Monday, August 20, 2007

Good Days and Great Days

You know it’s a GOOD day when:

You wake up and the sun is shining and it’s warm and NOT FROSTY and the sky is blue and it feels like spring and the first bluebell is out and the garden is full of spring flowers that have required absolutely no effort from you!;

It’s your morning off and motherhood stops at just after 9am and doesn’t resume until 12.30;

You get the mail and there’s Pansy dyed sock yarn from Spidey, 3 kilos of coffee and 1 kilo of chocolate you ordered on the internet from Coffee Hit, and the new issue of Delicious;

You know it’s a GREAT day when:

The Accountant tells you that you can keep the Medicare money because it’s 50 bucks and it’s lots more than that and you pop some money into your credit card instead of out of it;

You pop into Rivers on the off chance and there are 2 pairs of perfect shoes (one black Mary Janes, one red leather and they are 29 dollars and you have the money!;

You pass the Red Cross op shop and there is a pair of sky high orange rope soled wedge espadrilles and they are your size and brand new with the price tag on and they are 4 dollars!;

You go to your LYS to buy some DPNs and they have new yarn to show you and it is called Sublime by Sirdar and it is so gorgeous you absolutely must have some (baby cashmere – merino silk and cashmere, and kid mohair – too too nice) so you lay-by some (supposedly for Christmas presents – well maybe!);

You get home with time to spare to read blogs (even though you’re over your broadband allowance (too bad)) and people have said lovely things about your last post.

How great is today? Really, really great!

Georgie, you asked about the cast-ons – and I bet you know them too!!

Knit-cast on (knit into each stitch
Cable cast on (knit between each stitch – firmer edge)
Crocheted provisional cast on
Knitted waste yarn provisional cast on
Long tail cast on
Figure eight cast on
Thumb cast on
Twisted German cast on (related to long tail but gives more stretch for sock tops or beanies)
And my favourite weirdie:
It’s a traditional Guernsey cast on for making traditional Guernseys – it involves cutting off around 8 metres of yarn, doubling it, wrapping it several times around your thumb and making stitches through the doubled over loops. I’ve no idea what it is called, but you get a sort of mock-picot look, with a knot every fourth stitch. Only ever seen it in that pattern and in one book about traditional English knitting as peculiar to the Channel Isles

So that’s 9 – but I’m sure there are more and that someone will tell me what they are (or if the Accountant buys me the Vogue Ultimate Knitting book for Christmas – as requested – I’ll learn some more.)

Gotta go – off to resume motherhood and enjoy this Great Day!

8 comments:

2paw said...

What a lovely day: I googled the wool and it is sublime!!! Good shoe news too. I have not bought one pair of shoes this Wionter. No green shoes at all :-(
What a lot of Casting on types. I have used 6 of them so I feel very casty onny!!!

Rose Red said...

That yarn is Sublime! I've got some in the stash for a cabled scarf for me me ME!

Pics of shoes please!! Especially those espadrilles - they sound fab!

Donna Lee said...

Sounds like a day that can't get any better! Well, maybe if you wont he lottery for millions and Brad Pitt ditched Angelina for you and .....

Five Ferns Fibreholic said...

Hurray for good days...Woohoo for great days....I feel a great day coming on as the school year starts in about 2 weeks. This year ALL my kids are in school full time and I plan to celebrate the first week by planning a GREAT day.

Georgie said...

Woohoo! What a fabulous day, obviously paying back some of the karma you've been accumulating these last couple of weeks nursing your brood and fending off floods and entertaining the hoards. You were certainly due for a great day!

I was fondling Sublime in the LYS the other day - it is soooo lovely. they also had a pattern book with a stunning lace-edged top, but at $10+ a ball, not sure I can justify it. maybe a scarf like RR!

I've heard of many of those cast-ons, but use the cable as my standard, cant do the others. I need to learn a couple to start some new projects, so need to find a good reference.

And maybe I can add one to the list - "italian cast on"? Where you cast on half the number of stitches then the first row works to the full number required - I have to learn this for a vest pattern from Yarn for beloved (maybe next winter).

And how gorgeous is that Pansy colourway from Ms Spider? I've ordered some too!

MadMad said...

Whoa - that is a great day! Jealous, and happy for you, too! May it stay that way!

Denise said...

What a wonderful day - you deserved it!

knightlyknitter.wordpress.com said...

How did I miss this post??
What an awesome day!!! Gives you such a boost doesn't it?
Here's wishing you at least three per month (have to allow for occasional
deliberate sabotage by children, weather and household bogles)
:>