It's officially winter!!

This morning the delicious rain hasn't stopped, and now I can hear thunder rumbling, occassionally loud enough torattle the front window. Flashes of lightning illuminate the room a little brighter every now and then too.

It's absolutely blissful :)

Not so blissful however is the whole in the roof of la nestie (my studio) which has STILL not been fixed by the real estate. At present a piece of cardboard is shielding the room from adventurous spiders and such.

But I don't think it will last long against the determined drip drip of the leaking roof... Today I shall be sending them a stern letter, reminding them they have now had a YEAR to fix the leaky roof, and in that time all they have done is sent around a chap who made the whole LARGER (to accomodate his head, so he could fossick about up there and.. not fix it!) so this is NOT satsifactory *stern look*

Over the past week/s I've been putting in some serious hours to sorting, culling, organising and reacquainting with my lovely goodies out there in la nestie. We've put up some excellent shelving and removed some antiquated furniture to make room for other bits and bobs. It's SO exciting to have a lovely creative space so nearly ready!! Here's a little sneak peek *grin*

[lovely books and one of mypapercrane's charming pieces of bread!]

More pictures to come once it's all pretty and finished :) I'm thinking I'll have a knitting party as a Studio Warming once Le Nestie is ready to make some friends and welcome people to her loveliness, oh.. and once there's no hole in the roof too!

Organic Delicious

I'm a big fan of fresh fruit and veg, particularly since I don't fill up on that other food group - meat!

But I would get so downtrodden and disappointed every time we went to do the grocery shop and as we wandered through the fresh produce section, nothing much ever made its way into the trolley. All the fruit and veg on offer from the big grocery stores seemed... lack lustre and unappetising. Manky or waxy or flown in from some far off land.

Eventually I discovered a nearby(ish) Growers Mart sort of place that sold all sorts of yummy goodies, fresh home made pastas, delicious cheeses, fresh baked breads and a fabulous array of glowing radiant and completely edible fruit and veg! yay!! Some produce was still flown in from far off lands, and only a small amount of organic produce was available.

So we weren't there yet.. but THEN.. then a woman at work casually mentioned a group that source organic fruit and veg from local farmers, divide it up between their customers and deliver the box of goodies to your door each week! hurrah!! It sounded too good to be true! I'd heard of these 'box schemes' before but never thought I'd find one in my area! I pick up our box of juicy deliciousness (rather than having it deliviered so far) each week on my way into work and we enjoy succulent, colourful, tasty produce throughout the week.

The fruit and veg available is only what's seasonally available - which makes sense! It's grown in the seasons the produce actually CAN grow! Not grown then kept in gas freezers for a year, or drugged up to the eyeballs so an apple will grow in summer.. or whatever you fancy. It is SO refreshing to know I don't have to SCRUB the fruit and veg before eating it - what's the worst that could be on there? dirt? maaaybe some manure!? So a rinse wash is all that's needed before it's intothe cook pot or straight down the hatch - yum :)

Check out one of the goodies that came in our box this week...

The most gigormous eggplant I have ever seeeeeeen! It's HUGE!! Will definately be trying my hand at some eggplant parmigiana this week - mmmmm!

Beer Bottle's Birfday Suit!

For the Scrumptious Bum's birfday this year I wanted to whip him up a little knitted something, but in this case not something for keeping warm.. but something for keeping cool!

A beer jumper!

Inspired by 's Beer Sweater I picked out some yarn from the stash that Skoot had dyed some time ago and got cracking with my own pattern, improvising it as I went along. I decided this was the perfect opportunity to try out steeking! I love trying out new knitting techniques, and little goodies like this are great to try a technique for the first time, they're small, quickly completed and not SUCH a disaster if the trial run goes wrong- you can always re do that part!

Since neither Skoot or I are employed full time at the moment, we've been able to spend a lot of glorious time together - including.. time that I'm knitting - so, no secret gift knitting! So I decided to pose him a gift riddle as part of his giftie (since no full time employment also = no excessive gift funds) - could he figure out what I was knitting for him before I finished it!

I started at the bottom and worked up in the round. Skoot's fabulous dye job on the yarn (some kind of 8ply pure wool?) knit up wonderfully into a great stripe effect! He made a few guesses, including that it was a stubby holder, but then when I got to the arm holes and put in a p1, k1, p1 for my steeking gap he was thrown off! Why would a stubby holder have two little ridges on it?? Hmm.... hehehe

I ran out of yarn part way though and ended up using some stash yarn leftovers in a PERFECT match of deep green for the sleeves, with a little of Skoot's yarn at the cuff :)

When it came to the steeking things got a bit messy. If I ever steek something in a larger scale I'll do a good bit of reading before hand, and have another listen to Kelley Petkin's podcast episode on the subject - I'm afraid I went in a bit blind this time around!

You can see my rather rushed-with-excitement and lacking-in-finesse stitches there in brown thread, desperately clining to the stitches destined for the snip!

I really could have made the ridge a little wider to accommodate for all the fluffy cut ends poking out everywhere - but managed to seam the sleeve in with the fluffy ends tucked inside well enough.

All up I'm very pleased with how the Beer jumper's turned out and think I'll have to make up a full wardrobe of them for Skoot to choose from! He was suitabley impressed and love love LOVES his new woolen goodie - an item for keeping cool!!

Armii in Hoodii Sleevii

I know I still haven't posted my most recent FOs and belive me and HANGING out to take photos and get them up here and on Ravelry too - but for now some exciting Hoodii progress - Sleevii!!

I had knit a sleeve passed the elbow before realising it was simply too tight. In fact I was doing the increases incorrectly - only half as many as I should have done, Gah! So I haven't frogged that sleeve, but left it hibernating for a while as I got on with other projects, gifties to be knit up and the like. I cast on anew for the first sleeve and am now almost up to the shoulder! A few more centimetres and I'll be able to start the sleeve cap - hurrah!! =D

I'm super keen to keep cracking on with the Hoodii so I can have it ready for the cooler weather which is just peeking it's head around the corner now, but not quite ready to grace us with its presence! I'm also eager as I've never done sleeve caps and set in sleevey goodness before - well, this is my first jumper so I suppose that's not surprising! So that will be fun to do in only a little bit more knitting time!!

Few posts but many chillis!

I've been a bit absent from the blog lately - I like to post much more frequently than this!

Plus I have several fun finished items to post about too! And I know how much we all love checking out finished knits on blogs and such, so I really must get my arse into gear!

But alas, life has a way of distracting me at times - and it seems the best way to stay constant to ze blawg is to post frequently - keep up the momentum. So I'll try to get into doing that again :)

For now I leave you with a shot of our recent chilli harvest! The plants are beautiful to grow and I admit I dote upon them! Unfortuantely, I can't go NEAR chilli though - I'm so hyper-sensitive to it. Even when Skoot's cooking with chilli enfused oil I have to run coughing and spluttering from the room (and even the adjoinging room!) because of the evaporated chilli in the AIR!! Nonetheless I really appreciate the aesthetic of chillis - love the colour and vibrancy.

Fluffy lettuce leaves

Well I think I have kept you in suspense for long enough! (longer than I intended in fact, but that seems to be life, doesn't it?!)

We indeed even have one correct Clue Sleuth! Blue.Knit guessed correctly that this:

Signified this!

Delicious Malabrigo worsted (approx aussie 10ply) in the Lettuce colourway!! A beautiful, gentle mix of greens, from lettucey green to a paler softer green - delectable!!

I bought this skein, my first ever taste of mmmalabrigo, from Yarn and Kisses, an online store that now supplies Malabrigo in Australia - hurrah!! =D I don't know if this is the first time it's been imported to Oz, but it's the first I've stumbled across it s deliciousness and I'm SO excited!!!

[The real colour is part way between all these photos!]

Although this was my first Malabrigo experience I can assure it you it will NOT be my last. I couldn't put it DOWN! Even now I'm pining to return to my almost-finished project! (more on that later) It's a single ply yarn, one great cooshy spongey soft ply of fabulous merino - yum yum!! It's knits up into a beautiful fabric too - I'm using 5mm needles and having a BLAST with it. I can't WAIT to knit up many a delicious wearable item - particularly ones I can wear oh-so-close to my skin!

The only thing I'd be wary to knit with Malabrigo would be a jumper or other item you want for rough use, or that will get lots of friction-y wear. I think it will pill under too much rigourous adventuring, but seems PERFECT for garments like shrugs, scarves, berets and such, and cardigans/jumpers you'll mainly wear while not running around in the bush or squirming around on the lawn at the dog park!! We'll leave that kind of activity for tougher yarns, like the Tahki Donegal Tweed (or "hessian" as Skoot refers to it!).

For now I'm off to finish my current knit with this irresistible delicacy - which is one of Ysolda's fantastic designs - Verity! A divine beret with natural curves and a button! Stay tuned for an FO any moment now! Hurrah!!

A hint..

I have a clue for you!

Is this a fun game?

Hehee - a certain something is sitting in my bag right now... only just cast on and with a yarn I've never used before but have been wanting to sample for a long time.

This yarn is... DIVINE!

The clue is this picture:

"Hmmm.. what yarn could it be" I hear you wondering...

Why not have a guess!! =D

Cleverness in cartoonia

No pictures or knitting content this post I'm afraid. But I wanted to get a post up and out because it seems I linger across the blogger dashboard wanting to post but not being able to put the entire amount of energy in to upload images, and so on!

So! For your interim amusement.. I offer to you a little treat.. a FABULOUSLY witty and clever website based on the Garfield cartoon. Bekk of Bowerbird knits brought this one to my attention (I think.. was it you bekk? or was it B?) and I have been passing the link on to friends near and far because I think it is absolutely brilliant!!

Garfield Minus Garfield

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.

Heheheee! I urge you to go and check it out! New strips are uploaded everyday and some leave me with tears of laughter in my eyes! Enjoy!

A little in the dumps

Feeling a bit low, and down-in-the-dumps today. I think with our current work situation, and the Shweetie being away so often, the spark and vitality of life has been draining away a little.

I have loads of things I've been wanting to do, loads of things I NEED to do, and of course that damned study too. But none of it appeals today - especially the study. I feel apathetic and listless. All I want to do is sit and knit until the Shveetie gets home.

A good friend has suggested I do something that I'm proud of - which always helps lift one up and out of the aforementioned dumps. So I'm thinking I'll attack the incredibly disorganised study, get that ship-shape, then maybe cast on some socks for Skoot with some nice thick DK/8ply yarn? They'll go very quickly.. might even be able to finish them before he gets home!

In anycase, I'll trundle along. The next installment of the BBC Pride and Pejudice is bound to lift my spirits too - but I'll only allow myself that as a reward after knocking the study back into a semblance of order.

I leave you with another fungi photo - remember the fungi that popped up in the hanging basket not too long ago? Well the day after, when I was watering, I saw that over night the biggest mushie had popped open like a 'brollie! It really does give thruth to the saying "coming up like mushrooms". Isn't nature an incredible thing?

Alpaca Silk Secret

After only recently extolling the virtues of knitting groups - the companionship, generosity and skill-sharing found therein, the Kwinana fibre Arts Group has completely reinforced my statement!!

The fun and gorgeous Lisa gifted us all with fabulous little goodie bags including stitch markers, soap, knitter's pin exclaiming "i knit, therefore I rock!" (to be worn here-after on EVERy item of apparel) & lip balm. She even gave me a belated birthday gift of magnificently bright Cascade Fixation - four balls!

Possibly the most exciting gesture of generosity and knitterly companionship, though, was her gift of a skein of Blue Sky Alpaca's Alpaca Silk, so each of us. I chose the red skein - of course I almost always go for the green and aqua palette, but have recently been exploring other shades and have decided it's a good thing to experience different things you wouldn't normally go for and discover new colours you adore! And I ADORE this little puppy!

You can see just how excited we were - big grins on everyone's face (except of course.. for mischief moneky me, who just HAD to kiss the camera on impulse...) and we're all clutching our delicious alpaca silk!!

[Me (notice I'm wearing Dad's just-completed beanie!), Lushorama Lisa, Jolene & Shazzy]

Lisa's one condition was that we all knit something up from our single skein, but keep it secret from the others! Then we can bring themall together and do the big reveal!! I was SO excited about this adventure - I couldn't WAIT to cast on! I search books, magazines, Ravelry and so on 'til I found just the right pattern for my luscious yarn.

Luckily I have also recently discovered one of my long-lost moving-house boxes! Phew!! It contained a whole lot of my wonderous knitting supplies - including my ball winder! So I'm very relived to have finally unearthed it!

And just in time too!

I oh-so-carefully balled it up into a VERY sensual and edible looking yarn cake - mmmmmm!! - and cast on!

I have been SO enjoying knititng with this yarn that... I've finished!! I was left with only about 2cm at the very end of my bind off - yikes! So now I need only sew in the ends and my LOVELY secret item is officially completed! Hurrah!!

But no telling of course... I shall keep my mysterious and suspenseful secrecy a little longer yet!

Oceanic Dad :)

I finished Dad's beanie this week past and I am delighted with it! Hurrah!

I knit it with handspun Finn fibre I spun up while demonstrating at the Perth Royal Show last year. It was dyed by the lovely Amy of Spunky Eclectic, but I wasn't at all sure what I would use the yarn for, since the bright pinks and blues weren't my normal colour pallette. To my delight the colours blended with the spinning (Amy really is a very clever muffin!) and became a range of shades in blue, white and a subtle peachy colour - like the sunset or inside of a seashell. PERFECT! Ocean colours for my wonderful and ocean-loving Dad! =D

I followed the Thorpe pattern, but given the different gauge of my handspun, I altered the pattern a little. Did increases up to 11, extended the ear flaps slightly and also left off the crocheted egding. For the ear-flap tails I used 3 stitch i-cord. LOVED that this pattern is knit from the top down. That element of the pattern really helped me slay that savage beast that was my gauge inaccuracy! Despite my careful swatching I just couldn't get a brim-up hat to come out the right size!

I have wanted to knit something up for Dad for a long while now, and have been hanging out to use this handspun for him! Dad is super pleased with his new snuggly warm head-wear. He particularly likes that he can tie the ear-flap-tails beneath his chin, adopt a peculiar expression and exact a marvellous imitation of Steve Martin as "Ruprect" in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels! I particularly like that the ear-flaps can be tied up, when one desires extra listening power! I'm hoping Dad'll get a lot of good wear out of this beanie - brisk early mornings in the car park gazing out at the waves before a surf, or on the snow fields keeping his ears warm under his snowboarding helmet! Now all we need is some weather cool enough for him to wear it!!

DETAILS!
Pattern: Thorpe, Kirsten Kapur- slightly modified.
Yarn: Handspun Finn, around 100m.
Needles: 4mm
Modifications: See above!

Pop!!

Today I dusted off the spinning wheel and finally got spinning again!!

The motivation, or rather, the justification, because it's not that I haven't WANTED to spin, it's a time issue! You know how it is, life takes up so much time that you can't fit any life in? uhmm.. hang on.. I'm sure that's how it works..

In any case! The reason I got my spin on was to create a little giftie for Shaz's birfday! :)

I had about 100 grams or so, maybe a little less, of this unREAL pink and purple fibre Helen gifted me a while back, but since then I had removed it from its cover and have lost ANY details about it! No idea who dyed it, the type of wool... Nevermind!! It spun up very prettily despite its incognito ways!

I spun it up while Jolene was over with GORGEOUS bubblie Rachel, and they were both mesmerized by the spinning wheel in motion! I'm sure it won't be long 'til we get you spinning, right Jolene? *grin*

I managed to spin the singles relatively evenly onto the bobbins - despite the appearance in the picture! One bobbin still had a few remnants of a previously spun yarn, so it appears a bit fuller at that stage. It plied up really well, apart from a few lazy kate issues *deep breath* in which the top bobbin kept spooling yarn too quickly and coiling around the edges of the lazy kate rod. None-the-less, the few 'tags' that resulted in the plied yarn from my distractions withthe lazy kate add character and I'm very pleased with this Pink Purple yarn that Pops with colour!!

I didn't have time enough to soak and set it, but I did hang it for a short time - and have devised a new hanging method! The fabulous hanging basket is just right, hangs a few centimeters from the ground and is a suitable weight for setting the twist! Yay!

It felt really good to be spinning again, and I'm sure it won't be long 'til I'm at it again!

Knitting groups of JOY!

Aaren't knitting groups just the BEST! Times spent in the company of friends knitting away, oooh and aahing over each others projects, being inspired and motivated - you've gotta be happy with that :)

The only danger of the knitting group.. is the enabling *serious tone of voice* Oh yes, particularly when someone brings an entire SUITCASE of delicious yarns with them to tempt us all!

Oohhh so delicious, oh so smooshy.. but I am proud to admit - also oh so resisted! Phew!! I do have a couple of skeins in mind for knitting up Jeanie at some point.. but right now my needles are FULL! Ahhhh.. the joys of knitting groups!

Lost in Inspiration

I have become lost in the world of Yarn Wench's inspirations!!

I feel compelled to spin SPIN, dye, knit, felt, create and enjoy all the fibre-licious delicacies nestled in my stash!

Weekend Wonders

Well this weekend we tried our normal blanacing act: enough lounging around, relaxing and luxuriating in each others company to keep us almost content all week, PLUS a certain amount of productivity and progress around the house and such to satsify too!

I think we managed satasfactorily :)

A little baking to reward the housework - Upside Down Cashew Maple Cake.. oh. my. goodness.

We ate this STRAIGHT from the oven, standing out the back together so we didn't drop gooey mapley spicey crumbs on the kitchen floor - it was deluxe.

Between more lounging, playstation sessions and generally getting about in our pajamas, we got out into the garden to repot some of our 'babies'. With no pets at the moment we tend to pour all of our nurturing lurve into our plants, particularly our little chilli forest! I started growing about 4 chillis from tiny seedlings for Skoot a while back - I don't eat chilli at all, complete over-sensitive here, Scrumptious Bum can't even cook with chilli oil in the kitchen without me running from the lounge room coughing and spluttering!! But I digress.. so we've reared these little chillis from their teeny tiny state and they badly needed to move house!

So we've now sorted them out and they are MUCH happier! I mean, wouldn't you be? They've got delicious organic (i mean, obviously organic as in 'comes fromthe earth' but what i MEAN is chemical free) potting mix, expanded clay balls to help with water retention, blod and bone mix and worm wee - YUMMO!!

While we were pottering around the garden together we noticed a little addition to one of our hanging baskets...

It's become a FAERY GROTTO!!

Pretty much overnight these BRIGHT yellow fungi have sprung up!

Aren't they incredible?! We love them so much we now have them as our computer desktop too - hehee!

Oceanic knitting!

Dad's beanie is coming along verrryy nicely, thank-you!

I'm SO pleased with how my handspun yarn has knit up, and although I've modified the pattern slightly along the way to adapt it to the yarn and such - I'm almost fnished! Have sewn in the ends, need to make the dangley bits and then.. c'est fini and ready for Dad's bonce! Hurrah!!

Historical Event

Today marked a momentous event in Australian politics - the official 'Sorry' given to the Stolen Generation of indigenous Australians.

The full speech is available to view here - and is definately worth a look. I feel it was given with great respect and well carried out as an inclusive and uniting experience for all Australians, with a look to the future, in being able to acknowledge the past. My faith in the future is somewhat renewed, and if that is what I feel, I can't even imagine the joy and gambit of emotions those who have experienced the impact of the Stolen Generation acts must be feeling right now.

Knitter's Arsenal

I recently added a few lovely item to my knitting arsenal!

Want to see? Of course you do!!

I had some birthday spending money burning a hole in my pocket, but I knew exactly what it would turn into! A set of Harmony interchangeables! Hurrah!!

I love LOVE the interchangeable knit picks needles and adore the metal needle set I have. But when the laminated wood set came out I decided they would be an excellent addition to my tool set. The metal needles are awesome, but such speed and swiftness is not always a good thing - the wooden needles will be great for lace and slippery yarns. Plus I always seem to have more than one project on the go that needs the same needle size - gah!! Well, not a problem anyMORE! *triumphant cackle* Suffice to say I'm thrilled to bits and have nestled the needles comfortableey away in the zippered binder with the metal ones :)

While I was over at Helen's catching up, clutching my new needle set and drooling over all the other Knitting Inspiration goodies I came upon this fabulous Lantern Moon DPN holder and decided it should come home with me too.

It's absolutely gorgeous - blue silk, fabulously soft and made with ethical practicies and community support - what more could you want!?

Well.. nothing!! Particuarly after Helen tucked a set of 2.75mm Harmony DPNs in for me as a birthday pressie - so sweet! Thanks Helen! :)

You can see some of my DPNs sitting there snug and happy in their new home - I shall no longer have to hunt through the house and nestie searching out my DPNs, whee! Maybe I'll have to search the house for the DPN holder! But still.. at least I'd find them all in one spot ;)

The lovely silky holder even has a little zippered section which I've used to store the little DPN bum-bears while I'm not knitting with their companion DPNs.

All in all, a very satisfied knitter here :) So many lovely goodies to cast my eyes over and play with - why must I STUDY when there are so many fibrey delights to tempt me?! :) Nevermind, study is my 'work' at the moment, and I need to pull my weight, or the weight of my conscience will be the bigger issue! So I shall plug away at the books, then reward myself with some more luscious fibre fun!

Socking along :)

An update on my progress with Dad's Hiking Socks is definately due!

I had planned these for Dad for Christmas 2007, but didn't get much past the TOE before I had to wrap up the yarn, needles and partial sock and put them under the tree!

Now I'm pleased to announce I've finished the first sock and am a few centimetres from the heel on the second one!

[Here modeled by Skoot's tootsie! ]

I'm really enjoying how this yarn is knitting up - a nice thick, juicy fabric - perfect for hiking boots! I also asked Dad where he tends to wear out his socks first, to which he replied the back of the heel. So next time I'm knitting up socks for Dad I'll make sure I put some extra strengthening in there - perhaps knit with some nylon through there too, or do a slip stitch heel. The slip stitch heel is my preferred method, but withthis pair I was zooming along and didn't actually stop to think of doing it! haha! Nevermind!

Pidge Podge!

Here's my pattern for the super-quick, super-easy, super-SNUGGLEY Pidge Podge neckwarmer!!

I've given the pattern in details of the yarn, needles etc that I used - but you'll see the pattern is dizzyingly straight forward, so can be easily adapted to suit whatever yarn your heart desires!

PIDGE PODGE!

6 easy steps to instant and delightful snuggliness!

Required goodies
Yarn: Twilleys Freedom 100% wool (5-6wpi), 1.5 balls
Needles: 10mm
bits'n'bobs: Yarn needle, 2 x Paddington bear style toggle buttons
Gauge: No specific gauge required - however mine was 8 sts&12rows /10cm

1. Cast On 20 Stitches
2. Work in 2x2 ribbing 'til measures approximately 65cm
3. Cast off
4. Using same yarn, perhaps reinforced with some strong thread, sew the buttons on to the Cast On end of the pidge, approximately 6 cms apart.
   
5. Weave in all ends
6. Find somewhere cool and windy, button on your new Pidge Podge and enjoy the delightful snuggliness!
   

NOTES:
The cast off edge will not be as flexible as the cast on edge, which gives the desired flared end to be the top layer of the pidge, and gives an elegant, somewhat dashing line to the finished, buttoned pidge angle.

No button holes are worked! This magic feat is accomplished by way of the large needles and slightly open gauge. The wearer is able to simply slot the buttons through the fabric of the pidge where-ever they fancy!

Enjoy!!