new news?

Well... i hardly know where to start! so much has been happening.

As some of you know (and some of you don't) i had some very good news the other week. and now its all official i'm allowed to tell you all (are we pleased?). Thing is... Sherpa and I are moving in together in November. and we're buying the house he's lived in for the last 4-5 years. His parents own it and we're going to set it up so rent is actually loan repayment and we will end up with equity! Which is clearly very good news... like brilliantly good news. and the lovely Kath from Uni asked me today "what happens if it all goes to custard?" (which i had to share because she's so funny) and i know it sounds naive to say "it wont" but.. well. you guys have seen us together and if that isnt proof enough then i guess you'll just have to wait around for 60 or so years for your proof eh?

This has the added advantage that i now have my own garden. the soil is BEAUTIFUL, we started digging last weekend and its like damp cocoa... we're both nesting a fair bit. but it's so much fun, i've always been a gardener but have had to battle with my father as to what we planted. Sherpa is happy if i am AND he let me prune the roses. I LOVE pruning. it's one of my favourite things EVER and i pruned these two whippy ones on wednesday and it was very satisfying. i dont generally like killing things, i shed a tear when we pulled out a little tree we didnt want, but roses just LOVE a good hard prune. honest. if you have scraggily bushes about your house cut them right back to near the woody trunk bit and you will have the nicest blooms next season.

what else? well... my brother collapsed apon poor old Horace the spinning wheel AGAIN. i swear i dont know how he does it, clearly one of us is adopted because i am nowhere near that clumsy. But the thing is his wheel is wobbling all over the shop and it's really affecting my tension (in my yarn too ;). And Taph being the gorgeous bringer of joy and wonder that she is has WITHIN A WEEK of this disaster managed to find herself so overburdened with wheels she could give me one (!!!) but also managed to score me a brand new set of ashton carders, a brand new flicker and a niddy-noddy for a song! i am SO impressed with you right now Taph, and Charlotte is my new best friend. S'beautiful!!! there is renewed interest in the dyeing of the Taph yarn, let me tell you!

So basically... life is sweet. eBay biz is good, the rainbow sock yarn is ridiculously popular and Sherpa is plotting how we can go into mass production (i smile and nod because he says we can get a pair of angora bunnies when i move in and im not going to argue with free fibre or fibre-tolerant soulmates). Of course, as it stands the eBay money (though planned for self-supporting stash) has become the 'Sherpa and Spider moving out fund'. though once i move in i think this will change. and some is in reserve for the craft and quilt fair (this spider thinks ahead, believe me).

Uni is ok, i am well and happy and as taph puts it, 'disgustingly happy'. but i dont much care.

See some of you girls next week? I am feeling SO sociable right now, if you dont want to be hugged/crash-tackled you might need to walk into starbucks with your needles raised...

the lucky-in-everything-this-month
Ms SPider xo

PS. Did i mention that the living room is big enough for SnB? like, comfortably so, even with 3-4 spinning wheels? and sherpa WANTS me to host????!!!!! (be still my heart..)

PPS. kylie am only past the heel in the first sock. Yours are GORGEOUS, you make me sickeningly proud of my yarn :p (everyone go and wowee at kylie's brilliant socks and tell her to knit some more, ok?)

PPPS. Re Kylie's socks. all my skeins of sock yarn are now 100g so they will definately manage a proper long pair of socks. the small skein kylie bought was me using up some (poorly weight-marked) 4ply before commiting to BUYING yarn first... Anyone interested drop me a line or visit here. If you want a specific stripe sequence i'll do my best for you.

with pictures to follow

In no particular order:
finished rainbow sockswatermelon hat (for a BABY, i keep telling him, not merely for someone infantile...)piratical illusion scarf (created much interest, and my mother says sorry about the state of the living room. and that's a pirate hook for those who were wondering). oh and i do need to weave in the ends of course... (and it says 'Yar!' with only one 'r' because it was going to be too long to be manageable...)
the happy spider handspun shawl on my brand new Addi Turbos! (insert light-saber noises here).
the first pink grapefruit sock (you've ruined me kylie, it was easy to sell before i had knit too much...)think that about covers it.
hope everyone is happy and healthy and down-right blissful :)

the speedy
Ms Spider xo

happy blog birthday!

I am pleased as punch to announce that as of yesterday i have been polluting the blog-o-sphere with fibre-y goodness for a whole year! I ask you all to raise your needles in salute and stroke your yarn with joy.
Have had a rather productive week. I finished my wavey scarf and as soon as i can be arsed i'll write the pattern out for you (though really, all you need is the link to the stitch pattern taph commented with last time and have half a brain...)
I also finished my rainbow socks. this is a joyous occasion because now when i sell my rainbow sock yarn on ebay i can pop a pic 'example of use' for those who cant think beyond the skein.
last night i cast on and cast off a little beanie for a toddler i know using my hand-dyed watermelon aran. i LOVE it. love it love it love it. every time i got to a 'seed' i got all squealy!
I am up to the second skull and cross bone on my piratical illusion scarf. hope to finish it tonight.
oh and i started a shawl in my most recently spun yarn, as its nice and fine. its just an increaseing triangle shawl and i'm really enjoying it. and i need my addi turbos to arrive NOW but i ordered them on monday and theres not a peep out of the wool shack :(

oh and i ran out of camera batteries, did you guess? as soon as they're charged i'll insert a few pics to make this a tad less dry :p

oh and uni is back. ew.

the distracted
Ms Spider xo

PS. have some very good news... but you might have to ask me ;)

like a record baby

have done a little spinning this week and have been saving it up to show off :)
no names as yet,
theres this: tried a bit of navajo plying and though its a bit unbalanced i like it very much. used to be this. the coliour intensity is just gorgeous :) 50g, bout 70 metres
this one used to be this. 50g, 100 metres
and this one used to be this. when plying i actually managed to have my bobbins empty about with 2 metres difference which was exciting. its actually more purple-ish than this. its actually quite deep turquoise-y blues and deep purples. 50g about 100 m
and that be it for now i guess. oh i have more stuff on ebay, this may become a weekly thing. nice and gratifying that people will pay to own stuff i've dyed ;)

knit on
Ms Spider xo

spoils of war

ok, well... yesterday there was much fibre-whoredom. and just because i have a reputation to uphold i thought i'd better show you all my goodies.. also i caved in to certain demands despite my own determination to not display my complete lack of self-control around markets (i tell a lie, i spent exactly what i wanted to and got everything i wanted and have no buyers remorse whatsoever... i just feel like more of a wench when i say it like that. so lets just pretend im guilty and be done with it).

and all photos of fibre are within the bags and dont show up very well.. im saving the proper perve for when they are spun ;)

firstly, 220 g carded greasy grey merino. mmmm.100g polwarth tops in 'Island Storm'.50g polwarth tops with 10% silk (no colourway mentioned but its YUM)50g silky merino. no colourway but PRETTY.50g merino wool, "pot luck".29g tussah silk tops... yummmmmmmm100g handspun (yes i could prolly spin it myself but its such nice colours and we have to support locals!)ladybird colourway of Opal (wanted this last time but was restrained.. and then regretted it big time. could probably dye it myself but i cant get a really good black like this.)some Gaywool purple dyes for furtherment of my financial gains on eBay.Ashford maintenance kit, which was a very good investment considering my drive band snapped yesterday :p look at my shiny new hooks! also bought a spare bobbin.. cos i could and you always need another bobbin...this is a scarf i started last night.. needed the joy of new yarn to recover from loss of sherpa.. its a pretty stitch pattern i've been meaning to try and remembered about when taph and i saw some scarves at the fibre-fest. I am using Katia Mexico and its lovely. i think it looks a bit like waves on the ocean or something..let me know if you guys want my pattern (im too lazy to write it out now but if someone actually wants it i might be inspired).oh and i'm up to the first 'r' in the sherp/pirate scarf. its gorgeous :) and will of course say 'Yarrr!' with another skull and crossbone to follow.ok, i think i might be done for now :p yarn-porn this week was brough to you by the letter 'Mmmm' and the number 'lots-of-money'.

knit on!
the naughty
Ms Spider xo

PS i hope you're happy now kylie...

pair-shaped

I finished them! the socksual healing socks, stayed up til midnight, wrapped them, found a card that sort of matched and gave them to her today! are we proud?

of course, most spiders lack foresight and i just realised i didnt take a photo. but lets all look at this and pretend that its a picture of a completed pair, possibly with a small spray of purple flowers to set off the picture nicely.

Work was unbelieveable today. It. Is. Cold. I was wearing:

1. 2 pairs of knee-high socks (one hand-knit from 8ply pure wool)
2. thermal long john things
3. thermal singlet
4. jeans
5. turtle neck skivvy
6. turtle neck wool sweater
7. Aran wool vest
8. voodoo wrist warmers
9. a giant houndstooth 1960's wool coat with the leather woven buttons.
10. shoes (dur)
11. scarf

and not only could i still see my breath at 2pm but i still have goosebumps and im sitting in front of the heater an hour after coming home. you ladies know me! i knit ALOT. for me to get cold... its gotta be bad.

Happy birthday to the gorgeous Othlon! And roll on tomorrow with my fibre day, starting with spinning with Taph, followed by us being total fibre whores at the bus depot markets and then going to see dear Othlon so shower her with yarny love.

And yes, i miss sherpa. it's not so bad... i mean, i'm sure most amputees will tell you you get used to it... its all very well to find your soulmate but the inconvenience of missing them.. well, is it really worth it? (cough cough cough my dad told me im not as cynical as i think i am and im trying to prove i AM cynical but he doesnt buy it. dont let on that i know he's right!)

no pictures im afraid (interesting how one only gets comments when one posts pictures isnt it?). maybe there is one. let me have a hunt.

Sherpa attacks my puppy! Run away Harry, run away!

knit on, happy weekend
Ms Spider xo

PS when is Brenda Dayne ever going to update ????

and again

hello again (i have had a sleep since the last post so try not to judge me... it's uni break!)

As some of you may have predicted, i lost my drive to.. leave the house today. this may or may not be due to the smegging jo sharp silkroad aran- this is THE NICEST yarn i have ever knit with... it's got CASHMERE in it people! i am in heaven and then suddenly its 1.30pm and i cant be bothered brushing my hair into a state worthy of walking downtown. so yes.
but here is the so-far-ness of the sherpa stealth scarf (inspired in part by the great vid lent to me by karen - will bring it along tonight, promise!). illusion knitting rocks :p
boring scarf?
not-so-boring scarf. Sherpa has a bit of a pirate obsession going on. you would never have guessed if i hadnt told you eh?

oh and the socksual healing socks for my boss' ill mother. i could have gotten halfway through the second foot last night but the only other heel im on at the moment is black and i figured this yarn shows the heel turning in a much clearer way - and whats a few days delay really? theres only so hard i have to push myself - its not like she knows im knitting them for her, and they have only taken 8 days to get this far anyway. thanks again to Taph for the yarn - it simply radiates get-well-ness. And i love the cable-rib sock pattern. LOVE IT.and i think that be all for now :) i'm having a massage this arvo so if im a bit spacey at SnB thats why. and dont frown at me like that, my shoulder has been giving me trouble and the Dr TOLD me i had to have lots of massages so there. nyer nyer nyer!

see you sweet things this evening!
knit on!
Ms Spider xo

a quickie

hello my darlings!
i did rather well (in a modest yet quite thrilling nonetheless manner) on ebay last week and thought i may as well try again so i have some more stuff up here. Watermelon Aran is my favourite and devotees will be pleased to see some rainbow sock yarn up too! i've put a little more on it this time, was testing the water with the last lot and have just discovered my 4ply dealer has gotten more pricey so needs must! i am only sharing my excitement, please dont read this as a plea for bids ok? no sympathy yarn purchases allowed! This means you, you saucy sneaky wench - you know who you are!! (on the other hand, if you love it to bits then be my guest :p).

Also thought i would just make a quick note as i'm not convinced that the yahoo group actually passed on the email i sent - thursday night SnB i am bringing my ball-winder and swift and these are for use for anyone with skeins they cant deal with or badly wound balls. if the email did go through then excuse my repetition, but i usually get sent a copy and i didnt so.. yes. I also have a sock at the end of the heel flap and WILL NOT TURN THE HEEL until i am at SnB (will even say i'll save it til 7.30 so any stragglers who want to see have a chance). /pinky swears

i dont really know what else to say except that:

1) i'm sorry i'm such a bad blogger at the moment,

2) i'm ridiculously happy,

3) eBay makes me feel rather clever and though i didnt make very much money on the last one it's nice to know that.. you're saleable

4) Sherpa is a darling and i started his scarf this evening (how can i not love a man who buys Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran for me to knit him a scarf with?)

5) boys in share houses are scary and i really don't want to know what it was that i scrubbed off the kitchen floor this morning, though what it was originally and what it was today when i disposed of it are possibly very different things (and sherpa's housemate belt-boy is weird and looks at me with such an inexplicable expression of confusion on his face, "what is she doing here?", that i am tempted to flash him just to see if he reacts. i mean, honestly. the guy is a loony. and i strongly suspect he has never spoken to a woman he isnt related to)

6) I want to blog properly and may do tomorrow.. er... THIS morning.. after i wake up. but i also want to go trawl op-shops for nice cones of 2ply white merino... hey! i've found it before!

7) i had a haircut.. last week? sometime anyway. its.. i like it. still long but not so much and more layery. you know, if i were sixteen i could probably get all technical on your asses but seriously... i'm more vain about my fibre-content these days. its hair. it grows back.

8) My brother generates odours that would make a warthog weep. ESPECIALLY since he started to work at the curry shop.

9) sherpa is going away for 9 days soon which is very sad. and silly since its the last week of holidays and the poor thing has spen the last 7 mornings doing opens at his work (ie. wakeup at 6.30am) so i would rather like to have a few quiet holidays days alone. but never mind. honestly, the sort of thing that would normally drive me bonkers now barely registers on my mild irritation radar. I'm really.. happy. weird eh? and i'm very sorry if i'm awfully nauseating.. i do realise it's probably a bit.. something. but peeps... if you see bruises up my arms its because i keep pinching myself ^_^

10) just cos i like round numbers... um i'm very grateful to everyone who has said such nice things about my dyeing... i feel a little silly about the whole thing. i'm not great at compliments usually and this seems like... like i'm getting praised for something really minor that anyone could do. but i suppose the point is that not everyone can be bothered/has a big enough house/has the energy/has the time/has the vision so i suppose thats a bit of a realisation for me. in short: thankyou for being so nice, i really do appreciate all the support and loveliness (knitters are just the BEST, seriously) and it made my day every time i got a comment along the lines of 'good golly you're smart!', because seriously, i'd rather be smart than pretty any day!

love you all, you gorgeous knitters you and see as many of you as possible tomorrow.. er.. tonight!

knit on!

the nauseatingly chirpy
Ms Spider xo