jenwren's blog

It seems every post of late explains yet another absence. Unfortunately, it's more of the same. I didn't make it to the Craft Fair or WWKIP day at Darling Harbour earlier this month - I did in my left foot again the day before. No prednisone this time (and never again - I told my GP that I never ever want that stuff again and it was duly noted on my records) and several uncomfortable days in which I did as little walking as possible. Going to Darling Harbour just wasn't an option. Mum had been meaning to come down to Sydney and also come to the Craft Fair and WWKIP day, but she was still recuperating from a nasty bug caught while on a bus trip to central and northern Australia.

Last Monday I began to come down with a cold. By Tuesday it had me feeling dreadful and I didn't make it to school. I rang my sister, Katherine, that evening and left a message telling her she better not have her baby just now as I wouldn't be much use in minding Charlotte. (You know what's coming, right?). The call came at 2.55am on Wednesday morning, and despite feeling like death-warmed-up, I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed (because Kath said I had plenty of time), grabbed a few things and went up the road. I'm glad I didn't dawdle much longer - they left for the hospital about 10 minutes after I got there, and Benjamin was born at 4.25am after a 2.5 hour labour, 3.53kg and 12 days early! (His sister was a 24 hour labour). So I'm an auntie again for the fifth time. Congratulations to Kath and Damien.

I was relieved from Charlotte-minding duties by Mum coming down to Sydney that morning, but no doubt the early morning did not help my cold and I did not make it in to school for the rest of the week and am now on antibiotics horse pills for the wretched secondary infection. And the cruel part is that I'm under my GP's orders not to see baby Ben until the end of the week (wahhhh!). I'm told he is beautiful.

I have been managing to knit and finish the Josephine Top. I'm very happy with how it has turned out. I had Mum take some photos of me wearing it earlier today before she went home. Lots of details on Ravelry (tough cheddar if you're not on Rav!). I'm sick to death of socks and have got a real buzz out of completing something much larger for a change. I expected to take longer to complete it, so it will be a few months before it is warm enough to actually wear it. Stash enhancements of the last couple of weeks include the yarn for three more big projects...

I do still exist. Really I do. It seems that hole I referred to in my last post (gulp! - more than two months ago) was a lot deeper than I thought. It's going to be a long school year...

Anyhow, there has been knitting progress. First up, the Earl Grey Socks were completed on 30th March and have been in regular use since their completion.



The day after those were completed, the River Rapids Socks were cast on. The photo below was taken about three weeks ago, and I'm actually more than half way down the foot of the first sock. The finer yarn makes these socks slow, but nonetheless enjoyable.



The Bendigo cotton arrived for the Josephine Top, but instead of 200 gram balls as I expected, they sent multiples of 4 x 50g balls. A minor annoyance that will see four times as many end needing weaving in... But this too is cast on (in the round) and progressing nicely. I am up to the final repeat of the lace pattern, which is nearly double the amount of knitting the picture shows as this too was photographed weeks ago...



That's about all there is to report at present. Oh, except I have a new computer now so I can read and see the screen more clearly (my old Dell suffered from the vertical line issue of doom - naturally the new computer is not a Dell). The knitting is keeping me sane (or about as sane as I usually am!).

Errr, fell down a hole called "new school" for the last eight weeks. I seem to have climbed out of it, and hope not to fall in again for quite a long time.

I have pictures of finished stuff. To begin, the wrist warmers in Anny Purl's Cable Twist Handwarmers in the 9-to-5 socks stitch pattern. I'm very happy with the fit, especially with the thumb (as shown in my last post).

The first sock of the pair of Earl Greys is complete and I'm part way down the leg of the second. I carried the cable down the side of the heel flap (since I liked that feature of the 9-to-5 socks-that-didn't-end-up-as-socks), but wish I'd done it in the same way as the cable that is carried down the foot. Never mind!





Despite having plenty of sock yarn already, I bought more. A skein of The Knittery's Merino Slim Sock in the passionfruit colourway, and one undyed. The passionfruit one is to become Sockbug's River Rapid Socks. Maybe I don't need so many socks, but I really enjoy knitting them. And that's what counts.



I also have some Bendigo Cotton on order to make a Josephine Top from Interweave Knits Summer 2007 issue. Don't ask me when I'll find the time to knit all this stuff!

Charlotte's book arrived two days after my last post, but I still haven't got the amigurumi book - I cancelled the order when I was informed it actually wasn't in stock (the email I received the day I placed the order said "Today we sent you via Airmail" - a somewhat misleading statement since they'd done no such thing!) and ordered it from my preferred book supplier, who'd been out of stock but then restocked *and* dropped the price. Bonus. Except it still hasn't arrived. Must practice my patience skills.

I also came down with a chest cold following that last post, which derailed my plans for the last week of my holidays. I was just well enough in time for my first day at my new school a week ago, and today was the first day with some students - school starts in earnest tomorrow.



While unwell I did complete the second sock of the black beaded rib pair. So the first sock took more than six months, whereas the second took 14 days. The picture above does them no justice, but being black, it is simply too hard to get a good photo of the rather nice texture. Since completing those, the once-were-9-to-5-socks-now-handwarmers have come along well and the first of the pair is complete.



The Rubi and Lana knitting group was at my home last Saturday, and there was an excellent turn out. I forgot to get out the camera and catch the crowd since we were too busy enjoying ourselves. Before everyone arrived, I put my dye pot on the stove with 100 grams of tea leaves and about 2 litres of water and boiled it for an hour.



It was sitting and cooling while folk were here. After they left, I strained out the tea leaves (gee, 100 grams of tea leaves is a lot when wet!) and returned the dye liquor to the pot with more water, 10 grams of alum and 3 grams of cream of tartar. I added a wetted out 95 gram undyed skein of The Knittery Merino Cashmere sock yarn (with a few extra green cotton ties added to the skein), purchased about a year ago, and simmered it for an hour and twenty minutes. I let it stand until the pot had cooled before rinsing.



After drying, the skein is a lovely rich caramel colour. I'm very happy with it! The yarn is earmarked for a pair of Earl Grey socks (in keeping with a tea theme).

I have one week of holidays left. I wish it was more, but I start work a week before the kids go back to school, so hopefully that means I'll be ready when classes start. I've been getting a lot done. The new book shelves are complete and installed and have made my home tidier than it has been in a long time.



I received my Noro Kureyon sock yarn last week, but have managed to resist the temptation to cast on another sock, and the beaded rib socks are progressing well, with the heel of the second sock imminent.



I went to Rubi & Lana knitting group on Saturday, which was at Sally's house. It was a lovely day, and I knit more of the beaded rib sock while entertaining Inigo, Lara's six week old bub.

My favourite fairy turned two on Sunday. The book I ordered for her failed to arrive in time. Hopefully it will be in today's mail.



And I attempted my first amigurumi crochet - a turtle from one of the books in the previous post. The first try was on too large a hook, so I tried a smaller hook and I'm quite happy with the result. And I thought I could only do simple crochet chains so I surprised myself. I'm still waiting on an amigurumi book that has been translated to English - it's in the post along with Charlotte's book. I was too impatient to wait.



And the Flannel Flower bag picture have been added to the finished items album in the left sidebar, as well as to my projects in Ravelry.