BeatleWear

Sew on and sew forth

2011-08-28T09:27:00.004+10:00

So, I told you all I was waiting on this sewing machine? Oh the wait!

In some ways it was useful, in that it gave me time to really consider my options. The Sewing Bug had a really good sale on, and I was torn between three machines. As is human nature, I went with the middle option. But while waiting I considered the next model up. The machine I had ordered was a $699 model with $100 off as part of the sale. But this little beauty was $1299 with $500 off as part of the sale! As you would expect with that kind of price difference, there are plenty more features, including twice as many in-built stitches.

So I forked out an extra $100 and took home the 6260QC last Saturday. I have yet to make anything "real" with it - lots of the buttons and levers are placed differently to my old machine, and I don't want to end up making a crucial error because I forget how to stitch back!

I have, however, been having fun with all the fancy stitch options and the one-step buttonholer!

The snowflake stitch is probably my favourite!

We spent yesterday afternoon looking at open houses, which is an experience at once exhausting, exciting and disappointing!

We were looking in a new built area near Gungahlin, which none of our maps covered, and the maps on allhomes were challenging to the intellect. So we got lost and missed two of the homes we had planned to look at. And one we saw on the fly actually turned out to be the most useful! We are now considering building rather than buying new...

I suppose the thing is, neither of us feels very grown-up. And building feels less safe by far! For starters, I've watched enough Grand Designs to be wary! But in terms of cost, we can dictate the design and landscaping (and all the finishes) for less than a similar new property on the market. And... I suppose I am wary of making an easy choice that I'm not 100% happy with. Building would be a pain in the arse, but the investment of time and patience would result in a more suited product. What do they say? The greater the risk, the greater the reward?

Meeting estate agents is rather like dating. They are all trying to seduce, without letting on that they care too much, and trying to hide all their flaws. We spoke to several, and one guy really made an impression (the one who is keen to do builds). While of course he was selling himself, it didn't feel like bluster, and the finishes on the home he was showing were far superior to the others we saw (and it was cheaper). Being a detail-oriented person, I really respected his work.

Anyway, we're having a little breather to think, so we don't rush into anything. But there's a lovely big block at Sprinbank Rise, facing a park, that excited us both more than any of the homes we saw!

I've also made a real effort in the last week to get more exercise! A friend got me on to Couch to 5k. I've been for two runs now, and will do my third today. I've always wanted to run, but have given myself awful shin-splints every time I've tried in the past. This program, however, leads you into the run gently, so you intersperse running and brisk walking as you build up strength. So far, no shin-splints! I felt awesome after the first run, and less awesome after the second (though I suspect this was due to hormonal interference!). I also went for a nice long bike ride around the lake yesterday.

How virtuous I feel! :)

Peace out,

Ms Spider xo

Belting out the hits 2

2011-08-18T19:19:00.004+10:00

As promised, some "modelled" shots. Apologies for the usual crap-ness of photography!
Peace out,

Ms Spider xxx

T-Shorts!

2011-08-18T16:46:00.003+10:00

On a roll!

I also whipped up a pair of shorts for the husband out of two of his old t-shirts. I made a pattern piece by laying a pair of his old shorts on some old newspaper.

Then I cut the shoulder seams of two t-shirts, and folded them across the centre of the shirt (to preserve the centre image).

Then I cut the pattern pieces (plus seam allowance). I placed the pieces carefully so that I could use the bottom hem for the bottom of the leg, and made sure they would be the same length.

The (once again in the no-photo zone) I sewed the two pieces together along the J-seams. I then sewed the inner thigh seams from one leg to the other. Then I double folded the waistband (wide enough for elastic) and sewed, leaving a gap to thread elastic through. Inserted elastic (and sewed on an after-thought-y pocket which I really should have done at the beginning).

Ta-da!

Not the neatest thing I ever made, but I'm pretty pleased with them. The beauty of this type of project is that both shirts have been washed and through the tumble dryer before, and so it's unlikely to shrink. And they make his butt look cute (important!).

Peace out

Ms Spider xxx

Belting out the hits

2011-08-18T16:19:00.004+10:00

On Saturday I bought a new sewing machine (this one) but there's a delay and it won't arrive for at least a fortnight. Yes, this kills me. But I have decided this is the Universe's way of teaching me patience and maturity. Or something.

But my interest is up, and I've been using my old machine a lot - hey, at least I'll appreciate the new one heaps when it arrives.

I've been spending a lot of time trawling for good DIY projects. I found this one for a floral belt a few weeks ago, and spent a while madly searching for a good second-hand leather item to upcycle. And on Saturday, I hit gold.

Most of the stuff at Salvos (Fyshwick store) was hugely expensive, and I had no luck finding

a skirt. Luckily, I did find a girl's suede jacket!

I made a pattern piece (as per the tutorial) based on my waist measurement (plus about 3 inches). I tried the pattern piece on to get an idea of what it would look like. It took some tweaking, but when it looked right, I cut out a piece from the body of the jacket (I put the wider middle section as evenly across the stitching in the middle back as possible - bonus detail stitching!)

I also cut out a lining piece, using some antique blue satin remnants of one of my grandmother's dresses.

Then I got into the zone and forgot to take ANY progress shots (old readers may sense a theme).

I am still attaching the press-studs - I'm using two, about 1.5 inches apart so there's a nice wide overlap (I'm hoping this will keep it together neater than just one).

Finished belt!

And close up of the floral detail :)

I'm really happy with this! It looks super cute over dresses and blouses. As soon as I finish the fastening I'll post a modelled shot!

Peace out,

Ms Spider xxx

military-inspired corsage

2011-08-10T19:41:00.006+10:00

Yes, I know, same old, same old. But I'm not going to give reasons for not writing, it's boring and no-one cares.

Instead - project!

I was in DFO a few weeks ago, and saw some of those huge maxi-dresses at Industrie - you know the type, t-shit fabric and super long. So I picked up a couple because I can never find any decent t-shirt fabric, and they were cheap, cheap, cheap! They are destined for many new garments, but this is the first:

1. The dress. I bought a small (they're all pretty big though) but only because it was the largest one in the shop. If you're buying clothes for repurposing, bigger is better! It's a poly/viscose/elastane blend, but for $7 I'm not worried. The fabric feels nice, and I'm not looking for anything with huge long-term wear.2. I cut off a few inches from the bottom hem, in a strip. 3. Then I used a darning needle to thread yarn in BIG stitches along the raw edge. I used most of the front piece - you'll see when you've got enough by gathering the stitches as you go. (Yes, that's sock yarn.)
4. Gather tightly and tie off. 5. Stitch up the raw side pieces (you're admiring my crappy hand-stitching, aren't you?).
6. Now, the middle of your corsage will be raw, so you'll need to cover it up. I was lucky enough to find these vintage military buttons recently, so had plenty to choose from. I finally selected this anchor, and found a brooch-backing in my jewellery-making stash.7. Stitch the button into the centre of your corsage. If it has a shank, you probably want to tug it into the centre of the corsage, in amongst the raw edges, so it doesn't rattle around. Now stitch or hot-glue the brooch backing onto the back of your corsage. This fabric is pretty drop-y, so I'll probably stick a bit of hot-glue discretely around the front of the button to make sure the fabric sticks out neatly.
I may turn the top half of this dress into a tank, it doesn't look half bad! I think I get bonus style points for the tracky-pants underneath ;)Stay tuned for more repurposed maxi-dress projects!

Peace out,
Ms Spider xxx

Acorn-ucopia!

2011-02-22T20:56:00.004+11:00

And it fits! Ta-da!And less ham-my... and showing off the awesome pockets!
And with my newly finished project, the Miette cardigan in Moda Vera cotton/bamboo (Rav link here). It isn't quite this luminous in real life - this is the result of very amazing morning light.And the back view.

I was at work for 12 hours today, so that's all I got. At least I liked my outfit today though!

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

Sew little time!

2011-02-21T19:21:00.008+11:00

Ah yes, once a month I said, eh?

Well, so much for that.

Life is busy. My time is rarely my own. Work is busy. Motivation is hard to hold on to. Same old story, nobody needs to hear it all over again.

So, a project! A good 8 or 9 months ago I ran into an old acquaintance at the OBDM wool day, who told me they were dying to see more of my sewing projects on my blog. I've been thinking about this a fair bit, and keep it in mind whenever I embark on a sewing project... trouble is, once I get in the zone, I totally forget to take photos. So I end up with a shot of pattern pieces on fabric, and the finished item on a dress dummy.

I really DID try with this one. I had this lofty notion of a sort of tutorial that might be helpful in this age of online shopping... and forgot to take lots of pics. But there are some, so I'll do my best.

For my birthday (26!) a few weeks ago, I bought myself this dress on Modcloth.com. My bust size makes me a 10 (according to their sizing chart) and based on the comments that the dress was cut big, I bought an 8. Lucky I did, because when it arrived, it was HUGE!

The husband, who is not known for his fashion sense, commented that I "look like Ponyo", and it really was not flatteringly drapey or anything - it just looked like when you wear a fitted garment that is three sizes too big - ridiculous.

You can see the light coming through under the arm. You can see where the dress gapes under the arm around the side of the bust. The dress form is set to my measurements in these pics, and you can see how much extra fabric there is at either side.
Now, just to make things complicated, this dress is fully and beautifully lined. All the raw edges are inside the lining, and the inside is all beautifully finished. This would have delighted me, if it hadn't been such an unflattering shape.

At this point I do want to mention that Modcloth does have a returns policy, and I did consider returning it for a smaller size. However 1) I would have had to pay postage to the US and 2) There was no guarantee a smaller one would be the right shape, and then I'd have less fabric to work with to make it nicer.

I was initially planning to take apart the entire bodice, remove button bands and collar, and alter the bodice pieces and the linings and reseam.... and then I looked more closely at the fabric. It's a very light cotton-blend voile, and really wasn't going to stand up to all that seam-ripping and re-stitching. So I did the Mickey Mouse version.

First I took the sleeves out. I didn't photograph it, but I marked with a tailor's pencil the point at which the gathers started on the inside of the armhole and the sleeve. I needed to keep track of placement for the sleeve, because taking in the bodice will reduce the armhole and the sleeve will need to be gathered more to fit in the same hole neatly.

After the sleeves were out (and I'd recovered from the dizzying moment where i remembered what I'd paid for the dress and how upset I'd be if I couldn't put it all back together), I pinned the side-seams where I thought they needed to come in based on my dress form. I love the dress form, but it assumes the placement of your inches are funny places sometimes, so I always try on as I go too.
I basted by hand (super-roughly) using very bright thread so I could try it on.
It was now a little tight across the front of the bust, so I rebasted until I was happy with the results.

I sewed two rows of straight stitch (about a 2) on either side, and then a row of zig-zag over the outer straight row (if you were enough of a sophisticate to own an overlocker, this is where I would use one). I then cut the fabric back to my new side seams (only needing to breathe into a paper bag occasionally).

Here is where I forgot to take any progress shots because I was totally in the zone, by the way. The seams shots were just taken on my lap two minutes ago.

I unpicked the gather stitches at the top of the sleeves and ironed the pieces out flat. (Side note - I didn't want to cut the sleeves down even though they were a little big for my liking, because the cuff and button details were perfectly rendered and my mother didn't raise no fool).

I pinned the sleeves in to the marks I'd made on the armhole indicating where gathering started, and made a new mark on the sleeves pieces in a new colour. I unpinned and sewed gathering stitches between the new marks, repinned into the armhole and gathered until it all fit nicely.

I reattached the sleeves (with bated breath) using much the same stitching as the side seams.
And it now fits! k I am relieved, and delighted, and so deeply in love with the print I want to buy acorn earrings or squirrel themed jewellery to go with it...

And I know it's totally bad form to leave you with a dress-form pic and not a proper "see it fits" glammed up shot, but I'm tired, my skin's bad and my photographer needs lessons. I'm wearing it tomorrow with a newly completed cardi, so will rattle up a properly styled pic for then. And I might even post it within the next decade!

Anyway, sorry to spam you with all the pics! If there's anyone left out there, that is :p

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

Peacock Feathers II: a sequel (silk-quel?)

2010-11-20T11:17:00.005+11:00

In February 2007, I made myself a Peacock Feathers Shawl. - rav link. Also, blogged here and here. It's a great shawl, and gets a lot of wear in cool weather as a scarf. I used my own laceweight wool, and it's grown a little halo over time.
However, I've been thinking increasingly that I need a really lustrous silk shawl for summer evenings, and finally decided that it was time for a rerun. Because I tend to be too focused on projects when they are incomplete to blog about them, here is the journey from skein to feather in pictures:

1. Fibreworks 2ply silk from Waratah Fibres.
2. About 30% done
3. Finished!
4. Blocking.
5. Preening.And it looks REALLY easy when you explain it like that! It took a little over 2 weeks (but I was stuck on the couch for four days solid trying to overcome horrible side-effects to hard core antibiotics, so this isn't a realistic or repeatable timeframe) and I think I might wear this outfit to the yr 10 formal this year. I will just have to restrain myself from flapping my wings, because they already think I'm a big enough dag ;)

The colour in the second pic is most accurate - it's a really lustrous, opalescent purple and green colourway.

Oh and I totally wouldn't have held it together at work over the last few weeks if I hadn't had this baby to distract me ;)

It ain't all bad!
Ms Spider xo

said the lemming

2010-11-20T10:57:00.004+11:00

I've been thinking about my stress levels. They are not necessarily a good thing in my life. It's not just work, it's a lot of things. I know there's always someone who's worse off, and on the face of it I have a pretty happy life. I have a career that I (mostly) love, a happy marriage, a home, more yarn than I can poke a knitting needle at, a good income and my youth. The health thing is not so easy to define, but it's not like I can't work or can never enjoy myself, so let's say I have my health too.
What I also have is a somewhat overactive sense of responsibility. These are not my words, but the husband's. I have a tendency to collect lost souls, and feel genuinely and totally responsible for their wellbeing. You can imagine how inconvenient a trait this is as a teacher. Don't get me wrong, I care about all of my kids. But every now and then there'll be one who tugs on the old heart strings and I lose sleep over them. I'm getting better at compartmentalising with kids, and I think it's because I never have to deal with them in person outside of school. With friends it's a different matter.
The husband says the problem is not that I care, but that it is rarely reciprocal ("they aren't capable of caring the way you do"), and it upsets him to see me invest so much time and concern into people who leave when they don't need me anymore. He has this thing about me being a good person, like I'm some moral compass and everyone else is out for themselves. He watches me on the phone and kisses me when I hang up and says "you are so nice", like I just performed a magic trick.
I don't know if I'm a good person. If someone shoots at the person next to you and you jump in front of them instinctively, are you still a hero? Don't get me wrong. If there's a choice I will try to do the good/fair/kind thing. But does it really count if I keep sacrificing my mental health on reflex? Some days it feels like I'm smiling reassuringly at someone and telling them they really can stab me in the back if they try hard enough, "here, try again". If it was survival of the fittest time, there's no way those genes would get passed on.

Anyway, this was supposed to be about my new shawl. I keep writing these emo posts and then saving them as drafts and ignoring them. I'm just going to post this one so it's out of the way, and start a new one about the shawl.

Oh, and I'm fine. It's just the end of week 6, the year tens are mostly finished and it's making me a bit teary (I know, but I'm basically a person-shaped marshmallow, and this is the first group I've seen through from year 7), and I have the formal, graduation, final assessment and reports to write for 120 kids and no desire to do anything but knit and make amateurish jewellery.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xox

PS. Of course, I have friends who don't use me and who care, and I love them to bits. I'm just kind of bad at deciding to distance myself from people who are making life hard for me if I can see they need me...

Thoughts

2010-10-24T10:23:00.006+11:00

So... this blogging thing. Weird, isn't it?

I think of it as a little like money. You either have plenty because you work but no time to spend any, or time to spend money because you don't work and therefor don't have any. With this blog... I have a busy life, so lots to write about. But no time to write about it! Added to that is the issue of confidentiality with my job, and I end up with lots I want to say, very little I can say, and no time to say it.

I used to compose posts in my head and champ at the bit to get home to write them down. These days these thoughts come to me in facebook updates. The time I want to give to composing just isn't there. All my thoughts are posted as they occur, and I don't want to repeat myself here.

And I am at the point in my life where the world is shrinking. The connection I have with my husband is wonderful. Whatever happens, we have fun and I don't have to be anything except myself (it was just our first anniversary by the way!). The downside of this is that I am kind of getting rusty with the ol' small talk. Don't get me wrong, I have yet to meet a parent teacher night the butt of which I cannot kick. But when it comes to the social thing... I struggle with the transition between acquaintance and friend. Honestly, I think I am most charming and interesting when I don't know people at all.

So this shrinking thing? It was my yr 10 ten year reunion yesterday. I've been battling with the migraines again and was really not well enough to go. And this morning I'm looking at the requisite pics on facebook and thinking "I have no idea what I would have said to any of these people". I can count my friends on my fingers. And of those friends, the ones I manage to keep in contact with I can count on my thumbs. And I feel like I should feel worse about this.

Anyway, the tangential nature of this post reflects a) the fact that I no longer edit the poop out of my posts, b) the tail end of my latest migraine and c) a possible crisis of identity.

But there are socks!Apparently my limited brain power of late has made me susceptible to the deep and calming persuasion of the sock. I've just looked back over my rav projects, and I've finished 7 pairs since the end of August, and have two pairs on the go. More details here: rav link.

I also made another cropped cardigan: Bright Star from Twist Collective in Cleckheaton Country 8ply.
I love the idea of a cropped cardi, but am having trouble finding a colour I can wear that works for this type of garment. All the cute ones I see are bright red or yellow, and I look pretty unwell in both of those. Navy works well for me, but is kind of hard to accessorise. There are only so many white tops I have...

Anyway, a nice wingey, confusing post. Hope to get in another one soonish. Still have no solution to the issue of confidentiality vs. needing to get the hilarity off my chest... I'm open to suggestions, if there's anyone still out there ;)

Peace out
Ms Spider xox

And life goes on (and on)

2010-06-22T19:57:00.007+10:00

Well, the best laid plans, eh?
Life has this way of kicking you when you're down, have you noticed?

I continue to faint for no apparent reason.
The job continues to be hard, thankless work.

And then, miraculously and without warning, the clouds part and the sun shines through.

Being a week away from the school holidays is probably partly responsible for my sudden cheer. The husband and I are taking a little trip next weekend - his idea. The theory was that if I get out of Canberra as soon as the term ends, I'll adjust to being on holiday faster.
I do have a tendency to develop what I refer to as a 'stress hangover'. Basically I spend a week swinging between anxiety that I've missed non-existent deadlines and depression. It's really annoying, because most breaks are two weeks, and at best I manage three days of feeling relaxed before I start worrying about the term to come.

Anyway, we're going to a B&B in the Hunter Valley and I'm really looking forward to it. I think I'm closer to burn-out than I ever have been before.

My couch-surfer returned home and things seem to have stabilised. It was amazingly stressful and I didn't fully catch up on work until about three weeks into this term. And the term itself was shitful, for want of a better word. One of my colleagues resigned, someone else went on long service leave and we were all left to pick up the pieces. For the last two weeks I have been taking an extra class to keep everything ticking over and I tell you what - overtime needs to be introduced for teachers. In the last ten weeks I had flu and a baaaaad migraine. So, basically, I need a holiday!

Despite it all, I have been knitting away. I finished my fifth cardigan for the year - Cecilia by Elin Berglund. Ravelry entry here.I used Patons Dreamtime 4ply in cream. It was a brand-new bag of ten and had many, many dye-lot inconsistencies! I've very unhappy about the yarn - I'm a bit of a freak with colour, so it's really obvious to me, but no-one I've shown it to notices it unless I hold it under very bright light and point to the streak. But still! What's the point of a dye-lot if it isn't consistent?
Anyway, I do adore the pattern, and as soon as it warms up a little I think I'll be wearing it a lot.

Since this I've had some ennui, and really want to knit another garment of some type but can't make a decision. Instead I've been knitting a large number of accessories.

This is a Drops scarf, using short-row shaping to create the ruffles. It was a birthday present for a close friend. I used 4ply baby alpaca - it was cherry red but I overdyed it so it was more of a dappled brick colour. She loves it!
This week I knitted up some handspun. I spun it over the last set of holidays. It was a 50g bag of fibre dyversity space-dyed merino. I split it in half along the roving, and spun two bobbins of very fine singles, keeping the colours in order. I then plied then together, creating a sort of DIY two-ply noro! I really love the colours, and the fibre is so soft :) not at all like noro.

And this week, I finished a pair of socks that have been sitting around for a couple of months. My usual cabled and ribbed sock pattern - I've knit many, many different sock patterns, but this is the pattern I always return to. I used Moda Vera Adore in the green colourway. Quite pretty :)

An upcoming project is a reworking of this cardigan for my mother-in-law. It's her favourite cardigan, and she wants another. The original is an acrylic/mohair blend, and I'm making the new one in Zhivago. It's a bit of a chore, honestly. I don't particularly like it, and she's not a knitter so doesn't really understand the work involved. Liable to nag about progress etc. But, ever the matyr I agreed to do it. :p I think, honestly, I think it will make her like me more, which is so pathetic I can't believe myself. Oh well! Ever human, eh?

Anyway, it's my first Sunday for months that I don't have to work through, and I have a lovely friend coming over in half an hour!

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

Not the doctor

2010-04-20T08:45:00.006+10:00

So it's April now! Funny how the time goes.
Right now I'm just past the half-way mark of my term break. And, quite frankly, the break part has yet to kick in. After the first weekend, every ACT teacher had to go back to school for two days of Professional Learning (which is always something I've already done to death at uni, is badly presented and involves at least three painful and unnecessary role-play exercises - with "someone you don't usually talk to". Seriously, as a professional, give me enough credit to know who I can work well with!). Then I had a couple of days off, and even went on a road trip on Friday, down Braidwood, Batemans Bay and Mogo. I needed to get out of Canberra and was starting to feel a bit normal again.
And then on Saturday... Shit Went Down.
It's not my story to tell and I can reassure you all that I am ok and so is the husband. However, the result is that I have had someone living on my couch since Saturday who needs to be coaxed to eat anything and swings between teary self-loathing and sullen silences. This person has a history of self-destruction and really needs to be monitored a lot. Husband is working during the day and doesn't understand why I am so exhausted by the time he gets home. Of course I want this person here because I love them, they need to be looked (after much as they resent it sometimes), and it will pass. It's just kind of impacting my ability to do any school work or have me-time. Considering how close I was to burning out this term and how much I needed a break, I can't help feeling a little desperate right now. Forget getting any dyeing done!

Enough complaining and on to the good stuff! I've just finished my 4th sweater-esque project for the year, and am very happy to be on track still for 12 in a year.
This is Cassidy from Chic Knits. I used about 12 balls of Panda Woolbale and got gauge on the recommended needle size. As usual, I lengthened the body by a couple of inches and I'm glad I did. I like where it sits. And I don't know if it is a record for me, but I finished it in 14 days.

I also finished the Loretto vest for my mother, which was my third project of the challenge. It's without buttons because I had none :p Mum and Dad are camping across WA right now, so she took it and b0ught buttons and sewed them on in the car. She really liked it, and it actually suited both of us, which is an unusual occurrence.

For the record, Crapacious means crappy. I've been at my students to find more creative ways to complain about things than to swear... and one of my poppets invented a word to suit the situation. :)
On the last day of term, I talked through the plot of Romeo and Juliet with my yr 8 class to give them a little bit of a heads up on next term. They always groan at the beginning of the lesson and then don't want to leave when the bell goes: lust, murder, suicide, poison and dirty old men who want to marry 13 year olds! Sucks them in everytime! And every time, I get a comment like:

"Wait, what? Miss, I didn't know Romeo was a stalker!"

or
"Romeo's kind of Emo, Miss..."

It's seriously my favourite text to teach :) they always get so into it, often despite themselves!

Ok, I've got to persuade my couch-surfer to eat something.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Happy Belated Easter! (these booties)

A blip on the radar

2010-03-20T07:49:00.005+11:00

Morning all. My apologies for the silence.

There are many reasons for this silence. Firstly, this online age has expanded so rapidly, for me at least, and this blog is no longer my automatic port of call when I want to rant about knitting or show off something I figured out. Ravelry and FaceBook munch my project ranting, and once I've already posted once (or twice), the thought of waiting for photos to upload again does not trigger a deep need. Also, I've been sewing again (more on that later), and although I can't post those projects on Ravelry, I prefer the photo album method (as on FaceBook) of keeping like projects together over tagging random blog posts.

Secondly, I am finding it increasingly difficult not to write compromising things. Anyone with half a brain will tell you that teaching in an incredibly stressful job. In a high school it means a large number of very stressed adults trying to control teenagers (I was looking for an adjective to explain the frenetic, impulsive and occasionally deranged tendencies of some of our kids but decided that 'teenagers' covered it). Now putting aside a natural desire to whinge that may ensue from this sort of situation, imagine for a moment the enormous number of hilarious situations that must occur. My life is like a parody of a soap opera, and the thing I really want to write about is often either a violation of confidentiality or ill-advised.

I suppose there are bloggers that manage to do this, but there are far far more that manage to get themselves into hot water. Stressful as I find this job, I also find it immensely rewarding and affirming. So, the idea of losing it over a bad blogging decision isn't a joyful one. If and when I leave this profession, it's going to be on my terms.

Now, I'm not saying I'm going to close this blog or stop blogging. But it's not going to be an uber-regular thing. Obviously. I guess I just wanted to clue you in that I wasn't updating for reasons beyond sheer laziness (or wedded bliss).

So this is what I am going to do. I will try to post once a month (or oftener). I will give you an outline of what I have been making (knitting, sewing, weaving) but I have become such a fast knitter it's unlikely you'll see a project mentioned more than once (frog-pond exceptions allowed). I might give you a piece of dialogue I overheard at work. This will be something innocuous but something that amused me (I'm hoping this will satisfy my urge to tell you all the hilarious details of my life - swear to god, I must be cursed to be placed in ridiculous situations!). If I'm managing to have a life outside of work, I might tell you about that too.

If you read this for the knitting or actually know me very well in real life and think you deserve a bit more uncensored ranting, I direct you to Ravelry and FaceBook. I am happy for anyone to add me on Ravelry: happyspider6. As for FaceBook, send a friend request to my married name. If I know you (add a message if you think I might need reminding as to how I know you - I'm kind of hopeless with adults' names) I'll add you. Cool?

So, knitting, eh? For the second year running I have joined a group on Ravelry called International Sweater-a-Month Dodecathon. Last year it was 'National' not 'International', but same same. I was very pleased with my achievement last year, as I actually managed 13!
This year I am on number 3 and will finish it today if I can find some buttons.

So far this year:
1. Alatus vest in Zara2. Tangled Yoke Cardigan in Cleckheaton Machinewash 5ply3. Lorretto Vest in Cleckheaton County 12ply - It's so close to being finished I'm not going to bother with a progress shot.

I'm finding this bitsy knit-a-long very satisfying because I'm able to challenge myself without feeling like a sheep (in the 'following mindlessly' sense, not the 'woolly excellence' sense of the word).

I have now significantly run out of steam. I hope to post again soon, hopefully with some sewing news.

For now I will leave you with a comment from one of my students:

"Miss, these dictionaries are crap-acious!"

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

Yes, indeed-y!

2009-11-07T07:51:00.002+11:00

Well observed knit sibs! I was, in fact, wearing leg warmers.
It was 12 degrees, after all ;)

...four weeks later!

2009-10-31T08:08:00.007+11:00

Hi there! Long time, no see. I’ve been meaning to write, but you know how life gets in the way?

So, since we last spoke?

Well, I got married.

(Awesome photography by Thorson Photography – I actually looked like a warthog, it’s all in the camera angles ;)

(Awesome hair, well, my hair, Heather’s and Sarah’s by Johanne’s Hair Do’s)

(Awesome flowers by Manuka Flowers)

(Wedding dress by Halo from La Belle)

(Veil from Brides of Manuka)

(Bridesmaids dresses from Events)

We went on honeymoon to Vanuatu. Many cocktails were consumed and massages enjoyed. All three and a half bikinis were needed (No proof of bikinis, children may be present).

I had to be removed with a crowbar. (Excellent house-sitting by Silkydoll)

We opened all our wedding presents and our jaws hit the floor. People are so thoughtful and generous – thankyou! Thankyou cards are in process… life just keeps getting in the way! The gifts of money allowed us to buy a (desperately needed) new fridge. October 23^rd is Fridge Day for the rest of my life! Thankyou!

I went back to work. Hurrah.

My surname has sort of changed but I’m still a Ms. This is very confusing to the under-16s. I have given the Miss, Ms, Mrs lecture to three classes so far. The girls either nod knowingly or gasp in comprehension and become feminists before my very eyes… and the yr 8 boys sadly ask me why they don’t get a special title (I’ve tried to explain, believe me).

My garden exploded while I was away and my Grannies Bonnets that were shoe-sized before I left are now shrubs. It is a very happy situation (except they set off Monkey’s hayfever). The irises I planted, hoping they’d be out for the wedding because they match my bouquet, are finally out. I LOVE them. And the roses are cusping

Life is good

Ms Spider xox

PS. No-one says you have to change your nom de plume when you get hitched, so there.

Excuse me Maude, I seem to be coming over all conservative..

2009-10-03T07:12:00.004+10:00

Something old (my grandmother's moonstones we had set into earrings)Something new (my veil)Something borrowed (my grandmother's moonstone necklace)Something blue (my garter)Something inconvenient.... the weather!

Wish me luck :)
Ms Spider

update on drama

2009-08-11T14:59:00.002+10:00

Ok, so thanks for all the support after my last post. It's been really nice to be told that my frustration was justified. So, here's what I've done.

I called up and canceled my regular spot with K. I then asked if there was a spot with L later in the week. No problem.

On Wednesday I was 30 min early so i went and worked out on the cardio equipment before my appointment. I had a slight panic when K arrived 5 mins before my appointment (What if the girl on the desk misunderstood???) but L showed up in time.
I explained to her (gently) that i wanted to see her from now on, and gave her the reasons it wasnt working. I tried really hard to be nice about it, but i think it was pretty obvious how stressed it had made me.

And the best part? I've finally lost 10 kilos since February! I'm not yet at my goal weight, but considering how much of a change there's been to my body in terms of actually having muscle covering now.... I dont know if I'm all that concerned if i don't lose any more. I'm really happy with what I've achieved, and while it'd be nice to look like a fashion model, I also feel healthy for the first time in at least 15 years. I can actually do push-ups now!

And i went to the doctor today and my blood test came back... and it's good news! It's pretty clear that I do have Coeliac's because the change in my blood since September (and the point where i started to do the gluten-free thing) in clear. However, if i want a proper diagnosis i have to eat gluten for a month (!!!!) and then have a biopsy. So, i know what my body does if i accidentally eat a teaspoon of wheat and that's enough of a diagnosis for me :)

There was a slight wedding drama when i discovered that another bridesmaid had bought the wrong dress but she's eternally efficient and the situation was sorted within 24 hours. Basically it bodes well for the wedding: my girls arent going to let anything get in the way of a good day!

It's all feeling very close... 53 days! But things seem to be falling into place. I'm determined to stay positive!

Hope everyone else is well and happy :)

Ms Spider xo

take a deep breath now

2009-08-02T12:33:00.005+10:00

So apparently now I have 62 days to go. Arg!

The dress has been delayed. Was supposed to be early June and now it won't be at the shop until September 2nd. Considering the wedding date is 3rd October, it's taking a concerted effort not to hyperventilate about this. Busiest time of year for weddings, 4 weeks to fit...
My veil also appears to be taking longer than suggested - why is white so hard to get a hold of? If I wanted cream I could have walked out of the boutique with a new one in a packet! Every wedding shop treats me like a freak of nature because white suits me better... I'm trying to take it as a sign that I'm special.
The jeweler ordered Monkey's ring in the wrong size - apparently Q and O are too hard to tell apart.

I finished weaving the bridesmaids stoles this week, which is a huge relief. it's not that they were at all difficult, it's just warping is a pain in the butt. Has anyone worked out a more efficient method than shoving loose bits of paper in as you wind up the warp? I also found these earrings at Diva, which i think are perfect for the bridesmaids. I love them so much that i bought myself a pair too.

On the weight-loss front, I'm doing really well. From February to May i lost about 4 kilos on my own, and then I joined Fernwood to give me a boost. Since I joined I've lost another 5, and i actually have muscle tone again. I feel like I'm getting my body back.
Through Fernwood I have had help through their Slimplicity program, but I have to say I'm ambivalent as to how helpful it's been. To start with, their daily food allowances gives you 1200 calories, and everywhere else I've looked suggests that this is way too low for my height and level of excercise. Dangerous even.
Also, I am doing a great deal of weights training, and the protein allowance for one day is 90g. This is less than a small tin of tuna.
So, basically, I've been ignoring it. I already ate quite well, but I've cut down on sugar and high-fat foods, and upped my already high intake of fruit and veg. I also read up on the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, which makes HEAPS more sense. Plenty of protein, enough carbs for energy but not so much that it's awkward for me (who doesnt eat gluten and is out of the habit of eating any breads etc). lots of fruit and all the veges i can eat. perfect.
Problem is, I am between two consultants at the gym. One, I'll call her L, is lovely. late 30's, motherly, relaxed and positive. Every gram I lose is an achievement and she understands that i'm modifying the diet to suit my needs. The other lady, K (late 20's), is driving me nuts.
Now, before i go on too much, I need to explain my position. I gained weight because i was sick, for a long long time. The coeliac's affected my vitamin levels and i was physically sick all the time, just working 5 days sent me spiraling into exhaustion at night and weekends, migraine headaches, fatigue, nausea (on and off since age 7)... plus medication for depression etc over the last 10 years that all cause weight-gain. My weight-gain was not due to lack of self-control. I do not eat 20 donuts a day, i have never eaten at McDonalds... I enjoy excercise. I have good eating habits, despite my sweet tooth. I do indulge, but i'm not stupid about it.
Now L totally gets all this. She is awesome. Unfortunately, without any real warning, half the time i end up booked in with K. K clearly has one approach to motivating weight loss clients - fear. when i re-gained 500g due to bloat she gave me a telling off like no other, despite my telling her I was having a shocker period and had probably gained. When i lost a kilo in a week, she tells me (very sarcy) "see what you can achieve when you follow the program?". For starters, I am NOT following their sadistic program, and secondly she needs to back off before i smack her in the teeth.
I dont think I'm being unreasonable to expect her to modify her approach for me. After all, I'm paying for the priviledge. I've rebelled so far by refusing to keep a food diary any more (she doesnt trust me, despite 2 months of identical daily food lists). It's all very passive aggressive - i just dont bring it and tell her i forgot. I'm honest with her about what i eat, i tell her i had a couple of minties a few days ago ("We just have to make sure it isnt every snack, mm-kay?" Knowing look, ARGGG).
She also tells me my weight and measurements like a) she is giving me a gift that she made herself and b) she owns this knowledge about my body and i should be grateful that she chose to share. I know what I weigh. I know my measurements. I measure myself every week to make sure my knitting is going to fit. She wants me to thank her for all the hard work i have done.
Any suggestions about what I do about this would be appreciated. I dont want to be nasty, and i dont particularly want to complain to her manager, but i also dont want to keep paying for a weekly reprimand (whether i do well or not).

In knitting news, I joined the ravelry group NaKniSweMoDo (National Knit a Sweater a Month Dodecathon) earlier this year and am quite chuffed to announce I am up to number 11 :D
Number 1
Number 2
Number 3
Number 4
Number 5
Number 6
Number 7
Number 8Number 9
Number 10

Number 11 is Slinky Ribs by Wendy Bernard in Bendigo Harmony. More news on that one when i finish. More details for all projects here

ok, enough now. phew!

peace out,
Ms Spider xo

Yawngirls and Transborers

2009-07-25T21:19:00.005+10:00

So, I've just spent the last few hours of my life watching Dreamgirls. Can I just ask, when did having a plot go out of fashion? This is the second new(ish) film I've seen recently and both times I've wanted those wasted hours back.
Now, I understand that this was originally a musical, so I have no-one really to blame for the utter lack of any memorable songs (except maybe 'Dreamgirls' because it's intensely irritating and therefore memorable, and 'One Night Only' because it's actually sung by someone with a vocal range). Clearly the directer was crippled. And I suppose the sequence of events is down to the original musical also.
But, honest to Dog, I spent the entire film trying to decide who I was supposed to like and where the whole thing was heading.
Now, don't get me wrong. There is definitely talent in this film. The young woman who plays Effie White, Jennifer Hudson, has a sensational voice and 'stage' presence. Eddie Murphy's performance is also fabulous. I was charmed by the both of them.
Beyonce on the other hand... look, she can sing, dance and act well. I really think she did what she could with the part, but I spent the whole film really trying to like her and finding her dim, two-dimensional, and lacking a backbone. And I was prepared to like her in a Bridget-Jones-is-meant-to-be-useless kind of way, until she runs off with her friend's fella. So then I couldn't really forgive her, frankly, moronic obediance and politeness because she wasn't even genuinely nice.
The chap (Jamie Foxx apparently) who plays the ne'er do well fella that Beyonce runs off with is about as convincing as a porridge sandwich. I suppose the mustache is there to add an air of mystique and danger, but it's rather like he's lost a battle with a Vegemite sandwich. He spends the whole movie bullshitting people, screwing people over, cheating on women, having dodgy business practice and treating his wife like a product... and he's really very irritating. You might say this is down to him being the 'bad guy', but i actually think he irritates me because the performance was sub par. There's absolutely no range to his performance: he's the same pratt in the first scene as in the last... at least everyone else managed a superficial bit of development.
The costuming and set, mise en scene etc are all sensational, and I remember why I wanted to see it - the preview looked very exciting. And it is kind of exciting... in a "something might happen eventually" kind of way.
There are lots of great singers and everything, but they have this unfortunate tendency to break into pointless and confusing songs that you're never really sure are supposed to make sense. The suspension of disbelief is difficult in musicals anyway, but for some reason five totally disparate people breaking into the same song in perfect harmony felt really stupid in this film.

It did have it's merits. It isn't the worst film I've ever seen... by a long shot. And perhaps I'm just getting old, and this dissatisfaction is a sign of a premature middle age.

However, I will just add that I recently saw (or more accurately, was forced to watch) Transformers II. Good grief! So as not to numb the minds of the two people who've managed to make it this far, I'll give you dot points:

Every female in the film, except for the protagonist's mum, looks like an extra from a Swedish porn film. There are now millions of teenage boys who want to attend college/uni just to see the silicon heave!
There is a scrap of a plot, in all honesty, but it's disjointed and confusing and random ideas seem to emerge and then disappear with no real impact on anything.
I loved Transformers cartoons as a child, and was actually managed to stomach all the cheese until the last hour...
when it took 40 minutes for the protagonist to do something vital.
and we watch him and his porn-esque girlfriend run, dodging explosions and giant fighting robots.
on a totally separate note, don't run if you have fake boobs and a low cut top. It looks hilarious.
And every time they fall over i wanted to scream "just stay down, you twat!"
And then she twists her fecking ankle (no, really).
and then the ending doesn't even make sense and the supposed 'romantic' resolution is about as convincing as John Howard's smile.
Oh, and every scene consists of a million fast-pan shots of even the most mediocre scene... picture me sitting here typing, except the camera is panning around me Matrix-style, and then close up of my eye and then my brow creases, and then my foot tapping and then a super-close up of the keyboard... now picture that happening, with a booming tuneless soundtrack for three hours.
OK, I'm done

Thanks for tolerating my winge. I'm sure one day I'll see fit to tell you all something about the impending wedding... or, you know, some knitting or something. One day. When I'm a little less grumpy.

Seen any shockers lately?

the grumpy
Ms Spider xox

some holiday..

2009-07-16T10:40:00.002+10:00

1. Take one overwrought, overworked and emotionally exhausted teacher.
2. Add two weeks without school, sifted with 5-6 weights training sessions and 10-12 cardio sessions and a (boring) controlled diet.
3. Stir in wedding-stress concentrate (3 or 4 cups). Sprinkle residual school-stress to season.
4. Leave to sit overnight, or until the stress mixture has doubled in size.
5. Fold in appointments with a florist, a cake-maker, a bridal boutique, a dance instructor and a photographer (allow for the stress-mixture increasing in size as financial deposits are added).
6. Purchase and add sugared almonds and the makings of bomboniere.
7. After 5 days, add 125 hours of flu. Sift a light layer of I-can't-work-out-because-i'm-sick and cover with a damp cloth.
8. Fold and construct 85 clear plastic noodle boxes. Be sure to damage both sets of thumb and first finger tips so knitting will be painful.
9. Discover that your veil wont arrive for weeks so you cant get the practice hair-do done during the break. (Hysterical giggle optional)
10. Call dress shop to discover they have no idea why the dress hasn't appeared yet. Fold in the fear that teacher will have nothing to wear but wedding shoes and necklace on the day (try to calm teacher with the knowledge that the groom will be happy with this)
11. Get period a week early, and sprinkle a generous amount of depressing bloat to undermine all the hard work at the gym. Gain 500g and get told off by weight-consultant at gym (I know, right?). Add a stern reminder that 10 kilos need to go in 12 weeks (slight hyperventilation is normal)
12. Get an email from easyweddings.com - 80 days to go!
13. Remind teacher that school starts again in 4 days.

Serves one, plus hors d'oevre sized portions for friends and family. Has a remarkably long shelf-life, and often increases in intensity of flavour and size over time.

we have a guest!

2009-04-23T14:26:00.003+10:00

Last week we moved an old mattress out of our carport to take it to the tip, and a rather startled possum ran out from behind it. He scooted up into the roof of the carport where we are storing some old doors and has been there for a week. every day or so I go and check he's there - i can usually find him from a bit of fur squished between the doors, but today was a special case.
I was going back inside after staking the peas and noticed a black lump.
then it uncurled.
When I got underneath I could see he was having a sleep and had slid down into the gap between roof and door.
priceless.

In other news, the wedding plans are coming along well. we now have a photographer, invitations and a hairdresser. Research of bridal magazines suggests that brides are always caucasian and do not come in a size larger than 12 (and the 12 are often referred to as 'plus sized. Hello, fashion industry? GET A GRIP) and this has been quite distracting. The bridesmaids dresses are sorted and next step is for me to weave stoles for them.
I've been knitting a lot and losing my mind a lot more.
Have now lost 4 kilos but have plateaued, much to my annoyance. I have best results from jogging but have the most excruciating calf pain for days afterwards despite stretching. I really want to be able to jog everyday but once those muscles hurt I just can't do it - it feels like my legs will collapse or explode. I cant even bend my legs and kneel without a great deal of pain. maybe i need a sports physio (Hooray! more expense!)
work has been very stressful. I'm on school break at the moment, but go back on tuesday. and I'm dreading it. I'd only just started to shake the feeling of desperation and now I have to go back. blech. (i still love the teaching, it's the whole stupid system that wears me down. Apparently I'm still far too idealistic. Once I have been beaten down til i have no hope of anything working properly I will find the job bearable, or so I'm told. sigh).

Anyway, the possum is cute!

Ms Spider xo

"Unfortunately Penny"

2009-03-14T12:30:00.002+11:00

Thanks Naomi :)

Unfortunately, Penny could very well be dead. (It has been a rough week!)

Unfortunately, Penny’s daily care has been increasingly more difficult to maintain for her adoptive parent. (oooh interweb grammar... blech)

Unfortunately, Penny is very nervous at our Shelter. (perhaps?)

Unfortunately Penny was not used to being handled, nor was she housetrained. (oi! I may be skittish but i am definitely housetrained!)

Unfortunately, Penny only asked him if he wanted some of it. (what?)

Fun, thanks :)

if you blinked you'd miss it

2009-03-11T21:27:00.006+11:00

Ok, so I just happened to glance at the calender today... and it's over a month since i posted. I suppose the upshot of being completely hopeless is that nobody relies on you too much. But that is a pretty sad upshot really.

Anyway, I turned 24 without incident. i can't see any proper wrinkles yet, but it could be denial on my part.

I was fitted for and ordered my wedding dress, and we found the bridesmaid's frocks.

I had a bad bout of laryngitis which knocked me out for over a week. Much better now though.

I've also been on a healthy-eating and exercise bent and have managed to lose about 3 kg. I know it's cliched, but I'm trying to trim down for the wedding. I feel like I've been trying to lose weight for ages, but now that i actually am trying I realise that before I was only whining about my weight gain but not making any real effort. My health has only really improved enough for a concerted effort recently. I know I'm not huge, but my body doesnt feel like my body anymore and i figure the longer I leave this spare tire the harder it will be to budge.
I feel better for it. I don't know if it's obvious to anyone else, but to me i appear more toned. and my clothes are just that teensiest bit looser. not baggy, but more comfortable. So i intend to keep it up; at least with the Celiac's I can't eat much in the way of cakes, doughnuts, biscuits etc. it's easier to be good when the consequences of eating naughty food is three days on the loo!

I have been knitting.
Chunky Cabled Tam from Knit.1 Fall 2009
Bella's Mittens by Marielle Henault
Front pieces of Soap Bubble Wrap from Connie Chang Chinchio Silly Apple Cozy by Casey Newman (my fruit always gets squished when i run for the bus in the morning - this is remarkably effective!)

And yet another BSJ, for a friend of a friend who just had a little red-headed boy.

I have been weaving.
Using Bendigo Rustic 12ply in Pacifica, a birthday gift for my future Mother-in-Law.
And I have been teaching. this is the 6th week of term and all is well. I have some lovely classes and delightful kids.

And as a result of all of the above I am completely exhausted. And it's nearly 10pm which is well and truly my bedtime!

I'll try to be better from now on!

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

feeling hot, hot, hot....

2009-02-08T10:07:00.003+11:00

Sorry guys, more weaving! Scroll down for knitting...

Wide stole using leftover sock yarn (10dpi). Was aiming for a sort of rainbow effect - the warp ran from green through blue, purple then pink and I tried a similar thing with the weft. Unfortunately a certain primate bumped the loom while i was warping and somehow it's much tighter on the pink selvedge. It's a nice width though, i think it may live in the loungeroom for guests who need an extra layer in cooler weather (if anyone can imagine such a thing).

A sort of narrow scarf or belt using my self-striping sock yarn in Gothic Princess. (10dpi)
My first attempt at houndstooth (10dpi). I used Bendigo classic 8ply in Blueberry and Spotlight basic 8ply in a sort of deep plum. I'm very pleased with the results!
And the warm weather made me cast on something that's been on my queue for a whild - Shetland Shortie from Knitty.com. At school we are theoretically not supposed to wear sleeveless tops but in this heat common sense prevailed. However, I thought this would be a good way to make some of my tank tops a little more wearable for work by the suggestion of sleeves.
It was quite a fun knit - the lace pattern is really clever and stretchy!
I used Cleckheaton Merino Bambino in cream and used just under 6 x 25g balls. I doesnt make me look quite as... well-endowed as in this picture, it's just to do with the proximity of the only good mirror ;)

School is going well, I have some really lovely kids in my classes. As always there is plenty of drama, but very little is to do with the kids and more to do with admin mix-ups. hopefully most craziness with have calmed down by next week.

Hope everyone is coping with the weather! We had to drag the mattress into the office and sleep with the air-con on last night. I actually slept right through til 7 am for the first time in months! I can't wait for the cool change though! Bring it on!

My birthday went well :) it sucked having to work but my lovely colleagues bought a gluten-free chocolate mudcake so it took the edge off a little :) and now I'm 24! time to invest in anti-wrinkle cream?

Peace out
Ms Spider xo

and more...

2009-01-27T12:36:00.006+11:00

You were all already aware that I get a bit compulsive, right?

Wide scarf using Jet bought at the outlet store in an intriguing beige/lilac colourway. This may be for my grandmother.

Wide scarf using Katia Venus in a lemon/lavender colourway. I wouldnt weave with this again, it's basically a fuzzy single and was sticky and resistant.You can probably tell from the pictures that the tension is a bit off.

Skinny scarf using my own handspun (BFL/Soy from EGMT K, colourway forgotten). This was so much fun!

Skinny scarf using bendigo black 8ply cotton for the warp and the same handspun from the other skinny scarf for the weft.

After a couple of days sans knitting (yes, really) I had a break from the loom and whipped up this little guy. He's one of the lovable toys from last-minute knitted gifts and was quite fun. A nice easy pattern with a cute outcome. The other bunnies in my house approve.

Back to school tomorrow, darn it all to hell. I will never get over how quickly holidays run past, I really feel like it was only last week I was tearing out of there... but i suppose lots has happened.
We got engaged, booked a venue, found a dress, booked a celebrant, chose bridesmaids and some groomsmen, a make-up artist (or genius, if you prefer).... I think my plan to 'deal with the big stuff' before school went back was a roaring success, just quietly.
And a fair bit of knitting went on in that time, and in the last four days a great deal of weaving. I watched Gilmore Girls for the first time, all the way through (still sniffing away). I had three boughts of accidental-gluten-consumption sickness. I had my Coeliac's confirmed, as much as i can without a biopsy. I had an awesome road trip with one of the coolest women I know. I spent too much money on yarn. My attempt to eat healthily and excercise more has resulted in a 2 kilo weight gain (go figure) but I don't feel any fatter so I think I can deal.

And in exactly a week I turn 24. it's so odd. I still have to check myself because I always want to say I'm 22... I need to pause and add a year. Now it will be two! I'm also kind of dreading it, I always get a visitation from my black dog on my birthday - and to make matters worse it's the first full day of teaching for the year! But on the plus side, I'll be glad to see all the kids again. I've missed the little buggers (although I had a dream last night that some of them were shooting at our house.... premonition?).

Ok, off I go. Prepare for a sudden drop off in posts, school is a WIPEOUT! (if you do not have 60's surfing music in your head right now, your are either much cooler or much less pathetic than I).

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

warp speed

2009-01-24T08:32:00.003+11:00

Some more weaving pics.

The loom in action.

my 2nd project: a skinny scarf using white merinospun and some of my hand-dyed 12ply singles.
A drapier, wide scarf using a collection of leftover sock yarn.

another scarf using an entire ball of Lincraft Hot Socks - funky tartan!
And I go back to work in 4 days....
eew.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

my Knitter's Loom arrived today!

2009-01-22T18:37:00.001+11:00

and i found another use for leftover sock yarn ^_^

Elizabeth Bennet

2009-01-18T12:35:00.003+11:00

So, on Thursday I finished my pink cardigan.
The first set of buttons I attached were really cute Beutron Vintage buttons I had in my stash.... but sadly the pearl colour started to flake off and they didn't really keep the cardigan closed with any kind of genuine effort.
So this morning I replaced them with some second-hand pale blue buttons. Much better!

No pics on me until it gets cooler. I obviously only knit short sleeves, I didnt trust 2 balls of Zara to make two nice long cabled sleeves.I also lengthened the peplum cable by an extra cable and also widened it to get a bit more shape (for some reason this pic came out blue. It's actually a very pale pink).
The Zara is so soft I can wear this over a camisole, so short sleeves work well.

The bunnies enjoy sharing corn.
last night we had our Engagement party which was great fun. No pics, nobody needs to see that ;) Thanks everyone who came, and no hard feelings to those who couldnt make it :)

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

Help!

2009-01-17T17:48:00.002+11:00

I don't know what to knit! Everything on the go is boring me and I really need another project after I finished Elizabeth Bennet cardigan on Thursday (I have to change the buttons before I show it) and I'm stumped!
I'm looking at the Somewhat Cowl, Scabbard, Giselle, Flying Cables, Rusted Root, Favourite Cardigan, Tangled Yoke Cardigan, Alatus, Bonsai Tunic, Boatneck Bluebell Sweater, Corsica, and Slinky Ribs, but I am open to suggestions.

Please! I'm dying here!

Road trip: day 3

2009-01-16T13:08:00.006+11:00

Morning at the Wang consisted of music videos and then a very large breakfast at our new favourite cafe. Mmmm, breakfast chips!

The first thing that drew us to Scribblers were the black and white tables, so TSS was a little disappointed by their only decent pepper-grinder...

We went by a yarn store and I saw a felted pear that was far inferior to the beautiful ones a certain lovely lady makes, so i took a snap for proof.

We then went to Wangaratta Woolen Mills, where there are a lot of signs to build the anticipation. the yarn fumes overcame me and I didnt think to take a photo of the inside of the shop... but be to fair, this is what we bought and it's a fairly decent reflection of what was once in the shops :p
bag in middle and left are mine... wasn't TSS a good girl? Her pruchases weren't even for her!

We then tore back towards Canberra, swinging by everything remotely resembling an op-shop on the way. The most memorable thing we saw would have to be this amazing sweater kit in Wodonga - with a pre-knit yoke! We didnt buy it, it smelled a little like moths and by that stage our purses were all a little light.

We made in to Canbbera by about 6.30 and collapsed in a heap.

BEST. TRIP. EVER.

Road trip: day 2

2009-01-16T12:29:00.005+11:00

The morning in Bendigo began with the dawn chorus. That is, workmen drilling and reversing trucks for long periods of time. Sock knitting, however, took the edge off it all.

After a hastily consumed breakfast, and a few wrong turns, we ended up at the mill. We savoured the moment by exploring outside for a little while...

And then we hit the bargain room.
YUM.
Some damage was done, at least to our reputations as sane and rational modern women.

We hit some op-shops.
We dragged ourselves off to a strange mohair farm in the hope of a tour of cute animals but sadly no tour was available. The man who was manning the store was obviously VERY confused by our arrival and had some trouble dealing with idea that I am under 25, knit, spin and may not totally suck at either of the latter (I do totally suck at being under 25, i tend to swing rapidly between mental ages of 4 and 50).
Some nice spinning fibre was located but no photos were taken.

We then raced towards Mooroopna and made it there just the very minute that the SPC Factory Outlet Store closed. Luckily, TSS is far more persuasive than I am and talked our way inside to buy large quantities of tinned tomatoes.

We then proceeded to Wangaratta (or 'The Wang' as every local calls it, much to my amusement). We had a swim in the motel pool, ordered thai food and enjoyed some bevvies at the local pub while we waited.

We watched The Wedding Planner and I knitted my pink cardigan and we periodically shared idiotic grins of pure joy.

Road trip: day 1

2009-01-16T11:45:00.007+11:00

So, bright and early at sparrow's fart on Sunday, TSS and I started on our mission to deprive Victoria of all bargain-priced yarn.

We saw a submarine, and pondered the logistics of having a submarine so far inland.
We saw a monkey. Nearby there were discarded socks, so I maintain it was a sock monkey taking a little breather.

We went through Albury, and viewed our accommodation for Monday night... and were less than thrilled. Any place with a drive-thru bottle shop, in my book anyway, is not high living.

We stopped off at Wangaratta for lunch and kind-of-accidentally-on-purpose changed our booking for the second night's accommodation. Oops! We ate a fabulous lunch at the worlds best cafe (Scribbler's, but they might change their name) which is friendly to both Coeliac's and Vegetarians.
We saw a beautiful dress in a window that could've been a great wedding dress (but when i tried it on the colour and cut was all wrong for me).

We pushed on to Bendigo and arrived about 5pm. We walked around the pretty gardens and lovely conservatory. Eventually we located our accommodation at The Fleece Inn. So pretty!

Dinner was on Coles and after-dinner entertainment was down to Roxy.

We admired the staircase and my amazing scarf cast on and off in one day.Then we went to bed and tried to sleep through the excitement about visiting Bendigo Mills in the morning.

TO BE CONTINUED

it's 2009 already?

2009-01-03T22:44:00.005+11:00

whoops! It seems being on holidays has not improved my time-keeping any. I've been playing with flickr mosaics (havent we all) but before I show you that, I'll quickly squeeze in the last few knits for 2008.

My Nightsong Shawl, knit from my own 2-ply lace-weight hand-spun, from EGMTK's merino/silk in Octopus' Garden.
The last couple of repeats really felt like they were dragging but when I actually checked on ravelry.. it took me 8 days. I think that's my new record! and it's full-sized too!
I havent got around to snapping it after being rescued from blocking - that's our queen-sized bed it's blocking on to give a size indication. I love it! :) You can't really see but each point has a clear silver-core glass bead threaded onto it.

Also, on New Year's Eve I finished off my Naive socks in Trekking. These were almost instantly gifted to the lovely Heather, my future SIL. (and no, I can't be bothered fixing the photo. They're socks, whatever way up.)

As for wedding stuff - blech! We're planning, tentatively, for October 2009. And it is doing my head in! Finding a balance between 'dodgy' and 'affordable', 'inviting who I like' and 'not pissing off the rellies' and 'doing it all myself' and 'forgetting about it til the last minute' is... well... I'm glad I'm on holidays.
In some respects I am very lucky. My parents are total hippies with no ties to tradition and my Mum really doesnt care. This has the wonderful silver-lining of meaning she doesnt think I should have to invite rellies who openly hate me or havent seen me since I was 1. This also has a down side: my Mum really doesnt care. So I can't mention it to her or she just says "oh how horrible, why don't you just elope?". Which, while I see her point, is rather like knitting someone a very elaborate and mind-numbing lace shawl and being told "why dont you just buy them a scarf?".
It's early days and I am still in enough of my senses to be vaguely on top of things. Our net being down for three or four days REALLY didnt help, so I'm fairly confident I'll get it together... if i can only work out what sort of dress I want (no, not knitted. am not quite that mad yet.).

Oh ok, mosaic.
I was going to do 2008 in knitting and spinning but got bored so here is the last 6 months or so.

1. Handspun Nightsong Shawl 2. Indigo Ripples Skirt 3. Starburst Sweater 4. Starburst Sweater detail 5. Sea Surf Scarf (handspun) 6. Flora cap 7. Loop-through scarf 8. Naive socks 9. Casablanca 10. Slubby handspun, Hippie Heaven 11. navajo plied BFL/soy, Boutique Skies 12. Scalloped Edge Hat (handspun) 13. Jaywalkers 14. Flutter Sleeve Cardigan 15. Catch-me-if-you-can-socks in HappySpider Kelp Forest 16. Process of spinning for Nightsong shawl 17. BFL/soy fibre from EGMTK 18. Sock-it-to-me scarf (handspun) 19. Laceweight handspun with 5c for scale 20. Sayuri Sweater 21. Viking Battle Bonnet 22. Catch-me-if-you-can-socks 23. Scallop-edge beaded necklace 24. Devil hat 25. Owl 6-ply socks 26. Mohawk beanie 27. short-circuit scarf 28. BSJ in HappySpider Pansies 29. Felted clogs 30. Hanspun merino 2ply 31. Felted clogs 32. Spider Socks in Swamp Beast 33. Square for Jet blanket 34. handspun tinsel 35. Merino and Angora, navajo plied in Big Top from EGMTK

Ok, and now I'm being told it's bed time.

Happy New Year, I hope everyone has the best 2009 possible.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xoxo

blessed be

2008-12-25T08:04:00.003+11:00

Nothing says Christmas like hand-spun tinsel.

Peace out,
Ms Spider

PS. Thanks so much to all the well-wishers after the last post. I am extremely happy and intend to reply to everyone individually.. when I relocate my ability to organise myself.

since last we spoke

2008-12-20T11:04:00.005+11:00

Finished Casablanca (and failed to clean the mirror adequately)

Finished the Starburst Sweater. LOVE (1)

Spun some BFL/soy from EGMTK.

Finished the indigo ripples skirt from interweave knits (Bendigo cotton 8ply in Denim Cotton).

Oh yeah.I got engaged. (Wow, hands look freaky that close up!)

Peace out,
Ms Spider

running commentary

2008-11-02T09:59:00.004+11:00

When I started this blog, back in July 2005, I really didn't have much of a plan. Basically, I wanted 'someone' to talk at. It was pre-SnB and I was getting to the point where my family and friends were probably going to kill me if I didn't shut up about yarn and gauge and blocking. It meant my diary could be easily read by me, and I could whack pictures in without having trouble closing a book. I could link to things so I would have an easy place to locate online sources I like to use. I could put my hand up for all the blogs I was reading and felt too weird to comment on, hence the People I Am Stalking list. I always knew it was public, and I liked it. It forced me to put a check on the crazy (believe it or not) and made it really easy for old friends to keep track of me when our lives just didn't synch up.
When I started getting the odd comment, I loved it. It was so exciting! I said something and then someone, maybe over the other side of the world, would put in their two-cents. It felt like all over the world, people were being brought together because of their love for yarn.
When I started going to SnB, other SnBers started (or admitted to) blogging and comments from people I had actually met would appear. Once the initial buzz faded, I relished the fact that people were there to offer guidance, sympathy and honesty. I loved that all the knitters I knew were completely different. For the first time I felt accepted for my mad need to make each knitting skill I came across my bitch. I knit a 4ply cotton camisole (my first real summer knit) and for the first time I had friends who could appreciate the skill and time and patience involved, even if some thought it was fugly and would never knit it themselves.
I met many specialists. There were knitters of elaborate lace christening shawls, knitters who churned out an endless supply of charity knitting, knitters who rescued and recycled yarn as a matter of course, knitters who spun, knitters who made brightly coloured accessories for children, knitters who knit for themselves, knitters who knit for therapy, knitters who knit for company, knitters who only knit at SnB, knitters who made detours in traffic so they could knit at traffic lights. My soul was filled with joy at the rich smorgasbourd of wonderful, clever, generous and creative people in my life.
Change is inevitable and, with knitting being jumped apon and trendified, a certain mainstream knitting culture was bound to emerge. I guess what I wasn't prepared for was the value judgements that would attach to this. I always thought that knitters would just knit what they liked and respect each other for doing the same. Some patterns are so different when they come out that everyone jumps on them, and I don't see a problem with everyone making a Clapotis at some point. I guess the issue I take is that a Clapotis is somehow more valid in our not-so-little community than a one-off, I-was-playing-with-a-stitch-dictionary type stole in a rescued yarn. Whereas once I would be frustrated showing a non-knitter a sock and being told "They're like $5 at Target", now I increasingly notice that other knitters will say "oh, have you knit Monkey or Pomatomus?".
When a new book, issue of knitty or a magazine comes out, I have this faintly hunted feeling that if I want to make something, I either have to pick something so complicated that there won't be many contenders or that I have to cast on instantly so I can have something unique, if only for a week or two. What is going on?
And it's not just the patterns. Not do you have to knit something in the top twenty on ravelry, but it has to be Malabrigo or Cherry Tree Hill or Lorna's Laces or Filatura di Crosa. Don't get me wrong, knit with whatever rings your bell. I'm sitting on more than my fair share of hoarded 'special' yarns. But some of my favourite knits have been with plain old Patons. or Bendigo. or mystery yarns that were missing their ball-bands. And when you hunt around on Ravelry, some of my all time favourite knits were cheap substitutes and I admire and respect the knitters that can use their knowledge and skill to produce something fabulous out of relatively unknown yarn. And no-one seems prepared to acknowledge that one of the 'it' yarns might not be perfect. I've knit two pairs of socks in Lorna's Laces and I'm prepared to say: they pill like nothing on earth.
I guess what I'm getting at is that I miss the melting pot. It used to bug me when I was introduced as the 'Sock Queen' but it bugs me even more when you don't count as a sock knitter unless you've made a pair of Monkeys. Sure, it's a great pattern and yes, I've knit it before. But when I see on ravelry that there have been over 7,000 pairs knitted... I have no desire to jump on board.
I increasingly find myself hunting for obscure patterns. I make sketches and change patterns just enough to make them feel like mine. I find myself avoiding situations where I might be forced to discuss the merits of Malabrigo. I keep reaching for the Moda Vera yarns in my stash rather than the Rowan or Debbie Bliss or Filatura di Crosa.
And I recently noticed, in a distracted sort of way, that I hardly get any comments any more. I won't say it isn't saddening, because it is. I really do miss the community. Venting about a problem and having four or five suggestions within the hour was lovely. Working really hard on a new yarn or a new project and having people who understood the work that went into it cheer me on was validating. And being able to state my opinion and being respected for it, even if no-one agreed... well. That made the whole thing very real.
But the thing is, I blog because I need to write about my knitting and my life. I didn't start for comments, and while they were nice while they lasted, I'm not about to stop without them. I knit because I always have. If I like a pattern, I will knit it. I was never the type to do something just because everyone else was doing it, but I don't want to become the sort of person avoids something for the same reason. Neither is particularly sensible and in any way mature.
I read a lot of blogs and rarely comment. I'll say that now. If a question is asked that hasn't been asnwered yet, I'll comment. If someone I care about has a shite day, I might comment. Or I might call them. I never saw much value in 23 comments saying essentially the same thing 'me too, me too!'. I've got knitting to do.
So I guess if the choice is being myself and going without the comments or jumping on the bandwagon and commenting on every single blog, despite having nothing to say, in the hope that those bloggers will reciprocate... it's being myself everytime.
If you do read this blog I don't expect you to comment. If I say something you want to respond to, eg "Ms Spider, you're completely full of it", then by all means, fire away. The whole point of writing in a public forum is that people can disagree with you. But please, don't ever feel pressured to comment. When it comes right down to it, I blog for me and you blog for you. You read who you want to read and I read who I want to read. We've all got better things to do than type "that's pretty" 300 times a week, just because we feel we ought to say something (If you feel you need to say 'that's pretty" then that's fine too).

Ok, that's my thought for the week. I would like to finish by saying nobody's perfect and with all the exposure to wool, it isnt surprising that we can be such sheep at times. ;)

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Spun this week, slubby 2ply Blue Faced Leicester in EGMTK Hippie Haven..... yummeh!

PPS. This is not an attack on anyone in particular, just a collection of thoughts that have been knocking about for a while.

stupid contagions

2008-10-25T18:40:00.003+11:00

What is it with Spring?
Something about all the flowers, the greens, the cool nights and warm days, the sweet-smelling breezes and longer daytime... everyone around me gets hay fever and I come down with Startitis. There seems to be a bit of this going around.
I had been doing so well. Was really quite faithful to the black-shrug-o-doom. Had to frog back cause I realised the pattern was be-cucked and decided it was going to be way easier if I altered the gauge a little and just worked from the chart for the lace... and worked the rest out for myself. So I am much happier with the project but was still deluding myself a week ago that I could finish it for, err, today. On about Tuesday my hands started to cramp up from being too faithful to one needle size and... I admitted defeat. To be fair, Taph had reached the conclusion that I couldn't do it in time a lot earlier, but was graceful as always.
So... the sensible thing to do would be to finish it, right? get it out of the way? keep plugging away at a sensible rate?
Fortunately, I have never been accused of being sensible. "Completely barking" is the way it's usually phrased, I believe (bitches bark too, y'know).
So, flush from the "release" from a deadline... I've been covetting many projects. I tried to restrain myself, knitting only my bus socks and my Casablanca top (started 3 weeks ago when we were going on a car trip and I couldnt face the socks and didnt want to get coastal grit in my cashmere). And I did quite well. For me. Finished one sock and got halfway down the leg of the second. Got about halfway down the bodice of Casablanca....

And then I cast on this. I could kick myself if I wasn't enjoying it so much! It's the Starburst Sweater from styledbykristin in Patons Jet (yes, I'm knitting alpaca blend in warm weather - give me a kick!)
I at least have faith that once the funky lace patterned back bit is finished I'll probably lose interest for a while. But for now, I'm rather enjoying myself.

If i can just focus on these four projects and not cast on the other 40 I want to... I might actually finish something before Christmas!
Oh, and stop spinning...
Happy weekend!
Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

assorted nonsense

2008-10-20T17:44:00.005+11:00

Well, in a round about sort of way, I spent my weekend cleaning and drinking.

After the week back at school, Friday afternoon started with a few rounds of drinks at Tilley's with my co-workers... and sort of went from there. Monkey came and collected me, plied me with gluten-free treats from Deeks and then took me home to imbibe some more. Foolish child has still to work out the physiology of this Spider and was rather dismayed when one took oneself off to sleep at about 8pm. (Sleep was somewhat disrupted nonetheless, due to morons next door having very loud, drunken and boring conversations at the crack).

On Saturday we voted. YAWN. Then Monkey went off to work and I started to prebble*. The prebble became a full-blown clean and took up pretty much the whole day (I may be avoiding doing some marking). Beautiful friends and pseudo-relatives came around at about 6 and an evening of food, wine, board games and fibre-fun ensued. Much better explanation here.

Sunday was spent in a slovenly state after a very rude youthful magpie went "miss, miss, miss, miss, miss, miss" out in our garden at about 5.30 (and yes, strangely like one of my students) until I gave up on sleep and got up and... cleaned up the mess from the night before.

We also moved a few shelves around so the bunnies can be housed inside from now on. There are some neighbourhood cats that have been hassling them and Monty in particular gets very grumpy about it. They are still getting used to the new set-up but it is so far successful.

And I sorted out my earring collection yesterday. I think it's the teacher thing for me. Being relatively young, it's kind of hard to wear age-appropriate clothing that is not too revealing or innapropriate. a lot of the time I wonder if i look like lamb dressed as mutton, if you know what I mean. So... I guess I get my unconservatism on via my ear-wear.I'm rather proud of my collection, I only got my ears pierced when I was 17. I really like them to BE things, like fruit or animals or objects... there has been a good deal of recent movement, I blame etsy. I now have cats, rabbits, hello kitty, grapes, cherries, toadstools, watermelon slices, pea-pods, pears, upside-down flower pots, teapots, plums, strawberries, apples, daffodils, lady-birds, flowers, birds, 8-balls and cue-balls, fish, butterflies, buttons etc. It's rather nice.

Now I have exposed yet another side of my crazy to the world. Soon there will be nothing left! just a jumble of yarn and earrings.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

*prebble : a word my late grandmother used all the time, meaning to clean 'lightly' or superficially. Shoving all your toys under your bed so your mum would let you watch tv.... that sort of thing.

slight lapse in concentration

2008-10-12T13:59:00.007+11:00

Well, I go back to work tomorrow. I don't think I will ever get over the shock of how fast a holiday disappears, I am amazed every time.
As usual, I did not get half of what I wanted to get done, but have decided to think about the time passed in terms of achievements.
In no particular order:

I finally managed to buy some new clothes that a) fit and b) don't make me look uncannily like a pig in a wig (I have still to find a bikini that doesn't make me resemble an egg with two rubber bands around it, but one step at a time). I now have more than one pair of trousers that fit and a couple more tops. This is a yay.
I 'accidentally' joined facebook. Was not pleased with myself but have now managed to track down some people I haven't seen for years, so there's a silver lining. And not just people I have deliberately not seen for years!
I spun a lot of yarn. I finished the laceweight Merino/Silk in Octopus' Garden. This is a 2-ply, 1200 metres to 130g, with the glow you only get from silk. Yes, I don't mind admitting I am disgustingly pleased with myself over this one. Took forever, and I think it will become this year's summer lace project. This is some BFL/Soy worsted weight 2ply (colourway name long forgotten, it was a fibre-club installment, anyone remember?). And some Optim/Bamboo Navajo aran weight, Bilgola. Oh, and some Merino/Angora (95/5) aran weight, navajo again, Big Top. And some more BFL/Soy navajo, this is about an 8ply, Boutique Skies 2. Let's just sum up by saying that the new wheel Crispin (thanks again, Naomi) is getting plenty of action, as it were. All fibre, care of the lovely Mandie at EGMTK.
Some knitting happened. The Merino/Angora Big Top became a hat very quickly. It's the scallop-edged hat from 101 one-skein wonders - very cute pattern! Nothing else worth flashing really, and the black-lace-shrug-o-doom got partially frogged and re-worked. We're not thinking about deadlines over here, ok?
The olds returned from Europe this morning and, far from being shattered from jetlag, are actually quite perky and about to show up on my doorstep. Odd really, the day before they left I dyed my hair red and now, 6 weeks later, i have almost an inch of regrowth and barely any colour left. (Is that rapid hair growth, btw?).
My skin went to Hell in a handbasket. No explanations for that one, might be a reaction to a new, gluten-free diet?
TSS had her gorgeous opening of Playing House yesterday and managed to look remarkably serene through the whole palarva. I do not know if this was genuine serenity or the kind of punch-drunk serenity that sometimes comes over one when one is secretly convinced that there is nothing bad left to happen, but either way I was impressed. The houses were too. The whole event was faSHinating.

Monkey, the buns and I are quite well.
Hope the last two weeks have been enjoyed by all.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Monty says "Hi. Are you food?"

holi-yay!

2008-09-29T10:23:00.005+10:00

Whoops! More time has passed than anticipated.
In the past 19 days, Monkey turned 23, i tested negative for coeliac's, i finished another pair of frilly socks, my flutter sleeve cardigan, my handspun scarf, my green diamond socks and school for the term. This is a great relief and I am celebrating by 'acting weird' (according to Monkey) and running about doing all sorts of things.(spring also arrived at chez spidey)
firstly the coeliac's thing. It is highly likely that i have either coeliac's or Non-Coeliac Gluten Intolerance (try saying that three times fast) but as it is so likely... i stopped eating gluten ages ago. Well before i took the blood test. so (i now know but didnt at the time) i would test negative no matter what because the little doovies wouldn't be active. Anyway, we're just making like I do have it because when i eat it by accident I feel wretched for days and I'm not inclined to munch on pasta for a week just to get a piece of paper that says: "you shouldn't eat pasta because it will make you feel like shite".
knitting!
these are more frilly cuff socks in my own sock yarn, colourway Kelp Forest. I LUB them. so fun! My mods on the pattern were to up the needle size a bit and decrease the stitch number to 64 and they fit really well.
I also finished my flutter sleeve cardi in time to wear on the last day of term. I like it a lot, but it's not much like anything else I own. I've never really understood the whole short-sleeved-cardigan thing, so I think it might take me a little while to get used to wearing it. If I were to make it again I would make horizontal button-holes, as the vertical ones were far too saggy in cotton and i had to reinforce them.

Also, pretty handspun scarf. Single spun from EGMTK merino/silk in Alchemy. Purdy.

Yesterday we went to Floriade. I took my camera but it was damn near impossible to get a pic of flowers without 40,000 other people and... well. we took a little break under a willow tree and took self-photos instead.Check out monkey's owl socks!Hee hee hee hee hee!Self-snap fun (the only one where monkey was not scowling or pretending to eat my face) I also caved in (for the third time) at Belissa and purchased another skein of their hand-dyed cashmere laceweight. It's 25 grams and I got my little forest canopy shawl out of a skein of this a couple of years ago. It gets more expensive every time i buy it - three years ago it was $28, 2 years ago $35 and yesterday $38. but it is such lovely yarn... i guess i forgive them. and it's still a pretty good price for hand-dyed pure cashmere that wears like a dream (it just keeps blooming!)

RANT
On saturday evening, Monkey and I went out to dinner and a movie with Monkey sister and her boy. we had dinner at Cream in civic. Now, I have an allergy to chilli. It won't kill me (as far as I know) but I am very sensitive to it, it makes my lips puff up, my entire mouth/nose/face hurt and burn and gives me tummy aches. I was already limited in choice because of the whole damn gluten free thing but they had a risotto that sounded nice. Except: it had chilli in it.
I have dealt with this forever and have no faith in restaurants, so i started looking at the salads (used to be fairly safe to choose a salad, but watch out! every amateur or trendy chef in the world throws chilli in instead of learning anything about flavours, herbs and spices). Everyone at our table got indignant that i should be forced to eat something green (heh heh) and hailed over a waiter.
"Can we order the risotto without chilli?" "Yes, of course you can" "it's not an issue of how hot it is, we have someone with an allergy." "Yes sir, that's fine" "You understand, she can't have any chilli" "yes sir."

So i order the risotto. And before I had even swallowed my first mouthful my reactions kick in.
we hail over a waitress with too much makeup on.
"excuse me, we ordered this risotto without chilli." "Yes sir" "well it has chilli in it" "I did tell the chef" "well it has chilli in it, could you ask?"
waitress with too much makeup on goes and talks to the chef for a while, while i mutter under my breath, mortified about being that person at our table.
ditzy waitress returns.
"chef left the chilli out of the risotto but he used the Master Stock which has chilli in it. But it's not hot" Smiles and drifts off.

So i ate Monkey's caeser salad and he ate a bit of my risotto. When it came to paying, Monkey's very brave sister went and had a go at them and we got the risotto for free... but it really got to me.

I was so embarrassed. nobody ever takes the chilli thing seriously, they make me feel like some pathetic loser who can't cope with a little heat. If i said I had a peanut allergy would anyone have the nerve to suggest "it's not very peanut-t, i doubt you'll even notice". It's not like I'm just some fussy person - it makes me very uncomfortable and if i'm paying for a nice dinner i kinda expect not to have an avoidable allergic reaction while eating it, especially when they are pre-warned.
Anyway, the long and short of it is: i won't be back and they're bloody lucky I'm not anaphylactic.

Anywho, I have things to knit, things to spin and bunnies to wrangle so i shall leave you all to it.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. i dont usually rely on other people to talk for me, but i get so embarrassed about the food stuff that monkey just sort of takes over.

Anything you Say-uri

2008-09-10T20:15:00.005+10:00

Presenting the lush and lovely Sayuri sweater from Sensual Knits by Yahaira Ferreira.I finished it on Sunday morning and fell deeply in love.
I am less in love, however, with the fact that I cannot both pose for a photograph and take the photograph that I want."aw crap, you've got my butt in the shot, don't you?"
It is, of course, not Monkey's fault that it doesn't occur to him to fuss around to find the most flattering angle or backdrop. He rather likes my little (ha!) belly and so does not see a problem with taking photos that show it off.
He similarly has no problem with weird facial expressions that are the result of taking photos while I am explaining what I want."Monkey, if you are not careful I will look thiiiiiis big!"

Also, not being me, he doesn't think about framing the picture to best show off the garment or to make me look as svelte (and, lets face it, un-me) as possible. Sometimes having someone who loves you no matter what you look like is strangely frustrating, no?
I know we are all aware of this problem with socks, but there are ways around it. Generally, feet all look the same. Socks all looks similar. If what we see is not foot-shaped or sock-shaped we can assume there was an angle problem, a swelling problem or perhaps a gauge problem. And you can always pose them on your sock blockers, if you have them.
Bigger garments though? Those can be problematic.
In the past I have used the 'artistic i-might-be-blocking' type shot for when I have no photographer and little self-esteem.

Surplice Bodice Camisole by Joan McGowan-Michael

There is also the joy of having a dressmakers dummy on hand for some photos.

Back-to-School U-Neck Vest by Stefanie Japel

But using Arabella always seems like cheating to me. Anyone who has met me knows I am not built like that. When I use her for sewing there is adjusting and padding attached to get things right. Plus... I can't always make things that don't clash with the bright, bright red.

So I fall back upon old faithful - the awkward pose in a grubby bathroom mirror. Not all that glamorous really.
Specs:
I made no changes to the pattern except for a few less rounds of the linen stitch waist-band because I was getting a larger row gauge in that stitch.
The yarn is Naturally Yarns Merino et Soie 8 ply and it is DIVINE. I used just under 10 balls and there was only one join in the whole batch! It's lovely to work with, doesnt shed... just. gorgeous.
I got gauge on 5mm addis and then did the i-cord collar on 4.5mm dpns.
I love it.

Also finished a pair of frilly socks on Monday. They are so dorky but very fun. It's like wearing really nice knickers or something, they make me happy.

Went and had a blood test today to check for Coeliac's Disease. This is the most obvious explanation for... well... ALL of my health problems. I'm trying not to dwell, but I did an assignment on the disease in year 9 and I ASKED MY DOCTOR IF IT WAS POSSIBLE. HE SAID NO. Eight years later and the list of symptoms looks like I wrote a quick list of everything that bothers me in a week. Including weak tooth enamel!!!! BASTARD!

cough

sorry. I am trying not to be bitter... but seriously! Someone pass me some knitting, please.

Peace out
Ms Spider xo

it's like rain

2008-08-31T12:06:00.004+10:00

Some friends of ours are getting hitched today, which is kind of exciting. We haven't seen them in forever and i think this is going to be the first wedding I've been to where someone my own age is getting hitched.
Unfortunately, my energy levels are still in the crapper, so instead of being thrilled that I'm going to see them and that the day they've waited for is finally here... I'm sitting here like an angry little toad thinking "I have nothing to wear" and "there goes my Sunday". And I have SO MUCH marking to do and I'll get through about 4 books and then my brain freezes.
I washed up this morning... and then I had to have a nap! Honestly, it's embarrassing.

Anyway, what can I tell you about this week?
One of my students 'finished' (with help) her first project - a jumper of 'her' own design. I am so proud of her :) ! I made the front piece with the intarsia (I'm not that cruel) and i still have to sew on the duplicate stitch smiley face. (Yes, she is TINY).
I am reminded that when I was ten I wrote a list of things I wanted to do before I died and knitting a jumper/sweater was one of those things.

I also have a student who is nicking off for 2 years and is in my SOSE class. This chap has been wistfully mentioning how awesome a beanie that looks like a helmet would be... and I am obviously a total sucker (Hey, at least it's a going away gift, not a 'hi I am your servant' type thing). This is the Dwarven Battle Bonnet by Sally Pointer, first hair option. It's pretty close to being finished, but before the wedding I need the gentle therapy of lace.

This is lace shrug I am knitting for Taph. The pattern is... (desperate scrabble with desk) Diamond Lace Shrug by Gitta Schrade from Yarn Magazine Issue 3. I am using 2ply Cashmere Cave cashmere in black. It is lovely yarn, and I am enjoying making this but it's slow going because the increases aren't charted, so I do have to concentrate. I usually find lace with a complex chart relatively mindless because it's just a case of 'move the post-it' most of the time. It's not a massive pain but it is irritating.

My Sayuri continues to grow but is not yet worth a new photo.

Also, i should point out that a change is as good as a holiday (Excuse lack of make-up and general dagginess). Monkey approves. (For those who are now staring trying to work out what has changed, I died my hair Dark Copper Golden Blond. Really needed a change. Apparently red hair makes blue eyes very blue and scary. BOO!)

Still spinning the laceweight merino/silk. nearly halfway.

Also, I took my camera with me on the way to work because EVERY morning I see something that makes me giggle like a loon and I needed to share. Apologies to anyone I offend... I didn't do anything to stage this, it just grew this way (and if you don't know why I am giggling then you are a far far better person than I)Lawn Fail.

Ok, better go wrestle with the clothes I am slightly too curvy for now... sigh.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

named!

2008-08-26T21:40:00.003+10:00

Well, it really was no contest. The new wheel is henceforth to be known as Crispin. Thanks Twitchy Fingers! Keep an eye out for the postie.
nothing to add to this post except a sock. Knit the last round of the cuff on the bus and cast off when I got to work (you can't tell me you wouldn't have done the same... it was minutes away from being finished!). I did mod it a bit, but it's bed-time so I'll explain later. Still not sold on the afterthought/forethought heel.

the school knitting group raffle gets drawn tomorrow... and so I feel the need to cleanse my soul. The raffle was my idea and I made a lot of stuff for it... but i think my idea was driven more by a desire to cover the kids i treasure with knitwear than earn us any money. Is that a little sad or what? Forget my mother, I'm turning into my grandmother. I'll know the transition is complete when I can't go into class without a few trays of biscuits and loud complaints that they are all "so skeeeny darlink".

Peace,
Ms Spider xo

marking...?

2008-08-25T20:36:00.002+10:00

What marking? Come and watch tv with me. These socks won't knit themselves.

pardon the sound track

2008-08-23T21:29:00.006+10:00

Just sat down to blog and had a total brain-fart... have no clue what I last said. Excuse me for a moment while I re-read my own drivel...

*insert elevator music type rendition of the girl from ipanema*

Ah-ha! You'd think I'd remember something crucial like finding out why I'm sick all the time but apparently amnesia is one of my symptoms. ba-boom-ch

So, I've had a week of D3 and Iron supplements and one of my B12 shots. I'm probably feeling heaps better but have wicked PMS at the moment so I can't actually be objective about that. Also we are going to avoid talking about that stuff because I might get cranky and say something I will regret later.
So instead of the pity party, I'm going to show you some knitting ("really? Knitting? on a knitting blog?") I know, I know. It's not like I ever stop.. it just becomes sort of subconscious when it's my main coping strategy and i forget to show it off. But seriously, it's a bad sign when you're consistently boring even yourself.

*elevator music again while i look at ravelry and try to remember what I've been knitting*

Ok, so a little while ago I started Sayuri from Sensual Knits (Rav link, pardonez-moi). I am using Naturally Yarns Merino et Soie 8 ply (Rav again, sorry) in colour... 212, which is a really sensational deep blue with paler silk running through it. Smooth, lush and silky (dur). After a marathon effort this week I managed to finish the top half and sleeves and am now knitting the body. This is a nifty pattern in that you cast on the back at just below bust height (no, not that you have boob-olahs on your back but you know what I mean), increase a bit and then cast on a gazillion or so stitches on either side for the sleeves. You knit until the sleeves are a gazillion inches long and then cast off the middle bits for the back of the neck. You see where we are going? You then knit each front piece including conjoined sleeve seperately and increase to create a deep v neck. Then you join the pieces again and do a nifty bit of linen stitch at the waist and continue down with shaping. There may be some mention of an I-cord type attachment around neckline, but I'll hyperventilate over that when I come to it.
Of course, once the top bit is done it seems ingenious. While you're knitting those gazillion stitches for a gazillion inches it seems bloody stupid.
Happy with the results though :) gorgeous drape on the sleeves.

I finished Monkey's birthday socks today. His birthday is Sept 19th (talk like a pirate day, appropriately) but I'm not laying any bets that I'll hold out til then. He really does have the puppy-dog eyes down pat. (And apparently the socks are haunted... nice aura!)
Oh, yeah, it's Opal Rainforest 6-ply in the Owl colourway. And it is MANLY. Not pretty. Thank you.

I also had a mental blip and forgot my bias against toe-up socks, and am now knitting these from 101 designer one-skein-wonders (seriously cute book if you find yourself doing a lot of gift knits). The pic on rav is useless because it doesnt show the best bit - frilly cuff! (apparently I am seven at heart). Mock at will, it has been done already and I am (relatively) immune. Perhaps those in Jazz Santa Suits should not throw stones? ;)

Also, the bunnies have been immensely good company in my time of need (except they keep hijacking me for my biscotti! fiends!). I shall leave you with a suitably nauseating tableau. (He who shall cast the first stone something something... we're all gross with our pets, right?)(We like to rub noses... do I need to explain that?)(Oh, and excuse standard 'i am at home' uniform, I had just woken up from a nap on the couch... and that's biscotti he is taking out of my mouth, not sputem or anything, ok? Monkey says it's almost a very romantic sequence except Monty is a rabbit)(and just because Winnie was feeling a bit left out, isn't she lovely? Though she is not a fan of the paparazzi)

Tomorrow is TOM so I need my not-so-fugly sleep. I''ll be the one in the all-cheering section knitting frilly socks!

Peace out
Ms Spider xo

fail

2008-08-15T21:37:00.004+10:00

So this afternoon I went to my Doctor to discuss the results of my blood test. Normal liver, good kidney function, normal thyroid... and yet. Apparently I fail at vitamin absorbtion. Big time.
My Iron levels were half what they should be, my B12 was at a 5th of what it should be and D barely registered at all. Dr was very composed but her micro-expression gave away a good deal, and now i get to have weekly injections of B12 until she's no longer concerned. It was the the most calm and composed internal "holy shite!" I have ever witnessed.

I'm in two minds about all of this.
Mind 1 says: Awesome! Just what you wanted! Something really simple and obvious and easy to fix. It explains the trouble sleeping, the difficulty concentrating, the lethargy, the headaches, the queasiness, the depression, confusion, dizziness. Dr says within three months of high dose supplements I should be a new woman.
Mind 2 says: ... I have been having all the above problems since I was seven. It's gone up and down but these have been my demons. So, how is it that my old doctor never even suggested any of these things? Have I been feeling like crap on a daily basis since I was a small child because my doctor overlooked a few things like vitamin levels? Am I on a reasonable dosage of happy pills that I don't need? Or, is this a mirage and while I'll feel better... it won't be the end of it.
Monkey's mind says: Awesome! This is the best news ever! Also, can we sue your old doctor for a million billion dollars and buy a castle to live in?

I'll get back to this whole thought process when I stop coughing my lungs up (did i mention I have laryngitis again? Yup. I'm just so much fun the people around me can't help dancing)

Current bus project: sock-it-to-me scarf from 101 designer one-skein-wonders in handspun silk/merino (fibre from EGMTK in Alchemy). It is now about four times this length but... well see above, including lethargy, roll your eyes and move on.

Peace out
Ms Spi-er (because I'm all out of D :s)

progress ain't always linear

2008-08-10T20:27:00.006+10:00

Why hello! Thanks for stopping by.
There has been movement (besides the whole down-hill slide thing). Monkey has his sights set on a new job. I won't jinx it but it's truly perfect for his geekiness.
I went another whole week without killing or maiming anyone.
My grandmother turned 80. She's so gorgeous.
I bought a spinning wheel from Mandie (She my Ashford pimp, yo).
It's not as frivolous as it sounds. It had been the plan for quite a while. My little traveller, Charlotte (which came to me via the inimitable Taph), was a TAFE cast-off, and while perfectly functional she is a little rickety. There are odd screws that untwist and... well. She's had a good run and she's not going to miss out on use. But...
Thing is, I missed Horace. I loved my traditional, I really did. The classic shape, the size of the wheel. The overall sturdiness that doesn't make me worry when I get a good speed going that I might knock it over.
So when my tax return came through this year i did my research. I knew I wanted a traditional but I wanted a little more versatility. So I invested in a Lace flyer unit and a Jumbo flyer unit as well. And I can yet again direct you with confidence to Mandie should you have questions about any of the ashford range - the lady is a champ.
Yesterday I assembled the new wheel. I probably should have sanded and oiled it then and there but the temptation was too great to give her a spin so I whipped up one of my squirrel EGMTK fibre club packages. Retro-Specto merino/soy 120g, roughly aran 2-ply, 210 metres.
This baby runs like a DREAM. *drool*

This morning I sanded and oiled and assembled the two separate flyer units. Then we went to my grandmother birthday lunch and got kissed and made small talk and tried to ignore the fact that my cousins seem to think 'mid winter sunday lunch with gran' is a good event to wear a mini-skirt to. blech. teenage girls. *

This afternoon I attached the lace flyer and started on the latest offering from EGMTK fibre club - merino/silk Octopus' Garden' (click the pic to truly appreciate the insanity).Now I've spun lace before with the traveller and though it was a challenge, i managed it and was happy with the results.
I had no clue!

See you in the spring?

And apparently I need to mention kniteratti, my school knitting group. It rocks! We are so hard-core, we even share needles! Although the needles supply is seriously depleted so I am running a raffle to raise some funds. Here are a few things I've whipped up for the raffle in the last week.
Devil hat from Stitch n Bitch using panda Woolbale. A short-circuit scarf (that i did finish but forgot to photo off the needles) using 3 balls of Jet. Mohawk Hat from Domiknitrix, using Merino Spun and Katia Aspen (Monkey not included).

Now I seem to be working on another throat infection, which makes me very cranky-pants. It kind of relentless sometimes. Some days I get home, think about all the different ways in which I feel crappy and marvel that I yelled at no-one all day. Hope the little buggers appreciate it.

Ok, I shall sign off. But I should like suggestions for a name for my new wheel. Please? It doesnt feel right til I name her and I'm totally stumped.

Peace out
Ms Spider xo

* You may realise at this point that I spend a good chunk of my time teaching teenage girls and I do like them mostly. I just don't understand some of their behaviours and really didnt need to see my cousins vpl today.

ETA - apparently I suck at Ctrl+C or something. Mandie is now linked properly... sorry for the faux pas!

still alive

2008-07-31T18:37:00.003+10:00

This little meme has been doing the rounds and I thought I'd throw it on (as it were) just to prove we're both still breathing. I'm ok, he's ok, life has just been weird. Transmission will resume when I can think of anything worth saying

Me: What is your favourite thing about my knitting?

Monkey: My socks.

Me: What is your least favourite thing about my knitting?

Monkey: Pointy sticks on the floor.

Me: What is something I have knitted, that you recall as good?

Monkey: Peacock Shawl.

Me: Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?

Monkey: Hell yeah. (Adds after I give him a look) I think you make it expensive... it's not like it needs to be.

Me: Any hobbies?

Monkey: Being awesome?

Me: Do you have a stash of any kind?

Monkey: Old computer bits?

Me: Have I ever embarrassed you, knitting in public?

Monkey: It was very embarrasing when you were knitting that uterus-bag-thing in public (He means the Snatchel which I have never knit, he is mentioning the most embarrasing knitted item he can think of)

Me: Do you know my favourite kind of yarn?

Monkey: Of course. You like yarns about pirates.

Me: Can you name another blog?

Monkey: Ooh, I would call it 'Pomegranite Sunrise'! No, hang on... 'Chunder Muppets'! (chortles at own hilarity). I know many other blogs. About knitting? knit and tonic, crazy aunt purl, um, cast-on, the yarn harlot.

Me: Do you mind my wanting to stop at knit shops wherever we go?

Monkey: Not as long as I'm not required to have an opinion about anything.

Me: Do you understand the importance of a swatch?

Monkey: I do. But I also know you never make them. Even though I know you understand the importance of a swatch as well.

Me: Do you read my blog?

Monkey: When you tell me to.

Me: Have you ever left a comment?

Monkey: Yes.

Me: Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn't knit?

Monkey: There wouldn't be as much stuff in it, so probably.

Me: Anything you'd like to add?

Monkey: (burps) No, wait, don't put that in! Ohhh...

Thankyou and goodnight.

anything else?

2008-07-29T20:01:00.004+10:00

You know that thing, when you were a teenager, where you were so caught up in your own dramas that you were utterly convinced the universe was screwing with you? Well, I guess I didnt get as old as I thought.

Reasons i think the universe is screwing with me:

Monkey just lost his job after they decided to close 61 of the 85 starbucks stores in Australia. As a sub-point, of course he is now out on the town with all the other bereft employees and I am left at home to worry.

On Saturday, silkydoll and I were on our way to Kingston and our journey took a detour due to a burst open tin of square crackers sitting in the middle of the intersection. (It's not the detour that freaked me out, it's the tin of crackers. I didnt know they even sold crackers in tins anymore)

A student told me I was as 'scary as a bucketful of kittens'. I know I am the approachable one but I did think I was scary when I had to be... sigh

I have had seven new students added to my assorted classes in the last week, which means that there are no longer enough copies of the books we are studying for three of my classes. Somehow this is my fault for not being better organised (organised enough to see into the future?) and does not warrant 'outrageous spending' on a few copies of Macbeth, Much Ado and Goodnight Mr Tom.

We have a mouse. I am not scared of mice, and this one is very cute but it does not bode well. I also cannot kill anything since a childhood experience and the thought of putting out any kind of trap makes me tear up. This means I rely entirely on Monkey to do the deed and for whatever reason this little fellow has been our companion for some 4 months i think. Now that this 'one' mouse appears to be a significantly different size every time I see it, I have to accept that there is probably a mummy mouse and some baby mice... which makes the house seem much dirtier than I thought, and has the added bonus of making me feel positively wretched at the thought of having them killed. A family! With babies!

There are ants building a nest under my clock-radio. You don't believe me, do you?There (ooh, ignore the dust). There are usually big white eggs as well, but I looked at them this morning and they've moved them. No, I don't know where to, but I suspect I should be careful to shake out any knickers vigorously before putting them on.

Oh and I have serious issues with my black dog at the moment (this one, not this one). Is partially a hormonal thing but knowing that there's a biological reason for the sense of impending doom and hopelessness doesn't necessarily make it easier to deal with. Anyway, having dealt with serious bouts that go on for months and months I'm always terrified that it wont end when my hormones settle. I think I'm also just in the middle of a self-pity party: sick of being sick, sick of headaches, sick of being tired, sick of dealing with crap at work, sick of spending my time off cleaning and never getting ahead of myself. Really sick of being barely functional and collapsing in a big weepy heap every three weeks. Really truly sick of being a massive burden (and often a complete dickhead) to Monkey and to my friends. (Also getting really sick of these pity-party decorations... getting pretty dusty from being up too long!!)

And now I realise I'm still writing because I don't feel like knitting but am completely lost without it and dont want to return to the couch and have to deal with the unease. blech. I'll try reading.

Please excuse the revolting display of self-pity.
Ms Spider xo

PS. If you see Monkey, send him home with a boxed ear.

chuffed!

2008-07-26T08:28:00.005+10:00

I know I already told you but I'm so pleased with myself I'm going to do it again.
I have an online store with Yarn Collective and I am sooooo thrilled. So much nicer than eBay, i can just list things until the person the yarn is waiting for comes along. And it's pretty! And the owner is super helpful and friendly and... GRIN.

Here it is again (now there's heaps up and they are actually purchasable. I wonder if I will ever understand computers the way Monkey does? He makes it look so easy!).
I have also edited the link in my sidebar - no more dead-end eBay visits!

Ok, thankyou for indulging me.

BSG 2/3 done. Very pretty. I've been thinking it needs some buttons that are pansy shaped... any ideas? I haven't been to Lincraft yet and will check there, but if there's an indie button maker that I am as yet unaware of..?

Now I'm thinking I need to upload some handspun.... or even spin some handspun! Goodbye weekend ;)

Leaving you with a cute pic I found here:Peace out
Ms Spider xo

almost back to the salt-mines

2008-07-24T13:58:00.006+10:00

Well, for three days anyway. That headache that was threatening turned into a full blown migraine on Monday evening and by Wednesday afternoon I was past denial so I left lesson plans for today. I'm still pretty rough, but it's amazing how much easier it is to cope without dealing with loud kids, bells, builders (there's a new disabled access lift being put in) and general mayhem.

Knitting!

I finished the back piece of my little cotton cardi. I didnt notice until near cast-off, but this yarn has a definite bias. I know most cotton yarns do, but this is quite pronounced. I think it will be ok after blocking and seaming.Back piece blocking with wall'o'yarn backdrop.
Also cast on a BSG for Georgie. This is my 4ply sock yarn in Pansies, and I'm having fun. I've knit it enough that it's pretty mindless migraine knitting so it's my partner today (don't worry George, migraines are not contageous as far as i know).
And... I have a little news for you all. Still ironing out the bugs and in no mental place to deal with coding right now but... well, click here. :)

Peace out
Ms Spider xo

ETA - rant removed. didnt need to be reminded of all my bile. hello, gremlin?

where's my gremlin?

2008-07-20T10:04:00.003+10:00

This week I keep flashing back to times I've said truly stupid things. To that end, I really want a little gremlin to follow me around and jump up and stuff his fist in my mouth before I say the stupid thing that is threatening. Wouldn't that be nice? You know, before you ask the not-pregnant woman when she's due? Before you freak out new people by forgetting that not everyone considers anti-depressants a necessary evil? Before you say something narky about someone else's friend without realising? yeah, well, where was my gremlin this week?

I think my all time favourite (if that's the right word) stupid thing I've ever said was during a job trial at a little new age boutique place. I was there, there was another girl (i was about 17) and the older manager (probably in her early 30's). Manager woman was complaining about a man who kept asking her out and that she'd finally caved in and was going out with him tonight but didnt really want to. I suggested that she call him and say "sorry but I'm having rather a heavy period" (quote from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life). Cue blank yet slightly freaked out stares from both of them.
Of course, I wasn't as good at subtext back then. It was my gap year and I was out of the habit of spending time with other people and listening to their... stuff. Particularly women. As soon as it was halfway out of my mouth I realised that she wasnt really dreading going out with this guy, she was enjoying telling us she was being chased and worn down by his dedication to her. And of course, neither of them were Monty Python fans. Or probably ever admitted to menstruation.
Needless to say I didnt get the job.

I think I'm getting a little that way again with other adults. I deal with teenagers so much and while there is certainly a persona that I project, I do find that being very honest with my students works well for me. Most of my classes are gloriously... open. The kids say what they think without too much concern about recriminations.. in fact i think most of them know the one thing that will always piss me off is verbally attacking someone or their ideas in class.

trouble is, I get to this point where I forget to hold my cards close to my chest with other adults. If they are not immediately and obviously threatening to me (ie. a boss or manager type) I guess I say things that should probably only be said to close friends who will still love me even if it's a stupid thing to say. And be confident enough to say "Spidey, you're full of it".

So... I guess I'm saying I'm sorry if I've offended anyone recently. It's a strange assurance to make, I know, but if i truly was having a go at anyone... i would think it out carefully first because that's just my way. Chances are, if i said something dumb to you and you were offended... it's because I need a gremlin.

Now that's off my chest! hurrah!
I have no proper modelled shots of the Seashell Shrug but I intend to wear it to SnB this arvo so it will get a public airing.
I finished and felted my second pair of clogs. These are for Monkey and I used woolbale again. The orange didnt felt as densly as the brown, probably because they would have to bleach it first to get a dye that bright. Monkey is very pleased with them. He wasnt sure if he wanted a pair, so we agreed if he didnt like them they would be a birthday present for his Dad in a few months... but since they came out of the dryer (damp) he's had them on.
Also, I started the Flutter Sleeve Cardigan by Pam Allen in Moda Vera Paul. I think I must have been a bit over all the winter knits to gravitate towards something short-sleeved, cotton-y and drapey but that's ok. I'll be prepared for spring, and it's such a lovely colour. The yarn is going a long way too, this is only a third of the way through the second ball.
I also finished spinning some yarn I've had on the go since the Celebration of Wool day. I'm very pleased with the results;light 2ply merino, 50g, 225 metres. The fibre was originally dyed by Rachel Meek of Fibre Dyeversity (one of my biggest girl crushes ever.... this woman has forgotten more about colour than I will ever know).

Back to school tomorrow, so of course I've been wrestling with a headache for a few days. hopefully an afternoon of friends, knitting and hot beverages with soothe my troubled soul ;)

I leave you with an older pic of the buns. I swear they are both completely mad.

Peace out
Ms Spider xo

a heart-felt post

2008-07-14T20:28:00.006+10:00

Well, the stall on Sunday was quite a joy to behold.
Sadly, my camera's batteries ran out rather early on, so i only really got a few shots before the markets technically opened (I say technically, because as anyone who has ever run a garage sale knows, there are always the overly keen who show up at 7am).
We had a variety of my yarns, wristwarmers care of Taph's Mum, pears, pods and pendants care of Olivia, beautiful bags from the Shopping Sherpa and of course Jejune's gorgeous knitting art cards. Everyone's offerings received many lovely compliments and new friends were met. I don't think i speak for myself alone when i say there may very well be another stall in our future.

I would also like to take this moment to thank everyone for saying such lovely things about my seashell shrug :D While i know i would love it if it fit like a potato sack, it's heartening to have such great feedback for something i cherish so dearly. so, thankyou!
Olivia said: Looks like more than a shrug to me...did you add to it?
No, this is one of the few times I knit exactly to specs (except for the yarn substitution). Although I would describe it as a wrap jacket, it is still technically a shrug i think, because the construction (as discussed here) is about knitting off a central sleeve-shrug bit. Definitely not a 'little shrug' type thing though!
Tinkingbell said: why aren't you modelling it!
Err... because. The pics I took where while it was still wet... and I'm having one of those weeks (seasons?) or feeling slightly podgy and pimpley. Keep at me to model and I'm sure I'll feel up to it sooner or later. Another lady who made this pattern has blanked her face in the pics on rav, maybe i should consider that option?
Kate said: Did the ribbing drive you compeltely nuts?
Yes, yes it did. Which is probably why it took me six months. By the end though it became kind of subconscious and therapeutic. I think this is down to having such a nice yarn to work with and of course nice shiny addi turbos - if it had been 8ply acrylic on plastic ponys I may have been a little less zen towards the end.

As usually occurs with me, finishing the shrug left me with the what-to-knit-blues. I have several socks on the go, but i the shrug left such a big gap in my knitting basket. And i really felt the need for something... new.
I finally settled on a pair of felted clogs. I've been putting off making them, partly because the pattern is printed on green cardboard and i hate reading off dark coloured backgrounds (is this just me or does it seem a little stupid to print instructions that need to be followed carefully in black ink on a bottle green background?) and partly, i think, because Brenda Dayne has mentioned several times how much trouble she has with the pattern and i didn't really want to be made to feel stupid. I was also always a little torn as to what yarn to use - it seemed silly to buy yarn for this pattern.. but now i have such a big stash of woolbale, the stash is my oyster!
Put it down to my OCD but i didnt actually have any trouble with them! They knit up quickly, with enough chops and changes to keep you awake. They are so big pre-felting! The final 'buffer' bit on the sole was the only thing that was weird... and really that was just because it looks a bit obscene. If you've made a pair you'll know what i mean, I'm not about to corrupt any innocents by explaining myself.
Right now one of them is spinning around in the dryer. I did try them in the washing machine but because it's a front loader I'm never game to put them in for longer than the 30 min cycle because i cant fish them out before they shrink too much.So this evening I had a go at Olivia's method with the plunger and it was a) very fun and messy and b) quite effective. It got them going enough that i think i can finish them off in the dryer. Of course, one is more shrunk than the other (which is why there is only one in the dryer right now) but i find this happens often... whenever Monkey shrinks a pair of socks, they are never identical!

Before i go to wrestle with more felting, I will leave you with this thought. If you market a product as "New! Completely Reformulated!" what does it suggest to you about the old one? Especially when they also add this:For the record, it's still pretty gross (and I am not the caffeine fiend in this house. But on such a lofty promise, i had to test to save my gentle readers. Stear clear... it's like raspberry cough syrup mixed in with a melted down zooper-dooper icy pole thing... only worse. The old ones tasted like stale rum and coke that someone had accidentally put a cigar out in, so i dont know if i would call it an improvement. )

Happy Monday!
Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Yarn left over from the market is being slowly added to my trade/sell page on ravelry, for those who are so inclined.

phew!

2008-07-11T09:06:00.003+10:00

and I managed to get a hair cut and an eyelash tint!
On a roll, baby, that's me!

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Can't remember if i told this story, but the yarn was inherited from a woman who wasn't really, but was anyway, my grandmother. I had 20 balls of it and it had to be something special, which is probably why I persevered despite the whole 'rib' issue. So yes, this is for you Rae. Thought of you with every stitch.

paving the way

2008-07-08T20:10:00.005+10:00

I am sitting here at my desk, looking at the tail end of my fourth day of school holidays. What have I been doing, I hear you cry?
Saturday was swallowed with bunny fun and oh-my-god-i'm-at-home-zzzzzzzz type seizures. By which i mean I keep falling asleep by accident.
Sunday contained minor seizure action and birthday celebrations for young Othlon.
Monday... I'm trying to remember. We've had the dog since Sunday evening so there's been dog involvement.. but really, I think i've spent the last two days knitting my seashell shrug.
I finished the sleevey bit on... (quick check on rav) the 29th of June. And then I counted backwards and discovered it took me 6 months. (everyone out there who just told their computer monitor that that is a normal and rational amount of time to spend on a bit of a sweater... I know. But we are talking about the Queen of OCD here and that is a loooong time for me to leave something I havent decided to frog. Perhpas one is maturing?).
the sleeve bit looks rather like this (realises one didnt snap actual piece and makes swift diagram).
That's the shape of the sleeve thing (except all in 2x2 rib, ech) and then the arrows show where you sew up the sleeves... where the sleeves are decreased in the middle you dont sew them up, but instead pick up and knit in the round, increasing where the little dotty dashy things are.
Things are moving more swiftly now (as predicted) if only because i have shaping to look forward to every so often.
Also, this Sunday is the second Holy Day of Obligation (AKA Fibre Day at OBDM) and again I shall be present with yarns and friends to freeze my butt off in the nicest way imagineable. So of course, I want something lovely and warm... but also obviously a hand-knit. I'll put it down to my Hungarian belief that skinny chef's can't be trusted - people selling yarn should be able to do things with it themselves... beyond pom-poms.

My calculations suggest that I have about 24 rounds to go before it is finished. I should add that it grows by about 16 stitches every 4th round and I'm currently on about 570. So it's starting to get pretty old.
But it is close.
Being so close to finishing has put me in mind of Thing To Do While On Holiday. I realise, of course, that listing things here is a really good way to ensure I dont do them, but I am at heart a great big silly fool and no amount of self-knowledge stops the inevitable.
Therefore:

This week there will be dyeing. I have heaps for the stall on Sunday but it never hurts to have back up. plus the colour is therapeutic.
Read all my Elizabeth Zimmerman books (again). Have already re-read Knitting Workshop and Knitters Almanac and Knitting Without Tears awaits me. Having already knocked this one over most of the way I am quietly confident.
Get hair cut. Is disgraceful shaggy mess and does not help the older members of staff to differentiate me from students. Maybe should try for a more grown-up cut (nearly said 'sleeker' but then I remembered who I am. There are tarpaulins that are sleeker than I am).
Get eyelashes tinted. Am forever rubbing mascara into and around my eyes and this does not help me maintain a professional image. Figure it's worth a try before i throw it all away and just invest in a nice brown paper bag.
Possibly (indication that i realise this is madness) stick post-its to various bags of stash to indicate intentions. Very unlikely to change my practices but may generate appearance of productivity and then Monkey cant complain if i buy more yarn. ssssh.
Clip bunny toe-nails (perhaps after investing in head-to-toe chain-mail suit with matching gloves and gauntlets).
get a blood test so new doctor can get her bearings.

Sheesh.
Now i can tell you right off the bat that the eyelashes, bunny nails and blood test are the least likely to happen. Eyelashes - have to admit vanity to another person and run risk of looking like kewpie doll. Nails - bunnies object strongly and make their feelings known. Blood test - Am so bad with needles that I will lose a whole day to head-spins and nausea and that sounds un-fun.

But the seashell shrug might happen yet.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

show us your buns

2008-07-05T12:10:00.006+10:00

Today we went for a little wander in the garden.we examined many flavours.We kept an eye on each otherWe disapproved of wearing leashes. We disapproved of the cool wind. We played peekaboo. We located more delicious flavours and swiftly disarmed them. We wondered what was on the other side of the fence. Then the smelly dog on the other side of the fence barked and we got scared so we came inside. Stupid dog

Happy weekend (and school holidays, mhuaha ha ha haaaa)
Peace out,
Ms Spider (and Winnie and Monty)

I've been busier than I thought

2008-06-29T16:32:00.006+10:00

Well, I'm ridiculously pleased with myself:
Voila! the completed sleeve portion of the seashell shrug! Only 6 months in the making... phew. I've been a very responsible little puppy and washed the piece. After 6 months i figure it wouldnt hurt to rinse the dust off it, right?
Yesterday I finished my Moses Fire socks too. Ooh, that pic is blurrier than i thought. Let's just pretend it's the cashmere fuzz, k? They were meant to be for me but i think i need to gift them to a woman at my work who's been just the most amazing source of support over the last month or so. It's not like I've been teaching long enough to have any decent advice or resources to offer her, and i know she'll appreciate them.
Also started a lace shrug on friday. It's going to be for Taph who needs one in October and does not have the lace-is-fun chromosome in her genetic makeup. It was originally going to be in a frugalled coned 3-ply but clearly I am a decadent hedonist because i succumbed and purchased some 2ply cashmere (from here) because it would be so much nicer to knit with... and of course, to wear.
Having finished the red socks i cast on some green ones so I wouldn't be without bus knitting tomorrow morning. It's the Catherine pattern from ravelry using Filati Bacio. I am surprised at this yarn! It's 50/50 wool and ack which is a little too much ack for me usually... but it's a gorgeous yarn.
I love European yarns for this reason; when they use acrylic, it's to improve the yarn. They do it so well! In Australia, ack always gives the impression that it was chucked into the mix because it was cheap. Katia, GGH and Filati... the ack is to improve wear, soften the yarn up, do something special. I respect that. It's the yarn first, you know?
Anyway, my point is - this is a very nice sock yarn and I'm sure it will wear like a dream. And of course the colours are sensational.
Oh, and I finished Francis on Thursday night - mad dash to have something warm to wear on Friday!Photos are not great because, as usual, i dont have a photographer or decent light, but you get the idea. It is my new favourite - so soft, so warm! No seaming! yummeh!

I'm sure there are heaps of other little WIPs running around but that's enough for now. i dont want you all thinking I'm a crazy person.

One week and then it's mid-year holidays! Expect slightly more lucidity soon-ish.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Big clicks to Georgie who added to her family tree on Friday. I wonder who cleaned up on the due-date bets?

ETD

2008-06-22T17:36:00.001+10:00

Drum carder is, of course, via the lovely Mandie of EGMTK. She knows her stuff and will find out for you what she doesn't know - go to her :)

I'm a good girl, I am. No, really.

2008-06-22T17:09:00.005+10:00

So after several painful days, I've finished writing my reports. blech.

Report writing is a strange art. It's all about saying a lot without saying what you really mean, in a way that kind of gives away what you're really thinking anyway. I bet John Howard would be really great at it.

Quick Report Comments Translations

X is a vocal student who is always prepared to engage in class discussion = X is a mouth on legs and makes me mental.

Y is a very social student = If Y doesnt stop flirting with the guy behind her i may throw up on her shoes.

Unfortunately Z failed to submit any assessment pieces and this is reflected in his grade = Z is a lazy little shit who spends his afternoons smoking questionable substances and watching Futurama.

...needs to remember to be respectful to all teachers in the school = It's very sweet that you behave like an angel for me, but it's a real pain in the arse when you're a bastard to a relief teacher and i have to pick up all the pieces and soothe troubled egos.

Anyway.

There has been knitting (of course). I finished Jacqui's birthday mitts in time and she adores them. I felt a bit of a pang handing them over... I'd make myself a pair but they're the sort of WIP that all the muggles fuss over and I'd have them promised to someone else before the first thumb gusset.

I've also picked up my Seashell Shrug again. It really is a lovely yarn, vintage Country Collection 8 ply crepe. I've finished the shaping on the mid-back of the sleeves and am back to knitting 2x2 rib forever. It's pretty mindless, and oddly therapeutic at the moment, so we'll see. I do intend to finish it, really.

I also realised this week that i never blogged about my self-spoiling a while ago. After the obdm wool day, after i had weighed my profits and thought... i bought myself an ashford fine cloth drum carder.She is soooooooo pretty. Next to her you will notice two clip-lock baggies. These are works in progress. The bag on the far left contains pure angora fluff straight from the bunny's indignant little back, and the other bag contains said angora carded into lush and fluffy batts with the softest, whitest optim wool. I dont know what it will be yet... other than gorgeous. mmmmm.
oh and i have a confused little hyacinth in a vase. I can't work out if it's shy or cold or what. Constipated?
Sorry, I never said this would be a classy blog.

I also did a little dyeing this week because i needed the colour therapy. This is some Moda vera Sentiments Sparkle i confiscated from Taph at the TASDA meeting on Monday night. It's not the nicest yarn in the world but I'm having fun.. and it would make a pretty funky scarf i think.

Oh, and Satan's bunny not like cold. No sir.

Ok, I'm going to go knit 18 and a half inches of maroon rib and watch Law and Order. In case anyone was wondering.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Why you should not leave your computer unattended while working on a comment for a student with an amusing name: Axel is capable of working effectively as part of a larger machine. He constantly greases the wheels of academic progress and contributes to the educational revolution. Without him we would still be riding horses.

Thanks Monkey. Very helpful. :s

WWKIP day

2008-06-14T17:30:00.002+10:00

So only three of us showed up? So what!

Presenting my tree cosy

Rachels horn-cuff.
And Jo's leg-warmers... and hysteria
I'd forgotten how much fun it was to be subversive :p

Peace out
Ms Spider xo

PS. Yes, we did look like massive dorks and Jo had to sew the legwarmers onto the sheep which was fairly amusing for me at any rate. And the lables were down to Rachel's organisation...

lots of pics and words - beware!

2008-06-12T20:44:00.005+10:00

I am having a strange week. I think the long weekend threw me out a bit. and I may not have quite adjusted to the new bus timetable.
All i want to do is sleep. Monkey keeps teasing me because i fall asleep on the couch, in the car, and according to him 8 oclock is way too early for a self-respecting twenty-something to be in pjs. I can't help it! I think I've lost a little weight too. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Sure, there are some jiggley bits around my middle that i would happily send far far away, but having bits of me depart without warning is fairly... disturbing.
It's probably because when i was a little younger, weight loss was sudden and scary and really hard to stop. i mean i literally lost 8 kilos in a week and i was eating properly... it was weird. and this isnt that - it's probably just the side-effects of working my arse off (literally). but it makes me a little edgy.
and i realise this is totally mental to everyone who heard me complain about gaining weight in the last year or so. Hey, i never pretended i was rational!

I've been a bad blogger too. i cant say quite where the ennui is coming from. I love being able to just vent. i think it's partially ravelry consuming my web hours and making me forget to mention FOs (or even WIPs come to think of it).
there have been a few in the last couple of weeks.
My Mobius Wrap. I wore it to work today and it's ideal - keeps shoulders warm without crowding your arms. it was a total mind-f**k to work out but it only hurt my brain when i tried to think too hard about what i was doing. i dont think i quite understand how the cast-on twists... but it does and so i dont really need to fret too much. I used alternate rows/rounds of two of my hand-painted 8plys (Hydrangea and Wakame)
Another baby surprise jacket. In my fruit tingle colourway. Catherine at work admired the other one I made but her baby is too big for it and I am apparently the worlds biggest sucker. Luckily (ish) the new bus timetable doubles my morning travels so i do get a good deal of knitting time. Still looking for the perfect buttons, might have to wait until Saturday.
What else?
Did i mention that i finally finished the socks for Monkey's Mum? I shouldnt still care but she only got them today so they've been glaring at me for a while.
I started a new cardi in Cleckheaton Country 8ply (and a bit of woolbale where i needed the colours). It's Kaffe Fasset's Floral Jacket from the most recent Vogue Knitting. (this pic is a bit out of date now but you get the idea) It's pretty and I've deliberately gone with a base of Navy because i suspect it will be a little old for me. And my mum LOVES this kind of thing. and her current navy cardigan is... huge. a great big sack that swallows my little midget mother whole. So a cute, retro, slightly fitted one wouldnt hurt. (no promises though - might love it and that would be another matter. at this point it's a process joy rather than a race to the product).
Monkey's little sister turns 16 next week and I am halfway through a pair of endpaper mitts for her. I'm quite enamoured of the one i've produced already - grignasco bambi is such a lovely yarn! She chose the colours and shows definite skill in this area - perhaps i should give her some needles and the leftover yarn as well?
Oh and i did a trade via ravelry which resulted in my having a large quantity of Cleckheaton Merino Spun in the best blue. So I'm making Francis Revisited (rav download). it's such a nice yarn :) too big for bus knitting though. I just want to make a nest out of it and sleep (again with the sleep!)

I just turned around to see Monty climbing around on the top of the couch back. He quickly jumped down and pretended to be merely seat-theiving but we know the truth. Little acrobat. Now he's licking the arm of my couch rather diligently (I wonder what delicious substance I spilt there? He refuses to let me in on the secret and I refuse to lick the couch so i guess we are at an impasse)

This reminds me that the little terrors need to be put to bed and so do I.
Friday tomorrow! Thank Gawd! I think i feel a hackneyed phrase coming on... no, it passed.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Hi Caleb. Have you finished your journals yet?

all the meme

2008-05-31T20:54:00.003+10:00

apparrently i'm a little stressed.
I hadnt really noticed until the insomnia kicked in and now... it's Saturday and i had the house to myself for most of the day and i have no good reason to be anxious but i am. I sorted the stash. I groomed the bunnies. i finished the socks for Monkey's Mum. I posted excess stash on ravelry. I skeined yarn for dyeing some self-striping 8ply.
I think I might be going crazy (crazier?).
Maybe it's still the effects of healing from the op last week and I'm just expecting too much from myself. But I cant help falling into a head-space which says: I'm always sick with something, I can't take leave for everything and I cant work and be useful at home in the same day when I'm crook.. which feels like always. I spend my weekends trying to catch up on housework and marking and then suddenly it's sunday night and i still feel like i need a weekend. Add to that the guilt of being a total burden to Monkey (i seriously cant remember the last time i cooked dinner and he works as many hours as i do) and constantly piking on plans because I'm either feeling sick or feeling so tired I know i'd be a total buzz-kill... and I'm feeling pretty useless right now.

I have some issues at work at the moment too. The Knitting group i started is going great guns and the kids are mad keen on it. It's one lunchtime a week and they're nagging me to do it more often. We've seen some amazing results already; one girl with huge behavioural problems is sitting quietly and focusing on a crochet square for an entire lunch... this is a kid who has been known to climb out windows on second floor during classes. Another girl who has been really struggling to connect at school... her eyes just lit up! She's a natural, she had a scarf by the next meeting. It's just great, the kids get so much out of it it feels really important.
but apparently it's not important enough for the school to deem it worthy to cover the odd playground duty for me so i can run it regularly. not only wont they cover it, they make me chase people to swap duties with me.
I know it seems like a tiny thing but it's just so... typical. All we ever hear is "we really appreciate you donating your time/we need volunteers/we need your enthusiasm/we need you to take initiative and use your specialist skills to help the school and the students/helps to make things run smoothly/supervise concert, social, P&C night etc etc" and then the next thing is "oh you have an extra in your only line off today/have you done enough hours/we wont cover a duty for something you're choosing to do".

cough

ok, maybe my stress does have a root. No bloody wonder there's such a high drop out rate for new teachers.

Now, because it's too dark to take proper pics of recent FOs, I'm going to do the meme that has been doing the rounds.

1) What was I doing ten years ago?
I was halfway through term two of year 8. I was madly in love with a boy called Sam and my favourite class was Art. My favourite song was Foolish Games by Jewel (before she went skanky) and I never missed an episode of Dawson's Creek (thought Dawson was a tool but wanted to kiss Pacey).

2) What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?
Dye self-striping yarn for a commission BSJ. List yarn on Ravelry. Finish socks for Monkey's Mum. bi-annual stash toss. blog.

3) Snacks I enjoy?
salt and vinegar chips are my oldest friend. I also love minties and redskins (but not while my mouth is still hurty). Tsatsiki and corn chips. Sashimi with soy and a really fresh wasabi.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire?
Hmm. Pay off house. extend house so Monkey has room as well as my stash and maybe space for kidliwinkles one day. Pay off car. Get hitched. Restock the school library with textbooks that arent growing fungi. Retire early and set up a yarn store/ book store / cafe with classes on spinning, knitting and specialist techniques and really good chairs. Fund research into alternate fuel sources. am i broke yet?

5) Places I have lived?
I lived in my parents' house in Qbn for 21 years, my bundah home for nearly 2. I realise I am very, very lucky to have moved only once.

6) Jobs I have had?
Sales assistant in Childrenswear department of Target. Sales assistant at Kookai. Volunteer at St Vinnies. Sales assistant at Hidden Treasures, little womens boutique in the Woden Hospital (HELL). Sales assistant at ReVamp in Qbn, selling antiques and collectables. Am now an English teacher at a Canberra High School.

7) Peeps I want to know more about?
Elizabeth Zimmerman, Jane Austen, Eleanor Farjeon, Ringo, Marilyn Monroe. If you want to be tagged and have get to do this then go forth, but I ain't tagging anyone.

Peace,
Ms Spider

nothing but the tooth

2008-05-26T13:54:00.003+10:00

hello all! it's the third day and I'm feeling a little more human. My mouth isnt actively bleeding anymore and i'm allowed to eat food that is warm and requires chewing again. this is a Good Thing TM. Spider cannot live on custard alone!
i also have a new favourite painkiller - prodeine forte. it stops things hurting AND makes me sleep. this wins it many points because usually my trouble sleeping affects my recovery time. Now, for once, I'm sleeping right through the night and it's Monkey who's taking spells on the couch (maybe I snore when sedated? i should be more sympathetic but after 23 years of chronic insomnia I'm not that upset by someone having a few restless nights).

wow, pain maketh me meanish!
shake it out Spidey!

In my drug induced haze I have managed to complete some knitting... and how!
presenting the Bell Sleeved Jacket by Daniel Adamczyk. I used just over 13 balls of Cleckheaton Country 8ply and I chose not to knit the belt - I'm going to get a nice wide piece of satin ribbon to tie it with. I am really happy with it - it's just so pretty! It is very fitted and quite busy - it really needs to be the focus piece of an outfit so it's not an everytday thing. Was great fun to knit and didnt take me too long - just over a month i think?

I did also take a pic of the inside of my mouth - complete with tooth hole, stitches and injection sites but Taph informs me it is much too horrific so i'll keep it to myself.

I was actually completely terrified by the operation. it might have had something to do with fasting all day and being left alone in a room with no clock in a hospital gown for what felt like ages...
and i am apparently a complete geek. When i was recovering, the lovely anesthetist told me that when i went out i muttered 'The drugs are quick" and when i woke up they gave me my tooth in a jar and I said (to the tooth) "take that, you bastard!" and then passed out again.
I have no recollection of either of these events but they amused Monkey a good deal.

right now my biggest concern is that i have to stay home for two more days and i have no idea what to knit...

Peace out
Ms Spider

resolution is relief

2008-05-22T19:04:00.002+10:00

So a few of you may remember my dramas last year with the tooth from hell? Well, my appointment to have it out wasnt til June and it's flared up again. So I've been a bit crippled, drinking tea on one side of my head and still getting the explosive pain that is an infected root.. ugh.

anyway, managed to (finally) see my dentist who freaked a little, showered me with scripts for antibiotics and got me an appointment with a different (and way more efficient) oral surgeon today... who managed to fit me in for Saturday! (i love efficient people... who just say "let me check now" not "here's 12 numbers to choose from, maybe call one?" because when I'm in pain I don't follow directions well)
I'm actually kind of.. excited. I know that sounds weird but the pain is excruciating and i want it to GO AWAY. I am having the tooth out because my mouth is crowded anyway and it's at the end of the line. I won't be allowed back to work til Thursday next week and Monkey gets a carers cert to look after me for 2 days. and i kind of need a mental health day anyway so I'm sure more than just my mouth can heal in that time :) so after the initial 2 or 3 days of feeling shitty I'm hoping I'll get some knitting time :)

In more interesting news, the market of yarn whoredom was on Sunday and our stall rocked! we had so many lovely people come and chat, old friends and new and we all had the bestest time. I totally want to do it again - Fibre day anyone?

I'm a little spaced out (tooth pain make me stoopid) so i cant think if i have any other interesting news or pics...

ooh! i bought a drum carder from Mandie! She is awesome and helpful and didnt tease me when i said i felt like i was propositioning her :D more about it when it arrives. But if you need help with Ashford or Louet you MUST contact her. Most helpful and idiot-proof (believe me!).

off to take my antibiotics (damn those biotics, who invited them anyway?)

Peace out
Ms Spider

it's the final countdown

2008-05-05T07:25:00.003+10:00

13 days til the Canberra SnB stall at the OBDM
I have one question: how am I supposed to part with all the dyeing I've been doing?

Also, I have become endlessly entertained with.. baby socks.Not pregnant, I promise. Just enchanted by a quick finish...

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. thanks for all the helpful comments re vertigo. I think it is Labyrinthitis but it's calmed down and I'm only having the odd spell now. and i can deal with that. plus i dont have time to see a doctor so it's a good thing. But yes, all the suggestions were much appreciated - dont you just love the internets?

I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning.

2008-04-26T10:13:00.006+10:00

Apologies if I just got that appalling song stuck in your head, but I think I might be broken. Looking at medical sites identifies what I'm feeling as vertigo rather than dizziness and let me tell you - it ain't much fun. The world is spinning, rocking, refusing to stay still and I have to hang on to the walls to stay upright. As I'm feeling a little head-cold-y and have one ear that feels pretty deaf I think it's probably related to that rather than a brain tumour (I know, I know, googling your symptoms is for fruit-cakes because unless it's nice and obvious like a broken leg, everything is always a symptom of brain tumours).

This is a little test. See, now I know that if I don't improve by Monday I can function at work. Walking around holding the walls makes me look a little inebriated but might raise my street cred with the kids? Possibly less so with my colleagues though, which might be unfortunate.

While I am still upright, i shall share my knitting.
I finished the skirt... but apparently I need to wear a slip under it. Interested parties can go see it on ravelry but somehow the blog is a little too public an airing for the outline of my knickers :p
I am rather happy with it, though it has to be worn with heels or the curvy-ness looks disproportionate.

On Sunday evening I started the Bell-Sleeve jacket from Vogue Knitting Holiday 06 by Daniel Adamczyk. It calls for a 12ply but I got gauge with Cleckheaton Country 8ply and I am loving the resulting fabric. I have completed the back piece and the left front so far and all the cables and such make it an engaging knit. I LOVE the cleckheaton at this gauge, particularly post washing and blocking. It is soft and has enough drape without going floppy and the details just pop! I can see this becoming a favourite garment.
As well as vertigo I apparently have a slight case of Startitis because despite the joy of the aforementioned jacket... I just keep craving new stuff.Hence this little mess.

There has also been dyeing.
Yummeh!

And I'll leave you with some bunnies of doom. They really are such good company. even when they are stealing my chips.Or my man...They are finding the current weather a little chilly and this sprawl was the result of my having the heater on in the office - happy bunnies! Monty's winter coat is coming through and he's like a little nugget of fur. that double chin thing? all fur.

wish i could argue the same thing for me... :p

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

resuming transmission in 3, 2, 1...

2008-04-16T19:44:00.007+10:00

And we're back!

first up, I'd like to say a big thankyou, both for tolerating a post so out of character for this blog and for being so supportive about it. Now I'm not saying I never winge, but that was really... big for me. And I was fully prepared to lose friends over it. But I was going to give myself an ulcer not getting it all off my chest. And I am both surprised and cheered by the general rally-around. Really, I know some amazing women, I really do. Just such a pity that the odd few can leave us all looking petty.

Ok. /shake it out\

Knitting!
First up. Lovely Bec from work won a promotion at another school so I had to whip something up for her. Sadly, the divine creature has a most unfortunate allergy to wool and some other animal fibres... so I had to spike the creative fires. (she faints if she wears wool!)
And I dyed some Zhivago (50% Tencel/ 50% Acrylic) with some cotton dyes I've been experimenting with. And knocked up a 'my so called scarf' with it. She was thrilled. I also made a little flower brooch out of the same yarn but neglected to snap it.
Also failed to snap yarn prior to knitting but did dye another skein so you can perve on that instead. Tis my pet currently.

Also finished my Surplice Bodice Cami from Knitting Lingerie Style. I used Moda Vera Jaclyn (which is basically Zhivago... are we sensing a theme yet?). It fits really well and I love it but it is of course too cool to wear it now. Next spring?

Then in a fit of guilt i thought i ought to recompense my father for being quite instrumental in the transport of large boxes of yarn after previously mentioned attention-lapse on graysonline.com.
So I made him a vest out of Jet. He is very pleased with it (not that you'd know it here) It's for him to wear at the farm while doing all the various things he does (which he really ought to leave to someone younger with two functioning legs). If i were to go by his posing, however, I would assume he does a lot of standing around with something draped over his shoulder. strange man. (Well, I had to get it somewhere).

Then i decided i needed something for me (again) and cast on some socks for bus knitting. Since school went out on Friday I have neglected them but i shall return. They are Oblique Openwork from Sensational Knitted Socks in the Knittery's cashmere/merino sock yarn (Moses Fire). They feel gorgeous and look gorgeous.
Of course my interest in socks resumes after SSoS ends. :p typical. What can I say? I have a short but furious attention span.

I also started the Affair to Remember skirt from Annie Modessit's Romantic Hand-Knits.... You know, the saucy one on the cover? I am using red Zhivago (again, you cry?) and am powering through. I am not wholly convinced that it's a happy chappy. One of those things I wont know for sure until it's cast off, blocked and worn... with the right shoes. Wish me luck?

And not to be bored... now I'm on holiday finally... I'm spinning again as well.
Lush or what!? This lovely merino is going to be plied against some slightly less bright purpley-mauve to make a light 2-ply sock yarn ( i think. So far the fibre agrees but it can become temperamental so be cautious)

Ok, that's enough for now. I've got a skirt to bully.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

Welcome to High School

2008-03-22T08:44:00.003+11:00

As I’m sure I've mentioned on this blog before: I don't really 'get' girls.

I grew up with boys and really didn’t have to deal with any girls on a regular basis until primary school. This came as something as a shock to the system. There were bizarre power games, manipulations, bitching, put-downs, theft of intellectual property... and these were from my friends! By the end of year 6 I gave up on being in the cool group and just pissed off. I spent my lunchtimes volunteering in the school's Special Education Unit. I read every book in the school library that wasn't about trucks or dinosaurs. I knitted through recess. I was teased without mercy, but suddenly I didn't care: for one thing, the people teasing me were no longer pretending to be my friends.

With a certain amount of naiveté I began High School. In some respects I think I started a little ahead of the game. After putting up with crap from my 'best friends' for years I'd pretty much come to conclusion that if someone didn’t like me it was their own problem and I didn't need to knock myself out trying to please them.

On the other hand, I went in with the expectation that everyone should have grown out of it by now. Fair to say: silly error of judgement.
Don't get me wrong: I still have some female friends whom I met in High School and they are gorgeous people I wouldn't trade for anything. But there was a hell of a lot of crap that went on. Mostly to do with the notion of popularity and the desire to get it.

One event really stands out for me. A girl moved to our school from NZ at some point and was sort of quiet and dorky and desperately awkward. She was fairly universally shunned but my little group of friends and I adopted her. This was partly because we were the 'geeks' and basically the bottom of the food chain and also because I think we all felt genuinely bad for her. I'll call her M.
M took a little while to come out of her shell, but after a month or so she really blossomed. As a fairly confident person (and someone who moved around the different cliques a fair bit) it often came down to me to organise 'us' and M suddenly became very friendly. Everything I did was 'so clever', I was 'so pretty', an 'artistic genius'. If I was planning to do something, M was planning to do it to. To be honest I found this weird and kind of creepy, but figured it was just her way and she was obviously trying to be nice.
One afternoon when I was doing my rounds of the other groups of friends and acquaintances, M attached herself to me. And suddenly I realised what she was doing.
Thinking back, I still find it hard to believe some of the things she said and did, the lies she told, the... ham-iness of the whole thing. This girl was the biggest social climber I have ever met. She clung to me until she had established herself as at least as cool as I was and then moved on to the next cool-er person.
The thing that really drove me crazy was that no-one else could see it. Not until they'd been left behind, anyway. Because as long as you had something she wanted, namely: the phone number of Cooly McTrendsetter or an invitation to The Party or intimate knowledge of Hot Russel's taste in music she was ridiculously and convincingly nice to you.

I got pretty bored with M and while she still swung in and out of our group, I paid very little attention to her. I am a confronter at the heart of me, and it took me a good deal of deep breathing to get to a place where I could just let her be.

The final straw was the last year of High School. My birthday and M's are a week apart and I (as usual) left my planning til the last minute. I was in the process of working out a weekend when it suddenly occurred to me that I ought to check with M so that we didn't book up the same day (we were still friends, I just refused to be engaged in so much of her... look-at-me anymore). I called her and her mother answered the phone. It was quite noisy.

M was having her birthday party. I was maybe a little offended but thought little of it until Monday - after all, she had a fairly extensive social group now and I had no idea who was there. For all I knew it was a family thing, because she had a lot of cousins.

On Monday at school, however, it became apparent that M had invited everyone in our group except for me and another girl (who had disagreed with M's politics the week before). The group was irrevocably divided by this: some of the invitees asked us where we had been, some clearly knew we hadn't been invited and couldn't decide who was at fault (had we picked a fight or was this M being a bitch?) and the other girl and I were livid.

The party wasn't the issue. It was the blatant disregard for the wellbeing of the group. Many excuses were thrown around; "assumed you would be too busy", "never occurred that you'd be interested", "didn't realise you were friends with X,Y, and Z too" but neither of us ever bought it. And the group was never quite the same. Those girls who had gone without knowing about the whole exclusivity were put into impossible situations, particularly as M couldn't let an opportunity to brag about the awesome-ness of the party go. EVER.

I still wonder what her object was: it had to be obvious that this would cause people to be hurt, offended, embarrassed and angry.

This two-faced-ness is one of the things I have always found difficult with other girls. By and large, men don't say they like you if they don't. Unless they are trying to sell you something, they aren't overly nice to you if they don’t like you. Men don't tell you your haircut looks great and then say you're out of your mind as soon as you've left. And they don't have boys night's out and leave behind a couple of blokes for no apparent reason.

The reason I mention this all is that I have yet again been reminded of my own naiveté. I've left High School, College, and Uni and out in the Real World, in the Work Force, I guess I didn't expect there to be any M s left. Over the last couple of months there have been people in my life who have done things that are increasingly insensitive, all the way to down-right bitchy. Now, I know that there are bastards everywhere, in every profession, Hell, some days it's all you can do not to trip over them. But I thought I was past having to watch out for my mates.

Since I am increasingly reminded that some of us never left High School, I thought it was time someone offered a survival guide for this old-new world. Just in case you feel yourself being sucked in.

Sitting with the 'cool kids' is not something you can put on your resume. Do you remember what happened to the popular, well-dressed and achingly beautiful people after High School? They dropped out, had eating disorders, died in car accidents, OD-ed, had four babies before they were 20, got herpes, got depressed and committed suicide. A few got out too. I ran into a girl I went to High School with a couple of months ago and we ended up having coffee. "Oh my God" she said when school came up "I was such a dick-head!". Quite.
You are never going to be the most beautiful/best dressed/best dancer/best knitter/most popular/coolest etc etc etc ad infinitum. People were better than you for years before you were born and will be better than you for years after you're dead. If you really want to be remembered for something worthwhile (and apologies if I sound like Dr Phil) then try being the best you. The time Cooly McTrendsetter (name changed to protect the guilty) deigned to speak to me in food tech will be forever overshadowed by the note someone slipped into my locker "It's all going to be ok", though the former was the talk in the girls change-room for weeks. (Here's a tip: truly generous, caring people don't feel the need to tell everyone how generous and caring they have been. And sending a gift to Nicole Kidman in the hope that she mentions you in a press release is hardly altruism).
Don't hang your sense of self-worth on being the most beautiful/best dressed/best dancer/best knitter/most popular/coolest etc etc etc ad infinitum. Beauty fades, fashions change, ankles snap, yarns won't frog, people get bored etc. However, if you want to aim for a sure-fire way of spending the next thirty years in a perpetual state of misery, desperation and self-loathing then go right ahead. But there are much nicer ways to go through life.
You can't be popular and well-liked. The concept of popularity and celebrity basically requires a small group of people to be held above everyone else. If you are not a film star or a Nobel Prize winning geneticist, then creating your very own small group above everyone else is a pretty quick way to piss off everyone you do not choose to include in your celebrity group. Think Paris Hilton: talent-less, boring, irritating, tasteless biddy who only makes the news because she damn well makes sure she does. If we place next to her someone who has actually earned her celebrity (you know, by doing something well and being generally gracious and human) like Kate Winslet, Paris looks so cheap and nasty and desperately look-at-me that it's a wonder anyone likes her. Why would anyone aim for this sort of celebrity?
You can't please everyone. That said, when it comes down to choices, you're better of trying to please the people who rally around when it all goes to crap. When it comes right down to it, it won't be Mischa Barton showing up at your doorstep with a casserole dish because she thought this week had been a bit much for you.
Groups of women are delicate things. It is unreasonable to move into an office, befriend everyone and then start excluding people left, right and centre. You don't have to like everyone, but if you are all in the same group (and within earshot) then not including Josie from the desk in the corner in morning tea is guaranteeing yourself a tense and unhappy work environment. Having a group of women who work well together and enjoy each other's company is a precious thing and needs to be nurtured. If you don't like someone, just lump it for the good of the group. I'm sure someone lumps you (see point 5).
If you are going to be exclusive and have your own little Special Parties, keep it to yourself. It's fairly rude to tell everyone about how great the thing they weren't invited to was. Particularly if they are your friends/colleagues/cubical buddies. If it was great, then great. Does it only feel great if you get to broadcast it?
If you are not a celebrity now then you probably won't ever be one. Don't knock yourself out about it. Do you really want to go down in history as that chick who pashed her brother? Honestly. Think about the poor hapless creatures who emerge from the Big Brother house, desperately trying to cling to fame, open a supermarket, "look, I left my knickers at home LOVE ME!!!!” This is not something to aspire to.
Do what you need to do to keep yourself sane (see entire post). Stewing over things does not help. Get it out of your system, say what you need to say and move on.
When all else fails, there's always yarn.

Some of you might know what I'm getting at here. I realise these things are often split-second decisions and it's not til afterwards you realise you built your house in a swamp. But having the grace to admit that you made a mistake is just as good as having the foresight to not make a mistake in the first place. And despite all the pitfalls of women, chances are these people are your friends.

We're in this together, and in order to successfully graduate from High School dramas we all need to listen, think and apologise when we have to.

It's the grown up thing to do.

Ms Spider

Mum's the word

2008-03-21T08:13:00.002+11:00

So Mum's birthday arrived on Wednesday. Unfortunately she was wearing quite the Wrong Thing for an adequate fashion shoot so it had to wait til yesterday.

She LOVES it. Besides kids clothes she's never been able to buy clothes that fit properly - they hang over her wrist or the buttons says "Just 4 Kids" or something like that. It's challenging to be a midget these days, particulary as now all the kids clothes are mini-hooker style and that is so not my Mum. (She isn't really a Little Person, she's just my mini-mum - get it? She's about 148cm tall, 45kg or so... about a size 6 or 8.)
I think this is probably one of the nicest things I've ever made. The yarn is just amazing and because it was for someone else I was fairly ruthless and ripped back stuff that wouldn't have bothered me if it was for me.

Anyway, I have some knitting to do! Happy Easter!
Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

as I said...

2008-03-16T21:49:00.001+11:00

the finished cardi
and a detail of the shoulder and right front.

phew!

I'm a good girl, I am

2008-03-16T10:19:00.006+11:00

Up until yesterday, the Minimalist Cardigan for Mum's birthday looked like this (sorry, ravelry link):And as of about 9am today it looks like this too:
Please note the hand-dyed yarn i managed to get to the other morning. I feel so productive!

Mum's birthday is on Wednesday so it was a close-run thing. Possibly helped by the amount of marking i need to do: who says procrastination is a bad thing? I must admit, I was worried I wouldn't make it. All that double moss was making me batty. I love the fabric of moss or double moss stitch but I am bored to tears knitting the stuff.
I did quite well in terms of yarn. We bought 12 balls to be safe, although my mother is pixie-sized. She doesnt like things to be too close-fitting so we went with the smallest size which left her with plenty of ease. I made the body a few inches longer for her because that's where she likes them and instead of 3/4 length sleeves i made full length ones. I still have roughly four balls left.
Don't tell Mum, I'm sure she'll decide she needs matching cashmere socks.

Ok, off to finish marking, hoping to see lots of ladies at SnB this arvo. and you know what...? I dont think i have a project! :O

Peace out
Ms Spider xo

ETA: Yes, it was Lord of the Flies. One of my favourite books of all time and creepy as hell. all those who guessed correctly win 5 points, redeemable at any points-for-karma type shopfront.

this way madness lies

2008-03-13T21:05:00.004+11:00

my friends, I have to tell you: I am wreckage. I have 2 1/2 days of anti-biotics left and i'm still coughing my lungs up hourly. I've been back at school for the last three days and i'm SO behind. I mean, my classes are fine and everything but i've done nowhere near the amount of marking i wanted to have done by now. Is making me crazy.
So tonight i am at home, marking essay drafts which i will return to my kids at the Swimming Carnival tomorrow. Marking essay drafts is not a sanity-forward type activity.

I am not a fan of the whole sports carnival thing. When i was at school as a student i was always a conscientious objector. As a teacher, that doesnt go down so well. So i've nominated myself for patrol of my house area. Apparently this is a crappy job, but i quite like playground duty and i dont want to encourage the kids to feel crappy by being a judge. yech.

and before you ask, there is no way in hell that i am going swimming. I do not need my students to see my cellulite, thankyou so very much!

A few people have asked recently exactly how big the stash is. After recent binge-ful events there has definitely been some stash explosion. It may have tripled.

This is my yarn room, also known as the spare room (if Monkey is in ear-shot) or Vic's room (during the reign of terror). Those two boxes contain sweater quantities of yarn that are not in original packets. Is that weird? Plastic bags just dont stack the same way, and they dont make zip-locks big enough. The two baskets in the background contain happyspider hand-dyed and spun for the obdm wool day this year :D
This is the cupboard that was the wardrobe in this room. You will notice large quantities of woolbale (which i am a fan of) and merino spun, also lots of pale yarn for dyeing. there is also spinning fibre and assorted odd-balls.
This is my cupboard in the office. See what I'm saying about yarn packets stacking so nicely? This is my pride-ful cupboard, containing all the yarn i want on hand to inspire me. left to right, top to bottom by stack. Top-ish shelf: Anchor Magicline cotton and some Katia Arc en Ciel; 4 packs of Zara and 1 pack of Me, 2 packs 8ply cotton, 3 packs Patons Dreamtime, 1 pack merino et soie, a few straggling balls of Me for Mum's cardi, some white moda vera bamboo/cotton; 7 packets of Zhivago.
Middle-ish Shelf: 7 packets of Jet; 2 packs white Inca 3 packs machinewash 8ply, 1 pack machinewash 5ply; 5 packs cleackheaton country, 1 pack white Inca; 2 packs of cleackheaton country 12ply.
Bottom shelf: basket of handspun and some cotone; moda vera supremo, paul and harmony; moda vera paul, katia espiga and moda vera merinos wool acrylic; 6 packets of harvest 8ply.
Tubs underneath - sock yarn, laceweight and odd balls.

none of this covers the stuff i intend to sell on or dispose of somehow. There are five giant boxes in the living room that are either being listed on my ravelry sell page or else i might cave in to eBay again soon. If only to get my living room back.
now that my full sickness is displayed I feel somehow less dirty. So I am cleansed - at least til the next binge.

I leave you with a few thoughts from some essay drafts I am marking (five points if you can tell me what the novel is):

"Ralph, as a head, is very calm at the beginning of the book."

"If and when they are broken or are not followed, the society will most likely fall and crumble and people will go their separate ways which does not do well in trying to achieve one amalgamated group."

"Jack would rather have stayed on the island as long as he got his protein."

Think calm, well structured, grammatically correct and sane thoughts for me...

Peace out,
Ms Spider

PS. How unfair is it that my house colour is yellow? i own no clothing that colour, precisely because it looks awful on me!

blech

2008-03-05T22:47:00.003+11:00

So I went to work on Tuesday.
This was apparently a Very Stupid Thing. I am now worse. I have not stopped coughing for 24 hours. and yes, this made sleep awkward, nay, impossible.
my throat hurts, my lungs are crackling and squeaking and wheezing and every single cough hurts my whole body - clearly i am too flabby for tummy-crunches, even sickness induced ones.
cough lollies arent working, cold and flu tablets aren't working, even the ridiculous size of my stash (all of a sudden) hasn't helped.
I think it's bronchitis or pneumonia. the earliest appointment i could get is tomorrow afternoon and if i havent ripped out and eaten my own liver by then through sheer frustration then i think i'll have done well.
Yeah, sleep deprivation makes me cranky. sorry guys.

the last of the stash arrived on monday and tuesday. There is a lot of crap, as was expected, but i did well too. lots of sweater quantities of 8ply in colours i can wear, 6 packets of Jet, 4 packets of Merino Spun... lots. Anyone who looks at friends activities on Ravelry has every right to be shocked. I'm trying to feel guilty, really. But it's just... i was looking through some old knitting mags today and i realised - i have the yarn to make every thing i like in this stack. I can even choose the colour! pretty happy about it :)

I'm not going to post pics... yet. if you need a shock you can go see my flickr account... that's where new stash starts and if you work back to page one you'll see the recent uploads. this may take a while.

I dont think i got tagged but everyone's doing it so i'm going to.

7 Things
1. I am apparently wired so i really get a buzz off full packets of yarn. You know, the original manufacturers bags with 12 in them, all neat and dust-free... goosebump. Even the ickier novelty yarns... that new bag thing. sick.
2. I love teaching essay writing. Well, essay argument planning. I think that too many teachers do it in a really painful dry way and i love getting up there and scribbling all over the board and arguing about which episode of the Simpsons we can use to exemplify Homer's abusive behaviour, etc.
3. I am really driven to squeeze blackheads and pimples. and i dont get that many. I find it really distracting if i'm talking to someone with a blackhead on their nose... and usually it's not because i'm grossed out and i want it to go away... i just want to squeeze it. Pity my Monkey.
4. I like the smell when you strike a match.
5. I've never smoked anything - except when i was 6 and i rolled a gum leaf up in a piece of newspaper... this may be WHY i have never been driven to smoke since.
6. Despite now having several very good female friends who i adore, i don't understand women. I find it very hard to figure out what is expected of me... men are simpler really. So i often come across as aloof, bored or kind of... conceited i guess, when really i just feel awkward.
7. I don't drive (see previous post).

ok. brain dead now. am going to try to sleep semi-upright on the couch to help with the coughing. grump grump grump

Ms Spider

the weekend just 'flu by

2008-03-02T21:47:00.003+11:00

So, yes, full-blown, two-days-of-fever, chills-and-aches, cough-your-lungs-up flu hit me on friday. Awesome! I made it to work and through roll call... and managed to hang around for about 40 minutes before my denial was overtaken by the realisation that the fever was causing me to lose split-seconds of consciousnous and that even sitting hurt because the chair had to actually touch me and everything hurt.
So i went home. Didn't think about a taxi until after I'd been sitting at a bus-stop in the wind for 20 minutes... and Monkey called and said "why the hell are you catching a bus????" (I did mention that stupidity was a symptom of flu, right?)

The rest of the day is a little blurry, but i do remember the phone call from the vet, letting me know that (despite getting three people to sex him on two different occasions) Winston is a girl-bunny. And we're bloody lucky she wasnt up the duff.
So. My buns are now desexed and not as homosexual as i thought. I had always thought Winnie (now Winifred, Duchess of Cardigan) had a pretty face, but Monkey is now overwhelmed by how female she looks. Perception is a funny thing.
They are healing up nicely, and apart from blatant chair theft when the sun is in the right spot, we've been having a nice time recovering together.

Yesterday Monkey went out for the second Saturday in a row to go car shopping. And came home in this. I am very pleased with him. It is a Toyoto Corolla Seca (i really wanted to type Toyota Shmenennne Haanneennaane but thought it would increase the dopiness of the thing I'm about to say) and it's RED. I SO need a matching sweater... not that it's my colour. I already have matching shoes.... For those of you who don't already know: i don't drive. After years of freak outs I've finally narrowed it down to this. I get many migraines and the bit before where you get all dizzy and half blind and your depth perception completely vanishes... happens to me two or three times a week with no warning. I bump into people and objects, but the idea of this happening while behind a wheel scares the bejeezus out of me... i used to call this a phobia but i dont actually think it's irrational. So now i'm trying telling people the whole story for a while. it has nothing to do with being too lazy to get my licence. It is a quality of life issue. This said, Monkey does most of the driving for us (i am including in the list of drivers, not me, but our parents and friends). I do however share petrol costs and am splitting the costs involved in the new car. It is our car. I just won't be driving it anytime soon.

(apologies for that long explanation, I've been copping it about the not driving thing since i was about 12 - grew up on a farm and that was when Dad taught me but i was never comfortable - and i just wanted all the facts out there so if anyone decides to give me a hard time about it at least i can't argue that you didnt have all the facts)

((Also. I may be feeling a lot better, I am however still coughing every three minutes and have only just got my voice back so i'm taking a day off. The rant was a giveaway, right?))

The other thing i did this weekend (in between comas) was finish knitting and seam my Origami Cardi. Excuse the three days of 'flu and two days without washed hair-ness of the pic, excitement was not to be overcome by vanity. Anyone who is looking here to see how i look rather than my knitting will like me even more for looking bad... right? Nothing like someone else looking a mess to make you feel chic?Anyway. I used Totem in 4239 (i think, Monty keeps eating my ball bands). I used just under 10 balls but it was close and i had to knit the sleeves to 15 inches before decreasing instead of 18. They dont seem a bad length - i would block them longer but it would make the pattern-stitch mismatched. Like most people say, the back is a little odd. I don't mind the length, i think it's the unfinished feeling the sides have that bothers me. I do like it though, it's a cute pattern, quite fun and sensational yarn. I will wear it heaps teaching, it's exactly the kind of layering i need nearly all year.

I feel like i've forgotten to say something very important. I really felt like i was dying on friday, that weird chills, jelly, shake thing that feels like just maybe you're having a heart attack... so maybe that impressed on my mind that i had left so many things unsaid?

ah well, c'est la vie (and tomorrow, c'est la sick day, so if i remember....)

Peace out
Ms Spider xo

back in the race

2008-02-28T21:32:00.004+11:00

So the net's back up. Turned out our modem was busted (i feel rather guilty for suspecting bunny-chewed cords). My mind is slowly returning, save for the fact that i realised this afternoon that i'm coming down with the flu. This was, of course, after google-ing my symptoms, realising it wasnt low blood sugar because i'd been eating for once and it probably wasn't a brain tumour... started to get the body aches on the way home and that sorted the conundrum for me. Clearly i should have added "stupidity" to my list of symptoms, eh?

In the last couple of weeks a lot has happened. Our car died. We are car-less. I am used to buses but if it weren't for kind friends with cars, the cupboard would be distinctly bare (it's a pain in the bum to carry tins home....)
The bunnies got a bath after knocking over and then playing in the contents of a bowl of casserole. They were rather indignant.... and i would have been too. They looked like drowned rats.
Tomorrow they are having their testicles (pronounced test-ick-leeees if you please) removed and their immunisations. I havent told them yet... i hope they aren't too cross. Monkey said he would be very cross if i cuddled him, took him to the doctor and then the doctor lopped of his nuts. We'll see.

There has also been knitting.
I finished Monkey's tiger socks. It's very cute, he runs about wearing them and growling. he LUBS them.
Finished back piece of Mum's cardi. Slow going but the end result is gorgeous. i have about three weeks til her birthday so lets hope my bus gets delayed often to give me time.
I'm also onto the sleeves of the origami cardi. I love this. The Totem is just amazing, the feel, the spring, the colour... I am in love. Of course, doing the dratted sleeves at the same time feels like it's endless but it'll be done before i know it. especially if i spend all weekend hiding from the world.

I also did a little bit of online auction flirtation. Or perhaps, full blown commitment? It was all my faculty executive's fault, he showed me this sight where there were the contents of manchester stores that had gone out of business... for auction. at ridiculous prices.
Luckily i have some long-term savings squirrelled away, and after some talking myself into it... well. The first installment arrived yesterday, and this is a third of what i won.George, feel free to show your DH. This third of the new stash came to approx 600 50g balls. I have no (or very little) shame, i consider this to be an investment, and after working out what i dont want and can sell on and what i can overdye and sell on... i come very close to breaking even.
I dont know if i quite have the nerve to post a quantitive pic of the new stash... perhaps when it's all safe home. But curious parties may like to watch my incoming stash on ravelry... mind you, i've only scratched the surface.
do yourself a favour and dont watch my ebay sales too closely over the next month, paticularly if you are of a weak disposition.

I suppose it's everyone's right to tell me it's disgusting etc. feel free. But i am SO happy. I keep pinching myself. And i'm sorry if this came across as smug, i didnt mean it to. I was actually debating wether or not to mention it... but caved in, far too excited.
For curious parties, it was here. No manchester stores up at the moment but it could happen again, one never knows.

The fibre whore,
Ms Spider

ETA the link. all yarn is usually listed under online sales, homewares ang gifts and then manchester. it's a clunky site but perhaps worth the effort?

dead

2008-02-25T08:48:00.001+11:00

hi chaps and chappettes. in case you hadnt noticed, my net is down. has been for 9 days. i am just posting this from work... but you all need to know if you need to contact me do it through ravelry, call me or maybe drop a line to Taph because i cant get anywhere near my email... school blocks it.
peace.