Dip My Head in Rainbow Juice!

Finished Object! Hurrah!!


Well dip my head in rainbow juice and call me a hippy! I am thrilled with this lovely, soft, warm beanie - knit up from a combination of rainbow handspun striped with Katia black.



I simply started at the pointy red elfin knob and worked down to the necessary circumference (isn't it the easiest thing, knitting garments for yourself - you can try them on as you go!). Then I cast off over the front and back leaving live stitches for the ear flaps. The back and forth knitting on the ear flaps was a little more fiddley as I had to carry the yarn along like in fair isle work. But that makes for very snuggley warm ear flaps!



The ear flaps are finished off with some icord and then a little tassle at each tip - I'm becoming quite fond of tassles!

Unfortunately, the weather up here has turned decided warm and muggy the last few days - it seems that our quota of one cold week for winter is up! But when the cool weather returns, my rainbow juice hat and I will be ready!

What I'm Reading

I have just finished speed reading the novella cousin to the Twilight series (groan if you must, I find the books so engaging, but yes a little vomitous - but when did vomit get in the way of good clean fun?!) which has reminded me how much I really do love to read the printed word - actual hold-in-your-hands books. LUFF!

So while we were waiting at the airport to head back up north I found myself lured to the bookshop. I felt like a kid in a lolly shop! I was almost in a frenzy glancing from book to book and settled on a few but didn't want to just buy for the sake of buying. So I was very good and went to sit back down with my shweetie to wait for our boarding call. I looked up the online price of one book that had particularly taken my fancy, and with a small amount of encouragement from the Shweetie I dashed back across the lounge (dodging the hawkers) and picked up this little number right there and then (I am enjoying it immensely);



Jackie French's A Year in the Valley fills my heart and mind with thoughts of what our life will be like once we're nestled in our own wee farm house living off the land :)

Fuzzy Delicous Coat Go Yum Yum

I have a new coat!

It is absolutely my new favourite thing and I want to wear it ALL of the time.
Down at home this was an option, but now we're back up North it's really not so practical!

F I

We've had a brief interlude of R&R but now it's back to the Fly In part of our FIFO lifestyle. There's a prize at the end of the tunnel though. It's important to remember that the sacrifices now set us up for wonderful rewards in the future together :)

Lace Knitting Makes Me Feel Nice

This lace knitting does anyway :)

I think it's the combination of big, smooth, rhythmically clicking needles in my hands, the yarn so organic and real, and the pattern seems to flow through my fingers wonderfully.



I'm very much enjoying the process - chilled out and relaxed, as-I-get-to-it sort of project. Very nourishing, very forgiving and very nice.

p.s. Had some reassuring news from a lovely nurse and Dr today about a bump in my bosom that had me a little concerned yesterday - phew :) I have celebrated the relief with choc-milk :D

Thick fluffy stripes

I have been knitting up a lacey blanket (more on that later) but found I wasn't getting enough knitting love mainly as the lace was difficult to knit in the bus on the way in to work since it's completely dark here at 5am and these roads have few street lights to knit by.

Clearly a nice simple, stockinette in the round project was required...

I had brought back the black yarn from R&R to use with the rainbow handspun for the super-fun-pointy-topped-ear-flap-with-tassles-beanie, and it didn't take long to get stuck in!



I'm now up to the stage of binding off the beanie edging and knitting the ear flaps down. The yarn looks like it will make the distance and still have some left for the tassles - hurrah!! :)

These yarns are working so well together - the textured vibrant handspun and the soft fluffy ultra thick Katia yarn I picked up when we were holidaying in Canberra - don't you love knitting with souvenir yarn?!

Ten!

Very soon our little man who lives away will be coming to visit us, and he will be big bad DOUBLE DIGITS - ten!

Since he's turning ten while he's at his mum's, but will be with us shortly after, we've decided to throw him a belated birthday bash. We have never had him with us for a birthday or Christmas and decided even if it were belated, we will have a party, I say!!

Since he lives with his mum and only visits us in holidays he doesn't have any friends his own age here, but we will have all the family and extended step-family in attendance to make the day.

We're brainstorming at the moment - cakes, parks or beach, games etc... What do you remember as being awesome from your tenth birthday? Or any birthday for that matter!

sunrise

I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment, one of which is Eric Harrison's 'Do You Want to Meditate?'.

I came across a section I particularly liked and wanted to share it with you.

Disclaimer: Eric refers to 'God' in this segment but he himself is Buddhist, so doesn't necessarily refer to the Bible-esque God. I also have a different type of belief system, so I implore you to view the 'God' reference as whatever your deity or entity works in your belief system - be it Christianity, Buddhism, Mother Nature or a mix-breed variety like mine! The focus is the quality of a clear mind.

Sunrise - ANZAC Day 2010

Spiritual Awakening - Meister Erkhardt said we must become a space for God to enter into... Awakening is like gardening: you clear the ground, plant the seed and wait.

The seed won't rise in a rank weed-infested mind. Evil is not huge and grand: it is the endless parade of banal, trivial, petty thoughts and fantasies that clutter the mind. Meditation weeds them out as they arise, moment-to-moment. "When you master the small moments, the great moment is at hand."

I found this to be a very thought provoking and enlightening. I hope you find some insight in the excerpt too :)

Ravel.me

My goodness!

I must be the slowest Raveller there is - I have just discovered the fantastic 'share' feature!



So if you click here or here you will hopefully be zoomed off through cyber-space to see my current projects as per their Ravely pages! How RAD is THAT?!

Those links I've done with an accesss link only - so I wonder, can you actually access them from the link I've used here? This one I've done with totally open privacy, so you it's even easier I hope!

New Yarn Exultation!

New yarn!!

Exult in this wonderous new yarn, dear reader!!

-We interrupt this post to bring you a Request of the Reader-

No really, you must, please extoll the many virtues of the yarn - because it seems my poor Shweetie has been all yarned out! When I returned home today and presented my wonderous skeins with glee - to be praised and admired for their colour, twist and goodness.... He wasn't interested. Sir Shweetie said he has seen too much now and has been "yarned out" and now they all look the same!! Oh noes!! So until he has 'un-yarned' enough to appreciate my yarns again I must ask you, gentle reader, to declare your thoughts of these wonderful yarns after you've read the post! Do please, I implore you! I am in LUFF with these wee skeins, but it is so much more fun to share the delight!!

-Now resuming regular blog post-

What a glorious day!! Today my lovely Mum and I ventured out for a morning (and some of the afternoon actually..) of yarn fumes, fabric and fibrey delights!

We visited two yarn stores in our town - one an old favourite, the other a brand newie neither of us had been to before - and had a rejuvenating cuppa in between. Of course we spent all of this time, including the drive there and back, talking in depth since we live so far apart a lot of the time and relish every opportunity for Mother-Daughter times!

After my last visit to the sumptuous Calico & Ivy I've been hankering for some Colinette Jitterbug action. At the time I was a very well behaved stash-diver and didn't succumb to any of this delectable jewel toned sock yarn, but this time I went there with the MISSION to take some home with me!!

(I have a specific plan for this yarn - but more on that in a later post)

My lovely Mama is the most generous person I know - which is a big call given the amazing generosity of those around me! - and she was determined to give me (another!) Birthday gift, this one a little belated, yarny and SO WONDERFUL!!

I had significant trouble deciding which three skeins would do the trick...

~or~

...but ended up with the three I had originally plucked from the shelf (isn't it always best to listen to instinct?!); Vincent's Apron, Vatican Pie and Velvet Bilberry.

Don't you love those names? They even make a story - you borrow Vincent's Apron to make Vatican Pie from the delicious Velvet Bilberry harvest.

When we continued on to the next yarn store Mum found the perfect yarn to make her next jumper!

It's such a luscious tweed from Jo Sharp and the wonderful mixed purples are just the ticket for Mum's cardi! We were both so excited at the prospect of the new project - the first cardigan Mum has knit for a while, so it's very thrilling to begin! Mum has such wonderful tension and an amazing eye for art so I know her cardi will come up a treat! :D We both gushed to each other on how delighted we both are to have a mother/daughter who can share the joys of creating!

Two

I'm still fairly struck down by this lergy - and at times like this a little Question and Answer time seems easier than original thought!!

Two names you go by:

1) Ferret

2) Knitnutt

Two things you are wearing right now:

1) Central Park Hoodie (handknit)

2) Rainbow shawlette around my neck

(Can you tell it's COLD!)

Two things you would want (or have) in a relationship:

1) Equality

2) Ridiculous and silly sense of humour

Two things you like to do:

1) Breathe in deeply

2) uhmm.. ohhh this is difficult.. uhhh.. KNIT!

Two things you want very badly at the moment:

1) To reach over and SHNORGLE my shweetie with cuddlings :D

2) To feel back to 100% (get rid of this lergy bug!)

Two things you did last night:

1) Watched a really bad ninja movie

2) Watched aforementioned movie WITHOUT knitting - very odd!

Two things you ate today:

1) Contraband cinnamon donut

2) Two nice flat mushies, cooked like a steak in butter and garlic

Two people you last talked to:

1) My shweetie

2) My Papa

Two things you're doing tomorrow:

1) Clearing/sorting /organising our storage room (nightmarish, but it'll feel good being able to find everything!)

2) Visiting my Gran :)

Two Favorite Holidays

(As in holidays/days off?)

1) Christimuss because it's such an awesome chunk of time off, plus there's decorations and fun food and all the family get together!

2) My Birthday - not an official holiday I know, but I have NEVER gone to work or school on my Birthday - ever. It's always a fun, relaxing day full of contentment and time with my loved ones :)

Two favourite beverages

1) Chocolate milk (in various forms - normal choc milk, thickshake, hot chocolate etc..)

2) Gin and Tonic

Two things about me! Things you may not have known.

1) I learnt to whistle very young - first heard whistling in the pram at age 1-and-a-half being pushed along by Mum! I imagine it was rather tuneless whistling at that point, so I've been working on that these last couple of decades

2) I have an anxiety disorder that I'm learning more about and becoming better (bit by bit!) at managing - but still sometimes get a nasty surprise from myself!

Two jobs I have had in my life:

1) Professional Fairy (tree fairy actually, if we're going to be precise, specialising in inter-species relations and PR through children's birthday parties!)

2) Coffee barrista

Two movies I would watch over and over:

1) Pride & Prejudice

2) Underworld

Two places I have lived:

1) The 'Top End' of Australia - Red dust, only two seasons of weather, and skies that go on forever

2) Switzerland - for a few months as a 12 year old, what an experience!

Two of my favourite foods:

1) Three Cheese Lasagne ( or any other ovenbaked Vegetarian dish made by my lovely Mum - they're ALL awesome!!)

2) Fresh mango

Two places I'd rather be right now:

1) Exploring our block in Tassie! (well maybe not RIGHT now, maybe snug in a tent on our block, since it's night time..)

2) Shnuggled up in bed with my shweetie (but I'm at a close second right now - shnuggled up next to him on the couch, so I can't complain!!)

Who I will tag for this!

1) Michelle of momo4ever.com!

2) Bon of threetomatoesshort

But of course, you both know that the tagging is by no means compulsory :) Consider it more of a polite invitation!

The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those whom you know.

Apologies for the poor attempt at a blog post, everyone! As soon as I'm feeling a little perkier and less head-congested I'll crack out some photos and updates :) Hope you're all well and enjoying the weather - it is gloriously rainy here which is SUCH a wonderful change from up north!!

Dreadey Date!

I had a Dreadey Date today - and am looking considerabley tidier!

~BEFORE ~ ~AFTER~

But still a little crook *screwed up red nose*

Ah well, a nice evening of knitting on the couch with my shweetie, a hot drink and a good bluray movie should be a giant step towards feeling better!!

Nice Thick Manly Woolly Socks

My shweetie is a big fan of socks. Socks may even be his favourite item of clothing - ever! He refuses to put used socks back on even for a moment, and likes a nice, thick, woolly sock. When I first knit socks for him, I knit them out of fingering weight yarn so, while he appreciated the design and knitting skill, they were just too thin for him. So for his birthday this year I had a Plan!



I have a huge stash of heirloom 5ply yarn and decided to use it held together and knit him Nice Thick Manly Woolly Socks - but in secret!

I used a magic cast on for the toe - my favourite - and basically knit the socks on the fly, making the design as I went. I had pinched one of my Shweetie's socks from the dirty clothes basket and used that to match the dimensions of his foot! So a 3x1 rib on instep, was just the ticket to give a nice snug fit, and normal stockinette sole. I increased for the heel with M1 at each end of the heel every second round and knit a short row heel in keeping with the 3x1 rib. I then continued up the leg in stockinette but keeping two of the rib bands going all the way up for a little interest. And finally at the very top of the leg section I added a 3x1 rib :)


(excuse the awful blurry shot!)

I knit these ones right up to the line - when I finished the first sock I only had a day and a half (work days at that) left!! But I did manage to have them finished in time and gifted to my shweetie on his birthday - phew! They were VERY well received , being declared the best I have knit so far!!



I'm super happy with how they turned out, plus there's the extra warm fuzzy of knitting for true love - and nothing says 'True Love' like Nice Thick Manly Woolly hand knit birthday socks!

Pie in the Sky 68-10

Enter a skein of yarn spun in my VERY early days as a knitter. I used fibre from Spunky Eclectic's Club - the Pie in the Sky colourway, and had plied it with a silver thread - my first out-of-the-ordinary yarn and I remember having such fun with it! It's a little uneven, but that's ok - it was all part of the spinning journey and it's nice to look back to where I first started!

I decided for my first 68-10 Drops headband (yes, I know I've already posted about the one knit in cotton, which I actually knit SECOND!) I would use this handspun held together with another yarn, to get the correct gauge. So I used some heirloom wool in a chocolatey brown, which offset the handspun nicely.

I knit this with my dreads in mind, and actually began knitting it in the dreadlocks hot seat!! it didn't take very long to knit up and I'm stoked with the result :D Now I just need the weather cool enough to wear it!!

Felting is AWESOME!

My sweetie's Fuzzy Feet are complete! I actually finished them a short while ago, but haven't made it to put all the photos and words together until now :) But not from lack of love! They are fabulous, very useful and comfortable - I’m so happy with how they turned out!


This was my very first felting adventure so we took photos all the way through and had a BALL!!


(Look how huge they were to start with!)

Here they are a few minutes in..

Still very ginormous.



But then a few MORE minutes in!


The 'Before' size comparison:


And 'After' size:


It's magical!!

I absolutely highly recommend felting for anyone, and especially for those with kids - what a super fun science experiment, with a soft cooshy warm outcome! My shweetie thinks his fuzzy feet are awesome and now he wants to felt EVERYTHING I knit!! Hehee! :D

Sharp Shootin' Hobby!

You may have noticed from some knitted goodies, like bolt cosies, that my shweetie and I practise sporting shooting as a hobby. But since we're working away and can't have our rifles with us, we're branching out and learning something new...



Pistol shooting!!



I truly was pointing at the target - this shot shows just after I fired - you can even see the wee case coming out of the gun! hee! The video gives an idea of how it works - you're timed on how long you take to load the gun and shoot each target twice. The guys we were shooting with who have done this for ages can do this in HALF the time you see here - mental! Other stages we move through walls and hallways, obstacles and shoot through portholes etc..

It is SO much crazy fun and we're having an absolute ball!! Not so good on my RSI though, which is causing some havoc at the moment and slowing up knitting somewhat :( Nevermind, I have TWO wrists, and shall learn continental to share the wrist strain!

p.s. Don't use the photo of me as an example - I'm holding the gun in a VERY bad way but luckily I learned the lesson without a very badass scar to prove it!

Undecided - Help Required!

I am once again conflicted!
So I'm soliciting your help, gentle reader, if you will be so kind.

I have this gorgeous yarn, three skeins of Dream in Colour, Smooshy - in the delectable colourway of Happy Forest. I originally bought this yarn specifically to knit up a certain project - not something I generally do with yarn, more often I buy the yarn then figure out what it will be.



So I was obsessed with knitting Gigi, I loved the style, the shape and bought the perfect amount of yarn. But now I've lost the edge off that love! I think partly because my shweetie doesn't love that pattern, so that makes me question it too - will it suit me? Will it be flattering? I'm just not as madly infatuated by it anymore! Should I still knit it? Will the love reignite?



I've been looking at other patterns to see if something else leaps out and demands to be knit from the Smooshy. So far I don't have that many contenders. Perhaps a Featherweight cardigan?



I just don't know!

I'd like to knit an actual garment rather than a shawl. Particularly a cardigan would be good but perhaps one with short sleeves is another option as I won't have loads of yarn to knit it up from...



I welcome your comments and suggestions! I feel adrift and tetherless without a project to knit on!

Beginnings of a Rainbow

Thank you all for such wonderful comments on my rainbow handspun skeins! Always so lovely to have feedback and share the joy! :)

I cast on with the intense rainbow, planning on a pointy topped beanie with ear flaps and wonderously fluffy tassles from each ear flap - sounds fabulous, doesn't it?



But then I realised there is NOT enough yarn to finish this one from the single skein! Not to be deterred I thought through my stash and have a perfectly fluffy and thick singles of black wool I bought in Canberra (Holiday yarn!!) that will contrast nicely. So I'll wait ‘til am back home on break and will use the lovely black bulky yarn to stripe in with the rainbow. I think a nice row by row striping of black and rainbow will give a good effect and give enough yarn to actually get the whole beanie knit up! :D

Cotton Drops

I cast on for another 86-10 Drops Headband straight after I finished the woolen handspun version. I loved the handspun but working up north in Australia it is TOO HOT for wool so a cotton version was required!

Using 4.5mm needles, I used some Jo Sharp Desert Garden Aran Cotton yarn I purchased years ago from the lovely ladies at Knitting Inspirations. The headband took just over one ball and I found the yarn lovely to work with and entertained thoughts of maybe even a summer top from it someday?

It was a very quick knit - I followed the guidelines of the pattern but made the length a little custom by adjusting the number of rows knit before increasing. I'm finding the headband SO super comfy, and it doubles as an excellent eye-mask to keep the light out when I'm trying to sleep in on our one day off!



p.s. I have a bit of a back log of projects to post about - such as this one. I'll catch up soon hopefully!!

Full Spectrum Handspun

Over the last few months I've been spinning up some rainbow fibre - which I actually started years ago! This past R&R I managed to pull it all together and finish off two skeins - one plied with some fluffy white merino and one navajo plied on to itself.

When I spun the rainbow I broke up the fibre in to colour sections and spun them in long colour blocks. So each skein runs through the rainbow gradually with no repeats. I'm very interested to see how they knit up and what they become!