Thoughts

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)

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

if you blinked you'd miss it

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

Elizabeth Bennet

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

stupid contagions

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

holi-yay!

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.

almost back to the salt-mines

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?

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

phew!

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

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

lots of pics and words - beware!

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?