IOU 1 Real Blog Entry

I'll get to it soon. Just a quick update. The bamboo Branching Out scarf is finally done. It needs to be blocked, then the piccies will be forthcoming. Tonight I'm starting the chevron scarf I mentioned earlier, but decided to use some stuff from my stash rather than buying some new stuff. It'll be a nice fun quick project to ease me up from the seemingly endless Branching Out scarf, a bit of a relax before I do something more interesting. It was my birthday on Wednesday and I had the best birthday ever. My lovely boy bought me a ride on a hot air balloon, which I've been wanting to do for about 15 years (there's a bit of a balloon fetish in Canberra), and Mum said she'll take me to one of my favourite yarn shops and we'll get whatever I want... she should be careful what she says... there's some Noro there with my name on it I think...or this handpainted merino...or this blue and green mohair........
Well, I've been moving house, which is why there are no piccies and no progress. Have to be out by Monday, so after that, the entries will be back to their usual sporadic selves. I've been so busy that I forgot that my driving licence would expire yesterday and I should get another one, but the motor registry is closed till Monday, and I have to move my crap by then, and I don't legally have a licence!!! Damn bureaucracy!!

Favourite Colour Swap Questionnaire

I've been having so much fun with the One Skein Exchange that I've joined the Favourite Colour Swap.
Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire

1. What are your top three favorite colors?
Scarlet/bright red, sea-tone bluey-greens, and royal purple.

2. What crafts do you really enjoy?
Knitting, spinning, dyeing with plants, simple weaving.

3. What products do you really covet?
I mostly really enjoy handmade things or things which are quirky or unusual

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?
I love bushwalking and hiking, silversmithing (which is my trade), sewing, baking, eating, reading, lounging around, patting my cat.

5. Is there anything you collect?
Natural yarns for knitting up, cat figures, unusual handmade jewellery.

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol?
Leo and Year of the Dog

7.What are your favorite……scents/smells?
Rose, Jonquils, coconut oil and Lily of the Valley

…types of music and/or bands?
So many I can't even think where to begin. My latest favourites are Elbow, Queens of the Stoneage and Supergrass.

…authors?
I like Sci-Fi, particularly the older classics such as HG Wells and Jules Verne. In fact I love lots of ninteenth century English authors such as Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) and Oscar Wilde. I also adore Jane Austen. I really prefer novels to poetry. I'm actually also a graduate with a Classics degree in Latin and Ancient Greek, and I love Homer in particular.

…animals?
Puss Cats

…places to shop?
Anywhere that sells non-mass-produced things. I really love objects which have a touch of the maker in them.

…season?
Hmm, difficult, they're all beautiful in their own ways. I think it's probably Spring, because I love flowers and life and fresh new beauty.

…yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies?
I'm not so fussed, I look for beauty and uniqueness, although I'm not all that hot on synthetics, but I can live with them!

…candies or goodies?
Oh it's all good!

8. Do you have any wish lists?
Only in my head!

9. Are you allergic to anything?
No.

10. Do you have any pets? What are they?
Pussal - have a guess! (He says "meow")

11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy.
Well, it's obvious by now that I really love handmade things, even simple things. I also love receiving things from places which are unique to that place - for example a lolly which can only be found there, or something produced by a local industry which you would never see in little old Canberra, Australia.

This has been a really fun questionnaire!

Observations from my Sick Bed

Okay, so I don't really have any observations from my sick bed, because the last few days in said sick bed have been spent puking, grasping my stomach in agony, running from sick bed to the toilet to, well, release my bowels, in a very severe and (sorry) runny manner, and then sleep and wish the whole thing would just f*** off. It wasn't pleasant at all, as you may have gathered. I did a few rows on Branching Out, and I have a photo to prove it:

Pretty exciting huh? You can tell how it's progressed hey? And it's blurry to prove that I really was sick. Just for good measure, here's a picture out of my bedroom window/door:
It's the middle of Winter here, so it probably doesn't look too impressive, but right in the middle is a rose I planted about 10 years ago, Queen Elizabeth, and behind that is an apple tree planted at the same time which has the most delicious apples I've ever tasted.
So that's why I haven't posted recently. Tomorrow is my birthday, and I've decided that I want to finish this scarf by tomorrow. I don't know if it'll happen. I've done about 4 and a half repeats today, and the ball is getting quite small. I'm desperate to knit something else. I am getting so bored.
I'll update soon, when this damn thing is finished!

The Wonders of Golden Hands

Well, I can finally get on with this blog. I've just spent the last eternity uploading pictures for this entry. I think that I am possibly on the slowest broadband connection ever. I swear dial-up isn't as slow as this.
First, I thought there should be a proper piccie of my finished Eucalyptus cinerea Scarf:

Well, it's good enough. You get the idea. Maybe I should have smiled or something... You also get to see the lower half of my ugly mug (face) and my new earrings I just finished making today. Did I mention that I'm a silversmith? Well I am, so there you go. Actually, the earrings and the scarf go well together. I'll have to remember that. I'm kind of tossing up whether or not to block this scarf. I think it looks fine as it is. I guess it could be a bit longer. I'll just leave it for the moment I think.

Next is the progress of Branching Out:

I'm pretty sure I'm not half-way yet. I've done 19 repeats and there's heaps of yarn to go. I'm starting to get a bit tired of it, but I really want to finish before I start anything else. I just know that I won't finish it otherwise. By now you may be aware that I always have a million projects up my sleeve... Oh yeah, in the picture the scarf is draped on a pedal organ. It was the only dark thing around. The pattern shows up so much better on a dark background.

Next up, some friends gave me this for my birthday (which, incidentally, is coming up on the 26th of July):

A good old Golden Hands publication from 1976. I've already decided that I am definitely making that zig-zag scarf on the cover. I've been against making scarves in the past because they seemed so boring, but I'm getting into them like crazy at the moment. They can really make an outfit if they're good. I'm thinking I'll try it in autumnal colours - someone once told me that those colours are my natural match, whatever that means. I'm thinking of red, maybe maroon, yellow, a chocolatey brown and plum purple. Maybe that combination sounds rough, but it works in my head. I'll have to try to find the colours.

Of course, as comes with any old publication of this type, there are some god-awful patterns. Exhibit A:

This thing is so ghastly that I've decided to learn how to crochet just so I can make this monster. I think that just about every household has one of those rugs that looks like this, and it doesn't seem to matter what colour combination is involved, they still look rank. But there's also a kind of familiarity about them, that every single one you see looks practically identical, even though they represent hours of work by an individual who was trying to make something great. In the radio oncology waiting room where we go every day for my brother to have his treatment, slung over the back of every chair in the room is a knee rug made up of these squares. While they are a bit depressing, more so because I've never seen anyone in the waiting room actually use one, they do warrant some respect because someone, probably a patient or the relative of one, decided that the patients here needed something warm and comfortable, something handmade and given with love from a complete stranger. It's a small expression of how beautiful humans can be when we're not screwing eachother over.

Another pattern from this book:

I actually really like this one. Maybe it's the romantic fuzzy focus, the unbound silky hair and the spring-time meadow, but it's just so pretty. Of course I would have to change the colour scheme. I'm thinking mohair in grape for the patterned section and red (again, the colour I can never escape from) for the ribbed parts. I think it could work, if I can get past the sizing. The largest size is for a 106.5cm bust. I'm pretty sure that mine's at least 120. I am, how do I say it...fairly well endowed. Might have to jig this pattern a bit.
That's it for today kiddies.

Lace Nuts

I have just found the most insane knitted lace here. It is absolutely incredible. I just don't understand doyleys and lace tablescloths though. They're beautiful and must be so rewarding to make, but I know that I would just end up having them folded up in a drawer somewhere for decades. Maybe if I had a mansion with millions of tables which need covering and vases to put on doyleys. I really prefer to wear my knitted stuff - I guess so I can show it off....
There are so many knitting podcasts now. I really wish I had time to download and listen to them all. I haven't even had time to listen to Cast On for a couple of months, which is my absolutely favouritest thing in the world to listen to. I love Brenda Dayne. I want to give her a big warm hug. When my brother was diagnosed with a brain tumour, he was in Newcastle, about 5 hours north of Canberra where I live. I stayed in Newcastle for about 2 weeks, miles away from everything I know: my home, my friends, my partner, everything familiar. I had no one to comfort me or to cry to. I'd had about 5 minutes to pack my bag before the plane left, and I had no idea that I was going for more than a couple of days - I'd thought we could bring him home immediately - so I had about 2 changes of clothes and my iPod, and just by chance that day I had uploaded about a dozen episodes of Cast On to it. Well I stayed at the hospital all that time, and my life seemed to be falling apart. My brother is 5 years older than me and we've always been very close. He's my hero, always has been. I can continue living through anything that gets thrown at me as long as I have my lovely brother. Words can't express it, you know what I mean. Some things are too profound even to contemplate. I spent most waking hours sitting by my brother, trying not to cry in front of him, while my family sent me crazy with their bizaare antics. During rest periods I would walk or run in the beautiful forest around the John Hunter Hospital and just listen to Cast On. I swear Brenda saved my sanity - she took me out of my situation and reminded me of the rest of the world at a time when the rest of the world didn't seem to exist, or matter particularly.
I knew I said this wouldn't be a journal, but I really had to explain how much I love Cast On! I really want to listen to It's a Purl, Man. I find male knitters fascinating. I've never met one. I bet they're really attractive. Actually, while I'm on the topic, have a look at Menknit Magazine. They have some great patterns, which, once again, I will have to try out some day. I really should put all these links up the side. Next time I have a while to spare to fool around with html I'll do that. Actually, just quickly, before I forget, there's also The Panopticon and Crazy Aunt Purl. See ya!

A Clean(er) Slate

I just went through that last entry from yesterday and deleted some crap. This blog is not about my personal life, it's about knitting and spinning!
Just bought some fine undyed 1 ply silk and some purple 2 ply silk from eBay.

The undyed stuff is apparently about 3000m long! That's 3 km! I'm planning to divide it into separate skeins and dye them different colours. Never dyed silk before, or used synthetic dyes (other than Kool-Aid!). Have to try not to screw it up. I want to use it to do more plying with dyed handspun wool. It's just so fun and looks beautiful.
For the purple 2 ply I'm thinking of something really luxurious, like a fine lace shawl. I'm getting into Branching Out, I'm not getting lost anymore, and I don't have to concentrate so hard. I am starting to get a wee bit bored, because there's no variation. At least each repeat is 10 rows. I think I've finished 11 or 12 repeats, and I'm nowhere near even halfway through the bamboo yarn. It's so lovely and silky. I found some for sale on eBay for far more than I'm willing to pay. Anyway, I think I could enjoy a larger lace project, and I think a lovely dark purple shawl would be just the thing.
Had a look at Knitty today, and there's a new issue out with some beautiful socks and glove-type things. I am so grateful that there are some beautiful and funky patterns out there for free. There's just no chance at all of finding any good patterns in the shops around here.
I need to bite the bullet and knit up this beautiful green handspun which my grandmother gave me. I want to make something beautiful and worthy of the wool. There's this New Zealand company called Possumdown who make absolutely beautiful knitwear. There was a particular cardie kind of thing with a zipper which I was thinking of trying to copy. I went to find a picture of it on their web page and I found this instead:


Okay, so it's a bad picture, but you get the gist. I've never really been one for asymmetrical collars, but this thing really works. It's a pity it costs NZ$330. Possumdown has this amazing look. I can't begin to describe it. So I thought I might try something like this. I'll probably change my mind soon enough.
That's it for today I reckon.

Rushing...

Here I am at last. I lied about updating the next day. Sorry.
First I must show you the grape Kool-Aid dye batch:

You can't really see the colour terribly well, but it's reasonably close. It smells like wool and bubblegum. I must think of a one skein project to use it for. My skeins tend to be really short too...

Next, my Eucalyptus cinerea scarf:

I couldn't get a better picture. The light today is terrible - really overcast and miserable. You can kind of get the gist of the colour and design here. It's a little more red, and the scarf is about 30cm wide and 150cm long. It had to be pretty short because I only had 5 skeins, and as I said, they're pretty short. The stitches are very large, so the scarf is a bit like a net. On Thursday night I'm off to the exhibition opening of a friend, and I'm intending to wear it. I'll see how it goes.

Lastly, bamboo scarf:

This is Branching Out from Knitty. I haven't really tried any lace before, and this pattern is supposed to be a good one for knitters who want to get a start into lace. The thing is, I think this pattern hates me. I can be going along just fine, thinking that everything is working out, and then I discover that I've screwed up big time! In the first repeat I somehow got a stitch reversed or something, so one stitch looks a bit wrong, and in the third repeat I somehow managed to drop a stitch without even noticing! I've never had that happen before. It has been so infuriating! I managed to fix it though by undoing several rows to get to the root of the problem - it wasn't just a simple matter of pulling the stitches back through with a crochet hook! The yarn itself is lovely, but I think it might be why I'm having so much trouble. It's lovely and soft and smooth, which means that the stitches happily drop off the needle. It acts a little like cotton, with no stretch like wool has, but it's so lovely and smooth. I definitely want to get more of it! I had a look at the website of the supplier, http://www.soysilk.com, and they also have fibre made of soy and corn, all in beautiful colours. There are also some lovely patterns which I'll have to attend to some day...

Dyeing to use a bad pun...

Okay, where do I begin? I have no pictures at the moment, but I've been dyeing like mad. I did several batches of Eucalyptus cinerea which worked beautifully. I got the most gorgeous rich oranges. The other day I looked at them and decided that they would look very nice as a scarf worn with black, for when I need to look a little classy for exhibition openings and wotnot. So I just did a simple scarf in garter stitch but with gigantic needles, about 15mm. It came out beautifully. Really simple but effective. I'm certain that the key to elegance is simplicity. I'll post a picture tomorrow or so. Maybe, just maybe, I'll model it for the camera...maybe...
I have a couple of branches of E. nicholii, another eucalypt that produces oranges, I'll try them soon, but I have to spin some more now, since my skein collection is running low.
I've tried out the grape flavoured Kool-Aid (thank you secret pal) and have a lovely purple (which smells like bubble gum). I'll try the watermelon-cherry flavour after a bit of spinning. I can't believe people give this stuff to their children to consume. I really like having teeth, they enable me to eat solids. Anyway, my aunt got excited about the Kool-Aid and checked it out on the net, and discovered that you can also dye wool with jelly! Well, that's readily available here, so I'll give it a go. The wool must get a bit gooey, but some of the colours would be fun. I discovered one source of Kool-Aid for Australia, but it only seems to have the sweetened varieties, and I hear that you shouldn't use them for dyeing.
Yesterday I acquired some madder root from my grandmother's spinning group. I'm excited about trying that out too. It seems fairly straight forward. Not like using indigo, which I read about last night. Complicated. You can't even drip anything into the dye bath. I don't know how the hell I'm going to manage that.
Anyway. I need to have a bit of a whinge. I don't want this blog to become my diary, because reading people's diaries is somewhat akin to having bamboo shoots shoved under your fingernails. However, stuff isn't so good. I've been evicted from my lovely flat. I have to be out a couple of days after my birthday (happy birthday Dina, now get the hell out). I can't find anywhere to move that I can afford, so I have to go back to my parents' house for a while, which I swore I would never do. I also found out today that I have to take leave from uni until next year. I am going to be stuck in a hell hole with my two angry f---ed up parents, one with a superiority complex, the other with an alcohol problem, with my poor brother who can't do anything for himself, or get away at all. I won't be able to go to uni and do my work or enjoy my friends, I won't have any space of my own at all. The only way I can get out is to stay with my boyfriend who never cleans up after himself, whose room smells of dirty clothes and has dirty cups and used tissues all over the floor.
Okay, I'll calm down now. I'm hoping to rent a studio to share with a friend, where I can go and make stuff from time to time. Maybe there'll be room for a couch and a fridge with some beer. I have my life and my health, I live in a country where I can get an education, good health care, and I won't get shot, raped or mugged when I walk down the street. Life is great.
Piccies and happiness next blog.