I made this in 2008. And didn’t put it on the internet until today…
Related: I have started a tumblr. It’s called Once Upon A Spacetime, and it is to be the electronic box for my MFA bits and pieces.
February 11, 2010
November 19, 2009
Finishing up. Moving on.
I’d like to fall into the blog cliche here and apologise for not posting much of late. Been busy, la di dah di dah, all that stuff. The main reason though? We found out three weeks ago that, after 5 years and three months living here, our landlord is moving back in. Oh joy. Looking for a house during a heatwave at the end of the year is not fun. And rent is far more expensive these days than it was five years ago.
So far we’ve been rejected by one landlord because they apparently thought their fence wasn’t safe enough to keep the dogs in, we’ve rejected a landlord because we decided we didn’t want to settle on their crappy house after all, and we’ve been rejected by another landlord who seems to have some weird phobia of dogs. We really, really want the last house, and the real estate agent really, really wants us to have it. We should hear today if the landlord has changed his or her mind. I’m looking forward to the excessive amount of cupboards and having more than a 30×40cm patch of preparation space in the kitchen. Paul is looking forward to the air conditioner and the dishwasher/two sink combo (he will no longer have to do the dishes in what is essentially a doorless cupboard.)
On the knitting front, I’ve had to start a couple of things, but I’ve also continued my streak of finishing up old projects. The purple and gold sock in the photo above is a Sidewinder I started in July 2007 while in Darwin for my sister’s wedding. I finally sat down and grafted it together, and now just have to make the second one. Ravelry details are here. The grey, pink and green socks were started while gallery sitting our graduate show almost exactly a year ago using a basic sock recipe and ridiculously small needles. Ravelry details are here.
I also finished a pair of toe-up ankle socks made from Cascade Fixation… that I started in April 2007. 2007. I blame the fact that I hate the yarn for them taking so long. It only took me a day to finish the second sock once I started it, but I just hate the yarn so much. It’s a thickish blend of cotton and elastane and is a real chore to knit with. I’d also found that a previous pair of socks made with the same yarn really didn’t hold up well at all, but I was desperately in need of foot coverings, so I finished them anyway. Ravelry details here.
Anyway, be prepared for your next knitting pictures to feature 70s cream shag carpet instead of floorboards. Oh yeah.
January 12, 2009
Fancy boy.
I’ve been a bit slack with The Weekly Puppy of late. I my defence, I did actually take these when I was supposed to, I just didn’t post them here yet. And I haven’t taken any puppy photos since…
Anyway, something I wasn’t expecting about having a greyhound in the family is the potential to dress up a dog. Tom has no undercoat and no body fat, and even in summer needs to wear a coat at night to keep warm. As a knitter, this excites me to no end. I never thought I would get so much joy from dressing up a dog.
I’ve only made him one thing so far, but have plans for more. I recently finished this snood using a ball and a half of Cleckheaton Nurture, and am going to make another from a random skein I have of Noro Iro. Rav details are here.
Tom was being a naughty crazy boy at the time of photographing — he stole the snood and ran off with it when Mr C tried to put it on, which was actually pretty hilarious even if it was naughty — but he really does love it.
December 9, 2008
Whatever happens, I’ll still have an awesome new outfit.
Back at the start of the year, I started knitting the Puff Sleeve Cardigan from Stefanie Japel’s wonderful book, Fitted Knits. I got most of it finished before going back to school, until I knitted the button bands on the wrong size needles and had to frog them. It sat there until October, unfinished, with just the button bands and bottom halves of the sleeves to go.
Turned out to be maybe a weeks work knitting on the tram while procrastinating during assessment.
And then it sat there again, until now, unblocked. I think there’s something wrong with me. Blocking… ten minutes of work washing and pinning it out, and then it just sits there and dries and it’s finished.
I have to thank Damo here from Australian Country Spinners. The beautiful yarn that I used for this project is Paton’s Merino Deluxe, and it was a gift from ACS for attending one of their marketing nights. And it’s exactly the colour I would have chosen were I to buy it from a store. Rav details here.
I had a good excuse to block it this week though (not that I should have needed an excuse!) I had an interview yesterday with a particular knitting and needlecraft shop that is opening up soon in Melbourne. And obviously I needed to have some knitted things to take with me. Of course, it was too hot to actually wear the cardigan until the trip home (my interview was in the evening), but I planned my outfit entirely around the cardigan anyway.
I think the interview went okay. The thing that I’m most concerned about is that I couldn’t be specific as to what my future holds. I still haven’t found out whether I’ve been accepted into Honours yet (two people have heard and the rest of us who applied haven’t received any indication either way) so I don’t know if I’ll be back at school yet, which means that I don’t know if I’ll be available for full time or part time work. It’s very frustrating. It also means that I still have Pixar plans, but I don’t know if or when they’ll come to fruition, and the people interviewing me obviously don’t want to employ someone who isn’t in it for the long haul. I hope I was able to communicate how much needlecraft means to me. It’s not simply a hobby, it’s one of the major focusses in my art and therefore my life. I know that I can do this job and do it very well.
So we’ll see. All I can do now is wait.
November 26, 2008
recovery
Last night was awesome. The gallery was packed out (and very hot), the food was brilliant and it was loads of fun.
I drank far too much beer.
Unfortunately I couldn’t slack off too much today. I went in to uni and helped clean up a little (although I missed most of the actual cleanup part and pretty much just carried some boxes of glasses back to the studio), had some Indian food for lunch and picked up my computer and camera that I’d locked in the studio overnight. Came home, spent some time on the internet, walked the dogs and then headed back to the city for a friend’s going away dinner.
All in all I’ve walked about 7km today in 30 degree Celsius heat while hungover. The first to tram trips of the day were spent sitting in a daze listening to the soothing tones of Josh Pyke…
The next two tram trips I expanded my playlist a little, and started a new sock. Something soothing and simple to get me through the day and the three gallery sittings that are coming up over the next two weeks. Judy’s Magic Cast-On truly is magic.
November 2, 2008
The one where I almost miss a post due to falling asleep on the couch.
I’ve worked a lot over the past several days. And been exhausted. I fell asleep on the couch tonight while watching TV with Mr C, and was shocked when I woke up an hour or so later to discover that it was only 11:10pm, and not the 12:30am I was anticipating.
So, a blog post of photos.
I made a thing.
And with a little trickery and magic…
I turned it into another thing.
Of course, it’s the famous Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann. My first. Rav details here. I’m still stunned by it’s ingeniousness. It was for Lola, who I still haven’t met in person yet. But Gizo, I forgot to tell you that it’s a hand wash only item. Hopefully it is not a tiny surprise jacket yet.