Dark Ivy And Stitch Marker Photos

Not the best photos but you work with what you got.

I am really happy with Dark ivy if i were to knit the pattern again I would use the slim sleeves option. I would also extend the Twisted Rib at the bottom of the cardigan to give it a little more length. It is quite a dark purple and it is hard to capture the details in a photo.

The Joy of Opening Packages

This week I got a couple of packages to open.

First up was some stitch markers for some awards within one of the Ravelry Groups (Over The Fence). They are adorable being Corkscrews and wine bottles and a couple of suns. I just can't seem to take a photo without them glaring and blurring.

After that was a book about Successful Teams for work (not so exciting...but another package nonetheless).

This was quickly followed by the new Interweave knits magazine and some Jolly Jumbuck Hercules Sock Yarn in French Lavendar which I managed to secure in a destash within the Australian Knitters group on Ravelry. This is a competitive sport with a lot of the yarn going within minutes of it going up. This yarn is incredibly yummy and the colourway which wanders through purple shades from pink to blue-grey is stunning.

Last, but not least, this morning I got to unwrap the Personal sock Club Package 2 and found some lovely Handmaiden Sea Silk to knit up in a Blue-Green (Nova Scotia) colourway. The texture, colour and the smell of the mordants from the dye process have invoked feelings of the seaside in winter. That experience of strength cocooned in softness.

I love the feel you get when openeing a package it's new and exciting (even when I wrapped it myself ) the anticipation the texture and the smell (be it books or yarn) is a very sensory experience. I think for me it is the sense of being in the moment not distracted, not torn but being totally in the moment you are in to take note of those layers within the experience.

So often our attention is split, distracted still caught up in what came before and what is coming next. The nature of my work is juggling lots of things at once and being attentive to the many people around me. At home multiple family members and pets can split your attention all the time. It is so easy to forget to savour a moment and let it hold your attention for a while. This is what opening packages reminds me to do to let the important things like individual family members hold my attention (undistracted) for a while - give them there moments!

All washed, awaiting drying, labelling and posting

All my craft4acause beanies are washed and waiting drying.

I have made a couple more snails in recent days.

Tv on DVD Watching

Since we returned from holidays we have spent some time watching TV on DVD or via the Ipod plugged into the front of the DVD player.

Recently we have managed to cover

• Rewatching all of Firefly and Serenity (The Feature length movie) - Joss Whedon is so fantastic - we cannot stop singing "A Man called Jayne". This show is fast paced and great fun (Shame Fox for axing it in the US)
• First Viewing of Dr Horribles Sing Along Blog (See reference to Joss Whedon above) the web series - Clever and silly with singing.
• First Viewing of Entourage Season 4 - what can I say as offensive as this show is (not just the swearing the behaviour of these boys/young men is shocking - I love Jeremy Priven's Ari as the most underhand agent in the business)
• First Viewing of 30 Rock Season 2 - We had laughed our way through season 1 of this show, the characters are extreme caricatures but Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin pull this off, supported by a fabulous
• First viewing of the first 4 Battlestar Episodes of the second half of Season 4 (The final) from the Ipod (purchased via Itunes). Whilst battlestar's religious overtones annoyed us the pace of this show is great. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out (oops must remember to buy the next episode - should be up now).
• We have started rewatching Buffy - we are part way through season 2, the dialogue has speeded up, Angel is so young, Cordie and Xander are working through their love/hate relationship, Spike and Dru have been to town and Willow is with Oz. Again - this show is great fun.

What can I say lots and lots of knitting time in recent weeks.

Violet Greenjeans

I love when you hit that productive space where you are actually getting a lot done and it seems like very little effort or at least you are enjoying the effort.

This weekend I managed to achieve that finishing socks, a hat and getting back onto my Violet Greenjeans. I have varied the cable section making every break cable rather than every second break. And I love it. Can't wait to get a button and have consistently warm weather to wear it.

I also managed some knitting on my icarus shawl whilst we were out and about.

You will notice in the picture from the back that the decreases in the sleeves created a really interesting pooling effect so i have these lines curving around my elbows.

I have managed to also send off Knitters Guild Membership forms with a Money order.

Craft 4 A Cause Update

Cubba
Doodie

Another 2 to send off for Craft 4 A Cause.

A Return to Film

I have been able to spend some time after my return to work to catch up on some film watching.
I have managed to make it out to see 2 films/movies in recent weeks that I have enjoyed.

First up was Frost/Nixon the dramatised coverage of the famous David Frost interviews with Richard Nixon. I think this is my favourite ever Ron Howard movie as from the moment it opens it is compelling and engaging. Small side-stories are used to help establish character but are never dwelt upon too long (or too little). The film is edited well with interviews of the key supporting characters on both sides as well as the adversarial roles of Frost and Nixon themselves. The film maintains its pace through to its climax and you watch and listen to every minute.

Rockwell, Platt, Bacon and Macfadyen are all superb in the supporting roles on both side. Passionate, believable and on both sides angry. A great film.

Second up was Ghost Town marked as a romantic comedy. This is really a Ricky Gervais vehicle. He plays an extreme version of his self-centred, anti-people characters as a Dentist who is suddenly hassled by ghosts after an operation goes wrong. This film has great comedy moments. The end is predictable (But then when is a romantic comedy not predictable) but satisfying. Worthwhile for Gervais' performance alone.

Other Knitting - Crafting 4 A Cause

So I have been kitting away on a number of hats to support Craft 4 A Cause I am hoping to add at least 1 more if not 2 before I send them off next week.

So far we have 2 Snail Beanies and a Kilkenny (Premie), I also have a Cubba complete (as yet unphotographed) and a Doodie on the needles.

All the patterns have been made available for use for charity (resale).

Wooly Wormhead (Kilkenny, Cubba and Doodie)
Zephyrama (Snail Beanie)

Personal Sock Club Month 1 Down!

So I have successfully completed the first pair.

The yarn was soft and squishy, I love knitting with soft sq

uishy yarn. and the uneven striping is just gorgeous.

The Need to Do Something

As almost everyone would have heard by now devastating fires have been sweeping through rural Victoria in the South-Easter part of mainland Australia. As always in late-summer other fires are also burning - but Victoria has borne the brunt this year.

Bushfires are something we live through every summer in this country. Some areas are always in danger and seem to have fires every year and others are mentioned intermittently.

This year the fires have been bigger and more devastating than they have ever been. We have a number of large fires that have historically been given names and are referred to for comparison - size, devastation, area This years fires will eventually be given a collective name that will be invoked to recall the emotion we feel now. However we are still living through it the best we can.

As members of large extended families (both myself and dh) it is rare indeed when one of the family members is not involved. We have had my mums cousin and family on alert in Victoria this week, they were luckier than most and were away from the biggest areas of concern.

As we always do Austalians have quickly organised Relief funds and collections to respond to these people in need. Corporations, Sporting teams and individuals have all been quick to rally to the cause. Blood banks have queues and are providing future appointments. The government (after a false-step or two) has ensured we are supporting these people who have lost everything.

The stories of horror and heroism continue. Many of the stories and pictures have bought me (and many others to tears). We sit here with our emotions swirling and are driven to do something, do whatever we can. The easiest, and most immediate is to give money to the Red Cross Appeal (http://www.redcross.org.au/default.asp), a few will co-ordinate an effort to drive more donations, such as this Serendipity here - (http://passionfruit.typepad.com/).

Spare a thought for those where the fire has passed but they can't move on yet as they are still waiting for news of family and loved ones or to be able to get in to see there properties and start rebuilding. This is going to take some time.

If you can spare anything please give to the Red Cross Appeal (if you need additional inspiriation (knitters) please check out Serendipity's blog above a donation can result in you winning a few prizes and take some time to hug the ones you love.

A sock in a Day!

Well after the restart comes the cruising.

I managed to finish this earlier this evening...so it took me a day and a bit to knit the sock.

The second will take a little longer as I am working this week.

I love the anklet in this pattern.

Personal Sock Club 2009 1st Pair Progress

I picked a toe-up pattern to challenge myself as the majority of socks I have knitted are top down. As a result I have now learnt and mastered (as a result of many repeats) the magic cast on.

I managed to knit well past the heel before I frogged and started again.

The yarn is providing an almost striped effect pretty constantly and the devil stitch lacework on the front is very effective.

Private Sock Club 2009 Month 1

I have selected the Foxglove pattern from Cat Bordhi's New pathways for Sock Knitters as my first project.

Now to check my guage.

My First Sock Yarn

Selected from my Sock Yarn Packages at Random....

So I need a pattern that shows off the yarn...Decisions Decisions..I'm thinking Cat Bordhi.

First Yarn for the Sock Club Has Arrived

I picked out my first sock yarn package today...it was Kitty Knits sock yarn.
I will pick out a pattern to go with it tomorrow.