I have to admit it, it’s my first time. Well, sort of.
To bring in the New year, I’m doing something new. New for me, anyway.
Fair Isle. Now, I have sort of done some Fair Isle in the past, but not especially well. As with the vast majority of my knitting, it was self taught, so not necessarily correct. The first project I tried was the Fair Isle Sampler Hat, from an old Interweave Knits issue. That was back in July 2005. I don’t have a picture of the hat blocked and finished, perhaps because it wasn’t really very good. It was puckered and uneven all over. I also knit some Fair Isle gloves from the leftovers. They turned out a little better. Both the hat and the gloves were given to my sister-in-law who has been living in the UK for just over two years, and would actually get some use out of them.
But now I’m going to knit a garment, and it has steeking (shudder) and everything. So far, so good. I’ve done my swatch.

I love the way it’s knit up! Looking at the yarn in a pile, it all looked a little too gray to me, but I love the colours in the swatch! I’m using Knitpicks Palette, and I’m very impressed with the way the swatch softened up after a bath in some Soak.
The recommended needle was a 3mm, and I usually need to go down a size. I went down to a 2.5mm, but my tension was a little too tight, so I’ve cast on with a 2.75mm.
Without reswatching. I may live to regret that.
And here’s the progress.

Actually, that picture is a couple of days old, I’m a little further along now. I’ve finished the corrugated ribbing and begun the first fair isle motifs. It’s been a little slower than normal, because I’ve had a headache on and off since New Years Eve, but it’s also slow because Fair Isle is not yet my forte.
I’m super slow at Fair Isle. Super slow. I once tried to teach myself to knit continental, but I just can’t manage it. And I most definitely cannot carry two yarns in two hands. So right now, I’m dropping each yarn and picking it up again as I need to change colours. And I’m not getting the chart rhythm yet. In a lace chart, even thought there are more symbols, I can zip along, no problem. I can see the pattern forming, but not so much with the Fair Isle. I have to keep checking what I’m up to, and rechecking what’s next. I’m thinking I may have to enlarge the pattern and colour in the squares if I don’t get the hang of it soon!

We’ve had a great Christmas week, complete with lovely gifts, great company, too much food and alcohol and general relaxation and reflection.
My lovely friend Jill lives on the other side of the world, yet she knows me so well. She sent me awesome Christmas gifts.

Love it all! The bamboo knitting gauge and sock gauge are so cute with the little polar bears! I’d been seeing them and admiring them on other people’s blogs, and now I have them!
Santa brought Twinkie a treat, too.

It’s still going, although much reduced now. She had her annual vet visit today, and was pronounced in excellent health! Now of course, she’s mad and sulking that we dared take her to the vet.
So 2008 has been a pretty great year all round. Our trip in the USA, meeting lots of wonderful people who I’d love to see more often and getting married in Hawaii was just the start. Highlights of the year knit and internet wise include Knitting Camp, the Exhibition, placing the Shetland at the Easter Show and Bendigo Wool Show, meeting lots more internet buddies.
It’ll be pretty hard to top that. I’m not making any New Years Resolutions, because for me, it’s meaningless. I tossed around the idea of only knitting from stash, but that’s a rule that begs to be broken. I thought about swearing to knit a minimum of 1500 yards a month from my stash, but that’s a pretty big ask. And even if I did, and I didn’t buy any more yarn, it’d take me 5 years to knit the stash on Ravelry. (And not all of my stash is on Ravelry!)
In 2008 I pledged to knit a pair of socks a month in an effort to work on the sock stash. I didn’t finish my December socks, but I was ahead by a pair anyway, so I succeeded in that goal. However, I added more than 12 skeins of sock yarn to my stash this year, so I guess I didn’t really succeed in that goal, did I?
So after mulling it over, I’m not going to make any firm goals, I’d just put too much pressure on myself.
Instead, my goals in general are:
Appreciate more. Acquire less. Aspire higher.
Not just in relation to my knitting, but they work there too. I need to learn to appreciate what I have. In terms of knitting, I have a pretty impressive stash of gorgeous yarns. Why do I feel the need to keep buying more? I need to appreciate what we do have instead of focussing on what we don’t. We’re healthy, we’re well fed, we’re clothed and housed. We’re loved, and we have some pretty awesome friends and family.
And aspire higher – for me this is on a personal level, rather than a material one. Achieve more, aim higher.
Of course, David and I were discussing all this on our way out to dinner tonight.
Before some idiot in the car park at the club wasn’t watching where he was going, and hit us while we were parking our car. No-one was hurt, and the car was only scraped a little. But it’s just the car, right? It’s fixable.
Bring on 2009!

It’s late, Em and Squeak are in bed, Twinkie is being devious and avoiding bed.
Today was drama filled. More so than usual. The oven died last Monday, and the real estate decided today was the day to install a new oven. And to send out the plumber. And I found a big ugly arachnid that scared the crap out of me. And David was at work. Half a can of insect spray did it in, then my mummy had to come and sweep it up for me.
Yes, I’m pathetic!
There are Christmas gifts coming to the house and departing from this house that haven’t made their destinations on time. At least four that I can think of.
But every one is healthy and well, and it’s Christmas, so it’s nothing that can’t be overcome.
I finished Otto, and he’s gone off to await his new owner who will be joining the world soonish.

He’s very cute reclining in the roses.
Specs:
Pattern: Otto by Ysolda Teague
Needles: 2.75mm DPNS
Yarn: Sublime Merino Cashmere Silk in “Waterlily” and “Mole”

Emily stored up some cuddles before he left!

I love these toys, they’re so cute!
So now it’s late, Twinkie finally went to bed, and it’s nearly Christmas!
I’m wishing you all a happy and safe holiday, with lots of knitting time. Enjoy yourselves!

Thank you everybody, for all the lovely comments and emails, they were all very much appreciated.
We have a new addition to our household. Meet Squeak!

On Wednesday we headed down to Wollongong for a rare midweek SnB, because the lovely Charmaine was on a flying visit home from Abu Dhabi. On the way home we stopped by the pet store to pick up a few necessaries for Twinkie.
Then Emily spotted the bird. And she pleaded, begged and made puppy eyes at me until he came home with us. (Actually, we don’t know yet if it’s a he/she, but I’m just in the habit of calling budgies “He” because our last one was a he.) It got named “Squeak” because of the noise he made when the lady caught him for us.
How does Twink feel about the new addition? See for yourself.

That was the first day, but she seems to just ignore the presence of the bird now. She’s been a little more affectionate than normal, so it’s not all bad!
On to the knitting! Tangled Yoke is finished, apart from the blocking and buttons.

I’m having some difficulty deciding on the buttons. I didn’t have the cardigan with me when I got the buttons, and seeing as they were $1 each, I didn’t want to buy 9 of each and waste $9, so I got just one of each. And now I can’t decide, I like both.

The darker ones are a little more subtle, but the lighter ones are nice, too. Opinions?
And seeing as I finished Tangled Yoke, I decided to make a little something for a pregnant friend of the family. Baby knitwear in summer here in Australia isn’t always practical, so I’ve become rather enamoured of Ysolda’s toys. This time, I’m making Otto.

Apart from being insanely cute, these toys are quick to knit up, and gauge isn’t really an issue. They can be somewhat fiddly though! So far I’ve knit Elijah and Sophie, so this is the third one. They make nice gifts when you don’t know the sex of the baby, and when the weather isn’t really suitable for knitwear either. I’ve used Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk DK for all three, and it makes lovely soft cuddly toys!
And in other news, Emily got David to paint her nails.

Some things just need to be documented!

We don’t actually celebrate Thanksgiving here in Australia. But it doesn’t matter, that’s not really what I’m talking about. Right now, I’m thankful.
We got some awesome news last week. And I keep forgetting to tell everybody. I think it hasn’t really sunk in yet. Last week, David saw his haematologist for his half yearly appointment. (For those of you who are not aware, in January 2002, David was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma, stage 4B, which is about as far along as it gets. He underwent 6 months or so of chemotherapy, and went into remission)
Well, last week he got the all clear. The good “C” word. Cured. Never has to see the haematologist again. Nice knowing you, see ya!
And so I’m thankful. Dr Rosenfeld just gave me the most awesome Christmas present I could ask for. But like I said, it’s not sinking in. We were hoping for this verdict last Christmas, and I was pretty crushed when we didn’t get it. Now that we have it, it doesn’t feel real.
The good news just keeps coming around here, doesn’t it?
I’m also thankful to Meadow for being my Knitpicks mule. See what arrived here yesterday?

That would be two Autumn Rose kits, one each for Ailsa and myself. I’m not quite sure when we’re going to cast on, but just in case, Tangled Yoke is flying towards the finish line.

I am seriously in love with that cable!