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And that’s not a typo.
Y did I blog about feeling better?
Y did I read a book until after 11 on Sat night?
Y did it take me a month to give in and go to the doctor?
Two days in bed/on the beanbag, a prescription for antibiotics, and another day at home tomorrow.
Trying not to dwell on missing out on two videoconferences with polar scientists.
I didn’t even have enough brain to knit for more than 5 minutes at a time.
Y oh Y oh Y….
A mostly quiet day, with a certain amount of housework in there to justify lots of selfish knitting, nice steak for dinner, v v nice red wine courtesy of the MOMD, (took me three tries to spell ‘courtesy’ – v v v nice wine), The Holiday dvd on the screen, more dark chocolat
e in the offing….
And just for KissMyFrog, I finally made a start on a very special project, which has made me quite happy, even though I think that I must now frog and start again. At last I have started a Fireside cardi, but the cuff seems rather large, and my stitches a little loose, so I think going down to 5.5mm needles is required, and perhaps down to the small size for the sleeves at least….
Yesterday was warm to hot. Apparently it topped at 33* C, which is pretty hot for Hobart.
Today is not hot. I just went to get a warmer cardi, because it hasn’t quite reached 11* C outside yet. We are predicted to reach 18* C, which arithmetic tells me is 15* less than yesterday. A drop of 45.454545454545%. And my cold is trying to reassert itself.
Well, you know what I’m going to do about that, now don’t you? Purple socks! Bring out my Ruby Twist!! Maybe even cast on a Fireside!!! The warmer, the more cables, the thicker the garment, the better! I am going to knit my way to warmer weather!!
(Hey, do you think we could do a knitter’s version of that Lipton’s Iced Tea ad – knitters pick up their knitting, put needles and yarn into other people’s hands, put out the combustion heaters, drag all electric heaters out and pile into the street in the middle of a disgustingly cold, windy, sleety day, and sit down with their knitting, knit for a moment, then hold it up – and the sleet stops, the wind dies down, the clouds evaporate and the sun comes out!!)
but I have been a little distracted by this:
Knitting like a busy woman last night, I had some digital assistance in getting the most out of my yarn:
I knitted on till dinner, then knitted through a dodgy episode of Bones and an episode of Castle.
I admired myself.
Guess what I’m wearing now?
(And you’ll have to insert a more glamorous background than my bathroom wall)
Actual colour is somewhere between – neither so pink nor so orange. Perhaps I can find some daylight once it has been washed and blocked.
The only thing I’m not thrilled with is the way the cuffs of the sleeves bell out where it moves from st st to moss st. For the waist I did some decreasing to take care of that, but if it still bothers me after washing and wearing, I will unpick the cuffs and redo on smaller needles/fewer stitches.
There you go! Now back to the purple sock – halfway down the foot!
Do not rip back a “mistake” in your knitting at 10:45 at night unless you have independent, professional, objective, third-party confirmation that there is indeed an actual mistake present in your knitting.
You may find yourself the next morning spending your first cup of tea trying to work out where you are in the repeat, why nothing looks wrong, and having to go back two more rows to fix up the confusion caused by ripping back the non-error.
How early is too early to break out the dark chocolate?
When she has a cough that’s sending junk to her sinuses, the weather was too brisk all morning to garden while sick but not cold enough to wear layers of knitwear, she’s sick of looking at computer screens, has done her share of housework already that morning, and aside from the sinus headache is in fairly good spirits after many cups of tea and pieces of dark chocolate and maybe some freshly made choc-raising bikkies?
She gets out a paper bag, stuffs it with the goodies that were spread all over the floor this morning, and goes outside for a photo op!
And you since you know that the cubby house is usually a background for knitting-related photos, there could be some good guesses as to the contents of the bag…
Take a peek: 
Would you like me to unpack it for you?
Yes??
So, today I consoled my not-very-depressed spirits by unearthing all current sock yarns and socks-in-progress, and cardi and shawl…
Scarlet Woman cardi – yesterday and today I wove in all ends, did a few rows, and have about 26.5gms of moss st to go on the lower band (my waist is not that high up). I am undecided as to buttons – at top, leaving lower edge to hang free, or at bottom, snugging it nicely around ribs and thus accentuating bust area (hopefully blinding onlookers as to any other deficiencies of figure or form)…
Poipool sock – partway down gusset, moving fast. This is a very stretchy pattern, so after two repeats I went down a needle size and did another whole repeat before the heel – nice length on the leg and snugger fit above ankle. So far, touching wood and sending offerings of merino goodness to the Yarn Gods, it looks good. I am planning much weighing of skein and sock to determine whether I have enough for two long socks. I am prepared for substitution of other yarn at the toe if need be.
In progress, but untouched for some time:
Frogged: the Phoenix (Rav Link) sock in Ixchel Smile – wouldn’t fit over my heel! Dangnabbit. Duck feet, deep heels. Unfair, prickly pear!
To frog: the Sunday Swing (Rav Link) in Colinette Jay – love the pattern, love the yarn, but too dense and too narrow to fit over my deep heel. I need to go up a needle size, and possibly up a chart size.
To cast on: Colinette Salty Dog, destined to be Ocean Toes (Rav Link) from the Cat Bordhi book New Pathways for Sock Knitters. Oh how I want these socks, but first I must get a new ink cartridge for my MFP – the patterns in this book require you to do a little swatching and calculating, and since I do not wish to write all over the pages, I need to copy them, and the black isn’t working anymore in my printer/scanner MFP.
So. That’s where I’m up to. The kids are ensconced in front of Monsters Inc (we’re taping it – our dvd disappeared some time ago, so very glad to see it on free-to-air), the MOMD is cooking up a Thai red curry storm, and I think I have earned another glass of wine. There are of course other WIPS skulking around, but to reveal all now would leave me no fallback when next I have no new news to blog about.
I leave you with what some might consider a bombshell.
Other than one bespoke item (felted teacosy for MIL) ……
brace yourself….
got smelling salts handy?
a stiff shot of brandy ready to scull??
a soft place to land if fainting occurs???
I have NO Christmas knitting.
(to steal the name of a Melbourne band of some while ago) – I am still here, I am waving to tell you that I am still afloat, even occasionally waving my knitting above the ocean of other things taking my attention away from blogging…
My parents went home yesterday after a 2 week visit. It was lovely to have them, and lovely to take advantage of them to go out with the MOMD not once but twice – without children!!!!
There’s quite a lot happening at work – 4 weeks to go, and the crazy crazies kick in. Also there’s an online conference I’m supposed to be attending, but I’m finding it hard to find time that doesn’t detract from knitting time.
Then there’s the nagging chesty cough, though that seems to be giving up as the days warm up.
And I’ve managed to wash and clip my dogs, although Holly will need further ministrations.
And there was a tiny bit of gardening – 6 seedlings and some cuttings pilfered from neighbourhood fencelines.
And maybe some family activities.
And an afternoon at an open garden that was just unbelieveably beautiful (leading to the aforementioned pilfering, I’m certain)
And I’ll do some photos when my computer battery is not about to go flat. For example, there’s a purple sock that is down to the gusset that is just begging to be artistically posed amongst the lilac and aquilegia…
Feeling a bit yuk this evening – I’ve been coughing all day, not helped by yelling at Year 3 four times in one lesson (unheard of!), then had a headache by the time I got home, so spent an hour in bed before dinner.
After dinner I started trawling through Ravelry, much to my Mum’s interest, and we ended up going through the project pages for the Babette Blanket – every time I see that thing I itch to get started! I think it might have to wait a while though – so many other things to make (Finish!) first.
Now I’m going to work on my Poipool sock for a few rounds, and go to sleep. To sleep, perchance to kick the lurgy in the proverbial.
Ever since I saw the waving lace socks in Vogue a few years ago, I’ve wanted to make them. Reading everyone’s comments on what to make, and trawling through Tink’s Rav queue, plus a little extra pattern-hopping (as you do), brought me back to Charlene Schurch. It’s a while since I’ve made anything from Sensational Knitted Socks, which is a shame because it is a fabulous book! So, after an initial flirtation with the idea of the arrowhead lace, I turned the page and found the Ribbed Lace, and my fate was sealed. I’ve knitted one full repeat so far, and I’m in luuuuuurv!
Do you want to see? (I want to knit and knit and knit – and I’m thrilled with how my skills are progressing: a sock that would have been a big challenge two years ago feels like lovely fun now!) (please Yarn Gods, that is not a request for resizing of my ego – I just meant that I can read my knitting, follow the chart, correct mistakes of which I’ve already made a couple – no need to teach me lessons, pleeeease!)
Ok, I’ll show you.
Pieds Violets Dans la Lavende
I have another pic, a closeup of the lace, but without some cropping there is far too much wintry leg distracting from the gorgeous sock.
Let me toy with piknik for a mo, and see what I can do.
Ok, lace pervs, click here to see.
In other news, girls have been photographed for the dance concert (end of this month), some gardening has occurred (lobelia beside front door, general weeding of bed bordering path), endless washing has happened, lovely morning tea at Salamanca this morning, went to dinner last night with hubby to celebrate (belatedly, but this meant we had babysitters) our birthdays and anniversary, also went to movies (a biennial event) to see The Box. Not an upbeat movie, exactly. And why was it always the wives? Work is busy, but fun. Enjoying my parents’ visit. Occasionally opening a book. Reading blogs once a week. Gym twice a week.
Erk. Listing it all is taking up my valuable hiding-from-kids time!
I’ll stop now, and let you get on with blog surfing 
