Carnivore

This was such a fun pattern to make. In a burst of cleverness I called it carnivore because it is all in black... actually, now I think about it, that doesn't make any sense.

I love the yarn, too. I may or may not have purchased another skein on ravelry.

















I have made myself one in the pesky skein of sundara that didn't want to be any of the things I tried making it into. It is a much more sensible colour for something called herbivore. Or squashed frog. I keep forgetting to take photos, though.

Responsible adults

It is so lovely seeing your hand knits being appreciated.

Colourscapes -

This scarf is a guilty pleasure.














It was an impulse buy.














And the scarf only took a day to knit (well, two days, but I finished it, didn't like the way the colours fell, ripped it and did it again)

Same guy, can't stand still -

I can't wait to meet the kids of these friends, they are going to be hyper little buggers and I am going to be Aunty and take them to the park and fill them with sugar. I might teach them how to make cake, too.



















So, for a second he paused and smiled nice for the camera. This scarf is for his dad. The cable is from one of the Babara Walkers and looks the same in either direction. The yarn is some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran that was on sale at Sunspun.


















And here is an owl I met, a little cousin of an earlier owl.

Disoriented -

I finished the travelling scarf the other day. I am sitting in the dark. This past two weeks caught up with me this afternoon and I passed out for a couple of hours, which has the unhappy consequence of my still being wide awake, well past one in the morning.

I had to guess where the scarf was.














It has been a dizzying two weeks. Classes have been intense, but satisfying. I have been catching up with people and dashing about and looking at rental properties and trying to sort out Important Life Decisions.

Found this guy again.


















He lives near where I'm going to be living.

Travelling scarf -



















I am going to Canada in a few months. We will be staying with a friend's parents in Maine (yeah, yeah I know, not Canada) while we are there, so I am making a pair of scarves as a thank you.

It is Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran, which makes my hands happy while I knit, and I used the shadow cable pattern from Barbara Walker's first book.

A little ray of sunshine -

Today was glorious. Melbourne knows how to do autumn (though we seem to be back sliding into summer at the moment). I finished this scarf in time for a birthday that was about three months earlier than I had thought.















I hope it will provide a bit of sunshine in the grey and (with luck) stormy Melbourne winter.















Moss stitch, my love, my bane. You are worth it.

Startitis -

I have no explanation, no apparent cure.

I've been planning to start this wrap for a while, but the yarn was quite happy sitting up in its mothballs. The pattern was quite happy sitting in its file of printed out patterns from the net. Maybe it was the mitred sock squares that got me over excited.














It is going to be fun to finish... The yarn is from a jumper that mum was knitting in the 80s. Fluff gets everywhere.














And, in case that wasn't enough. I have started a project with this yarn several times, I think this will suit it. And I think I know whom it will suit.

A pleasant Saturday afternoon -

With presents! I went to a craft-a-noon with the girls and came home with presents.

A Koigu chevron scarf from sockmonster. The colours work really well together and it will be ideal for class, long enough to keep me warm, short enough to prevent accidents. This is the second time she has given it to me (isn't lovely how knitters understand these things?), and I have loved it both times.














There was another gift as well. Grumpygirl was showing me her yarn and I was waxing lyrical about how alive and really mossy the mossy was and she said 'Happy Birthday'. I almost died. I was going to leap over the couch and hug her, but I am still not sure how grumpygirl feels about hugging.














I tried lots of different backdrops to bring out how alive this skein of yarn looks, alas, I do not have mad photography skillz.

But I did recently buy this book.


















And it has just occurred to me that this pattern might make the yarn look like moss creeping over rocks. The pattern calls for 375 yards of something heavier and mossy is 350 yards. I am tempted to give it a go and see how far I get.


















Or I could just leave it on my lap and pat it.

I also came home with a burning desire to cast on new projects. Restraint, restraint, restraint.

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.

Long time love -

The scarf I wear most often is the simplest. I found three skeins of rainbow-y handspun at the Handweavers and Spinners Guild. I loved the combinations of blues and greens and purples.















I knit it up in a plain stocking stitch on my Grandmother's broomstick needles.



















And chucked it through a cold wash to felt just the littlest of bits.

The colours make me happy when I wear it and it can be a scarf or an open wrap and it is often just enough to ward off the chill.

Little Finishes -

Well, I sewed in the ends of the Matilda Popsie blanket, unfortunately the only picture I took of it was a rather lame one on Photobooth (oh for a camera)















There was a family wedding yesterday, so I gave it to Matilda's parents then. They warmed the cockles of my heart, her dad immediately whipped off the blanket they were using and put mine over her. They were really the type of people you want to keep making hand knits for, they made me feel quite special.

The Long Time scarf is also finished.















And another Pb photo, I'm afraid. I have been reading lots of lovely tutorials/advice lately about taking photos. I'd like to have a go.

I wonder how much cameras cost.

I also wonder if I can begin Venezia yet. The nice shop emailed me to tell me that the old gold yarn is on its way, so soon all the materials will be here. The holidays are a good time to start a complicated project like that. But I still have a few largish projects that should get finished first.

Long Time Scarf -

I don't know if I have mentioned this as one of the UFOs or not. The week I got home from China (the first time) I found a place to live; enrolled in uni; bought a bed; started uni and bought many balls of Jo Sharp DK to make a scarf with.

I wanted it to look like a stockinette scarf, but I didn't like how stockinette curled. So, in my wisdom, I chose to knit it in a one by one rib on 2.75mm needles (you heard me). I could only knit in straight lines and my imagination didn't run to borders.

It took at least two years to finish (mainly because of the relentless pain). Don't you think it's pretty? And why do I call it a UFO?















I loathe sewing in ends. I sat down and had a heart to heart the other night with it and a darning needle, but still so many. They mock my pain.















It's been six years now. I'd like to wear it this winter.

Two down, lots to go -

Teva's leaf cravat from Interweave Knits Winter 2002 in Colinette Silk Tao. Sarah had her stall at the Folkie, so I bought myself a not-music present. I used slightly less than two skeins, which made it really really long.















I only had to weave in ends to finish it. Still, you can't wear it till it's done, so it counts.

Squishy surprises in the mail -

This just arrived for me from Germany. Pretty German sock yarn with bamboo. It shines, it shimmers, it does not want to be socks.
















I shall listen to it for a while. I can't cast on anything for a few days anyway. There is still the black angora scarf, and that has to be finished for a birthday next week. That scarf takes priority; I shall not turn my attentions elsewhere; no straying in my affections.















Pretty. Shiny. I have just the needles for it.

Birthday knitting -

My go everywhere, knit when I have a spare minute project was the Indigo Ripples Skirt. I cast it on while watching Harry Potter, followed the pattern for a bit. This latest Harry Potter was really dark. When I got home I ripped it out; cast on fewer stitches on smaller needles (now 3.5mm) and went at it. The lace bit has slowed me down (no more knitting in the dark).















And this angora scarf has taken over for the now. It is Louisa Harding Kimono and I want one for *me*. It is a the very simple broken rib stitch (not to be confused with the very simple mistake rib stitch) from Barbara Walker. It feels like wearing very warm nothing around your neck (it is much longer now).















I have discovered something about black. I still love my new Holz und Stein, I still love the angora, I love the stitch pattern, but I am finding the black tedious. There go any immediate plans for knitting an enormous dishcloth shawl out of black Bendi alpaca.

Langushing in a Draw Somewhere Projects -

The grey version of Madli's Shawl in Wendy Dennis 4ply wool/silk (so soft, so delicious).

Wrist warmers (started off as Jaywalkers, but I changed my mind) in Trekking 100.

Jayne Hat (only about four rows to go on the last ear flap)

A top down jumper that is too short and needs its cast off ripped out so that I can make it longer so that it will be worn. I used to think the wool was quite nice ($ a ball Patons grey boucle), but now it is irritating me.

Vine lace scarf out of a pink/purple varigated yarn from the Bendigo Sheep and Wool show. I must have started that thing at least 3 years ago.

A jumper that my mum started that has been handed over. An extremely 80s number in cream wool.

I think that is all, unless there are others lurking.