Hello Blog!
I know you are used to being ignored by now and you wait so patiently for an update on my perfect, creative life so I'll waste no time in filling you in:
It was my mother's 80th birthday this month and the family gets together to celebrate Easter at the same time since the dates are so close, sometimes they even coincide.
So you know those Christmas socks that I didn't get finished? They became the birthday socks.
You will be pleased that I actually finished them, as promised. I feel a bit ( a lot) sheepish to admit that I completely forgot about photographing them. But you trust me, don't you dear blog, as we have had a reasonably steady five year relationship, right? That was keeping it real, part one. (cough) moving right along....
The birthday cake was both carrot cake and chocolate cupcakes - I was going to go with a something like this again but well, I'll spare you that heated negotiation.
Anyhow, it was an unseasonably warm day 25 'c and I was sitting on the sunny side of the car so rather than holding the cake I placed it carefully in the trunk. It was an hour+ drive to my sister's house and we did have the air conditioning on but when we got out of the car I saw that the icing on the top cupcake had slide right off onto the carrot cake. There were a few others looking a little shell shocked as well. I carefully plucked the top one off and replaced it with another and did a quick damage control to the white icing. No photo of the destruction. Keeping it real but not crazy-like.
Now we all know that knitting is a great stress reliever and for reasons I won't go into here, we are under a lot of stress around here. My wool stash is incredibly low but I did find two balls of Pamir left over from this sweater, which I loved until a washing machine mishap turned it into a dog sized sweater. (Keeping It Real, two) I decided that I would use the remainders to make a Batkus.
Well the yardage on the Pamir was apparently a little short and I now have a Strangulus. I think that's three but who's counting? Moving right along.
Do any of you remember this jacket at the bottom of this post? It was abandoned in the first place because I went a little loco untwisting the six dangling balls of yarn every time I picked it up.
Further explanation for the six balls as follows: two strands for the main body and two more each end for a firm edge. This does work well but it is impossible to put it down for a minute and then pick it up again without having to untangle the twisted dangly balls. (No pervs searching 'twisted dangly balls' please)
So far I am calm and untwisting without mishap. There was a little issue with the circular needle because I did that thing you do when you need a needle size for new and exciting knitting and it's already in use on another project - I took the circular off and replaced it with another one. ONE. YEAR. AGO.
Of course I can't remember the original needle size.
Of course I didn't right it down.
You will notice on the original post that I tried FOUR times to get the right gauge. Heh. This time I'm just using the Pretty Green Circular (because it matches! HA!)* and getting on with it, slowly.
So, when I am not RELIEVING STRESS knitting the jacket of undetermined gauge with six tangled balls hanging from it, I will be found digging yet another garden bed as I was a little over enthusiastic about seed planting. These were last years seeds (and the year before that, come to think of it) and I guess I was counting on a little less yield. Cough.
Well on a positive note, I am pleased with these plant markers I made the other day. Now I just need to get them safely into the kiln.
* I did remember vaguely, that the original needles were the same colour as the yarn, maybe. And no, I am not blonde. Why do you ask?
