finishing up

Like my friend Ailsa I decided to spend some time just knitting accessories, nothing too taxing on my poor sick brain (unlike Ailsa I chose particularly simple projects - that woman is a lace legend)

Blaise's hats:

 Ysolda Teague's "Verity"

homage to a hat seen online - couldn't get off the couch to buy new yarn, so used what I had - Lambs pride in Charcoal.

 Panda hat - made up on the needles, better with the brim tucked under (need to get a photo of that!)

Socks for Flash (Ravelry is keeping me honest, the last socks I knitted for him were finished more than 2 years ago)

he has huuuuuge feet,  so I always have to augment the 100g ball with contrast colours at heel and toe, this time I decided to make this the contrast the feature of the socks, so I have a lovely Koigu kpppm in a camo colourway and Patonyle in a dark donkey grey. I'm knitting the socks as 1 sock on 2 circs but knitting 2 at a time (my brain was too addled to work 2 socks on 2 circs) I knit the rib on one sock first, then on the other sock, and continue in this way alternating between them as each component is finished so that at the end I have 2 finished socks! I will immediately cast on another pair when these are finished, I have some lovely Subeam St Ives in a heathered cocoa colourway which will suit the remaining Koigu.

The sock pattern I use has evolved over the years, I worked a 4 x 2 rib pattern in this one, which extends down the top of the foot, this works best for a business sock as it stays up (and the contrast parts are hidden by his shoes!)

My infinity scarf from the previous post, you can't see the sparkles in the photos - but they are there!

The Mister Man pattern is not far away now, boy has that been a long time coming! and I'm still working away at the Plum blossom, I've had a change of heart about the child's size, have decided to work it in a DK weight yarn now...just waiting for the yummy yarn to arrive.

In family news: Holly and Nick (and a bunch of friends) have had to dig their driveway up in order to lay a new water main, as the old one kept bursting for earthquake related reasons. Nick has had to email EQNZ as their house was assessed as "no structural damage"  when it actually has demonstrable structural damage - the assessor wouldn't look at the photos they took after the September quake which show the difference between then and now, which is extremely distressing for them. I do worry about them - this was supposed to be the time of their lives - newlyweds with a lovely old house to renovate, Holly was about to retrain as a teacher as it is much more family friendly than winemaking, and they were planning to start a family. The retraining has been put off for a year due to intakes being cancelled and as for the baby - it's not a sensible option in light of the instability in the land and their lives. I know they will be fine, and there are many people much worse off, I just want them to have a nice life, they are good kids, they deserve it.

Share the love

Here in New Zealand (yep the land of sheep and wool) it can sometimes be difficult to get your hands on the good stuff, I have met a couple of inspiring women recently who can help;

Michelle of Mishi Yarns has leapt feet first into a wonderful adventure - she has opened a wonderful shop in Ellerslie selling predominantly New Zealand made yarns, displayed in mouthwatering fashion! Once her head has stopped spinning from the wool fumes she will be organising classes and events. Please visit and let her know how welcome she is.

Polly of Little Country Wools has brought the range of scrumptiousness that is Malabrigo to our  long deprived shores, she is utterly charming to deal with, will answer any questions you have and help with colour selection.

then there are the other creative types;

Louise constantly inspires and bewilders me (in a good way!) she just has SO much energy, her latest baby Maeve will be making her entrance on May 1, please visit and show her your support - Maeve magazine promises to be a stunner!

If you can't or just won't knit then Julia and the team of Coco Kids will custom knit garments for your wee darlings, they design themselves and also have permission to knit some well loved favourites (including my Roaring Meg and Aviatrix hat - every newborn needs one of those hats - it makes a baby look like a baby!)

Right - now that's you lot distracted! I'm off to finish the 3rd sleeve option for this little Hooper sweater.

Tea Time

When I returned to Auckland from Sydney I quickly set to organising a knitting group as I missed SSK in Newtown so much.

The Knitrangers have grown and evolved into a wonderful, diverse, lovable group of friends - and I am always delighted to think of how we have all changed and become more proficient in our chosen craft (s)

One knitranger has put her money where her mouth is and has launched a fantastic podcast - Genny is smart, capable and a lot of fun to be around, she tells it like it is and has a heart the size of Texas, she is only starting out - so be gentle - we have already hauled her over the coals critiquing her first episode, so she doesn't need any more advice - just go and listen, spend some time with GrannyG - she is giving craft a taste of kiwi. It's fun, tongue in cheek and interesting and I'm glad she had the guts to go for it - take some time out for Crafternoon Tea with Grannyg!

100 kinds of good

he IS a squishy! Inigo and I talked about birds and water and kids, he loved the books I brought with me from New Zealand, and we all enjoyed listening to Donna reading "Willie wants to wee wee" by NZ author and creator of Footrot Flats Murray Ball (isbn: 1869436717)and I was so happy to finally meet him and squeeze him.

I can't list all of my lovely friends who were amongst the 80 people knitting in the sun at Darling Harbour, but these two (and the squishie's gorgeous Mum Lara) made me cry the most - these are the people I didn't want to fall in love with because I knew I would have to leave Oz one day, but I couldn't help it, Donna, Ailsa and I are knitting soulmates and luckily we have adorable husbands who think our conversations and passion for our craft are endearing. I'm afraid I took next to no photos - I was too busy catching up. I have noticed though that Ailsa and I have very similar hair, and they are luckily a lot more organised than me - having better photos on their blogs.

I'll be back soon with Flash, and I'll definitely be at Knitting Camp next year - make mine a mojito!

memories of autumn

Possum/merino blend in russet and Habu wool/stainless steel in deep avocado green

Machine-knit basket stitch with stocking stitch ends
Soft and squishy, yielding and malleable, sculptural and wrappable.

Socks knitted on 2 circulars, with afterthought heels
cushy, soft possum/merino striped scarves for conservative men
a fairytale hood for a faraway child

Christmas gift knitting, thinking warm thoughts in summer

2 loves

To keep you entertained until I get my act together with the various promises I have made here - enjoy this interlude.

Top Gear and my one of my dearest friends - Jason, all in one place.

This ones for you Alison!

Surprises and prizes!

Yesterday morning I made the weekly pilgrimage to our post box - I say pilgrimage because it is located in one of the busiest shopping malls in Auckland, parking is a killer (yeah - there are 5 minute parking spots for box owners - unfortunately they are always full, with cars that seem to stay much longer than 5 minutes) and have you seen the price of petrol lately???



My feelings of listlessness were immediately dissipated by the contents of the box though - amid the pile of bills and junk mail was a squishy bag, and in the squishy bag was some yummy squishy yarn! Hand dyed sock yarn from Vintage Purl to be exact in the "Autumn sunrise" colourway, the deep oranges and purples are gorgeous and will make very nice Anastasia socks (apologies to those not on Ravelry - go join)

Thank you so much to Stella for running a competition that I actually had a chance of winning! and to Morag for dyeing such beautiful yarn.

I was on my own this weekend - me, the cats, the Golden Compass and the latest series of Outrageous Fortune on dvd, torrential rain and my pyjamas - it was all good, and while I continued to knit away at my little skirts in progress, I had an idea - here is the beginning of it...I am feeling very happy with this one.

More to follow sooner than later.