Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Sugar 'n Cream Is Yummy


I finally managed to track down some Sugar 'n Cream to try as I especially wanted to see what the fuss was all about. After knitting with the cottons in Australia I have to admit that I am impressed, it is thicker than the ones available here and really easy to knit. I am practicing dish cloths as I have never knit dish cloths before and I am trying different patterns to see what I like and what I will eventually send to the person I am swapping with in the dish cloth exchange.

I wont be sending any of these as I figure in the US you can easily get hold of this yummy cotton so I am going to knit the ones I am sending out of this which I will be getting from Cindy tonight when the knitting coven gather together to celebrate the second birthday of our knitting group.

A big thanks to everyone for your kind get well wishes, I have really been knocked for six this past couple of weeks, it was really appreciated. I am starting to feel a lot better now but have been taking things rather easy which of course has meant very little blogging and even reading my favourite blogs has been minimal.

Janelle turned 14 on Saturday so once again a very busy weekend in this household, first of all we watched the boys play their last game of soccer for the year and then it was home for a quick change and headed off to the football to watch North Melbourne play which is the team that Janelle and I follow, and they were actually playing a game in Launceston. I must say though that this year has not been a good year and Saturday turned out to be no different with our team once again losing. Janelle didn't seem to mind that much though as the thrill of seeing her team play live meant much more to her than whether they won or lost.

*edited note*
sorry I forgot to mention the dish cloth patterns especially the middle one which is the garterlac which can be found over at Daves Blog which if you haven't visited is well worth a look.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Where Do I Start?

I haven't blogged for over a week, shock horror, what has happened to me?? Well I did have plans to post before this but not only have I been extremely busy but I have picked up some virus which has knocked me for six. Started with a headache that lasted till Saturday off and on complete with dizzyness and Sunday morning I woke up in the early hours with a runny nose and sore throat. Today I am having a day home resting as I hope to feel better tomorrow as it is the knitting coven, anyway I have lots to tell so maybe grab a coffee or even something stronger depending on the time of the day and read on.


Early last week I dropped into the local op shop and found these very 'busy' patterned Jag denim jeans, they definately are not something that I would wear but I thought that they would make a fabulous jean bag. They are cut out and pinned ready to sew but I need to have a clear head for sewing as it doesn't come as easily to me as knitting.



I picked this up from my bookstore on Friday, I had ordered it in as learning to crochet is on my to do list and I thought that if anyone could teach me the very talented Ms Stoller could. So far I have just read through the instructions and compared to other learn to crochet books she talks to the absolute beginner with clear and precise pictures and baby step directions, so I just may get the hang of it this time around. Oh yes I have tried before but found that I could never quite grasp what the other learn to books were getting at and Debbie even mentions this in her book saying that most learn tos' assume that the reader has a bit of crocheting knowledge. I can make a chain and I crocheted an edge around a hat once with single crochet stitches, well I think that is what they were called anyway. So yes I am definately an absolute beginner.


On the knitting front I have been working on the Betty Boop Jacket, not as much as I would like though as I seem to have so many other projects on my growing to do list that the poor dear is languishing in the bottom of my knitting basket. That she is all stocking stitch from here on in doesn't help either but the above photo is a progress pic of the left front.

I am waiting for the cotton to arrive that Cindy and I have ordered together so that I can start my dishcloths for the dishcloth exchange some of us are taking part in. I need to get these finished before September 1st as that is when I can cast on for The Central Park Hoodie Knitalong each day I walk past my yarn and get very itchy fingers, I am really looking forward to starting this. The secret santa project that I mentioned in the previous post is what I have been knitting this past week and I am on the home stretch now and should be casting off in the next couple of days. It is a great knit and I hope the person I am spoiling likes it as much as I have enjoyed knitting it.

As mentioned at the beginning I have been extremely busy this last week and didn't even have the weekend to rest up as on Saturday we had our annual outing with the GEMS girls group I am involved in. This year we went to Tasmazia which is an amazing place just out of Sheffield, 1 1/4 hours drive from Launceston. There are mazes to explore and get lost in and a miniature village with the wonderful name of Lower Crackpot and a pancake parlour with a huge choice of pancakes both sweet and savoury and other yummy eats. Got back home at about 5 o'clock, exhausted but had to welcome a new family member. Meet Phil the galah, who happens to be a girl but my sister named him Phil before she realised this.

An old boyfriend of my sisters gave Phil to her and when she got married and moved out of home Phil stayed behind at my dads place. Well on Saturday my dad moved into a unit, he has lived in the same house for the past 29 years but since losing mum and my sister moving out he decided that it was way too big for him now and that it was time to make a new start, so we have now adopted Phil, or should that be Phillipa?

It would have been great if on Sunday I could have stayed in bed all day as that is how I felt but instead we had a family reunion to attend in Oatlands, which is over an hours drive South from Launceston. My maiden name was Housego which is quite an unusual and not very common name and this reunion was to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of John Housego, the first Housego to settle in Tasmania. He and his wife had three children, a daughter and two sons, my dad is a descendant of one of the sons. A great day was had catching up with relatives I hadn't seen in years and of course learning a bit about my heritage which was fascinating.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Ain't No Patti Boyd


Well here is the 1960's Cabled Jumper finished and in my best modelling pose thanks to Cindy who organised the photo shoot yesterday at The Knitting Coven. It is such a warm snuggly jumper and I am very pleased with the finished result, which for me is something unique as I am quite a perfectionist when it comes to my knitting.


This photo shows the detail of the cables, centre rib panel and collar. I was left with very little wool so there is nearly a kilo of wool in the jumper making it quite heavy and definately for cold winter days only.


What is inside this box? A special knitting project for somebody in my knitting group. Each year we do secret santa for a person in our group, we draw a name out of a hat and we give that person a gift at our Christmas get together. This can be anything from chocolates to a handmade gift. At the moment all I can say is that this knit is extremely addictive and I am enjoying knitting it very much, sorry but you will have to wait till the end of the year for all to be revealed.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Better Late Than Never


Look what finally arrived from Germany after 10 weeks, the Opal Acapulco range, it was sent by boat which usually takes up to 6 weeks so I was beginning to think that it was lost. I bought it off ebay from Melanie who always pops a couple of lollies inside the parcel, yum. I wasn't in a hurry for this wool as sock knitting around here doesn't get in full swing until Summer when it is too hot to knit anything else. I have been doing plenty of sock stash enhancing in readiness for Summer, so much so that I am now officially on a sock yarn diet, only sock yarn mind, I would never ever put myself on a total yarn diet that is much too restrictive!!


The title of this post is called better late than never for two reasons, the sock yarn and showing off these lovely little stitch markers with my initials on them. Aren't they cute, they were made for me by the lovely Caroline one of the newest members of our knitting group. What a lovely kind thing to do, thankyou Caroline.

Now speaking of kindness, I received an email from the lovely Jessica asking if it was me who collected tortoiseshell knitting needles as she remembered reading it on someones blog. Well yes that would be me who collects tortoiseshell knitting needles so after this was established she told me how she had picked some odds up at an op shop and that if I wanted them she would send them to me. The fun part of collecting these lovely old needles is never knowing where you will find a mate for an odd needle waiting in my collection, so of course I was very interested.


So in the package I received yesterday were not only the prized tortoiseshell needles but some lovely Belgian chocolate which just so happens to be my favourite but also some Jelly Bellys which my children love, so I shared. I managed to pair up 5 needles which was fantastic, so thankyou
Jessica your kindness was truly appreciated and although you asked for nothing in return keep an eye out next week as there will be a little something in the mail for you as I believe that such a kind gesture should not go unrewarded.

Last night I finished the collar of the 1960's Cabled Jumper, which I decided not to make as long as the pattern said as it was going to be too big for my liking and there was a fair chance I might run out of wool. So today I started sewing all the pieces together so hopefully next time I will have a FO to show.