugar levels, right?

And I stopped for a moment to read the unputdownable new Yarn Harlot book which was a gift from Amy in Rhode Island. I love it and the package from Amy deserves a blogpost of its own.

8:40am - 12:00pm - Working, but not without some all important online catching up - blogs, friends who are also computer bound. Experienced deep jealousy that RoseRed was working from home and sitting on her sunny deck in her PJs.

However, somewhere in there, a package was delivered from Louiz (Random Acts of Yarn) in the UK. She asked for my address some weeks ago and lo and behold, a surprise arrived.

It's a package of these cool (literally) stickers you put on your head when you have a migraine. Louiz took pity on me a couple of weeks ago when I had a migraine but couldn't take anything other than Panadol for it. People do the most thoughtful things! And the yarn.....the yarn! Cherry Tree hill in DK weight. Here's a close up.


Pretty! I should take stuff to work to photograph more often in winter. I actually get the chance to take photos in good light since I'm by a window! Thank you Louiz. That's astoundingly kind. Louiz was a fellow steeked jacketer. Hers is black and grey and lovely.

12:15pm - lunch with fellow blogger Jess (new friend) and older friend, Karen. I got a prize for Jess's 100th blogpost contest. This is not a usual day for me - two presents!

A pin cushion - so cute - chocolate (the good stuff!) and a package of sprout seeds which is so great because I have been thinking of doing this. Jess also gave me a button necklace which I was wearing when I took this photo - it just happened to go with my shirt perfectly! Thank you Jess!

Over pasta we were entertained by their daughters who took turns trying on a hat that Jess made.

Miss 2


And Miranda

Nice lunch. Nice company.

1:30pm - 5pm - work. Emails. Work. Check Ravelry. Work. Emails. Blogs. Work. And so on. Got a call from the clinic at some point to be told my hormone levels were 'beautiful'. My nurse is called Buffy. This amuses RoseRed no end. Me, too actually.

5pm: Sean is in town so he collects me so I don't have to take the bus. This is a nice treat. It's getting dark early these days.

We discuss the fall out from the Federal budget on the way home and I don't knit because I'm too damn tired.

6pm - 7:30pm - Sean cooks dinner and I knit in my new PJs on my brother's vest, which I haven't blogged about yet. It's cool. It's the same one Donna just made and I followed her lead and converted it to be knit in the round. It's so fast that way!


Sean served up fabulous Chinese Pork Ribs with Chinese cabbage that we grew ourselves.

Then we watched all our favourite Wednesday night shows (had to tape Ugly Betty because of a clash) and at 10pm, after the Catherine Tait Show, we went to bed where I kept reading The Yarn Harlot. Nice end to the day.

Bells

Airing of the Stash

To quote Brenda Dayne, this weekend I conducted the annual Airing of the Stash. The fact that I last did it two years ago, properly, is but a small point.


I believe in this photo was I was thinking, 'Shit, how did I acquire so much yarn?'

This is our spare room, which we finally painted two years after we moved in. We painted the whole house before we moved in, but ran out of time to paint what would later become known and the Junk Room. And oh what junk was in there. Gathered in with the junk was the Stash. I thought I'd take advantage of it being empty and spread the stash around for sorting. And discovering.

I heard The Yarn Harlot discussing her stash on Stash and Burn recently. She talked about digging down into the stash, discovering the archeological layers.

She wasn't wrong.

Apparently, in my early years of stashing (say, 2003/4) I was into mohair. In a big way. If it was fuzzy, I bought it. I have enough to live on now. It's safe to say I won't be buying more any time soon. I can also confidently declare that I wasn't so much into novelty yarn in the early days. There were a few misguided purchases of which we shall not speak, but on the whole, I liked wool. Just wool.

But the stash is now somewhat more organised and Sean is somewhat happier. He's quite right when he says my stuff takes up the most room here. I ought to manage that better.

What wasn't so smart in doing this job this weekend is that the Old Bus Depot Markets wool day is on next weekend. If I come home with new stash, there will be questions asked.

To be honest I feel a little overwhelmed by the stash. A cupboard bursting at the seams with sock yarn and laceweight is plenty to get by on.

Amy, in case you're worried, I'm not engaging in Stash Guilt. Rather, it's a case of being spoiled for choice. Where to next?

****

This weekend I planted some bulbs. From Garden Express, we managed to order a bulk lot of approximately 250 bulbs for some ridiculously low amount. This is just one of them.

We had a blast this morning putting the tulips, daffodils and jonquils 'to bed'. That's what it felt like. And still there are loads to go. Next weekend.

And finally, I took some photos on my walk this afternoon and got rather interested in the anatomy of a pine cone.

It's the leftovers of someone's lunch, isn't it?

There's knitting to report, but I'll save that for during the week.

Is it really Sunday night again?

Bells

The jacket does lunch

Today was a special day. The steeked jacket got to go on its first official outing.

I put it on this morning, without fanfare, just, you know, easing into it and stood in the kitchen drinking my early morning tea. Sean spotted me in it and gave me a big hug.

I put on some lovely blue earrings RoseRed gave me in the Box of HappyTM and went out into the chilly world. With a coat on.

This ain't Scandanavia, people. No one in their right mind needs a coat AND a fair isle jacket in May in Canberra. It's cold in the mornings, but not glacial.

And I felt very bulky on the bus. Never mind.

I got to work before most people so took off the coat, hung it up, and waited. No one said, 'wow did you make that?' because no one was there but by the time my supervisor, who is a sometimes knitter, arrived at work I knew she'd say something. And she did.

She stroked and purred and admired. She baulked at the idea of cutting your knitting. And I only pointed out a modicum of errors.

At lunch time, Quilting Mick and Georgie insisted on seeing me for proof that the jacket was indeed being worn. Just quietly, I think they believed me, they just wanted an excuse (as if we needed one) for lunch.

And here I am.


Photo courtesy of Quilting Mick's phone.

What happened today was that the jacket stopped being primarily a piece of knitting and it became a piece of clothing.

It also gave me something to stare at during a team meeting. I found mistakes in the pattern I didn't know were there before today but thought little of them. They are a part of the fabric and I made them.

Is it a stretch to see the jacket, and indeed anything we knit, as a metaphor for life?

Bells

This is....me pre-1985

This week's This is theme, as determined by Three Buttons, is to show a photo of yourself pre-1985.

It's been fun seeing photos from that time so long ago, especially photos of friends, long before I knew them.

Jejune kindly scanned in a few photos for me this morning after I dug them out. For my 30th, my mum gave me an album of photos of me. Some scary, some hilarious, some touching. A life, so far, in one album. So much....bad hair; odd, often hand-me-down clothes; expressions that I can still read through the space of time and memory. Weird.

Anyhow, enough of that, I bring you me...pre-1985.

This was about 1977, maybe first grade. The cuddly dumpling next to me is Adele.


What kills me about this photo is that I can see I was actually quite a cute kid. Up close, I had lots of freckles but from an early age I was utterly convinced of my ugliness. Crippled by it, in fact. The feeling has never left me entirely but I do recall it being intensely strong in childhood.

What does a child know of ugliness? It breaks my heart now to think of it, to even write of it. We were both cute girls, I think. Just different.

I treasure this photo. Adele gave it to me, framed, years ago, hence the oval shape.

Secondly, this is me in 1984, on my 12th birthday. A party at my house that I remember was overwhelming. I still don't deal with parties for me very well, although I remember really wanting this party.

I choose this photo partly because I'm wearing something hand knitted. Fingerless gloves. This was the height of my Culture Club worship and that year, Boy George was wearing fingerless gloves. My friend Sarah-Jane made them for me. I was pretty damn happy with them. I believe I wore them for ages, and everywhere.

Bells

Because it's Mythbusters night

I'm not entirely sure I have a blog post's worth of stuff to say tonight, or indeed enough photos to make it worth anyone's while, but it's 7:30 Monday night and Mythbusters is on. I hate Mythbusters. I find it unbelievably dull. I'm happy for Sean that it's one of the TV highlights of his week but it's also my blogging time. I ALWAYS write a post on Monday nights at 7:30.

So, here I am. You'll just have to deal with my lack of focused content!

But I'll start with this.

Over at Chronic Ennui, Kim has declared her Strawberry Cookie/Cake is 'the easiest and yummiest recipe that one can whip up in record time!'

I'll give it a go and see if she's right, because over at SadieandLance Bianca has provided, unwittingly, a recipe to rival it in speed.

If you grew up in Australia, chances are your mum, your aunty, your grandmother, or perhaps even you, made this recipe. It's the most basic, store cupboard easy chocolate slice recipe you're likely to come across. Recently, Bianca posted it and I don't think she had any idea of it's being so happily received. It's showing up all over the place. I once scorned slice. But no more. Here's mine.


Do you know what's so good about it? It takes 10minutes to prepare, 20minutes to cook, then you ice it. Soooo easy. And it doesn't require cooking chocolate. Just baking cocoa. *Someone* in my house eats all the cooking chocolate (although he denies this, the empty packets, left in the cupboard to fool me, are fooling no one). No one ever eats the baking cocoa.

I made it, somewhat anxiously, to take to an afternoon tea with old uni mates yesterday. Admittedly we're all in our late 30s and early 40s now and have mellowed somewhat, but I was still anxious about turning up, slice in hand, to a gathering with a handful of cool people. I felt it was something more fitting to showing up with at a ladies' Christian fellowship (apologies to Christian ladies) and not a bunch of wine swilling, rowdy former uni mates who wanted to take to the memory of our old days with a mix of wild and hilarious scorn and nostalgia.

But I concede, a good slice is a good slice and this was snarfed (is that a real word? I've been saying it a lot lately) by everyone, from the cute 2 year old to those in their 40s. And the recipe was asked for.

So there you go, Bianca. You've done us all a favour. Thank you.

And I made with salted butter too - because that was, mysteriously, all I had. I never buy it. Sean must have bought it by accident. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. And no one commented. No one noticed! Crisis averted! Salted butter CAN be ok!

***

In other news, well there isn't much. We've been painting our much neglected spare room; I've been injecting myself with fertility drugs; we've been tending the baby plants in the garden and I've been going hell for leather on the green pi shawl. Here's the original photo, in case you've forgotten what it looks like.


It doesn't look much different to this, just bigger, with some lace diamonds worked into it.

The 2.5 year old girl who inhaled my 'shlocklate' slice yesterday watched me knitting this and said the following, 'My mummy made me a jumper. Is that your jumper?'

Too, too cute.

OK, that's knocked over half of Mythbusters. I'll go read some blogs.

Bells


ps a special shout out to Tinkingbell. She sent me a Box of Happy today, like RoseRed did. People are so great. Many of them. I love people.

Warning: Cuteness alert

Is there anything nicer in the world than a little person who truly appreciates your knitted gifts? There have been two instances recently where I've had the chance to learn that my beloved nephew, Will, who is just four years old, loves what 'Aunty Bells' makes for him.

For his birthday, I made him his first pair of knitted socks. Note the hardwood floors in his house. They soon became known as the 'slippery socks' and then later, after a collision with the corner of a cabinet, the 'naughty socks'.

However, despite the collision, he apparently still loves them enough that on a recent trip to Brisbane, he was telling people about the socks that Aunty Bells knitted for him. Awww.

Then, a few nights ago, the phone rang in the evening and it was Will - well, it was my sister calling me for him. He was in the bath and apparently had something to tell me. He'd been washing his face with a facewasher I made from Peaches n Cream. The conversation went like this:

Will: Did Aunty Bells knit this?
Adele: Yes she did.
Will: For me?
Adele: Well, for all of us.
Will: We should say thank you.
Adele: Would you like me to get her on the phone?
Will: Yes.

And so they called and, on speaker phone (because he's shy of actually speaking on the phone) he told me all about how he loves the face cloth and said a big thank you.

That's pretty special, huh? What a dude. And here's a photo of him, just because I love him.

I think I need to knit a jumper for him now. He's old enough to appreciate it.

****

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions on dealing with migraines. Sadly, while on IVF meds, there really is very little that can be done, including caffeine (well, minimal caffeine) and the gamut of migraine medications which I'd normally be able to take. One thing I found really helped on Wednesday morning was spending longer than is really allowed on water restrictions standing under warm water in the shower. So very soothing.

Bells

Delirium knitting

Today did not start well. I won't regale you with the details but suffice to say it involved a skull cracking migraine at dawn, a lot of tears and a very worried husband.

Being on IVF meds, I can't take more than paracetamol which I would usually write off as a waste of time but when that's all you can take, well do you what you have to do.

When I finally emerged from the delirium mid morning, Sean rugged me up on the couch and I set about doing the first thing that had occurred to me when I was able to think without crying.

Start a new pi shawl. I was missing the first one. It was over so fast. I felt like I was just getting to know the concept when it ended.

It was like a hunger. I had to start and it had to be a shawl this time, not a blanky. Laceweight. And green.

I present to you all my afternoon's work.

It was good post-migraine knitting. Not too much thinking, although I am adding in some lace patterns this time but they are so very simple, and the softest of yarn - Malabrigo laceweight in Verdes.

I know I know, I've got other jobs on the go, but this suits me right now.

Bells