time flies when you breathe too many yarn fumes

Another weekend gone. How does it happen?

Since last we spoke i have gotten onto the second ball of yarn for my seashell shrug (of 20 though, so nobody get too excited). I got 9 inches of 2x2 rib over 78 sts out of one ball, so i'm pretty happy with that.I need to knit 18 inches before i can do anything remotely interesting (like.. decreases). But this afternoon i just needed a comfort project and this wool is really delish. Nothing like a crepe. It's a much deeper, winier colour than the picture shows too.

The reason i needed a no-brainer was that i started another shawl yesterday. I'm using some Fibreworks 2ply silk that i bought from Helen Rippen on our little day trip (joods got some too). It was a realy bitch to wind, for some reason the skein was very tangled and being silk it was sticking to itself.Anyway, that pattern is the Thistle Dinner and Coffee cloth from the second book of Modern Lace Knitting by Marianne Kinzel (genius). Obviously i am making a shawl, not a huge doily, and have altered gauge a fair bit.loving it, but the chart is a little bizarre so it requires my concentration. I might photocopy it and then alter it with white out so i don't have to remember that there are two symbols for k2tog that are used interchangably (and no, one is not ssk. well, not consistently anyway).

Had Taph round today for our weekly fibre exchange. I am now the proud owner of 11 balls of patons fresco (cotton acrylic blend) for the drop-stitch lace tank from Fitted Knits. VERY excited, but as i am now using BOTH the addi sizes required it may take a little while.. or not. i am such a yarn whore.
We had a nice little play date and I spent the evening knitting 2x2 rib and watching Jonathon Creek with a very sleepy, cuddley monkey. Quite satisfactory.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Dear SSS participants: i told you i'd get sick of it ;)

horses warrant a day off?

not that i'm complaining, but it does seem to be a bit of a wank. especially as it's being called 'Community Wellbeing Day" or something rather than "Everyone calls in sick on Melbourne Cup Day anyway Day".

Nonetheless, it is a gloriously welcome day off. I have to say, working 5 days again has affected my ability to keep house. when i had two days off during the week when Monkey would not be home til 3pm.. i got so much more done. There's just no point cleaning around him, he splutters crumbs and all sorts of things and you cant really vacuum while he's playing on the computer. And it's weird, but i think that.. well. how to put this? most of the housework i do is pretty crucial to the upkeep of the house, our belongings, clothes, carpet.. etc. But it's not the sort of stuff that Monkey notices or thinks of (ie. cleaning loo, bath, vacuuming, mirrors, windows, folding and putting away clean clothes...). And somehow doing it while he's not here, even though i have to point it out to him, is much less irritating than doing it while he's here. Probably because he a) doesnt notice me all red in the face from vigorous scrubbing and THAT pisses me off or b) he DOES notice and can't understand why i'm bothering. This way around suits us both much better.

so i did some serious housework today and now i have fresh flowers and an aired house, clean dishes, no chip crumbs in the office or coffee rings on the tables. it's refreshing.

I have also been flirting with a few new projects since finishing my shawl. Firstly i cast on the Montego Bay scarf from Interweave Knits Summer 2007 using more of my own handspun silk. It's a lovely pattern, but i didnt have much yarn so i only cast on 33sts instead of 43 and i like the size it's turning out. It was a roughly sports weight 2ply from silk hankies.. and it's REALLY pretty. I have another ball in purple.. and i might have to do another. we'll see. i never used to get this into scarves ;)

I also cast on for the Seashell Shrug from Runway Knits by Berta Karapetyan. Yesterday. i think. yes. I decided that with that much 2x2 ribbing i really needed to cast on now if i wanted to wear it next autumn. it's a gorgeous pattern... and the styling in the book makes me want to go out and buy a new vampy lipstick. So good news all round really.

I was good (bad?) today and did no marking. everyone keeps telling me to do work for school only at school.. and i think this is very intelligent. I'm not getting paid as much as everyone else and i have to be around for a few 'available for relief' lines a week and i can do my work then. So far it's all going pretty well. I've had a few run-ins with a few of my kids but nothing i can't handle. It's amazing how quickly a 12 year old boy will miraculously understand why you find something offensive if you suggest they need sexual harrassment counselling...

Peace out
Ms Spider xo

follow up

So my application is in. ARG! it's very scary - it's the first non-retail job I've ever applied for... and it cost me my last $30! $20 for a new passport photo and $10 for my academic transcript. Here's hoping it pays off, but i think i'm going to have to get a lot of yarn dyed this weekend or i'll be eating textbooks by next week.

While writing the thing today and waiting for the right bus and such, i did some spinning. When i got home from a run around Uni and a visit to the recruitment unit i did some more. And here is the resulting yarn. It's a fairly fine silk 2-ply spun from silk handkerchiefs i bought at the wool celebration thing. It is veeerry lush and pretty and shiny and mmmmmm.
I include pics with and without flash... neither is really right or wrong. Silk is a very changeable medium, its all down to the lighting. Any suggestions on what it might like to be? It's about 100 metres, and probably about 30 grams or so. (i am too lazy to hunt for my scales).

Anyway, i still have an essay to write and my intern relief application to put in.. but the semester is almost over and i'm at a bit of a loss. always the way - you cant think because you have to so much to do but you cant relax when there's time off because you feel like you should be doing something!

the somewhat calmer
Ms Spider