Lessons in Blocking Crochet

Remember the Chevron Lace Cardigan I posted about a week or so ago?

Back then it looked like this.



Mine, now that it's dry, is considerably longer. You would expect it to be longer now that it's finished, washed and blocked, wouldn't you? And it is. But it's too long. Or at least it was until about half an hour ago.

I'm not going to show you what it looks like now because it's sitting on my lap slightly unravelled. I finished it on the weekend (is the crochet equivalent of Off The Needles actually Off the Hook? If so, I like it!) and, very happy with the length, proceeded to soak and block it.

I watched it, as I laid it out on a towel, almost growing before my eyes, much like when Kylie blocked her Liesl last week. These lacy cardigans seem to take on a mind of their own once they hit the water. It's most disconcerting. You think you've got it all sorted; you get everything as right as it can possibly be and then the damn things go and expand on soaking.
It's not right.

Even Sean, who claims to have little to no views at all on what is right and wrong in the world of clothing declared it too, too long. We're talking below the butt too long which was not, as you can imagine, what was intended.

So right now, my lovely cardigan, is on my lap, ready for reworking. All I've done is unravel the band and 3 inches of the bottom. Oh the joy of top down garments! If this was worked from the bottom up, we'd be having a whole other conversation right now.

Was it the gauge? I don't think so. If anything my guage was slightly tighter than required. Was it the needle size? No, I went down a hook size. Was it the yarn (Bendigo Luxury)? I don't think so although I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has found it grows.

I think it was just that it's fairly open crochet. Lots of room for those holes to drag down.

But it's at times like this that the words of author Peter Carey flow through my mind. I'll paraphrase what he said when asked how he felt about rewriting drafts of his novels. Imagine, if you will, that he was a knitter, or croceter, and not an author.

"I figure we knitters do this stuff, we knit stuff and if we can knit stuff, we can knit plenty more. I quite enjoy throwing away good knitting."

Well it's not quite the same thing - I'm not throwing anything away, but I am undoing many, many stitches in order to get the cardigan right.

And that, in the end, is what really matters. Getting it right. A girl's got to be happy.

Finished garment photos to follow!

Bells

Knit Picks Haul

As those of us who live outside the US well know* Knit Picks does not ship to anywhere else in the world beyond the US border. Oddly enough, they appear to have changed their name, to customers outside the US, to Knit Pro. What the point of this is isn't really clear, since they don't appear to want to deal with the international market as far as their yarn goes. Thankfully there are distributors for their needles outside the US, but not the yarn.

Many of us have hypothesised that this is because a) Knit Picks don't feel they need the international business or b) their yarn is so cheap they figure the international postage costs would be more than the price of the yarn.

I imagine there's an element of both of these theories in the reasons why this company routinely fails to acknowledge international interest in their yarn. That sort of attitude pisses people off, I think. I know it irks me, as well as several of my knitting friends.

Quite rightly, one approach we can take is to declare that if they don't need us, well we don't need them. It's not like there is no other option for yarn. There's a huge yarn market out there, both locally and internationally and there are plenty of companies we can support in our purchases.

That said, I do like their stuff and while I won't go out of my way to acquire it, I'll happily accept an offer from a friend to bring some home for me if convenient. One such friend is Dianne. We've never met even though she only lives about 90 minutes away in the Southern Highlands. Dianne is American and returns home with astounding regularity. She brought me home some Knit Picks yarns a couple of months ago and I haven't touched them, if by touching them I mean actually knitting with them. I have, however, played with them a lot, dreaming of the things they might be.

It's not high end yarn. It's mid-range quality but the allure for me is in the colour. There are some gorgeous colours and their lace weights are particularly nice. I adore my Adamas Shawl made from Shadow and loved making Sean's birthday socks from their Essential Tweed. It's worn really well so it was only right that I ordered some more for him (see first photo below).



1. Flint Tweed, 2. Knitpicks Gloss Lace Raisin, 3. Knitpicks Palette Cream, 4. Knitpicks Essential Ivy, 5. Knitpicks Palette Lipstick, 6. Knitpicks Palette Black

One of the things that I'm confused about now that I have my order is why on earth I ordered FIVE balls of the Palette in black (see item 6 above). Two balls of it in red and white are for a pair of Endpaper Mitts. That much was very clear to me when it arrived. But five balls in black? I really ought to start writing down, when I place orders, what projects I have in mind. This is probably something obvious to many people and I'm just sorry it took me so long to figure out it's a good plan. I'm sure I'll find something to do with the black Palette - a shawl maybe? - but it's not something I'd have done deliberately. It must have been a typo. I wear so much black that I tend not to knit in it because I like to knit things that accessorise well with black. Sigh.

Nonethless, I am grateful to Dianne, my yarn mule, for bringing a lovely haul home to me, even if Knit Picks is a company who behaves as if the rest of the world doesn't exist. If the reason is that their yarn is so cheap (and it is REALLY cheap) that the international postage would cost more, they should look at companies like Bendigo Woollen Mills. Their yarn is astoundingly cheap and they post internationally. It's kind of arrogant to make that choice for customers, don't you think?

Bells

*Naturally I mean those of us who live outside the US and who also knit or crochet.

Pretty Crochet Pants

I've been working this week on a special gift for a little girl who turns one tomorrow. A pair of crochet pants, for George's little girl, Grace.



They're made from Cleckheaton Cocoon, a 4ply baby yarn in wool and nylon. Lovely soft and practical for a garment that will no doubt get a fair bit of rough wear as Grace learns to walk. I wanted them to be practical and pretty at the same time, hence the touch of frill on the bottom of the legs.



The pattern said that for the waist, hat elastic should be used but I looked at hat elastic and wasn't sure. I can't really say why, so I went with shirring elastic in the end (note to self: don't pull on it too hard, it breaks!). I'll have to see them on before I am sure it worked and might have to redo them since I'm not sure they'll go over a nappy or a fat baby tummy yet.

I might have done the three rows of shirring elastic too tight. But we'll see.



The pattern is from a book I think I'll get lots of use out of. It's Cleckheaton booklet #957, Master Crochet.



I can think of a little girl in my family who will look gorgeous in more items made from this book. Crochet is wonderful for baby girls, I think. So pretty and versatile and quite fast. I'm sure if I had knit these pants I might still be going.

I have loved very much immersing myself in crochet in the last couple of weeks. The Chevron Lace Cardigan is very nearly complete - just a little more of then band and I'll be done.


Bells

2009 Tour de France Knit Along

For some time now, I've been planning a special project for July. I'm not alone. Loads of others have been doing the same on Ravelry.

For the second year in a row, I'm participating in the Tour de France knit along. Anyone who knows me and my monstrous lack of interest in sport, and particular in actually watching yawn inducing sport, might well be surprised that I'd sign up for this, but the Tour de France is different. It's not sport in the usual way, I think. There's pretty scenery - and no I don't mean the cyclists - there are hours and hours of beautiful French scenery to watch. That's what got me in last year.

So to be honest, this event is really about the motivation get something substantial knitted up fast. Watching the race is really secondary. I'm not sure I even understand how it works. A bunch of obsessed guys ride their bikes around France. They wear different coloured jerseys. And it's hard. That's about all I understand.

But it's a great opportunity to really flex my speed knitting muscles and to focus on getting a single, decent sized project done in a very limited amount of time.

Last year I worked hard for three weeks and produced a cardigan for my sister, Adele. If you were reading then, you might remember it?



It was an achievement I was really proud of and I know Adele was thrilled with the end result but it was hard work, really hard, to get it done in that time.

This year I've been putting a lot of thought into what I wanted to do. I knew early on it would be something for me, most likely another cardigan, and it would be a piece that, although challenging in terms of size, would not just about kill me like last year's project did. For that reason, I scrapped early plans to knit a Tangled Yoke cardigan. I knew I had to be realistic. If I chose a fine gauge cardigan I'd struggle.

So I chose worsted weight yarn from my stash - Rowan Kid Classic in Peat.




And I matched it to the Garter Yoke Cardigan (Rav link).

I love the shape of it. I love the idea of it. Now that I've done a couple of top down cardigans, I'm in the zone. I'm good to go. I'm pretty confident that, dramas notwithstanding, I'll get it done on time.

By mid-late July, I'll have a brand new cardigan in luxurious Rowan Kid Classic. Happy happy joy joy.

Bring on July 4. I'm ready. Are you? Fancy joining in the fun? The Ravelry 2009 Tour de France knit along group is taking sign ups now. And you don't have to do a whole cardigan or garment. There are several categories, one to suit everyone!

Bells

Laying Low

We got out of town on the weekend. It was a rather necessary escape, just overnight, to do something different and unwind.

Our destination was Wollongong, just two and a half hours' drive. I have to say, it was very nice not to be going to Sydney. Not that we don't love going to Sydney to see family and friends, but we do it a lot and this was a pleasant change.

Our host was dear friend Kylie or KMS as she's most often known in the blogosphere. Wollongong is a coastal city and one of the things I love most is a wintry beach. Wollongong delivered.



Kylie, Sean and I plonked ourselves down in a cafe right on the beach and watched the storm clouds over the foamy waves. It was eerie and dramatic to knit, eat cake and watch a storm grow.

We paused briefly for photos on the shore before we escaped falling night.



We spent the evening tucked up in Kylie's adorable new home, a cottage that has been lovingly restored to perfection. Can you tell that two knitters were here?



All in all, it was a great mini-break. So much knitting. So much talking. Lots of eating. A few handyman or tech support moments for Sean. Twenty-four hours of laying low in someone else's home, feeling good, feeling at ease.

And I may have come very, very close to finishing my Chevron Lace Cardigan. Almost there. Stay tuned.

Bells

Half Done Cardigan

Let it be said, up front, that I have had truly the most difficult of days. Not all of it was bad but not all of it was particularly good. Some not so great news, some crap stuff at work including packing to move to a new building (not just me - the whole floor is moving) and a general feeling at the end of the day of being very, very washed out.

But I got to come home early and sit in the peace and quiet of a silent house, with a bottle of Sav Blanc chilling in readiness for later on.

And I took some photos. Self portraits in the bathroom mirror of my half done Chevron Lace Cardigan. For some reason, I'm all about crochet this week. It's really hitting the spot, as evidenced by the fact I've reached the waist in next to no time.



I think it's very cute. I love the simplicity of it. I love that, to me, it doesn't look in any way like how you might expect a crochet cardigan to look. One of the reasons I took up knitting in 2003 was because it seemed to me then that there were not so many un-daggy crochet patterns around, in terms of garments. I found a few back then (and I must do a post about my very favourite crochet cardigan that I have worn to death for five years or more) but there weren't that many.

The internet has changed all that and I think there are many more great crochet garment designers around now. I for one can't wait to finish this one. It's (I'm so tempted to say knitting up, out of habit) crocheting up beautifully and the Bendigo Luxury is gorgeous to work with. Give me a few days, I think I might be there.

One last thing, for locals, Genevieve Jacobs from local ABC radio is looking to interview tomorrow any willing 'old school knitters' - anyone who was knitting in the 1970s and has stories to tell about vintage patterns. She just posted on Ravelry (as a big fan, I was thrilled to see the post!) and she asked that you call her directly on 6275 4561 where you can leave a message and she'll get back to you. I was knitting in the 70s but I was a slip of a girl and making things like holey scarves for my dad, so I don't think I qualify, but if you do, give her a call!

Bells

Who Am I?

I've been tagged by Colour Me In. It's been a while since I did one of the question and answer memes so given it's a slow blog material week this week, I'm gonna give it a go.

Kudos to MissyFee who gave my favourite answer to a question yet. She said she'd love to buy yarn and truffles (not the chocolate kind) and I thought, wow, what a stunning combination. Love it.

Here we go.

What Is Your Current Obsession?
Getting my current projects finished. I'm totally in the zone. I've got gifts to finish, a cardigan for me to finish, two sets of socks. I really want a clean slate!

What Are You Wearing Today?
At this very moment, purple pyjamas and my Blackrose socks. It's winter and I'm showerd, fed and comfy!

What's for dinner?
Sean made a stunning, simple dish of chicken drumsticks braised in an Asian style sauce he made up. It had turmeric, five spice, ginger, salt and pepper. It was gorgeous and we had it with stirfried bok choy from the garden and brown rice.

What Would You Eat for Your Last Meal?
Oysters and champagne. And they would be special oysters, like the ones from Coffin Bay in South Australia. I can't even imagine what champagne I'd have. That'd take some thought but there are some very fine local ones I'd not turn down.

What's the Last Thing You Bought?
A mixed salmon and tuna sushi take away for lunch from the best Japanese lunch spot in Canberra, Sushi Sushi.

What Are You Listening To Right Now?
Discussion on The New Inventors.

If you could go anywhere in the world in the next hour, where would you go?
Scandanavia. Probably Norway. I need to see a fjord and eat cloudberries. Although not necessarily at the same time.

Which language do you want to learn?
I would return to my Russian studies at ANU because I never completed it beyond second year and when I hear Russian spoken now, my heart aches for what I gave up.

What do you love most about where you currently live?
Canberra is my home. I came here on a school excursion from the coast when I was twelve and I imagined what it would be like to live here as a grown up. I've been here since the late 80s and feel like I truly belong here. Sometimes I think about the big city lights, but I know it's not really me. Canberra is like a country town with city aspirations. Lots of space and clean air and trees and beautiful mountains all around. It also has four seasons, something many Australian regions don't have.

What is your favourite colour?
Red. Or is it purple? I think it's a close tie between the two.

What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
It's a black t-shirt I bought years ago that I adore. I've never had a t-shirt I loved more. I will be devastated when it is really, really gone. It's still holding on. How boring is that?

What were you doing ten years ago?
I had just walked out on a job as a nanny for a wealthy family in the Cotswolds, England. I was back in London, living with relatives and feeling quite out of my depth.

Describe your personal style?
Comfort. I love a uniform. I like to stick with what I know works for me in a fairly limited range. Soft fabrics, hints of the feminine, accents of colour against a basic black wardrobe. And cardigans. More and still more cardigans.

If you had $300 right now what would you spend it on?
Several new pairs of really nice shoes. I'm a bit short on nice shoes. I never seem to budget for them.

What are you going to do after this?
Make a pot of rooibos vanilla tea for us and drink it while knitting and watching Spicks n Specks.

What inspires you?
Other people's stories. Someone's experience, views and ideas put together really well, whether in print or interviews or films can lift me out of my rut and show me new ways of being.

What are your favourite films?
Jane Campion's An Angel At My Table has rated as my top film for many, many years.

Who's work/designs are you inspired by?
At the moment I'm very much inspired by Ysolde Teague, the self described 'young Scottish knitwear designer.' She's so clever.

Your favourite books?
The Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann; Middlemarch by George Eliot; The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville; Cloudstreet by Tim Winton; Persuasion by Jane Austen; The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. To name a few.

Do You Collect Anything?
Yarn! The day I saw RoseRed's stash, I began to see the value in having really, really nice stuff close by, ready to call on when inspiration hits. Also cook books and I have a rather lovely, but small collection of early edition George Eliot novels.

What makes you follow a blog?
I see something that speaks to me.

What was the most enjoyable thing you did today?
Got to ride home on the bus with Sean and realised how much more quickly the trip goes when having nice conversation.

What's one thing you dream of doing?
Writing and publishing a novel.

Wow, that was longer than I realised. Thanks for reading!

Edited to add: I tag the following:

Amy in Rhode Island
Donna Lee
Terby
1 More Row


Bells

So very fetching!

In the car on the weekend, I finished off a modified pair of Fetching fingerless mittens from Knitty. Time and again, it's easy to see why these are one of the most popular mitt patterns on the internet. They are cute and they are fast, even when you modify them and make them longer.

Yes, there's only one mitt in this photo. The other hand was taking the photo!



I made these on commission. Sean's workmate has done some nice things for us and as Sean is always talking up my knitting (gotta love that!) so he offered his early morning dog walking friend a pair of Fetching mitts made by me. She suggested colours she was keen to wear and from the stash emerged some ancient Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed.

By ancient I mean, bought in the first flurry of yarn buying from ebay when I started knitting again in 2004. I made a vest from it a long time ago and I hated knitting with it then as much as I did this time.

I really, really don't like this yarn, despite the wool/silk/cashmeriness of it all.

Wouldn't you think that a combination such as this would be a dream to knit with? No. It's stiff as a board. It does not flow through your fingers like the luxury its make up suggests. It's not rough, per se. Just stiff. Its only saving grace is that it looks wonderful.

I perservered because of the look of it and because I knew Sean's friend walks dogs in the brutal Canberra mornings and you don't need delicate wool for that. You need something that's going to go the distance. This'll do that.

For modifcations, I made four repeats of the cable at the base and an extra repeat of the cable at the fingertips. The pattern as written, as has often been said, is fairly short and begs for lengthening. They still only used about 60g of yarn, so not the stash-buster I was hoping for but still, they've washed up nice and Sean's friend will hopefully love them.

Bells

World Wide Knit in Public Day - Darling Harbour, Sydney

What does a knitter, who knits in public most days of her life, do when the annual World Wide Knit In Publc Day rolls around again? She has to do something different, right? Well, this knitter did (and here I'll stop talking about myself in the third person!).

Sean and I decided to spend the weekend in Sydney and so got up at the ungodly hour of 5:30am on Saturday morning. Heading towards the Federal Highway, this is what the world looked like. Canberra's winter fog-fest has definitely kicked off.



We arrived at RoseRed's house in plenty of time and Mr RoseRed drove us all into the city, whereupon RoseRed and I headed off, leaving our Knit Widowers to go and amuse themselves at the Apple Store, book stores and a pub lunch.

First stop for the day was the Inner City Knitter's Guild meeting, a delightful meeting at Circular Quay, with knitting. Oh if only all meetings could involve knitting, and show and tell. Standing up to show a room full of knitters your brand new February Lady Sweater and have everyone ooh and ahh is exactly what meetings should be like. So good to be with such a fine bunch of people!

From there, a bunch of us headed out, decked out in all our knitted finery, to catch a bus across town to Darling Harbour.

I really, really wish I had been carrying my camera in my hand instead of buried at the bottom of my project bag. So many missed opportunities. I am cursing myself as I type, rest assured.

At Darling Harbour, we were greeted by a long, curving line of tables outside the Bayside Lounge and over the next little while, EIGHTY knitters showed up.



This isn't all 80 of us. The space outside ran out fairly quickly and others went inside. Ordinarily a group of this size would do my head in - all that noise and chaos and fifty gazillion conversations happening all at once. But actually this wasn't like that. Noise levels were good I coped rather well!

I sat mostly with RoseRed, Kylie, Donni and WebGoddess but got up several times to mingle. Lovely, lovely opportunity to see friends and meet new ones. I feel a little bit now like I have three knitting communities. One in Canberra. One in Sydney. And one in Wollongong. How good is that?

It was extraordinarily well organised by the hard working Sally and a few others. We had buttons and bags and t-shirts with the event logo.



At some point, I railroaded Knitabulous Ailsa into taking some photos of me in my February Lady Sweater.



1. fls1, 2. fls2

And naturally, being a place where there were lots of knitters, and especially lots of knitters who went next door to the annual Craft Fair (I declined; I just knew not to engage in such tempting behaviour) there was beautiful yarn and beautiful knitting to be seen.



1. A sock and an Ishbel, 2. habu 1, 3. habu, 4. donna

When the afternoon eventually dwindled to a close, there was a quickly grabbed bite for a few of us in Chinatown and then home, full bellied and worn out, to don PJs and socks (hand knitted, obviously) and watch a movie into the night.

A great day, spectacularly put together and well worth the early start to get there!

Bells

Favourite Photo: Laughing at the wedding

I got tagged by Amanda over at BugMum. It's a meme started by Fat Mum Slim.

It's really simple. I love how every photo tells a story. Some short stories, some long tales. I want to know what is your favourite photo of yourself. Everyone has one. The photo they look at and smile. It reminds them of something, some time, some place. A moment in time. So share the photo, share the story and then tag three other people. I want to see photos and stories all around the blogosphere.

So here is mine. It's a photo of a real photo, since we don't have this one electronically.




Is it cheesy to say that one of your favourite photos of yourself is a wedding photo? Yes, it's the day when we all hopefully looked radiant and wonderful, but they can be kind of artificial too, can't they? We never wanted posed, airbrushed, formal photos and we didn't get them.

Through a photographer friend, we had a well known photo journalist Andrew Campbell as our photographer. He doesn't do weddings per se, but once in a while he does them if the couple and the wedding feel right. Over a beer at Tilleys, he said we felt right and he got the job. Or we got the job. I wasn't sure which. Either way, we were thrilled. Twenty minutes was all it took, up at the Botanic Gardens where we married in 2004.

I love this one because I'm laughing at something Sean said. And he is laughing. My first memory of meeting Sean is that he was laughing when I first saw him. His laugh is big and infectious and he makes me laugh a lot. I like to think this photo sets us up what for what our life is like. No matter what happens, at some point, we find our way back to laughing and I think my face says it all.

I'm not going to tag people because I know far too many bloggers who don't like posting photos of themselves online. But if you'd like to do this, please let me know!

* * *

Tomorrow is going to be a great day, just by the by. It's World Wide Knit in Public Day again and Sean and I will be getting up nice and early to drive to Sydney and have a day out. He'll wander around Sydney while I plant myself with hoards of other knitters at Darling Harbour. Stay tuned for the post-event write up. I'll be wearing my February Lady Sweater so I'll have photos!

Bells

Because of Angela

I learned to crochet because I met a girl called Angela when I was eight.

It was 1980 and we lived in Tasmania. A new girl came to school, called Angela, and she was different. I remember thinking she was quiet and smart and seemed a bit 'proper'. Not posh or aloof, but she spoke and wrote well and played the violin. We quickly became friends.

One day, she brought to school something she was making. I don't know why, perhaps it was for show and tell, but when I asked her what the colourful, woolly thing was, she told me it was crochet and she showed me how she did it. I wanted to learn. I wanted to know what it was she was doing and soon after, she invited me over to her house for lessons.

Her house was different. We lived in Rosebery, a small mining town on the north west coast of Tasmania where the mine workers lived in standard, small identical homes. As a building, her small rectangle shaped house was the same as mine, but inside, it was a bit different.

No TV. No radio. Just a big table piled with books and art materials. Angela had three sisters. They were all busy doing their activities. One of them was practicing the cello. I'd never seen such a thing. Around the lounge room were other musical instruments. They seemed, to my eight year old eyes, a very clever, different sort of family.

Her mother taught me to crochet. I think I only had one, maybe two lessons because soon after, we moved away, back to the mainland, to the sunny south coast of New South Wales.

We took the ocean liner, The Empress of Australia, back to the mainland and once I got over the seasickness, I spent the overnight trip practicing my crochet. I knew the basic stitches but not much more.

By the time we arrived in Melbourne at my Great Aunty Win's house, and I showed her what I'd made, her severely cataract afflicted eyes saw at once I needed help and we spent the duration of our stay fine tuning my skills as a solid, beginning crocheter.

Twenty-nine years later (Oh God, I can't believe it's almost thirty years since I learned!) I still dabble in crochet once in a while. Knitting is my love these days but crochet remains a firm friend. So last night, I began to make something I've been eyeing off for quite a while.

The Chevron Lace Cardigan. In Bendigo Woollen Mills' lovely new wool, Luxury. Colour, Oceanic.



I'm told it's fast. Everyone on Ravelry who's made it says so. And my Crochet-Along buddy, George, is finding the same thing. Nice and easy.



It's virtually impossible for me to pick up a hook and not think back to the rainy, bleak days of life on Tasmania's west coast and my little friend Angela, with her over achieving sisters and her mother who taught me simple granny square construction. And Aunty Win, who could barely see but had the patience to help me get it right. I reckon she'd be happy to know that I'm still doing it, all these years later.

I look forward to having a new cardigan to wear in next to no time, if the stories people tell on Ravelry are true.

Bells

ps February Lady Sweater is blocked and will be posted over the weekend. Love her!

The June Long Weekend

Every year, on the Queens Birthday Long weekend in June, winter really kicks in. You can be almost certain that even though we're in a drought, it'll rain and this weekend the heavens did indeed provide. In spite of that, we attempted a walk today. We got probably 500m down the road and this icy, almost snow started to fall. Back home we trudged and there we stayed.

Mostly this weekend I devoted myself to finishing the February Lady Sweater. I did this with all the fervour of one who hopes to wear a new handknit to World Wide Knit in Public Day in Sydney next weekend. My mission, stated on Twitter this morning, was Do or Die. Today was it. Am happy to report there will be no dying tonight.



She is done. Here is a glimpse of how she looks, just the buttons, while she's blocking. Let me just say I am ecstatic about this cardigan. I was gleeful as I soaked her in the laundry basin. As soon as she's dry, I'll do a post.

I had a range of other photos to post but flickr is being utterly unbearable tonight. So the only three photos I've managed to upload will have to do. Amy, I did try (Amy today encouraged me, when I was feeling very, very uninspired about blogging, but wishing I could do it, to take some photos. I did and it was fun. Tomorrow I'll post them.)

On Saturday night, Sean and I were treated to a night of babysitting our thirteen week old niece, Alice. She arrived, on the blustery dark night, looking every bit the snow bunny.



It was great fun and she was a darling. Except for that whole hour she cried! Oh my how do people manage with that? Thankfully Sean has the patience of a saint for such things and he cuddled her and talked gently to her for a long time and eventually it worked. Just in time for our roast chicken dinner, I might add. I bet it's not always so neat and tidy, is it?

This is how she spent a fair whack of the evening after her bottle. Snuggled up on cushions on the lounge room floor.



So now that the February Lady Sweater is finished, of course, the big question is what next? I have WIPs to finish but several of those are good for bus knitting. Another cardigan must be started. I have thoughts. I'll be back with those in another post.

Bells

ANZAC Biscuits

As far as classic Australian food goes, you probably can't beat the humble ANZAC biscuit. The folklore surrounding this simple biscuit, a probable relative of the traditional Scottish oatcake, is such that it's virtually impossible to make them without feeling deep levels of nostaliga, romanticism or even patriotism. 

The story goes that they were devised as a way of sending baked goods to loved ones (ie soldiers) at the front during World War I. It doesn't seem clear whether it was an Australian or New Zealand creation (ANZAC, for the non-locals, stands for Australia & New Zealand Army Corps) and I have long thought that was fitting. Neither of our fine nations should claim it solely as its own. We should happily share (but the Kiwis can have Russell Crowe back. Just thought I should get that out there.)



This is a photo I sent to Sean at work to show him what I was up to while home from work today. He thought it was a cruel taunt. Paired with the 'I'll save you one' email, it probably was. 

I was prompted to write about them after, having mentioned on Facebook or Twitter that I was baking some, Julie asked could I blog about what ANZAC biscuits are. Julie, they are yummy.

There are loads of recipes out there but the essential concept remains the same among each variation. There must be flour, rolled oats, sugar, butter, golden syrup and bi carb soda. Some recipes will add coconut. 

I used a recipe posted on Chez Pinry this week.  I could have just as easily used the classic Country Women's Association recipe that Kuka posted recently. Only minor differences between them, but those little differences can really make for a very different biscuit.

I'm of the 'must be chewy' school of ANZAC biscuit baking. Some prefer them hard and crunchy. 

But no matter how they turn out, ANZACs make me think of childhood, of perpetually rainy days in Tasmania when my mum used to make them (it was a rainy day today - very appropriate); that buttery, chewy texture never fails to please. And they never last very long either.

It must be added, in closing, that sometimes I love to make them simply because of the thrill of seeing what happens when you add the bi-carb soda to the saucepan of boiling hot butter and golden syrup. The golden foamy effusion makes me feel all sciency. Every time.

Bells

Delicate and pretty

Look at this adorable little piece of delicate prettiness.



It's a wool brooch and it came to be mine because of Princess Pea. Some time ago, Anna held a contest to give away a pair of socks she'd made but which sadly didn't fit her. Anna preferred to see the beautiful socks go to a good home rather than languishing in her sock drawer.

Lucky me, I won the contest, knowing that the socks would possibly not fit me, but being pink and lovely, they'd hopefully fit, and very much suit, my sister.

They did and they have been gifted. Adele adored them. You can see the beautiful Om Shanti socks here.

The rest of the package included all manner of pretty signs of exquisite taste, something I've come very much to associate with Anna and her little corner of the blogosphere. I wish I had half her eye for style and beauty. There was foot soap, foot butter and a beautiful card, all delightfully presented.

I'm afraid I kept the other treats. Adele had the socks. In a rash display of greed, I kept the rest of the package. I'm sure Anna understands!

I haven't worn the wool brooch yet although it would definitely go with my shawls. I'm just a little bit afraid of losing it. Call me crazy. There's probably no need at all. But it's lovely and I'm grateful, Anna. Thank you.

Bells

Cardigan weather

Today being the first day of June and, by some calendars, the first day of winter, I really hoped I'd be wearing a cardigan of my own making by now.

Yes, I have cardigans I've made in the past, some of them I even like, but I want one that I've made since last winter, one I've not yet broken in, so to speak. One that isn't for autumn days would also be nice.

I have such a cardigan but alas, it's not yet finished. I got a bit caught up with baby knitting and gift knitting throughout April and May and even with a week's leave behind me, it's not yet done.

My February Lady Sweater. Or cardigan. Dammit. I prefer cardigan. It's not a sweater. A sweater to me is a jumper worn by people in America (although Wikipedia says differently. Pfft. Who said Wikipedia was the last word on everything anyway?)

This is in no way a jumper.



Can you imagine how many stupid photos I took in the bathroom mirror of me wearing it? Not one was decent so as I was about to give up in despair, I remember just a few days ago Kylie hung her half-done Liesl on a coat hanger. Bingo! One half-done February Lady Sweater Cardigan.

Now if I could just get it finished. I'm getting there but I can't help thinking that my eyelet increases are far higher up than anyone else's I've seen. Anyone who's made this got thoughts? In the pattern Pamela Wynne says to do at least three rows after the eyelet increases but there was no way mine was long enough by then so I kept going, which is also what she says to do without any real indication of even roughly how many rows this should be.

If I've done it wrong, it's gonna be a lot longer before I get to wear my first cardigan of the season. There's a photo here if you're inclined to have a look and see that it does appear to fit me, despite the odd placement of my increases.

In happier news, my Personal Yarn Detangler, Catherine, who kindly responded to my cry for help last week, returned my tangled purple yarn today, the yarn I need for a top secret and fairly urgent project. How's that for service? She also sent back some white yarn I've had sitting around in a mess since I first had a go at it last year, more months ago than I care to say. She even included Chuppa Chups stuffed inside the purple yarn.

Everyone needs a Personal Yarn Detangler. Mine is even a minor celeb, having been interviewed on ABC Radio over the weekend about knitting and knitting groups. So thank you Catherine. You got me out a jumble and I'm most appreciative.

Bells