Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Cut out and keep - on the wall... in your pocket or purse... in the car glovebox -

Still can't leave the garter stitch alone. This yarn is so soft and delicious, I've already knit two scarves in it for others and, seeing as they had it in my colour, I decided I needed one too.














I am rather looking forward to winter.

This is my favourite thing about my current apartment. It is on the back of the bathroom cupboard.


















And now it is time to retire for the night and try and recover from my first day back at school.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

New Projects, Hurrah! -

I seem to have lost track of my finish-itis...















This will be a baby blanket for friends who are not even married yet, let alone having babies, I figure that will give me enough time to finish it. This blanket could be a smaller cousin of my left-overs granny square blanket.















I don't have that much left over sock yarn, so I am wondering about the rules on using full balls... I also wonder if I should plan colours, or just continue on in the haphazard way that I began.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

She secretly prefers unblocked lace -

This is sock yarn on 3.25 so it is taking a little longer than the Cobblestone. Plus, the pattern is on both sides.















It looks like a sea creature.

I had my first Pilates class yesterday and I have been feeling fabulous all day.
Venezia Died in a Knitting Accident -

Cobblestone for me. It grows apace. I ripped Venezia.















This shall be the winter of the green jumper. Can anyone confirm or deny the demise of Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed, colourway 403? I have stocked up on it just in case, I found bags and bags of it in Warrnambool. Maybe it can be the winter of two green jumpers, though I may have bought enough of th 403 to make something slightly larger than a jumper...

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Venezia, underway -















It took concentrating time to start and I have to devote my attention to it while knitting (no watching a DVD or knitting in the cinema on this one).















There is a minor problem. Currently it is two inches too big around the waist and, unless it tightens up a bit with the colour work, about four inches too big around the bust (and when did my hips get bigger than my bust any way?).

I knew how big to make the jumper for my stepdad, he is much the same size as me, so I knitted it to fit me and it fits him. This works for socks too. I knit something for me, and I make it way too big, every time. Bah.

I don't like the idea of unravelling it an knitting it all again.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Blissful holidays -

I took a stack of books home from the library, seeing as I'd have a decent amount of time to read over the break and no guilt that I should be doing marking.

These are the ones I have read so far:
Mad Dogs - Robert Muchamore
the latest in a long series of ripping good spy stories for boys.

Wildwood Dancing - Juliet Marillier
Cybele's Secret - Juliet Marillier
I borrowed these because a girl (13 or so) on ravelry said she really enjoyed them. They are, again, ripping good yarns that lean heavily on folklore and fairy tales and have a very Baba Yaga/ central europe flavour to them.

Regeneration - Pat Barker
Semi-true/semi-fictional account of Sigfried Sassoon and his doctor in WWI, there are two more books in the series but, as much as I loved this one, I couldn't read them one after the other. Great book, fascinating.

Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
Sort of post-apocalypse. Ended in a different place than I expected, given the start. I felt like I should have spent time thinking and considering it before launching into the next book.

The Declaration - Gemma Malley
People have discovered the drug that allows immortality and children become illegal. A bit flat after Oryx and Crake. Found it a bit internally inconsistent and the pacing was off, but it was a nice idea and quite a good read.

The Gospel According to Larry - Janet Tashjian
Nice book, plausible, only took three hours to read.

feed - M. T. Anderson
The internet is connected to our brain in a live feed, we are always switched on, the government controls the flow of information - the blurb is wildly misleading - don't read it.

The White Tiger - Kylie Chan
Loved it, read it in the bath on New Year's Eve. I'm busting to read the rest in the series, I hope they are out already. There were a few annoying repetitive things, but on the whole, a really fun read.

I tidied up my flat today and threw out a wheely bin full of stuff. I am feeling much the better for it, and the place almost looks tidy/organised.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

I have made a new year's resolution -

I want my life to feel more like this:














I'm looking forward to 2008.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

The intrepid knitter sights her prey -















She draws nearer, aiming to capture the perfect shot of the garment before the subject is startled.



















So close!



















Startled, the subject reacts in atypical fashion.



















I finished sewing in the ends on Christmas eve. The Rowan all seasons cotton shows no signs of sagging after several wears.