...and that's a wrap, folks.

Yes, correct, wrap jacket is complete!
Finished her yesterday night while watching House (yes, that was an irrelevant detail) and the photos can be explained like this: the slightly grimier shot was taken by he that is stinky last night. He has rather a shaky hand for a 17 year old ( i attribute this to many things but will spare you in the interest of brevity) and this was the only half decent shot to come out of the whole shebang. I have used in in the interests of showing more flattering (smudgey) lighting. Also, my other photos are freaking blogger out for no apparent reason, so i must reshoot them. Damn.

My apologies if i look a little unimpressed... it's been a long week and my face just looks like that anyway :P

As luck would have it, after a week of 20 degree springy days, today was a windy 14. So i did have to wear a jacket over my wrap, which was slightly disapointing. This is the sort of wrap that should be thrown over a floaty and romantic summery frock, and as soon as i get one and it warms up a bit i'll post some new pics.

In business news (?), i gave my presentation today and got a Distinction. Can't argue with that now can you? Particularly considering i did it the night before :P. now i get to try the same trick with my psych essay (shudder). Have done a fair bit of reading, but the proof of the essay's in the eating (or so they say).

Back to the jacket. I know that there are women in this world who are far more attractive than i am, but in this jacket it doesn't feel that way.

Sing with me "i feel pretteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

Are you as frilled as i am?

Ok, lame puns aside, I'm onto the collar for my wrap jacket.
Yes, this is the last piece - and it's killing me! I hate knitting lots and lots of stitches because it takes soooo long to grow and makes me feel completely useless. This is 265 stitches in 5 x 5 rib. It started on 7mm needles, now is on 5.5mm for 5cm then 4mm for 5 cm (am now onto 4mm and it's terribubble). Then some short row shaping for the collar fold down part and she's done!
Yes, true, good point. I will need to have a seaming party. I've never done seaming with Zhivago... i hope she weaves in well. She's very slippery.
On top of this, i do actually have a life to lead (yuck).

1. I have to write a self-evaluation about the hideous presentation we werent going to mention again. (Done and done)
2. I have to write another presentation for Lit Studies about something. Hang on i'll find out. It's about 'Who can tell me that this character is not Brazil' by Schwarz. It's awful and I have recently come to the conclusion that I am the only person in my tute who is uncomfortable ranting about capitalism. However Mr Darcy did his pres last week and it was nice and chatty and non-scary (ie. i actually understood what he was saying) and he got a great mark so i should relax a bit.
3. I have an essay for Psychology due on Friday. Again, i couldnt tell you the topic off the top of my head. Oh that's right, personality testing being biased due to culture. meh.
4. I also discovered today that i forgot to pay my amenities fee for uni. Unbelievable. Usually i could be classed as your classic anal retentive. Seriously. I'm bad. I turn off power points with nothing in them because i'm worried about the electricity leaking into the air. But somehow it completely slipped my mind to pay my fees. And not by a little bit. The deadline was 12 August! So now i have to fill out a form to reinstate my courses (pfft like they stopped them) and it also means uni facilities are not available to me. Such as, um, the library. Yes that's right folks, i have an essay to write and i can't take out a book. Are you proud? it takes skill to screw your life up this much.

So anyway, i only have two classes i have to go in for this week, so at home i will stay to study and attempt to get another HD (yeah, right). Did i also mention my brother is on college holidays so is cluttering up the house with his bad smells and poor eating habits? well yes, he is. I am relegated to my bedroom mostly because he steals the computer to play vile city (i dont know what it looks like, but it sure sounds vile) or alternatively, i get the computer and he watches very loud explosive television.

Roll on summer

gasp!

Ok, guess what!
You never will so i'll tell you.
i handed in an essay three weeks ago to my super-scary tutor. today he says to us all "now, i've got your essays to hand back. The average was a Pass. Don't get upset, i'm a really hard marker, im not criticising you, only the work. last year when i handed back essays everyone cried so i'm not going to give them til the end. there were a few distinctions and one high distinction. Don't take it personally!"
So i sit and stew and try to remember what i wrote. He goes through a few types he marked and i start to think i've completely missed the point. Finally at the end of the lesson he gives them out and i run into the corridoor so no-one will see me cry at my inevitable P-.
And i collapsed. Because i got the HD. maybe i'm smarter than i thought i was!
Of course, my first assumption was that there'd been a mistake... there are no criticisms, corrections or anything. i thought maybe HD stood for Hideous Drivel. But no. Did you notice i'm in shock?

For the aesthetic ones out there, here is the so far-ness of my wrap jacket. I know the tiny little front pieces look weird, but you knit the front ribby collar bit seperately and sew it on at the end. Isnt she pretty? (sorry the pics are so grey, i just got home from a glorious uni day and now the sun is hiding)
She really is gorgeous to knit, so silky and soft. I feel like a lady knitting Zhivago!

Did i mention it was spring?

PS. BFG, it serves you right for telling me not to procrastinate! this is the essay you thought i hadnt started! *blows raspberry in utterly disrespectful manner

Suprise!

Mystery project unveiled!
For ToDs birthday on Monday - Java-a-go-go from MagKnits.
mods- the stripey one is in stocking stitch... and the handles are crochet chain and double crochet.

In regards to horrible presentation? Horrible yet over and let us never speak of it again.

Happy 20th TOD (yesterday)
Happy 21st Blue (today)

over and out.

Rant

I am so angry tonight, nobody better get in my way!

It's like this:

• 50% piece of assessment (due Tuesday)
• We are in pairs (which is fine, Gypsy is great to work with)
• The question requires us to 'teach' a chapter of the textbook (we got 'why we should teach social skills') to our tutorial group in regards to a specific type of special needs child (we got gifted and talented students). This is supposed to make us more inclusive. uh-huh. (i might add that i wouldnt use this textbook to prop up a table - i wouldnt want to insult the tables' intelligence.)
• At the beginning of the textbook it clearly states "This book does not deal with the issues of teaching gifted or talented students". In fact, one has to do the opposite than when teaching social skills to other special needs children (wow! do you think they might be.. umm smart?? gifted or talented perhaps?)
• We are not supposed to argue the chapter, or discuss it, or think critically about it! Accept! Question nothing! Treat as gospel! Higher Education? Rote learning in my book! Of course, all the outside peer-reviewed research directly contradicts the textbook. Enter my nervous breakdown left wing.

To summarise, if we answer the question accurately the format will be wrong and we fail. If we follow the prescribed format, the question cannot be answered and we fail. Of course the fact that i spent $75 on a badly written textbook, that it appears my lecturer has not even read, does not help my mood any.

I need a glass of cabernet sauvignon. and a few valium.

and a hug :(

Sick day

Yes, the young Ms Spider has managed to pick up a miraculously uncomfortable (not to mention well-timed) throat infection. So, as my title may have given away, the Dr told me to stop being stubborn and go home to bed. I have been in a reclining position all day and as my panadol has finally kicked in, i thought i would post. Yes, i know. But i get so lonely at home by myself, and the illness coincided with a planned BFG sleepover, so it never happened. AND i have to work tomorrow. And if i don't then... i should be studying. This is the only leisure time i'm likely to have in the next two weeks, so sue me.
Good thing is, that though I am sad to leave prac early, due to the tests im not actually missing anything... I will miss my teachers though :(

Here is my so-far and sick day knitting. i'm very fond of the colour now i've stopped thinking of it as Magnolia. It is an 'oatmeal', 'soft gold' or 'creamed honey' in my book. I'm loving the Zhivago. I usually try to steer clear of synthetics, but it's sooo silky and soft, it's like knitting a non-cold or wet cloud. And it has this slight sheen (a little visible in the ball in the photo) which is just gorgeous. Unfortunately, it's quite slippery so i'm taking about twice as long on every purl row.


I also have for those knit-wise detectives out there a mystery stash buster. i show you the yarn and an unidentifiable bit of project and you guess what it might be! Winner gets... ummm, well ok so i didnt think that far. Winner gets a free endorsement or link added. How's that? Ok, it sucks, but i'm sick, leave me alone. Winner may suggest what winner gets.


Answer revealed Monday 19th. Can you bear the suspense?
See you round like a rissole! (for non-Australian people, a rissole is like a hamburger meat pattie)
*hack hack cough cough*

Sockin' it to ya

Well, did i or did i not tell you my Dads feet werent even? Yes, the one on the left is a good three or four sizes smaller than the other. So much easier to finish a pair of socks if you dont need them to match up!

Prac is good. They have put me on during an exam week - there are no classes at all on thursday or friday and i've been told to just use the time to do uni work and i'll complete the prac fine. Life's funny. last week was so incredibly crud and now everything is rosy. Two more classes stand between me and my next presentation prep! (maybe that isnt such a good thing). Yes, that's right Gypsy, fear not, i will read the articles!

You will also be pleased to know i have recovered from last nights' hyperventilation - the magnolia Zhivago is fine, it's pretty, it's luminous and silky and i started the jacket 30 minutes ago (no pics, it looks pitiful as yet, like i twisted my needles in spaggetti). Thanks so everyone who commented or emailed to give me advice. Laura, a crochet flower is the perfect solution, you have put my mind completely at rest!

Got a lesson plan to shuffle a bit,
Ciao!

Colour my world

Ok. So, i went to my LYS on sunday with Gypsy to pick up some Zhivago for my wrap jacket. And came to the conclusion that i am not a) clever, b) imaginative or c) brave. I bought exactly the same colour as from the pattern book. And i'm not entirely convinced! I was hoping for palest pink or blue, neither of which they had, but i HAD to buy that day because every fourth ball was FREE (can you IMAGINE!?).

So my question to you all (knitters especially) is this - am i making a mistake? It is a neutral, so for a wrap it's ideal because it will go with everything. But i have nothing else this colour, so maybe it doesnt suit me? Except maybe a skirt i havent worn for years. The main colour toss up was the cream 4436 (this is magnolia 4441) or at a push the bluey-purple shade 4453. Anyone with three minutes to procrastinate please check out the shades and let me know what they'd pick?

NB I'm really only looking for validation that this wont look silly.

Daddy's Birthday tomorrow and this is all thats going to happen tonight methinks, am just about to write a few lesson plans. Thank crockery that i bought him some Lindt as a backup!

I'm not as think as you drunk i am!

Peace out, Dawg!

Yup, signed, sealed, stitched and about to be delivered. That's right folks, Dogosaurus Rex is no more! or no more work anyway. You will notice that not only does it have back spines, it also has a polo neck - because all the right dogs wear polo necks these days! (how's the colour difference? the light didnt change at all! i really ought to take photos during the day... but nearly all my knitting is during late night tv)


I believe it was Shakespeare who said 'Get thee to a post-office' or was it a nunnery? Something like that anyway. Is for TOD, for partial trade with these. Gorgeous or what??

Over and out.

Mum's home!

Ok, so two nights in hospital, pinches, needles, tubes and scans and now she's home. Thank goodness i say. she's lost a few kilos, which she can't really afford to but she looks much better. she's having a procedure on monday so hopefully that will sort her out properly.

Here is the so-far-ness of my daddy's birthday socks.. i only have til tuesday so i hope i munch them over the weekend - i've gotten so slow!
Also, my dad is not entirely conservative so i thought "if i have to knit another pair of massive man-beast socks they're going to be in a pretty colour". I really like this yarn actually, if it wasnt so pillable (ie. pills easily) i would knit myself a sweater. or something cute. I am absolutely hopeless at kitchener stitch, so i just bind off the last stitches with three needles and two stitches at a time, if that sounds lucid enough. It's not as neat or pretty but by the end of a sock i really dont care. have had no complaints of bumpy toes from my family as yet :)
The great thing about knitting socks for my dad is he has club feet, so one of them is tiny. By the time i get past the heel of the second one i'm really really over knitting socks, but lo! it's only a few rounds and then i start decreases for the toe! hooray for birth defects!

I have come to the conclusion that my cotton for cambio is not enough, so she must go on the backburner. At least i have the beads!

I suspect the Zhivago wrap jacket will be next, i feel like knitting something silky. But by the time its finished it will probably be too warm for it. I'm sure my little english rose would welcome pretty things in the mail if i can't offload it, anyway.

Prac was quite good. I actually had a really happy day today. I think it was because i wore my favourite shoes. It's mad, they're quite high with a narrow heel but they dont give me sore feet... and the sound of my 'clic clic clic' makes me think "arent i cute, look at me, im so fab" so i cant help but be happy!

So, to summarise, happy days! (welcome home mummy)

Zip me up Baby!

Ok, so in a fit of nervous energy i finished the zip in Caressa. I am pretty happy with her in all, she is SO comfy and warm and cosy.. pity we're getting warmer weather again really. I know she appears a leeetle bit chunky around the middle - i think it's a symptom of knitting double with thick ribs. I know this sounds like spare tyre denial, but i'm really rather svelte! (approximately, so to speak, when i stand next to a sumo wrestler).
For thos of you wanting an update - my mum is in hospital tonight as well as last night and will be having a CAT scan on her belly tomorrow to see if they can operate and fix her. She looks much better than yesterday, but i really miss her and wish she was at home!
Prac is ok, i just wish my mentor would stop stealing my pens - i didnt realise how anal retentive i was until i got placed with her. She's really disorganised and its driving me crazy! Confusing, because she's funny and cute and i really like her. She'd probably be my favourite teacher if i was going to that school. Weird.
let me know what you think of the jacket, please overlook the belly bulge appearance (keep in mind im genetically predisposed to be waist-free). Do i look like a teacher yet?

Over and out!

I want my holidays back!

I am so tired, there are no appropriate adjectives for the exhaustion that i feel.
here is a brief run-down of prac so far, for those of you that care, and as a record for me for when i am sane again.

DAY ONE:
Wake up with a GIANT pimple/rhinosceros horn on the bridge of my nose, totally undisguisable, red and shiny, going nowhere.
arrive at the school, only to freak out my mentor teacher when she realises i'm not a science student - guess who only has one line of psychology? So they tried to spread me around a bit.. this is very uncomfortable. i discovered i was miraculously (in ten days) supposed to preplan and teach 10 lessons (keeping in mind i have neither planned nore taught before).
while i hyperventilated my mentor left me at my desk with a text book for 2 hrs. FUN.
Then she went home at 1pm because her son was sick, i latched onto another psych teacher and sat in on a class. She assured me that my requirements were not viable for either me nor the teachers so i should just do as much as i feel comfortable with.
Got home to a present! Thank goodness for TOD saving my day...

DAY TWO:
Pimple remains steadfast and gruesome.
Longish day, sat in on 2 classes and got to actually chat to some kids and see where they're at. Submitted a lesson plan, seems ok. went off for a few hours and then came back for parent teacher night. that was very odd i have to say. Some parents are just.. i dont know how to put this. you either know why the kid is so freaked, or where their weird behavioural traits come from or why they're arrogant.. etc etc. Or you think "how the hell did the kid come out so good?"
is that mean? probably is. sorry parents out there, i dont mean you, you're all wonderful, it's those 'them' fellas again.

I'm incerting a gratuitous 'my brother is a dork' photo. He was showing my dad how to 'fight'. Aren't boys the best?

DAY THREE:
Pimple is smaller but still red.
Took my first class ever (da da dum!!!). Was pretty ok i think. i felt quite comfortable with it, except that my mentor has this thing about moving around the room and i am only used to presenting at the front- that's my comfort zone. So, i get to repeat the lesson twice more (which also means i can improve it) in the other lines of psych with other teachers. And i think im doing a few group activities on friday, and an example oral presentation on thursday next week. Feeling less panicked, just exhausted by the sheer amount of work (and running around involved). And it would be really REALLY nice to have a computer that works.
But also, got home this afternoon to discover my mummy (who was sick this morning) is in hospital. She's has some tests done but we dont know the results yet. She had a really brutal surgeon cut her tummy up heaps when she was younger and the scar tissue made it really hard for her to have babies - the Dr also thinks it's obstructing her bowels or something which is causing her to have really severe pain. i have to admit to this causing me quite alot of concern.

My Caressa Jacket is still unevenly basted - will i have to give up knitting when im a teacher? when am i supposed to have timr for this stuff? I've been knitting a pair of socks for my dads birthday but i've been on em four days and im only just at the first heel turn. So slow!
Dogosaurus is as he was. it will get done tod! im sorry!

Apologies for my sleep deprivation caused illiteracy - i'm sure i'll reread this in a few weeks and wonder what i was thinking. Maybe i should have another cuppa?
thanks again for the bumper sticker tod, its the best :)

say a little prayer for my mummy?
night

Eeeeekkk!

Oh Lordy i am scared! On prac tomorrow and am fair shakin' in my boots!
In order to distract myself i have been attempting to finish Caressa (look like an appropriate college teacher jacket to you? yes i thought so also.)
Just like Ei, have been having zipper dramas! Thank god for Becky, who's sage advice states 'Baste first, backstitch later' as once i had basted in the zipper i discovered that my ribs didnt match up in the middle... by an inch. Quite ridiculous i assure you! Looked like i had Picasso-esque mammories! So to cut a long story short, i havent quite got her up and running yet... and i suspect she gives me sausage-arm. BFG says not, but it's in his interests not to lower my self esteem so i don't put too much credence on his flattery.
Sweetest thing in the whole wide world, had a terrible day yesterday and was feeling very unloved and neglected and like nobody cared what happened to me. BFG came to pick me up and when i walked out to the car there was a bunch of daffodills on the passenger seat! Of course i burst into tears (as you do when someone's nice when you're sad) but it was the nicest thing that's happened to me in... months i think.
Dogosaurus is belly banded, one leg banded and partially spiked. hopefully with be in order to be delivered later in the week.. if i survive tomorrow that is!
i don't even wear glasses (in all my imaginings of myself as a teacher, i am wearing glasses and peering over the top in a very condescending and impressive manner). I'm only 3 years older than half of them for goodness sakes, how do i look different without a) wearing a tarpaulen or b) looking like a dominatrix in a suit and hair up? I know i know, suit does not mean dominatrix... but i dont have any dress shoes that aren't high and i think i look like i'm out of a porn film everytime i put them on.
And paranoia raises its ugly head again...
i got hit on by year ten boys on the last prac. It was so embarrasing, i just didnt know what to say! I'm worried because these are yr 11 and 12 boys and i actually have to teach them!
here's a picture of my doggy to calm everyone down.
This is Harry. Isnt he beautiful? He's a Staffy/Blue heeler cross and is not allowed inside in theory. i let him in my room because his hair wont show up on my carpet and i have a door to outside. So yes, technically i'm broadcasting my indiscretion... but isnt he cute? he's so shy of my yarn-stash... he's sniffing it like it might jump on him. Actually, he was very scared by my wool-winder and the top balls probably smell like it...

From this it looks like my yarn is all purple.. it just all ended up on top! i am well versed in the many colours of the rainbow!

Think of me tomorrow and wish me luck!

Essayonarah!

Yes, my essay is complete, and i'm off to burn Crime and Punishment. Not, really, i'm sure it will relate to my 2200w essay due in 6 weeks ("is there anything more real than realism") *shudders.
You will be pleased to hear that in a burst of procrastiknitting last night (instead of doing Crime and Punishment, i watched Law and Order. Funny, no?) i nearly finished Caressa!

Here for your viewing pleasure, Arabella is resplendant in one of the nicest jackets i've ever made. Yes, the ends need weaving in, yes the collar is attached by safety pins, no i dont have a zipper yet. Sshhh and enjoy

There's only one thing to say - Hooray for me!