Gotta wear shades

G'day all!

I've got a few little pics for you to see today. I suggest for one or two of them you might need to put on your sunnies. The others, well it's been a bit dull here recently, like 30mm of rain type dull and cloudy and fairly rotten to be honest, and the second lot of pics reflect the more gentle type of weather, not our strident summers. The weather is forecast to get nicer, naturally when I'm at work, but like what is it with winter hitting a month earlier than normal? We will get three nice days then another weekend of miserable rain and we have too much stuff to do outside yet. Like plant some bok choy/other asian vegies and render the garage so we know if we really do want to do the house. (oops, this should go on the house blog, the much neglected house blog).

BTW, this is a big post....

WARNING! Sunglasses alert

Remember the rainbow yarn I dyed, the one with two different batches? Well here's a pic of an extra ball being made into a baby hat:


It is not really that bright - the camera got overexcited in the sunlight (sunlight! Oh blessed sun!). The yarn is pooling in a very interesting way over 89 stitches on 4mm needles. I keep thinking that it is a little loose in tension but I've been knitting socks for months now and I've forgotten the normal sorta tension for knitted garments. It isn't the very softest wool I've ever used, but it's still in the merino range of softness - it certainly is not a strong wool by any means. I could probably not use it as a garment for me, maybe a hat or socks but as I've said before, there is a reason why I tend to prefer cotton. The Yarnharlot would despair of me. At least I can wear most of my handknitted socks that are made of wool, but not all of them.

Speaking of socks, here are three balls of cream Hot Socks yarn I dyed up.


Two of them self stripe in clematis, raspberry and black, the other is dyed a little lighter and randomly (my thinking in doing that was that they would be better for a little girl's socks - very little black in them, or the randomly dyed one could be used as a contrast to the self striping yarn).

If you like this yarn enough that you would want to come to an arrangement with me, let me know. (I am not looking to flog lots of stuff through the blog cos that is not the sort of blog this is, but I can't use all the stuff that I like to make and I like to spread it around a little but can't afford to give it away.)

Finally, whilst watching the latest Harry Potter on DVD last night, I spun up a fair whack of neppy Corriedale and some rather yummy Wensleydale rainbow dyed tops and made this yarn:

The Corriedale softens the Wensleydale nicely but it is still not merino quality. It is very pretty and will self stripe its way through the pastel rainbow. I have no idea what to do with it. There's probably about 180m of it. Enough for mittens and a small scarf? But I couldn't wear it.


There are too many quizzes below. The first one is a particularly stupid rubbish thing - I don't particularly agree with it. Me a hunter soul, totally driven and ambitious, hating to be alone? Plus I had to fix a bunch o typos in it. OK, I have typos in my blog all the time, but this isn't something that is replicated by people sticking it on their blogs....

You Are a Hunter Soul

You are driven and ambitious - totally self motivated to succeed Actively working to achieve what you want, you are skillful in many areas. You are a natural predator with strong instincts ... and more than a little demanding. You are creative, energetic, and an extremely powerful force. An outdoors person, you like animals and relate to them better than people. You tend to have an explosive personality, but also a good sense of humor. People sometimes see you as arrogant or a know it all. You tend to be a bit of a loner, though you hate to be alone. Souls you are most compatible with: Seeker Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

This is more like it! Yeah! That is a fab nerd score!


Me - really a dog instead of a Fire Horse (or a Horse at the Gate)? I thought I was more a cat, but there are no cats in Chinese astrology, only tigers.

You Were Actually Born Under:

You've got a ton of energy - and need plenty of room to roam. You tend to follow your whims, and it's hard for you to stick to one thing. Specific jobs, loves, and friends are always changing and never a part of your life for long. Very intuitive, you tend to know what people are thinking before they say a word. You are most compatible with a Dog or Tiger.

You Should Have Been Born Under:

You are totally loyal, faithful, and honest. However, you don't trust others to be as ethical as you are! Straight forward and direct, you really aren't one for small talk. You are a great listener - and an agreeable companion when you're in a good mood! You are most compatible with a Tiger or Horse.

What Year Were You Born Under?

If you have gotten this far, here are a couple of links I found fascinating - one about how too much choice can make us anxious and depressed (I suffered this today looking at some beautiful glass jewellery) and one about what makes a terrorist. Both are very good reads. The terrorist one raises very important issues - marginalise a group of people and they become vulnerable to all sorts of influences.

That'll do you for the moment!

anon!