kiwiknitter

Lesson 101: How to be a dork

2008-10-18T08:37:00.001+13:00

When I was younger and much less wise I knew 3 things to be true.

1. I would never marry again.
2. I would never, never live in the USA
3. I would never, never, never have children.

This was all said while living in Canada, happily getting liquored but sadly getting divorced. Of course as experience often teaches us I knew not. Less than 3 years after uttering those words I was on my way to live in the big old US of A, knocked up and about to be married to my gorgeous American and more happy than one has a right to be.

Now because on my way to wisdom sometimes I need to relearn old lessons (again and again it seems but that is for another post......). I may have been heard to say that I would never knit doll's clothes or god forbid fake food. I may have even openly mocked those who do. Maybe.

You know the biggest problem with kids? It is not the time or the expense or the mess or the smell. Honestly, you deal with that stuff. It is the inescapable fact you love these damn critters so much you find yourself doing the things you never thought you would. Not only do you find yourself singing out loud (badly) at the supermarket, you find yourself making fake food and doll clothes.

You find yourself sitting up at night crackling with delight of it all and working as late as you need so you can leave another piece for your kid to come racing out and find in the morning. (You find yourself agreeing to purple ribbon but again another post........)

You worry about providing a balanced fake food diet after noticing your tenacity runs to a fake junk food diet.

You worry what it says about you as a mother that your 5 year old is offering up cupcake sandwiches to your guests.

You get right on making sure she has a good selection of fruit and veggies so she can get her "5 a day".

You swell with pride when she asks for some fake tofu and sushi.

Damn kids, consider yourself warned.

Ahh the best of intentions......

2008-10-13T09:28:00.007+13:00

Where did the time go one asks?

What happened to all those blog posts I promised the one or two readers I must have left?

I did start many posts in my mind. Honest. While out in the garden getting ready for my over achieving summer of veggies. While with my arms deep in bread or cracker dough. While crafting with my kids. While avoiding looking for my summer part-time job by cooking up another pot of dried beans and stretching that food budget a little more. While trying to find the missing bees. You see life kept getting in the way. It is spring here and spring is never better indoors in front of a computer.

But as promised those fabulous bloomers.

My daughter's favourite thing in the whole wide world. (And now, Mum, Mum listen, now I want a pair in every single colour but especially purple because purple is the best colour in the whole world. Cause Mum these are dancing pants, these pants make me dance and twirl and laugh and sing.)

They actually are that cool.

Oh yeah, I am back, home in Dunedin that is.

Snowbirds, bloomers and faux food...........

2008-07-08T16:25:00.000+12:00

3 months without posting, what the bloody hell?

Well chickadee what if I told you I have become a snowbird would you forgive me? A snowbird squeezing into a library queue with all of the pimply faced teenagers waiting to get on to facebook. A snowbird finally with regular access to a computer, a computer that is about 15 years old with dial up access. Forgive me now?

So winter.......it has it's place, it can be fun, you know like when you don't have to work and you can sit inside by a roaring fun, knitting and growing a big bum while drinking hot choccie and eating buttered raisin toast. Mmmmmm raisin toast..........

But after one winter in Dunedin I knew there had to be a better way (dark, damp and deary- sorry Dunedin readers - I still love it come the long days of summer). You see because I am a drop out bum now and I am married to a drop out bum there was no reason not to run away from winter and end up in say........... subtropical Australia. (First choice was the beaches of Thailand but since we couldn't trade painting for an airline ticket to that one well maybe next winter.........). So here we are in Brisbane, housesitting and doing odd jobs to keep food in the belly. Life is spent exploring all that is free and good in Brisbane; libraries, museums, beaches and parks. Life is 23 degrees Celsius, sunny and warm. Life is homeschooling and lots of family time on the road. Life is remembering why I choose not to live in the same city (hell same country) as my family (love them but....). Life is choosing how we are going to live and then living it. Life is good.

Next time is bloomers and faux food once I figure how I can get photos on this piece of ancient history. Wish me luck.

(BTW, it is great to be back)

Closing the circle.............

2008-04-14T14:10:00.000+12:00

I have cast on for a pair of socks.

A pair of socks that mean a great deal to me.

My great grandmother was a knitter. She was a crafter. She was from a well-to-do family, with a well-to-do marriage. At least until disaster struck and she was left penniless with five kids. She took her crafting skills and made a living from her hands. She designed and hand knit baby items for an upmarket department store. But of all she did her hand knit socks were most legendary. My Grandpa, her son in law, spoke of them in reverent tones. My Grandpa is gone now but her daughter at 93 is still alive and well. And now her great-granddaughter is going to close the circle and put socks back onto the feet of the ones she loves.

These socks are for my grandma. A business woman who had no talent for the domestic arts but still honours their value. It pleases her no end to finally see one of her kin following in her beloved mother's footsteps, using my hands and heart to create.

I am knitting the wavy socks from the mighty The Knitters Book of Yarn. I needed a pattern with a little fun but no annoying holes to snag fingers on when your eyes are no longer so great. The yarn is lovely and squishy (and local). The colour - delightful.

Yep, I am liking them.

The Gift.

2008-04-03T07:45:00.001+13:00

My sister is pregnant with baby number one. This has been a hard won baby and although it shouldn't somehow that makes it all that more special.

Her whole house is white; all the walls, furniture, soft furnishings (I know just perfect for a kid, they will learn.....) and she is quite traditional in her tastes.

I have been thinking about this baby gift a lot.

I have been thinking about making a highly detailed lace circular shawl in an undyed merino silk. She lives in the tropics (in Australia, no tropics in NZ) so it wouldn't get much use but I figure it can be pulled out for the photos and live the rest of the time artistically draped across the back of the white rocking chair in the white nursery. I think it is important to welcome new people into this world with a bang.

We are also until recently a family of throw-it-away-ers and have missed the whole pass-down-a-heirloom thing. Maybe if it works out this could be a heirloom for little "Wally" or "Betty" (don't panic just trying it on for size, no?). Is it right to give a gift with that type of expectation? Could I ever forgive her if she gave this one away too? Should I include a return to sender in the parcel? Would a gift certificate be better?

Can you pick out the crafter's kid?

2008-03-03T18:13:00.001+13:00

There is my kid in a sea of pink; being different, being comfortable, being a kid, being Taia.

Sometimes being a crafty mama has it's perks. It allows you to stand in the middle of a department store, surrounded all the barbie pink little princess dance costumes and say "not my kid, no way, no how". It allows me to laugh in the face of the ridiculous price tag made complete with a little slave labour and awful lot of advertising. It allows me to go home and pull an unworn t-shirt from my wardrobe and with some scissors, a little time, a sewing machine and a willing model sew some originality.

So I say "the bird" to you corporate world, start allowing my little girl some choice and originality in your stores, stop telling her what is feminine and attractive and I may return but until then we don't need you..........and well.......you can put your dance costumes where the sun doesn't shine.

A belated valentine's.......

2008-02-16T18:06:00.000+13:00

........if you celebrate such things, which we don't, except with heart shaped pikelets (little sweet pancakes) and homemade apricot and plum jam.

Making jam makes me feel clever and when I have all of the jars lined up filled with a year's worth of jam, well I just feel like inviting all I know so they can marvel at their jewel-like beauty and we can have a jam party. Try it, do it with a mate or friend, drink lots of wine and then I'll come for a jam party at your house, I will be suitably impressed, promise. I'll make the pikelets because as my son says, "you make the best pikelets; it is so cool how you can get it all burnt and crispy on the outside and still gooey and uncooked in the middle, I love that". And no I'm not sharing, it is a family secret that recipe.

Over acheiver alert

2008-02-14T10:26:00.002+13:00

It was all part of the master plan.

I wouldn't blog for an age and then wham, bam, pow would hit you with FO after FO and knock the socks off you all.

And you would say to yourself, damn, how the hell does she do all that and, you know, still bathe?

And then you would get off the computer and turn to your friends and family and say "I know a knitter that knits an item a day, .... do too.......too......too!" And all of your friends and family would so amazed that you have such talented friends and you would be so special for the whole day (you know not that you aren't special already, just more special.....).

See I was thinking of you.

But then I remembered Ravelry and how easy it is to see how bloody long these things have taken.

Ah well, the best laid plans................

So I give you:

A spare skein of Noro Kureyon + a need for a quick travelling project =

Mitts in the rhubard patch (for all of you still in the middle of winter)

And Doddy

Made from a few leftover skeins of Knitpicks Merino, add a few bells and you have a ball that is irresistible to all ages. Even I have spent the past few days pretending I was one of those famous basketball players that I can remember from all the ads but don't remember the name, you know the big bloke with the big hands. Yep that has been me. See I have knit me a basketball dream.....

Shake your bootie............

2008-02-04T10:03:00.000+13:00

Finished the knitting and button sewing.

Yep that is pattern tissue you see.

Cause here is the thing; they practically give it away at the op shop, it's reusing, it's good tissue, I love the little giggle I get over all the headbands in these patterns and besides it looks a little different in a gift. Different is good.

And to now wrap them.

I like to use reusable wrapping from recycled fabric. I was all set to make a fabric bag from this old kids raincoat that was in the "harvest" pile when it hit me, they already made the bag for me - the pocket.

A little cutting........

A little sewing.......

And it is done.

A little handmade card welcoming the new babe to the neighbourhood.........

One gift. And now we are off to coo over a new baby.

There is something to be said for balloon animals.....

2008-01-28T06:46:00.000+13:00

You know how when you go to a party and there is the quiet kinda nerdy dude in the corner (you know before nerdy was hot) and you pass right over him - boring - and then some music starts up and - boom the bloke starts swing dancing like no tomorrow ....... that my friends is a great party trick.

The time has come that I can no longer rely on my liquor induced obnoxiousness alone to save me at a party (funny as you grow older how weenie you become around liquor ".........and then, and then I drank the WHOLE beer by myself and well I was just away with the fairies............woo hoo"). I feel it is time for me to get a party trick.

I really considered swing dancing but was strangely more drawn to Appalachian clogging and somehow, maybe it is just me, but I don't think it will say cool to others. Balloon animals are out, I suck at that, don't ask me how I know.

And then it hit me - origami.

I have been spending a lot of time around some Japanese women lately and all of them can origami like you wouldn't believe. Apparently they learn it at school. Finally a school system that sets their pupils up for real life, although I guess if everyone can origami the whole party trick thing.......(and yes origami is a verb, well...... because I said so). So every time I come into work there would be another of the cutest little thing and then finally the coup d'etat, an origami cell phone. So let me just set the scene for you, as in welcome to my daydream, there I am sitting in the middle of a crowd of admirers and I say "oh poor you you have lost your cell phone, well here take this one" and toss them a paper cell phone and all clap and laugh at my wittiness and I fling my non-existent hair around "oh really it was nothing, anyone can do it".

My son got me one of those cool origami a day calendars. I am 3 weeks into the year and I have been practising my origami. For some strange reason I thought it would be fun to do it each day with him, forgetting that the boy has just come off a year of "a paper airplane a day". For the record telling your kid that doing a perfect outside fold is just dumb and no one thinks he is clever cause it is dumb and no I don't need to see how it is done perfectly because remember they are dumb and I am not going to do those dumb things.... yeah well I don't think they covered that in parenting 101.

My version of a penguin...... a penquin I said.......like the bird............oh be quiet.........

The peace dove who couldn't get her fat ass off the ground if peace depended on it..........

You know magic tricks always go over well don't they........

Maybe I didn't give balloon animals enough of a chance............

They say liquor is quicker.............

A little sewing........

2008-01-19T15:50:00.000+13:00

Remember these?

Yep, scrunchies.

Well my daughter didn't live through the 90's so she thinks they are awesome. She gets to pick out her favourite fabric from my stash and like magic in 15 minutes she has a scrunchie. She gets to iron them and sometimes sew the seams on the machine while on her mama's lap and life does not get better than this. And later if she is really lucky she will get to "help" make dinner. Because when you are 4 years old all you really need is attention, love and a favourite toy and all of the rest of that plastic crap just gets in the way because it gives your mum a reason and excuse to say"for goodness sake go and play with all the great things you got for Christmas and don't hang around my feet".

And her favourite toy, a wooden trolley we found at the dump that she got to decorate all by herself.

Simple - Yes, Easy - No

2008-01-17T14:27:00.000+13:00

There was a baby born about these parts lately, #3 to some friends. Now at the risk of offending all is just me or do baby #3, #4, #5 in a family seem like less cause for celebration? Even with my second there was less who-ha, that's okay you get way too much crap with babies. I once met a couple so excited about their pregnancy I would have sworn it was #1 but it was #8, I was floored. #8 and they were still all about it, go figure, I don't get it. In fact even someone else having 8 kids makes me feel nervous. Imagine being the extended family, you would want to make double sure you kept both of those parents alive wouldn't you. We are official guardians to 4 different kids (2 different families) and it makes me nervous when I see the 4 parents say travelling in the same car together. I just don't think it is wise. I don't manage 2 most days, could you imagine 6! It didn't go over well when I expressed that one out loud, really I was just trying to be practical. Aaah but I digress. ........

I want to see baby #3 but what does it say about me that I am more excited about finally being able to make a pair of Saartje's bootees. Of course a new human being is more important than a (super duper cute) pattern. Of course it is but damn, it is a mighty fine little pattern isn't it. And he is not mine after all and he has lots of other people to be excited about him but being excited about his new bootees I think I will take care of that job.

Now I thought I would be able to whip these out in an hour or two and that may be the case if I could just get past the constant frogging I have done. I am on yarn #3 (hey like the baby, maybe it is fate....spooky). It is many attempts later, because they are too small to swatch for in my mind. Since I have started these booties about 15 times trying to work them out the irony is not lost on me. But finally one is done. I have reworked the pattern to allow for the larger gauge. I am not thrilled about the colour or yarn but since this is a fairly traditional couple my yarn choices were extremely limited. Machine washable and no hint of any colour that would change the child's sexual orientation in later years (of course it has been scientifically proven, and anyway don't you know the old saying "pink for a baby boy and there will be no heterosexual joy". You don't? Odd. Guess you don't get out much. And anyway I don't need that hanging over my head). Ted tried to convince me to just go with what I wanted but what I wanted that these may be worn. My only nod to a little less conventionality will be to put 4 different buttons on them for a little fun (for me) (guess it is I who doesn't get out enough). It is a novelty yarn alas but I think it will go over well with the couple. I will save my organic Blue Sky undyed cotton for the next knitter's baby, it would not have been appreciated here and I may have made a bit of a fool of myself trying to get them to see the folly of their ways. People get a little funny once you try stuffing yarn down their shirt so they can truly see how soft it is.

So pattern verdict..........simple - yes, easy - no. Baby stuff is a political minefield.

Time to walk the talk.......

2008-01-14T10:58:00.000+13:00

I have been thinking about over consumption a lot lately.

I have been thinking about how we are changing a whole generation by giving them everything they could ever want or need. I worry about this. I think it is going to bite us in the ass big time.

I lived in Southern California for about 5 years, a place where it was never too hot, never too cold, no bugs and life was pretty easy. And you know what I learned. I don't appreciate good weather unless I have had a winter to suffer through. It was weird lesson to learn. Here in Dunedin where the weather is often yucky when we have sun the whole neighbourhood comes alive as we all think the same thought, "I must go outside, I must enjoy and saver, I must garden, I must lie in the sun and read and I must try to get to the strawberries before the bloody birds get them". I swear this is a universal thought in my neighbourhood on a sunny day. You feel the joy a sunny, warm day brings.

I think about it when I craft and find myself more and more drawn to using recycled materials. Because I have made the commitment (due to budget and environmental reasons) that all the fabric in our curtains and upholstery will be from recycled materials I now get the joy of discovery at op shops and garage sales and I am ashamed to admit the depths of my stash. I know I value my handcrafted clothing more than store bought. I know my gift recipients agree. Is this why so many of us are crafting more and more? Is this why I am growing more of my food? Is this why I am drawn to making my own bread, jam, baked goods? Can I only appreciate what isn't easily gained? In our effort to make life easy for our kids what are we depriving them of?

( Calorimetry from Knitty, lovely little pattern it is!)

I met a knitter the other day who was down in Stewart Island for a week and it was cold. She didn't have a hat but she just couldn't bring herself to buy one because she is able to now make them. She is a brand new knitter who has only made scarfs but was confident in her ability to make a hat. So instead she froze. She laughed about it as she was making a hat in the warm sunny weather we were having in Dunedin. I completely agreed with her. I would have done the same thing. I have done the same thing.

Is anyone still out there...........

2008-01-12T16:50:00.000+13:00

..........one very delinquent blogger is now back.

Now I thought about giving all sorts of lame excuses since the truth sounds even lamer but I figured honesty is the best policy in this case.

Truth #1: By nature I need lots of "alone" time and I haven't been getting so much of that lately. I now have a very social job that consumes 30 hours of my week and 2 busy children that insist on having many friends. New Zealanders are a friendly bunch and I find myself attending more dinners, parties, bbq's and "just drinks" that we have time for. So as a result I have severely neglected other parts of my life, just ask my knit night group - Tanya who? It is not just you; I haven't been reading blogs lately nor taking the time to comment, even Ravelry only gets a look in.

Truth #2: While I still love knitting, it doesn't consume me like it used to. I have been doing more and more other crafts and have had less and less knitting to discuss. Yes there is always something on the needles and yes I knit most every day but it doesn't fill my every waking thought like it used to. Now given I am the Kiwi Knitter would a blog that allows other crafts to make an appearance be okay?

See I miss blogging. I miss the connections that I made with so many of you. I love the feeling of the internet knitting village that blogging helps to create. I miss the chance to have my say, completely uninterrupted. I would still like to blog but it will always be on this erratic schedule I am afraid, it will always be feast or famine. Don't you hate it when you discover these truths about yourself?

Will you have me back?

I am off on a big jetplane........

2007-10-06T07:54:00.001+13:00

A family holiday is happening. I will try to post at some point throughout the trip. We are heading to Christchurch (get out your map boys and girls) for 4 days of camping, then we are off to Brisbane, Australia for some family time and some heat. We will be in Aussie for about 2 1/2 weeks. All of my family live there (mum and 3 sisters and all the extras that go along with it). I am the last holdover still in NZ. Best of all I get to see my new niece again, she is now almost 1. Can't wait. See you soon.

A little quilting for a little gifting..........

2007-10-03T09:48:00.000+13:00

So my sister. She has a lot, she doesn't want to have a lot and she doesn't want anymore.......except from me.

That is her new rule. No gifts please, oh except from you Tanya - you can make me a cool thing that I can't buy in the store, like a king size quilt please.

Sorry no king size quilts around here for quite a while so I thought this might work instead.

She likes to write notecards with gifts. I have decided to give a homemade container with quilted cards in them. I got the idea of the cards from Denyse Schmidt. I am making 2 sizes, biggies for regular cards and littlies to go on gifts.

Did I mention how much fun this is? Did I mention how I am digging through the scrap box and using them all up?

Ignore the fabric box, I am keeping that, it was decided that she wouldn't like it as much as I liked it. Yep I decided that.

So wrong, so very very wrong..........

2007-10-01T14:47:00.000+13:00

How can I go from this:

To this within a few weeks:

And that is not all. I have what I like to call my mending basket (it should be known as the black hole) and in it I have 5 pairs of socks, all made of Socks that Rock, all with holes within a short time of completion. I think I must be a slow learner.

Is it just me or does this yarn not stand up? Or am I just really hard on my socks? I want to go on to the Socks that Rocks Ravelry group and ask but I am too scared that I might be thrown out of that town real fast. Okay I am not too scared, I just haven't got around to it. Well maybe I am a little scared, socks that rock groupies are rabid, I remember them from Stitches West.

It would break my heart to throw them away so now I am attempting to darn them, not easy stuff I tell you, especially since the hole is so big. I don't like this darning business so much. Another reason to be pleased summer is around the corner...........

The right way, don't you know...................

2007-09-27T09:08:00.000+12:00

So the kids and I took ourselves off to a knitting class at our local library a couple of days ago. It was arranged and run by the local knitting guild for kids and I wanted to support them.

Now let it be said I have always thought this whole "it is not your Grandma's knitting" is just total crap but I also think it needs to be said that many of the old guard need a good boot up the bum.

While we were there a young new knitter was struggling and it was decided that because she was left-handed she was having an extra tough time. I then piped up with "perhaps she should have a go at Continental". Apparently not. Apparently she needs to learn the "right" way and then she can go on to try the other (less valuable) ways of knitting. I of course argued a little. I was very firmly put in my place that it was extra important that she was taught the right way and no other way at present. The long and short of it was that I started to teach her Continental but too late the damage was done. She struggled with that also. She lamented that she should go back to the right way and perhaps she wasn't good enough to knit. She stopped.

Another woman spoke up (she was a parent) and said that she knits completely differently from everyone here and because of that and all of the comments she receives she doesn't knit much and she didn't think she should be the one to teach her kids. I asked if the end result looked the same. The answer was yes. Well then it is the right way isn't it. No.

I wanted to scream. but here is the thing all of these women were really lovely, really helpful, they bought yarn and needles to give away to the kids and they truly believed in what they were doing. And maybe there is something to passing on the local knitting style but at what cost? How many knitters do you lose and still feel like you have won? Do they have the right to discriminate against other artists and crafters? Why is this so different from other forms of discrimination? (I won't tell you what they thought about crochet). Am I wrong to feel so cranky about all of this still? They are doing the class again next week. Is it wrong to be daydreaming about a massive sit in of rebel continental knitters?

Show and Tell...............

2007-09-24T10:42:00.000+12:00

A couple of FO's for your enjoyment.............

Shedir, still unblocked. It is a little of the unloved child at present. When will I learn that beanies are a tough sell for me. I love the hat, just not on me. Maybe when it is blocked.......oh damn who am I kidding.

Ann Budd's fingerless mitts from Weekend Knitting. These were a hit at knit night. They are a sassy little number that can be whipped up before the movie is over. They are joined with a three needle bind off but they really should have a provisional cast on and be grafted using garter stitch. Since a recent love-love relationship with a tubular cast on I am all about the cast on. While I will always come home to the continental cast on, that tubular, man that is one sexy ass of a cast on. Next post I will show you the goodies.

Would it piss you off to say go check out the knitty gritty on Ravelry?

There could be truth to it.........

2007-09-01T20:12:00.000+12:00

The other day Stella was saying that all of us kids in Ravelry were leaving out the ones who are out in the cold. We have gone quiet; we are not blogging, commenting or visiting other forums. While I would like to strongly deny the possibility, well, here's the thing, it could be true. See I think I have a set tolerance for how much time I can sit in front of this glowing screen and - well - I have become Ravelry's bitch.

But I wish it wasn't still exclusive, I wish you could all join me there. Does that make any difference? Do you feel any better? No? Will a FO help?

Jaywalkers: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Yarn, Size 1 Addis - more details on Ravelry, check them out.

Jokin, just jokin Stella, keep your knickers on.

My version of the milky way................

2007-08-26T08:43:00.000+12:00

A tidbit because I am not posting so much lately........

But I am sewing..............

And still knitting..............

Presenting my latest creation, the curtain for the nook we call our "study". Made completely out of recycled fabrics, including the backing.

My version of the milky way.

Just knitting a basket full of squares........

2007-08-23T17:32:00.000+12:00

.................why thanks for asking - yes I am going out of my flippin' mind.......

...............94 squares and counting...............

........seaming next...........think of me................

So who gets the naming rights...........

2007-08-15T12:15:00.000+12:00

Meet my new friend.

I am his maker but not his keeper, that honour is going to go to my niece.

My question for you is this............who gets the naming rights?

Is it okay to give a toy already named?

Even if I tend towards names that crack you up to hear come out of a little kid's mouth and even better their parents?

I think he looks like a boy, maybe a little like a Ralphie? or a Norman? Trevor? is Dick taking it too far?

What do you think?

(BTW: he is Steve from Denyse Schmidt Quilts Book, all from old clothes. Cute huh.)

Jaywalkers

2007-08-08T18:58:00.001+12:00

Sometimes I have been known to shoot my mouth off. I may have done this about Jaywalkers.

I have tried this pattern twice in the past and both times ended up with failure early on. Now I wonder why didn't I get it. This pattern is a darling. As easy as stockinette and much more thrilling to watch grow. Oh and it loves variegated yarns and how many patterns can you say that about!

I was down to my last ball of variegated sock yarn, one I have had for a long long time, one that I would just keep pushing to the bottom of the pile because I didn't like the colours.

So here was the plan; to knit a pattern I didn't like with a yarn I didn't care for.

And I have ended up with success, go figure.

Maybe they should have a talk with the thneed.

The Silence was Deafening.............

2007-08-03T19:28:00.000+12:00

Just over a week ago we lost our monitor.

Not as in "where the hell is it under all this renovation material" but as in "it just decided to stop working" lost.

I think we may be a little dependent on our computer. We realised that we do not have a radio (we stream live from around the world), do not get a print paper (all online), we have no TV (we just watch any movies or shows we are interested in on the computer - you know after the kids are in bed - as in it is not what we do but what we say sweetie), have email as our primary means of contact with family and friends around the world, have all of our money and accounts online, no updates on all our podcasts, my beloved Ravelry and of course you out in blogland.

It was remarkable how quickly we lost touch with the world. We did all those things you do when you get stuck in a blackout for days; we had roaring fires, played games, read books, talked.... screw that I want my computer back! A friend took pity on us and has just lend us an old monitor until HP finally get their lack of customer service ass together and honours our warranty ("3-5 days is always the answer", the question should be "from when does the 3-5 days start" since they haven't even picked up the monitor yet).

So now I am squinting a teeny tiny little screen without sound, no comforting dings and musical notes that I always sing along with (it's my blog and I'll be a dork if I want to, a dork if I want to - see even now I am singing, I, my friends, are a good time).

Monster Rug.

2007-07-26T09:46:00.000+12:00

Finally he is laid to rest......

.....About 150 t-shirts later and it is done.

This was a mammoth project but well worth it in the end. I love it. It is warm, cushy and cosy. Many of the t-shirts used were no longer wearable, with holes and many stains so it is a wonderful way to recycle. The entire rug was done in single crochet with a big mother of a hook (here is my crochet ignorance - how do you measure hooks if you don't have a hole thingee? What part is measured?).

Excuse the space, it has not yet been renovated. And watch that chair, it is next on the upholstery block! (Ooooh springs....)

This has been a big part of my creative time lately, along with the blanket. I may have to take a break from the blanket soon. I knit and knit and yet there are still more squares to go! I now see why crochet blankets are more popular (and sensible). I did cast on for the monkey socks but changed my mind on the yarn. It is a handwash only cashmere sock yarn, it didn't take me long to realise the folly of handwash socks in this household! I think I will save that yarn for something else. Anyway hopefully I will have some more interesting knitting going on around here soon.

Dirty Little Secret...........

2007-07-19T19:24:00.000+12:00

A while back I made a scribble scarf.

It is made out of Rowan Kidsilk Haze and a mohair/tussah silk hand spun from Mendocino Fiber Art. It is garter stitch done on size 19 needles. Fast and easy (so many jokes I could make with that one but since I have already used the words "new baby" and "skank" in the same sentence this week I should take a break.....)

For some reason this scarf has attracted more attention, more compliments than all of my other handknits combined. It is a garter stitch scarf. Thankfully it is not the pinnacle of my skill. Sure it is pretty but it is no fancy lace masterpiece, no cabled labyrinth and yet it inspires awe and respect. For a while there I would reply with the old "it is nothing and any idiot....." and then I really heard myself and now I just say thank you. Maybe it was about the same time I realised that no one else was as nasty, had ever been so nasty to me as I was to myself. And I always felt I had a pretty good self respect. But one day it hit me, if anyone else talked to me the way I talked to myself, about myself, I would not be friends with them; you know after I had decked them. God damn, if I had only read all those self help books like everyone else did in the '80's!

So it is our dirty little secret, I am that "ever so clever, so very artistic, wish I had the talent to do that" knitter who knitted that gorgeous (garter stitch) scarf, ssshhhhh.........

Why are they all getting in the way of my knitting?......

2007-07-17T09:57:00.000+12:00

Life has been full.

I have returned to part time studies.

I have returned to part time work.

I have 2 kids that seem to demand never ending care and attention.

An old house that is constant in it's cry for renovation.

Oh and yeah I am now on Ravelry and all I want to do is spend hours exploring it.

I have decided I need a house elf.

Oh now I get it..........

2007-07-05T17:14:00.000+12:00

I whipped out another pair of Fetchings. That is how it feels, you just whip them out, these gloves fly off your needles. The first time around I added some extra rows here and there because quite frankly they felt skimpy to the point of being indecent and when it is a gift for someone you don't know indecent ain't right. This time I did as I was told and I am loving them. I am in the midst of a long dark winter and are feeling the cold. These gloves have become my new best friend.

The yarn? It is a Knitpicks yarn that I got a couple of years ago. I had ordered a selection so I could swatch their yarns before doing a large purchase, this was one I never got around to. Once again the colour leaves me a little cold but the yarn is luscious. It is Knit Picks Andean Treasure, 100% baby Alpaca, 110 yards in Sunset. I had just enough, with no swatch. I knit them up in size 5 needles.

I even wear them under these when out and about:

My kick-winter-in-the-ass felted mittens.

Kiwis think heat is for whoosies. In fact on our road we are seen as a little soft in the head not only due to the fact we have put in heat (and god damn it we even turn the heat on, in the day!) and insulated our home but because when it is hovering near zero (Celsius) we insist our kids put on hats and gloves to go out and play, all while the neighbour kids are playing in freakin short sleeves.

In spite of all this winter dreariness I love that when I look at my kids I see them covered from head to neck to hand to foot in my knitting love.

If only for this, winter is worth it.

Embossed Leaves Socks - done, done, done!

2007-06-25T14:45:00.000+12:00

Love them, they are great in spite of the yucky yellow. Yellow and I usually get along but never ever when green is in the room. You know yellow and green should never been seen except in the washing machine (yeah I know it is supposed to be blue but that is ridiculous because everyone knows green and blue are great mates).

And the toe, Stella asked what it is (and then she went on to mention all these different toes that I had never ever heard of and are still not sure they exist - once again proving she is the smartest knitter I know! Or the one who can spin the best bull, not sure which, not sure it matters.). I mean it really is a star. Not like wow it is a star! A rock star! But literally a star. It actually finishes off the leaves over your toe. Cool huh.

Pattern followed to the T except for a change of yarn and one less repeat in the foot. I did it first with the suggested amount of repeats and the sock felt a little baggy so I ripped it back. They fit perfectly. I was about to say I will make these again but that is simply a lie, I won't. The list is too long and life is too short.........so I was thinking about a little monkeying about next..........what do you think?

My thing................

2007-06-23T17:11:00.000+12:00

As you know there has been a lot of thinking about knitting going on here lately.

I have also been thinking about how knitting looks to the knitting outsider. Have you ever had a nonknitter tell you they would be bored by knitting and felt surprise over such sentiment? Bored, are you nuts?! But really why isn't it boring? You perform the same act over and over for thousand of stitches and many hours. Even when I am just knitting a simple garter stitch I am entertained. How is it I am not bored? I get bored with other monotonous tasks. My rationale in the past has been that "knitting is my thing". My thing, what does that even mean? What is about the act of knitting that has so captured my attention. I have tried crocheting and in small doses it is okay but it isn't my thing. I felt in my heart of hearts I would adore weaving but for some reason it isn't proving to be my thing either. Why? You know I have no idea.

A couple of weeks ago I went to an upholstery class. I am going to be reupholstering all the furniture in my home. In my ignorance and yes arrogance I proclaimed I would have no trouble reupholstering the furniture - I mean how hard could it be? I would get a book and I would work it out. A local school had a weekend class and I thought why not, maybe get some pointers. Well as you may have already guessed I was a bloody fool. There is a reason why you pay a lot of money to get furniture reupholstered. It is right up there with knitting in time spent to accomplish a project and skill required to make it look anything other than a dog's dinner. I bought in a chair and then spent the next day and half removing the fabric and the many, many staples. I seem to inspire pity by many of the other participants for how monotonous my task was. But I had the time of my life. As each piece of fabric came off I marvelled over how completely clever upholstery was (like how the construction of a sock gets you every time you stop and think about it - "and then I turn the corner, with my knitting, just knit a corner"). And the rhythm of deconstructing the piece soothed me and emptied my mind so I could think more clearly like knitting does. And then slowly rebuilding the chair delighted me. And then it hit me upholstery is my thing. I never expected upholstery to be my thing, and so this takes me by surprise. It has also made me realise I don't really know what is going to give me fever until I try it. I find this thought really odd.

I have resigned up for this class in September (it is the next one available) and I can't wait. I still have to finish the chair plus this time I am going to bring something that requires me to respring it. Oh and did I mention upholstery tools, they really rock! Power stapler - bang bang, stick it up buster! (Don't try that at home because as we all know it isn't safe to point a stapler on an air compressor at someone. Please note I am in no way advocating you point a stapler at anyone. Not unless it is really funny or they really annoy you, only then.)

Book Review: Interweave's Favorite Socks

2007-06-20T10:30:00.000+12:00

As promised my review of Interweave Favorite Socks (or rather the correct spelling Favourite, but for now let us amuse our American friends) (Random thing #9: dropping the u's from words and changing the s to a z, it really picks my ass. 270 million people does not make it right.).

So anyway, ..... I love this book. If you are a sock knitter go and buy it. Simple really, enough said. Bye.

God I crack myself up.

You want more convincing right?

I expected to like this book but I really like this book. It is not a "how to knit socks" book. It would be terrible for a beginner or as a stand alone guide. It is simply a pattern book, nothing more, nothing less. And yes if you have been an avid collector of IK you will have most of these patterns so all you are buying is the convenient little package they come in. But the package, ahh, the package is really quite lovely. Why are not all knitting books spiral bound? Cause you see when they are you can read and knit, at the same time, no worries. Isn't that great? And yes I know that some among us rush out to their nearest Kinkos and spiral bound their knitting books on a regular basis. But I must tell you those are the same people who dust the places no one can see like the top of shelves and besides my nearest Kinkos is California and that may be a little too far..... But back to those spiral bounding knitters - good on them and yes I will be happy to become best friends with you if you spiral bound for me too. Okay. I am getting distracted today, aren't you pleased I am not a podcast and you can skim through these mumblings of mine.

The book, the book, oh yes. Spiral bound, terrific, great idea.

Photography and layout, nice.

Cables, lace, colourwork, plain, for men, for women; the bases are all covered.

The patterns, lovely.

You know they are kinda quiet in their way too, maybe this is why I am feeling a connection. They aren't flashy but they just grow on you in all their cleverness. You look then you read and then as if a light comes on you realise why there is a shrine devoted to Nancy Bush in the Sock Knitters Hall of Fame. What there is no shrine? Well there should be she is one clever woman. Lets do something about that shall we. But bless I am a chatty Cathy today so shut up Tanya and do some show and tell. That's what they came for.

Retro Rib Socks by Evelyn Clark. Aren't they just lovely in their elegance and simplicity. As always.

Ilga's Socks by Nancy Bush. I love these ones. They look fun to make don't you think?

Embossed Leaves Socks by Mona Schmidt. These socks along with the Waving Lace Ones on the front cover are the popular kids in the class. But you can see why.......

Two-yarn Resoleable Socks by Wayne Pfeffer. So cool. You knit the sock without the sole and then pick up and knit the sole in a different colour or more durable yarn as suggested by the designer. The idea is when the sole wears out you can easily rip it out and knit a new one. Clever huh.

Austrian Socks by Candace Eisner Strick. Be still my beating heart, these socks are so pretty.

Padded Footlets by Mary Snyder. These ones have double thickness for cushioning on the sole. Now I am not so big on the short length but I think I may "borrow" this idea for a pair of hiking boot socks. I just think it would be so comfy.

Hidden Passion Socks by Jaya Srikrishnan. These ones have a really interesting construction. Check out Grumperina, she made a pair and blogged the progress. There is a secret message in them. oooooooo. Am I the only one who thinks I could do better than X and O? Damn I just gave away the secret!

Eastern European Footlets by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts. Seamless intarsia in the round. I am not telling you how, you will have to buy the book (or winter 2003 of IK).

They have a nice range of socks in different weights. I think Ann Budd (the editor) chose well.

I do have one complaint and I think it is kinda a big one. There are 6 previously unpublished projects in this book and for some reason they are all Ann Budd designs. I think Ann Budd is a really talented designer but not only do I think this is odd I also think it is inappropriate. She is the editor. All 6? I can't really think of a reason she wouldn't have seized this opportunity to showcase one of the hot new designers, Cookie or Eunny both spring to mind. You know while we are at it, why only one knee high? Now I know it is being said that knee highs are just a flash in the pan and only for women who want to dance around like underage school girls. Give me a flippant break. Have these naysayers ever heard of boots, more importantly have they ever tried to wear regular socks with boots. That's right, big pain in the ass. Knee highs good. Underage school girls, oh never mind. Buy the book.

I have a new friend........

2007-06-18T10:45:00.000+12:00

When it was decided that the Thneed had to become a shut-in it became necessary to cast on for a travelling project. It had to be self contained, slight and easy to get along with. Of course my mind turned to socks as one always should.

For a long time I have had my eye on the Embossed Leaves socks and had some suitable greenish Socks That Rock in the stash. I like to think of them as my celebration knit for ordering Interweave Favorite Socks, (I had the pattern in the mag - Winter 2005) (the book has arrived, I will review it tomorrow - cross my heart).

So first to the yarn. I love STR. I really do. But I must admit the colourway that I am knitting these socks in leaves me a little grumpy. After a thoroughly enjoyable burst of handpainted yarns I decided I prefer solid or almost solid coloured yarn. I really enjoy lace or cables in my socks and the handpainted yarns hide too much detail. I ordered this colourway online and it looked like a mixture of greens which I declared perfect for my future Embossed Leaves socks. It arrived with some green and a rather shocking yellow. The name is Emerald Isle, what would have you thought? Anyway in the same shipment I got some other lovely colours so I was able to push this colourway to the back promising to bring it back to the light of day one day. Alas it is now my last skein of STR so that day has come.

On a more positive note I love this pattern. It is charming the pants right off me. It is so easy to memorise and just whizzes along. I can see why it has a fan club in the bloggersphire. I have even heard it said that some will now love no other! The toe was just plain exciting. That is right I called a toe exciting, call me what you will, I won't take it back. It is a star. Couldn't get a decent photo of it, I tried but oh how I tried.

So ends today's progress report.

We are moving along my socks and I.

Learning to be quiet.........

2007-06-14T09:28:00.000+12:00

Firstly let me thank you all for your lovely supportive comments. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the comments I receive. You know when you ask your kids a question, then you ask again and again and again......and again...and then you yell and then they answer (all theoretical of course, not my kids, my kids are perfect). Well sometimes that how blogging feels (never ever that frustrating), you put ideas and thoughts out there and you have no idea whether anyone is listening and then out of the blue comes a voice and it feels good. So thank you, thank you very much.

So where am I at with my knitting?

Well as you all knew, I couldn't stop. I guess knitting is my yoga after all. But I do feel very quiet with my knitting at the moment. And that is okay. I live life out loud and that crosses over to my knitting. Sometimes I get worried that I will die before I get to do all that I want to do, knit all that I want to knit, see all that I want to see, learn all that I want to learn. Sometimes I share these thoughts and others always think I am odd for it. Maybe because I truly believe I will live to at least 90 in good health and that seems like plenty of time to most. But there is so much life to live. I don't want to leave this world with regrets. So sometimes I overdo it. (Shut up Ted, it is only sometimes, define sometimes then mister!).

So for a change I don't feel urgent about what I am doing. I don't feel the need to cast on a million projects. I don't feel the need to be planning, planning, planning. I feel strangely peaceful. I just want to knit for knitting sake. That's it. Hell at the moment I'm not even trying to talk Ted into buying a sailboat so we can sail around the world, you know even though we can't sail and I get terribly seasick; details, details, details.

My dryer is overflowing with UFO's and WIP's. I have some charity knitting I have put off for too long. I plan to frog where necessary and finish up all else. Maybe even the dryer will be empty before I start anew, maybe. I like the sound of that.

I also plan to use this down time to play with some of the other crafts that I dapple in and some I have been meaning to try.

And of course I owe you all a hundred and one book reviews as promised.

This slowing down thing isn't all bad; who would have thought it.

And because blogs need photos.

See cupcakes do rule the world.

The thneed is dead, long live the ?............

2007-06-10T16:50:00.000+12:00

At first the joke was funny...........

I had to start a sock because the thneed had had to become a shut-in and while we don't like to use the word chubby in this house, if the shoe fits.......

Then other people started making their "funny, ha-ha" comments - "good lord what are you making there? A new cover for the camper!"......

Remember how I mentioned I may run out of yarn because I am one ball short well unless someone is stealing in in the middle of night and running off an extra ball or 7 well then..... I am much more short than that let me tell ya.

Then I slipped into my state of denial that creativity can overcome all, think how great it will look with different colour sleeves! Gorgeous! Except as a more experienced knitter I had a niggly feeling that all may not be right.

Then I pulled the damn thing over my head and it fit like a sleeping bag.

Oh damn. My knitting mojo is off at the moment.

Remember those bright days of the cable down raglan. Headed for the frog pond as we speak -again. It turns out the yarn was so unbelievably wrong and not just because it isn't gray. A total beginners mistake. And yes I swatched like mad, just maybe I was a little blind with the swatches. Because it is like right in front my nose wrong. Like drive everyone at knit night crazy with the is it wrong kind of questions, wanting deep down for someone to confirm what it is I know but don't want to admit.

Jo Sharp Mohair Tank - frog pond. You haven't even seen this one. This one has been sitting in the dryer (oh yeah I keep my WIP's in an antique dryer that we use as a side table in the study, it is funny no one seems to think it strange we have a dryer as a side table but all have been taken back by the knitting and yarn inside it; muggles). Anyway it is sitting in the dryer waiting for me to wake up and smell the coffee. The yarn is great, it was a gift from the Yarns in the Farms Knit Night when I left (they are all so nice, seriously, go there) but the pattern just turned out all wrong. I kinda look like a sausage in it. I don't look good as a sausage.

And now the thneed..............

So last night as I got into bed totally despondent I said to Ted "all my knitting sucks, how can I still make all these silly mistakes, what's the point, I suck, maybe I should take a break.........."

To which he answered "maybe you should".

"No I mean really take a break, like no knitting kind of break, like NONE"

"Yeah maybe you should"

"No really, like put away the knitting, I am not joking, NO knitting"

"Yep I know"

And then sadly "but what would I do with myself? How would I stay busy?"

And I guess that is the crunch isn't it. I love to knit. I love the busyness of the act. I love how at all times I am a useful, creative being. But what if I am no longer useful? What if what I make has become so inconsistent that most of the time I am just wasting time? Should I stop? I wanted Ted to tell me not to be mad and of course I should keep knitting but maybe he said the truth. Maybe I do need a break. What do you think? Do I really want you to tell me the truth or do I just want you to talk me into carrying on? I don't know.

What do you do when/if you get to this place?

8 Random Things........

2007-06-08T12:25:00.000+12:00

Emily tagged me with 8 random things (yeah I know I said 7 but there you go, 8 it is ).

The Rules:

1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog you need to tag 8 people and post their names.

4. Don't forget to leave them a comment and tell them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

So here are my 8 random things:

1. I always use the real swear word when retelling a story or something I overheard. I hate using the "f word" or some other way to say fuck, it gives the word too much power and makes me feel like a small child. I think swear words are ugly and prefer not to use them. While we would rather our kids not use them we don't ban them from doing so as quite frankly we have much bigger battles to fight. We have rules about their use; never directed at anyone, no racial, sexist or other nasty hurtful names, not in front of Grammy, and always in the right context. For example "no darling, it is not I hate the fuck Yankees, it is I hate the fucking Yankees", and no the Yankees aren't "someone" they are an evil force apparently, so I am told. This is where I think other families get weird, their kids are absolutely forbidden from saying shit but they can call each other "sissy girls" or "don't be gay". Weird.

2. I absolutely suck at milking goats. Cows I haven't tried and nor do I plan to. This was when I went through my "must make all the cheese/butter/yogurt for the family". Thank god I woke up from that insanity.

3. I don't really like the term wife and husband, we use the term partner with each other and when we refer about the other in public. It drives my father in law crazy. He used to call me "the mother of Ted's child" when he introduced me to others (before we were legally married).

4. I now use the American term for a toilet - a bathroom. It irritates the hell out of my Grandma. It confuses other kiwis, they think I want to take a shower at their house. When did I get so prudish. "Could I use your toilet?" seems so rude.

5. When I am president of the world chocolate and peanut butter combined will be banned. Completely outlawed. I am sorry but I am deaf to all pleas and yes I have tried it, even under the influence of liquor and I despise it. I like peanut butter, I like chocolate but together - vomit.

6. I have never, ever done any illegal drugs, even pot, not even a puff. This seems to make me odd in most circles, even inspires pity. It is really very simple. When I was a kid my mum told me that it is all very well and fine to play around with drugs but if I got caught and convicted I would be unable to leave New Zealand as most other countries won't allow someone with a drug conviction to enter. That took care of any temptation I may have had. You don't muck around with the freedom to travel.

7. I cannot stand being called a girl. I am okay with it if you would use the term boy for a man. For example: "I think I will meet the girls/boys for a coffee", tongue in cheek, cutesy like. However if you come in and say "the girl is here to do your taxes" and in walks a woman, well..... I think it is rude and disrespectful. I also get cranky with women who tell me that they want to be called a girl because then they feel young (and giggly, and not worthy of respect, and immature, and immaterial). Damn it haven't we have come far enough to be proud of our years and experience! My 4 year old is a girl but I am 37 and I am a woman.

8. Ted and I once lived in a blue VW bus for a year in Australia. Just travelling from beach to beach "freedom camping", picking fruit, painting houses, carving a driftwood chess set. We still have the chess set, now my son plays with it.

I tag Stella, Liz Knits, Faith, Yarns in the Farms, Kathleen, (I ran out of possible candidates so 5 will have to suffice, this meme has been everywhere!) - sorry kids spill your guts.

What you hear about quilters ain't all true...........

2007-06-06T12:10:00.000+12:00

So there is a knitter in our knit group who upon hearing us joke about how crazy knitters are commented that "we ain't half crazy as them quilters, those quilters they are the really crazy ones". The rest of us unsure who really was the craziest murmured unsure affirmations. I may have kinda forgot to mention I quilt but since I am a knitter who quilts not a quilter that knits that craziest than a knitter at a yarn sale doesn't really apply to me.

Since I have huge amounts of spare time and don't know what to do with myself I figured I would make some fancy pants curtains, patchwork curtains, quilted curtains, call them what you will (the too much time, that was me making a joke, you can close your mouth now and laugh). So there I am at the local quilting store trying to find fabric for my "lets make them feel sick with so many spirals" curtains for the study and found NOTHING. Most of the curtains will be out of recycled fabric from op shops but I needed that little something special, know what I mean. I needed white fabric with a small black print, no other colours. NOTHING, I swear. Then this woman overhearing my plight mentions she may have something in her stash and asks for my name and address so she can send them to me. Just like that. And she did. And they were perfect. And she was from out of town so she had to wait until she went home. And she went to her local quilting store and discovered they had 3 fabrics that would suit. And she got samples cut and included them with the business card of the store so I could order them if I wish. And she included a lovely handwritten note wishing me well on my project. And she had no idea even what I was making with it as we never even had a conversation. Just like that. And now I feel really bad about what I had said about quilters. And even if quilters are crazy, well they are nice and kind and that outweighs crazy any day.

And yes I spread some knitting love back her way. These are blocking as we speak and will go out in the post tomorrow with a big thank you. I hope she likes them.

(Stats for all you knitting geeks: Fetching, knit in 100% alpaca in case she is sensitive to wool)

I haven't forgotten you...............

2007-06-04T09:35:00.000+12:00

Sorry for the lack of posts but life keeps getting in the way.......

I will be really back within the next day or so, promise, but until then some snippets on what life has held for me lately................

...........this weekend I got to see a real life naked chair (no wait in order to get the really good google hits I need to add the word photo or picture. Try that again, a naked photo of a chair in a great picture setting, that is what I saw)

...........I experienced a random act of kindness from a stranger, a very thoughtful gift. Amazing how those acts can change you isn't it. Do people who do them realise that? Do I?

...........I called myself an artist for the first time and it felt really good, a little fraudulent but good.

............I learnt that not only do I need craft space but also a workshop with lots of powertools. Why did I not realise how cool powertools are? Especially tools with a compressor attached, oh yes siree.

.............Realised I can be okay with furniture with "Tui is a fucking cunt" carved into it as long as it is good looking.

..............I have been tagged with "7 things" and are desperately trying to come up with 7 random things about myself. It is times like this I realise how shy and private I really am. Most people who know me don't believe this because I always try to act like I am not shy but it is true.

..............Cupcakes do rule the world.

Damn stash busting.........

2007-05-25T20:07:00.000+12:00

So how is the thneed, why thanks for asking, it's going great. I especially love the colour, such a pretty soft grey. What your computer shows maybe, is it, red? No it is definitely grey because grey is all I want to knit at the moment, yep definitely grey. So anyway I am so happy knitting my gorgeous grey sweater........ Shut up it is too........... Look mate it is not my fault you need to get your eyes tested......... Its grey, grey, grey, grey, grey, GREY!

It's red.

Another red.

Damn stash busting. I am only knitting from my stash and in all my wisdom when I accumulated a majority of my stash I guess I figured that only knitting red was a good idea. I don't want red anymore I want grey, what was I thinking? I have at least another 2 sweaters worth of red, and lets not mention the "I am so bloody cheery orange". Be warned, another reason to keep the stash under control so you don't have to knit red when you want to knit grey.

It would be so pretty as grey though wouldn't it?.....................

Book Review: Lace Style

2007-05-24T13:31:00.000+12:00

Lace Style oh how I wanted to love thee..............

But I don't.

See it is an okay book and to be honest it arrived with Victorian Lace Today so maybe it never stood a chance. As my library grows I realise I need more from a knitting book than just another pattern book. I need it to educate me, I need it to challenge me, I need it as reference material for whatever technique it is covering, I need it to be comprehensive, I just need more. Lace Style doesn't meet that standard. It is a very nice book with some nice patterns, great no, but nice. I loved Scarf Style, did not buy Wrap Style as I felt it was underwhelming and find Lace Style to be between the two. To give Interweave credit the photos are far superior to Scarf Style, they aren't blurry and they do show the garments front and back (big, big improvement). In normal Interweave fashion the patterns are well laid out and clear. This would be a great book for a beginner. There is the usual line up of designers. No one really pushed the envelope on their designs. Interweave did not go outside the box on this one, not at all. If you were to only buy one lace book I would recommend Victorian Lace Today if you can afford two then this is a definite consideration. There is a very nice design notebook at the back with some useful information on different lace techniques, a few stitch patterns, how to do some easy fixes, blocking, etc but it really skims over each section and perhaps would not be adequate if you truly had difficulty. It is nice that it is the same style and size as their others in the series (Bag Style and Folk Style are to follow in the fall) so it would look good on the shelf as a part of a library. Boy now I am stretching for good points. You know what there are simply too many great books being released at the moment that it is hard to feel excited about this one. If you only have limited dollars (and who doesn't!) then check out Victorian Lace Today, The Natural Knitter, No sheep for you or Knitting Lingerie Style first, these are great books. This is simply cute and nice.

A show of a few patterns for all those still interested.

The essential Tank Top

Shetland Shawl Turned Vest

Lacy Waves Top (another Norah, very nice)

Peek-a-boo Cloche (a maybe knit, it has a plain layer underneath the lace)

Katharine Hepburn Cardigan (the only knit I am truly considering and in the shorter version. This one seems to be disliked by many but I don't understand why, I think it is lovely. I really like the shorter length with a longer top underneath. This could be because I am short but for some reason it makes me feel taller. Lets not go into what I think great shoes do.....)

A thneed.........

2007-05-23T22:16:00.000+12:00

Have my goose for garters I think I am knitting a thneed and a thneed is something everyone, everyone, EVERYONE needs.

Sweater update

2007-05-23T12:57:00.000+12:00

Now even though it may make me seem a little sad, this sweater is the most fun I have had in ages! Of course coupled with the fact that since Ted had to work last night, my idea of even more fun (after the kids were put to bed of course) was to pull out Anne of Green Gables and do a marathon viewing. In Ted's words apparently "I watch dorky stuff". Maybe next time he works I will download some porn so that at least I will seem complex and "hard to read"! I dunno is porn dorky? Yeah I know it is boring but dorky, that is the question?

Before the cross:

After:

So in between my cries of " you go Anne girl, you show that Josie Pye what for" and "ooh Gilbert is too little boy icky, stay away" there was giggles over the sheer joy of this sweater. Because it is weird, it is weird to knit, so so weird and that makes it all the more fun. And boy does it race. So I did the first cross (36 stitches total!) and as promised it was tight, down a needle size or 2 and I whizzed past that. I have separated the neck and am racing over the shoulder. The really cool thing is you can cast on for this and figure out the sizing after. I didn't need to do anything about the sizing until I hit the the length of the neck. One little problem (that in light of my recent sock shortage may prove a little embarrassing) I don't think I have enough yarn. I know, I know but just feel, like right down in my gut, that it is going to be okay. I have 1199 yards and the medium calls for 1337 yards. But you know they always allow for extra right? It's only 138 yards difference. And this yarn was voted "most likely to succeed" in my stash. I can't ignore that can I? I think it is going to be just fine, just fine. Yep just fine.

For the record I am using Valley Yarns Stockbridge (from Webs). It is 50% alpaca, 50% wool, #5 needles (my addis although I think my options would have been better, not sure why I made that decision.) And yes Kathleen, it is quite luscious.

Fling Four

2007-05-20T11:15:00.000+12:00

Hot Water Bottle Cover

Winter is coming. For all you doubters, they work, well. It is also my most requested gift (especially by my family in the tropics, can't quite figure that one out) so I figured it was time for my own. Usually I go all fancy, felting it more and then needlefelting a design on it like this

Or this

I have made many but have not ended up with one to call my own and seem to resort more often to a grubby old t-shirt around it than I should have to. My kids have laid claim to the other 2 we have kicking around.

It was all leftover yarn but I like it, I think it looks like a sweater, a sweater hottie bottie -how cute.

It's a Norah Gaughan Love Fest around here.............

2007-05-17T16:30:00.000+12:00

Okay this is mostly a post of why you should purchase The Natural Knitter but I feel I have to start with an ode to the genius that is Norah Gaughan. It seems that lately every time I am struck with the cleverness of a pattern it is Norah. Her pattern in The Natural Knitter continues that trend.

First off, what a gorgeous book. This was my sleeper hit. I don't know what I expected from this book but I far underestimated it. It is a tasteful, well designed, well photographed book with some lovely patterns from some talented designers. But it is so much more than that, it also feels like a natural fibre textbook. It completely addresses natural fibres; the animals/plants that produce them, how to knit them, and how to care for them. There are wonderful snippets of small producers and their yarns. It is inspiring and beautiful and a wonderful tribute to Barbara Albright (I feel so sad writing that).

So to the projects. This is only a few as I don't want to overload this post with so many photos. I really would only consider knitting a few to be truthful but I feel inspired by many different parts of all of them.

Little Sit-sters: what a great way to add a quirky touch to a gift and to sample a new yarn

Back home in Vermont Sweater: finally a sweater that a man would actually be interested in wearing and that I wouldn't have to die of boredom making.

Shetland Fern: look at that colourwork, impressive. No I'm not going to make it but I would love to see someone else's version of it.

Memories of Ukraine

Mod Socks

See what I mean; tasteful.

Finally Norah with her Architectural Rib Pullover. Fabulous.

Let me explain its brilliance. I'll take it slow, as it took me a couple of times to click.
So you start at the bottom and you decrease up to the cable crossover then you cross your cables and start to increase towards the shoulders, you at this point have an hourglass kinda of thing. Separate for the neck and over the shoulder we go and start to decrease to the cable cross again. Then we increase until we hit the bottom. Now we go back and pick up all the stitches on one side; the front and back and start knitting outwards including the sleeve. Do the same on the other side. Pick up the stitches around the neck and do the turtleneck, cast off, block, done.

Damn even I am a little confused over my directions. Better yet just follow along in person. For you people this is what I will do-

I will take this

and turn it into a Norah Masterpiece.

No thanks are necessary. God I'm selfless.

When it rains, it pours....

2007-05-16T11:32:00.000+12:00

I ordered some books (ooooh tax return!).

I can only last for so long. Books are my first love. I ordered too many but never mind, is money ever truly wasted on books? I feel like I waste my money when I buy and consume 8 oz of hot flavoured water with a little milk for $5 but books, never.

Unfortunately they all came within a few days of each of other so we will take the reviews a little slow. I am still in my lust at first sight stage so I need to settle down a little before we talk.

This is a sneak peek:

Lace Style: (mmmm, give me time, a little underwhelmed at present)

The Natural Knitter: (my sleeper hit!)

No Sheep For You: (such a ridiculous cover for such a glorious book!)
Victorian Lace Today: (whoa, I am not sure I understand most of it yet)

Knitting lingerie style: (lovely, really lovely)
Stephanie Pearl McPhee Cast Off: (haven't even opened it yet, I bought this out of reader loyalty and because I loved her earlier 3, her competition is stiff for my reading time!)
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World: (aka: getting ready for winter)

I am told that cupcake blogs are the hottest blogs around now don't you know.

That's me; happening.

Fling Three

2007-05-12T16:30:00.000+12:00

"Bob the snake"

(I didn't name this one, oh you already guessed that, okay)

Because there was no way Kaitaia was going to let me get away with only making one for my niece. "Mum I have decided I have enough love for another baby so please make me a turtle, pleeeease. Besides Koala is going to adopt him so I will have help"

Except that now we have him it seems that bob the snake would rather live without his turtle shell or maybe that is because teddy is now wearing it? At least he is spending quality time with "Dad".

Oh, and no, I never want to make this fiddly pattern again, no matter how cute!

Can a rightie ever be a leftie?

2007-05-11T15:56:00.001+12:00

I am a rightie from way back, an english knitter, a thrower. Then a couple of years ago I started noticing all of those fancy lefties. It looked cool, it looked different and those kids they urged me to try it, to become part of their crowd. EZ told me that I should be a leftie too and so I did.

Sure I struggled at first. I didn't do it in public because I looked like a dork but eventually it became comfortable and I could venture out. Sure I noticed my tension was looser but eh so what - smaller needle will solve that right? Sure I noticed that my usual neat knitting was looking a little messy but it would get better I assured myself. I still didn't see that I had a problem when I started to make up excuses in public for my sloppy knitting; "oh this yarn", "just a little tired", "the weather""more/less coffee". I was in the "in" crowd, people liked me. I was fast, it was just me and the addis. And ribbing it was a dream, I was like the wind, seed stitch stand aside.

Well it has been over a year now and still my knitting looks like crap. So I have been secretly returning to the comfort of english knitting. The slow, steady neatness of it. And I am remembering I have never wanted to be cool. Those cool kids they usually aren't very nice, remember high school?

And then I was doing a swatch and it just wasn't working and so I changed hands and look:

Bottom - leftie
Top - rightie
Same needle size

Yep I guess I was just never meant to be hip.

Fling Two

2007-05-05T17:02:00.000+12:00

Murray (aka: Sheldon):

This toy charmed me from the start and was always on "the list". My 6 month old niece is coming to visit and since my plan is to become her favourite auntie I need to start young. I used Knitpicks Shine. I adore this yarn. It is a wonderful washable kid yarn. The price is right, the colours are cheerful and it is easy to knit with. The other yarn used was Berroco Plush and it too is perfect. I have a little novelty yarn in my stash for these moments, a little trim on a pair of kid mittens kind of thing and I am always struck at how difficult it is to knit with, how much attention you have to pay to what you are doing. Why oh why do knitting teachers allow new knitters to knit with this?

I have a thing about names. I love them, I love thinking about them. One the greatest things I have ever done was name another human being. When I was in hospital with Palin after his birth I was across from a woman who's baby had just been moved down from the premmie ward. Her son was really premature and had spent the last 3 months in the hospital. He was going home the next day so the hospital decided it was a good idea if she came and spent a night "sleep training" him before she took him home. The poor little buggar spent hours crying for his mum but she "stuck it out" and eventually he gave up on her and went to sleep. It was one of the more horrible things I have witnessed. But that is not the worse thing this kid is going to have to deal with. His name is Murray. What do you say when you are told something like that? My mother looked horrified. I went with "family name, huh?" "no, we just felt it was an uncommen name now and we really liked it". A new little baby named Murray. Now an eight year old named Murray. Just cruel. This one is for you Murray, I have a feeling you are going to need it.

Murray. Murray. Murray. It just never sounds better does it?

Things are getting a bit silly round here.........

2007-04-29T10:29:00.000+12:00

I am a disciplined knitter.

I am a "keep my projects under control" kind of knitter.

So when I decide on the spur of the moment to put down a current project to just start something a little fun on the side, a little fling, well that is blogworthy.

And when I decide to put down my current project to start maybe 3 or 4 or 5 little flings all at once well that is just plain un-American. (This is one of my most favourite American sayings. Anytime anything is unsavoury or weird Americans will respond "that is plain un-American"; imagine having the market on all that is right and good in the world. Got to give it to the States, they are a confident bunch! I especially like to use it in completely inappropriate moments, funny how touchy Americans can be about this one)

So fling one:

It was noticed on my trip to Queenstown that I only have one winter hat (technically I have may have more than 1 winter hat but since I only have one hat I will even consider wearing.....) so I felt it was of great importance that I knit not one, not two but possibly three more hats for myself. This is the beret from Interweave Winter 2006. It does the cutest little thing on the band, the ribbing goes in peaks, I will have to remember that. I made it out of a leftover ball of Frog Tree Alpaca (from Yarns in the Farms). Delicious yarn. Very styly as kiwis like to say, not my proudest moment when I first heard that one coming out a fellow citizen's mouth. (And it must be said that I love to shorten words; trackies, sunnies, brekkie, cuppa but styly - good lord what is the world coming to)

Dumb Jumper

2007-04-27T14:54:00.000+12:00

Another good thing about going away, it gave me lots of time to knit.
Lots of time to finish one certain pair of socks.
Lots of time to figure out what was wrong with the Cable Down Raglan.
And lots of time to completely frog it and start again.

I was unhappy with how the Cable Down Raglan was working out but not quite enough to frog it. Then I found myself avoiding it and pretending we weren't friends and I knew the time had come. When we went away I took only 2 projects, the socks and the jumper, so I would have to take care of them both.

The socks were sorted out first. I didn't bring enough warm socks so I would have the extra incentive to finish them, cunning ain't I? Oh the games I play (and win) against myself!

Then the Cable Down Raglan. After giving it some thought I made the necessary changes (in how the increases were done, the position of the side cables and starting the front cable earlier so it wasn't quite so bumpy) in the pattern and picked up the needles and started again. By the end of the trip I was back at the beginning. I mean I was back to where I was when I started the trip. Confusing. But you know what I mean right? And it looks good. Much much better. And I am happy with it. But now I have hit a wall on it. We need a break. Let me tell you how I have handled that one next time.

(No photos. This jumper is shy that way, all photos look drab. You will have to wait until we have a little more to show)

That will be Ms Weaver to you........

2007-04-25T09:43:00.001+12:00

For some bizarre reason I have allowed myself to become scared of a loom.

I am embarrassed to say it. Of all the things in the world to be scared of.........

Maybe it was because of the spectacular failure the first time around with the thing but this fear is getting out of control.

I bought an Ashford rigid heddle loom almost a year ago and I still don't weave. But that is not all. Then when we arrived in NZ I was offered a great deal to buy 3 large floor looms. Why not I had 2 friends that wanted the other two and I would end up with a floor loom for a song. That would solve my weaving woes (yep make the machinery more complicated, it seemed reasonable at the time). So I rented the truck, drove up to Timaru (about 2 1/2 hours north) and picked the looms up. While I was there the woman also had a small tapestry sampling loom which I bought for $5. Keeping count with me, we are #3. We dropped off the first loom and then disaster struck. "Friend" 2 changed her mind, she now longer wanted the loom. Now I own 4. Okay well I will just sell her loom for what it cost me and no harm done. Except that I haven't been able to. Anyway then I was at the auction yesterday and what do I see but another Ashford rigid heddle loom in perfect condition with a warping board and then before I know it I have it for $10 so that would make #5.

5 looms for a woman who doesn't weave.

I may try warping again.

Bayerische Solution

2007-04-24T21:41:00.000+12:00

Option 1: I frog the socks and reknit an ordinary sock that won't eat yarn like it is going out of fashion

Option 2: Push them to the back of the closet and never speak of them again

Option 3: Rip back part of sock 1 and knit both socks with different toes - a design detail

Option 4: Pretend I am super quirky and finish the second sock in a completely different coloured yarn and revel in my individuality. Or rather just remember when someone asks to see those extraordinary socks just pull out the correct complete sock.

Why don't people ask to see handknit socks, can't they see how truly special they are?

Here I am:

Super quirky

Maybe if I did this more people would ask about the socks (joking, just joking, really not even around the yard)

Thank god I am done.

This one is for all the ex-pat kiwis out there.......

2007-04-22T18:52:00.000+12:00

The real reason I came home...........

Finally, 'tis the season!

But does it have a soul?

2007-04-21T10:41:00.000+12:00

Queenstown - a beautiful town for the rich and richer.

No wait, Queenstown- spectacular natural beauty for a high price.

I can do better, Queenstown - watch backpackers blow their trip budget in one weekend!

Damn at this rate I am never going to get that job at the Queenstown Tourist Board.

So how did the trip go.......great! The area is absolutely spectacular, without a doubt, it warrants its reputation. Queenstown is a charming, over the top, tourist town that is better viewed with a wad of cash in your pocket. But as we don't have that wad can it be done on the cheap? Why yes. Can you enjoy it? Why yes again.

Our trip started in this:

We had already postponed a day due to yucky weather and we didn't want to wait yet another day. We left in cold, drizzly weather which once we hit the mountain passes turned into snow flurries. Since I hate being cold (I should clarify from a previous post, I like cold weather, I like being warm in cold weather) things turned a little frosty in the car when Ted noted he wasn't sure if we had enough propane to run the stove (our heating and cups of tea source). We did and all was well (otherwise god help him). It was our shakedown trip for our "new" camper. There were a few bugs left (oh and mice.... literally) but it did well and we did well in it. We found a DOC (Dept of Conservation) campsite about 10km from Queensland that for a family of 4 would set us back $17 per night (as opposed to the $50 in the private holiday parks - ouch!). We could have gone cheaper at another DOC campsite but then our view wouldn't have been this:

See that little dot down there at the lake edge in the trees, that is us, right there, right on the beach. Heaven.

Meals were all from local supermarkets (given that our family is now fully vegan this is the best option for us anyway) and were mostly picnics at the wonderful parks and public places of which there are many. There are some world class restaurants in the area if your budget allows for it but expect to pay a couple of hundred dollars for two. The kids fave picnic area: the original AJ Hackett bungy jumping spot. We spent several hours watching people jump off an old railway bridge one after another into the canyon and river below. This is the birth place of bungy jumping, you did know it was "invented" in NZ right? Well modern day bungy jumping at any rate. They allow you to get really close, right next to the platform so you have a wonderful view of what it would feel like, should you be willing to shell out the $150 needed for each jump! (with DVD and photos, about $240!).

We ended up staying a week and will return. Other towns in the area were equally appealing and worth a longer look, mainly Arrowtown and Wanaka. Wanaka is a quieter version of Queenstown, it is about 45 minutes drive over the mountains at the next lake north. Another lovely spot.

Now the Tanya standard: would I live there? For a short time yes, maybe 6 months or so, though my preference would be Wanaka. Queenstown is created and run for tourists (both local and international) and I like towns where the locals have a strong presence and I didn't feel that in Queenstown. You would be hard pressed to afford a home, even smallish homes with no views are 700,000. The planning whoevers have done a great job in keeping all of the parks and beaches very accessible and lovely. Nice town, beautiful area, but does Queenstown have a soul? I am not sure, maybe, maybe not, depends who you ask. Maybe you shouldn't ask me.

This time to give the camper a test run...........

2007-04-12T19:00:00.000+12:00

So not too much knitting has been done around here as of late. We bought an old beat up (cheap) pop up camper and in all my wisdom I declared "no problem, how about I just remove the canvas and replace the windows, screens, zippers, part of the canvas". So many hours later it is done. I will never do that again. Sewing canvas is hell. It is hard on your hands and body as it is so heavy and difficult to manoeuvre. At night my hands would cramp up and screw up any chance of knitting (it is all fun and games until it mixes with my knitting then.....). But now it is done, freshly painted and full of all things camping. So we are off for a trial run. This time we are heading to the mountains, to Queenstown, about 3.5 hours drive from Dunedin. The one spot in New Zealand where if you know anything about NZ it will be about Queenstown, a place I have never been but my US partner has! (I am from Auckland originally, the big smoke in NZ, Aucklanders are notorious for not travelling in NZ. We are like the New Yorkers of the South Pacific, we head to Europe). I don't know how long we will be gone, 3, 4, 5 days? But I will write upon my return and let you know how it all went, let you know if Queenstown is all it is cracked up to be, let you know how one who hates the cold enjoyed a camper in possible snow flurries.

It's a pair of undies for crying out loud

2007-04-11T08:01:00.000+12:00

So I made the lacy thong from the latest Interweave Knits.

There, I said it out loud. Now according to many that makes me either perverted, wasting my time, stupid or all three.

Now I ask you why are so many knitters getting their knickers in a knot over, well, over a pair of knickers? When I considered making these I did my usual trolling of blogs and forums seeing if anyone had made them and what they thought of them. What a can of worms I opened! My favourite was the knitter who had just purchased an IK subscription for her sister-in-law and now what was SIL going to think of this smut she had received in the mail! (Personally I think it is obvious, she is trying to hit on her, I could see that one a mile off.)

For the sake of argument lets look at the common reactions to this pattern.

1. Perverted: I either lead a very boring life or a very exciting one but either way I don't see a pair of pretty undies being perverted. It is pretty and it is underwear, something that most of us put on everyday, at least I do so maybe I desensitised. However I am still not going to model them. You can let your breath out now.

2. Wasting my time: What as opposed to socks? I love handknitted socks but they aren't exactly practical now are they. This is a stupid argument. We don't knit to be practical.

3. Stupid: I say the folks who use this label need to think this one through. Have you ever seen those divine skeins of expensive, hand dyed silk and said, oooohh but what would I ever make with that? I could only afford one and how many decorative scarfs do I need? How about those lovely little seaglass beads, yummy ribbons? Well I say underwear. Not only undies but bras, camis, you name it. Hey how about all those incredible lace patterns that you will never try. Uh huh underwear. And you will actually get use out of it.

Now as for the pattern. I loved making it. It is a charming pattern. It moves quickly and incorporates many different techniques. But it is flawed. For one even as just a pair of play undies these are too skimpy in the front. I added an extra crochet edge but still. The gauge is much too big, they look "knitted". They don't have any stretch. I used a wool/silk mix and it took an act of god to wiggle them over my hips (yeah real good for the ego let me tell you). Once up they fit but you wouldn't want to be drinking lots of water through the day if you get my drift. (I actually ended up chopping them at the sides and sewing in some more ribbon with ties but these will never be in everyday use.)

But I haven't given up. I am going to buy Knitting Lingerie Style the moment it comes out because this chick knows her lingerie fitting stuff and I need all the help I can get. As opposed to being a waste of time I would propose this is one of the best uses of knitting time I have come across since my first socks. I can't afford the lingerie I could make. I can't even afford to be in the same room as the lingerie I could make! Handknitted (on tiny needles), delicate lacework, hand beaded silk, custom fit bra and knickers. Talk about something special.

ps: the word panties, now that is perverted
pps: garish acrylic from Walmart, that is perverted
ppps: actually telling someone you don't ever read, you just wait for the movie, that is perverted
pppps: asking me if I would like a coffee and then proceed to make me instant, that is so very perverted (and a trap, then I have to drink it!)
ppppps:speedos on men, I don't even have words for the level of perverted

Oooo la la!

2007-04-09T20:34:00.000+12:00

I think she likes them!

And yet the celery keeps coming........

Me, me me.......it is all about me..........

2007-04-03T16:56:00.000+12:00

I once left a knit night after it was noted that since most of my projects were for myself, I was a selfish knitter. I never went back.

So how many projects should you do for others and how many for yourself?

My 3 year old noted the other day when I cast on for another jumper for myself that "Mum's should only make things for their daughters not for themselves". To give her credit she is so wrapped in my hand knits that she was trying to push ahead in the queue (she is after Ted, who is now after me).

I would say about 50% of my projects are for myself, maybe more. I don't see much wrong with this but sometimes in certain knitting company I keep this to myself. I am after all the one who knits the item. I feel like I give alot of myself in most other parts of my life, do I have to in knitting as well? Why should there be so much guilt spread about about knitting for one's self? In fact I say if all I wanted to do was knit for myself then why is that wrong? I knit to knit not to really wear so if what gives me fever are things for myself so what? Is this just aimed at women? Are male knitters given the same pressure? How about knitters without partners? kids? This holiday season I knitted nothing for gifts. Shocked? The last holiday season I went all out and burnt out, this one I decided instead of "all" I would go "nothing". It was a good decision for me and I may make it a tradition.

So yes I have cast on for another me-me-me project. I pushed in line. I had a knit that couldn't wait. I cast on for the Cable-Down Raglan from the latest Interweave Knits. I thought I had the perfect yarn right in my stash. A gorgeous soft heathery green from Jo Sharp. Now this came as a surprise to me but reverse stockinette has a profound ability to make even delightful yarns look like crap. I went through the stash like a madwoman, swatching like a demon and had one failure after another. Given my commitment to working down my stash I was getting worried. What I need I thought is a good old fashioned yarn and then I remembered this. Brown won't work I declared but lets try it for the hell of it and guess what it did. It was crisp and solid. And I loved the warmth of the brown. And it is as cheap as chips. All up this jumper will cost me about $24 NZ dollars (less than $20 US or about 2 Euros, not really but it feels that way when I do the exchange on the NZD). Of course the gauge was off so it required a little bit of fancy footwork. I reworked the math, made the original cast on a little smaller since it is the neckline and all was well. The wool is slightly itchy but I am assured by those in the know that it softens up like a dream once washed and worn. This is planned as a winter jumper anyway so I will always have long sleeves under it. Because it is brown I am having the damnest time getting the cables to show up in the photos so this is my best shot.

Say hello to the new kid in town...........

2007-04-02T13:36:00.000+12:00

First the good news.........

Deciding it was time to do some knitting for my daughter I took away some Knitpicks Sock Yarn on our camping trip. The plan: some 1x1 rib knee high tube socks. She is 3 years old and heels aren't very practical at this point, she grows too fast, this way she will get the whole winter out of them (ask me how I figured this one out? lets just say I may have experience in this from last winter). I had this knitpicks yarn that I knew I would never knit up for myself because the colours are on the garish side but it is perfect for a small child. And no I don't think I save my crap yarn for my kids projects, god maybe I do, bad mummy! Anyway she is loving them even if they do make me wince a little. I want to love knitpicks I really do. I mean I love the price. I love the concept of the company. But the yarn, while the quality is good sometimes (and dodgy others), the colours are just, just, well just a little trashy. Believe me I like trashy as much as the next person, in fact it may be said even more, but not in yarn colours. But I am being a little hard, some of their colours are good, it is just many aren't. I think I have a bit of bad attitude about this due to a sweater that went wrong once it was cleaned, so very, very wrong and well since then I have never felt the same. So anyway this sock yarn, it feels a little stringy and not so much fun to knit with but it will work. Cheap (and nasty; damn be nice)

Now don't look away, don't cover your eyes, let this be a warning to all who think it can't happen to them:

I am out of yarn

Really, really out of yarn. Like there is no more.

I don't know what I am going to do. I know what I am not going to do. I am not going to frog these. I have never, never run out of Socks that Rock yarn, never. This is unbelievable. I am not even close. I just kept thinking by some freakish occurrence it would make it, even when I could see it wouldn't. I can't even begin to face this at this moment. The socks are now in the naughty chair.

My current solution is to just do this when anyone wants to see the socks:

I think I am fooling them.

Away again, did you miss me?

2007-03-31T20:45:00.000+12:00

In an attempt to wring the last out of our southern summer we decided to get out of town and go camping (oh and because we can't sit still, we should be Gypsies). This time we headed down to Southland, as south as you can go in mainland New Zealand (about 3 hours drive from Dunedin). Now if you aren't familiar with New Zealand we are a lot farther south than what you would imagine we are, get out your map and have a look. We are on the same latitude as southern Chili and Argentina. Next stop is Antarctica.

Tomorrow we will get back on track with my knitting news because I have a lot of it; the good, the better and the ugly.

You know that place that you always heard about growing up, the one that would be the ultimate punishment to go and live in, the one that jokes are always made about, and yet the one that no one you had ever met had ever been there. For me that place is Invercargill. A town of some size, about 50,000 residents. A town that interested me greatly in seeing it up close and personal. There is an urban myth (it may be true, who really knows) that the mayor Tim Shadbolt moved there after declaring "I will move anywhere that will have me as their mayor and Invercargill said we will!". Tim was in politics in Auckland, he used to represent the area I lived in, and is a flamboyant, larger than life character, just what Invercargill needed. Then there is the Southern Sting. The hottest ticket in town. The craziest fans, people who will camp out all night to get their hands on a ticket. Their progress is talked about in the newspaper, cafes, pubs and on worksites, by young and old, men and women. The team members are treated like rock stars. So what? Well this is a women's netball team. Now tell me where else are female athletics given the same hero worship usually reserved for men and I tell you I want to visit there also.

So this trip we explored Invercargill and the surrounding beaches and countryside. It is different from the other parts I have shown you. First of all it is more of what you imagine New Zealand to be like. There are sheep, lots and lots of sheep.

Lots of dairy cows and cheese factories. And flat, really really flat. Flat confuses me. I always get lost in flat. And green open spaces. Unlike the Catlins the beaches here are quite protected by outlying islands and harbours and are quite peaceful. It is a beautiful, isolated and tranquil area, an area that is usually missed by tourists and locals outside of Southland alike and that is a shame. It is overshadowed by the fiords to the west and the mountains to the north.

A little freedom camping in the local town park. Yep as it sounds. The locals recommended we do it that way so who are we to argue. Besides it is Riverton, New Zealand, nothing is going to happen to us here!

Invercargill? I hear you ask. Well I am pleased I went. I now know that I could never live there. (This is my gold standard for towns, I usually go through the whole 9 yards; getting the local newspaper, checking out the local library and bookstores, having a good look at the housing market, shopping the local Asian market, eating at the alternative, nutty crunchy, vegan cafe.) Ummm, no vegan/vegetarian/organic options at any cafe, no Asian market, no good bookstore, no go. It is not a diverse town and that my friends is it's downfall. And I am afraid that the gene pool is a little shallow. But it is friendly and welcoming and we easily whiled away a couple of days exploring it before returning to the beaches, the real attraction in this area. It does not deserve it's reputation but I guess that is the thing about reputations, you often don't.

But the coolest thing about this trip. I got to stand on the end of New Zealand at Bluff and imagine if I could throw a stone hard enough and far enough and if I could just clear Stewart Island well I could hit Antarctica because there isn't much between me and it and that is cool.

Ta Daa!

2007-03-24T07:01:00.000+12:00

Done! Love it!

It is warm and comfy and baby I am ready for winter!

(well not really but the jumper helps me to imagine I am)

After 4 years of Southern Californian "winters" I had forgotten how wonderful and warm a real wool jumper can be. I just love this yarn. It is Green Mountain Spinnery. I got it from Yarns in the Farms, the best little yarn store in the east (seriously!). They have a whole range of Green Mountain Yarns and they are all just as delicious.

This was knitting candy. It was all in knit stitches so I could just sit and knit and knit and knit, knit while I read, knit while I played games and read to my kids, knitting all the time. I could just shut down my mind and let my hands dance. There is something wonderful about just plain knitting. It is a lovely knitting vacation. And all in the round so once I cast off I was almost there, a few stitches to graft under the arms, two ends to weave in (all the rest were spit spliced as I went) and done, done, done. Thank you EZ.

For all those still in the midst of the northern winters here's a little down under sunshine.

This is what we are pulling from the garden this week:

FO Sighting........

2007-03-20T16:15:00.000+12:00

.......beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.......

........News Flash.........

A Finished Object sighting has been reported around this resident's house. At the present the object is in it's extremely shy stage known as blocking and has proved elusive. Please stay posted as I believe I can confirm the sighting within the next day or so with photographic evidence. Thank you, back to you Trevor for what has been happening on NZX.

(Somehow it just doesn't sound as sexy as Wall Street does it?)

(Note I can capitalise Finished Object but not aussies, not sure what that says about me)

(No it is not the damn socks)

Tall Poppy

2007-03-16T08:00:00.000+13:00

In New Zealand we are raised with something we call Tall Poppy Syndrome. For everyone else other than kiwis and aussies Tall Poppy Syndrome is our belief that you are no better nor no worse that your fellow citizen. It doesn't matter whether you hold a powerful position or are their cleaner your role is important and it would be crass to put on any airs. It means we take pride in "knocking people down a peg or 2 when needed". Of course this can have drawbacks as it can sometimes lead to under-achievement but that discussion can be for another day. (Example of "Tall Poppy" at work; while doing a spell check it was recommended that I capitalise aussies but I just couldn't bring myself to do it, it just made them seem too special, know what I mean, it would be wrong, very wrong.)

Moving to North America was a real test for me, I was constantly amazed at the utter fascination and awe held for famous people; even when they behaved badly, were public servants like the President, did not deserve to be famous or quite frankly looked like revolting people! Moving to Southern California was just plain shocking. Whole conversations would revolve around star sightings. Many times I was asked "who I had seen" and I couldn't think of a single incident. It was not until recently that I remembered I once served Rod Stewart and Rachel Hunter in a clothing store while I lived in Auckland, New Zealand, a long, long time ago. I don't remember what they bought, or what we chatted about while Rachel tried on the clothes or anything else about the encounter other than I refused Rod's traveller check because he didn't have ID. I remember he got cranky and I felt incredulous that he would walk around without ID just because he thought he was a "superstar". Can't remember anything else about it, it was a non-event even then, and I certainly didn't rush home and spread the word. That would make me seem like a fool.

All of this was before I became a serious knitter. Now I am a groupie. Did you hear Eunny Jang just became the editor of Interweave Knits? Wow I'm knitting her socks don't ya know. To this day I tell the story of how I spoke (very, very briefly) with Nicky Epstein at Stitches, it was also where I had my Lily Chin sighting. I know someone who took a class off Meg Swanson (it's true!). I read my EZ books like novels and I know her to be worthy of devotion and hero worship. Conversations start in my house with " So Stephanie was saying the other day that...."

My family and I were having dinner at a knitting friend's house and her husband asked what I was knitting. I kinda dumbed it down and said a sweater like your wife often makes. "Oh an Elizabeth Zimmerman then?" he answered. Floored I answered "yes". He went on to sing the virtues of Knitting Without Tears, how it is a classic and how wonderful it was that her 2 daughters were carrying on her legacy. "Do you knit?" "No but I live with a knitter and even I can see these are influential women worthy of respect".

And maybe that is why I am okay about letting go of my need to strike down the tall poppy on this one. While I don't think these designers think better, love better or live better than I they do have something that I crave. They have that wonderful, original, creative streak that I am not sure I will ever have, not in those sorts of doses. (And Ted if you are reading this, this is my blog so if I say it is true, it is true, but thank you anyway sweetheart!). So you can keep Rachel Aniston's hair, Elle MacPherson's ass and Britney's problems I would take a little EZ's knitting ways any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Tall Poppy begone, lets save you for Hollywood (especially winners of reality TV shows), we don't need you in my knitting world.

Is there such a thing as a Stefanie Japel fan club, like with posters for my wall and autographs and........

Interweave has arrived!

2007-03-12T07:36:00.000+13:00

I expected to hate the new IK. The new format that supposedly was so reminiscent of Vogue (because that format picks my ass) but I don't. I don't hate it at all. I don't particularly like it, I just don't mind it. Since there are a couple of photos by each pattern it feels kinda of the same as before.

First time through the magazine I was underwhelmed but then I realised it was because I only had eyes for Stefanie Japel's Cable Down Raglan.

Upon further reading I realised that I liked a few more of the patterns and overall I enjoyed this edition. The dollar and half cardy is quite lovely, I like it's slimness. More importantly it looks like a fun knit.

The ads were great in this edition. Check out the Blue Moon Fibre ad on page 71, so refined and lovely. And Dale of Norway Page 75 - who knew they did anything other than jumpers perfect for being part of the Olympic team?

Grumperina's Roza Socks are on the list, only because I have never done brioche stitch and I am a new technique whore.

And Interweave is getting more organised, I received this issue without any reminder on my behalf; fancy. On the hand I just got a last chance notice from Vogue that my subscription ends with my next issue, all well and fine except I have only received one issue from them and since they put out 4 per year , help me out am I missing out on the math here? Just checking..............

I am sure one day this will be a funny story but right at the moment........

2007-03-09T11:44:00.000+13:00

This morning I was expelled from Playcentre. Playcentre is a government run, structured playgroup for under 5's. Kaitaia is 3 years old so we joined when we returned to New Zealand about 5 months ago. Given that we homeschool and have complete confidence in what we are doing it was probably never a good match. Well it turns out that while I get along well with the other kids it seems I have trouble following the (unnecessary) rules. It seems I have a problem with authority and may have a chip a on my shoulder. So it was suggested that "playcentre was not a good match for me". Yep expelled from preschool. Boy that is one to add to the resume for "mummy of the year" award. Given that I haven't been expelled from a preschool before am I still allowed to be friends with other parents or does Playcentre own them too? I forgot to check the rules before I was shown out.......

Project Update

2007-03-06T13:11:00.000+13:00

As promised my projects update..........

I decided it was time to cast on for a new project. I have many sweaters (and socks) promised before winter, not the least for my wardrobe so since it is now the end of summer I knew I should start. I have had my eye on a modified version of Banff that is on the Blue Blog. I need a good basic warm jumper and love raglans so it seems like a good match. Not even considering doing it in the flat when it is so obviously suited for in the round I pulled out my trusty EZ. I am knitting it as a bottom up raglan. It has been a delight to knit. I love this yarn. It is Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair. It wasn't to gauge but it was easy math to rework it. It is a mohair/wool blend and a favourite of mine. It is just the best yarn around for felting. Anyway I am loving the simplicity of the pattern and just doing some basic knitting. I took this away with me to Central and finished both sleeves. I am now working on the body. So fast. Sometimes I just love all knit.

I have also been spending a lot of time with my socks (notice the plural, I have cast on for #2) and we are getting there. Once I turn the heel it goes much, much faster as only the top of the foot is in pattern. It is now my travelling, sitting at libraries, fill in a odd moment out and about project.

Yesterday we dug up our potatoes for winter. We ended up with 2 large sackfuls and are now salivating over what they will become; potato salad, potato soup, steamed potatoes with olive oil and fresh herbs, potato gnocchi, mashed potatoes with lentil stew, oven fries, aloo gobi, potato pierogies, samosas.................

Lastly I have joined a KAL for the Stefanie Japel's Cable Down Raglan. I love the look of this sweater. I love this designer. One skein wonder is possibly my favourite pattern of all time, I have made it 4 times and could easily make it again. I love how quick it is, how easy it is to memorise, the rhythm of the increases, it feels like a song. Ahhh the choice of yarn... This sweater has to come from the stash but nothing seems quite right. I will have to sit myself down and give myself a good talking to. The stash is too big, the stash must become smaller, I am stronger than the stash, it is all good yarn, lovely stuff otherwise I wouldn't have bought it, it doesn't matter that I had other plans for it....................

A little sun goes a long way........

2007-03-04T22:39:00.000+13:00

Here is the cool thing about New Zealand while we are small-ish, we ain't boring. Where we live is cool, damp, lush and kinda tame (think England) and yet when we head inland a couple of hours we get this:

And it is hot and dry and best of all completely different from little old Dunedin.

Ted and I had our first night away from our kids courtesy of my Mum this past week (since birth so that is 8 1/2 years but who's counting....). We chose to seek out the sun and headed to Central Otago to camp for the night. And it was great. Really great.

Oh and I cast on for a new project but I will tell you all about that tomorrow. And a KAL I have joined. Lots of news, can't wait.

The long promised book review........

2007-02-23T11:04:00.000+13:00

After promising a book review so very long ago today I decided to kick myself into gear and write about Yarnplay by Lisa Shobhana Mason. This book review business is much harder than you would think. I find myself not wanting to say anything that may hurt the designer's feelings should she come across my lowly blog but on the other hand I don't want spout bullshit. A rock and a hard place people.

This was a book that I was really excited about receiving, one that while has merit was unfortunately disappointing. Lisa Shobhana Mason is an incredibly talented designer but this book feels rushed. It feels as though there was much filler put in in order to meet a publishing date. It seems that more and more of the new books are this way. Not many of the new books are as whole as "Knitting in Nature" and that is okay, that book is a masterpiece, but do we really need another washcloth and purl scarf pattern? I am not sure if I would have bought this book if I was able to view it beforehand (and this coming from a book junkie, well former book junkie now the finances will no longer support this habit).

This is a beautiful book with moments of Lisa's talent shining through so lets get the bitchin' out of the way first then finish with the good stuff.

1. Like I mentioned too many basic patterns; washcloths, bathmat, table runner, cushion cover - all in plain garter or stockinette, no pattern needed. The designs that are the most appealing are the sweater patterns but there are simply not enough for the cost of the book. For this I blame the publisher not Lisa. I don't think publishers are giving knitters enough credit and failing to see that we are original creative beings who want this reflected in the books we purchase. Most publishers think they can take a designer with a few great patterns then put together a book and throw lots of filler patterns in and we won't notice. Well guess what, we do. Why can't they allow the designer to take the time needed to truly develop a full range of patterns? Now Lisa's main theme on this book is colour and she does have a great colour sense but this still does not excuse the basic patterns. One of the patterns is for a K2 P2 scarf. The pattern instructions read to cast on the required stitches, do the required length in K2 P2 and then cast off. Is it really okay to even publish this pattern? It isn't original for goodness sake. Oh by the way this is given an intermediate skill level. It does come with a basic hat that requires knitting in the round and picking up some stitches but for intermediate knitters?

2. When are publishers going to allow the designer to direct the photography? The photos in this book are beautiful but entirely inadequate for viewing the design. Lisa notes this on her blog. I love Chelsea. It uses some techniques I have a bad attitude about (dropped shoulders, reverse stockinette, too long sleeves) and it pulls them off. However look at this picture, it is the best photo of the sweater and tell me how long this sweater is or what the bottom looks like. The photographer decided to tuck up the sweater because it would look better, yeah thanks for that.

Have publishers learnt nothing from the complaints about Scarf Style. This book is right up there for being as hopeless in it's photos. This one doesn't even show a knitted item, it is for the shawl can't you tell! The photo is as bad in the book.

The best photo of the shawl

Of the table runner

Of the copperhead scarf

3. Why oh why do all of these new knitting books put how to knit in front of them? No one can learn from the directions given and it takes up valuable room. Do the right thing and just direct newbies to the books that can really help, the ones that are truly designed to teach someone how to knit. Give us another pattern or something interesting to read, a new or more difficult technique, another reason to buy the book.

Okay now the good stuff:

The sweaters are adorable. I love Poppy on the cover. I am just mad about Everything But The Kitchen Sink. I definitely plan to make this one.

She makes sweaters that are very flattering for most women.

Her use of colour is great.

It is a beautiful book; glossy photos and beautifully laid out. There are schematics for all of the sweaters which is helpful.

My verdict: If you are buying this for men's, kid's or baby's sweaters don't bother there is only one of each and while nice are pretty basic. For household items stick with Mason-Dixon Knitting. But for some lovely women's sweaters it should be considered. Lisa Shobhana Mason has a point of view and it does come across in her work. I would be interested in seeing her future work though I would be more inclined to purchase it as individual patterns. I think I am tired of pattern books at this point and feel as though I need more in my book purchases. For those who have this book or have seen this book do you agree? Am I on the money? I would love to hear what you have to say.

What superpower would you choose?

2007-02-21T21:29:00.000+13:00

I am still here.

We are continuing our family visit marathon with my Mum. She arrived 4 days ago and will be around for another couple of weeks. Posts may be thin on the ground and for that I apologise. It is difficult to get the privacy or time to write at the moment. I don't do well with a lack of privacy or time so I am just focusing on being a reasonable human being at the present (and dreaming of the day I have a laptop to run away to a cafe with).

I was listening to This American life a few days ago and there was an essay on a woman who had decided against the normal desired superpowers of flying and invisibility and instead wanted to be able to experience all her firsts again. The first time she read a beloved book, the first time she tasted chocolate, that kind of thing. I was taken with the romantic notion of this and for a few days was completely sold on this idea.

And then I remembered.... most first time things suck and the good ones well they are generally just as good if not better the next time around.

Each time I taste high quality dark chocolate it rocks, as good as the first I swear.

The first sip of great beer on a hot day, does it get any better? (remember the first time with liquor, yuck, well actually I don't but then I was raised in NZ where they start kids young but I imagine I said yuck).

Okay we have the obvious first, the big one, that sucked, doesn't it always?. Let it be said that virginity on the wedding night is for suckers who want a bad wedding night, there is something to be said for practice there I tell ya.

The first time we got really drunk on creme de menthe, thank god it was the last.

The first time we knitted a garter stitch scarf, ugly and painful.

The first time we turned a heel and all we could think about was how the hell are we going to do it because those directions, they are hard and dumb, know what I mean.

Don't get me started on first husbands, lets just say the second ones, they are the keepers, the first one well he sucked but was a lesson learnt.

Those first yarn purchases, almost too painful to remember, when we thought that Joann's was where you bought yarn, that or the second hand store.

So what superpower would I choose? Would I be like a scary majority of woman who would rather lose 10 pounds over gaining a higher IQ? I don't think so. As my sister says "I don't want to be 35 and still worrying if my bum looks too big in a pair of jeans". Flying, maybe. The power of association; a friend chef here, a person high up in United with lots of extra frequent flyer points there, a hair stylist everywhere. I may have spent a little too much time thinking about this.

What superpower would you choose?

Honey have I let myself go?

2007-02-15T08:41:00.000+13:00

I am mad, steaming mad.

I just came back from the mechanics and after spending way, way too much for having a tow bar put on it seems I still have be treated like a "pretty, empty headed little girl" by a patronising old fuck. Now I don't know squat about cars, don't ever want to but that has nothing to do with being a woman. My partner possibly knows even less than I do about cars and he is most definitely a man. Apparently that does not matter, just having a penis between your legs entitles you to some level of respect at this mechanic. And I thought that is why I pay a mechanic, I don't know anything about brain surgery and yet it wouldn't make me stupid to use a brain surgeon right?

Still we have come a long way; let me tell you a story.

I was at local auction (we buy and sell "stuff" for part of our living) and to my surprise the bloke who shows the things for the Auctioneer (you know like Ivana) holds up this kinda cool looking retro bag and says "bag filled with old knitting books" and well my head swung around so fast I made the smelly, smoky woman next to me jump. And then before I know it I am bidding on it and it is mine for $7. Sight unseen. It was filled with lots of different mags and patterns. None newer than about 1980.

I now have a complete collection of Golden Hands, a gem for crafts that have been forgotten. Macrame anyone?

Good for lace shawl patterns - yes?

And - then - I came across this magazine from 1958,

and this wonderful article.

Apparently I have not been a good wife. I have allowed my husband to see me without lipstick. I wonder - does lip balm count? Not only do I not jump out of bed each morning before him so I can get myself presentable and pretty, and this kills me to say, but I won't get out of bed until I am sure he has coffee waiting for me.

I quote "I once asked a very successful business man what part his wife had played in encouraging him. "She never came down to get breakfast - even after the babies started to arrive - looking anything but pretty", he said promptly and proudly. The article goes on to tell me how I must leap out of bed in the morning before hubby wakes and sees how truly hideous I am and do an entire beauty routine as well as making sure I change into a "trim blouse and skirt or slacks". Now if the children's needs are not too demanding I should sit down to breakfast with hubby because "that is the way he thought it would be -the prettiest girl in the world facing him over the table". Then I must walk him to the door and kiss him even though I will get lipstick all over him. But he will be secretly thrilled that I have taken the time to put lipstick on (and this is the best part) because it shows I care. (Forget about that committed life partner stuff silly, it is all about the lippy.) Did I mention this is in a KNITTING magazine. Pass the Valium.

Check out the sock.

Bet you couldn't do this Mr Asshole Mechanic, bet you couldn't even if you did want to. Making these socks - that is easily as cool and difficult as putting on a dumb tow bar anyway. And you know what else Mr Asshole Mechanic if you came to a Stitch n' Bitch and asked to learn how to make these socks we would be nice and helpful to you because knitters aren't like you, we are good.

Lets Pretend......

2007-02-13T15:43:00.000+13:00

Today I decided to pretend I was the best Mum in the whole world. And for some reason I got the best kids and the day was easy, really easy. Hmmmmmm............

Monster Rug.

2007-02-10T18:51:00.000+13:00

I know a rug, a rug that has been named Monster Rug. This rug is destined to live in my son's bedroom. It is not a mean rug, nor even ill natured, in fact it is quite exuberant. But it is a monster make no mistake about it. To date it has devoured 120 t-shirts and it is still hungry..............

In our home I want to make all of our floor rugs (never said I was sane, nope never did). I have a passion for all things recycled so I decided to start with a crocheted t-shirt rug. Luckily I have access to cheap t-shirts; one of my local op shop allows you to fill a bag for $3 and I can cram a bag with the best of them, let me tell you! I estimate this rug will cost about $20 total once complete - a bargain by any standard.

It is very labour intensive however I think the end result will be worth it. It is cushy, hard wearing, original and warm with lots of love woven into it. This the third rug I have made. The last was about 3 years ago out of my daughter's baby clothes. I couldn't bear to get rid of some of them but just packing them away for no good reason was silly too so I cut them up and made a small bathroom rug. It is still going strong, it came with us to NZ. I just love it, mainly because every time I look at it it brings back memories.

I thought I would share the process I go through, not that it is difficult or any great secret.

Firstly treat your local op shop (or family's closet) like a yarn store and just start grabbing all those colours that give you fever or work in with your design plan. For this rug I have used knit fabric, you can get anything that is a tube; pants, t-shirts, sweatshirts, skirts. You can easily make this rug out of other fabrics. I have been collecting denim, wool sweaters and corduroy because I think these will make great rugs also. Ask at the counter - frequently they have items that are too stained or torn to be sold that they will let you have for a song. Keep in mind how many t-shirts you will use, depending on the size of the rug, so don't pay too much for them. You don't want t-shirts that have that rubber printing on them or lots of embroidery.

Back at home, waiting for a wash. One - to get rid of the op shop smell and to make sure they are all clean. Two - in case any of the colours run, you want that to happen now not once the rug is done. For ease I wash everything together and if it did run you can still cut it all up and not really notice. Be wary of small busy patterns, sometimes they can look muddy.

Now the time consuming process of cutting them up. A rotary cutter and board are a life saver at this point. For this rug I only cut out the "loops"- the body and arms. I make the loops about an inch or 3cm thick. For the last rug I cut strips and then machine sewed them together, you have a lot less waste that way. However since I plan to do a prodded rug in the near future I am keeping all of the cutoffs and will use them up for that.

Now you will have a basket full of loops. Sit down with a good cuppa (or plonk) and some good entertainment (catch up on all of those great podcasts, speaking of which "we miss you Brenda!") and start knotting those loops together. You know just like you will do with your luggage tags at the airport before you leave for your year abroad in Italy and India - wake up, refocus! Okay so chain loop all of those puppies together. It will take a while but is pretty relaxing and mindless, lots of good boob watching, a little Top Chef, a little Project Runway and you are there.

Wind up into balls and put the basket of pretty fabric balls somewhere you will see. They are pretty cool looking and worthy in their own right. Don't make the balls too big as they can become unwieldy to deal with.

I single crochet them together. I tried some other crochet stitches and did not like them as much. I don't think this rug works as well knitted. For one thing it would quickly become too heavy for your needles and for another the crochet gives you a much more dense fabric more suitable for a rug. Another plus about crochet for this project is you can easily add on where ever you fancy if you want it to be wider, etc. I am not an experienced crocheter but even I can handle single crochet so don't let the "C" word put you off. When you need to join in a colour just undo the last chain loop on the current colour and loop your new colour in; no ends to weave in.

It will be a little wonky as you go. Don't worry too much. It will kinda stretch out at the end plus that is part of it's charm. I plan to add a denim border on this one at the end which will also help to stabilise it.

Need to be tougher with the lace.........

2007-02-09T10:21:00.000+13:00

I finally blocked my fan and feather scarf. It was good but not earth shattering. I don't think I blocked it hard enough. I won't be using a variegated yarn for lace work again, it just doesn't show the pattern as well as I would like. However a lace shawl is definitely in future plans. I can see why lace work is addictive for some. It does have a light, frothy feel to the scarf which I like.

Before:

During:

After: (Sorry it seemed like a better close up before I posted it to the blog. I will get this picture thing down soon I am sure)

That's not all of the "making" going on in this house.

I present Montreal Style Bagels.

There are some things New Zealand are known for but unfortunately bagels is not one of them. I was craving some real bagels and we set to work one afternoon, doing it as a group so it didn't seem too overwhelming.

The reward: yummy warm chewy bagels for dinner with fresh tomatoes, salad straight from the garden and good cream cheese. Don't ask me how many I put away! They were good!

The recipe came from "Home Baking" by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, a gorgeous book we received last holidays. It is a 2 rise dough that takes about 3 hours total, allow about 5 hours for the whole process, about 1 1/2 hours are actually work time, the rest is waiting.

Rolled out ready to boil.

They boil for about a minute in water and honey, then are off to get rolled in sesame seeds (or whatever you have)

Boiled, ready to be baked for about 15 minutes:

For all of those that have not yet given bread a go I thoroughly recommend it. (It is time consuming and messy so if you aren't into cooking it won't be your thing.) It is the greatest thing to do with kids (think rainy afternoon). They can be involved in the whole process and what kid doesn't like fresh bread and butter (while you are at it have a go at making your own butter, only if you have kids handy as it takes a lot of shaking!). We tend to make our bread wholemeal with lots of seeds, flax and maybe some nuts and it is still a hit. You can easily minus the wheat with all of the other flours on the market if someone is gluten sensitive. And of course the aroma from baking bread is divine.

Does anyone have a really good tortilla recipe they can recommend? (Another thing New Zealand is not known for.) I don't want to use lard in them (ooh yuck!) but oil is fine. I really want to find a recipe like the soft chewy ones I use to eat from Tommy's in San Diego. The ones I have made so far have been blah. Oh and hot carrots, I seem to make them too pickley and acidic, any suggestions?

The Wild South

2007-02-06T14:56:00.000+13:00

We have returned from our time down in the Catlins. It is a coastal forest park about 120kms south of Dunedin that is remote, beautiful and wild. It is dubbed the Wild South by kiwis and it is well worth a visit. For all of you that are still on the fence about whether New Zealand is a country worthy of a trip I hope this photo essay will help convince you. This part of New Zealand can be cold and the weather is unpredictable but there is no denying it's natural beauty. Keep in mind it is the middle of our summer and the peak of tourist season and it was cool and empty. (We have some wonderful beaches and lots of warm sunshine in our "sunny north" in case you were wondering). The local tramping (hiking) is worth it alone. The many wild animal and bird sightings are icing on the cake.

Our "local" bay at low tide. A wonderful kid's playground. This area is protected by a breakwater.

Relaxing at the end of a hard day.

A nearby bush walk.

The other side of the breakwater. A little rougher!

Yep local wildlife. We were happy to share the beach.

We took a walk over a local farmer's property to view Jack's Blowhole. It was about 30 minutes each way. There is no other way to view it and that seems to make it all the more special.

Jack's Blowhole : 55 metres deep, 144 metres long, 68 metres wide and get this - 200 metres inland. At the bottom of this blowhole is the ocean, right there, right in the middle of a sheep paddock, with a little fence to stop the silly sheep falling in. Very cool.

As for the sock and I, well getting away was just what we needed. I could see that I had been hard on it and well it could see why some days were a little rougher than others. We spent a lot of time together and that was good. I now see the lace scarf was warming me up for the sock. I didn't know I was alive with the scarf. If you really want to see something move s-l-o-w-l-y try this sock. We (as in "sock" and I, we are now one) are ready to turn the heel, I am very excited, somehow that makes me a dork in non-knitting company, if only they knew.

Still Alive......

2007-01-31T07:25:00.000+13:00

but not really here.

I am about to head off for a few days break but will post upon my return. We are going to the Catlins which are a couple of hours south of us. I will take some photos so you can all see a little more of the New Zealand countryside. Hopefully the weather will be good.

Of course what projects am I going to take is the next question I hear you ask?

I have decided to take some projects I can't run away from. In my weird world with all of my weird rules I have decided that having more than one pair of socks cast on at one time is a path to ruin. So I am going to take the current socks I am working on with the hope I may make a serious dent in these, no not literally, well maybe. I swear my brain starts bleeding when I knit these. They are the Eunny Jang ones, knit on size 0 needles with about 100 stitches around. As I write this I wonder why the hell I am knitting them! Did I mention they are very cool and all the cables run into each other in that cool Eunny Jang way and I really want them. Cables are lovely aren't they. Cables are good and clever.

I am also taking the blanket just in case I can't take the pressure.

Oh and maybe for a baby hat, you know, just in case.

All Done.

2007-01-28T09:54:00.000+13:00

I wanted to make something a little different for my new nephew. I thought about what I would have liked with my two and remembered feeling really frustrated with the booties and socks that would never stay on or wouldn't be warm enough.

So I present the Stay-on-the-foot-felted-baby shoe! Tested and passed with flying colours on a real live baby!

To come up with the pattern I played around with paper, scissors and staples. I had a few false starts once I went to cloth and found it didn't work or wouldn't stay on but eventually I got the pattern down.

Remember all those felted swatches lying around that you plan one day to sew together into one big blanket (when you go over the edge, you know, then) well I now have a use for them! The green is much brighter than the photo showed, more lime.

I needlefelted a koru on the front. This is a Maori symbol that means new life, growth, strength and peace. This is a very powerful symbol and a favourite of mine.

Then I hand sewed them together with a heavy duty waxed thread. I made the base a thicker felt so the shoe has some structure.

I added some unbleached, cotton elastic and sewed down the flaps.

All Done.

Can I cast on for a new project now? Please.........

Bits and Bobs.............

2007-01-22T09:46:00.000+13:00

Life has been a little hectic around here.

My sister, her partner and my new 2 month old niece arrive tomorrow. This is good. I am very excited. However it does mean we have to do lots of last minute things, things you must do before family arrives, you know the sort of things I mean, the old I always keep the bathroom this clean kind of thing.

This is the news that threw me. My sister-in-law (Ted's sister) has given birth to a little boy. Now this is good news too. There is just one thing. This is her first baby. And as all knitters know first babies come late. You can set your knitting calendar by this. Well this baby is a week early! Not only does this catch me off guard but I feel unreasonably cranky about this, cranky at my sister-in-law, why even cranky at the baby. You see, I was just in the planning stages of the knitted gift, the what shall I make because I have lots of time stage. Then we get the email, she is up in the middle of the night because she is getting pains. Ted and I look at each other and have that all knowing look "oh how cute, she isn't in labour, it is just Braxton Hicks, you know because we know everything, everything". Then the next day I get the call while Ted is out, she had the baby, all is well. I am happy and then after I get off the phone it hits me. By the time Ted gets home from work some 5 or 6 hours later, well, I was livid. "It is just downright indecent, indecent I say! I mean I went almost 3 weeks over and what was so wrong with that, why couldn't she go 3 weeks over? What is she too good for going past her due date? Women have been doing this for years and it has been just fine for them? I don't have time for this!" Ted just looks at me and answers "I can't believe we are having this conversation, why don't you just buy something" BUY SOMETHING! For a new baby, buy something! For the love of god! Now tell me who is really crazy in our household. Exactly. I will keep you posted on the baby gift progress.

The feather and fan scarf is finished, sitting in a crumpled pile, waiting for it's blocking, waiting until I have been freed.

All of my birthday books arrived! I love new craft books beyond all reason. I will be doing some book reviews here soon, stay tuned.

Why what is that poking out of the bottom? Now what could that be doing here? Where did it come from? I wonder if it has anything to do with the loom that has appeared upstairs in the family room? Probably not.

Apparently a finished object is not truly a finished object until it is felted. I did not know this but my 3 year old explained it to me. You see while I might consider her slippers finished since she couldn't yet wear them they really weren't. Now I see it from her point of view this could be true. Did you know this? So one pair of felted slippers.

I need a real sweater. I have a whole wardrobe of little cardys and shrugs from my Southern California days. I need a real cover-all-of-me sweater. Do I knit one of those tried and true, always wanted to knit sweaters or go for one of the new fancy pants, hot off the press jumpers? I am thinking of the hourglass sweater from Last Minute Knitted gifts. It always looks so nice on other blogs, like it fits well.

I am self defeating, here I am seriously considering casting on a new sweater tonight, I must be out of my freaking mind. Back to baby gift.

Lastly we homeschool our kids and homeschooling in our house means a good calendar, one that we can easily put notes all over. Here is what I created this year for us. By the end of the year the calendar will be surrounded with notes and interesting facts, right now it is still looking a little bare.

Think of me. What to make when you can't think of what to make? Aggghhh!

Can I tell you something..........

2007-01-21T20:03:00.000+13:00

Now I am aware that this a knitting blog and knitting, well, it is my favourite child but I may have other crafty interests.

Okay I do.

Sometimes I sense a wee bit of a snobbery from knitters towards other crafts and while I don't find this particular offensive if the truth be told I bet you my bottom dollar there are many of us out there secretly have an affair on the side(or maybe being downright sleazy we are carrying on with so many).

Today I am going to tell you the tale of our quilt because everything has a story and sometimes it must be told. I now consider myself a quilter, I have made 3 of them so not a serious quilter but a quilter nonetheless. However when I made our quilt I wasn't. I had however sewn in the distant past and had confidence I could still find my way around a sewing machine.

I was in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand and came across some used hand-embroidered patches from the local hill tribes. These were wonderful little pieces of art that had been collected by a local for sale in her shop.

These:

And these:

And more, many more.

This store also sold it's own hand-dyed, handwoven hemp fabric. I couldn't resist. Who could?

I spent a wonderful hour going through baskets and baskets of these patches before deciding on my favourites. I added about a half dozen rolls of the hemp and left happy, very happy. It must be said that not only does Thailand have some of the best food in the world but the shopping is fabulous.

Once back home in the States I had my brain storm. How about I make a quilt out of it all? I mean how hard could it be? I went to the library and found my muse in a Kaffe Fassett patchwork book. Now for all of you laughing out loud at the presumptuous beginner starting with a Kaffe Fassett pattern, I say hush. He had this great pattern for a window covering and I figured well this looks doable and decided to modify it to a queen size quilt. About 18 months later and many, many hours (god where did the perseverance come from?) I had a quilt, I had learned alot and made many mistakes but damn I was proud, and you know I still am.

And the back:

But more importantly when I look at this quilt I remember. I remember backpacking for 4 months through South East Asia. I remember the sensuality of Thailand. I remember it's intense heat and humidity. I remember missing hot showers because we could only afford basic guesthouses and basic meant cold water only. I remember Ted being shocked to his core by this. I remember for the first (and last) time feeling safer than Ted when out at night alone because the prostitutes weren't interested in me and the local men were very respectful. I remember the kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness of the Thai people that made travelling with a 2 1/2 year old much easier than you would think. I remember being so pregnant with my daughter that I could barely reach the machine by the end so determined was I that I would finish before her birth (and I did).

Because like knitting that's what a quilt is isn't it - a vehicle for our memories.

Like everything we make with our hands, it just means more somehow because of it.

What else do you do?

6 Weird Things About Me..............

2007-01-19T08:27:00.000+13:00

1. I have an ability to remember people by what they ate rather than names or even faces, certainly more than the conversation (well unless the conversation was about food!). I can remember what we ate at different festivals, celebrations and dinner parties going back years. This is in absolute contrast to my partner Ted who will remember the conversation and connection he made with someone. This is how a conversation will go in our house -"do you remember when Jane Doe at Mickey Mouse's restaurant said..." "wait a minute, Jane Doe? was she the one who had the chicken?" "how would I know, she was the massage therapist from Mars that just got out the tough relationship" "the one who was next to the guy who had the pork but said that he usually prefers beef?". I hate it when people argue with me about this. Ted's family does this. Then I have to prove them totally and completely wrong (what else do you expect me to do!) by completely describing their meal, right down to the thought process about choosing that menu item. I won't even go into how cranky I get when they try to argue about what I had! I have been trying to think how I can use this strange power of mine for good.....

2. I have a complete fascination with where people live and why, particularly when it is in an area I find really extreme. I think ordinary people living ordinary lives tend to be so much more interesting to read about and meet than folks with lots of money and power carrying on like spoiled brats. Currently I am reading a book about a computer programmer who chucks it all in to become a cook in Antarctica living in a tent and another about a year in the life of family on a small organic farm in Vermont. (This is good stuff, loved the book). My fascination particularly extends to places where people live beyond the Arctic circle. I really feel the cold and have a morbid fear given my impulsiveness that I will one day decide to move there, you know just so I can see what it feels like to live there and get to know the people who do. I have had many conversations where I start out by pleading with Ted "no matter what I may tell you in future, no matter how strong my argument is, don't let me move to the Arctic Circle, I would be miserable so just don't let me do it okay, okay?." I might add this is usually at the weirdest moment and completely out of the blue so he will look at me strangely and just say "ok".

3. I am scared of riding bicycles. I wish I wasn't but I am.

4. I firmly believe that a hot shower will solve most problems, physical and emotional. Whatever a hot shower doesn't take care of, then a piece of toast with butter and vegemite will certainly cure. Yep I am talking big stuff here too.

5. I once read a study that 95% of people talk to their pets. To this day it is deeply disturbing to me that 5% don't.

6. I tend to make large decisions about my life very impulsively. It does not help that Ted does too. We will decide things like moving to a new country in the course of an evening. However it doesn't tend to take me long to feel certain about a decision and I always figure that the worst that can happen is it sucks and then we will just try something else. Of course sometimes these decisions haunt for me for many years to come. Like the day about 6 years ago that I had this really fabulous vegan meal in Victoria, B.C and then decided then and there that I LOVE vegan food (which I do) so therefore I should become vegan and furthermore Ted should too. That afternoon Ted agreed to becoming vegetarian (keeping cheese and eggs in our diet) as well as our son Palin. It only took me a few days to realise that given my love of food I was miserable cutting so much out of my diet so of course I couldn't be vegetarian let alone vegan, I mean what was I thinking?! So now I live in a vegetarian household with a vegetarian partner and children. Yep those decisions.

I was tagged to tell 6 weird things about myself from Emelia.

"THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog."

The 6 (un)lucky contestants I chose to spill the beans are:

Blue Thing Pie
Dances with Wool
Mainly Zaz
Yarn Harlot (I know, I know she is the Knitting Goddess but what the hell!)
Adventures with the slowest knitter
Blog is the new black

Sometimes you have see the big picture............

2007-01-17T09:59:00.000+13:00

Ever had a vision of a project and then when you start it it somehow seems to turn out differently but you feel you have to trust the original vision and then you finish it and and you think "what the bloody hell was I thinking" and your gut was right.

Yeah me too but thankfully this wasn't one of those.

So I am knitting up the Community Afghan from Handknit Holidays. I have had my eye on it for a while. I have always had a hankering to knit a blanket (I know that may make me officially crazy) but always felt a bit sick when I would work out the cost of it. There seemed no point making it unless the yarn was delicious. I knew after my alpaca haul the time had come.

I started playing around with the colours and the gauge and it never felt right. Then I just decided to trust the vision and go for it.

Check out an individual square. Kinda of ugly and trashy in a god-you-have-to-be-joking kind of way. Have faith.

Now check out the blanket, now do you see?

Yeah me too. Did I mention alpaca, hmmmmmm, soft goodness.

This is only about a quarter of the finished size, it is a long haul this blanket business.
And no I don't want to talk about the sewing up at this point.

Feather and fan scarf update: It is getting longer, it is not just my imagination, right?

Oh and by the way I got tagged by Emelia. I have to mention 6 weird things about myself. This is not as easy as you would think. I asked Ted and was a little shocked by the reply; "that is not weird, why is that weird? well I never...!" Give me a few days on this one. By the way check out Emelia's blog, her clogs are awesome! She is very, very talented. New blog to lurk on (old me talking, of course I don't lurk anymore, I comment).

By the way I love the comments and emails I have received, thank you so much. I do appreciate them all.

Over the hill and far away........

2007-01-15T17:41:00.000+13:00

I don't know about you but I have very structured ideas about what my birthday must be like. Without it being all my way I consider it a total failure. There is no in-between. I understand putting this down in writing makes me sound like a prima donna. I can live with this. It is what it is.

Rule #1 - Everyone must really, really nice to me all day, fall over themselves nice, the kids are not allowed to fight, that sort of thing.

Rule #2 - The most important part of the day is the food. There must be great consideration given to the food, it must be all of my favourite foods (unfortunately for Ted this changes on a daily basis). You must be prepared to have many conversations with me about my birthday food for many days prior. Luckily I have my sister who is equally obsessed about birthday food so there is a little relief for Ted. She lives in a different country, this does not slow us down. I don't care about the cake, you can figure that one out on your own.

Rule #3 - I pick the daily activity/trip/etc. You must grin and bear it. In fact you must act as if there is nothing you would rather be doing.

Everything else is negotiable. Presents are nice but not necessary. I would hurt someone who decided to throw a surprise party- I mean what about the food!

So for the past few years birthdays have meant trips to new, always meant-to-hit yarn stores, a yarn crawl if you like. This birthday approached (I'm a late December baby) and it was hard getting any birthday spirit going on knowing that wasn't to be. It was a low time.

Then I thought lets give that Yellow Pages another whirl and I turned up this-

Clifton Wool 'n' Things
Highcliff Road
Otago Peninsula

Now the Otago Peninsula is not far from us. If I could fly (and wouldn't that be a cool birthday pressie) I could get there in 10 minutes, we look at it every day over the other side of the bay. To drive however is about 30 minutes. It is spectacular place, mostly rural with only 1 or 2 very small towns. There is quite a bit of farming, even more "lifestylers" "hobby farms" whatever you want to call them. I figured what the heck, nice trip. Off we went, picnic packed, a day of exploring planned.

We found the sign. And then the driveway down to the "store"

Saw some of these on the way, good sign.

Look across the bay to one of the last bays, that's where I live.

I wasn't thinking blog when I took these photos so I didn't get one of the "store", sorry. We went down the drive, it was about 1 km long. Down at the end, perched high on the hill overlooking the bay was a packing shed. So these folks have a Romney "coloured sheep" flock. They only sell their own wool. It is all undyed, in all stages of production. It smelt wonderful, very sheep-y. And was very, very reasonably priced. It inspired lots of visions of nice earthly, nutty crunchy knitting. It's that kind of wool that is meant to be outerwear, not as soft as merino, a little on the scratchy side, kind of like Shetland but you know it will soften over time and stand up beautifully. Even Ted got excited, but he's a New England, got to have earth tones kind of boy. He actually asked if I would knit him a sweater. This is big news in our house.

So he picked out this:

Medium brown, bulky weight, not less than 200 yards in each skein, $8.50 each! Total for the sweater $51

So I had to make one for me too of course.
3 dark brown, 1 medium brown and 1 natural in DK weight, each skein not less than 400 yards, $8.50 each for a total of $42.50 (yes I know that is about 2000 yards but I can figure out something to do with the leftovers I am sure!)

Who can resist a little handspun. I think it is about 150 yards on each she said. $7.50 each! Handspun right at the packing shed, unbelievable price! Yummy hat, yes? mittens?. I know all of her yarn felts beautifully too, hmmmm clogs?

So this little package of natural goodness set me back a total of $108.50 NZD (about $75 US)

They do just washed fleece for $7.50 for 500 grams (1 pound) and carded fleece for $8.50 for 50 grams (couple of ounces I think). And yep they do mail order if you are feeling the need for some not fancy, down home goodness, support a local farmer type of wool.

(No sock yarn, "it's not practical, no one makes their own socks anymore don't you know", I had heard that)

Once upon a time......

2007-01-14T13:50:00.000+13:00

.......there was a beautiful princess. Now this beautiful princess was a knitter because as we all know all knitters are beautiful and handsome and good. I am going to tell you a tale about this princess knitter, a tale that seems so wonderful you won't dare believe it to be true but true it is. Now settle down, have a cuppa and allow yourself to be swept away........

One day, not so long ago our princess knitter (who will now be known as P.K) spent some time in the lovely yarn friendly land known as Massachusetts. P.K was out for a walk one day with her darling family when, oh my, what did she spy but a yard sale. As we all know yard sales are good things and are dearly loved by all crafters alike. But this was no ordinary yard sale, no this was a yard sale with yarn. Our heroine had chanced upon a yard sale where a dutiful daughter was selling off her mother's rather large stash, mum was no longer able/wanted to knit. (Not all fairy tales are happy but it all comes out well in the end I promise). P.K knew that it was her citizenry duty to do the right thing and give all this yarn a good home. The dutiful daughter was happy as she "didn't know what she would do with all this crap otherwise". Maybe dutiful daughter's name will now be evil stepsister because that is no way to talk in front of yarn. Now P.K send her family onwards with their walk as she knew saving yarn was tough and nasty business, one that is better done alone with focus. Sensing other knitters in the vicinity she threw herself into the task, knowing that there was limited room on the lifeboat she decided to forsake all of the acrylic and just save the "good" stuff. While some may have considered her greedy she knew that there was no such thing as yarn greed, this was a theory developed by other jealous knitters who came a little too late to one said yard sale. 186 skeins and about $80 later P.K gave herself a pat on the back and felt proud of a job well done.

The End

The 2nd chapter of this tale comes when we hear how P.K turns some of the rescued alpaca (I did mention about 100 skeins of it was alpaca, right, oh well silly me!) into one lovely (unfinished) blanket.

Oh and I will get to finish the yarn store post next time, promise.

We all want them, we all love them, we all want to love them.......

2007-01-13T11:02:00.000+13:00

Once while I was still living in the States a kiwi friend said to me that what she most missed about living in NZ was that life was so much less complicated than life in the US. She wasn't a knitter. Knitters don't want uncomplicated lives.

Let me explain. I love local yarn stores. Love the possibilities, the smell, the tactile experience that follows, the acceptance of being surrounded by my people. I buy as much as the next knitter on the web but when I really boil it down I am all about yarn stores. I have been known to change the way I feel about a town or state for that matter based on the strength of their yarn stores. Just spent the summer in Massachusetts, I could live there, their yarn stores are fantastic.

So upon returning home I was within days planning my LYS trips. So off I went to what is considered the "best in Dunedin" (the yellow pages said so). I needed some more alpaca to add to my blanket, okay need is maybe the wrong word but lets not muddy the story shall we. I was little thrown by the store upon entering, it had that bright lights, white fakey kind of shelving thing going on (like a miniature version of a Joann's/Michaels/Spotlight with just yarn and very few needles). But I thought now first impressions aren't everything (of course in retail we all know that isn't true but I was just trying to be nice). I had a little look around, feeling more and more despondent. I approached the counter and asked a very nice woman "excuse me but where oh where do you keep your alpaca?". She showed me a few balls of "lovely" wool (Cleckheaton ruled in this joint, not that there is anything wrong with that workhorse of a yarn, it just ain't sexy is all I am saying and when you have a stash the size of mine sexy it has to be - this should be good for google searches!). No, no I gently and slowly said (I had correctly diagnosed within a few short minutes that I was dealing with a person who knits, not a knitter and I didn't want to scare her), your a-l-p-a-c-a. "Now why would you need some alpaca when there is perfectly good wool available" but she managed to pull out a few remaining balls of an alpaca/acrylic blend, nasty nasty stuff. Your cotton, your bamboo, handpainted, your silk, your knitting books, for the love of god your Addis!? (my voice may have been a little on the high side at this point). Ummmm no, no, no, no, no and who? I pulled out of my bag the NZ handpainted laceweight (everyone carries extra yarn in their bag, right, in case you meet another knitter and want to show and tell, don't make me feel weird) and asked anything like this. "It would be lovely to get something like that here but we really don't need it, Dunedin is too cold so it wouldn't be practical". Practical, need it - I don't understand this sort of talk, what sort of place have I moved to! Panic rising I left the store and went to number 2, 3 and 4 on the list. I even went to Spotlight (our Michaels) in case in some freaky other world kind of thing the tables were turned and the big box was the one with the really good stuff in town. Yeah, no, but disturbingly it was no worse.

A crushed, defeated person I returned home, I could no longer live here; yes it hadn't been quite a week and yes it was quite possibly the friendliest, most beautiful place I have been (and I lived in Canada for 6 years) and yes I loved being home but damn there was no decent yarn store. I should have checked this out more thoroughly before moving here, what the hell was I thinking, screw libraries, beaches, parks, wildlife, bookstores, cafes and Asian food stores, it is all about the LYS, I mean I knew that.

So after Ted talked me off the ledge, he reminded of the power of the net, he reminded me how freaky fellow knitters can be when a fellow knitter is in trouble, he reminded me we love to travel and even though I thought that he didn't realise I had planned entire family trips around LYS's he wasn't that silly (well lookee, lookee what do we have here, a yarn store, who would have thunk it) and that it was all going to be okay, really, he was here to help me work through this. And you must love this man; not once did he mention that I could just knit from my stash, knit from my stash for a long, long time.

But all was not lost because I found hope on the horizon......
Tomorrow part 2 of the LYS drama.

For the record this is my drive home.......

.....by way of a yak.........

2007-01-12T15:15:00.000+13:00

My Vogue Knitting has finally arrived!

The Holiday 2006 issue (not the latest one, that would be unthinkable). Only 2 months and one gentle reminder to Vogue that as a subscriber getting the actual magazine might be nice. It is a better track record than Interweave Knits. My first love is IK. That does not mean I don't appreciate a good read of Vogue. Now here is the weird thing I don't think I have ever knitted anything from Vogue and to be honest don't tend to even like anything between the pages. My reaction ranges from "I guess that is okay" to "what the hell are they thinking!". (Although there was one little shrug in a past issue that will be given its turn on the needles at some point - well once I can figure out the pattern directions, you know translate them to english from double dutch.) But they do stir a comment and that is what keeps me an active reader. Unlike many other (unnamed) magazines they are not "tired". They don't look as though they are stuck in the '90's. They have a point of view, yep not mine or anyone I know but still a point of view.

This issue did not disappoint. Is it possible their models are getting thinner, like scary thin! I had such hope after their last issue with an older (but still slim, it is Vogue after all) model, such hope that perhaps they were trying to make it "more real". As always I enjoyed the ads (scary isn't it), the articles and little bits of information scattered throughout the magazine.

Especially liked this ad....

And yes it is in black and white in the magazine. This one I don't get even a little bit, in fact I had a wee bit of a dry heave, followed by a giggle. Especially when I got to the bit "You'll look elegant season after season". Elegant wasn't the first word that came to mind.

The patterns in this issue were even less likely to ever be knitted. In fact there was not one that I even considered, even with much alteration.

Verdict: not worth the purchase price unless you are like me and just like to get it - just because. (Or you are about a size 0 and want to look like this year's fashion victim - you know, unless that)

Have you ever had a project around for so long that feels like part of the family.

Slightly annoying but still you feel a commitment to it. I have a project like that.

My feather and fan scarf.

It is made out of the lovely Artisan NZ Merino Laceweight. It is my warm up to a full on shawl.

Let me digress here a little. I have knitted lace before, in fact quite a lot of lace, in regular weight yarn. So I figured how hard would laceweight be. Ummm it is a tricky little buggar isn't it. I am doing a simple fan and feather and yet, oh and yet........

So I knit and knit and then I knit some more and here is the thing it doesn't get any longer. It keeps going away for a holiday until I can stand the sight of it again (wow this sounds more and more like family doesn't it!). It has come for another visit. I want to finish it - not because I actually plan to wear, I mean I might, but because I want to experience the magic. The magic that I have witnessed on blogs and heard about in the circles I run in. The magic of blocking. It is a crumpled little mess at the moment. I frequently crush it into still more of a crumple, you know so the transformation will be even more thrilling.

So back to the plot. Yes my warm up to a shawl. I am not made for shawls. I get cold easily and I don't see a shawl cutting it to be honest and it might lose something over a thick jumper (sweater to the rest of the world) and my fleece. The other thing is unlike the Amy Blatt lovely I am not elegant. Wish I was, have tried to be but lets just say it wasn't a good fit. I think you have a wee bit of elegant going on not to look silly in a shawl.

But how, how I ask you, how can I call myself a knitter and not have knitted a shawl.

See, now you see don't you.

Maybe I could pull it off. I have always wanted to be elegant. I have some lovely silk..................

Take 2.......... or lets talk

2007-01-11T09:13:00.000+13:00

So for my 2nd post I had this idea about talking about some of the different Stitch n' Bitchs I have been to but then I realised it would be impossible to only play nice. I firmly believe that all knitters are wonderful accepting people, superhuman if you like. However this does not extend to people who just knit and some of these people have been a big part of the groups I have belonged to. (Lets be honest I understand them less than non knitters - how can you be exposed to the magic and remain untouched! You know the type I am talking about - "oh I just do it for something to do", "yeah this scarf has taken me 12 months, I only work on it at the SnB every week", "why would I do more than one project?' "socks that rock who?" or the scariest one of all "no I don't need to touch your yarn, it seems like it is nice")

So anyway back to what I was saying, oh yeah play nice.

I think I am a respectful, considerate sort of person but I don't often step down from my opinion and that can upset some folks. While I am a lurker as I mentioned that didn't mean I don't have some strong opinions about what I read. But what upset me most of all is when comments would come back saying you shouldn't say what you said, you should water down your opinions so not to offend anyone. What a bunch of crap. Don't read the blog then, simple. I read blogs to hear what it is someone has to say, really say. I don't have all the answers; I don't walk in their shoes. That is what this blog will be like. I know I will offend some of you and for that I apologise but I say live with it or leave. If you want to present a counter argument for me to consider then please go ahead, I would love to hear it. You don't have to agree with me to become part of my knitting circle, god that would be boring.

So here's some of what you are getting yourself into -

While I loved living in the US for the most part we didn't just return to NZ we also decided to leave the US. The current political situation was one we could no longer stomach.

I think the Democrats are too conservative. I guess that tells you my opinion of the Republicans.

I fully support the right of all humans to live lives that are free of hate and prejudice and I think the opposition to gay marriage in the US is morally wrong and hateful.

I think it is right that I use the word moral even though I am an atheist.

I do not and will never support the war in Iraq. This does not mean I do not support the troops.

I am an obsessed knitter. Utterly and completely. In fact Ted (my partner) is thrilled that I have started this blog so I will give him a break from listening about knitting. He actually said this. He is so naive, the capacity I have to talk knitting is greater than he can imagine.

Cats are better than dogs. (I am sorry but this one is simply a fact not an opinion so I can no argument on it!). Dogs are alright but they can never be cats.

I am sure there is more. I hope I haven't scared off too many.

Let’s end on a positive note shall we....

Tell me this isn't the most gorgeous thing.....

Let me set the stage - drafty old unrenovated house, all wood floors, with no insulation in a cold climate - pom pom rug. Oooohhhh I think I need some pom pom action 'round here, yessirree!

It is from Craftivity. I have ordered the book; I will review it once it arrives - in about 6-8 weeks. Yep there are definite drawbacks about living on the end of the earth!

Where do I start?.....Hello....Someone...Anyone....Anyone out there?!

2007-01-10T10:53:00.000+13:00

The first blog post, ever. Enough to make anyone nervous.

Welcome all.

Soooo who am I?

Well that will take more than one blog post to answer so over the next few weeks I will try to fill you in. But lets start off with the niceties. My name is Tanya and I am a New Zealander - sort of. I was born and raised in this wonderful country but left for my OE (overseas experience, a rite of passage in this country - another blog post another time) when I was 21 years and after 16 years living in Canada and the US (mostly) I have returned to New Zealand dragging along an American partner (who I swear married me for my New Zealand passport, I saw the glint in his eye when I mentioned where I was from originally!) and 2 great kids. We returned about 3 months ago, to a new part of New Zealand for me, down in the south of the South Island, Dunedin (another post on my newly adopted town I promise). I am not ashamed to admit that the thought of lots of knitterly goodness helped me make up my mind over where to live. Hell I just came from 4 years in Southern California where knitting the kids mittens, hats and scarfs was a little wasted, not that it stopped me of course - a knitter must knit.

So here I am, home. After such a wonderful community of knitters in North America I am feeling a little alone, hence the blog. I love blogs, love podcasts, love love the wonderful internet world of knitters. My day is not complete without some Knit and Tonic thoughts, I live from post to post for the Great Eunny and of course as do many hundreds, nay thousands I kneel at the alter of the Divine Harlot and many many others (don't get me started on how fabulous Brenda is and how I think the world would be a better place if we forced all the non knitters to listen to her). But I am a lurker. Completely. Love them all but I never comment. Don't really know why. I should. I mean to. I just never do. I don't know what to add I guess. So to start off the new year and a new life I am have decided to become an active member of the worldwide knitting community.
Starting here, starting today.

What is my blog going to look like?

I plan to talk about my life here in this part of NZ. Some of the culture shocks and differences between here, the US, Canada, and Aussie (where I lived for a while also). Of course my knitting will be included but also my other crafts and endevours. Lots of photos, promise. I would like to review some blogs, podcasts, books, yarns and LYS's. Since I don't have a way to browse through knitting books at the bookstore any longer before purchasing I rely on the internet to determine whether I would like to purchase a new book, I always appreciate a objective in-depth review. This is my goal. (This goes to all of those shut-ins out there, oohhh Canadian hockey days are coming back!). I might go over some past FO's too that I think are blog worthy. I welcome all comments and look forward to connecting with anyone who feels that this blog may have some interest to them. Yeah thats about it. For now. Will work on the getting the side bar thing filled with good stuff. I did mention I was new at this blog thing right?

Enough talking for one day. Bye.