Saturday sky. Grey, wet and generally crappy.
A pretty good sky for my mood!
I’m having a bad week.
David got the sack on Thursday.
This actually isn’t really a bad thing as some of you are well aware.
Back in August he left his job of 5 years, because he was underpaid and underappreciated. He started at a new job, where the pay was much better, and it appeared to be a place where his skills would be appreciated and utilised.
It wasn’t. He disliked his co-workers, was managed by a moron, and was even more miserable than he had been in his old job.
But his old job had realised how much they needed him, and he has been in negotiations to go back there. Problem was, he would have to give four weeks notice at his new job, and his old emplyers were anxious to have him back ASAP.
So he did his best to get sacked, and he succeeded.
So, it’s not really bad news. His old employer is now being a jerk about a few key points in his contract, but it’ll work out. And ultimately, at some point next year he will be going to work for a client of this employer, which is what he really wants to do, so the future looks rosy.
Doesn’t stop me stressing out, but that’s my nature.
Dress rehearsals for the concert begin tomorrow, and run for most of the week. Most of the sewing is now done, but this year I’ve really pushed the time limit. I still have 3 small jobs to get done tomorrow, but everyone will be dressed at the rehearsal.
Now I’ll start to lose sleep over the idea that there’ll be problems with all the costumes and they’ll all come back for adjustments. I have this concern every year, and I always get a few back, but nothing major. Yet!
Hopefully, by Friday, everything will be over, I’ll be reassured, David will be settled into his new/old job and the knitting can recommence in earnest.
Twinkie is thinking “Bring on Friday, then I’ll come out!”

Me too!

The Icarus, she is done!

This has been the hardest shawl I’ve ever had to photograph. It came out blurry, then it was too dark. It’s taken 3 days to get a half decent shot.
Specs: “Icarus” from Interweave Knits Summer 2006, Designed by Miriam of Mimknits
Yarn: Misti Baby Alpaca in Black, purchased from The Knitting Zone
Needles: 3.5mm Addi Natura bamboo circ, from STYK
Pattern Modifications:
I left out on full repeat of Chart 1, because I was fairly certain I would have run out of yarn otherwise. I did have yarn leftover, but I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t have made it if I’d done that last repeat. I’m happy with the finished size, regardless. It’s 77cm (30.5″) down the centre back, and 155cm (62″) across the wingspan.
It’s an easier lace pattern than I would normally do, and those endless repeats of chart one nearly drove me insane, so much so that it got put aside for a good while in the middle of knitting it. Once I moved on to Chart 2 though, I loved it.
I also really enjoyed working wtht he Misti Baby Alpaca.
Now back to the purple blob!

What a weekend! We had one of those weekends where you’re still running around madly for half of Monday. Saturday we headed down to Wollongong for Stitch n Bitch.
Here is a Saturday Sky, taken on the road to Wollongong.

It’s a pretty drive down there! Here’s a bonus sky shot from yesterday evening.

There were bushfires about, which made a pretty sunset.
I have a finished object! Well, half a finished object, anyway.

Number one sock is done. I’m happy with it overall, except for the beads, which you can hardly see. I’ve blown it up here and circled the beads.

I’ve strung the beads and started the ribbing for the second one.

I’m going to knit this one blindly from the pattern, and if all is well, I’ll post the pattern when I’m done.
Here is the Twinkie video I promised. I swear that she enjoys this, no matter how it looks. She will lay there and let you do this for hours.

Icarus pics next time, all the ones I took came out blurry!

(Insert drumroll)

Icarus is off the needles!
Finally.
I was pretty excited yesterday morning. I had only 6 rows of chart 4 left. I planted my butt on the couch, and prepared to knit those last six rows. I knit, and I knit, and I knit. And I was done. I heaved a huge sigh of relief, and prepared to cast off.
Then I decided to check the pattern to make sure there wasn’t a special cast off I was supposed to use.
What did I see?
Four more freakin’ rows! Four edging rows that weren’t charted. So I had a little dummy spit, then I sat down again and knit those four rows and I finally got to cast it off.
It’s blocking right now.
I had a video of Twinkie to upload, but i can’t find it. So here’s some pictures of Em fishing for a bunny with a sprig of hay.




I love that last picture. To me it looks like she’s thinking “Must you always point that thing at me?”
And David would like it publicly known that he is overdue for new socks.

Yes, he has one on inside out.

He may be right.

The knitting is still making boring blogging, I’m afraid.
Icarus has only 12 rows to go, and I’m hoping I’ll get it done by the weekend. Spring Blossoms is nearing the end of the sixth repeat, but has been largely abandoned in favour of finishing Icarus.
The sock is halfway down the foot, and progressing nicely.

Having all this boring blogging material is dangerous.
It makes me want to start things.
The new Jo Sharp book, Knit 2 is out, and I purchased it last week. I think this is probably the best book she’s done yet.

I instantly fell in love with this.

Mind you, if I have one major complaint about the Jo Sharp pattern books, it’s that some of the pictures are too artfully posed to see the garment well. Here’s a better picture of the pattern.

Love it, love it, love it.
It calls for Jo Sharp Desert Garden Aran Cotton which is 65% cotton and 35% microfibre, and has a gauge of 18sts and 24 rows on 5mm (US 8) needles.
So I hopped onto eBay and had a look around.
This magically appeared in my mailbox today. (I wonder why my stash isn’t shrinking?)

Rowan All Seasons Cotton in “Purr”. I got this fantastic bargan from Jannette’s Rare Yarns on eBay. How fantastic a bargain? $US22.50 a bag.
Bargain!
To compare this to Jo Sharps Desert Garden Aran Cotton, the Rowan is 60% cotton, 40% microbfibre (close enough for me) and has a recommended gauge of 16-18 stitches over 23-25 rows on US 7-9 needles.
Surely I can make that work.
Or maybe the gauge Gods are laughing at me right this minute.
One glaring difference that is a little disconcerting is that the Desert Garden has only 55m (60yds) per 50g ball, and the Rowan has 90m (98yds) per 50g ball.
Is it just me, or does that seem like a gigantic difference for an apparently similar yarn?
Can 5% microfibre mean that much difference?
Anyway, there are many other things I like from this book.




There’s more, but they’re my favourites.
I haven’t swatched yet, in fact, I haven’t even opened the bag of yarn, but how long do you think I can last?
I will finish Icarus first, I will. I will.
Maybe.