Things with holes in them

I'm taking a small break from my black Myrtle Leaf shawl and so I have started two other small items with holes in them to take its place.  Don't worry. There's nothing wrong with the shawl, I just need some variety instead of going hell for leather and exhausting myself on it.

The first is a doily. And not just any doily. It's a Hemlock Ring Doily, the pattern which was used as the basis for BrooklynTweed's Hemlock Ring Blanket. As we know, I've made that blanket twice. RoseRed said yesterday, 'you must be able to do the pattern with your eyes shut!'

Not quite.



It's a lot smaller than the 12ply wool I used for the blanket! I spent the better part of a sick day off work doing this. I got to round 37 and realised there was something wrong, checked the net for errata and sure enough, row 35 was the problem. I should have remembered that The Rainey sisters posted errata for this row some time ago. 

I stop every now and then and have the following conversation, or variations of it, with myself.

Me: I can't believe you're knitting a doily.
Me: I know. Weird. I hate doilies.
Me: So why are you knitting one?
Me: Well I'm not sure I REALLY hate them. There's certainly a place for doilies.
Me: Really? Then how come you don't have any?
Me: Because I haven't made any myself before and I think a handknit one would be so much nicer than a mass produced doily.
Me: Won't this look much the same?
Me: Maybe. But I'll have MADE it. That makes all the difference. It's such a cool thing to have made.

So we'll see what happens when it's done. Who says doilies can't be chic?

And in Personal Sock Club news, I have a new pair on the go. Blackrose socks from Knitty. 



The yarn was chosen late one night just before I fell asleep. The Pomatomus socks were done and the packages of Sock Club yarn were all lined up in the spare room. I remembered it was time to choose a new skein! 

From the spare room I called out to Sean, who would have probably preferred to be sleeping at that point, and asked him to choose a number between one and ten. The number he chose corresponded to the bag with the Socks that Rock in Ravenscroft. Oh joy! 

After some deliberation, I decided that Blackrose was the perfect pattern. I love gothing it up once in a while and it's gorgeous, lacy pattern that's quite easy to get into.

So you see, there's still plenty of lacy stuff, even when I'm not working on THE lace project.

Speaking of which, A Long Lacy Summer comes to an end on 28 February. I'll do a wrap up post shortly after that, so post your projects on your blogs, finished or otherwise, if you'd like to be included.

Bells

Let the Show Begin

Recognise these three? Maybe, maybe not. 



These are three of my favourite projects from the last year (the Steeked Jacket at the back, Shetland Triangle down the front, Hemlock Ring Blanket in the middle) and today, along with Georgie, I took them to the Craft Pavilion at the Epic Showground where we dropped off our work so it could be part of the 2009 Royal Canberra Show.

I've never entered a show before and a few years ago would have surely sniggered at the thought. The idea once sounded so twee but now that I'm part of a fabulous community that celebrates our creative endeavours so passionately, it makes sense to find a way to express that creativity publicly, and with friends.

Getting a place, or even winning a category isn't the object (Sean, stop laughing!). It'll just be fun to show up and see all our work on display. I'll report back next weekend! 

Bells

Insta-cardigan

I wanted to show you all what's been keeping me off the streets this week. I'm having a rather hellish week at work; it's one long series of contracts and Ministerial briefing papers so in the evenings, plain knitting has met my weary needs.

Just recently, I mentioned how much I was loving discovering the joys of top down cardigan construction. I think these photos will show why I'm loving making the Something Red cardigan. 

You can try it on as you go! Genius!



I love this blurry shot Sean took.

Combine worsted weight cotton with 4.5mm needles and a straight forward design and you have what I have begun to call an Insta-Cardigan! Although it's been mostly straight forward,  I have had to call on people with a little more experience than I have on this kind of thing. Both Georgie and RoseRed have been very helpful in the questions department.



Soon I'll begin the ribbing that makes up the bottom half of the piece, then I'll whip up a couple of sleeves and I'll be set to head into autumn with a delightful, new blue cardigan.

This cotton is fantastic, by the way. I'm surprised to not see more of it showing up on Ravelry. It's Lana Grossa Nico and it's soft and gives a gorgeous stitch definition.

Working on this cardigan is well and truly keeping me occupied this week. I can hardly put it down

Bells

Beautiful socks & Emergency Knitting

I didn't make these socks. But the yarn is mine.



Once again, RoseRed and I participated in a sock swap that means you contribute yarn of your own and two of your friends knit a sock each out of it. The result is new socks on which you didn't knit a single stitch.

This time, participants were me, RoseRed, Donni, Nora and Kristie. Months ago now, I handed over a skein of Knittery yarn and a week or two ago, got these socks in the mail, knit by Nora and RoseRed. 

I'm thrilled to bits with them. They fit beautifully, are a very fine gauge and they have shown me that a pattern I've overlooked continually is actually stunning.

The pattern is from Interweave's Favourite Socks. Merino Lace Socks. To me, the photo of the socks in the book is fairly nondescript.  I've never considered the pattern.



Clearly they are well worth making. Thanks Nora and RoseRed. Your work is stunning and my feet are happy.

***

As an amusing aside, I have a story to tell.

This morning as we were getting ready to leave for work, I said to Sean that I would do something I've not done for a long time. I said I planned to not take any knitting out with me today. This was because I was driving and so wouldn't have time to do any.

Sean's response was, 'But what about if you need some emergency knitting?'

He paused and said, 'I can't believe I now use phrases like 'emergency knitting' in every day speech.'

Neither can I. 

And yes, I took the knitting. You just never know when you'll need it.

Bells

A Day In My Life - Feb 09

It wasn't until I was emailing with RoseRed today that I remembered today is A Day In My Life day. 

Each month, RoseRed does this meme, which is about capturing the day, recording the great and small moments, and each month I forget. By the time I remember, I realise I've not taken photos and give up on the idea. 

This month I thought i'd give it a go, despite the almost lack of photos. Mainly it's because Sean is watching Mythbusters which doesn't interest me in the slightest and I want to do something else.

So, my day. 

We went to the markets nice and early, stocking up on veggies and meat. We bought a chocolate croissant from the delightful French-style patisserie, Knead, and brought it home to have with a pot of tea.

By 10:30am we were at the National Gallery of Australia waiting for our friends Polly, Steve and Julia so we could see the Degas exhibition before it finishes its run in Canberra. I know almost nothing about Degas, other than that he was an Impressionist. My knowledge of art history is sorely lacking and it's something I try and rectify by going to exhibitions when I can and watching Sunday afternoon art documentaries as much as possible. I seem to enjoy it so much that I think I really ought to make a study of it, even if it's just in these fairly simple ways.

Sometimes, I think these sorts of excursions are really defined by who you go with. The paintings are wonderful but there's something about the company and the mood of the day that contributes significantly to the moment. 

I've known Julia, Polly and Steve since university (approaching twenty years). We have dipped in and out of each other's lives over the years and now, in our late thirties and early forties, we seem to have all reconnected in a really meaningful way. Our lives are all at different points. We each have either grown up children, small children or no children but the differences don't seem to matter at all. There's a common understanding, a shared history that overrides all of that.

Being with them, and Sean, made the Degas exhibition the most enjoyable art gallery experience I've had in a long time. We've not done this sort of excursion before and together we seemed to just fit. Sometimes we sniggered at Degas (some of the paintings of horses really seemed strange as if he'd never really seen a horse before) and sometimes we were in awe. To stand in a dimly lit room with old friends, inhaling the colour and light of, for example, the ballerina paintings was special in ways I can't really explain.



Old friends are as valuable as these paintings.

We left the gallery to go our own ways and because of a wrong turn, Sean and I ended up near Kingston where one of the better yarn shops, Cassidy's, is to be found.

I must digress here for a moment. A few days ago, in a quite serious need of some retail therapy, I went to Cassidy's at lunch time to indulge in the Rowan sale. I admit to feeling a small twinge of guilt to be buying something like this when so many have suffered and lost so much in the bushfires but when another round of IVF fails, as I found out it had on Thursday, I allow myself to do whatever helps in the first 24-48 hours. I can hardly speak about this, but that's what the  yarn indulgence was for. It's pathetic really to think that a yarn sale can even come close to making up for the loss that yet another failed IVF represents, but like the wine I'm drinking right now, it doesn't fix anything. It's just something that soothes me in those first, horrible days.

I emerged on Thursday with more than a little Rowan Felted Tweed (some was for RoseRed!). Like I said, few photos of today, but I can post other photos. 

My new Rowan.

Ten balls of this.



Four balls of this.



Sigh.

When Sean saw this on Thursday, he immediately asked if the chocolate colour was for him. Ah, no. It's been earmarked already for a shawl. But today, as we were out that way, I deviously suggested we call in and choose some yarn for him which I don't have a photo of right now, but he chose a colour called Dragon. For a fantasy/sci-fi boy as he is, that seems somehow fitting. It'll be a scarf for him by the time winter arrives.

Sean and I spent the better part of the afternoon preparing food. We bought a BBQ recently and last week Sean bought a BBQ cook book. He's all enthused and we've dined well since the book arrived. Veal steaks, pepper steak, lamb burgers. Fabulous stuff. So now we have various kinds of meat marinating, just waiting to be cooked in next to no time after work this week. 

Tonight we dined on an Indian feast that was also partially prepared this afternoon. Madras Chicken with dhal, raita and basmati rice. We work well in the kitchen together when we get motivated and work in tandem. We drank champagne while we prepared it; red wine while we ate it and felt immensely satisfied afterwards. I even remembered to get a photo.



And that's really it. The rest of today will be spent knitting, watching TV and polishing off the rather delicious Shiraz we're drinking. We don't really bother about Valentines Day, but cooking something tasty together and doing the things we love, well that feels like a celebration of love to me.

Bells

Buttery Goodness

I'm happy to say that the Pomatomus socks are done. Finished. Off the needles. And not a moment too soon. As I said the other day, they weren't the most fabulous knit ever, but I'm pretty taken with the results. I don't really know why I didn't like them but the comments on the last post where I mentioned them seemed to suggest I'm not alone.



I'm wearing them quite comfortably right now which is, as you can imagine, not expected in February in Australia. My feet are actually cold. 

Talk about freak weather. Sean's just called to say it's raining as he's leaving work. Bring it on. Maybe that crackly grass beneath my feet will turn green and maybe the bushfires will go out if the rain clouds can shift south.



I quite like the heels on these socks, the way the rib feeds into the pattern. Cookie A is one clever designer. Just don't ask me to make these socks again.



When I put them on last night, Sean declared them one of the best looking pairs of socks I'd ever made. I'm inclined to agree. I think they're striking, partly because of Donni's yarn, Burnt Butter. RoseRed dubbed these socks Butter Pomcorn Socks. Cute huh?

Can't say what's next but the Sock Club skein has been selected. More on that later.

***

If you would like to a) win some amazing prizes and b) donate to the Red Cross for the bushfires go check out the profoundly generous prizes available on Serendipity. Jacqueline has gathered together an absolute feast of luscious yarn prizes, all donated from a range of suppliers, and they are up for grabs if you donate to the Red Cross. I'd already given early on, but couldn't resist giving more. 

You can also see Kuka and Jejune for information on other creative ways to help, including in knitterly ways. For more info on a blanket project for fire victims, see Bec. Whatever we can do is good. 

Bells

Just because

Sometimes you do things just because. No reason, really. Like buying new yarn when you said you'd try not to for a while.



I'm on a bit of a slow down with yarn buying and am quite enjoying savouring the stash I've got, but sometimes an opportunity presents itself, like finding out that some yarn a couple of friends are raving about is both discontinued and on sale at Clegs. Grignasco Tango at $3.95 a ball (x 10). Amazing. It will be a cardigan for me and there's a shortlist.

Speaking of cardigans, I started one. Again, just because.



It's Something Red by Wendy Bernard, a cardigan I've been eyeing off since I bought the pattern last year. Mine is, of course, blue, because that seems to be the only colour I know how to knit lately when it comes to cardigans. I do plan to rectify that this year but this Lana Grossa Nico cotton has been in the stash for a while and I think will make a delightful autumn garment.

Oh and by the way, top down construction rocks! George had been raving about this for ages and I believed her, I just needed the right vehicle. It's a very nice contrast piece for when I'm not feeling the lace love (which is rare, but it happens). 

And another just because. Mad, Mad Rachel sent me some Debbie Bliss Cashmere for Valentines Day. Presumably just because she wanted to. Thank you Rachel. You are too sweet, as were the heart candies and chocolates we both enjoyed! 



In closing, it would seem just wrong to not mention the fires. They're still burning and the number of dead rises almost hourly but it's tremendous to read that people are contributing so much to help out. It's great to see. What else can we do? I'm trying, personally, not to overdo watching the stories. The way some of the media seem to almost feast on the grief never sits well with me.

Bells

Reality Check

Yesterday, I complained to Sean about  our wilting garden. I even took photos to write a whiny blogpost about it. The heatwave has really knocked the veggies around and I've done a lot of sitting around, sweating and wishing it could be otherwise.



I didn't even plant this spinach. It's growing in the rubble of what use to be a big, ugly brick barbecue. Even my rhubarb is giving up the fight.



But if all I've got to complain about is a lack of sleep (due to it being still being 30 degrees Celsius (or 86 F) at midnight), feeling lethargic and irritable and suffering a bit of damage in the garden, then I am most fortunate.

Why? Because I have not lost my home. I have not lost my community. I have not lost any friends or family. I am still alive.

Eighty four people (at last count) are no longer alive and many, many more have lost homes and communities today in the most horrific bushfires (some of them apparently deliberately lit) that have raged across south eastern Australia. A long way from us, thankfully, but too close for many. Far too close.

Photo from Sydney Morning Herald.

Surely the fires can't keep burning for much longer? It's got to stop soon. Those of who have lived through this, as Canberrans did in January 2003, find watching this stuff just that bit more eerie, I think. 

Details for how to make donations to the relief can be found here.

This ceremony only fills my heart

So I thought I should give an update on how I'm going with my Personal Sock Club, the one so many sock knitters around the world are participating in. 

As a recap - if you can't afford/missed out on/just didn't want to join in any of the proper sock clubs where a package shows up every now and then providing you with new sock yarn and a pattern, make your own sock club. Easy as pie. Of course, it helps to have a bit of a sock yarn stash, which I'm glad to say I do.

I selected my sock yarns for the year ahead some weeks ago, but didn't actually gather them together (I just searched my photos on Flickr!). Now, they're all ready to go and what fun it was to dig through the stash and savour the finding of each one because almost every yarn that was chosen made me think good thoughts and recalled happy memories.  



I bought the brown paper bags from Lincfraft and will soon have the packages lined up along a wall in the spare room, ready for random selection when the time is right. And yes, they will be sealed so there's no cheating. I won't be peaking into the bags before undertaking the random selection process!

When I had them all packaged up, I stood and thought about it all and marvelled at the collection.

There are some big names in those bags. Koigu. Wollmeise. Socks that Rock. Schaefer Anne. Just to name a few. I feel really lucky to have them. More than a few of these yarns were gifted to me by lovely people and though I have been saving many of them, I figured in the end that well, they can be replaced (isn't that half the fun? Choosing new yarn?) and, like the good crockery, it's not much use kept for occasions that might never arrive.

Now I think what's really going to work about this sock club gig is the impetus it provides to finish the current socks in progress. Just knowing that some of my most treasured yarns are in there, with wonderful scope and possibilities, is a great reason to push on when the current socks are starting to drag towards the end. 

Socks? That drag? Really? Oh yes. I give you my Pomatomus Socks.

They are technically a year old. I actually began them this time a year ago, got half way through one repeat and gave them up. In January this year, with the same  yarn, I went into battle. These socks are my nemesis, I swear.



I think the problem was starting the pattern when. for reasons I now can't comprehend, it seemed a bit beyond me. Several false starts rankled me. I could have chosen another pattern, but I don't like to be beaten by something that is effectively just a fancy kind of rib sock, when it comes down to it.



I think the results are worth it and I could even say I'm comfortably settled into the pattern now, and loving the yarn which is called Burnt Butter and was dyed by Donni. But I'll be glad when they're over. A week of almost exclusive Pom knitting has meant I am now on the foot of the second one.

Finally!

Today I've worked on the Myrtle Leaf shawl but it's night now and the yellow of these socks is much easier to deal with than the fine black of the shawl. Soon, they will be done.

Bells

Six of six

Amy tagged me for the photo meme where you go to your sixth photo folder and choose the sixth photo.

I was a bit nervous about this, wondering what on earth might show up but it was a good one and actually not all that old. I think I only started putting photos in my own photo folder when we moved into this house in 2006. Before that I think Sean had main carriage of uploading photos from the camera so older ones are in his folders.

Anyway, this is the photo.



It's me and my lovely nephew Will, taken on a visit to Sydney in February 2007, so exactly two years ago. I love this whole series, taken that afternoon by my sister, Adele no doubt. Sure it looks a little posed, as if Adele is saying 'Smile at Aunty Bells, Will!' but the other photos from the same series suggest we were having lots of fun, goofing around.

Like this one.



And this one.



Nearly five years have elapsed since this little guy came into our lives as the first grandchild and therefore my first blood nephew. Almost five years of absolute magic and incredible love. He has the sweetest temperament, the most playful grin and a surprisingly dry wit (if you can imagine such a thing in a small boy). He is a part of my sister, and therefore a part of me and though I was very excited for him to arrive, I had no idea the magnitude of love that was in store for me.

Watching him grow, and watching my sister be the most amazing, caring mum has made every day of his life so special. 

In a couple of weeks, I'll have a new niece. My youngest sister is about to give birth. Clearly aunty-hood suits me so I've got more love to look forward to.

Thanks for tagging me, Amy. It was nice to spend a moment thinking about being an aunty. 

Bells

All About Grace

I don't often undertake Baby Knits.

Many more babies are born around me than I ever knit for because sometimes it seems like a cruel form of torture to knit cute little baby things when it often seems that I might never have the chance to knit for a baby of my own. Yes, we still hope but while we are hoping and struggling, knitting baby stuff is not something I choose to spend my time doing. 

I do make exceptions for the special ones. I hasten to add that all babies are obviously special, but the babies of a) very dear friends and b) very dear friends who are knitters are the ones I'll most often put aside the Bad Feelings and knit for. 

Exhibit Grace. Lovely daughter of Amy from Rhode Island. That link takes you to the post where Grace models what I made for her. You have to see it. Even my sister pointed out today that Grace looks especially delighted with her outfit. 

And that outfit would be Anouk, a lovely Kate Gilbert piece from Knitty. 

I'd admired it from the first time I saw another Grace wearing Anouk - George made one and dressed her Grace in it late last year. One lunch time I swooned over George's Grace and knew at once I'd make it for Amy's Grace. (Is the title of this post making sense now?)



I took my time. Both RoseRed and I decided we'd send our baby gifts early in the new year to avoid the rush of things Amy would receive after Grace was born. 

I have to say, Anouk, while delightful, is not the most pleasant pattern to work from. I messed up several times which is frustrating given it's really just two pieces with a bit of shaping and some additional bits. It's not written all that clearly and even though I know I can be a bit scatty on getting details right sometimes, I didn't think it was the kind of pattern that would lead to that much stuffing up. But it did. I fudged the neck and shoulders. 

It's actually meant to be joined on one shoulder, buttoned on the other but I ended up messing that bit up and so it's not joined at all. Just the straps on the side and the buttons at the shoulders.  I think it works.

The original calls for pockets with intarsia flowers on them - George did them and they are fabulous. Me, I chickened out on two fronts. I didn't feel like learning intarsia at the time and I had a feeling Amy would like it to be simpler. I was right.

To go with it, I made a Berry Baby Hat. Amy had mentioned one day that Grace was a bit short on hats (and you call yourself a knitter, Amy! ;-) so I made one. Cute huh?



And all together? 



It all adds up to sweet baby loveliness, don't you think? Do check out the modelled photo on Amy's blog. There's nothing like seeing how it actually looks on the intended recipient.

I made Anouk from Patons Superwash, 2 balls of red, one of green. This is nice yarn. I'd not used it before. I think it washes up beautifully. I'll no doubt make this again, now that I've sorted out the troublesome pattern. It's too cute not to. One day.

Bells