Sunday 15 April 2007

Uses for your swift

I'd like you all to meet Sebastian. He's three and he's my friend.

Sebastian came for dinner last night (with his mum, dad and baby sister, Miranda - they're all camera shy).

Sebastian isn't camera shy and when I showed him my swift last night, he found fun ways to use it, when winding wool isn't your thing.

Here is Sebastian, looking devilishly handsome, using my swift as a space ship for teddies (the teddies are mine; they didn't mind posing).


Apparently, the teddies loved it. I guess when I've run out of skeins of wool to wind, this is how I can make sure the swift isn't just gathering dust.

Later, we decided it was time the swift did what it was supposed to do (actually I think Sebastian's mum was curious about how the swift worked).

Here is Sebastian winding up the skein of Purple Train Wreck that Julie sent me.



I have a lot to learn about what three year olds can manage when they're excited and wanting to go really, really fast! We had a few moments having to stop and fix wool that was wound, well, a little too well, but we got there and I think Sebastian was pretty damn happy with the two pretty balls of wool we made with the swift.

It's been a pretty good weekend. Morning tea with some girlfriends at the far side of town yesterday (Banks, for the locals - or North Cooma ;-)), followed by cooking for Sebastian's visit in the evening.

Today has been about getting the winter veggies in. I'm now growing peas, red cabbage, garlic, leeks and some lettuce. Since I'm yet to complete a full cycle of vegetable gardening, this being our first year, I'm just amazed looking at how the beds are so different.

A month ago, it was all zucchinis and tomatoes, now I've removed them all and I've got tiny little pea seedlings and all the rest.

You know what's cool? I was putting up strings for the peas to hang onto with their little tendrils, and in the time it took me to complete the second string on the second row, the first ones had started to cling onto the first string already.

I declared, 'It's as if they're alive!'

I think Sean had to work hard to retrain himself from saying, 'Uh, yes they are, you dufus.'

I have hardly knit a stitch all day. All I did was weave the toe of the first of a pair of birthday socks for someone who reads the blog and so I can't post a photo (hint: if you work at the AIS, it's you). Now I'm off to cast on something new, but I won't say anything about that until some progress has been made.

Bells