Just a little post - and a lot of photos (and some FOs)!

This is the view of the commercial iris farm at Table Cape on Tasmania's North West Coast. This farm grows tulips, irises and oriental (Christmas) lillies. The tulips are almost finished now and the lillies yet to bloom - but the irises would make Vincent Van Gogh swoon - and the smell is divine.

We had a day out a couple of weeks ago and went to visit the lighthouse here - the irises were merely a lucky bonus!

This is the parcel a lucky tea cosy swap pal will be receiving in a few days (Australia Post willing!).

This is a secret sock - I only have one so far and have just cast on for number 2. The design and pattern are being polished and will go off to a certain on-line knitting magazine in the next few weeks!

Here are 4 felted buttonhole bags. I think I may have mentioned that I love this pattern - less than 2 evenings knitting per bag, and then felting - all but one of these are destined for giftdom.

Here is the beginning of the second swing jumper from the lovely Black-Dog-Knits ink flared sweater design. I'm knitting it in Silk Garden and there is some turquoise in some of the balls - I'm saving them for the front) the other colours are fire and metal - bronze, copper, orange, gold, yellow, rust - yummy! The silk garden is lovely to knit with - I bought it from an American ebay shop and it feels both extravagant and luxurious to make a jumper from it!

Hope to have a proper post over the weekend (or Monday at the latest!). Enjoy the weekend!

Avoiding your Fete

Well, the In, Out, Shake it all about challenge is still going (I’m looking forward to Christmas, because there are likely to be far more ‘Outs’ than ‘Ins’ and I refuse to count anything that comes in as presents for the children, but in the interests of fairness I will count everything that comes in for me – I have a slightly unfair advantage here, being married to a man who is crap at presents. The Accountant is very busy and hates shopping – I received NO PRESENTS AT ALL FROM HIM FOR MY 45TH BIRTHDAY – nothing, nada, zip – This has remained on the score sheet since my birthday back in January and will remain an unspoken threat until and unless he redeems himself at both Christmas and my next birthday – and possibly for a decade or so afterwards).

IN

Knitting patterns – a pile from my step mother – some may be passed on to a certain collector, but I’m not sure many are in good enough condition!
2 pairs trousers for me (op shop)
2 tops for me (op shop)
2 Knitting books (Vogue ultimate knitters book and Knitting on the edge – Yarns Online sale)
Package from Yarnbow (shhhh – it’s a secret)
Another package from the USA (Sssh)
1 Filati knitting mag (because it was there!)
1 pair shoes each for Destructo Boy and the Princess
2 DVDs (Desperate Housewives –ohh alright it’s a boxed set –picky, picky – and Bridge to Terebithia)
10 balls Anchor Magicline, 2 balls Jet, 1 10mm circ – Doomlight of Spot
3 presents – lovely 2paw
Present for sponsored child in Philippines
Some other Christmas related items which we will speak of later
DVD Veronica Mars series 1


OUT

3 boxes books
1 bag stuff for Lifeline
1 bag of WeeNees nappies – Lifeline
2 bags childrens clothes - sold on ebay
1 pair favourite shoes – binned (sniff, sob)
2 elderly pairs of bathers – mine – now binned (stretched, no longet even resembling my shape – not that there’s a lot to resemble!)
3 large bags of plastic bags – School Fete for packing


SHAKE IT ALL ABOUT
Not much here except for some cotton socks with holes which have become dusters. You put your hand inside and they’re great for corners and skirting boards – even better when damp!

We had the last Fete meeting last night and will spend Saturday setting up, Sunday at the Fete (starting at 7.30am – My Lordie!!) and today was Princess’s swimming lesson. Apart from one or two mad panics and related thrashing and screaming, she went very well.

I have pointed out to my co-workers on the Fete that I am not good at mornings. I think I have mentioned before that I am a bad sleeper. I have had very little sleep for the last 4 nights and I always seem to get my best sleep between about 6 and 7am. This hour is precious to me, and the thought of having to give up most of it for the shower – dress – make-up – breakfast ordeal that will be Sunday morning is a less than delightful prospect!

Once the Fete is over I will also have lost my main method of disposing of crap – sorry, of my de-cluttering operation. I’m rather concerned that I will also have lost the impetus – that I had to get boxes of stuff out of the house by a certain date. I hope not.

In knitting news, I have finished the fourth buttonhole bag and tonight will cast on for a tea cosy. If I get this finished in 2 evenings – which I hope I will, although I realise that this is tempting the Knitting Goddess, I will cast on my second secret sock (or possibly the Silk Garden Jumper depending on my mood!).

So much knitting, so little time!

Stash, Joy and Instant Gratification!

I adore instant gratification. In fact, sometimes even instant gratification takes too long! But currently I am in the midst of gift knitting – a situation necessitated by the fact that Christmas is not actually very far away (cowardly readers, please put your fingers in your ears now and go ‘LaLa La la alalalalalalalalala’ for the rest of this post). Others, read on for some ideas.

Firstly, can I recommend to you the fabulous Buttonhole Bag from Mason-Dixon Knits. It takes around 3 hours to knit one (I’m currently on my fourth in a week!). It is deeply satisfying and the Lamb’s Pride Bulky that I bought on sale at Yarns Online much earlier this year (supposedly for slippers and stuff) has met its destiny in a series of bags. I haven’t felted them yet (but intend to in a few days), but have felted the Lamb’s Pride before and feel fairly confident doing so again.

Unfortunately, I’ve used up all my stashed Lamb’s Pride Bulky (although I have some worsted left) and am finishing of the last bag with 3 strands of Jet knitted together. I may have to buy some Cascade bulky or knit smaller bags with different wool and smaller needles – a 10mm circ is hard to beat for fast knitting!

So I have managed to denude some stash wool and obviously feel deeply virtuous about this. In addition to the bags, I am knitting my third dishcloth/facecloth in a week. Although the first one used the feather and fan pattern, the next two I have returned to my simple basketweave pattern.

Basketweave dishcloth:

1 ball Anchor Magicline Cotton
4mm circ

Cast on a multiple of 4 stitches (I generally find 52 is about right).
Knit 4 rows
Next row (establish pattern). Row 1: K4 *P4 K4* repeat until last 4 sts, K4
Row 2: K4, *K4, P4 * repeat to last 4 sts K4 (PS This works for 48 or 56 sts – if you decide on 52 you’ll just have to adapt)
Repeat once more, then rep Row 1 again (5 rows pattern)
Now Change to second basketweave. Other than the 4 sts each end which are always knitted (garter stitch border), you’ll be knitting the purls and purling the knits, so

Row 1: K4, *K4, P4 * repeat to last 4 sts, K4
Row 2: K4, *P4 K4* rep to last 4 sts, K4

Once again, rep these rows then row 1 again

Keep doing this, switching every 5 rows until either you get sick of it, or you’re nearly out of cotton. Then Knit 4 rows and cast off. Try to leave enough of a tail to crochet in chain stitch for about 2-3 inches (5-7cms), join up to make a ring and weave in ends. That’s it, you’ve made a dishcloth with a little loop for hanging up!


I’m making stacks of these as my travelling knitting currently. I stick the ball in my pocket – having centre pulled it – and knit. If I need to I run the stitches to the centre of the circ and stick that in my pocket too, whenever I have to do motherly stuff.

I knocked one of these off during some driving on Monday (no, I was a passenger – I haven’t yet perfected the art of knitting while actually driving the car – although I’m pretty good at knitting and walking!), and finished it off while spending an hour selling raffle tickets for the school fete.

The Fete has rather taken over my life, and I will be glad on Sunday evening when it’s all over. While I am happy to do its public relations and write copy for papers and radio stations, I’ll be even happier when I get those bits of my life back. And if I think it’s bad for me, I don’t think the P & F President has slept for a month!

In addition, once the last bag is finished (I’ll be sad when I give them away), I’ve a tea cosy to knit (for the swap) and the second secret sock to finish. By which time it will be the election and I’ll be working all day – this means knitting time!

Then it’s almost Christmas and proper summer and I can do some recreational knitting for a while!





Just before I forget, the No Guilt Stash Manifesto has been adopted in Casa Tinkingbell! If I can’t get the button to work, pop over to Bells to read the manifesto!

No Guilt Stash Manifesto


I will neither defend nor apologize for my stash. My yarn brings me joy, and therefore brings others in my life joy.

Through my hands I do good in the world. I knit with love for friends, family, and strangers. Yarn is my medium.

I promise not to let my stash acquisition interfere with personal relationships or financial health; yet neither will I give in to pressure from significant others to reduce my stash.

I will not judge others' stash. I can admire it, be inspired by it, even covet certain skeins, but it is not my place to pass judgment on quantity or quality.

I recognize that stash management is personal. I fully intend to knit my beautiful yarns, but I refuse to be guilted into doing so on anyone's schedule other than my own.

I understand that it may take many years for a yarn to reveal its destiny, and that yarns that have been in my stash for a seemingly long time just haven't met their correct pattern. I won't feel guilty about this.

I also recognize that yarn can have many destinies. It can be a reminder of a special trip, a friend, a time in one's life. It can be comfort or inspiration. It doesn't always need to be knitted to fulfill its destiny. I accept that some yarns in my possession may never be knit by me.

I believe in the karmic properties of stash. I willingly share with other knitters, and I realize the stash, like love, will grow when it is shared.

How Many Shopping Days Till Christmas?

Well, those Saturdays just keep on rolling around, don’t they – how many Saturdays are left till Christmas (not counting today)? Six, that’s how many – six!

Now I mentioned my problem with times stealers before – so whoever has around 3 months of my year, confess now, and I’ll be lenient!

Yup, six Saturdays till Christmas – and only 1 till the school fair. On the other hand, that’s only 10 Saturdays until I get my first Blue Moon Fibre (sorry, Fiber) Arts Rockin’ Sock Club kit!!

That’s right – the RSC for 2008 will have me attempting to keep up with kit knitting! Given that my Sock club kit knitting performance has been fairly dismal to date (Red Bird kits: 3; Tinkingbell knitting said kits - 0 ), this may be a little bit of a challenge!

But I am very excited about this – given that I begged and pleaded with them for 6 months or so, sending ever more plaintive emails – think of me as a pity membership!

The other even more exciting news was my meeting with Ms 2Paw in the flesh (for some reason my keyboard had 3 tries at making that ‘in the fleas’!) She is, of course, absolutely lovely and remarkably kind and composed in the face of a full scale onslaught by the monsters – sorry, delightful small children. We chatted, chatted and chatted (see? A Yarn of knitters?), discussed books and dogs and slipped in the odd knitting related comment.



It was a lovely time and I hope to repeat the experience very soon. (She, of course, may not be so keen, given the general rambunctiousness of said children!). As an example of her graciousness, she had made presents for us – The Princess received a beautiful bag (she is still trying to find the perfect contents for it and had to be restrained from shoplifting to fill it), gorgeous chickens for Destructoboy, which he has decided to share with the Accountant, and a lovely (and sparkly) Christmassy sock project bag – who couldn’t love so talented a blogpal?

I also slipped into the Doomlight of Spot and overdosed ever-so-slightly on Anchor Magicline, which was $1.00 a ball (note to self – everyone gets dishcloths – again!)

Before bed last night (and especially due to a couple of hours of driving), I actually have 2 finished objects – one finished (but as yet unfelted) Buttonhole Bag (gift) and what I believed whiule I was knitting it, to be a dishcloth, but is actually, I am informed, a face washer for the Princess.



You really can’t pick it, can you? Sometimes objects just have their own destiny.