School Camp -

I went on school camp yesterday and today and went to blacksmithing tonight. I am tired and sooty and the pizza shop was shut. I'd like to curl up with my book and pretend that tomorrow is not going to happen.

I finished this in my crazy finish phase:


















There is a glass blowing place near home and he makes the most beautiful pieces. I keep buying wedding presents there because I can't justify getting one for me. Still, he does the occasional little piece, like the whale on the left, and his son made the piece on the right. I like to think it is a sea creature.














Children are tiring, but endlessly amusing.

An Ode to Fluevogs -

I saw these in the shop and they were on special and they fit:














Unfortunately I also tried these on 'just to see'. I love them. They come out with me to every appropriate occasion and then we come home and I put them away in tissue paper specially:


















I went back this year for a pair of boots for work. I can wear these all day and feel like I have had ug-boots on:


















Again, on the same day I tried these on 'just to see'. They feel like a dream and they are cute (and they make my feet look small):


















Monnsqueak just discovered them and is singing their praises. I add my voice. My next pair, please.

Invigilation -

It is exam time and exam moderation is tedious. But the tedium gives me time to think about learning and authority and motivation and talent.

I have tried to balance carrots and sticks this year. I would prefer to just use carrots, but either my technique is off, or some people only respond to the stick. I have also being trying to work out what motivates cheating and what is the best way to deter it.

It has been nice to see my students in the context of their other subjects. Even if they are crap at my subject, maybe they are good at Physics?



















I was a bit conflicted about knitting during exam supervision. However, I tried marking today and couldn't divide my concentration. I don't need to concentrate on knitting.

A logical series of events leads to an inevitable conclusion -

I started the phoenix last night, but didn't have some of the floss colours. So after work I went home via Clegs to get them.



















In Clegs I discovered that Cleckheaton and Patons have released new bamboo yarns, so I got one of each, partly to play, partly to encourage more bamboo yarn. Plus, the Patons one is called Serenity (and is gaiman black)



















And I broke the yarn rule of not buying yarn that is on sale, no matter how good a bargain it is.



















Not even if I love the colour and imagine myself in a new snuggly cardigan next winter.

In the spirit of finishing -

This has been waiting for the white stitching and the borders since 2004. As with most of my cross stitching thus far, I don't know what to do with it now.


















A rooster is good feng shui, I think it wards off gossip. Apparently I need a phoenix at work. I might look into my Christmyth designs from Dragondreams.

I miss having chooks and I have been thinking about frog friendly gardens. There is a vacant block the next suburb over, every time I walk past it I dream of building a small house in the corner and having fruit trees along the back wall, a vegetable patch and the rest set up to provide a haven for native birds, reptiles and frogs. Are you allowed to shoot starlings in the city?

Finish-itis -

I only feel like finishing things at the moment. Maybe it is because I am starting so many new things at work and my head is full of that.















Maybe it is the weather and my thoughts are turning from knitting warm and snuggly things. Maybe because the next project to cast on is Venezia and it is scary. Scarier than lots of things. I did marking today instead of casting it on.















I am worried about my boobs in Venezia, bevata nono would just be the start of it, hee, I just made a bilingual pun. So I think I will follow Garn Boet's V-neck modification, and take her advice on starting/swatching.















I am enjoying learning how my camera works. I should go look up those tutorials.

Coming home -

Walking home tonight I passed a ute, one boy was leaning against the door, three were sitting across the front seat wearing wife beaters and looking to see if I was looking at their flexing muscles.

Just as I was passing through their thick cloud of marijuana smoke I heard one say, 'Yeah, ever since I gave up the ciggies, my speech has been really slurred.'

I have found the love for this project:














When I started it last year I was doing data entry. Inspired by All Tangled Up, it flew along, I finished a repeat a day, or more. Then I started teaching. Suddenly I managed barely a repeat a week. Then gave up altogether because 'fire bad, tree pretty' - lace too hard.

My eyes sting and I stink of scorched metal -

Home from my third wrought iron class. I ache all over (a lot of metal shaping tonight). My project is going to look like I made it, but because of something mum said I don't really mind.

On the phone, I started to complain about my lack of hand-eye coordination. She cut me off and said, 'Enjoy it, just let it be a part of the design.' So I did, and I relaxed and the pieces look different/similar (and I like it).

I played with the maths and made the numbers perfect instead.

The walls of the workshop make me think weird thoughts:














My favourite tools are the ones that make lots of sparks:


















And I'd rather fancy one of these:


















On the way home I stopped at the weird pizza place. I had a fake tan and almost didn't save the rest for lunch tomorrow.

Pear and Pecan -

I decided to celebrate Cup Day by having a go at a new cake recipe.















I tend to stick to cakes I know well like carrot cake or Mum's fruit cake, especially when inviting people over. But Nikkishell's cake sounded delightful (and it was).

I changed it slightly:



















(this is why I shall never write knitting patterns).

Oh, look at me, I'm a flippy little dolphin, let me flip for you -

I just finished casting off (twice). I cast off the first time and ran out of yarn. I have no idea how to join cotton while you are casting off, and I didn't want to start on the 11th ball anyway. So I ripped it back and did a different cast off. It is not as flippy, but you can hardly tell.















Now just sewing in ends, and I-cord. Ugh, I-cord. Wait, didn't Eunny do something different? I'll go check. Hmmm, looks like she's got a ribbon. I've got ribbon. I've got green ribbon.

I'll report back when it is washed and really really finished.