Saved by the Bell!

Just going through the motions of shutting down the computer, and saw a lovely email from Bells who has offered me a personal tutorial on the lace pattern that has my knickers in a knot.

Knitters are indeed warm and wonderful people.

I may just get that Green Jersey after all!! However in retrospect I should have gone for the Polka Dot King of the Mountain!

This is... my most treasured childhood possession

Teacups in Treetops came up with this week's theme, and I love it. I seem to have become a little too lax regarding this meme, and so am making today's a priority.

Hildur was a gift from an old family friend who was I think the Managing Director of Toltoys (Aust), a toy company of the 1970s and 1980s. He showered us with toys when we visited him at his office in Little Collins Street in Town.

(We would train in, or tram on the old W-class, have a morning chocolate milkshake at the Myer cafe (underground - do you remember??), and get a rissole sandwich from the Coles Cafe. We would go to the office above a bank, and press 10th floor in the lift (it had a really distinct smell). Anyway...

She WAS white, fluffy, and adorable. (She's a rabbit!).

30-odd years later, she is grey, worn, bald in patches, and floppy, but for some reason she still lives with me.

The Great Cast ON (or over-ambitious project whinge 1)...

So I have been in bed since Friday morning when a revolting virus came to meet me. My immune system is totally gone to shit and I am totally sick of being sick! This time hubby has it also, and we are relying on the magnificent friends we have here to juggle the kids. The closest family are 700km away, so friends ARE family here.

As a result, no fabric sale for me! I was even meant to work there yesterday, but barely shifted from bed.

What I DID manage though, was to cast on for the Tour de France Knit Along (KAL), and miracle of miracles, I managed 6 rounds of rib in the round!! Yay me!!


So I then stopped as I had reached the hard bit. I am trying to decipher the abbreviations from knitty.com and transfer them to the needles.


I am lost when it comes to the lace pattern:
Lace rib (work in the round over a multiple of 5 sts):
Round 1: [p2, k2tog, yo, k1] to end
Rounds 2 & 4: [p2, k3] to end
Round 3: [p2, k1, yo, ssk] to end
Repeat rounds 1-4 for lace rib.

OK, sounds easy? ssk*?? wha'? Slip them where? yo what? Hurting my head... Too. Ambitious. Need. Mum!!

Trying REALLY hard not to toss it aside and do something tried and true...

*(SSK slip 2 stitches as if to knit, then knit those 2 stitches together).

Fabric Sale!

For any Canberrans out there, Addicted to Fabric are having a huge three day sale starting Friday for Bag Ladies, and on Saturday and Sunday for the general public.

25% off all patchwork and dress fabrics, including all recent releases,
50% off all McCalls, Burda, New Look and Simplicity patterns
$8/metre lots of patchwork fabrics
And MORE.

25 Dundas Court
Phillip ACT 2606

9am-4pm Saturday

10am-3pm Sunday

Be there!!!

Three days until cast on!!!

The Tour de France Knit Along begins on July 5th, and I am excited!! I am still not 100% settled on what I will be knitting..... The piggle from knitty.com is still up there, but also my infamous sock project. I really need to finish A sock!!!! I have a mental block that it's All Too Hard...

The piggle it may be. Miss 2 WILL look mighty cute in it...


Any Canberran knitters taking part that want to cast on together?

As I have chosen to go for the Green Jersey, I have a race to cast on and off between July 5th and twenty-somethingth when it ends. I also have to try something new. I am quite bad at trying new things, and like the comfort of tried and true techniques...

Knitting in the round. New.
Lace pattern. New.
Completing something that gets hard. New!!!

My team is Quickstep, and there are 11 of us. Lots of new blogs to explore like this, and this, and this!

And not so new blogs I already love like this, and this, and this!

Lots of new people, many countries, lots of FUN!

(I really have to try and refrain from using the exclamation mark... I think I over-do it. Often.. Sorry!!)

j

;-P

A Bag for the Cat Lady

My dear friend K with whom I toured Rutherglen recently, was exceedingly generous in her gifts to me.

K had spent a couple of weeks in Japan with family, and had bought me an entire stash of fabric, and a box of little origami fabric, waiting to be made into buttons, brooches, etc. I was quite overcome! As all good bloggers, out came the camera. This amused K, as she is not familiar with the blogging thing (a blogger novice - must get her hooked!)


As a thank you, I have made a little bag out of the fabric, finished the inside seams with a Japanese binding technique, and put a HUGE vintage button on the front pleat as a little adornment. K's favourite colours are RED and GREEN, so I hope she likes it!!!!


I have broken two needles trying to finish the top seam (two denim needles.....) and so it remains pinned whilst I drum up the courage to complete it. I had hoped to send it last week but alas.... Still, I am very happy with it! I want to whip up another tomorrow for my Sister-In-Law's birthday on Wednesday!

Kids and questions...

Master 6 is a Very Clever Kid. He regularly surprises me with his wit and wisdom. Here's his little map of Africa which he has labelled. He keeps it handy in case he has to 'just check' where a country is...

I get quizzed on which countries share borders, and "if we drove from Egypt to Mali, which countries would we go through?" I really need some Atlas time!!!