Green Onions and Ham

I still can't wrap my head around the concept of a gauge swatch! I have put an SOS out on Crochetville asking for help with the gauge swatch for the "Short 'n Sweet" bolero but no responses yet. I'll just have to be patient and hope some kind soul is willing to walk me through the process.

I love the way that pattern looks - it is a bit like a doily with sleeves but I happen to quite like doilies so that suits me just fine. I am always after little cardigans and things to wear over singlet-tops etc so I think if I can get this pattern sorted out, I would end up making more than one...

My missing books have been found so I am quite happy about that - I don't know where the doily booklet was hiding but I lifted up a magazine this afternoon and there it was - like magic! I have a feeling I just didn't look under that magazine before but then, I am quite sure I wouldn't have put it under the magazine to begin with.

I haven't wound the silk with the winder yet, they are in balls and they look like purple and green onions, quite cute really - maybe I will forego the crocheting and just design things using balled up yarn that looks like onions? I can't imagine what I will end up with except perhaps a bowl of funny looking vegetables...

The onion-like qualities aren't really evident in this photo but...

...can anyone deny this looks like an onion?

I started the bed cape yesterday although I didn't get very far into it - I think I'm up to Row 4 with many more rows to go. I think it will look nice when it is finished, if I can manage to follow the pattern properly the whole way through.

I have a pattern for a knitted one which is actually (shh) a lot nicer but I am just not prepared for that kind of stress at the moment.

My 'progress' looks pathetic, I will have to do a lot of work on it tonight and hopefully it will start to take a bit of shape.

My January Charity Blitz items are in transit at the moment, I hope they arrive at their destination soon because I don't want to hold Tracy up but if they are late, it can't be helped now. I have to get cracking on the February items but I am finding these little blankets a bit difficult to focus on. My Project ADD is in fine form this week!

I need to go to Lincraft and pick up the right handles for this Fat Bottom Bag, too - I won't be motivated to finish it if I know it's just going to sit there and wait for handles to be complete. Maybe I need to try that textured shaped purse again, the stitch in that is so pretty - and I might even have improved enough to 'get' the pattern this time around. Food for thought but I suppose I should just finish these two bags first and see how I go...

I don't know whether I wrote about this before but a friend of mine has recently moved back to New Zealand - she called me last night and we had a good chat before I went to sleep (I was tired). She wants me to save up and go there for a holiday and that actually sounds like a good idea to me. Maybe towards the end of the year I'll make my way over there.

Fat Bottom Revisited

I am delighted that recent conflicts have been resolved, I feel much better about things now.

Today was another fun day, I spent the morning 'cleaning' (ie. making more of a mess than I had before) and then I went to Spotlight after lunch and spent a bit of money. I needed to buy some new sheets so that is as good a reason as any to visit Spotlight in my humble opinion...I didn't find exactly what I was looking for but I did buy some sheets anyway - I was very tempted to buy the 1000 thread count sheets they had there, they felt so luxurious but I refrained and ended up with the 300 thread count, they feel quite nice but not as nice as the others. Maybe next time I will buy the nicer ones.

What else did I come home with? Well, I found some discounted Patons Baby Lustre 4ply ($2 per ball) which will do nicely for the crocheted bed cape I want to make for a birthday gift - I have to get it done by Thursday so that is not much time but I'll do my best. I have misplaced the pattern, seems to be a habit of mine lately (still haven't found my doily book), or else I would've started on it tonight.

There was also some Patons "Jet" (wool and alpaca) so I bought four balls of that - I like getting things on sale...I think I will join the wool swap on Crochetville, this might be a nice option for my swap partner

I felt a bit chastised today when I was asked why I hadn't put up any finished items made from my Secret Pal Stash so (suitably remorseful) I started a new "Fat Bottom" using that lovely Karaoke. I bought some crimson Panda Regal 4ply cotton to use with the Karaoke and it seems to be working up well so far.

In my defense, I have only just gotten up the courage to try winding the hanks so I can use them, I am not intentionally dragging my feet - I just want to make sure I end up with something beautiful when I am finished...

I did look for the right handles at Spotlight but they didn't have any (how rude!) so this one and the other one (from the KnitPicks cotton) will have to wait until I go to Lincraft. At least this one is turning out a bit bigger so it should be a good size when I am done.

The tussah silk, nice and dry - I'm in the midst of balling it up now before I wind it since I have made yet another mess out of my attempt at a hank.

After they are wound they can wait until I am ready to use them. As I mentioned, the purple silk is not all that well-spun, it's quite primitive looking I suppose but I really like it anyway. The colour came up nicely and it does have a very pretty sheen.

I have two 50g balls of a much nicer quality undyed silk that I can play with - when I decide what to do with them, too!

It must be the week for wildlife and nature, my sister and I were outside watching the tennis and we could hear a rustling, crunching sound coming from the tree over the fence - she thought it was a bat and I thought it was a possum...sure enough, when she turned the light on, there was a possum looking a bit stunned in the glare and a bit annoyed I would say, about to run away and hide so we turned the light back off and left him to his nocturnal snacks. No photo, sadly, although I did try. I think I will leave some apple out for him tomorrow night...

A Very Good Day

I have had a lovely day, I woke up early (as usual) but I did go back to bed at about 7:30 and slept for a few more hours. I went to my friends place at 11 and got stuck into the card-making. I made seven cards, they are all different from what I have been doing here and I am really pleased with them - I had a lot of fun! I can't believe the supplies this woman has, she's got a better range in her craft-cupboard than I've seen at Spotlight and Lincraft combined - and they do have huge papercraft sections...

I borrowed four books from her, three about cards and one which is a knitting book I've always liked: "Knit a square and make a toy" - lots of different soft-toy patterns made from squares. I can do squares - I am a champion when it comes to squares really (or so I would like to think). I've started on the lamb and I'm using pink and white Moda Vera "Wisp" which is soft and sparkly but impossible for me to crochet with. I only have half of an ear done at the moment.

I made a pink 'baby' card and a blue 'baby' card, I am preparing for the new arrivals due soon - I think if this lamb turns out nicely, she will be a good little toy for the girl (no beads or buttons, just knitting and embroidery for the face). I will see if I can find some of this "Wisp" in a pale blue and make a blue and white lamb for the boy.

I do love to get ahead of myself, don't I? Not even an ear complete and I am planning the second one - I suppose it is all part of my charm...(added a bit later on: I have finished the first ear but I must've cast off too tightly because it was a bit warped, so I pulled that row out and now I find I can't pick up my stitches, I think I will rip it back to the colour change row and try it from there).

I will have to clean the car tomorrow, there is a massive spider corpse stuck on the back from where I squashed it with my shoe. There's a long and gruesome tale of woe to go along with the death of the spider but I find I am not inclined to write it out here at the moment. Suffice it to say, I have had enough excitement this evening to last me for quite some time.

I will also have to clean and tidy up my room again, it's a bit out of control with all these clothes. I think a trip to St. Vinnies is in order, with a few bags full of clothes that I no longer want - I just don't have room for them all and I am still waiting on some packages from eBay. My new rule will have to be "items in = items out".

I did some more dyeing this evening, too, I did end up dyeing that funny silk with some grape flavoured Kool-Aid. I thought I might make a centre-piece for the dining table and the purple will match the curtains and the lounge. As it is not very tightly spun it does have a rustic sort of feel so I am not sure how well it will turn out but the colour came up beautifully. It's outside drying at the moment and mum is detangling some tussah silk I dyed a pale green. I like the way that one looks, very sea-foamish and I think the sheen will be lovely when it is dry. I am just taking a short break from my detangling duties, I've watched the cricket this evening and I'm watching the tennis now, too.

I will have to go through all the cards I have made and start ear-marking them for friends or Crochetville RAoK's - I almost have enough to open up my own card shop. As with most other things, I have so many which I had put aside for a particular purpose, it is very disappointing to not be able to use them for what I intended. I will get some photos of the cards and the dyeing I've done tomorrow, right now I have to get back to the tennis and then it will be time for bed.

I am trying really hard not to let my temper get the better of me but the more I think about 'current events', the crankier I am getting. I truly can't abide insincerity and liars and I always find it disappointing to discover that a person is insincere and a liar...there isn't much I can do about it which is also more than a little annoying to me. I will just have to live with it.

Lorikeets Again

The winding continues! I did start winding the last dyed hank by myself and it went along swimmingly until I dropped it and then I was in a big mess. I had about half wound and then half in a tangle.

A friend was over to watch a movie with us so when she and mum saw the pickle I was in they got to work and sorted it out - with three people untangling it all, it didn't take very long.

Mum was quite enjoying it, she was telling us about when her step-mother knitted her a dress in two days so she could wear it to a party she wanted to go to. Admittedly, mum was quite tiny when she was younger (I think she was about 18 or so then) but two days doesn't seem like much time to knit a dress.

Another thing she was talking about was unravelling old jumpers and cardigans, rewinding the wool and dyeing it again to make new jumpers and cardigans. I think mum is impressed by these new 'inventions' but a part of her probably thinks it's cheating, too. I like hearing these stories...

I wound some other yarns, as well - one hank of the pink corn which I received, just to try it out and see how it crocheted (it is a bit fragile for the bone hook, I think it will be better with a wooden one), the purple yarns (Karaoke and 100% wool) which were partially completed projects but are no use if I am not going to send them (and I am not), so I ripped it all out and wound them up to start something new at a later time...

The white is 100% pure silk - that is not a particularly nicely spun one, I was going to dye it and then crochet something as a gift and then dye the nicely spun silk I have and send that unused but, as with the others above, it seems like my plans have changed. I suppose I should just be thankful I was not too far into some of these projects (which I have not written about, for obvious reasons) because it wasn't so painful to undo them all.

A close-up of the pink-orange-yellow, I wonder what it will become? I was thinking I should make some squares out of these and join them up into a blanket but now I am not sure...I suppose I could just sign up for the wool swap and send them off so they are someone elses problem to deal with but I don't think that would be right.

Speaking of swaps, I had a look at the schedule for 2007 on Crochetville and there are actually quite a few there that have piqued my interest - there's a rather lively discussion at the moment about the "Pet Swap" - people want to know which of their pets they can send off and what pet they will get back in return. It's all in good fun, I know, but I wouldn't send my baby to anyone, not for anything...maybe I will sign up for that one and see what I can crochet for some furry critters.

The Lorikeets are back, this time there were four of them on the tree, all chattering away. The photos are a bit better since it is lighter outside now:

A Right Pain in the Neck...

The Internet really is nothing more than a waste of time...but I still like it.

One thing (among many but this is the top of my list today) that really irks me about people is their lack of consideration for others. They want their cake and they want to eat it, too - and they bloody well sulk if they can't...

I feel really bad for Deborah, since I haven't received the Holiday Gift Exchange package she sent me but at least I am courteous enough to let her know that I haven't received it and if I do, I will certainly let her know that I have. I am still a bit annoyed that I haven't heard anything from Esta about the Hubby Swap items, and I am annoyed with my Secret Pal 9 spoilee that I haven't received responses to the last four e-mails I have sent.

Oh well, that is the way of the world - you can't make people behave or respond in the way you believe is appropriate or right so there's not much use in worrying over it, I suppose.

I am looking forward to the 31st of January when I can wash my hands of Secret Pal 9, I am already done with my commitments as a spoilee and a spoiler but then it will be officially over. There are positives and negatives to everything, I am not quite done working out which outweighs which in this instance but there have been some very fun and 'good' aspects so I can't really complain.

There's a wool yarn swap to be run at Crochetville, just the sort of thing I would usually be interested in but right now I just don't have the time, energy or inclination to participate - however sign-ups are open until February 13, so I might change my mind over the next week or so. I don't know, swapping has kind of lost it's appeal at the moment.

I'm reading through the thread and there's not much content there yet but people seem to be fairly excited, perhaps I'll be inspired by the enthusiasm and give it a shot.

I had such a shocking head-neck-ache this morning and all through the day, it got so bad at about 9am that I went and checked my abdomen for a rash (surely pain that intense could only be the result of meningococcal disease) - thankfully, I remained rash free and the pain is just now starting to subside so I should have a relatively good afternoon and evening.

Tomorrow I have an exciting day of coffee, gossip and card-making planned, I am going to visit a friend...we will raid her craft cupboard and pull out all her card-making supplies and have a jolly good time if I have my way...

I will hear about the possible job opportunity on Monday, until then I think I will keep my toes, legs and arms crossed, as well as my fingers. It's time to look after Michelle and keep her happy.

Rainbow Lorikeets

It was stinking hot today, I am not sure what the forecast was but I know it was a lot hotter than we were all expecting. I just about cooked in the car on the way home - thank God for air conditioning, or I would not have survived.

I am very much looking forward to my days off this week (as I usually do) and I am waiting to hear about a possible new job opportunity, I think I will know more next Monday - Tuesday, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

There was a preemie dress pattern posted on Crochetville and the designer asked for testers so I sent off a PM and I got the pattern this afternoon. I might try it tomorrow - it's a very pretty pattern with some interesting stitches.

There's not much else to 'report' today because I was worn out from the heat and I had a snooze this afternoon when I got home, so that's really all I did apart from work. I wasn't intending on wasting the afternoon and evening but I don't think I set my alarm properly because I have only just woken up (11pm).

I saw two beautiful Rainbow Lorikeets this morning, feasting on our flowering gum-tree...my pictures don't do them justice at all but they are such gorgeous birds...a bit noisy, though!

It looks like they are enjoying the blossoms on the tree.

All Wound Up

Since I was thinking of those lovely hanks of merino, I decided that it was about time they were transformed into something useable and this seemed like a good first step.

Thanks to some advice from unSecretPal Jerry, I knew how to get started and mum was a yarn-holding champ - all I had to do was turn the little handle and that was about it...oh, and untie those blasted knots! Mum was telling me how she used to help her Aunty wind yarn but this was before these sorts of 'props' were available, so it was all wound up into centre-pull balls by hand. It was nice to have that very slight connection with the past.

The first one we did (the green / pink one) was a bit stubborn and I had trouble with the winder since I didn't clamp it on to anything...it wasn't easy. After that, I set up my little "yarn-winding station" (which was my FIMO! table before that and my original yarn winding table from the marathon when I wound everything I could get my hands on).

I think I like the way they look, it is different when they are wound. There are a few bare patches but nothing major, we will just pretend it is all part of the plan. Now the fun in deciding what to make...

It's a very interesting metamorphosis: plain hank - dyed hank - wound ball - crocheted item. Every stage is fun!

Pure Silliness

I never did get around to posting a picture of the blanket I gave to my sister last year. I started it just before Christmas '05 - in a fit of madness, I convinced myself I hadn't bought her enough for Christmas. It was far too hot to work on it for very long during that time, so I ended up putting it aside and then I picked it up again in February, I think.

I chose the colours to go with my her lovely aubergine (eggplant) couch...it was a bit amusing that she had not long received the blanket before she decided to move back home and thought she would have to put her lounge suite into storage. Luckily, it's mostly gracing our dining room, one piece of it is living in the garage...

It's quite a floppy feeling blanket, I used thicker yarns for the one I made first and that one feels a bit more solid, this one just drapes nicely and is fairly light, it's great to snuggle up under, for sure.

Here's something a bit different. The other night, instead of tucking myself into bed at a decent hour, I decided to amuse myself by creating a little beaded thing for my phone. I don't really know why but all I can say is that sometimes it is worth staying up late and wasting time, just to add a bit of sparkle to things.

Maybe a bit silly but why not? I love those larger glass beads, I think they're very pretty. I am happy to say while the beads are attached to the back of the phone, they don't impede my ability to use my phone properly - it's rarely flat on a surface anyway, mostly tucked into my bag.

I am a firm believer that the world would be a much better place if it was beaded, sequined, glittered etc. Truly, it is very lucky I have resisted the urge to buy a hot glue gun (but for how much longer can I resist?) because if I had one of those, well everything would be embellished to within an inch of it's life - and this probably includes the dogs!

I can't remember if I posted about this before but here is my lovely organic merino (8ply). I had so much fun dyeing the KnitPicks Bare Merino from unSecretPal Jerry that I decided I would have to continue and this seemed like a good yarn to use. I still have one sacred hank of the KnitPicks left but since it is not readily available here (and likely never will be, unless the people in charge of KnitPicks come to their senses), I'm saving it. I don't know what colours I will use for this merino, I have a lot of Kool-Aid left to play with.

I have started my February blitz items, so far I am 10 rounds into a plain granny square in a pretty lilac colour. I am aiming for about 15 rounds or 20 if 15 isn't big enough. I think they are after blankets between 12 and 24 inches wide, so I'd like to make a few in various sizes. To be honest, I don't know if I am very happy with how it is turning out, I think it will look nicer when it is finished and has a border. Right now, it just looks like a boring granny-square in progress.

My Fat Bottom

I have had a relatively productive day, in terms of crocheting at least - all the January Blitz items are finished off, washed, dried and packaged up...ready to go when I stop at the post office (Monday morning I suppose).

I decided that I will work on something for me between charity items and gifts for people, so I started the "Fat Bottom" bag from Happy Hooker. There's been a few made on Crochetville recently and I always thought I'd like to give the pattern a try...so I started using the gorgeous KnitPicks cotton that a lovely Fairy Godmother sent me and got to work. I'm really very impressed with this cotton, it crochets up beautifully.

I was a bit apprehensive about the pattern and also the particular stitch "herringbone half double crochet" (hhdc) which I have never done before. It didn't take too long to get into the "rhythm" of the pattern and I've had a dreadfully easy run with it ever since.

I used the bone 5.5mm hook sent to be by my wonderful unSecretPal Jerry, I haven't had much of an opportunity to use it before but when I did, I discovered it really didn't like acrylic. I am very pleased to say it likes cotton a lot, no splitting of the yarn, very smooth. Just great.

One problem I did run into, albeit a minor one, was the need for stitch-markers. I have played around with making a few and actually sent some off as a "RAoK" last week, so I only had one left in my little box of crafty-bits and it was one I just fudged up so I wasn't sure if it would work very well. I needed two stitch markers so I used safety pins to start but then I got lazy and kept them open so I wouldn't have to keep undoing them - I kept sticking myself with the needle but I am pleased to report that I remembered not to stick the sharp end in my mouth this time. I coped with one safety pin a lot better than I did with two, that's for sure.

I finished the increases and was quite happy to be rid of the stitch-marker and safety pin for close to 20 rows and then I started the decreases but I came up with a cunning plan:

Sadly, this is not a long-term solution to my stitch-marker woes as those are the earrings I wear every day and can't be without - it almost drove me crazy to have them off while I was crocheting so I had to put some fancier ones in.

My "Fat Bottom" was turning out quite a bit smaller than it should've been (hmph!) so I decided to change the way the bag is finished. It won't actually look like a fat bottom bag at all but the pattern is the same.

Baby Shawl Finished

I am so pleased this shawl is finished! I know it is a lot smaller than I anticipated (approximately 26 inches / 66 cm diameter) but I am still really happy with how it came out.

Of course, seeing it finished (in the cold light of day), I realise it could be nothing other than a preemie shawl / blanket so it will be heading off with the January Blitz items. I certainly hope it gives some family comfort during stressful times.

It is a bit on the ruffled side but I happen to love ruffles and frilly types of edgings and I thought it made it a bit more shawl-like than an actual blanket. The body is mostly quite flat, it's just the edging which is ruffled.

A 'close-up' of sorts of the stitches in the body of the blanket - very plain but tedious "one treble, one chain" pattern. It would work up so much nicer on a larger hook with thicker yarn (what I will try next).

I decided not to do a shell border, I wanted to echo the clusters in the pattern so I did two rounds of double crochet (sc for the Americans) and then I did one round of a "three treble (dc) cluster, one chain" and then one round of a "four treble cluster, two chain".

I was going to do another round of "five treble cluster, three chain" but I thought it actually looked fine with the two rounds as it was, I didn't want it to be too chunky around the border.

One final picture (again on the dining table)...I can't wait to get everything all packaged up and sent off to Tracy, my January total stands at 25 items (20 hats, 4 pairs booties, 1 shawl). Time to start working on the February items!

Clucky Mother Hen

These baby items are doing very strange things to my ovaries. No more will be said about that...

I finished these yellow ones while I was at the hairdresser yesterday - I could've made more (we were there for...at least three hours!) except I only took the yellow yarn with me and I didn't want to make another pair the same.

My favourite pair, with the same yarn I am using for the shawl - I love the colours! I made another little hat, too:

I forgot the hats outside overnight and they were all wet from the dew but yesterday was stinking hot so when I got home they were bone-dry again. They're inside now - just have to get these booties washed and finish the shawl and I will be able to post them...or I could be really lazy and make one more pair of booties, tally it all up to 25 items, forget the shawl (for now) and send them off today. I haven't decided yet.

To be honest, I don't feel like parting with the shawl, I do want to give it to the people I intended it for to begin with but it is just too small to be of any real 'use' so I think I do need to send it either for the January blitz or as a bereavement blanket for the February one...and an even more selfish part of me really doesn't want it to be a bereavement blanket.

I like them en masse like that (if four pairs of booties can be considered en masse?). A friend of mine suggested that I stuff the toes with cotton balls because they look nicer like that but I think that is a bit unnecessary. If I was selling them, perhaps I would but just to take photographs for my blog? Besides, I think I used up the last of the cotton balls to remove fifty-million layers of nail polish from my toes.

Speaking of nail polish, and we were, my toenails are blue-green. I know it has the potential to look gangrenous but I really like this colour (it was either the blue-green or orange to match my hair). I might be inclined to get a photo shortly...

I am convinced the world needs more photos of my feet floating around...

Still Blitzin'

Just a little update about the booties (booties, plural! - such an occasion deserves a dedicated post in my opinion)... Aren't they small?

Hideous photos but what can I do? The pattern is here - they are easy baby booties for sure. Mine ended up slightly different in size but I actually think that might have something to do with the seam-sewing more than anything else.

I am really very proud of these, I love those little ballet-style baby 'shoes' I made before but there is something very heartwarming about bootie shaped booties...

One pair down, three to go.

Crochet is wonderful, I know that I haven't been crocheting for all that long in the great scheme of things but since I have been, my knitting is much quicker for sure and my sewing skills are improving. There may be hope for me yet.

Back In The Groove?

How rude! I want to update this morning and I can't because "Old Blogger" is down. Hmph. It's all a conspiracy to make me convert over to "New Blogger" which isn't a problem, actually, I just haven't gotten around to it thus far. "Old Blogger" seems to be up and running now but nevermind, as I have switched to "New Blogger" anyway.

To the charity blitz, I have completed 20 wee little hats (ends woven in, washed and drying outside as I type this) and I have tried a few other patterns but as it stands right now, it's only the hats that I have completed. I was looking at the baby shawl I am in the 'middle' of and I was thinking "I really don't want to keep going with you" because the fine yarn and smaller hook size make it a very slow process and I wonder if I would be better served to use a larger hook and thicker yarn for the next one. Anyway, it occurred to me that it is actually a good sized preemie blanket, so I finished the round I was on and have started the edging although I am not using the original edging pattern, I think I will just use the old standby of two rounds of double crochet and then a round of shells. I might even look through my book of edgings and see if something else takes my fancy.

It actually looks quite pretty and I am not sure whether I should include it with the January items or if I should save it until February for the bereavement blankets. I think I will try and get it finished tonight and then send it with the January items. I have a bit more time to make things for February whereas I am running out of time for these items for January.

I am working on a crocheted bag (purse) using that beautiful geranium coloured Karaoke (finally!) that has a mock cable sort of pattern. I am having such trouble working in rows and turning, I always end up lopsided and uneven along the edges, I mustn't be able to count very well to always have problems. I am wondering if I should adapt the pattern to a very plain knitted one, as it is fairly simple (ie. a rectangle). I would probably get more 'bang for my buck' where the yarn is concerned, too - I have done only a couple of inches and I have almost used up one ball of yarn...I think a simple knitted cable would be nicer looking than these faux-crocheted ones, too.

I will have to think a bit more about it!

I am a bit apathetic about everything at the moment, work is really getting me down and I couldn't give two hoots about much of anything, let alone crocheting - except for these charity items that I have committed to (which is a good thing, I would think). I am so tempted to just chuck in the towel and resign from where I am except that probably wouldn't be the most sensible idea. I think I just need a proper holiday. There are a few occasions for me to look forward to in the near(ish) future - maybe Australia Day Weekend and the end of April at least.

I will write some more about Secret Pal 9 when it is over, I have a few thoughts about the whole process and I feel a bit like venting. Rest assured, it would take a much more selfish and greedy person than me to be able to have any complaints whatsoever about my "Secret Pal" (or unSecretPal Jerry as I like to say) so that is not anything to do with it. Suffice it to say, $73 later, I have finally gotten that package mailed off and I am very glad to be done with it. I don't know if I will ever bother signing up for a non-Crochetville sort of swap again and even those have lost their lustre...

New topic: I have heard through the rumour mill that one of the girls I work with is pregnant although it's not really a rumour, just through the grapevine as I do not speak to her or the people she speaks to anymore, haven't for several months. We used to be quite friendly but I woke up to what was going on and just kept my distance...anyway, she has had a lot of trouble conceiving and has been trying for quite a while. I was making a baby blanket (this is last March when we were still friendly) and I showed her and she really liked it and she did say how much she would love to receive something like that if and / or when she had a baby. I don't think I made any promises per se but I did certainly give the impression that if and when that time came, I would make a blanket or something for her. Seems that time is now. My first instinct was to immediately plan the yarns and pattern (something simple, probably just a big granny square but I think they are quite pretty) and then I started thinking properly and I thought...no. Why should I? I don't want to be mean or rude (or maybe I do, just a little...) but I really don't see why I should bother. I just think it would be so false to make something for her when we barely say a word to each other. There's no "Good Morning / How was your weekend / See you tomorrow" etc - I have more involved conversations with the electrician who only turns up once in a blue moon.

All that being said, I am still stressing over it because I do not want to go back on my 'word' so to speak, but I do not want to become some kind of hypocrite either.

And just because: a bootie. Only one - I haven't done the other yet. Took me longer to sew the seam up than it did to crochet I think...I would like to make four pairs of booties for the January blitz, then that would give me a nice number with the hats and blanket. I better get the mate to this one finished and see how I go. One pair is better than half a pair - and I know it's my warped mind but I can't help but think of one-legged babies when I see a lone bootie (now everyone else can, too).

What else? Oh I posted my first RAoK for 2007 this afternoon and spent far too much money on two ridiculous cardmaking magazines that I just had to have...that's about it.

Charity Blitz 2007

To help me with one of my New Years Resolutions, I joined the "Charity Blitz" on Crochetville. A group of members have gotten together and are going to crochet for a different charity each month. There's no limit or minimum, just whatever each person can create and send. It is run through Crochetville, so they are North American / Canadian charities but I don't have a problem with that - people in need are people in need. I will look into what I can do locally but if I can participate in International swaps and the like, I really can't say no to this can I?

I made 15 hats for premature babies yesterday, using a 5.00mm and a 5.5mm hook and various yarns (baby 4ply, 4ply, 5ply & 8ply) and this pattern - it takes me a bit longer than 10 minutes to do each one but not too much longer. I think my hats are too small...

All stacked up together.

They fit Ted alright but he does not exactly possess a baby shaped head - please note the lone eggplant mitten! One day I will get that set done properly. I do love my aubergines...

I did try to vary the sizes a little bit as I know some babies will be bigger / smaller than others and they do also fit an average sized pink-lady apple (I don't have an orange to test them on), some more snugly than the rest...so I am not sure. I will send them off anyway and if they can't be used for little babies perhaps one of the children in the hospital has a doll in need of a hat .

I started this little star shaped blanket, as well, but I must be doing something wrong as it is not quite even. I was going to do 15 rounds (suggested preemie size), and I am up to round 11. It might just need to be pulled into shape when it is done.

February will be a relatively hard month for the charity crocheting, as we are doing bereavement blankets - not the easiest things for people to make but sadly necessary. I will probably only be able to do one or two but I will do the best I can. There are some very lovely patterns available and I am sure the members of Crochetville will make some beautiful items to help these families.

After that, I think we have some hats & scarves to get done which will be a bit lighter and easier to work on. I might try some knitted scarves, depending on how quickly I can do them.

My sister saw the hats I made and asked if she could take one for a friend she is visiting today who recently had a baby (there must be something in the water - people around here are breeding like rabbits, which is not a bad thing but I can't keep up!) and I said she couldn't take one of the wee little hats because they are not for full-term babies and wouldn't fit...anyway, I made one this morning in the purple yarn using the same pattern but modified (additional trebles to start and then extra rounds) and the size difference is just ridiculous:


I will not be upset to hear the bigger hat is too big for this baby as that will make the little hats seem a bit more reasonable, besides I'd rather she could grow into it than have it too small from the start.

"ZzzZZzZZZzzzz"

I had the best of intentions for this evening but, as the saying goes, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. I still haven't found that stupid book, I don't know where I put it - and until I find it, I can't make anything out of it!

I was up far earlier than I should've been this morning so I managed to spend close to $100 before the clock ticked over to 5am. That is why it is dangerous for me to have a credit card, I am so tempted to get rid of it but then I know I would regret it - what if there was an emergency (like me running out of money, which is actually quite a frequent "emergency") and I didn't have a credit card to fall back on?

I am busily sorting out cards to send people and making a few little bits and bobs to pop in to them, some ideas are certainly proving more fruitful than others (I will post pics when I can)...now the challenge is to get them sorted and posted within a reasonable time-frame.

Work has been getting me down since I've been back so I am relieved I only have one more day to get through this week before I can have some time off. It might be time for a change? If it is not my back that is killing me, it's my knee - sometimes it's both. Today it's just my knee - and despite the agony, I am very thankful it is just my knee!

I started a very simple little baby jacket last night (from a pattern online - will get the link up later), it's quite cute and I think if I can end up with a halfway decent item, I will be enormously pleased. I made a slight mistake with the foundation chain (by slight mistake I mean I miscounted), so I will restart it tomorrow. Thankfully, it's relatively quick to crochet.

All those annoying, unused balls of feather yarn from Lincraft are destined for a particular project as well but in the meantime, I started a plain garter-stitch scarf (plain is alright as long as I make non-boring ones, too) with a left-over ball of the white just to get used to knitting with it. It looks like every other plain knitted scarf in the feather yarn so I don't know if I should bother posting a picture but I probably will anyway, when I get a few more rows done.

Baby Shawl 1 is still progressing slowly and I am pondering the idea of doubling the yarn and using a bigger hook for the second, I think the yarn is fine enough to not look too bulky doubled...I will probably still aim for the 50 rounds and just be happy with a bigger shawl. I want them to be useable for a few years at least (if the parents are so inclined), not just while the babies are wee little ones.

That's about it from me, I am tired and ready to get into bed and go off to the land of nod.

Just one more day...

Another One?

I didn't notice anything on the verandah when I got home from work but a while later on, I found there was a little box out there waiting for me. Another Holiday RAoK from a Crochetville Elf in Kentucky.

Inside I found a pretty Christmas card, four lovely crocheted snowflakes and three balls of KnitPicks "Shine Twist".

Truly, I feel a bit embarrassed to be on the receiving end of such generosity, I don't feel as if I have done anything 'for' it, which I know is not the point of a "Random Act of Kindness" but it's a hard mindset for me to get out of.

I hope I never come across as ungrateful or dismissing of what I have received because nothing could be further from the truth - I am completely delighted that people would be kind enough to think of me, way out here in the Land Downunder and I am determined to make 2007 a year of RAoK'ing and charity giving because I feel like it is very important for me to send the Good Karmic Boomerang back out into the ether (even if it does leave me an anxiety-ridden mess).

How can I 'compete' with all the wonders that are available out there and not here? Are the items I make even worth sending to others? It's a never ending saga...but it's all good.

Proof!

I wanted to say thank you to Shell for the most wonderful and unexpected "New Year" present (or belated Christmas present?). I am going to have so much fun finding the perfect colours and best yarns I can for this project - true to form, I am sure it will be a very long time before I actually make any progress with the pattern but that is only half the fun, as I have said before.

Recommendations for black, white and variegated worsted weight yarn would be much appreciated if anyone is so inclined.

I did write out a little 2006 'rundown' but there really wasn't much point to it so I decided not to continue. Everything worth writing about has already been written here and I haven't done anything new lately so...

The evidence that I am using and enjoying my lovely cup and saucer from unSecretPal Jerry.