A Long Hard Week - Yelling at the TV.

I returned to work on Monday after a little over a week off to a lot of email (a ridiculous number really) and much to do.

An FBI radio favourite keeps ringing in my head...."too much to do, and not enough time, not enough time" is repeated throughout the chorus and that has definitely been the theme for our week.

My preferred calming technique of knitting in the early morning quiet was disrupted by my brain wrestling with work issues at 5:40am. As a result I spent much time watching the 7:30 report on the ABC and other associated programs and finding myself yelling at the politicians and journalists repeatedly.

Thankfully the ABC put Bob Brown on the Insiders this morning and it was very strange to see the Family First Senator and the Democrats Senator treating the Greens as the incumbents.
All I can say is Thank you Bob for making sense!

I live within Marrickville Council where the Greens have put forward a practical socially and economically responsible agenda. I just hope the message gets through to greater Australia.

Ravelry Tea Cosy Swap

So I am all signed up for my tea cosy swap.

My secret pal has a few photos and a very generic blog making knitting likes and dislikes a little hard to plan for stuff.

The tea cosy I might need to ask for a measure to make sure I come close. The treats should be easy with the pre-christmas baking a family ritual. I made biccies and slices for presents last year and our friends all loved them so this year perhaps some bigger packages and perhaps some more widespread delivery.

To assist my secret pal I have taken a photo of my standard teapot for her/his perusal. Comparison object an ordinary computer mouse (standard size). I wanted to do the family cat and the mouse but she wasn't around to co-operate.

I chose this one as it is the one I use the most - kind of like the baby bears bed in Goldilocks it's just right!

Making Progress on the Hand Dyed & Hand Knit

I am really enjoying knitting up this colorway just to see what happens with my own dyeing.

I was expecting to be disapointed - but it is looking fabulous.

I keep thinking sqaushed raspberries in something very aqua. Magic colours and the Knittery yarn is so soft on my hands as I knit. mmmmmmm

Southern Summer of Socks - Hand Dyed

I have cast on an easy 4-ply sock with the Blue/Red hand-dyed Knittery Cashmere Merino yarn.

All I can say is it looks like raspberries and aqua blue blueberries.
It's gorgeously yummy to knit and admire the colours.

I love the variegation. I am looking forward to this one being a quick knit.

The Opal and the Blue Moon STR New Architecture Socks are still in hibernation.

To Dye For - Food Colouring Festival

I spent the last day (well working day) of my holiday dyeing up some Knittery Cashmere Merino (old) yarn with some food colouring.

Lots of fun and heaps of colour.

I wish I had more blue as the blue/red yarn has come up a treat.

SSS Completed The Red Go With The Flow

I have completed the Red Brick Socks Started whilst I was away.

I decided that while I was away I should have very nice yarn to knit with so i parked the opal neon and moved onto the BMFA STR Red Brick and cast on a pair of go with the flow socks.

They knitted up quite quickly and the pattern for the leg was a breeze. I decided to go with plain feet and they finished up quite quickly on return home.

Blocking Blocking Blocking.

Touring Tassie

Just got back from a relaxing week in Tassie concentrating our exploration in and around Hobart. Can't wait to go back and travel around greater tassie - what a beautiful place.

We had a great week of craft kicked off with the Salamanca Markets and the IXL Galeries. Some fantastic artwork, craftwork, produce and some knitted output.

Green, moist and beautiful we had both warm days and snow (at the top of Mt Wellington).

We took a trip on a tall ship under sail and a fast boat to the Great Southern Ocean.

Wet and cold but well worth the experience.

Highlights for knitting was The Spindle Tree @ salamanca http://www.salamanca.com.au/spindletree/ for yarn and knitted product. I returned a few times (staying just up the road).

I love the bookstores of Hobart made for browsing. Fullers in the city and The Hobart Book store @ salamanca being favourites.

We spent the better part of one cold day in a pub drinking and reading and the next wandering the botanic gardens. With plants from tropical to antarctic it was a great day.

A Morning Delivery - Sock Yarn

Being inspired to get me some of that G-Rocks colour that decorates the Southern Summer of Socks Banner and Button I wandered over to Blue Moon Fiber Arts to order up some of that Socks That Rock goodness.

Early this morning a knock came at our door...it was the delivery.

Check this photo out for the magical colours.

Stop Picking My Roses!!!!

I am getting increasingly frustrated at our nimble fingered neighbour who keeps pinching our blue moon roses.

Blue Moon Roses are rare and of the two bushes that my dh has planted only one has been flowering and with only 3 buds at the moment.

One opened and a caterpiller ate through it. Of the other 2 buds only one ohad pened and the other was just budding - but they were both on the same stem.

Now the bush was a present to me and dh has been carefully nurturing it to get some flowers close to my birthday.

And lo and behold someone has not just picked one but taken the whole stem leaving only the caterpiller eaten bud left.

Last Spring and Summer this was a regular occurence. Whenever it flowers they get picked off and they don't even do it neatly they kind of mangle the stem so nothing else will grow. GRRRRRR...

I am considering putting up Rascally Rabbits stop picking my roses sign on the front fence.

I don't mind the occasional pick - but this is every time the bush flowers.

Totally Saved, Mini Project Just the 4 of Us.

Saved from the big frog.

My beautiful new socks were knitting up a treat until i realised i wasn't yet at the heel and was nearing the middle of the ball. Panic set in. Would i have to frog them and alter sections for sizing. Or knit a completely different pattern.

I don't mind frogging because it's not working, or to resolve an error - but when it is working and I am loving it that is fate I was not able to bare.

Of course i had to pick the skein of wool from Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock that

1. Was the lone one of it's colourway and weight in my stash
2. where I had recieved notice via the sock club that they would be resting the colourway
3. where I had also recieved subsequent notice that it was low in stock.
4. and I had also recieved a notice that there was an ordering frenzy following the resting announcement.

I threw myself on the mercy of the ladies of Blue Moon Fiber Arts and hoped they had a lone skein in search of a home.

My luck held out and it is on it is winging its way to me as I type.
The customer service ethic of these ladies is second to none.

Whilst waiting I have cast on an easy sock for dh in a ball of Opal Neon (that I have 3 others of) with the intention of knitting a pair of socks in this colourway for each of the household. Dh, his mother, O & I. I am looking forward to completing this little mini-project.

Pair 2 - Stage 2

After spending the majority of yesterday at an old (old old) uni friends' engagement. Which was spectactular fun and a great event. I came home very tired and very full.

I only got a little bit of knitting done but did get up early again today to do some more before I have to go off to work.

At least the rugby this morning was a little less stressful than Saturday night/yesterday morning.

The pattern is looking magnificent, and as always the STR yarn is lovely to knit with.

I think Tina and the girls have produced a magnificent colorway.

Southern Summer of Socks Pair 2 - Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks

I have spent the morning winding the skein into a ball and knitting up the cuff on the first sock.

The colours in the yarn are magnificient. The colorway is Chapman Springs and is even more beuatiful in person.

I can't wait to get a bit more done.

Southern Summer of Socks Count = 1 Pair

I Finally finished the SSS Stocking Stitch socks I cast on to do when I wasn't able to manage a more complex pattern - eg visitors, tv, working late.

Unfortunately my whole week has been distracted and working late so I never did get around to casting on the more complex ones.

I am up at the very early hour of 6:00am on a Sunday to do just that.