jenwren's blog

I don't think I actually mentioned on here that my present job is a temporary contract that happens to end in four weeks time. It's part of why there's been a lot of unbloggable stuff going on of late. But much of the uncertainty is now over - I've accepted a permanent job at a new school, starting in January (as anyone who's seen me in person in the last week knows, has made me jump-up-and-down happy!). The new job isn't terribly far from the old one, so I get to stay put in my present home, and now can settle in and do a few things that had "but if"-s hanging over them.

On the knitting front, I have started knitting with the silk hankies yarn, but very soon after starting with it (I'll tell you what it's becoming in a future post) I became busy, then two weeks ago I found I wasn't seeing properly - I had scratched the cornea of my right eye (I think some grit got caught under my eyelid, but I thought it was bad hayfever) and came down with head cold (again) so seeing detail in anything became a real problem. Thankfully my vision is almost completely back to normal now. So for the last week I've concentrated my efforts on finishing the knitting on the Flannel Flower bag. It nearly looked like a bag at Rubi and Lana last weekend (I was knitting the strap), but by the time I went to SSK yesterday, I was up to the icord edging of the front flap with only weaving in ends to follow and I no longer needed to explain what the strange rectangular creation was exactly. I have no photos, but Mary-Helen took one that should be on the SSK blog sometime soon. I spent much more time talking than knitting, so nearly did as much on the bus trip home (which turned into a marathon since I managed to find myself on the only 288 bus that does not go all the way to Epping Station - It terminated at Macquarie Centre, adding 20 minutes and some inconvenience to my trip home) and I finished the weaving in ends last night so it is presently blocking. I was discussing the lining and how to perhaps add some thin wadding at SSK and Lyndell helpfully suggested using some felt between the bag and the fabric lining, which is what I may do. It definitely needs something or it is going to be very floppy! I also acquired an extra bamboo double pointed needle that isn't mine (2.5 mm Clover, I use Tulip), I think it might be Judy's?

Alas, it is exams his coming week and report writing next week before hitting the home straight to the end of the school year and start of the Summer break!

Last Wednesday I was involved in a minor car prang on the way to work. I'm okay apart from having hit my bad knee on the steering column, and the car had only minor damage and was drivable. Not the greatest week for this to happen, as it shook me up badly and put me behind with the school report writing, but at least I was able to keep driving the car until getting it fixed.

On Monday I had to take the car for assessment. They popped the bonnet of the car to examine the damage to the bumper and how much was buckled, then couldn't get the bonnet closed again. That simple problem meant they wouldn't allow my car to be driven, and I wouldn't get it back until all the damage was fixed. Bugger. I hopped on a train to work. By late on Monday, the car was transferred to a smash repairer and they hoped to have it fixed by Friday. I bought a weekly train ticket and a travelten for the bus - it takes a bus and two trains to get from my home to work. Late today the smash repairer found another part was cracked that they didn't know about until fitting the parts they had already got. So they have to wait for that part and I won't have the car back until Monday.



The upside of all this commuting is that when I'm not switching bus/train or train/train, I'm getting a little knitting done. I started a pair of 9 to 5 socks nearly two weeks ago, and I've just turned the heel on the first sock. The yarn is Collinette Jitterbug in copperbeech that I bought at the Craft Fair back in June. I'm a little nervous about running out of yarn - something which commonly seems to come up with this yarn and worries me since when I knit the leg to the length I usually make it, the yarn used came in at 30 grams (normally I use up to 25 grams on the leg of a sock). So I ripped out a few repeats and reknit the heel flap today. I really like this pattern - it looks much more complicated than it is. I found it on Ravelry (where else?).





One downside of this commuting is that I haven't yet bought a more appropriate closure for the Flannel Flower Bag. The lining is sewn in (with felt), but the closures I bought some time ago didn't look right and I want something else. I also need to line the strap to strengthen it. It will just have to join the queue of things I needed to get done but can't easily do so because I don't have my car. But I'll try not to complain. After all, some people have even worse luck than me.