December 2007 Archives

I finally got my car back on Wednesday the 5th after 30 train rides, 16 bus rides and two (very expensive!) taxi rides. Just in time to bring all my possessions home from school on the 6th and I finished up on the 7th. Since then I have been very busy - first with ESSA marking, then running around buying and assembling Ikea furniture (it took three trips to get everything I wanted to actually be in stock and I still have to go back for a rug I want!) and buying/making Christmas presents. I made each of my three nieces a pencil roll - or actually a crayon roll (Charlotte, nearly 2), texta roll (Imogen, 3) and pencil roll (Madeleine, 6). I wish now that I had taken some photos of the final products, but alas my digital camera continues to be a problem. I have finally resolved to replace it and had decided on the model I wanted and went to buy it today but discovered the model is being run out and most places are now without stock. I will try some places in the city on Wednesday when I go to pick up an order from Tapestry Craft and go book browsing in Kinokuniya.

Sadly, the 9 to 5 socks in Collinette Jitterbug were never going to reach the end of the two socks from the one skein. I think the stitch pattern just happens to be particularly yardage hungry, which hasn't helped. I would simply buy another skein, but the variation between skeins in this yarn is just too much for me to want to go down that route. So they were ripped back and I've started a pair of wrist warmers instead (in the 9 to 5 stitch pattern) based on here. I finally got the magnetic closures for the Flannel Flower bag yesterday, so I might be able to sign off that project as fully finished soon.

Since getting back from my parents' place where I spent Christmas, I have finished assembling the Ikea furniture except for the bookcases, which are being stained and lacquered first. As there are 14 shelves, this is taking some time! When that is complete I will be able to retire the bookshelves that are older than I am (my parents brought them over from New Zealand in 1971!) and showed signs of near disintegration on being moved back to Sydney in April. On Saturday I enjoyed knitting over at Lara's for the Rubi & Lana group (photos on Kate's blog) which partly made up fro missing a big SSK meeting on the Saturday before Christmas (I left for my parent's place and missed it).

I'm looking forward to 2008, which should be a more settled year for me, and is to start with a family lunch tomorrow - I've already made the pavlova *grin*.