A very changed city

Today was a fine day and we had to go to Linwood to pick something up from Thomas' parents place, on the way back we decided to park the car and go have a look at the part of town on the east side next to the cordoned area.   This was a day I really regretted not having a good DSLR camera, but I did the best I could with the little point and shoot that I have.   Most of the shots I took have some personal significance to me, though there are a couple that don't.   I'll be posting photo's and then a quick note on what the building is if I know and what the significance is if any.

Both these photo's are of an old house I used to drive past all the time on Barbadoes St, it's a 2-storey brick house with a lovely balcony.  Always a little sad looking, like it needed some TLC, but still charming in its own way.  It now has its very own cordon, part of the back wall has fallen out already and some of the right front as well.  Considering the original state of it I can't see this one being repaired; I suspect the owner will take the insurance money and flatten it.

Most people will know this one from the news, this was the CTV building, or what's left of it.  Although of no personal significance in that I was lucky enough to not know anyone who died in there personally, I know many people who knew people in there.   I used to walk past it whenever I went to the gym, and it just looks wrong with the building gone.   Such a sad place, I hope they put something suitable there for remembrance, we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm pretty sure this house belonged to the aunt of a work friend back when I worked in 128, unfortunately that friend passed on some years back, and if her aunt is still around she won't be moving back here.  This lovely building despite obviously being taken care of is red stickered.  There's some fairly major cracking on the upright to the right of the main window.

Hereford House, once again no personal significance, just a lovely house which I think may have been a church residence at one point.  I hope they can save it, but not too optimistic.  The next building down was also yellow stickered, I think St John were in there at one point.   The next building down again:

This beautiful church which I used to walk past and admire; it's a mess now, but more upright than many of our old churches.  We passed one that I took a photo of that I'm not posting here simply because you'd never even know it was there; only the foundation remains and that shows no hint of the magnificent building that was once there.  I really hope that there is some way to save these, they are very much a part of our heritage, but there will be a huge amount of money required to fix this, I would expect that it needs deconstruction and then rebuilding from scratch with earthquake protection built into the structure; not too many churches will be insured to that point unfortunately.

Beaufort house, this used to be Dorothy's restaurant.  Thomas and I went there a couple of times pre-children and the food was divine.  The proprieters were a gay couple who unfortunately occasionally let their relationship squabbles spill over into the dining room.  I don't know who owns it now, but I think it might have been an upmarket B&B.  This is another I really hope they can save, going by the sign it certainly looks like they're going to try which is encouraging.

That pile of rubble behind the digger?  That was Avonmore House which was an English Language school and a restaurant.  It was being used as an indicator building to see how bad aftershocks were affecting the old masonry buildings.  Obviously it got too dangerous.  It was also a lovely building, no more.

You've probably seen this one in newspapers, a good gaming friend of ours used to live in the top left front bedsit in here.  The place was a bit of a hole (you didn't want to use the bathroom if you know what I mean), however the house next door was the same style but was done up and looked magnificent.   If someone had done that to this old lady who knows what difference it would have made.  The friend who lived here unfortunately passed away some years back as well, he would have hated seeing this place in this condition.  Most of the houses with this sort of damage were brick, this one is timber so is all the more shocking for it as most timber buildings coped reasonably well.  The one timber building I'm aware of that did worse was the old club building on Latimer Square; I couldn't get a good photo of that with my camera though.  It collapsed completely, luckily it was empty at the time as they were getting ready to work on it.

The Harcourts building, the top floor is a mess, don't know if it'll be saved or not, no great loss and it did it's job; everyone got out.

These two houses belong to the mother of a friend, she was very lucky, the top picture of the big hole?   That used to be the header tank, she had been in the kitchen and had just left when it came through the roof and took out the area she had been in.   She's been very lucky, her home should be repairable, and she's been able to move her stuff out in the meantime.  The centre spine of the building is a brick firewall, apparently it's dropped quite a bit.  The building that was the same next to it has been demolished.  I've been in the house in better times, it is absolutely gorgeous and I really hope it can be rescued.

Even amongst all this destruction there is still fun and beauty.  Autumn is here and the trees are lovely and all those leaves make for fun for small boys, George and Ian had great fun kicking through the leaves!

This empty lot used to be Piko Wholefoods; they will rebuild, but it won't be the same.  This was a wonderful wee store, not related to Wholefoods in the US.  They sold organic and GF foods as well as other stuff like the wonderful parchment paper we used for baking.  Not sure when I'll be able to get that again.

On the left is the city firestation.  The main building is ok, but many others were yellow stickered so they've moved all the stuff from those buildings into the one that would normally have the engines in it.  The engines have now been moved into this plastic shelter which has the advantage that the engines can't get trapped if another aftershock should damage their building.  A very sensible thing IMO.

Probably not a lot to say after all that except that things will get better, Christchurch will rise from the rubble and we will be stronger, though that would be much easier if all these aftershocks would stop!

Going to get back to spinning now, currently working on some batts that I made last night.  Will post photo's once it's finished.

Make do and Mend

That's what I decided to do with my one remaining pair of Merino/Possum socks.  They normally only get worn in bed and have worn really thin on the heel

Normal darning wasn't an option as it needed to stretch, duplicate stitch was going to take forever, so instead I picked up some stitches and started knitting

On the way down I picked up a stitch on the starting side of each new row, and about every 4th row I picked up 4 stitches as I went and knit them together with the needled stitches so that the old was connected to the new

A couple of hours later and both socks had knitted on patches, still comfy and should last a couple more years all going well.

I got to a certain point with Amory

and despite loving it realised I won't ever get the chance to wear it.   It's extremely elegant and would look lovely in an airconditioned office, but not so good at home or out shopping.  As a result I've frogged it and have now cast on for an adult sized Spring Garden Tee which should get a lot more wear next summer

I've only got the cast on done so far as there was much else to do today, being first day of the holidays.
I've hanked up my last lot of spinning which I can't show you atm as it's going to be part of a swap, it's a lovely blue Perendale though, whomever gets it should love it.   I've also hemmed the curtains for the sliding door and put them up, still one lot to go, but it looks great!

They're still a touch long, but I like that, the other ones let a draft in.  Ian loved the box they arrived in this morning

He looks contemplative.

I've pulled out of the shawl test I was going to do, the date being put back clashed with other things I needed to do, so it was better as there was no way I could manage everything.   Hopefully this way the Spring Garden Tee will get finished and I'll have a chance to do George's mittens (if he's dry for 7 days in a row).  He did 5, then 1 wet so we started again with a dry this morning.  Fingers crossed.
I've also ordered some yarn for Mum to knit him another plain jersey and found a jacket pattern that will hopefully work with the coned yarn she's got.  The one I like best is an American College style jacket that would look really cool.

Tomorrow is supposed to be fine, hope they're right as it would be nice to go to the gardens or somewhere for a part of the day; some family time.

Change of direction

We got the new curtain rail installed, made all the measurements for both the new rail and the old one in the bow window and worked out minimum fabric requirements.   I was 11m short of what I needed unfortunately so the fabric I was going to use has gone back into the sewing room for later use in the boys room.   In the meantime some calculations were required.   It was determined that to get new fabric was going to be over $700, assuming we could find something we liked around $20pm.  That was more than we wanted to spend, way more. 
We ended up looking at premades.  Looked at The Warehouse and also Millers; I found one I liked at The Warehouse which surprised me.  Millers had nothing I liked and they were more expensive, the quality was the same too.   We ended up going with The Warehouse, have ordered them, just waiting for them to be delivered now, not sure how long that'll take but hoping not too long as it's getting colder.

These are the curtains we're getting, $365 including postage.  Had to get the 2 biggest sizes to fit our windows, and I'll likely have to turn the hem up on one, but that's better than paying through the nose for customs.   Once EQC have assessed the place we can repaint as well, the colour we're using is a nice ripe wheat colour which should look fantastic with these curtains.

Getting onto other matters, namely knitting.   I've finished the first Bug Out Mitten

 I'm not happy with where the thumb joins to the gusset.  There's a slight jog in the colours.  I'm going to try something different for the next one, going to try knitting the thumb from the tip down as well and joining to the main part and then continuing on, the first version will work fine for plain mittens, you'd not notice any jog, but it doesn't work for the colourwork.  The second mitten has to wait a bit though as I have 2 time-sensitive projects to do first.

I've also got another mitten project in the planning stages, it'll be child sized for my eldest son.  He suffers from night time bed wetting and is actually doing really well with this improving.   He was told by the nurse we go to see that if he can be dry for 7 nights in a row then he'll get a special treat.   Luckily I had something in mind as he's been admiring my beetles.   I told him if he can then I'll design and knit him a pair of skull and crossbone mittens.  He's really, really pleased with this idea.  I've done the basic design stuff including the chart and I've got the yarn.  Black and off-white in JohnQ four ply which should work really well.   If need be I'll bump other stuff down the list to finish these, this is very important.

In the meantime I've got to the fifth repeat on my Citron shawl, there will be at least 2 more repeats as I still have a lot of yarn left.   The photo doesn't do it justice, I need to get it on a longer cable to be able to see it properly, but here it is:

I love handspun yarn, no-one else will have one just like this, and it should be a grand size just in time for winter all going well.

Tonight I cast on one of my time-sensitive projects.  This is Amory by Kim Hargreaves, it's a beautiful, elegant jersey and I'm knitting it for the Colourmart summer contest.  Not expecting to win anything with it, but it means I get to use some absolutely lovely silk/cashmere yarn with beautiful drape.  I'm knitting it in lilac, so use your imagination

This is the yarn:

I have 6 weeks to get this finished.  I also have another shawl I'll be test knitting for, it was originally going to be ready to knit on 11th April, but has now been put back to the 18th.  Fingers crossed.  My yarn is ready to go, using a sport weight cashmere/wool blend (Madelinetosh Pashmina from memory).

My main problem is going to be it's school holidays for the next 2 weeks so I won't get as much knitting time as normal, especially as I still have to work.  However, Liz (my Mother-in-Law) has agreed to take the boys overnight on the second week, Thomas has part of the first week off and I have a weekend craft getaway so I'll be able to get some done in those times.   School holidays will be a bit of a challenge.  Not much spare money and a lot of places I'd normally go to are off-limits after the earthquake.   Thomas will take them swimming a few times, a few park visits, some movies at home as well.

Winter is coming

and it's time to think about fixing our curtains.  The ones we have at the moment have done us well in the lounge, but a combination of age, children and kittens has taken its toll.   The ones on the sliding door in particular are not feeling well.  Hooks have been ripped out due to the boys pulling on them, wrapping themselves in them and generally misbehaving with them.  There are cat marks from the kittens climbing up when they were smaller and the hems are coming undone too.
The tracks aren't the best either, they're not really long enough so the curtain is in the way when going through the door even when drawn open completely.  They're also attached to the door frame so the aforementioned misbehaving by boys has resulted in the screws opening up the wood.

You can't shut them properly now, so today I finished getting what I need to make new ones.   I already had the fabric from one of Millers sales a few years ago

It's the purply one in the middle, got the curtain tape a couple of weeks back, but couldn't get started until I got this:

This is an adjustable track 2.9-4m; we need it set to about 3m so it'll be good and once we install it this weekend then I can measure and start making the new ones.
I don't need to purchase anything new now to get these made, so it's just a matter of time now, want to try and get them done in the next week as school holidays start the following week.
Sometime in the next week or so I also need to get some new school tops, some surge protectors for our bigger appliances (washing machine, dishwasher etc) and maybe some more storage containers for the kitchen.  The storage isn't important though, I did pick up these 2 beauties yesterday

The top one will be for flour probably, the bottom also for flour, but the 5kg bags of Hi-grade so I'm not dealing with paper bags that tend to break open when the boys drag them out of the cupboard.   I'm doing a bit more baking at the moment and I want to keep that up so good storage is a must.
This is what the boys and I made yesterday

My Gran's chocolate cake, I've ammended the recipe to add more cocoa, but it's a lovely, simple chocolate cake that turns out well even when the oven is playing up

Ginger fudge slice, this is a biscuit based slice with chocolate icing, yummy!

I'll be doing more baking, but our oven is a little dodgy atm.  Since Feb 22nd it's had some issues, the elements are running hotter, one in particular is much much hotter, and it turns out that the actual oven part is also hotter.   We've put this in on our earthquake claim as well as the washing machine which is sometimes not starting properly, well it starts and then decides to go back to ready.   It's an intermittent fault, but it's post earthquake as is the noise it now makes and the occasional leak.   Earthquakes are not good for appliances!  The claim is in, just have to hope that it gets approved quickly so I can go out and get new ones.   I know what I want, but don't really want to get them until I know we have the funds.
I hope everyone else getting new appliances on insurance is looking at the star labels too, we want efficient appliances, or at least as efficient as can be managed on our budget.

Getting off the depressing earthquake appliance thing, I've been doing more work on my Diotima Shell

Just a teaser at this point I'm afraid, this is in Noro Silk Mountain which is now discontinued, it's a boucle which I love and is being knit in rib.   Haven't tried it on except to check that my head goes through the top, which it does.   Using all of 5 balls of yarn, so basically knitting till I run out; this is a stashbusting exercise.   I've 3 more colours in this yarn which will be used for a hat or two and hopefully a Liesl.  Hoping it'll look good in that.  In Rav it's down as a super bulky, but I think it's really more Aran weight, doesnt' knit up right for super bulky.  Won't be able to work on the hats just yet though, this should be finished tomorrow, just in time to start a shawl I'm test-knitting and then work on a jersey I'm knitting from Colourmart yarn as part of a summer KAL.
Gotta go, lots to do!

What are you looking at?

Day seven: 3rd April. Your knitting and crochet time.

Write about your typical crafting time. When it is that you are likely to craft – alone or in more social environments, when watching TV or whilst taking bus journeys. What items do you like to surround yourself with whilst you twirl your hook like a majorette’s baton or work those needles like a skilled set of samurai swords. Do you always have snacks to hand, or are you a strictly ‘no crumbs near my yarn!’ kind of knitter.

I craft at different times.  If I have a time-sensitive project such as a couple coming up mid-month then I'll be knitting frantically while the boys are at school as well as just before bed.  I can't knit most evenings as I work then, but I do take the odd night off.
I also tend to knit while waiting at appointments, while watching movies at home and after earthquakes.   I'm to be found in front of the computer on the comfy ergonomic chair, in bed, sitting at school waiting for the boys.  I'm usually surrounded by a bit of a mess as I tend to choose knitting over tidying my work area.   Once the time sensitive stuff is done though I'll have to do some cleaning, tidying and sewing.

Something to aspire to.

Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant? Is there a skill or project that makes your mind boggle at the sheer time, dedication and mastery of the craft?

There are two patterns I aspire to doing, both require a lot of work and skill but they use different skills.   Both are a wee bit down my queue as well cos  they're a little scary.

The first is the Winter Wonderland Coat.  It's scary because it's big and got plenty of cables.  I've already got the yarn I'm going to use, Purewool Merino 3-ply in the colourway named Storm which is a deep plum.  In the meantime I'm working up to it by doing a Central Park Hoodie with a more complicated cable pattern; at least I will be once my current projects are finished, including the KAL and pattern testing I've committed to in the next month.

The second I'm working my way up to, I'll post photo's of what I'm going to knit first to get my  tension correct and the last photo will be the ultimate colourwork jersey that I'm aiming for.

The first step is the Nightingale sock pattern by Morag of Vintage Purls; I actually have the kit, but might change the colour for the birds as I feel they disappear a bit.

Gryffindor Pride socks by Ann Kingstone, I've bought the pattern, the background will be knit in Patonyle Red, the lions will probably be either in Honey Bear (brown/yellow) or Clemantine (shades of orange) by Vintage Purls.

Another Ann Kingstone design, this is the Knitcamp Vest.  I printed this out back when it was free and ordered the yarn kit from Jamieson and Smith all in Shetland wool; I love their wool and I'm pretty sure there will be some steeking in this so the Shetland will be a good choice.

Queen of Scotts from The New Stranded Colorwork by Mary Scott Huff.  She used Jamieson's yarn from memory, but I prefer Jamieson and Smith so worked out equivilents and ordered from my favourite.  This one definitely has steeking in it.

This is what I'm aiming at.  This is Henry VIII by Alice Starmore.  I've bought the kit for this as the book is out of print.  So I've got a box with the pattern and the full compliment of yarn in the above colours in her Hebridean yarn.  It wasn't cheap so I have to make sure I know what I'm doing before I tackle this one.

In the meantime I'm still working on my Bug-Out mittens which are giving me a little more experience in stranded colourwork and also designing.   Designing is probably my final goal.  I've done the wee socks and working on the gloves but would love to design something in the way of a cardigan or jersey.

Interweave Crochet Spring 2011

I suspect this might be the last one on my subscription, and if I had the money it might persuade me to keep getting it.  Unfortunately I don't have the money though, and I've not yet done much crochet so it's not worth it anyway.   I have some crochet books too, so when I do get started I have plenty of options; several of which are in this magazine!

On to the review:
Bluebell Cardigan - This is rather pretty, sleeves are a touch too long for the model, but it fits well aside from that and appears to have some shaping.   Would be a lovely coverup for coolish autumn/spring days.

Freesia Pullover - This does absolutely nothing for me, something about it screams '80's, all it's missing is the shoulder pads.  It's shapeless and would be impossible to fit a coat over.  Only thing I like about it is the colour.

Dahlia Shawl - this on the other hand is beautiful!   Lovely main pattern and the edging is gorgeous too.   It seems to sit well on the model too.   I think this may actually be queued, don't know when it'll get done as I don't think my crochet skills are up to it yet, but it's something to aim for.

Dew Drop Bracelet - Meh.   This is really not something I'd ever make, and I can't really find anything in it that I like, the greeny one looks like an accident and the red one looks like meat.

Zoe Cardigan - Cute enough, but looks very much like the stuff in my '70's crochet book.  Nothing new.

Magic Carpet Blanket - This I rather like, reminds me of a quilt and should be fairly easy for me to do if I choose to.  Will have to think on it though, it's a lot of work.

Clarence the Monkey - Very cute wee amigurimi monkey, would consider making this to see if I like making amigurimi.  Looks like it's all in single crochet which I can definitely manage; but no way would i be doing it in acrylic (I think that's what Red Heart Soft is)

Broomstick Lace - This is an article on how to do it, which considering there's a pattern further into the book that uses it could be considered to be useful.  It doesn't appeal that much to me, but looks like it should be pretty easy.

Cupcake Sweater - I like the wee sleeves on this, but not sure about the top part, seems too dense for the rest.  I think I'd want less of an angle on the peplum opening too, just doesn't look quite right to me.  I'm pretty sure this model is the same as the one in the next picture, but the top just kills her beautiful figure.  In this she has no bust or waist.

Petal Pullover - This is gorgeous!  Seems to have some shape, nice smooth scooped neck and a short sleeve which works well with the rest of the top.  Would work brilliantly over a long-sleeved top as in the photo, but I could also see it over a camisole top on a warmer day.   They've used what I think is a linen yarn, but I think it would work well in a wool too.

Chamomile Cardigan - This is the broomstick lace project, this is pretty, reminds me of something that a Victorian lady might wear over her nightgown, but it's not something that would be practical in my lifestyle.

Chain Reaction Afghan Project - This is basically a selection of different granny squares that can be used in a blanket (afghan).  I really like 3 of them, the other 2 are ok, but would probably look a lot better in different colours; I really have problems seeing past burnt orange and faded lime.

Ginger Sweater - Very cute for a wee girl, though I don't know if I'd use a contrast for the lace ruffle.

Fred Sweater - Looks like something my Grandfather would have worn while everyone else in the family flinched and tried not to look at him.  I think it's all the pockets; maybe with only 1 or 2 pockets, but even then I wouldn't put my children in it.

Daisy and Mini Dresses - In a different colourway this would be really cute, again with the faded lime green for some reason.   In shades of blue I think it would work well.

Hannah and Hallie Play Sets - This is a mix of crochet and knitting on one of the sets, and all crochet on the other one.  Same styling in both of a wee 3/4 sleeved top and a pair of woolen trousers.  I think these are kind of cute and I could see real children wearing them without bribery and corruption coming to play.

Hialeah Bag - A nice bag, once again with the faded lime, but I can see past that on this one and would consider making it with some pockets inside the lining.

Orlando Vest - Looks like brown chainmail, definitely not on the list for me.

Coral Springs Sweater - Don't know why they're calling it a sweater, it's an open vest.  Semantics aside though it's actually quite nice; something you'd grab on the way out the door when you realise it's not quite as warm as it looked.

Overall Impressions: It has some really nice stuff in it, some awful stuff and some Meh stuff.  There is a lot of stuff for children in it, normally there's just one or two items.  If you like crochet for children I'd get it.  I'm glad I have it, but not too upset that I won't be getting any more.

Now, time to get knitting.  I have a swatch to do for the Amory jersey for my Colourmart knit along, and I frogged my socks last night and have cast on with a new pattern which seems to suit the yarn much better.

Day Five: 1st April. And now for something completely different

Day Four: 31st March. Where are they now?

2Whatever happened to your __________?
Write about the fate of a past knitting project. Whether it be something that you crocheted or knitted for yourself or to give to another person. An item that lives with you or something which you sent off to charity.
There are a lot of different aspects to look at when looking back at a knitting project and it can make for interesting blogging, as much of the time we blog about items recently completed, new and freshly completed. It is not so often that we look back at what has happened to these items after they have been around for a while.
How has one of your past knits lived up to wear.

 This is the jersey I knit back when I still lived at my parents, before I met my husband or had children or bought a house.  It's a Thorobred Scheepswool pattern and I think I used the recommended yarn in a different colour (theirs is pink with an embroidered flower on it).
I still have this jersey and still wear it from time to time though it's no longer my favourite.   I love the deep waistband and sleeve ribbings, but it's not really quite long enough.  When I made it it was a fashionable length and shaping wasn't something that was around in knits; shoulder pads were though.    I'm glad I passed on that concept for this!
It does have a slightly capped sleeve which is nice and I still like that.  It's not pilled, shrunk (I have grown though) or stretched.  If the yarn was still available I'd seriously consider stocking up.  I still like the colour too, but nowadays I also like pink; which previously I hated.   Funny how things change as you get older.

For non-knitting related stuff:
I'm in the process of getting quotes for replacement washing machine and range; both have issues which started after the earthquake.  Main problem I have is working out how old the range is, it was here when we moved in 10 years ago; it doesn't have a model number on it so I'm waiting for something from Fisher and Paykel to give me an idea of age.  Washing machine isn't such a problem, I know how old that is as I bought it and still have the receipts.  A few other wee things need replacing too, my shoulder bag which was in a repair shop in town, they've told me to claim, 3 plates, a couple of glasses and a horse ornament which got separated from its base.  Can send it all off once I've got the quotes.

Organisation or something along those lines

Day Three: 30th March. Tidy mind, tidy stitches.

How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised? It seems like an easy to answer question at first, but in fact organisation exists on many levels. Maybe you are truly not organised at all, in which case I am personally daring you to try and photograph your stash in whatever locations you can find the individual skeins. However, if you are organised, blog about an aspect of that organisation process, whether that be a particularly neat and tidy knitting bag, a decorative display of your crochet hooks, your organised stash or your project and stash pages on Ravelry.

This one is interesting to me.   I have a lot of my stash in plastic rolly boxes and all that yarn is on Ravelry along with its location (aside from one that I know isn't where it says it is, but can't remember where it is).  There is some that is in my sewing room that has not yet made it onto Ravelry including at least one fair-isle kit and a bunch of cones sitting in the cocktail cabinet that is also not on Rav.  I really should get those photographed and added to Rav, but not sure if I will just yet.

So, that's my yarn.  Mostly in boxes, some not.   Those boxes however are all over the house.   There's some in the conservatory with a fabric coat to keep the light out, some in with fabric in the glory box out there, some in the main hall cupboard and some in our wardrobe.   As well as this there's a lot of fibre that isn't yet catalogued and it's also scattered around the house; considering it will eventually become yarn it does need to go into the stash on Rav.

Next is my needles.   My straights are all nicely in their needle roll; easy to find and pretty.   My circulars are in one of three places.

1. My DMC bag which I bought for my Knitpicks set of interchangeables, most of this is nicely filed but there is at least one needle set that I need to take apart and file again.

2. In a drawer in my desk, this is mostly my addi's and hiya-hiya's plus a couple of unknown rubbish ones, my DPN's and knitting accessories.  My crochet hooks also languish in here; really should try crochet again, something a little more challenging than dishcloths.

3. In project bags along with knitting, usually with the knitting firmly attached (I hope)

Then there's my spinning stuff; aside from fibre this is all in my sewing room.  Wheel, trolley, waterproof bag (which I made), art-flyer, Lazy Kate, Niddy Noddys (4 I think), oil etc is all to be found in that room. It's the only craft I practice where it's all in one place; oh, aside from the library.  That's in the lounge along with the knitting and crochet library.   My sewing library is however in the sewing room.

Really, what I need is a big room with lots of storage to put all this stuff in, then we can have the house back for other stuff and the boys can have a room each when they want to.  At the moment you can barely fit a standing person in the sewing room, let alone a horizontal child with a bed!

Skill Up

Day Two: 29th March. Skill + 1UP

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

This is what I get to talk about today.  I've definitely made great strides in the last year.   I've done my first adult sized jersey for a while

 This was my Ingenue, from my own handspun and it's lovely and warm.   I'm still really happy with it and will be wearing it this winter.
I've also made 2 shawlettes, more lace which I'm getting better at with practice; one Shetland Triangle for me and a Swallowtail for my mother.  The Shetland was in my handspun once again, the Swallowtail was in a commercial laceweight singles yarn.   I've learned that I love doing lace and will be doing a lot more.

I've taught myself design, admittedly it's small, but I couldn't find the pattern I wanted so I made my own, knit up several of them, got it test knit and released it.   I think I've sold about 4 copies, but that's ok, it's the beginning of something and I'm currently working on another design.

These are my Lace Chain Baby Socks,  they come in a couple of sizes and fit really well; I've been told they don't fall down which is important in socks for babies.
I'm currently working on a finger up mitten pattern as a base for colourwork; once test knit in the original size it will be available free until I've managed to work out other sizings, including childrens sizes.  Once the full size range is sorted then it will be a pay pattern.   I'm really enjoying this learning to design thing, it's been great fun and now I can call myself a "designer"!

The last thing I've learned this year was stranded colourwork.   I joined the Vintage Purls sock club for winter 2010 and the second release was a pattern called Bug Out Socks.   I started on it almost immediately and this was the end result

My tension isn't perfect, but for my first ever colourwork I'm happy.  I'm also planning more, the mittens mentioned above are using Morag's charts and I have the kit to make a vest, the Knit Camp Vest.  This is but a stopover on the ultimate plan of knitting Henry VIII by Alice Starmore, I also have the kit for that, not sure if it'll be this year though.

I've already finished 3 jerseys/vests this year and am working on another vest at the moment.  Once that's finished then I have a fitted jersey to knit from a silk/cashmere blend and a shawl most likely for a test knit; both those have time limits on them.   I'm also working on a hoodie, a pair of socks, the mittens and a shawl and I have a queue.   Hoping to finish at least one of these items in the next week, probably the vest, then back to the mittens until I have to cast on for the others; there will be a swatch too for the sweater.  I've learned that swatches are a good thing, my swatch for the yarn I'm doing the vest in determined that it wouldn't work for the original pattern I had in mind.  That saved me a lot of knitting.

A Tale of Two Yarns.

I'm taking part in Knitting and Crochet Blog Week and the first post is on 2 very different yarns.  I'm to choose one I really like and one I don't like and capture what it is I do or don't like about them.


My first yarn is probably one commonly chosen to be a loved yarn; Wollmeise.  I'm lucky enough to have one skein of this in my stash in sock weight.

It is incredibly smoothly spun, 100% Merino superwash and the colour is beautiful.  I had been lusting after some of this for ages, and when the opportunity arose I had to get it.  


On the other end of the scale is something I bought sight unseen, Yarn Traders Nettle Yarn.

Same colour as the Wollmeise, but a huge difference in what you've got.  This is a single while the Wollmeise is multi-plied.  The singles are in many places overspun which makes this a very rough feeling yarn, not the sort of thing you want next to your skin; I'm really hoping that this will make good bags, cos if it doesn't I think it may end up on the compost heap.


Tomorrow I get to talk about what I've learned in the way of new skills over the last year.

Knitting update

I've finished my One Sided Vest, forgive the photo of me in my PJ's, it looks much better over real clothes

I'm wearing it at the moment as the temperature has dropped today and it's lovely and warm, it's also a great fit.    That's my 3rd garment for the year that counts for Intswemodo2011 and I've cast on for my fourth.  No photo's yet, but it's Diotima Shell.  I'm knitting it up in Noro Silk Mountain yarn in turquoise; another layering piece.   It might have to go on hold yet as I'll be joining a competition on the Colourmart Ravelry group.
I'll be knitting Amory in a lilac DK silk and cashmere yarn by Colourmart.  

Still working on a pair of socks, the mitten pattern I'm designing and my Citron shawl in handspun.   Also my Central Park Hoodie really needs some attention too.  I also have some yarn that was gifted to me by Justine of JustJussi.com which I really want to get started on; that's going to be a cowl, a hat and a neckwarmer.   I really need more knitting time, which should be accomplished by less computer time, which somehow was easier to accomplish pre-earthquake.

I have managed some spinning though, no pictures yet but I've finished 100gm of pure bamboo in shades of cinnamon and peach and 100gm of Perendale in denim shades.  Next to spin is probably either the scrappy yarn or else the Suri Alpaca, problem with the Suri is that despite being processed out at Burnham it's still filthy, I'm suspecting he didn't pick it before washing, and just washed it in its dreadlocked form.   It's full of seeds and vegetable matter as well, but being alpaca that's understandable.   Need to spin it outside so that's not happening today.

A few wee things.

Thought you might like to see the bike that we went to so much effort to retrieve, this is Thomas' baby.  It's a Honda VT 750 cruiser styled bike and is definitely a nice bike.

It's lost a wing-mirror  but aside from that is still in good nick, a bit of paint damage but that was mostly pre-quake; only way to keep that perfect would be to never use it which isn't an option.   It's Thomas' main transport to work which means I have the car.

I've been working on my quilt, this is how it's looking with the blocks done so far laid out:

Worked out today I still need to make 90 blocks!   I had to order another jelly roll to be able to do that, will start cutting out the 2nd roll this week; may take a while to finish though as I have winter clothes to start on soon.  George has approved the material for his pyjamas (navy blue with lighter blue maple leaves), also have material for some trousers, tops and stuff for me too as I'm getting low on winter clothes.  Also need to make a couple of skirts for me too, so there's no way this quilt will be ready before this winter.

I have finished one knitting project though, my One-Sided Vest is finished as of tonight.  It still needs blocking, but fits well and feels firm over my pyjamas (that was what I was wearing when I tried it on).  Over my usual winter tops which are fitting it will be perfect.

So excuse the pj's.  You can't see the cable well in the picture, but it looks good and should show better after blocking.  The pattern had 2 errors that I found, one in the cable directions (T3F and T3B were the wrong way around) and the wording in the decreases for the neckline was written in such a way as to make you decrease every 8th row, when it should be every 4th row.  I've noted my project page though so anyone looking at the pattern can find it.  Don't see any point in letting the designer know as she ignored my initial question about the cable issue; not going to waste my time again.
The yarn though I love!   It's a yarn with body, not overly soft and with a nice fleck through it made from polyester.  The main component is wool though and I'd say it's something like a Romney.  The yarn is Naturally Tussock 14 ply and it feels like it will wear well.   I love soft yarns as much as the next person, but for something like a vest I want something that will last and look good for a good amount of time and I think this fits the bill nicely.   The yarn also comes in Worsted and DK weights from memory.

I will probably cast on something new as I'd quite like a bolero style and I have some lovely Noro Silk Mountain looking for a project, this would also allow a little stash busting.

Went to a spinning day yesterday, was concentrating on my knitting, but I won in a lottery 2 beautiful lots of fibre:

The first one I won is the one on the right, it's Vintage Purls Perendale and it turns out to blend beautifully with 100gm of Romney I have from another dyer, I'm going to ply the two together.  Both fibres are slightly stronger so should work well together, the Romney has more sheen so it should be quite special.
The second which I only won as everyone else had already won something is some Merino dyed by a lady in Oxford (I've spun her fibre before, yummy), it came with some bunny angora dyed to tone with the Merino.  I still have my current bamboo to finish before I can start on anything else, but this has bumped a few other things down the queue.

Earlier that day I got an email to say I'd won a blog competition for a book "Knitting it Old School" as well as sufficient yarn to make a mens jacket from the book as well.   I have no idea what the yarn is or what colour, but the example shown on the website is green.  Thomas took one look at it and informed me he'd never wear it, that's ok, wasn't planning on knitting that pattern for him anyway; I'm sure there'll be something suitable in the book that I can use the yarn for that I can wear.  Unfortunately my wee run of luck didn't extend to Lotto, but I can still dream.

Earthquake wise, our area is getting back to normalish.  Still boiling the water, still can't go to town as it's blocked of and tbh I doubt there's much of it left anyway.  Probably going to be 9 months or more before our house is properly assessed; I guess that gives me time to find more damage, like the dent in the boys bedroom door which I suspect is earthquake related; though I could be wrong.   A lot of people left town this weekend due to Ken Ring's prediction of another big quake; which he's since withdrawn.  His predictions have caused a lot of fear in a community that already has more than enough to deal with.  I'm taking a flower essence quake remedy which I suspect is helping.

Did a 50 minute bike ride on Thursday, felt great during it, but must have pulled something as I spent the next few days in agony with a really painful ribcage on one side.   It's much better now, but I'm still tired due to a lack of sleep for 3 nights in a row.

Town

Just been into zone 1 to drop Dh off so he could meet the army officer who's offered to rescue his motorbike from the red zone. Although I didn't see much (busy driving) it just felt so wrong! I didn't feel like I should be there despite being on a legitimate reason. I didn't see a lot of damage, but you couldn't miss the poor Provincial buildings, just a pile of rubble. A few new empty lots in the residential bits too. There's still a dust haze from about halfway between Brougham and Moorhouse over all of zone 1.
I drove at 30 most of the time, occasionally under that and I also stopped and let official vehicles through several times. Amazing how some other people were driving though, one guy doing at least 50; not giving way to the official vehicles. I'm really hoping Dh's motorbike runs ok and he can get it home, I really don't want to have to go back there. Once town is cleared and open properly I will want to go in then, to see what survived though, not to see what was lost. There are some businesses that I used to visit a lot and I'm really hoping they're still in one piece. 
I know some aren't; Global Fabrics store is gone but they are planning on reopening. Hoping Fabric Vision is ok, the Honda Motorcycle shop, Bennetts Shoe Service and there are others too.  They're the places you map your life by.  Fabric Vision has always been my choice for fabric shopping, Thomas bought his motorbike from the aforementioned motorbike shop, Bennetts is the best place to get leather bags or shoes repaired.   
There's the Rangiora Bakery who made our wedding cake, a lovely chocolate mud cake with none of that nasty aftertaste so many bought cakes have.  Ballantynes of course, our iconic department store and so many others.   I know Ballantynes is still in one piece, but of course being in the red zone it can't reopen.  And of course the store I consider my local yarn store (LYS); Knitworld.  There are other yarn stores including the one in the Art Centre that is run by members of our Weavers and Spinners Guild, but I can't see that opening for some time, possibly years depending on damage there.


Thomas took a while to get back, the AO was on duty when he got there and then they had to go into the cordon and although T was accompanied by AO apparently there was a police officer who was not impressed.   Luckily impressed or not, he didn't stop them and T now has his baby back in the garage

It's lost one wing mirror, but that's snapped off at the base so isn't a hazard and one of the cables is really tight, but if his Dad can help him fix that it might not be worth claiming on insurance.  Fingers crossed, not sure what the excess is on the bike, but there's going to be enough excess to pay on the house and contents as it is.

An Important Day

School started back today, we knew Ian was keen as he's already run off twice to go there.   Luckily Thomas found him each time, but it's scary when he does that.   He knows he's not to leave the property, but he's effectively been stuck here for the last 3 weeks and he's bored.  Hopefully now that school's back it'll be better.  George was keen to get back too which was nice.  Thomas working from home should be easier now; it's really hard with 2 bored boys at home as well, especially when Ian doesn't really understand what's going on with Daddy working from home.
Another piece of good news, yesterday I rang the police comms line and gave them the details of Thomas' bike and where it was etc (in the red zone), last night he got a call from and Army Officer who'd spotted it and offered to bring it out for him.   I'm dropping him in town this afternoon before picking the boys up from school so that he can bring his baby home.  I have to say it'll be nice to be a 2 vehicle family again; though of course the amount of exercise he's getting will drop.
Yesterday we had our chimney flue checked by Heating Solutions and it's fine so that's good to know for winter, the guy's coming back tomorrow morning to do the chimney clean for $40, at least this time it's someone who understands the brand of fire we've got and will be able to clean it without stuffing it up, unlike last time.   Once that's done we're pretty much ready for winter which will be good.  Got plenty of wood.

A winner and a magazine review.

The winner of the auction for Taimi was JacBer who bid $24.  I've sent you a message via Ravelry to organise donation and postage of the skein of loveliness.  Thank-you to those who bid, those of us in Christchurch appreciate your generosity.

For those interested we're doing ok.  We have power and water back and although the water reeks of chlorine at least we don't have to boil it for most things anymore.  Still have to boil for teeth and drinking, but can use the dishwasher again now and shower too both of which are things we really appreciate.  We got hit by another aftershock this morning, only about 4.1 or thereabouts though, but pretty close and it took the power out.  
All our family now has power back, though my brother and his wife are still unable to use their water as the drains over there are backed up.  Hoping that gets sorted for them soon, especially as there's no portaloo in their street yet.

I'm also having problems loading some websites including the councils earthquake site and any blogs on Wordpress. They're all giving me a 118 time out error.  Can't find any useful information on the net about how to fix it.  I've tried rebooting, clearing cache, cookies etc and even resetting my IP address; all with no luck.  It's not just one browser either, tried Chrome, Rockmelt, Firefox and the awful Internet Explorer all with the same result.   I'm beginning to suspect it's due to the windows update that happened yesterday.

Right, time to stop the depressing stuff, the boring stuff etc and get onto my quarterly Interweave Knits review.  It actually arrived a few days ago and my initial impression after the yippee for getting mail was that it is actually quite a nice magazine this time.   Quite a bit of stuff I'd happily knit if I had time.

Echo Reversible drop-stitch mobius
I think calling this a mobius is stretching the truth a little as it appears to button shut so can be worn as a mobius, but is more of a short scarf.   It's quite a bulky yarn that's used for the pattern; but it's a nice practical wrap.  It's an excerpt from Kristin Omdal's new book A Knitting Wrapsody: Innovative Designs to Wrap, Drape, and Tie

En Pointe Pullover
is knit in a laceweight linen yarn; it has a twisted front for an unusual look and while it's not something I'd feel comfortable wearing, it is an attractive piece on the right person.  I suspect it probably would not look its best on someone with a D cup or greater as the twist would likely accentuate this and it wouldn't drape as it's meant to.

V-Yoke Cardigan
This is a nice wee cardigan, also knit in linen.  It is also drapy with a nice shape at the back where the yoke comes to a V shape and the hem is curved.  The front is a nice clean look; this would be a wonderful summer coverup over a sundress.   If I can find a suitable yarn here in NZ I will probably knit this eventually; I say eventually as there is such a long list of cardigans I want!

Gathered Front Tank
This is one I don't really like; no real waist shaping.  Somehow it looks like a top for a five year old that's been graded up to adult sizing.   It would look really cute on that 5 year old though!

Heliotropic Pullover
I'm not sure about this one,  I like the idea; but it does need a little more shaping in the waist and also the neckline is too wide; I'm feeling urges to pull up the shoulder towards my neck and I'm not even wearing it!

Swirl Crop Jacket
Another one I'm not sure about, I want to like it; but I can't really think of any body type that will look fantastic in it; aside from maybe the 5 year old mentioned earlier.  Maybe with longer sleeves?  As it is the sleeve just doesn't look right with the rest of it to me.

Fearless Fair Isle Knitting
This isn't a pattern, but it's got some good pointers on stranded knitting; I will be referring back to this as I have discovered I love doing stranded knitting and am working my way towards an Alice Starmore jersey.

The Garden Plot Dress
Not having a wee girl to knit for makes me sad, this is a lovely wee pinafore styled dress with some lace inset into it.   If I had a girl, I'd definitely be knitting this dress; it's very cute.

Cranberry Island Throw
I'm not really a throw kind of gal, but if I was going to make one I'd consider this; it's graphic and pretty at the same time.  I do have to say though I kind of feel there should be some X's in there instead of all circles.

Hourglass Pillows
Sorry, not a pillow gal either though they are kind of cute.   We have one cushion in the lounge atm and we're never sure what to do with it; it's always in the way.

Rain on the Prairie Scarf
A nice simple lace scarf; I could see this on a man if slightly longer and in a grey or deep brown.  Would have to be a bloke wearing a suit though or a wool coat.  Can't see it on a farming bloke, he would need heavy cables.

The Leaf and Picot Cardigan
This is pretty, be wonderful in an office where the aircon is perhaps a little on the cooler side.  Or on those evenings in autumn where things just need  a wee warmer.  I'd lengthen the sleeves, but aside from that she's perfect.

Rose Lace Stole
I'm not a stole person, for some reason I prefer shawls, but this is a nice one, the middle would be fairly quick to do and the ends have enough interest.  You could easily add beads for drama too.

Tatiana's Sweater
I love cables and this is really pretty. It still has shape around the waist which is important and I love the neckline; it would have been too wide if they hadn't continued the cable pattern over the shoulder, but they did and it works brilliantly.   This one will be queued!

Drop Mesh Tee
Yuk!  I need say no more

Curvy Squares Tee
I'm not sure about this one, I like the entrelac look, but I think ti might be a little tight on the model in places which is making it ride up and lose her curves.  If the sizing was right this has potential.

Hexagonal Petal Tee
I love this, it's curvy in the right places, lace, but not so much as to be showing all your assets and would be lovely as the top of a knitted wedding outfit.  I want one!

Diminishing Gore Skirt
Another one I'm not sure about, it seems to sit strangely over her background leg.  I don't think I'll be doing this one, there are many other nice skirt patterns out there that beat this one into the ground.

The Pinkerton Shawl
Simple, yet stunning.  This is a shawl I'd consider for a relative who's not lacey, but as it's more of mesh I think she'd be ok with it.  Should be a simple knit as well.

Lara Bubble Top
What makes designers think a top that balloons at the hips is flattering?   Maybe if I was stick thin and didn't have childbearing hips; but I don't fit that criteria and nor do most people I know.  I do like the neck cable though, so might consider stealing that for something else, or even this without the band at the bottom that creates said bubble.  Hmm, thinking about it I'll shift that band up to an empire line and then it should be really cute and flattering.

Draped Vest
Surprisingly I like this, totally impractical, but I want one anyway.  It won't keep you warm, but you'll look good!

Ruched Yoke Tee
Another one I really like, nice shaping and the ruching really works for a tee without being over the top.  Queued.

Gossamer Smocked Tunic
This is nice also, simple and with the "smocking" under the bust it gives a nice gentle shape.  I think this might head towards the favourites, if not queued just yet.

So as you can see I really like this issue, if you're not subscribed then take a look when it comes into your local mag/knitting shop.


My knitting is growing slowly, very slowly this week as I've been catching up with work.  I'm almost halfway through the cabled diamond on the top of my first sock; into section 4 of my Citron and haven't really moved at all on my mitten or either of the bigger projects on the needles.  I've got some Shetland coming from Colourmart to add to the cone I already have to do some colourwork, and a skein of Vintage Purls lace called Biosphere might have decided to come home to me.


Sewing is getting there, no clothes atm, but I do have a patchwork quilt that I'm working on.   I have some more blocks to sew up, then I can start on the sashing.  I'lll do photos later; haven't got a decent one ready to go right now and I really want to get to sewing.