Update!

My goodness! An update! It has been a while since the last one, I know. Apparently I don't get an urge to update very often, but I'm trying to improve, I swear!

Well, life in general has changed a great deal since the last update. I am no longer in MUSRA, since I am no longer an Undergraduate. Yes, indeed, I'm ready to graduate in April! I am, however, still a student. I will be starting a Graduate Diploma in Education TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at UTS in March. I am really looking forward to that, although it will require more time in transport.

As well as that, I've also decided that it is time I learned how to sew clothes. I've enrolled in a Learn to Sew class, 2hrs a week for 10 weeks, and that starts on the 7th of February. I'm looking forward to it, but it carries with it a risk - I fear I may build up a fabric stash to rival my yarn stash. This is a worry indeed. I don't only want to learn to sew, but also figure out how to make clothes to actually fit me. I could probably manage to hem slacks for myself at the moment, but anything else is a bit beyond my skills just now.

My shawl-that-swallowed-Sydney is getting closer to being finished, thank the otherworldly beings. The border is a bit over 1/2 done, and I'm looking forward to getting it done. I haven't taken a photo of it recently, but it is getting a bit hefty. I will be asking very kind friends of mine to come over for a blocking party, I think.

I'm also considering having two shawls for next years Show. I'm thinking a white one for the knitted lace animal fibre, and a black one with silver beads for the beaded knitting.

Wish me luck!

Frosty flowers...

Last week was Diversity Week at Macquarie Uni, and it was fabulous. We had a rather large number of sign ups, and we're not sure why that is. Maybe it's because knitting is so fantastic, and maybe it's because Macquarie Uni has decided to uncap the number of students who enrol. Either way, more knitting! ...I hope T2 has enough space for us all, now...

As well as that, apparently someone who decided on who would have which stall at Diversity Week loves knitting. We had prime position just out the front of the U@MQ building. If anyone wanted to go to the Co-op Bookshop, or grab a snack at uni, they pretty much had to go past us. Some sources in other clubs actually heard other students whinging about how many sign-ups we got in comparison to them! We also got plenty of requests to buy the knitting we had on display, which largely belonged to Hannah and me, and our shawls and my socks were highly sought after. Most of those people weren't so keen on doing the actual knitting themselves, though.

I work the stall with Jenny, Julie, Hannah, Mandy and Lenny, and they were fabulous, more fabulous than I could be. After full-time work on Monday and Tuesday, my body decided I'd been doing too much, and I felt like I was walking under a tonne of bricks. Seriously, it go to the point where I walked into a room and my (other) friends chorused "oh my... you look tired! ...but not in a bad way!" I figured that there wasn't a good way to look tired (unless it's with a smug smile, which I lacked), so I took it much easier the following few days. But I am looking forward to seeing some old friends as well as some new ones this week to start them on the knitting path. This should be fun!

I finally got around to sending out the welcoming message to the mailing list, or at least to those who accepted the invite. I am sorry that it took so long to send out, but I think my sinuses decided to team up with fatigue from the previous week, and was in no shape to even type an email until this afternoon!

In other news... I finally picked up my Frost Flowers and Leaves this afternoon, and I have to confess, I think it's almost time for another cable in my knitting:





I do have connectors for cables to cables in my knitting kit, but I was hoping to have a bit more time before needing them. After all, I have to go through about 3.5 balls of yarn, and I've not finished the first one so far! Ah well, all I can do is try.

That's it from me for the past week. Signing off.

Alacaeriel

Progressing

Well, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't going to get those stranded colour socks done in time for Hobart, but that was no real drama. It was actually about the same temperature in Hobart as it was back home in Sydney while I was down there.

The conference itself was good. It was fun, although we were surprised at the accommodation we got. We each had one of the lowest rooms the hotel offered - complete with it's own bathroom (with tub), kingsize bed, digital tv, etc. I went to three different workshops in the conference, and took notes, and now have to write reports on them by Thursday. Wish me luck for that!

The socks in progress are slowly moving along. Unfortunately, I'm still on the first of the stranded socks, and that one can only be done at home for the moment. The simple sock pattern is going along nicely, and being worked on at every opportunity when out of the house.

The mega-shawl is also going along nicely, but slowly. I really should get to work on that...

Problem

I have a slight problem. I am going to Hobart next week. It will be absolutely freaking freezing, so I am making myself a pair of socks. A pair of fair isle socks. For double the warmth and all. First attempt. Well, I've done one attempt to the heel, undone it, and restarted it. They are in the Wallflower pattern (yes, I know I'm nuts). But that's now going okay. So that's motoring along, but...

My problem? I just got a spinning wheel. In fact, it was delivered to my front door. It's an Ashford Traditional, and came with a set of hand carders. Yes, this is a problem. I was to play with it, learn to spin, start making my own yarns. I want to change it to a double treadle, and play with it some more. I keep looking at stuff to do with spinning online, and I really should be knitting away.

Oh. and I didn't actually buy the wheel. I didn't exactly have a choice about when I got it. I got the spinning wheel from my aunt. It kinda makes sense that she doesn't want it. She does live in Darwin, after all. Can you imagine being in all that heat and spinning?!

ETA: Or I could check the weather comparisons, and find it's about the same temp in Sydney as it is in Hobart, and it's much colder in Canberra. Suddenly I'm not so worried about these socks

Complete!

I have finished! The baby blanket, that is. Yes, it is finally done, and I think it may have reached it's new owner by now. The child it is for is still small enough to fit in it, at least. It is fabulous to have it done! I even took it to the knitting group to show it off, and it earned a round of applause.

In other news, I have also finished one of Dom's socks and am half-done on the other. I dream of doing two-at-a-time, but in this case, I'm glad that I did one at a time. But then, having one done means I don't need to borrow his feet again, thanks to a pretty clear indication in the repeats of the pattern and such. I don't have that luck with my plain vanilla pattern. In fact, I might have to search my old laptop to find out what needle size I used. Ah well, I've got a few UFOs to finish, and some new socks to start, before I'll be driven to that, methinks.

Now, to continue on the socks!

*sigh*

I have been having an okay time with my knitting, but today... I discovered something sad.

The baby blanket is making progress. And... I just started the Mystic Roses mystery shawl. And... the sad part. Today I made Dom try on the first sock I'm making for him. And... he couldn't get it over his foot, let alone over his heel. I'm thinking of adding 8 stitches and going up a needle size. That should work. Hopefully. Either way, I'm knitting away, especially since I now have freedom for 3 weeks! Woohoo! Knitting ahoy!

Oh, it's so dusty around here!

Whoops! I'm sorry, I know it looks like I've abandoned this blog. But I do remember that I have it, and I'm finally getting around to updating. Right, knitting wise...

I've been working on a baby blanket for a family friend (sorry, no photo, don't want her to see it before it's finished). It's not done yet, and the baby is due in January (whistles innocently), but I haven't been able to work on it like I should. Curse uni!

I have also been working on a pair of Francie socks but again, no photo. Maybe I should also mention that my camera has died?

I have finished the actual bag for the Cherry Blossom bag I'm making for Mum, now just needing to knit the flowers and the branch, but that's on hold until the baby blanket is finished. As, of course, are all the other UFOs I've still got lying around. That includes 2 pairs of almost fingerless gloves, a hat, and two stoles. I really shouldn't list my UFOs like that.

In life in general:

I've met someone and he is lovely (snuggles to him).

I somehow passed 3rd year Japanese this year, probably on a wing and a prayer.

My sole New Year's Resolution: learn to spin. I just bought some more fiber from Virginia Farm because it was just plain gorgeous. And also, I bought it in the hope that all my fiber will reach critical mass and I'll start spinning it. What do you think my chances are?

My laptop is slowly dying and I'm going to get a new one soonish. And also a new camera. Probably new brands of each, too.

Yep, I think that's the extent of my life at the moment. Things are looking remarkably good for the new year.