BeatleWear

knitting and the life I almost have around it

Thursday, March 30, 2006

quickie

ok, so i really cant justify proper entries right now... stupid uni and my desire to not fail it :p

but i just cant resist showing off.. and making everyone think about setting up an intervention or something. ugh. anyway, here for your pleasure is lorna's laces shepherd sock yarn in bittersweet...
and as some of you know, i will be off to Vanuatu for a week next wednesday... so i should have one decent post before then and then nothing for a little while. but fear not! i shall return with many pictures of socks on beaches and stories of cute guys who speak french and hopefully not with malaria.

so yes. i am a bad bad girl who works very hard for her money and appears to spend it relentlessly but please dont think im spoilt or rich because im not.. im just bad at saving sometimes :p

and yes, if i can find yarn in vanuatu i shall buy it :)

peace out

Friday, March 24, 2006

WIPs

well, i figured now that the arm is well and truly knitting again i ought to out myself for having far too much on the go. And for those dedicated readers (ha!) i would just like to say that we can pretty much take it as read that my little on the needles list in the sidebar is hideously outdated and only the tip of the iceberg anyway. I'm sure one day i'll pull my finger out and put up pics of everything i have finished (and work out this whole buttons business) but for now, you may work out what i am knitting via guesswork.

These are the to-up BFG socks. This sock yarn was purchased at 50% off!! and then Himself decided it wasnt too vivid and i could make a pair of socks for him out of it. I agreed (honestly, you would hardly have noticed my facial tic) and then raced back to the store the next day to pick up more for me, ME, ME! and then it was 75% off!!! HA!

(cough) anyway, i worked the pattern out from the twisted sister sock workbook which is my current favourite. And it has brought me to the realisation that I really need to marry someone with small feet OR find a new way to express love. I'm going with the smaller feet option i think.

Here is the country silk cardigan in all her glory... posing with my new lantern moon needles (the 4.5mm recline in one of the cases Taphophile gave me for my birthday.. she gave me two which is why i had to buy two pairs of needles... perfectly logical just SHUT RIGHT UP)

Here is the crochet bolero for one of my favouritised people in the world (here). its ok, i much prefer knitting. i think my main motivation is knowing how adoreable it will look on her :p lets just say she can probably wear it in the spring at the rate im going..

Oh and this my pretties is my new scarf that i have unvented!

The I Can't Believe It's Not Garter Stitch Scarf

You will need:
  • a 60cm circular needle (I'm using 7mm)
  • 2 balls yarn (i'm using softly variegated mohair of the same dyelot, but two different colours would work well too). i shall call them B1 and B2.. because i can.
So, you cast on 30 sts or so with B1 (really depends on your yarn and needles and stuf... really people this isnt rocket science, just cast on as many as you think will be right.)
Knit 2 rows in B1.
Push all the stitches to the other side of the circular needles (gasp!!) and attach B2. Knit 2 rows B2.
Push all the stitches to the other side of circs and pick up B1 again (loosely). Knit 2 rows.
Continue like this until you have a long scarf or run out of yarn.

Yup, exciting or what? i quite like the stitch pattern, i am getting very soft stripes and each side is slightly different. Clearly the name is because you knit every row.

anyway, i think that is all. I got a cheque in the mail from sophie today (she of the green jacket) and now i have purchased some lorna's laces in bittersweet so that is my treat for the day. hands up those who think spidey should have saved money for her upcoming trip to vanuatu! now shhh

Re: my health. slowly recovering, still quite fluey and am now down 6.5kg despite voracious appetite. but i feel alot better, alot happier. so.. yes. Thanks everyone for your concern (and much love to all the sweethearts who thought i might be trapped in a hurricane! not my part of the country i'm glad to say!)

ciao bella

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Well... SnB was BIG!!! 2 boys! gosh gee willickers!





and these dont show everyone either :o isnt AussiNisi's bat cute?

then some of the goils and i had a little sleepover with our yarn but sadly blogger has just flipped the birdy at me over those pics... but here is some of my handspun alpaca instead :) the browner one is called top-deck and the other one is creme brulee. i love them to death and might actually be able to knit them soon if i grow some courage. til we knit again

PS sorry for crappy post, am fighting off throat infection and my brain is fried.

Friday, March 17, 2006

proof


so, just to prove i can actually knit again, here is one of the pair of socks i finished today. with PROPER kitchener stitch, none of this three needle cast off i usually peddle. yes indeedy, all class here. these are for my mums birthday on sunday, i've been at them for yonks but they are a really nice pattern. i loved the colourway too. i know its slack to take a photo of only one.. but is anyone surprised?? this is from the latest Creative Knitting, but i used Patonyle instead of Opal. A joy people, JOY. (and its ok to put a pic up since my mum doesnt read my blog, let alone know where to look... hence the massive rant the other day :p)

anyone wondering if this is my computer chair.. yes, yes it is. it was the only clear surface in my room.. well it was after i moved the pile of textbooks off it. seriously people, if i end up in a wheelchair after misjudging the depth of the clothes on my floor... well i hereby take all responsibility (unless its because one of my family stuck a random box in the doorway and then turned off the light... this happens alot. one minute i'm striding into my dark room to grab the socks im knitting and the next i'm squished between the door and a box of assorted non-spidey related crap with a massive bruise on my shin and a dazed expression on my face).

Have SnB on sunday and then the younger crew are having a SnB sleepover with tacky movies (as in, Disney sing-a-longs) and junk food and knitting here at Chez Spider. I can hardly wait :) AND we have a BOY coming to SnB on sunday (not the sleepover, chill out BFG). i really am very excited and relieved that i can actually knit :p now all i have to do is restrain the stash before people come over! Eeeeep!! People?? Can we get Chicago out too???

Knit and the world knits with you, crochet and they point and laugh
Peace out.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

breathe again

relax mon amies, this blog will remain high in knitting content! i do not have rsi! my doctor says its related to my neck and posture and has ordered me to have a series of massages (you all hate me right now right?). And it's fine for me to knit again :) :) thank goodness, i was going absolutely spare.

have mostly finished back piece of the bolero (there are some issues with the neck shaping, i think theres an error in the pattern but im struggling to locate it being slightly less familiar with crochet). i have sort of enjoyed crochet, if only because when people ask me how i am i can say "crochety!" and see if they get it (yes, i am amused by very simple things). but to be back with a sock in my hand is the greatest joy imagineable. i thought i would cry.

i guess this is what my friends who smoke are talking about. they try to quit, but when theycave in the first smoke is the best one ever!

so anyway, much craziness at the moment. but as the anticraft says "you're going to die anyway so you might as well knit"

Monday, March 13, 2006

quick word

As something of a distraction for myself, I have set up a new blog with Taphophile. It is Vague, and we are hoping to fill it with chuckles we locate from any sources we can find. if you find something that jerks your chain, drop us a line at vague_as_anythingAThotmailDOTcom. We will give credit where credit is due :)

on other matters... well im alive. and still crocheting. ew. and i have a drs appointment for wednesday. so yes. keep you posted. but how about right now you go laugh at my vintage knit patterns :p

Sunday, March 12, 2006

up the river in egypt without a paddle

this has been an interesting week to say the least.
  1. i think i may be developing rsi. pain in my arm and shoulder and neck, tingling, migraines.. its all very fun i must say. so basically i havent been knitting this week. only a Knitter will understand how gut-wrenching that sentence is.
  2. one of my tutors thinks i am 5 years old. she is a primary school teacher taking a unit on behaviour management of high school students. call me crazy, call me wild and outrageous but i dont think I-Cans will work for anyone over the age of, say, 7. (an I-Can is a can on every students desk. once a week you get them to write something they can do on a piece of paper and put it in the can. then when you think they need encouragement you shake the can and say "look at all the things you can do! i bet you can do this too!"). i personally am somewhat ticked off to be taught by someone who's catch-phrase is "you might EVEN be able to use this for 7 graders!"
  3. The Uni is messing me around and it looks as though i will have to do some courses off campus because i cant do history/SOSE at UC. this is a collosal pain in the rear and is made more frustrating because my course convener wants me to start a unit three weeks into the semester. Grand!
  4. I have mysteriously lost 5kg. some of you may not think this is a bad thing, but to lose that much weight by accident scares the pants off me (anyone who just wondered if my pants maybe weighed 5kgs and that explains it SHHH).
  5. Insomnia
  6. did i mention that i cant really knit? and i may not be able to for a long time? need i really add to this?
  7. oh yes, i bought some lantern moon needles. and they arrived on thursday. and i knit about, oh, 4 rows. dont cry for me, im already dead.

so yes. bad week and no signs of light at the end of the tunnel. i am currently attempting to figure out some new diversion tactics that do not involve knitting.

  • C*****t. namely a little bolero jacket. like i say alot, i hate crochet but at least im not so aware that im not knitting. and the pattern is cute so its not all bad. and... well as ToD so brilliantly said to me the other day, if i do it while i recover i might get really good at it too... sorry i didnt really twig on that one at the time mate, im a bit distracted.
  • cross stitch.
  • reading. nothing fun though :( just text books and king lear. sigh.
  • cleaning the room. i was considering a photo but i think that would be too shameful for words. just imagine the worst childs bedroom you have ever seen, add approximately 75kg of yarn and fibre and 3,000 books and then shake well. leave to gather dust.
  • finish these flipping dresses (the missing 5kg has messed around with my sizing grrr)
  • bake cookies and then eat them (5kg of cookies)

so excuse me, no pretty pictures for awhile. im going to the dr soon and will let you all know what he says... i dont know if i can handle uni stress if i cant knit!!!

anyone with something funny please tell me, i need a giggle.

ciao

Monday, March 06, 2006

oh those bitchin' stitchers

yes! i have located some charged batteries and can now show off thursdays SnB.

Here we have the gorgeous Irene patiently casting off her sideways scarf... a little longer than you thought darling?? you can see the finished item here. She is a natural to photograph, very cleverly masking her desire to scream and strangle someone with said scarf (also, i really really love that top).

Othlon disagreeing with a partial ball of sock yarn that Monica brought for the swap basket...
the ball i scored... Monica, its one thing for me to give away my crappy beginners spinning, but this is waaaaaaaaaaaay too pretty to give away. i love it to death and keep it near me wherever i am at home but.. arg. you have to come here one day and show me how you use your wheel because you clearly know something i dont :p Here Monica and Taphophile ponder the dark side (btw i have a pattern for one of these...). ladies... one day its a cute disappearing string bag and then before you know it you have a king sized bed spread made out of recycled plastic bags. be warned.
and here is newbie Lisa chatting with Camille. We like you Lisa! Welcome!!!
Oh, and just to prove im not totally lazy heres the back piece of my cardigan. she's reclining on horace to remind me that if i'm not careful i will totally forget how to do anything..

I know that every photo will show a different colour for this cardi.. its like uluru, every single ligting set up makes it look different. its a bit redder.. less purple looking.. basically its just delicious.

i have been spending today sewing myself a couple of dresses... but have just gotten over it. they are this pattern, and im making one of each skirt type at the same time.. and they are really cute and all but the bust section is far too long (my nipples are not that close to my belly-button honest!) so rather than do an easy quick-fix... i've given up. and in a few minutes i will probably pack the whole shmozzle up and go listen to king lear on record (see... im not sooo naughty taking a day off uni).

ciao!

PS in response to yesterday... its called list 1 because i live with more than one crazy person. im leaving myseld room to winge about my dad and my brother... and my boss and my uni and my boyfriend too.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

List 1

hello lads and ladies!

snb on thursday was brilliant! a small group for a change but this isnt a bad thing, i think i actually got to talk to everyone for once :) and to make the evening even better othlon, irene and i went out for dinner first so we were full of knitterly love! we were sitting about cursing men and suddenly we are doing the 'when shall we three meet again' bit from macbeth.. ah so appropriate. three witches is right :p

sadly i am stupid and have run out of all AA batteries that are charged and so have no new pics for you! so instead, i am writing a list. if you are going to be offended by any of this please dont read it! im not your mummy, you can make an intelligent decision whether or not to be offended and if you choose to read it i dont need to hear if you think im a brat. thanks.

Things My Mother Does That Shit Me
  1. asks questions and then doesnt listen to the reply.. and then asks you the same question 5 minutes later. (such as 'what are you doing tonight' 5 or so times)
  2. finishes your sentences for you in a way that proves she wasnt listening. ( me - "so in richard III theres this really interesting bit that..." she - "has a femal aardvark in it?" or more frequently "oh is this pride and prejudice?").
  3. puts beans in everything. green beans. i like them ok, i do not turn my nose up at vegetables but... fried rice, risotto, pastas, salads, stir fries... and SO MANY of them. seriously, if i see one more green bean im going to have to be restrained.
  4. thinks i should still be wearing leggings in public. this is a war that has raged since i discovered mirrors at age 11 and im sorry but there are very few women who can/should wear these abominations in public. oh, and FLORAL ones! hello...!!??
  5. has weird social behaviours. my friend pissed me off and i didnt want to meet her for lunch and mum says "oh just dont tell her and dont go." she is so scared of confrontation... and this makes me confront her ALL the time.
  6. chews really loudly. I'M SERIOUS! she cant listen AND chew.
  7. reads books like 'women who sort of stroll with the poodles' and the like and then tells me how to deal with people (if you read number 5 you will see why this annoys me so much)
  8. stretches in weird places in the house
  9. steals my thongs (for american readers, this is australian for flip-flops... its not THAT bad) and then leaves them in the garden.
  10. leaves the house at the time she has to arrive at her chosen location (mostly frustrating when she's taking me somewhere)
  11. carries a bag of shoes with her everyday to work. this woman has at least three bags each day and at least 5 pairs of shoes.
  12. says things like "you know what you could knit me? a mohair blanket!"
  13. listens to talk-back radio
  14. steals my seat at the kitchen table after covering every other seat with her numerous bags (see 11)
  15. is eyeing off my new cardigan...
  16. borrows my clothes and takes them in
  17. has a really annoying aversion to obesity. its sooo narrow inded, i cant watch tv with her anymore because she shudders and says 'ooooh yuckkkk!'. i mean, COME ON! as she is someone who is underweight and has to struggle to keep her weight above 40kg you'd expect some sympathy but no! this is pisses me off soooo much, you have no idea. makes me knit cranky. ugh. not every one is a skinny midget with visible ribs, mum!
  18. cant say no to people at work and then comes home all cranky and takes it out on me.
  19. lets my brother get away with murder. "i dont think its fair to ask him to do any chores as he's hardly ever home" but its ok for me to do twice as much as well as studying full time and working part time.... ?
  20. relates everything i do back to her. if i have a fight with BFG she's all "oh i used to have terrible times with dad because i just couldnt be open". HELLO??? of all my problems with BFG, not speaking my mind is definitely not near the top of the list :p
  21. she thought my garter belt was a bra. she gets offended that i have cute knickers, like im a pervert or something.
  22. she purses her lips up when i swear (as in 'oh crap').. but only tells my brother off if he uses the other 'c' word.

there are many more and this will probably get added to... are you feeling a little tension? yeah well. i got up at 6.45am this morning (on my only day off of the week) to help her clean up australia in our local bushland park... and she's so nervous about other people, evern though she organised the thing she made very little effort to get people.. so it was like four of us. eck.

also, why do you think people would find it fun to a) get drunk in a park, b) get laid in a park and c) set fire to car parts in a park?

hopefully have some pics up tomorrow, ignore the winge :p

Ms Spider

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

in the red

just a quick 'hey how good is my life'. read it and weep :p

love. this. yarn.

it. is. not. green.

see you all at SnB!