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

something witty

again, it has been too long. in my defense, i am working three days a week and its GOOOOOOOD but tiring.
Had a serious migraine over the weekend and i'm still recovering. its one of those things that doesnt really properly go away for ages.. it hovers and knocks you about when you can least afford it.
since i last posted, several things have happened.
My grandmother had her birthday and we had her over for dinner (luckily, being Hungarian, her favourite meal is sausages. easy!).
I had my interview with the DET. scary! i think it went well, wont find out how i went until october some time. erk.

there has been knitting.
finished the Travelling Vine Stole. today actually.
Have to write the pattern up nicely and then my part of the commission is done and i get some fibre baby!
My first honeybee sock is complete. (yes, i was too lazy to find a surface away from the computer. bite me). So cute, i love it. Again, this one needs the pattern written nicely. Monkey has set up adobe for me so i can sell pdf files of patterns from this blog... i may be needing a test knitter or two though. let me know if anyone is interesting.

Harry stayed over for a few nights and helped me deal with my migraine-related lack of motivation.
He's such a sweetie. (Monkey has finally worked out how to get the camera out without Harry hiding from it.) (And i decided it was ok to have that much of my butt on the internets because i was asleep and in trackies. )here he is again... on the wrong side of the front door, as usual.

Anyway, i'm off to bed. Work in the morning (W00T!)

The erratic
Ms Spider

who let the dog in?

Ok, so it's my first week on full duty of care (which means i'm responsible for the kids in the class). this is really good because it means i can be the authority figure... the kids dont feel like you have much influence if you need another teacher to babysit you all the time. It's also great because i dont have to show anyone my planning. i still talk about what i'm doing but i dont need every lesson signed off on a day before i teach it (yes, you're right. that WAS a massive pain in the patooty).
So far, so good. I am apparently far too easily swayed by a stressed out face - i doubt i will sleep much in my last week because i'll be marking all the work i've given extensions for. But i'm very happy, the kids like me, i like them and all is pretty darn good. Now, if i only had an income as well i'd be thrilled.

Harry has been visiting this week. This means i get up a little earlier to take him for his walk and he discovered my nicely dug through garden was ideal for burying things in - loam is so easy on the claws!He is helpful in terms of heat containment though (because how freaking cold is it at the moment?)

I have been spinning away and knitting away on and off. Here is some silky merino dyed by Rachel Meek (optim wool by any other name is just as shiny).Some Rachel Meek merino.some more Rachel Meek Silky Merino.And here is what i decided to do with it all... a top-down raglan sweater in stripes of bluey/greeny/purpley/opalescent 2ply handspun. The wool has great drape like this and the yarn is endlessly entertaining to knit with... what colour is it now?? I'm not sure what sort of sleeves to go with yet.. its so soft i could wear it as a tee. i am saving enough of the yarn from the body stripes to match into the sleeves.. but i'm up for suggestions as i'm really truly not sure. I'll probably knit the body quite long... i do not need my belly hanging out of another hand-knit.

I hope everyone is having a good one.

Over & out
Ms Spider xo

pair-shaped

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

knit on, happy weekend
Ms Spider xo

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