The first sticker I have ever put on my car in my entire life. But I couldn’t resist. 🙂
Apologies in advance for the rushed photos this week. Also WordPress seems to be deleting people from my feed. 😡 I will find you again!
Our perfect Queensland Autumn continues. The zygos are flowering
Frogzilla the gigantic tree frog has taken to hiding from the antechinus in the watering can.
The cats’ heated bed came out of storage. It was much appreciated.
In related news, the stash has been expanding proportionately to the gradual drop in daytime temperatures here in the Southern Hemisphere.
I have never held myself back from casting on a new pattern or having countless WIPs. There is too much joy in riding that first inspirational wave of creativity like a body surfer to stifle it. But lately I’ve noticed that nothing much was getting finished this year, and nineteen projects were languishing in project bags. This in itself didn’t bother me, but the fact almost all my good needles and large quantities of lovely yarn were tied up did. So with M’s assistance, I frogged fourteen projects. It felt really good. 🙂 And now with the extra yarn freed up, my stash is practically exploding out of the train! Joy!
I have been charging through the socks to make way for new skeins, a pair for me in my favourite Lana Grossa Meilenweit India, 2.5mm needles, 60 stitches…
Another pair of boot socks for M in Drops Big Fabel…5mm needles, 40 stitches
And a squishy pair for Mum for Mothers Day in Berocco Vintage (can’t remember needle size)
Then I cast on these in Lana Grossa Meilenweit Solo Cotone, my first pair of cotton socks, 3mm needles, 52 stitches. The jury is still out, they feel a bit floppy to me, but we’ll see.
All of these socks have Fish Lips Kiss Heels. I have lately heard people complain about this heel, saying it pops off? I have to say that’s never happened to me, nor anyone I’ve gifted it to. Still my favourite heel by far. Last year I knit a pair of socks with one fish lips kiss heel and one traditional heel flap in a Bendigo Woollen Mills sock yarn. They looked like this:
And here’s how they look a year later after fairly heavy wear and constant machine washing (cold):
There is no apparent difference in the wear, if anything the fish lips is wearing slightly better. I won’t be giving it up anytime soon. 🙂
I’m doing a few blankets at the moment for Angel Blankets, who donate blankets to hospitals for stillborn or miscarried babies that can be held (14-23 weeks). The tiny-ness is a bit heart wrenching. I’ll be adding some pretty borders to these.
Some more crochet cable mitts. I do enjoy crochet cabling. I think a fisherman sweater is forming in the back of my mind.
M also requested a khaki jumper (shock!) and it seemed a good way to clear some yarn, 2000m of it to be exact. A simple crochet pattern by Melissa Leapman was chosen, and only a few days later, it was finished. I would NEVER have picked this for him, but he loves it. You just can never tell, hey.
I’ve already started another for him.
Yes, as requested that is camo yarn. No, I have no comment on that. Whatever makes him happy. 🙂
My Year of William Morris paused as I hurt my back and couldn’t sit at the tapestry stand (I’m pretty sure it was actually sitting at the tapestry stand that hurt my back in the first place) but it is nearly healed now and I’ll be back into it. In the meantime, my Auntie did bring me a lovely related gift on her recent trip up here from Adelaide.
Christmas Village Mark II is progressing nicely. Four buildings so far and the fifth and sixth underway. 🙂
And spinning…something about the cooler weather always makes me break out the wheel! I don’t know what this fibre is, I am guessing merino. It is part of a large bag of fleece my mother-in-law rescued from an op shop where it was being thrown out. It is sooooooo soft and floofy! I’ve never spun anything so light and fine before, and I’m very happy with it. Two ply laceweight, 220 metres.
Then some rainbow something from the same stash, not as floofy and a bit old and felted, but I pressed on regardless. Another couple of hundred metres in 2 ply.
Then some chocolatey Corriedale. I like this one the best. 🙂 This came out a sportweight as a 2 ply. I have a couple of kilos of this fleece to process, so plenty for a jumper or three. I’ve only ever made one jumper from yarn I spun, and it was a plain cardy from our old alpaca, Patch. I might do something fancy with cables this time.
Of the other five current WIPs, this is my favourite, Ilvy, which I just started:
Crocheting pure linen thread is hard on the hands, but I love the result, so rustic. Poppy made me the little cedar stand for the reel of linen. 🙂
Hopefully I can now resume normal broadcasting and return to some sort of blogging rhythm after the erraticness of the last few weeks. Next week I turn the big 4-0, so a fresh start, a new decade and soooo many things to look forward to! 🙂 Or I’ll just let myself go completely, I haven’t decided yet.
So very many lovely things!
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Thanks! 🙂
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I love your sticker. I do believe I will need one when I get a car. :p
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Hehehe thanks J 🙂 I really hope you get one too when you get a car!! I think it would suit you admirably. :)) (found it on eBay- the sticker that is not the car)
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Hehe. Thank you for clarifying. :p
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40! Great Scot! Happy Birthday! Kick up your Fish Lips Kiss Heels and enjoy the day!
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Hahaha I love it, thanks Bruce, will do my best!! 🙂
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Oh don’t give up – you’re just at the start of all the fun – life just gets better and better!! Everything looks wonderful and all the spun yarn just yummy!! I don’t know anything about heels in socks – I’m just about to launch into knitting my first pair from the ‘Toe-up, 2-at-a-time’ sock book. But the fishy ones do look nicer than the other type. 🙂 Love the bumper sticker ❤ Happy Nearly Birthday!!
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Thank you so much Pauline, I am in awe of your sock attempt, that sounds intense!! Can’t wait to see the results!! Yes I feel like life has just got better and better as I’ve gotten older, my mum says her forties was her favourite decade so I’m looking forward to that too :)) xo
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My forties were really, really interesting 🙂 And I like being here even better.
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Bless your cotton socks, literally! They look so nice, I hope you like them when you’re done. And Hippity-Hoppity-Happy Birthday to you.
Oh, and now my cat is on strike, she’s walking up and down in front of the house with a placard “My mean owner won’t buy me a heated bed.” Sheesh.
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Haha thanks very much Yvonne, it’s funny you often say the things in my head, bless my cotton socks was running through it as I wrote about them! 🙂 yes horribly spoiled cats, costing me a small fortune…but it’s selfish really, that bed does keep them ever so quiet and out of mischief! And stops them scratching at the bedroom door on a winter’s night. 🙂
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Love the sticker, it’s perfect! You’ve been very busy. Great socks, beautiful spinning and the crocheted sweater is awesome.
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Thanks very much Tina! 🙂 seeing all your beautiful spinning is motivating me to get better at it :)) my stash is currently out of control, but I figure it doesn’t count if you make the yarn yourself 😉
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You are so very welcome and on goodness, thank you 😀. My stash is out of control too and I really need to start spinning more.
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Happy, happy birthday, Bianca! All I can remember about turning forty was that I painted my house and gave up smoking. But Pauline is right….the best years may be yet to come… whether you turn a heel to dance or make fish lips and kiss it, it’s a good life..!
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Haha thanks Cynthia! :)) That’s lovely, it is such a wonderful life, I’ve already given up smoking but the house could do with a paint…although the kissing sounds good too…. 🙂
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Wow that’s quite a lot of knitting goin on..love the autumn pic and the frogzilla..a very noble gesture of your’s by donating the hand knits …lovely socks and jumper..really admire your patience..have a happy time knitting away…😊👍👍💕💕💕💕💕💕
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Thanks a lot lovely Nee! Yes always very happy when knitting 🙂 i do hope all is well with you too 😃❤️
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Knit knit away..m here to see n oogle over the wonderful creations you come up with..💕💕💕🍫🍫🍫
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I am now firmly of is belief that life begins at 60! Happy birthday to you, a mere 40! I love the socks and your village, but so many wonderful projects to see. I need one of those car stickers! Great fun.
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Thanks very much Nanacathy! 🙂 excellent, now I’m looking forward to sixty too!! :)) the sticker was from eBay (comes in all colours) I love seeing whether people get it or not, you can always tell a kindred spirit! 🙂
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Your usual well-photographed, impressive, creativity, Bianca. I’m glad you can put your back back into it; and that sticker was made for you 🙂
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Thanks so much Derrick :)) I think ‘got books?’ would be another good one 🙂
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You’re nudging me towards another pair of socks 🙂 I have been wearing mine; it’s getting cold (9ºC min).
The Angel blanket is a worthwhile project, I’ll look into it; thanks for mentioning it. M’s a lucky man.
The years never worry a Dragon; I’m two cycles ahead of you. Have a happy birthday.
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Thanks very much Mary! 🙂 Our temp is meant to drop next week finally…can’t wait to put the heater on! Yes the angel blankets seem a necessary item if the testimonials are anything to go by, and take so little time.
Love to see some more socks! And so glad you’ve been wearing them :)) I finished the cotton ones last night, I like them more than I thought I would. But have already cast on the next pair in wool again. 🙂
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My Uni course starts Monday; I hope I’ll have the leisure to knit socks after that 🙂
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Dang, woman! Do you ever sleep? I feel like such a slug. But seriously, everything looks beautiful! Springtime here in Iowa has my crafting mojo flowing, too. Must be something about the change in seasons, whispering in the background, “Life is short. Hurry, hurry, hurry….” 🙂
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LOL :)) you are definitely NOT at all slug-like Hayley!! Thank you, yes I’m the same as you in spring too, it’s like a quickening, the heart beats faster, must knit all the things before time runs out! 🙂 can sleep when I’m dead! 🙂
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A scrumptious post full to the brim with possibilities and delicious things. My wheel still remains virginal (to me, I am sure it was used well by it’s previous owner) in the craft (spare) room. I don’t know where to start. That’s a fib. I DO know where to start…I just have to keel-haul myself and that wheel into the car on a Thursday and head off to the Deviot hall and meet up with the spinning ladies who may, or may not, take me under their wing and take pity on a heathen with a wheel. My zygo has gone into hibernation as we have decided that autumn is the new winter apparently here in Tassie. NO complaining from me and lots of love for Brunhilda who is doing triple duty as chief cooker, water heater and blissful ambiance creator of the house. I defer to her magnificence and love sitting with my feet up reading a good book (or 10…seriously, I have 10 that all turned up at once on my library holds list…) Tis the season for hooking and I am absolutely positively going to hook me some simple socks. Once I do that, it’s up with the needles and having a go at knitting some. I can see some serious yelling in my future but whatchagonnadoeh? You have to try :). Loving the Christmas village. Something to hand down as an heirloom after many MANY years of Christmas delight. I love that frog. We have our own little tiny inch long Banjo frogs here that make so much more noise than their teeny-tiny size would warrant. It would seem that we are both in our seasonal element. What a pity that it doesn’t last all year eh? 😉
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Oh thank you narfie, that description has me smiling and loooonging for a spot round your brunhilda! 🙂 yes my brother in Hobart rarely mentions the weather but even he has lately commented on things being a bit..ah…nippy. And my dad is going down for a visit in a couple of weeks, so that should be interesting! 🙂 last year I missed the snow in Hobart by one week. D’oh.
no log fires here yet, just long, pretty, sunny days bollocks to the weather. It’s May dammit and I shall wear a knitted cardy even if I sweat to death in it in 30 degrees! It’s lovely you’ve got those resources around you for things like spinning…I am quite jealous! I hope you give it a go one day..(and the Tunisian crochet too, as I remember you’ve got a set of those hooks!) not to pressure you or anything…..;) I am contemplating starting a knitting group, but my fear is it will remain a group of one! But I guess then I have lost nothing anyway. 🙂
Enjoy the seasonal bliss!! ❤️
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I think you would find that there are a lot of people who love to knit or who would like to learn in your neck of the (quite literally) “woods”. You might meet some really lovely people in the process. You could start a knitting group (or a hybrid hooking and knitting group) at a local cafe. It seems to be where most of the crafty people have their get togethers and I am sure a small local cafe would be most happy to accommodate some new regulars, especially on the quiet days. There are actually 2 spinning groups in our local district. Apparently there used to be only one and the avant garde spinners and the old schoolers had a parting of ways over some obscure point of reference (as most groups of more than two usually do when they have been together for more than a month 😉 ) and split. I can check both groups out and see which one I feel the least terrified in ;). Here’s to expanding our circle of acquaintances and being brave enough to make the first steps.
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You have so many gorgeous projects! How exciting! And happy birthday for next week, I hope you celebrate very well 🙂
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🙂 Thank you very much, that is much appreciated! 🙂
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Nothing but eye candy here! Oyu are so incredibly productive…do you sleep??? And oh the kitty in the warm bed, so sweet. Makes me long for autumn..but the sweltering heat of summer is just kicking in here. And you have a very nice auntie! Xo Johanna
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Thank you for your lovely comments Johanna! The cats haven’t left that bed since I switched it on 🙂 xo
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Great pics. love the look on your cat’s face. What exactly do you mean by ‘pops off’ re the fish lips heel. I don’t use it, but do a short row one, which I would imagine wears similarly, but never have any problems with it.
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Apparently for some people it doesn’t stay put over the heel, slides off forward, back or sideways. Yeah I never have a problem either, and I wonder whether they are actually not getting the length measurement of the foot part right, rather than a problem with the heel itself- although these were experienced sock knitters so I wouldn’t have thought so…Feet are such weirdly shaped things, I guess one design doesn’t suit us all. 🙂
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An experienced sock knitter is presumably also not having this problem with other heels, so it sounds as if it is down to the heel. I’ll keep an eye open for anyone offering explanations of why one might not get on with a fish lips.
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Great knitting and crochet projects. I can see you have been pretty busy. Wow!
Lovely to see your kitties again, I do love them, so sweet and cute.
Have a good week. 🙂
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Heehee they are so snuggly in the winter time 🙂 thank you!
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