Blogtoberfest Day 20: Sisters

I'm just going to say right up front that I'm getting tired. I'll admit that even a couple of easy days with my sister posting yesterday and a photo only post on Sunday hasn't really helped but I'm sticking this out.

For a dozen different reasons, I'm hanging on 'til the end. If you're even trying to keep up with my daily posts, along with a bunch of other bloggers out there all valiantly trying to see this Blogtoberfest through to the end, well done! You attention is appreciated because let's face it, we're all time poor and it's a big ask by anyone's standards.

So thanks for being so welcoming when my sister posted yesterday. I know she was totally nervous but you were all kind and she did a brilliant job. All her sentiments expressed on the nature of being sisters who are close are just as honestly felt by me. Sisters are marvellous and I have two of them (as well as a brother but this is about sisters!).

Sisters, when they're close to your heart are the greatest comfort in the world. We came from the same place. We can stand side by side in front of a mirror and see the bits that are the same, or at least similar. We can remember things from the dawn of our each other's lives that we will take with us to the ends of our lives. We can laugh and cry over those things and treasure them.

We can look back at the times when we weren't so close, when maybe there was competition, or misunderstanding and we can, if we're lucky, see how dangerously close we came to losing one of the best and most treasured life experiences a woman can have. A close relationship with a sister.

For me, the value of this kind of love and closeness is impossible to capture in words. But I hope my sisters know how I feel.

And now both of my sisters have little people in their lives who carry pieces of us inside them. What an amazing thing it is to look at those little people and see them grow. I count myself incredibly fortunate for that.

I will leave you with a show and tell of something I was given by another kind of sister, a good friend. Amy in Rhode Island. Long time readers will know Amy and I have been friends for quite a long time now and some of you no doubt know her as well. Recently Amy sent some gifts. Just because. That is kindness itself.

First, some sock yarn from Lobster Pot Yarns. Is this not the very colour of a spring sky? These are, as the names suggest, dyed in Lobster Pots all the way up in Cape Cod. Amazing.



This surely will not go on my feet. Or anyone's feet. I'm wearing this around my neck.

And finally, a delicate, precious bookmark adorned with seaglass from the Rhode Island coastline.



Amy thought carefully about these gifts and it shows. I was touched, so thank you Amy. I'll treasure them.

Bells

Blogtoberfest Day 18: Guest Post - Adventures of a Forgotten Hat

Having featured heavily on Bellsknits over the years (or at least my son has) it almost seems unnecessary to introduce myself – however, I’ll do it anyway. I am Bells' younger sister (only by 2yrs 9mths!) - Adele. I read Bellsknits, however I have next to no interest in knitting (much to the despair of Bells). That’s not to say I am “anti-knitter”!! Oh no – not at all. I admire those who throw themselves into the world of all things wool – I just choose not to partake in it.

Having said that – I will gladly accept any knitted good from Bells, be it for me or my lovely husband and son. Thankfully Bells has furnished us with many a knitted or crocheteditem, some grand like my son’s baby blanket or small like an ipod cosy.



So when thinking about a topic for my very first blog post I thought it should probably contain a knitted theme. So here goes...

In my line of the work I have the privilege of working in the area of dams (yes, dams – big bodies of water held back by a big wall of concrete, dirt etc.) My department frequently inspects dams and occasionally I get to tag along and “inspect” them. I try to look intelligent as I inspect them – lots of meaningful stares and head nodding – and the occasional chin rub in a knowing way.

Recently, we went to a place called Cabramurra. Cabramurra is the highest permanently inhabited town in Australia, located in the Kosciuszko National Park, NSW.



After much discussion in my office it was decided that the weather would be freezing and no doubt many layers of clothes would be needed as there was word of snow approaching. Fabulous, I thought!!! I could drag out my beautiful pink coat for one last time before the Spring weather turned to warm. And...I could wear my fetching blue knitted beanie made so lovingly my dear sister and which had looked terrible on me until I took the time to grow my hair.



So off we went, my work colleagues and I. As promised, it decided to snow on our first morning.

A friend and I had decided we would go swimming at 6am in the heated pool. Brrrr.... As we raced out of the pool room with only a towel around our waists the snow drifted down upon us and my trusty blue beanie kept me warm.

In Sydney on this particular day people woke up to the red sky and dust, which had to be seen to be believed. In the Snowy Mountains, I woke to snow and freezing temperatures. I wore my lovely blue beanie at every opportunity. I may not be interested in knitting – but I certainly see the point of a well-made knitted good.

The interesting thing is – Bells can’t even remember making it for me. She has no memory of it. I guess you can’t remember every piece you make – especially if you have a life-long love affair with knitting. But the lovely thing is – as a receiver of a blanket, scarf, a beanie, a cardigan, an ipod cosy and socks – I am in the lovely position of remembering who made them for me. Each time I look at my blanket (I know there is a technical name for it Bells – but I can’t remember it (She's talking about the Hemlock Ring Blanket!!), I think of the one who made it. Each time I put on my scarf or pull out my ipod from its cosy – I recall the face of the girl who gave it to me. Everytime my son puts on his knitted blue vest or looks at his insect book with a picture of a spider making its web – we think of Aunty Bells and we call the spider the “knitting spider”.



I love that Bells is never far from my mind and never far from a phone call, a text or an email. I love that I see reminders of her all around my home. She’s an important part of my life and her little gifts over the years remind me of that fact constantly.

Thanks Bells.

Adele

Lacy Mock Cable Socks III

(This is a repeat posting - for some reason the photos all vanished and people couldn't see them. Fixed now!)


When trying to choose which knitting projects to take to my sister's house for a few days, I thought about how I'd be busy running around after my nephew, Will; how there'd be a lot of talking and not much chance for concentrating. So i took only socks and only easy socks that were well overdue to be finished.

The plan worked for one pair of socks which are modelled here by Adele. How good is it to have socks modelled by someone else! For once I didn't have to try and come up with interesting angles while perching on steps or performing contortions on the lawn during daylight!



Willem got into the shot, too, not to mention the cat in the background.



The socks are the Lacy Mock Cable pattern made from Colinette Jitterbug in Velvet Plum. Getting Adele to model them was risky business. We discovered a hole in the original pair I made for her (same pattern even!) but this yarn was a gift from RoseRed and I love the colour so I sure as hell won't be giving them away! Adele will have to wait for her own pair.

This is the third time I've made this pattern. It was one of the earliest patterns I used once I felt brave enough to let go of the sides and dive into patterned rather than plain socks. If you're a not so confident sock knitter, looking for a way to branch out into semi-lacy socks, this is a very good, easily memorised pattern.



I just adore the colour. Colinette do amazing sock yarn and after warnings from others, I was careful about the yardage. More than a few people failed to get a full pair out of Jitterbug but I weighed them carefully and each sock is 54g - thankfully the skeins are 110g!

My trip away was really lovely. Just sisters hanging out during the day, with Willem for added company and fun. We made cupcakes, among many other great activities over two days.



He decorated them with those pink and white lolly teeth. He was pretty pleased with his efforts, as he should have been! Aunty time is good for the soul.

Bells

Good Food and Wine Show 2009

For the fifth year in a row (that makes it a tradition right?) my sister and I have set aside a special day for each other to attend the Good Food and Wine show. It travels all around the country and we attend it in Sydney.

The first year was the year Adele became a mother; it was her first big day out on her own away from her just months old baby boy.

Now, he goes out with his dad for the day and recounts stories to us of his adventures. That makes me realise how much time has passed since we first went along. I've been capturing our days for the last two years, and here's this year's wrap up.

This year we had tickets to see celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Here we are in the theatre (fourth row!) just before the show began, bright and early at 9:30am. We hadn't seen any of the show at this point. Photo courtesy of Adele's workmate, David, another show veteran.



We were a bit unsure about seeing Gordon Ramsay. Which is to say, we bought the tickets long before the scandal broke out in recent weeks. The scandal, if you don't know about it, involved him having a public slanging match with host of tabloid trash news program, A Current Affair, Tracy Grimshaw. It was all a bit juvenille and yet, it took the tarnish off the idea of seeing the man on stage. We went along anyway and I'm happy to say, we were thrilled with his show.



It was pretty hard to get a decent photo so this'll have to do. For those of you who, like me, fancy Mr Ramsay a wee bit, I'm happy to report he's just as appealing in person. Sure, a bit rough around the edges, but what hard working chef isn't? He was charming, funny and inspiring. The best celebrity chef performance we've been to. Much more interesting than some - hello Donna Hay, yes I'm talking to you!

Near the end of the performance, there was a give away of some great prizes. Adele will have it that I accosted the nice man who was on the floor handing out expensive kitchenware, but I swear, I was in the aisle seat! When I stood up, the $260 Analon frying pan fell into my hands. Honest! Adele was, I think, so mortified that I got it and she didn't that I damn well nearly gave it to her because I felt so bad! I didn't though. I kept it for me and it's huge and gorgeous.



The rest of the show followed in much the way it does every year - the two of us let loose like kids in a lolly shop, sampling goods (mostly olive oil, chocolate and wine) and filling up our backpacks with all manner of great treats.

I did a lot of this.



Adele did a lot of this (sampling Rocky Road and other chocolate treats).



We were happy.

And here is a sample of my goodies. See the iphone? Separate post on that to follow!

The olive oil in that photo is a special one I buy every year. Sean and I first bought some Pukara Estate olive oil on our honeymoon in the Hunter Valley in 2004. It's been dubbed our Honeymoon Olive oil ever since (no rude comments from you up the back!)

Outside, we met up with Will and his dad in Darling Harbour.



We returned home on Sunday afternoon and I'm now sick, with a nasty head cold. I know head colds are fairly lame in the scheme of illnesses a person can get, but geez that whole stuffed up head thing isn't a lot of fun is it? Unlike the Good Food and Wine show, which is fabulous fun and I'll look forward to the big day out with my sister every year we're able to go.

Long live sisterly traditions!
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

A few quiet moments

For the last few days, I've been pretty occupied by things that don't involve either work or, it has to be said, much knitting.

My sister, her husband and the adorable Will are visiting. I took a couple of days off work and have thrown myself headlong into hostess stuff and aunty stuff.

Adele and I became aunts earlier this week, thanks to our youngest sister who had this little pumpkin. Alice Rachel. 



We took Will to meet his first cousin on our side of the family. It was a lovely moment.



The rest of the time, we've just been hanging around.



Adele's hubby has had pretty bad gastro so we've had some bonus time together while we wait for him to get better. This has meant not so great things for my knitting, but brilliant things for wonderful quality time together, though so not much for gastro-boy.

I'll leave you with this photo-less story. On Friday, Will was feeling unwell so he and I had some quiet time at home while his mum and dad went to visit the new baby. I was knitting and looked down at one point to see my lovely boy holding needles I'd discarded and some scrap yarn I'd given him to play with. He was absently moving the needles up and down with the "string" while we watched TV, just like Aunty Bells. 

Be still my beating heart.

Bells

Finished - Adele's Cardigan

This weekend, I finally got to give Adele her cardigan. We drove to Sydney and in the afternoon, we took Will to the park and Adele got to be a model. She made out like she was embarrassed. I think she loved it. You can tell.

Doesn't it suit her well?

It's like it was made for her. ha ha.

And some detail shots. Here's the back and hemline. A hint of rolling, which works well I think.

And the neck which, after all that fear and trepidation last week, turned out just right.

Now, for the vitals:

Pattern: Elegant Eyelet Cardigan from Cleckheaton Studio Mohair booklet 941. I've made this twice and it turned out even better the second time. You'd hope so too, given I've learned a lot in the intervening two years.

Yarn: Eki Riva Leisure Alpaca which is an 8ply/DK weight yarn that I bought from Prestige Yarns at a scandalous sale price. It's so soft. It's knitted up so drapey, with just a hint of a halo. I'll use this again.

Needles: Knit Picks Options circulars 4mm/size 6.

Time: July 5 2008 - 27 July 2008 - for the knitting part at least. I earned my green sprinters jersey in the Tour De France Knit Along! But it took me a week and a bit to get it all finalised.

Modifications: I made it longer in the sleeves and body for Adele. I knit the garter stitch hems on the 4mm needles instead of the 3.75mm needles specified. And I knitted the band on, instead of making it separately and attaching it. A good move, I think.

I absolutely loved making this. Every stitch was a joy, well, except for the bits where I thought I'd messed up. 

Knitting something which is chosen by its intended recipient, and anticipated as a special gift, is really enjoyable. Knitting at its best. 

And what did the rest of the weekend entail? A fair amount of driving, aided by our friends the Knitted Police.

Lots of fun with Willem, who was, as always, fabulously adorable.

Brunch and laughs with friends, Donni, RoseRed, Nora and Kristie. 

And on the way home, snow!

Not vast quantities by some standards, but just ask Sean how fun it was to drive in it when it was dark and the snow fall heavy!

What a nice weekend, lots of fun and time out. Perfect.

Bells

Mid week good things

Remember when I had the yarn spaghetti? It looked like this:

You may recall a crazy woman called Catherine (and I mean that in the nicest possible way, as my sister would say) offered to untangle it for me. I packaged my beloved Fleece Artist up and sent it off to Catherine who returned it in a matter of days, all nicely wound into a yarn cake with a note that said she really enjoyed doing it. That's crazy talk! But I'm not going to complain.

Especially not when she returned it with this:

Apparently my yarn made a friend while visiting Catherine's house. It's a skein of her own hand dyed - it's just so edible looking, don't you think? Raspberry and chocolate in one. That was most unexpected. I'd sent Catherine a thank you gift and did not expect anything in return other than my untangled yarn! I think the colours are fabulous and I believe Catherine is just starting out with dyeing. She should keep going!!

She also sent a little something extra in the form of seeds. They come in this spiffy little matchbook style.

They are native seeds, for a tree called Calistemon or Bottle Brush. We have one in our garden that's only a few months old. Come spring, I'll be planting some more because we love them. Thank you so much Catherine!

Today is a good day because after work, guess who arrives from Sydney?

Adele and Will are coming to stay en route to our parents' house down the coast and they'll stay again on Saturday on their way back. Two visits in one week. I feel lucky. I've warned them that it's absolutely freezing here and blowing a gale so Willem will definitely need his mittens!

This time next week, I'll be in a warmer part of the country - up north in Alice Springs - for work. But I'll post more about that later.

Bells

Sisters Who Love Food

It's that time of year again, the time when my sister Adele and I head out to the Good Food and Wine Show. It's our Special Day and woe betide anything or anyone trying to get between us and our day out. Last year, we had a gripe with Donna Hay. This year, we took issue with a certain Scottish chef, but more on that later.

Last year, I headed off in the rain the day before the event and this year, it began to rain as Sean and I headed up the Federal Highway. Anyone would think June is a wet month in Canberra.

But we made it safely to Sydney on Friday night in plenty of time for me to give Willem his new mittens before bedtime. Once we established the the 'surprise' wasn't a toy, the smart boy figured out it was something 'knitted' - because that's what Aunty Bells does!


He loved them and quite surprisingly to me, turned them immediately into puppets who spoke and sang and danced! I didn't expect that! Apparently it was obvious to his parents what was going to happen.


The next day, Sydney turned on some fabulous sunshine. This was our view from the queue, which, we soon learned, was not the right queue. It snaked out into the grounds outside the Entertainment Centre and was in fact the queue to get in to see Gordon Ramsay!

So we headed off in search of the right queue. Three queues later, we got the right one. Would it hurt the organisers to put a sign up saying something like, oh I don't know, 'Good Food And Wine Show Entrance'?

Still we were smiling because we were there.


Our issue with Gordon Ramsay, who we didn't see in any of his performances, was that it seemed our beloved show is not so intimate anymore. When we first went, you could arrive a bit before ten, line up in a sensible and not in the least bit daunting queue, have the place more or less to yourself for a few hours and disappear after lunch when the crowds arrived. Now, it seems people are onto our scheme and many of them, we guessed, were there to see 'the guy who swears on TV and gets noticed in parliament for it.' Not for the food and the experience.

Now, I like Gordon Ramsay. Some friends recently talked me into watching him and I decided he was not the arrogant jerk I'd imagined but in fact a bit of a handsome rogue. But I'd want to go and see him cook at the show. I wouldn't want to go just because he says the F word 80 times in one episode. From things we overheard in the lines, it seemed that people were keen to see him just because he's a super famous chef. And as a result, the place was insane.

Anyway, rant over. The show was fun. We saw pretty things.


We ate and drank a lot of goodies.


That's Adele's very likeable buddy David who hung with us for a bit and was more interested in tasting wine with me than Adele was. After this, Adele vanished and David asked where she was. I guessed she was off eating chocolate. I was right.


We went to a performance by Jamie Oliver's man on the ground in Australia, Toby Puttock (who only mentioned Jamie twice; we were counting). He did stuff with squid ink. We got the sense the audience wasn't quite into that idea.

And finally, it was time to go. By around 1:30, it was impossible to move. You almost wish they could stagger entrance times because really, what's the point of just passing by stalls in a sea of people and not having the chance to actually talk to people about their produce? You don't get to taste anything by then, much less actually find out what it is. Sad, really. I imagine if we turned up late, we'd be horrifically underwhelmed by the experience.

Nonetheless, we had a marvellous time and I imagine we'll queue up to do it all again next year because we love it.

And because when I go there, I get to buy some olive oil that has come to be known by Sean and I as our 'honeymoon olive oil.' We honeymooned in 2004 in the Hunter Valley and came home with a bottle of Pukara Lemon Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We loved it and I have bought a bottle every year at the show since when I come across the stall for Pukara Estate. Lovely, lovely stuff.

Bells

A hot weekend

Where the hell did autumn go? A couple of weeks ago I was starting to wear layers to work, sleep under the doona and cook more autumnal food. I was starting to feel alive again.

Once again, it's unbearably hot. Stinking hot. We're all sticky, sweaty and irritable. That said, it's been very pleasant in other ways. We've had family come to visit. My sister Adele, her husband and little Will have been here since Friday night and left not long ago. But more on that in a minute.


Anniversary
If you read RoseRed's blog you'll maybe have seen her post yesterday about our anniversary. Around this time a year ago, RoseRed was offering a spare copy of Interweave Knits on Good Yarn Karma and I snapped it up. After that, I started reading her blog and found out we shared, apart from the knitting thing, a love of Nigella, Buffy and Jane Austen - all sound reasons to become friends.

Now we share a blog, Mouthfuls of Heaven, and a Knit Along, Southern Summer of Socks and much more besides. We're a team and a damn good one. I might have done either of those things by myself, but I think the chances are that I wouldn't have. Just about everything is more fun and more effective with friends and the good ones are worth everything.

We've bought gifts for our anniversary too - what a laugh - it's a good excuse to find something nice to give someone, don't you think? We'll be exchanging gifts in a couple of weeks when we catch up. Can't wait!

Dirty Fun
First thing Saturday morning, before we'd even changed out of our PJs, a dump truck arrived to bring a huge pile of compost soil to us.


Somebody got a little bit into it.


He'd been forewarned that there would be dirt and came prepared with his own equipment.

Later on in the day, after a the fun in the dirt, we went to Belconnen Markets where there's an enormous mushroom over a playground.


Much fun was had.

Birthday Cake
From there, it was home to make a cake for Adele's birthday. This is Nigella Lawson's Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake (from Feast). A delicious cake. And I didn't make the flowers. I bought them.

We took the cake to Uncle Boy's house (our brother, Keith, who is known as Uncle Boy). Aunty Fee was there too.

Apologies to Mum, but we didn't get a photo of the four of us together. It happens so rarely and we didn't think of it 'til afterwards. Sorry!

So who's birthday was it, really? Put it this way, the girl turning 33 didn't get to blow out her own candles!

Modelling the Jacket
Early this morning, when Willem and I were up by ourselves (letting Mummy and Daddy have a sleep in), we had a bit of fun. Check these out.


I promised photos of the jacket being modelled. I didn't promise it would be modelled on me (yet). 7am was the only time today it hasn't been too hot to wear it but I am sure as hell not putting photos of what I look like at that time of day up on the net!

And anyway, he's cuter than I am.

Bells