Knit one, frog one

I have resisted posting a picture of the merino cardigan because I have to admit there is something not quite right about it. As well as being too tight and too short for me to wear comfortably now, it also pulls up oddly in the front. It simply does not do justice to the gorgeous yarn it is made of.

So I have made a decision. I am not going to waste the wool. I am not going to hide the cardigan away forever. I am going to frog it. And try again.

This is a painful yet liberating decision.

I've been having a lot of fun frogging knitting lately. While cleaning up around the house I found a half finished garter-stitch (!) blanket that was never going to be finished. In a lovely purple wool. I decided to have a go at unravelling it to see if the yarn was salvageable. Hours of entertainment in front of the TV. And I now have plenty of purple yarn to re-work into more hats.

I also found a gorgeous Noro Kureyon vest that I have never worn because although the knitting is perfect, it just doesn't sit right on me. At $14.50/ball I decided this was too good a yarn to waste. So I am very carefully unravelling it now. It's better off being reworked into a scarf than being tucked away on a shelf forever because I never liked the finished garment but couldn't bear to part with the previous wool.

In de-cluttering news, I spent the long weekend investigating a pile of assorted wool, sewing and papers that had accumulated next to my computer. This pile had archaeological value, with the bottom layer including projects and papers from my previous job (which I left 15 months ago).

I am pleased to report that there was carpet underneath the ruins and that all the objects have been sorted and catalogued. Important papers were filed, unimportant papers were thrown out, useless horrible yarn (cheap acrylic and odd balls I would never use) donated to the Op Shop and the yarn half-sorted into three large boxes and a spare shelf. I would post a photo but a square of clean carpet is very boring and I was too ashamed to take a before picture.

My cat, Smudgey, however is distressed by the loss of his lovely soft bed.

De-cluttering de blog

So there I was innocently trying to add in the button for the International Scarf Exchange and I somehow manage to lose half my blog. Thus demonstrating that I don't really understand how blogger works. I think it has something to do with the upgrade from the old version of blogger to the new version.

I have my posts, which is the main thing, and I was able to get the most important Australian and NZ knitting ring code back up, which means I shouldn't be kicked off it. However it appears that I must have somehow fallen off the International Knitting Blog ring some time ago... I've sent an email requesting I be reinstated but I'm not holding my breath. If it doesn't happen, it's not the end of the world.

This all seems to fit in with my period of de-cluttering. Many of my links were a little out of date anyway. So I selected a minimalist template and decided to just worry about the current and important stuff.

And looking at the positive side - at least I am finally officially part of the International Scarf Exchange.

Having had to face up to my stash (think 4 large boxes - excluding what I've put up for sale on eBay), I have decided that whoever I am knitting for will get a scarf knitted from the stash. Considering I have some very nice merino wool and mohair, they will not lose out by this decision. I even found an unused ball of Noro Kureyon in my clean-up!

Stash reduction bargains on eBay

As part of my on-going project to de-clutter my life, I am listing some of my stash yarn on eBay. It was yarn I bought with the best of intentions but in my heart I know it is never going to be used by me and it is time to find a new home.

Item 1: 12+ balls of rich burgundy 5-ply machinewash crepe. 100% pure wool. Great for socks, gloves, children's clothes. Enough for a size 12 women's jumper.

Item 2: 19 balls of bright pink Charisma mohair - 8ply. Enough for an adult jumper or maybe a blanket. Great for scarfs and hats.

Starting price for both lots - $1/ball. Click here if you are interested.

De-sizing my life

One thing I've posted very little about is my attempts to lose some of my excess weight. One, because I don't want this issue to define who I am and what I've achieved in life. And two, because it is so damn boring.

But a few weeks ago I reached a major milestone - 10kg lost over the course of a year. Nothing that will get me a spot on The Biggest Loser or Dieter of the Year, but a definite measurable success.

One thing that had really frustrated me was that although I knew the weight was coming off, it seemed to have very little impact on my actual size. I was constantly wondering where exactly the weight was coming off from because aside from a very slight loosening of my skirts, it wasn't noticeable. So I went out and bought all my autumn clothes in my usual size. A week later my butt shrank overnight.

I probably wouldn't have noticed except the gym decided to refurbish its rowing machines. I used the newly refurbished rowing machine and thought "I'm so glad they've put on these new bigger seats". Two days later I used the bike in the gym (which had not been refurbished) and noticed that the seat seemed bigger than I remembered. And then I realised that the gym seats hadn't grown; rather my butt, against all expectations and history, had shrunk.

And I had a wardrobe full of clothes that were loose around the butt as well as the waist. I had finally gone down a size.

Now I still have a butt that most people would consider supersized. Even if I get down to my healthy weight, I will still be too big for a lot of fashion. I can deal with that. Because all I have to do is drop one more size and I will be able to buy clothes in a lot of normal stores again. That is achievable. And too bad if that is not good enough for anyone else (especially talentless so-called designers who are incapable of making clothes that look good on anyone above a size 12 - may they all go broke).

Jeff, who can be incredibly supportive, knew what to do to help me celebrate the milestone. He dragged me clothes shopping and talked me into buying a skirt and three tops in my new size. Even though this wasn't budgeted for. Even though in theory I could (and would) continue to get away wearing my old clothes.

Because if I only wear my old clothes I could easily fall into the trap of feeling that I had achieved my goal - it's hard to feel that you have a heap of weight to lose when you are swimming in your oversized clothes and using safety pins to keep your skirts from falling off your hips.

I don't know if I will ever be a size 14 again, let alone a 12 (my skeleton alone is bigger than a size 10), but I know I need to lose a bit more weight for my future health. I'm going well in the exercise stakes (I'm one of the few non-triathletes at my gym to have rowed, stepped, treadmilled and biked more than 1100km) and have so far warded off many of the diseases commonly associated with excess weight, but I deserve better for myself.

And this time, when I get to a size 14 or 16, I will be proud of who I am and not let anyone undermine me. Because anyone who judges me on my ability to wear a size 10 designer outfit is clearly too stupid and shallow to be worthy of my attention.

In knitting news

The merino wool cardigan is almost finished - just the collar and buttons to go. Like all my knitting projects it didn't exactly turn out as expected - it's a bit shorter and more fitted than planned. I'm not sure yet whether it will be wearable outside the house. It certainly feels very comfortable. I'll post pictures at some stage.

I'm still waiting for my official blogger invite to the International Scarf Exchange. I will be so annoyed if I miss out due to a technical hiccup. It's all supposed to be starting this week. I have about 5 balls of the pale pink merino wool left over, so I might use this for the project - depending on what my exchange pal has listed as likes and dislikes. Knowing my luck I'll end up with a male who wants a solid black scarf.

What dust problem?

All that fluff, cat hair and dirt was under the keys of the computer keyboard. Not a single wad of muck was added for this picture. Jeff decided to pop the keys off to see if he could find out why the keys were a bit sticky.

I can't believe it was working at all.

De-cluttering de-life

For some time I've been trying to quietly rid myself of some of the excess baggage in my life. It's not just my yarn stash which is out of control. I have at least an entire room of stuff I don't need and which is weighing me down.

I decided at the start of this year to try and work through this using the incremental "baby steps" method. It would be way too easy to throw up my hands in the air and declare "it's all too much" but that doesn't solve the problem. So I set myself little achievable goals. Like trying to fill one supermarket shopping bag with stuff I don't need and getting it to the Op Shop.

I tried the "if I haven't worn it in 2 years, it's going" method of going through my wardrobe, and while this wasn't entirely successful, it was a start. Then there was the "if it's too worn out to wear to work and not comfortable enough to garden in, it's going" method. Another few garments hit the road. My wardrobe began to breathe. Enough space to fit in the new autumn clothes.

I still have a way to go with the clothes.

I then turned to my books. It kills me to get rid of a book but even I have to admit there are some which don't deserve a second read. And there are some which I never started, cannot recall buying and on multiple occasions have picked up, couldn't get into and put down. Out, out, ye damn space wasters. Life's too short to be surrounded by crappy books. I still have more books than most other people I know (excluding my husband) but now at least I'm confident most are worth reading. And I have nearly enough bookshelf space for them.

This morning it was the hats. No I haven't got rid of the excess knitted beanies. At least not yet. But I had three straw hats, only one of which was good enough to wear in public. The other two are gone. Then there was the cloth sunhat too small for my head. Bye-bye.

This evening I turned to my knitting needles. This is really embarrassing. How I managed to accumulate no less than six pairs of size 4.5mm needles is beyond me. Especially as it is a size I can recall only ever using once. I didn't want to overdo it, so I just cleared out all the excess needles above two pairs of each size. A huge handful now gone and I can close the extra-large toolbox that houses my knitting needles.

I really hope that a new knitter picks up those needles at the Op Shop. I think I picked up some of them at the Op Shop originally. But I am learning. Just because it is a bargain, doesn't mean I need to buy it. I can't knit with more than one set of needles at a time. And cheap plastic needles make knitting a chore and are not worth buying.

I've been really good not buying more yarn this year as I can and will knit my way through my stash. I'm almost at the point of being able to say "If I'm never going to use a particular ball of yarn, it's going". No matter how much money I foolishly wasted on it two years ago.

Because once I rid myself of all this unnecessary stuff encroaching on my life I will have the space and time to fill it with what I want. Which will probably include a few skeins of possum merino yarn.

Bookmarking the Posmerino

I'm getting a little excited about this International Scarf Exchange. The odds are that I will be assigned an American knitter (since they dominate the exchange). I have already bookmarked The Knittery's Posmerino yarn as I think this would be something they haven't encountered before. Providing, of course, my partner isn't allergic to natural fibres and the available colours aren't all on his/her hate list.

International Scarf Exchange 4

I'm plodding away on the sleeves of my cardigan... yawn, yawn... sleeves are SO boring! Thank goodness I am doing both at once or the second one would never be finished. It's a lovely warm yarn (Cleckheaton Merino Supremo) and my stitches are neat and it may even look good when I wear it BUT as a knitting project it is just a little dull :( I don't even feel inspired to post a picture as how exciting can five miles of stocking stitch be? But all attempts to introduce eyelets, etc just led to tears and rip-backs. As for cables - well it's not a very flattering look for a larger lady, especially in 10-ply yarn. My aim is to create a garment I can wear in public without shame.

Anyway, I'm itching to try another scarf but I really can't justify making yet another for myself and I have already inflicted too many projects on family and friends. Then I found out about the International Scarf Exchange. The idea is that you knit a scarf for a complete stranger who is knitting a scarf for another complete stranger and then we all end up with a scarf. I know these things can go pear-shaped (I believe Grandmother Purl is still waiting for her blanket) but this project is now in its 4th year and I'm willing to take a risk.

I might even be able to reduce the stash a little further. Unless I'm tempted to use it as an excuse to purchase some more yarn.

Vale Trevor

Last Friday Trevor, one of my colleagues, failed to turn up to work. That afternoon we discovered that he had passed away during the night. He was in his 40s.

Trevor didn't enjoy good health but his death was completely unexpected. Prior to last Friday he had been one of the oldest (if not the oldest) surviving Australians born with cystic fibrosis. But if you didn't know he had it, you would never have guessed it. What you noticed was his passion and energy and determination and utter commitment to unionism. If you noticed he was aged beyond his years, the immediate assumption was that maybe he had partied a little too hard in his youth. But the only drugs Trevor took were prescription.

Trevor could be overly direct and abrupt but, as one of my friend's put it, this was because he always knew he didn't have the same amount of time as everyone else and he wanted to fit it all in. Last week he was campaigning against one of the most recalcitrant employers in Australia and negotiating with his builder over a major Art Deco renovation of his home.

Everyone was in massive shock when they heard of his death. Yes, we all knew that he had lived 20 years longer than most people with cf and that he had been in and out of hospital several times over the past months (during which time he sat up in bed writing union organising plans) but there was no warning that his time was coming now. When someone has spent their entire life beating the odds, you expect them to keep doing so.

Trevor died as all good people should; suddenly and hopefully without pain, after years of doing what he believed in. He always wanted to do more but those of us left behind know that he fitted more into his shortened life than many people twice his age with perfect health.

His legacy lives on in the many people he touched over the years.

Still alive and knitting

It's been 35+ for the past four days (hottest February weather for 40 years) but prior to the heat kicking in, I finished the back and front of my cardigan. In the end I unravelled every attempt at eyelet holes and cables, deciding that the simple look was ultimately the best.

I'll knit the sleeves at the same time, which has three advantages. 1/ I won't suffer from second-sleeve syndrome (where one gets so bored with the knitting that the second sleeve is never knitted). 2/ It guarantees they will both be the same length and shape. 3/ If I run out of blue yarn (very likely) I will have a pink segment in the same position on each sleeve.

Merino Supremo

I bought this Cleckheaton Merino Supreme yarn on sale at Cleggs last year. Being an end-of-season sale and half price, there wasn't enough of any one colour to make an adult-sized jumper, but the yarn was just so soft and screaming "knit me" and it was an absolute bargain ($3/ball) that I couldn't resist. I figured the grey-blue and soft pale pink went well together.

And for once this is one impulse bargain buy that I don't (yet) regret.

It's been another mild week, so I cast on for a jumper and have been really impressed by just what a joy this yarn is to knit with. You can feel the quality in every stitch. And being 10-ply it knits up very quickly.

Even though I was initially planning on making a jumper, the fabric has more the feel of a lovely cozy cardigan, so I'll probably go this way. It also means I can use the pink yarn for the front bands as well as the ribbed bands and collar and cuffs.

I'm finding knitting the plain stocking stitch rather dull and boring but don't want to add even more bulk with cables. Maybe I'll introduce an eyelet pattern towards the top of the garment.

Two more hats

Ignore the colour of the hat on the left. It is actually the lovely deep rich purple which I used to edge my Lizard Ridge blanket but the camera was being very strange this morning. As part of my stash-reduction plan, I decided to use the last of this yarn to make myself a hat.

I'd pretty much given up on trying to knit hats for my husband - every hat I've made him to date has been too big, too small or somehow not quite right. But Goldilocks decided that my purple hat was just the right size and style for him, so I relented and did a black version.

Here is the really simple pattern for anyone else who has a Goldilocks in their life (and so I don't forget it myself). While all the ribbing is mind-numbingly boring, it solves a lot of sizing issues as it can expand and contract. And it is the sort of knitting you can do to justify watching Babylon 5 or Midsomer Murder episodes on TV or DVD.

2 X 50g balls of 8ply wool (any brand) - you'll only use about half of the second ball

3.75mm 40cm circular needle (optional)

set of 3.75mm DPNs (Double Pointed Needles)

(Tighter knitters may need to use 4mm needles - just use whatever size you normally use for 8ply knitting; the ribbing is very forgiving if your guage is a little out.)

Cast on 120 stitches onto the ciruclar needle (or DPNS, 40 stitches per needle if you have a set of 4; 30 stitches per needle if you have a set of 4). Join ends, being careful not to twist stitches.

(The most difficult part of the hat is now complete).

Put on a dialogue-heavy DVD or BBC radio play (Lord of the Rings or the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy are good)

*k2, p2 (repeat from *) until you have a ribbed tube measuring 25cm in length.

*k2, p2-tog (repeat from *) for one round.

*k2-tog, p1(repeat from *) for one round.

Change to DPNS

Knit one round (placing 20 stitchers on each needle)

*k8, k2-tog (repeat from *) for one round. (54 stitches remaining)

*k7, k2-tog (repeat from *) for one round. (48 stitches remaining)

*k6, k2-tog (repeat from *) for one round. (42 stitches remaining)

*k5, k2-tog (repeat from *) for one round. (36 stitches remaining)

*k4, k2-tog (repeat from *) for one round. (30 stitches remaining)

*k3, k2-tog (repeat from *) for one round. (24 stitches remaining)

*k2, k2-tog (repeat from *) for one round. (18 stitches remaining)

*k1, k2-tog (repeat from *) for one round. (12 stitches remaining)

*k2-tog (repeat from *) for one round. (6 stitches remaining)

Cut yarn, leaving a 15 cm tail. Thread the end onto a wool needle and draw through the remaining 6 stitches. Pull tightly and sew end neatly into the wrong side of the hat. Sew in the starting end. Roll up brim to desired height.

How to buy size 14 clothes on sale (really)

Once upon a time when I was a size 14 and thought I was the biggest blob on the planet (now of course I wish for those heady skinny days) I used to get really irritated in clothing stores that seemed to sell out of their size 14 or large items within a day and were filled with extra small and small sized clothes (sizes 8-10) that inevitably were heavily discounted at the middle or end of the season. It just wasn't fair!

Now that I am a little larger I buy a lot of my clothes at stores that specialise in sizes 14+. I went to the sales last week and while I did reasonably well (3 skirts and 4 tops from Taking Shape for well under $200 in total), I noticed something else. Like all clothing stores, most of their sale items were in the “extra small” and “small” sizes which in the plus-size world generally translates as sizes 14 and 16. So if you happen to be a size 14 and visit a plus-size store, you can not only pick up a good bargain in clothes that actually fit but you can also have the satisfaction of walking around wearing a genuine “extra small” labelled garment. (Very silly I know, but also satisfying on a superficial level.)

For instance, the MySize clearance store in Richmond had good work shirts that I paid $60-$70 for a few months ago for only $9.95 – if you happened to be a size 14-16.

I can't wait until I am a tiny size 14-16 again and can take advantage of such bargains.

Lessons from the summer of 2006/07

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges,

Of drought and flooding rains,

I love her far horizons,

I love her jewel sea,

Her beauty and her terror -

The wide brown land for me.

Dorothea MacKellar

That just about sums up this year's summer - and we're only just over halfway there.

What with the 40+ degree temperatures, power outages, 50 days of continuous bushfires and now flash floods (the international tennis players at the Australian Open must wonder what surreal hell they have fallen into given that the weather has been extreme by even Melbourne standards), the climate over the past week hasn't exactly been conducive to knitting. I think I might have done a couple of rounds of a ribbed beanie in front of the fan before my husband screamed that I was making him feel hot. I might get a bit more knitting done next week given the weather bureau is predicting cooler temperatures - providing of course we don't get rain leaking through the cracks that have appeared in the house from 3 years of extreme drought.

Welcome to Australia.

But I am not going to whinge about the rain or the monsoonal steam that is creeping in everywhere, no matter how irritating or how much mould it is forming. "We need the rain"; this is the Australian mantra. I just hope some of it is putting out the bushfires and/or falling into the dams. Too often we are mocked with just enough rain to be irritating but too little to do much good. We need good heavy rain in the right areas right now.

A lot of people say this is all part of the climate change from global warming; others claim it is just an extreme blip on our always erratic weather patterns. Australia has always been notorious for extreme weather; the above poem was written in 1906. But this year has definitely been a wake-up call to remind us that even if this is not the result of climate change we, as Australians, simply have to be wiser and more sensible about our use of water.

My first cable hat

Made out of scrap 14-ply wool. The 3:3 cables came out rather tight.

Lizard Ridge complete!

Hard as it may be to believe, this blanket only incorporates four different Noro Kureyon colourways (126,139, 148 & 163), so it really showcases the variety of the yarns. I edged it in a rich purple 8-ply which I'm fairly sure was Naturally New Zealand. It took about 4 months of off-again on-again knitting, sewing and crocheting to complete (with a few scarfs and hats knitted in between). All-in-all I'm pretty happy with the result but I don't want to think about the amount of money I spent on the yarn (even though about half was already in my stash). My husband claims just looking at it is making him feel hot (it's the heart of summer in Australia), so I've rolled it up and put it away for winter.

There is light at the end of my blanket

I would normally feel guilty for watching 3 entire series (that is years) of a show over a period of less than a month, but I have spent most of this time also sewing together my Lizard Ridge blanket and it is tantalisingly close to finished.  24 beautiful squares stitched together, using the invisible mattress stitch.  The first row of single crochet around the edge.  More than half of the second row almost finished.

 

Of course the temperature is now going through a post-30 degree Celsius spurt (summer has returned) and I have returned to work from my holidays but I can see a light at the end of my blanket. 

 

I will post a picture as soon as I can

 

We watched the first Babylon 5 movie last night which was not nearly as good as the series that followed.  I believe that many, even better, shows have also taken months, if not years to warm up.  It makes one wonder what potential gems are never forming with new shows being yanked from the screens if they don't rate within a week or two.

New Year, new resolutions

New Year's resolutions are generally both worthy and worthless. We resolve to do worthy things - eat better, exercise more, be nicer to people, etc. And they are worthless because after a few hours, days or weeks, we revert to the usual habits.

I didn't bother waiting for the new year for the usual resolutions. And I am keeping them better than I have in the past. But this year I decided on a special knitter's resolution. As I currently have enough wool in my stash for at least a dozen jumpers and pairs of socks, I will attempt to knit up at least one garment in between purchasing more wool. Scarfs and hats don't count, although I suspect they will be a major part of the destashing process.

I had enough of the 14-ply recycled jumper wool left over to make up another hat - this time with tight twisted cables, a first for me. Picture to follow, when I can be organised. I started knitting up a pair of socks but unravelled them when I started making mistakes (a lot of my knitting is being done while watching Babylon 5 and series 3 is proving to be very enthralling). Instead I am sewing up my Noro blanket while watching TV, which is a worthy job. With any luck it will be finished by winter. Memo to self: No more blanket squares, even if they are Noro. I hate sewing.

We interupt this summer for some winter knitting

It's been really cold this week in Melbourne and we are really glad we've procrastinated taking in the winter doona for its summer clean because we have needed it. This time last year we were melting in the heat.

What I should have been doing was sewing together all those Noro blanket squares. What I have been doing is a new hat and scarf project (because I only have about 50 of these already!) But it is not all bad: I found the half-finished 14-ply jumper I started about 8-months ago and abandoned after realising it was too short and too wide for me to wear, ripped out the knitting, salvaged what yarn I could. Then I started on a nice simple piece of therapeutic knitting, a four-stitch four-row wide basket weave scarf. Then I realised I had plenty of yarn left over, so I made a matching hat. It's all very daggy or "cute in a retro way" as my husband puts it. It is also very warm. I'm not sure if I will inflict it on a friend or relative or donate it to charity.

You wouldn't believe this if it was in the movies

Australia is famous for some pretty quirky weather including sudden changes that tend to freak out visitors and newcomers. But a film script based on the events of the past few weeks in Victoria would be dismissed as being too unbelievable (although I can see it being promoted as 'A Christmas Miracle'.)

Due to a lack of rain, the bushfire season started early with the first fires in October. By the start of December there were massive bushfires in the alpine areas of Victoria, destroying hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest, burning down buildings, and injuring a number of firefighters, killing one. In the week before Christmas, the fire was threatening several communities and there was the very real possibility that a major ski resort would go up in flames.

Then the miracle happened. It rained, enough to put out some of the fires. The weather remained cool. And on Christmas day it snowed. In the middle of an Australian summer, snow fell on the Victorian alps.

If you don't believe me, visit the story here. They even have a photo of the fire truck covered with snow and Christmas decorations, surrounded by some very relieved firefighters.

And now the work begins

I've finally finished knitting all 24 Lizard Ridge squares, all the ends are woven in and I've even steam blocked the squares flat. But how I dread sewing it all up!

Speaking of sewing up, it looks like my square for Grandmother Purl's blanket made it into the main item (3rd row from the top, 3rd square from the right) - not everyone was as conscious as me in ensuring they produced a perfect 8 inch square; hence two more blankets made up of "squares slightly smaller than 8 inches" and "squares slightly larger than 8 inches" will be made up.

I also received a certificate from The Beaconsfield Close-Knit Community Working Group thanking me for my contribution to their 925 metre scarf. Look out for the extra-bright lime green section if it comes to a town near you.

I've (obviously) been a bit "off" blogging the last few weeks; my knitting slowed down but did not stop altogether. I've been reading a bit more; conscientiously slogging my way through "The God of Small Things" - I know it is meant to be great literature but I'm finding it slow going. A faster, and for me more enjoyable, read has been Dodie Smith's "I Capture the Castle" (click on the link for a good plot summary). A $5 bargain from my favourite op shop. Written in 1949 but amazingly fresh and compelling. A film version was made in 2003 but I'm sure it could not capture the nuances and energy of the book.

An extra inch

You learn something new everyday. One of my hats was returned to me this weekend by the owner who found it just that little bit too short to wear comfortably. Could I possibly add an extra inch?

The main problem was that I had knitted the hat from the rim up, so I couldn't just unravel the last row. I wasn't in the mood to unravel the whole hat so I thought I would try picking up stitches from the cast on row and see how things went. Much to my surprise it worked - possibly because it is a rather silly style to start with and a row of tiny holes where the new yarn was joined in fitted in quite OK.

I was able to use up a small amount of rather gorgeous rich purple Cleckheaton Country I had left over, which fitted in well with the Noro. I wasn't able to resist the green and red yarn combination for the final edging - if she hates it, I can easily undo the final few rows and do something else. But there is something about an elf-style hat that just begs for a little green and red trim.

Maybe it is just the time of year and Holiday decorations everywhere.

No knitting allowed for potential jurors

Well my excitement about spending my day around the courts knitting turned out to be a little premature. Despite the official website of the Courts and Tribunals - Victoria stating:

You can bring things with you, such as books, knitting or paperwork, to
occupy yourself while you wait.

(Scroll down to 'Facilities in the pool room')

my knitting was promptly confiscated as I entered the court building.

While I realise this is consistent with the policy of airlines, I was a bit annoyed as I had specially checked before taking my knitting. And it is not just the website; it's in the official handbook for jurors which they gave me after taking away my knitting. Apparently if you are selected as a juror you can bring in the knitting for when you are not actually in the courtroom but I don't know if I want to test this.

Lucky I had brought a book.

Finally a place to legitimately knit!

Knitting needles may be banned from planes but at least they are not considered a dangerous weapon as far as Melbourne's law courts are concerned. I've been summoned for potential jury duty on Monday and "knitting" is listed as one of the acceptable items to bring to occupy oneself while waiting to be called or otherwise. Everyone I've spoken to who has been summoned for jury service has told me it will be the most boring day of my life and to bring a good book to get through the day.

I bought a good book today (Dymocks was having a 20 percent off sale) but unfortunately I've already finished it before even making it to court! Kazuo Ishiguro is probably most famous for "Remains of the Day" (which was made into an excellent film starring Anthony Hopkins). This book, "Never Let Me Go", is completely different - if I didn't know who the author was, I would have confidently bet that it was written by Margaret Atwood; there is the same sort of "feel" and skewed morality of "The Handmaid's Tale" - and it is equally, scarily, devastatingly believable. Written as a memoir, "Never Let Me Go" traces the life of a group of friends growing up in a seemingly loving boarding school to their inescapable fate in the wider world as part of a subclass born and bred only to provide vital organs for others. It is totally enthralling and devastating and "unputdownable".

So, I will bring "The God of Small Things" (which I still haven't been able to get into) to court on Monday and my knitting (probably a pair of socks).

Lizard-ridge progress - 17 squares complete. I will probably be able to finish 20 before I need to buy more wool.

More blanket squares

The top picture is Lizard Ridge squares 12, 13 & 13 1/2. I'm now using colourway 126 which I bought off eBay. A bit garish for my taste -- there is a lot of orange and yellow -- but it will work in well with the blanket.

We had a sudden burst of summer this week (two days above 30 degrees Celcius) which slowed down the knitting. Looks like my timing (re: when the blanket will be ready) is as good as ever.

Also pictured is the blanket square for Grandma Purl which I will post off this week. The pattern I used created a little row of holes around the outside, so I threaded through some contrast thread to brighten it up. Hopefully she won't mind the Christmas colouring :)

And a square for Grandmother Purl

Well I've signed up for the Knit a Square for Grandmother Purl blog. The squares are supposed to be 8 inches square and as they are all going to be sewn together, it's pretty important to get the sizing right. I've always had a problem calculating tension and my first attempt started a square that ended up more like 9 inches in width. So although I would have loved to do a square complete with Australian motif, I decided for the sake of my sanity to knit a square on the bias that at least would come out the right size :) And yes, that is my lurid green stash that is being used up - too bright for an individual garment but fine for a patchwork blanket. And perfectly good quality 8-ply yarn too I might add.


Maybe after this one is finished I will try another style. Or maybe I will return to my own selfish Lizard Ridge personal blanket making (currently halfway through the 12th square in the most lurid Noro colourway I have ever seen).

My contribution to the Beaconsfield scarf

Well this very unexciting piece of over-loose knitting is my contribution to the scarf remembering the rescue of the Beaconsfield miners. Look out for the over-bright green patch if the scarf makes it to your town! I'm actually very happy to have finally found a use for this recycled yarn that I could not bare to either throw away or use in a garment that I would actually wear. We've been asked to send some thoughts about the Beaconsfield rescue with our knitting. So I'm contributing the lines: "In memory of the Beaconsfield rescue for showing us that miracles can occur even in this day and age and that light can come out of the most tragic circumstances". Corny, I know, but true and I think they will like it.

I'm knitting as fast as I can (part 2)

Pictured are Lizard Ridge squares 8-11. Mostly knitted out of Noro Kureyon Colourway 169 - sea greens and blues. With a few bits and pieces of other Noro leftovers.

The lime-green is the beginning of my contribution to the Beaconsfield scarf knit-a-thon. It's just 30 stitches of 8ply on very large 9mm needles, which creates a net-like fabric. The aim is to create a 925 metre scarf for the Beaconsfield Museum to commemorate the miraculous rescue of 2 miners who were trapped 925 metres below ground after the mine they were working in collapsed (a third miner, Larry Knight, died). Not the most challenging project in the world, but for a worthy cause.

I'm also hoping to make a contribution to the Knit a Square for Grandma Purl project as Crazy Aunt Purl is one of my favourite blogs and I'm pretty confident that the square will end up in a blanket for a worthy older person.

Then OzKnitter starts a My First Toe-Up sock knitathon. OK, I've made one pair but I'm keen to make Daimante from Fall Knitty, which are toe-up socks and will be a challenge for me. And my new supply of sock-yarn from the Netherlands arrived today. It is very sad that not only is there a better range of sock yarn available overseas but it is far cheaper, even taking into account postage.

What can I say? I'm knitting as fast as I can!

I'm knitting as fast as I can

I'm now up to 7 completed Lizard Squares; the one's pictured being knitted out of colourway 148 (with a small amount of the remaining colourway 139). I still have three balls of colourway 148 but am taking a break knitting the sea blue/green colourway 163.

Trekking socks finished with newly discovered cast-off method.

I have been so enamoured with Lizard Ridge, that I haven't even mentioned that I finished the Trekking toe-up socks some time ago.  No picture yet as I have already worn the socks and they are sitting in my laundry basket awaiting washing.

 

I've decided that I definitely like the toe-up technique as they make a much neater toe, are easier to fit and somehow even the heels work better.  The downside was working out how to cast-off the top part of the sock without ending up with something too tight to even pull over the foot.  Even casting off with a (much) larger needle didn't seem to help.  I found the solution on the Internet (and will add a link if I ever find it again...) So I'm not claiming this as a personal discovery but do want to share it with any other knitters who are having the problem.

 

Top-of socks stretchy cast-off

Knit 2 stitches together.  Loosen up the resulting stitch (I found I got the right amount by stretching out the ribs).  Slip the loosened stitch back onto the left needle.  Knit it and the next stitch together.  Loosen up the resulting stitch.  Repeat until one stitch is left and slip the yarn through the final loop. 

 

The trick is to ensure that the loops are loose enough.

 

Once I finish Lizard Ridge (or run out of Noro yarn - whichever comes first) I shall return to knitting another pair of socks.  The reality is that although I can buy quality socks much more cheaply in the stores, I genuinely do prefer to wear the ones I've knitted myself.

Noro Kureyon: Knitters' Crack

I've read somewhere that Noro yarn is the knitters' equivalent to heroin or cocaine. Extremely expensive and highly addictive. The four completed lizard ridgesquares previously pictured used up nearly 3 balls of yarn and worked out at about AUD$10 each. They would have been even more expensive if I hadn't bought the yarn on sale. And Lizard Ridge is going to require at least 24 squares. I don't want to even think about that...

My Lizard Ridge will not be as bright as the one pictured as I will be using 3-6 balls of several different colourways instead of 24 different colourways. In Australia it is impossible to buy 24 different colourways locally. While I am scarily aware of how I can order every available colour from Canada, I am determined to knit up all the leftover balls in my stash before buying any moreyarn.

I used up the last of colourway 139 and am now moving onto colourway 148. I finished my fifth lizard ridge square today, sitting in the stairwell of the tram coming home (I told you Noro knitting is addictive). I am envisioning this becoming my 'heirloom' rug. I have a crocheted rug made out of brightly coloured verigated yarn that my mum made in the 1970s (I'm sure she was more sensible than me and used a cheaper albeit completely acceptable yarn) which both I and the cats love.

A job to dye for

According to my now favourite documentary series, wool dying was one of the worst jobs in Tudor England. While the dyers managed to perfect a technique of using a common weed, woad, to colour wool fleece a rich royal blue, they were banished to live outside the main towns because of the truly foul stench of the process.

Royalty, it seemed, loved the product and ordered vast amounts but didn't want to know about the pain involved in producing it. It kind of reminds me of people today wanting the benefits of cheap products but turning a blind eye to the conditions they are made under in China and India. Plus ce change...

Personally I would have far preferred to be a wool dyer in Tudor England than the allegedly more prestigious job of wiping the king's bottom.

Although it might have smelt bad, wool-dying provided almost model OH&S working conditions by Tudor standards. Minimal risk of poisoning or being burnt, reasonable pay and working hours (by Tudor standards) and definitely a lot more interesting and rewarding than many of the jobs of the day. And with the foul stench as a barrier, I suspect one would have been left alone to get on with the job instead of being micro-managed with a boss peering over the shoulder every five minutes!

I see it but I don't believe it

Hard as it might be to believe, all four of these Lizard Ridge squares were knitted out of the same colourway (and in most cases the same balls) of Noro Kureyon 139. It just demonstrates how unusual and unpredictable the yarn is and how difficult it is to plan how a Noro piece will actually look when complete. Only one ball, for instance, how any of the bright grass-green, while another had an almost excessive amount of hot pink. It's just the way it falls.

It's making me feel less stressed about knitting the blanket out of a variety of colourways as it seems pretty clear that each square will be unique.

The most irritating part of the project to date has been sewing in the ends (as I switch balls of yarn every six rows) but I am making myself do this before I start the next square. Sewing together the squares will be bad enough, but dealing with 16 ends of wool to weave in on each square at the end would be unbearable!

Due to the short-row shaping, the squares hardly lie flat so I will have no choice but to block the pieces before sewing up the blanket.

Lizard ridge: One square down, 23 (or more) to go

All these fabulous colours come from just one ball of of Noro Kureyon (colourway 139); how can one not love a yarn that magically (it seems) creates such wonderful patterns?

It's actually much nicer in real life but I gave up trying to adjust the picture - every time I got one shade right, most of the others were a bit off. The green and pink are right in this photo. But the purple is much richer in real life.

I've started the next square from the same ball of yarn and there are even more colours appearing. The short-row pattern is perfect for my level of knitting skill - interesting enough to stop me getting bored but not so difficult that I get frustrated or spend half my time un-knitting.

How to insult and drive away customers (method 294)

I decided to keep my Trekking sock as a public transport project - I'll probably finish it in the next day or two - and started last night on the Lizard Ridge afghan in the latest Knitty. I'll probably be able to get two squares done a week, so in three months time I should have my afghan. Provided I don't pike as the weather heats up.

In non-knitting news... if you were a shop assistant and a customer came in and said "I'd like to buy this small black leather handbag" would you respond:

a/ Of course, do you want it wrapped? Or
b/ Do you want me to show you some other bags before you make a final decision? Or
c/ That's a real old lady's bag. What about this fashionable beige nylon purse instead?

The oh-so-fashionable middle-aged bleached hair fake-suntanned shop assistant in Camberwell seemed to think 'c' was the way to secure a sale.

I walked out, leaving my jaw on the floor, and eventually made it to a store in a far less fashionable suburb where the shop assistant politely rang up the sale, charging me 20 percent less than I would have had to pay for the identical bag in Camberwell. Maye she also thought the bag was daggy and had discounted it for a quick sale. But unlike her counterpart in the fashionable suburb, she actually made a sale.

Fancy some medievil felting?

I've been entranced in recent weeks by a documentary series The Worst Jobs in History  which paints a less than romantic picture of life in the distant past.  Watching the show you begin to wonder how anyone made it to adulthood and indeed, why they would want to.  Most jobs appear to be a combination of boring, dangerous and physically taxing - as opposed to the mere mental boredom and emotional torment of a job in a modern-day call centre, for example.

 

Each episode the host, having described some pretty hideous and dangerous jobs, nominates a 'worst' job for a period.  Last night it was being a fuller in medieval Britain; the person who felted woollen cloth by walking up and down on it in a bucket full of stale urine.

 

While this does sound pretty disgusting, I think it would be a far more pleasant option than collecting leaches or blood-letting or hauling stones or working in a modern-day call centre.  But maybe that is just me.

 

In knitting news, I am about six inches of ribbing away from finishing my second Trekking sock.  I went to Sunspun on the weekend to take advantage of their 10 percent off sale and buy some more Noro Kureyon to make the Lizard Ridge afghan (yes, I have been sucked in).  I also wanted to buy some more sock yarn but couldn't justify spending the money - nearly AUD$20/ball, even with the discount (I realise this sounds ridiculous from someone who buys Noro Kureyon).  I'm contemplating an overseas order for the sock yarn but will probably wait until I've knitted a bit further into my stash.

First toe-up sock complete

Honestly and truly my legs are not as skinny as this sock seems to imply. The rib pattern pulls everything in but it expands to about twice the width when worn. I've even started the second sock, as can be seen on the circular needle. It will be a "fraternal" rather than identical twin as this yarn is made from four strands of yarn, each of which is individually dyed, meaning that the colours will never match completely.

I'm very happy with the sock as it fits very well and was quite easy to knit and there is no messy seam at the toe point.

The new Knitty is up and I am seriously contemplating the Diamante socks as my next sock project. I was quite chuffed to discover that a 'proper' designer had also decided that 12 figure-8 loops was the right number for her toe-up socks.

I also fell in love with Lizard Ridge knitted out of my favourite Noro Kureyon, utilising short-row techniques. But 20+ balls will make it a very expensive project. Maybe I will do version 1, knitting one ball at a time so it won't seem so expensive as I go...

There's also an article on Extreme Knitting - two socks at once, one inside the other. It's a bit too extreme for me at this stage.

One of the girls on the Melbourne SnB list is proposing a new meet for those of us in the eastern suburbs. I hope it comes off as I haven't been able to get to too many of the other meets.

Beginning of toe-up socks

After a few false starts, I've started my first pair of toe-up socks and much to my surprise have ended up making up my own pattern. There are lots of excellent instructions on doing the Figure 8 cast-on on the internet (just google 'figure 8 cast-on' for other websites with instructions) and it creates a beautiful, truly smooth with no seem toe. I didn't find it as difficult as I feared or many people suggested, but one thing didn't make sense. Nearly all the instructions suggested starting with only 6 or 8 stitches on each needle, which made a tiny pointed toe that was completely useless for my Hobbit-wide feet. Or maybe I was using thinner yarn than they were?

Remembering that the sock pattern I had previously knitted and had fitted me had ended with 12 stitches on each needle, I decided to ignore the official patterns, cast caution to the wind and start with 12 stitches. And I was pretty happy with the result.

Once I had increased up to 64 stitches, I thought maybe I should start doing a pattern on the top part of the foot. I decided a simple double-rib that would stretch over the wide top of my foot and could be continued up the calf would be appropriate. I haven't yet got to the heel but one pattern suggests a short-row heel (which I already know how to do) - so I'll do that. So somehow I've ended up with my own pattern for my first pair of toe-up socks. If it works I'll write the pattern up and post it.

De-crapping de-stash

Some time ago I went through my stash of yarn, selling off on eBay all the acrylic and novelty yarn that I didn't enjoy knitting with and would probably never use. This morning I decided I needed to do the same thing with my needles.

I have literally an entire tool case filled with needles, most of which I never use. I have discovered that cheap plastic needles are generally worth less than I paid for them and was distressed to find that in many cases I had multiple pairs of poor-quality needles in the same sizes. I also had lots of odd needles where the pair had been lost months or years ago. It was time to de-crap my needle stash.

Poor quality needles make knitting a chore rather than fun. I have recently bought and been given some good quality needles and they make all the difference.

The needles pictured above represent probably only 10 percent of my collection (I'll probably have to do a few rounds of this). I've decided to give them to my local op shop rather than bother trying to flog them on eBay (which is flooded with cheap needles already). If the op shop can get a few dollars for them from someone who would otherwise spend twice as much for them from a national chain store, I think we have a all round win-win situation.

Finished socks

How knitting has taught me courage

I'm burning my way through the second Magic Loop Trekking sock and will almost certainly finish it this week. No second sock syndrome for me this time. It's only the fourth pair of socks I've ever completed and the first pair made out of 'proper' 4-ply (fingering-weight) sock yarn (the others have been thicker boot socks made out of 6-ply and 8-ply yarn). And while I'm not yet feeling courageous enough to enter Yarnmonkey's Sock War 2006, I'm contemplating that maybe I should try a different pattern next time, perhaps try and learn a toe-up pattern which seems to be a much more sensible way of ensuring that one knits socks that actually fit (as you can try them on as you go enabling you to make a better judgment call as to whether to add a few extra stitches for width). Then there is the Knitting two socks on one needle technique which I think would be the ultimate way of ensuring one ends up with two equally-sized socks without having a heap of yarn left-over (which I will this time - although it is much better than getting towards the end of the second sock and realising there isn't enough yarn ...) Maybe a few socks into the future I'll contemplate that.

Anyway I know there are other knitters who seem to be able to pick up the teeny tiny thin needles and make a perfect 4-ply sock with no strange holes in the ankle and elaborate patterns and calf-shaping down the leg from the word go but I'm not one of them. My first few attempts with 'proper' sock yarn were failures. So I went a step further back and started my first completed pair of socks with thicker yarn and have worked my way up to a 'real' thin-yarn sock. And now here I am mid-way through my eighth completed sock getting maybe just a little bored and contemplating something new.

It would have been a lot easier to say "it's too hard, I can't do it" and not try again after my first failure but I am really proud of myself for perservering. Because the reality is that a year after my first failed attempts I have definitely succeeded, and if it took me longer than for some other people, so be it. There are more non-knitters than knitters out there and none of the non-knitters are making their own socks (the cynical part of me notes they are saving money by spending less money buying the socks from the store than knitters spend on yarn and needles -- but it's not the same).

I still have 20 balls of Jo Sharp yarn which I will one day turn into a jumper. But I want to do it right. This experience with my socks convinces me that that day may be closer than I think.

Magic Loop convert

I can't believe I spent so many months struggling with DPNs, trying to find the perfect set, comparing brands, importing (and breaking) bamboo needles.

I have discovered Magic Loop and now I am a convert. As fervent and as zealous as only the newly-converted can be.

I cannot believe how fast and simple it is to knit socks with this technique. My fears re: turning the heel turned out to be baseless. If anything, it was easier than on DPNs as all the stitches were on one needle instead of being spread over two. And the stitches didn't slide off the needle as indisciminately as when they were spread over four or five needles. The only vaguely confusing part was when I discovered the sock was, in effect, being knitted inside out. But I managed to turn it the right way around and continued on in my merry way.

Another really good thing about Magic Loop, is that it is really easy to try on the sock as you are knitting, without needling to take the WIP (Work-In-Progress) off the needle, as the stitches can be easily slipped onto the flexible wire.

So I'm a convert and I'm a believer and I even have the second sock already on the needle.

Extreme guilt and a few belated appologies

I just checked my Gmail account for the first time in about 2 months and amongst the 100 or so unread emails discovered a few I really should have replied to quite some time ago.

It may be a bit late, but I've replied to them now.

I'm really sorry about that. I had about 2 months where I wasn't doing much in the way of knitting or blogging but I seem to have got past this bump.

I'm 14cm into the first purple Trekking sock and so far I'm finding the 'Magic Loop' method much faster and more comfortable than the DPNs. And the stitches are not so inclined to slip off the needles.

How high petrol prices are impeding my knitting

Sock in progress: 4ply Trekking yarn, 2.5mm needles

After a couple of months where my knitting mojo had definitely been on the wane (as was probably blatantly obvious to anyone reading this blog), I got the urge to pick up the needles again.

But I soon discovered that knitting is now a one-way sport on work days. While I generally get a seat on the tram and train from home (living right near the start of the tram line and catching a non-express train) and can knit, merely getting onto a tram in evening is now a blood sport. Apparently once petrol price hit over $1.30 a lot of peeople did the maths and decided that public transport was a better option and patronage went up 20 percent. Which would have been a good thing if the number of trams and trains had also gone up 20 percent. But alas, no. In fact I would suggest that every single one of those extra public transport users are trying to get on my tram in the evening.

Have you ever tried to knit standing up on a lurching tram, pressed between a school kid eating chips and a business man making appointments on his mobile? I don't recommend it.

The magic of Magic Loop

'Magic Loop' is one of those knitting techniques I avoided, thinking it was too complex and too hard for me to deal with. Essentially it is a method for knitting a sock on one long circular needle.

But having broken a couple of my DPN bamboo needles trying to knit socks, and with the opportunity to purchase some Addi circulars (the Rolls Royce of knitting needles) at a significant discount, I decided to buy the 2mm and 2.5mm 100cm circulars and try and learn the technique.

I love the internet. With the help of Google, I found the perfect explanation site here. It made no sense until I picked up the needles, cast on a few stitches and followed the instructions deliberately ignoring the fact that I couldn't picture what was supposed to happen in my head.

And it worked. And it was so simple. And I am finding that it is even easier to knit socks than on the DPNs.

I'm just not thinking about what I will need to do when it is time to divide off stitches for the heel.

But I will have confidence. And help with my friend the internet. And one day I may even be ready for knitting two socks at once on one long circular needle.

The Beanieaholic

Base: 3/4 ball Jo Sharp Silkrooad Aron
Crown: 1 ball Noro colourway 126
Needles: 5mm circular/DPNs
Knitted: Sunday 20 August
Comments: This falls into the category of knitting as justification for spending the day watching a Star Trek DVDs. And it is quite nice and warm to wear!

Stash yarn hat

This hat was made out of some ends of Noro yarn (mmm!), a small 25 gram warm red 8-ply yarn (the ribbhed brim) and some other odd brown yarn (top of the crown). I'm quite pleased with how it turned out but it is a little too small for me. I think it will make a good non-embarassing donation.

Just read: We need to talk about Kevin

I've discovered a dangerously good op shop within walking distance of work, with a book collection that would rival many mainstream bookstores. Clearly they have one or more regular donors who buys the latest releases from Dymocks or Angus & Robertson, reads the books and instead of stockpiling them (as I do), donates them to charity a year or so down the track.

For a readaholic like me, it is heaven. A lot of the books I have noticed but was either too cheap to buy or couldn't afford to buy a year ago eventually turn up in this store, for less than a quarter of the original price. I don't care if the book is a little dog-eared; the words and story and meaning aren't lost just because someone has cast their eye over them before.

One such book was We need to talk about Kevin. The novel deals with the unthinkable: A mother who takes a more or less instant dislike to her child from the moment he is born, and the child grows up to become a mass murderer, killing seven students and a teacher at his school 3 days before his 16th birthday. The whole way through there is this underlying question of whether Kevin was born evil and his mother instinctively recognised this or if he turned out the way he did, because his mother hated him. The mother in her own words is not a very attractive character but the novel, written in the form of letters to her former husband and Kevin's father, is utterly compelling.

I finished the book in less than 2 days.

The other book I bought was Purple America which I suspect I am going to end up donating back unread. The first chapter is one sentence. A long one, going over several pages. Not quite my thing.

When in doubt, knit a hat

Well here is something new (not) - I'm knitting a hat out of scrap yarn. I think it might be just daggy enough for a trendy relative's birthday.

Doing lots of reading. Just finished The Time Traveler's Wife which was one of those utterly compelling, can't put down novels. Somehow manages to blend heart-wrenching love story with the best quality science fiction (the sort that is really bizarre when you think about it but when you read it, it is totally believable). Totally recommend.

I bought Anne Tyler's Digging to America as a present for my cousin's birthday and then read it myself (so I bought my cousin another book as a present but also lent her Digging to America as I thought she and my aunt would enjoy reading it). Probably Anne Tyler's best book to date; certainly her funniest. Two families, one hippy American, the other 2nd generation Iranian American, meet at the airport when they pick up their adopted daughters from Korea. Despite their differences, they develop a lifelong friendship. But like all of Anne Tyler's books it's the subtleties which make the book. I also finally got around to reading Tyler's The Amateur Marriage which was compelling but ultimately quite sad.

In the knitting world my favourite site You Knit What has shut up shop (sniffle). In the end it was just too much work and not enough fun for the site owners. They will be sadly missed.

The Melbourne Stitch'n' Bitch group has been discussing ways of sneaking knitting needles onto aeroplanes. Bamboo DPNs disguised as hair ornaments was my favourite suggestion! Unfortunately while both the US and UK have relented on the knitting needle ban, it is still in place for Australian planes. Chopsticks are still OK, so I'll just knit with them next flight.

Spot the dog finished

Despite my enuui I was finally able to finish Michael's Spot the Dog jumper and I am pleased with how it turned out. The orange highlights actually look like a planned design feature, rather than a case of running out of wool.

I'm trying to decide what to do next. I really want to do a decent jumper for myself and am considering this top-down pattern (as a jumper, not a cardigan) as I think it gives me the best chance of making something that fits.

While I haven't been knitting (or blogging) very much, I've been catching up on my reading on the tram and doing Sudoku puzzles to try and keep my mind active.

I've also been talking with my dad and learning a bit about my family history. His parents died before I was born and were always just names to me, but now they are shaping themselves as real people in my mind.

Michael's jumper - all knitting done!

Well all the knitting for Michael's jumper is over and I am now up to my least favourite part - sewing together the parts. I've finally finished all the embroidery of Spot the Dog for the back and now get to do the same for the front. It's amzing what the difference a few rows of black stitching can make.

Back on the blog...

Yeah, I've been away from the blog for a bit. Not a good time to go into blogging meltdown, but it happens.

So what's new? My Your Rights @ Work hat made the front page of Workers Online the week before the rally which was quite amusing. I didn't see any others at the Melbourne rally although there was one woman with what appeared to be a black beanie with multiple bright orange garter ridges.

The Rainbow Connection hat and scarf set sold at the APHEDA dinner for $85, apparently to the secretary of the AEU (teacher's union).

I finally finished the sleeves on Michael's jumper. It turns out that knitting both sleeves at the time was a good idea as I ran out of blue wool. So each sleeve now has an orange stripe which I can pretend was all part of the orginal pattern as they match up. Now I just have to get the embroidery right and sew it all together.

I've been fighting a bit of ennui as is probably quite obvious. I lost my knitting mojo for a bit so I've been reading on the tram instead. Which isn't a completely bad thing. But hopefully I can kickstart myself again. Life is meant to be for living after all.

Two sleaves in progress

Currently knitting: 2 sleaves. At the same time, on the same needles, but using two balls of wool. For baby Michael's dog jumper.

The theory is that at least this way the sleaves will definitely turn out the same length with the same shaping. Because I am not always careful enough using row counters. It requires a level of concentration that I can't always manage when multi-tasking. Which is otherwise known as knitting while watching TV.

I seem to have lost my knitting and blogging mojo over the past couple of weeks. It just seem to takes so long to achieve anything. But I am determined to push over this hurdle. I'm hoping by the time I finish the sleaves, I'll be capable of finishing the embroidery on the front and back of the jumper.

Websites with free knitting patterns

How long is a piece of string? One of my colleagues at work wanted a list of 'all' the websites with free knitting patterns for her mum. As most knitters know, there are literally thousands of such sites; so many that it is amazing that we still manage to go out and purchase patterns. But a computer print-out will never replace the feel of a 'proper' book. So I quickly sent her links to some of my favourites.

MagKnits - quarterly British site which has included my favourite diagonal scarf pattern and a good short-row top for big busted women.

Mostly Knitting - site by Australian knitter Sarah Bradberry. Lots of charts, re-written old patterns, great roll-brim hat and fingerless gloves.

Knitting Pattern Central - as the name suggests, a connection to lots of free patterns (including mine!)

Knitting About - I sometimes find myself going in circles here, but there are some good gems buried amongst the ads.

KnittingHelp - a recent discovery; includes some good basics.

Knitty - it would be sacrilege to leave Knitty out although it is very American-centric. Worth a look just for the obligatory weirdo pattern of the issue.

Your Rights @ Work beanie + free pattern

This beanie is for one of my friends to wear at the upcoming Your Rights @ Work rally. I wanted it to be quite wearable out in public after the rally, hence I decided to just go for a subtle stripe on a basic black beanie.

Pattern requirements:
80 grams black 8-ply wool
small amount of orange 8-ply wool
40cm circular needle - 4mm (or 3.75mm if you are a loose knitter linke me)
set of 4mm (3.75mm) DPNs
Wool needle

(Try not to buy any of the above from Spotlight until they stop offering staff AWAs that leave them worse off than if they were being paid the Award rate. Search your stash and/or support your local wool shop. The orange should be 'safety orange' and can be a bit tricky to find in pure wool - I found the colour in the Naturally New Zealand brand. I thoroughly recommend pure wool over acrylic - much nicer to knit with, warmer to wear and longer lasting. There are machine washable wool yarns available.)

Construction:
Using black yarn, cast on 120 stitches onto the circular needle. Join, being careful not to twist, and place marker(a scrap of yarn works as well, if not better, than the fancy stitch markers).
K2, P2 rib for four rounds. Break off black yarn.
Using orange yarn, K2, P2 rib for four rounds. Break off orange yarn.
Using black yearn, K2, P2 rib for a further 28 rounds.
Rounds 37-50: Knit.
Round 51: *Knit 2-tog, K13 ** Repeat from * to ** until the end of the round
Round 52 (and all even rounds from this point on): Knit
Round 53: *Knit 2-tog, K12 ** Repeat from * to ** until the end of the round
Round 55: *Knit 2-tog, K11 ** Repeat from * to ** until the end of the round
At this point you'll need to change to the DPNs.
Continue in this fashion until only 8 stitches remain. Cut a tail of about 15 cm, and use the yarn needle to thread the tail through the final 8 stitches. Neatly darn in this and all other ends, remembering that the brim will be turned up when the beanie is worn.

Canberra survival kit

Yes, yes, I know. Nothing posted for ages and then all I do is stick up another photo of yet another Noro hat and scarf set.

And it is not even a diagonal/lace/weird design, but a plain rib. Actually a Prime Rib, but a fairly straightforward scarf by my standards. It's been my 'knitting as therapy' project. I've just been having a fairly 'blah' week and needed something soothing to do.

The yarn is colourway 126, now out of production, purchased off eBay. A bit too orange and green for my taste. But perfect for someone with a different skin-tone. Like one of my colleagues at work who was born in India and is transfering to the Canberra office next month. As any Australian knows, Canberra in winter is hell, with temperatures regularly dropping bellow zero overnight (OK, this may not compete with Michigan or Canada but in Australia we don't have the same set-up for sub-zero climates). We have all been teasing poor Shefali merciously about her future trips to work. So I figured a nice thick woollen hat and scarf set might be an appropriate farewell present.

The hat I did on the tram, a ball of yarn and my needles stuffed in a coat pocket, which turned out to be rather convenient. So I am now starting my 'Your Rights at Work' beanie (black with orange stripe) as a tram project. Once I'm sure I have the pattern right I'll post it here and possibly on the ACTU site if they want it.

By popular demand...

This is the multi-direction scarf (and hat) that has saved me from Melbourne's cold snap this past two weeks and got all the attention. The scarf pattern is from Magknits (click here for a direct link) and is much easier to knit than it looks. The ribbed hat pattern is my own (click here for the pattern - but I now only cast on 92 stitches and use the 6mm circular needle).

I can't upload any pics of my current knitting as my computer guru (aka my husband) is busy upgrading the system which always seems to entail him taking off programs I use and assuring me that they'll be put back on really, really soon but never soon enough for someone as impatient as me!

I'm now doing the front of the Spot the dog jumper for baby Michael. My knitting as therapy is a very simple prime-rib scarf (in Noro, casting on 24 stitches on 6mm needles) to match another Noro rib hat I finished on the tram last week. This latest set will probably end up being for a friend's birthday. It's crazy; I wouldn't normally spend $50 on a regular birthday present but I don't seem to have a problem giving her a present involving more than $50 worth of wool. Such is the mentality of a true knitaholic!

And in blast from the past news, a YEAR after I designed the CPSU beanie (click here fore a photo), the union decided to run an article about it in their national magazine. Which would have been fine except they wrote the article as though I was still in my old position and workplace - I hope no-one is currently frustrated, trying to track me down!

Back online

One has to love computer hiccups. Without going into long and boring details, I have recovered my email address book but lost all my emails in the process. This has happened a few times which is why I now also use a gmail and yahoo email account to store a lot of my mail in, whatever Outlook, Microsoft, my computer and my computer technician conspire to do.

In knitting news, I finished another Noro hat on my tram journeys too and from work. I found my knitting in public attracted a lot more attention than it usually does. Probably because I was also wearing my diagonal short-rows scarf (it's been very cold here) and beanie. Two knitters I have never met before over the past week have asked me for that scarf pattern. And I got a lot of comments over my knitting. I feel a strange mixture of pride and self-consciousness when people do that.

Today I went to a yarn expo at Coburg Town Hall and managed to leave without buying anything. There was some gorgeous hand-dyed merino wool and mohair, some lovely local handspun and also some good deals on Heirloom and Naturally wool but my stash is approaching scary levels. The only thing I bought was a Nostepinde hand wool-winder (actually the ti tree one in the picture) to make centre-pull balls. I'm sorry to say that my first attempt was not as good as that portrayed by the purported first-timer in the picture.

Anyway, I'll try and post again tomorrow. Good night to all.

My 2 cents worth in reply to Spotlight's 2 cents offer to staff

I try and keep my knitting and union passions separate as I don't want to put off people who are not into both things. But sometimes there is a cross-over that simply can't be ignored - like Spotlight's decision to employ new staff on AWA's that up the hourly rate by 2 cents an hour (from AU$14.28 to AU$14.30) but remove all shift and overtime penalties for staff working nights and weekends. The relevant union involved , The Shop, Distributive & Allied Employee's Association, estimates that this means that new employees will earn $90 less a week than the current employees able to remain on the award. Read more here.

Call me a cynic but I don't think that $90 per week taken from some of the lowest paid people in Australia is going to translate into cheaper yarn for us knitting addicts. Spotlight has already reduced the amount of quality Australian natural yarn on the shelves and replaced it with pricier and poorer-quality imports (to any American readers, yes we in Australia now finally understand what you were all going on about re: Redheart yarn and totally agree). I suspect that $90 will be going straight into the bottom line of the people who own the store.

And who are Spotlight's staff anyhow? Well, according to their own website, people like you and me:

Are you interested in a job with Spotlight Stores?

Spotlight is constantly in need of new staff. Each Store is responsible for their own recruitment and will employ on an as needs basis. Exisiting customers are some of our best new employees!

Knitters for unions

I am always rather touched when non-knitting friends acknowledge my hobby and give me knitting related presents. The above book is a 'Christmas' present from Tash, my old union organiser. We are still friends even though we are continually trying to entice staff from each other's organisation to change sides. Neither of us has succeeded yet.

Tash may have a tiny little ulterior motive in giving me this book. She is on the board for Apheda and reckons a nice hat, glove and scarf set in Your Rights At Work colours would be perfect for the upcoming fundraising dinner. I'll let you into a secret - I'd make them up for her even without the book.

In other knitting news, one of the Melbourne SnB girls has accused me of being an enabler for letting everyone on the list know Clegg's in Melbourne is flogging off its Patons Lush Mohair for $3.95/ball. Now I am letting everyone on the internet know. This is the same yarn that used to sell for around $12/ball (and even more if you were foolish enough to purchase it from certain over-rated boutique yarn stores). I wasn't deliberately trying to enable. Just encourage everyone else to buy up the excess stock before my stash grew any bigger and my bank account even smaller. As of Tuesday 23 May they still had silver/grey, lilac-purple, autumn tones, lolly pink and pale green left.

I have finished the back of the Spot the dog jumper and am about to move onto the front. I forgot how much fun simple intarsia knitting can be and how quickly baby jumpers knitted up. My current tram project is yet another Noro yarn ribbed hat. I promise I will give this one away as a present. I didn't intend to knit another hat but I chucked a ball of yarn and the 6mm circulars in my coat pocket and it sort of happened.

Back to kiddie knitting

I received a phone call from my friend, Rachel, last week. Apparently Miss Gabi has discovered the Miffy jumper I knitted for her a year ago (bottom pic). It is still two sizes too big but this has not dissuaded Miss Gabi from deciding it's her favourite jumper for the moment. Miffy is being worn with sleeves rolled-up and being dragged all over the place. I am thrilled.

But it got me thinking that I really should get off my butt re: kid no. 2. Poor Michael doesn't even have a hat after Miss Gabi discovered the one I knitted for him, naturally too large, and decided that after a bit of stretching that it is perfect for her's truly. So I unearthed my favourite ABC For Kids Book of Knitted Jumpers and examined the stash and decided to knit up Spot.

The top picture is my work in progress whereas the second pic is from the knitting book. You may notice that I am knitting a black and white Spot, instead of yellow and brown. Michael is too young to notice and Rachel too sleep-deprived to care. Miss Gabi almost certainly will notice and care but hopefully she'll let Michael get on and wear the jumper. Maybe she will think it is Harry who I recall as being a black and white dog. At least the jumper will definitely be too small for her to steal. It will have Spot on both the front and the back as I don't have quite enough blue wool to do a solid back. I thought about doing a completely different picture on the back but decided against it. For the moment. I might change my mind tomorrow.