Yarnivorous

G'day all! In all the frenetic quilting I am doing at the moment, I thought I should pull a Personal Sock Club parcel. I haven't done a PSC since July and the big bag is sitting waiting patiently, with only four PSC packages to go! Well now it is three to go and this has to be cast on. I have to make sure I take bamboo needles for the flight cos they get really snippy in Oz about knitting on the plane. Bamboo should be less of a problem, though I will not risk it when I go through security in Oz! My needles! My knitting! I'll pack some extra needles in the checked luggage. I should also find some stuff for hand knitting or finger knitting - I remember getting a lovely parcel of some Colinette Point5 whilst we were in Oz. It is still awaiting me so maybe it will be perfect! It is quite chunky and would be good for knitting on my fingers. Hmm, must check things out. We have long flights - they didn't say until the tickets were paid for that we have a stopover ...

G'day all! Yesterday I finished my July PSC socks. Yay! Cleopatra's Stockings by Yarnissima in STR lightweight Shrinking Violet, part of last years Rockin Sock Club. This is a very nice pattern and makes one think about as one's knitting but I really didn't enjoy it. Why not? All those knit through the back loops! Why do I hate ktbl? Cos I knit using the "lever" method (English style, yarn in right hand, right index finger flicks the yarn around the needle which moves from 10am to 12:30ish as I flick the yarn, stitches move from left to right needles). I only take my hand off the right needle at the end of a row or to retension the yarn. You might ask why this makes ktbl annoying - after all the needle feeding stitches is on the left side. My left index finger helps both feed the stitches and also controls the tip of the right needle. With my normal knit into the front of the stitch, the tip of the needle slides sideways along my finger tip. With ktbl,...

G'day all! Last time I posted a wotisit, I only got one guess! The critter shown is: a ladybug larva! Yep, it is what ladybirds look like before they metamorphose and become ladybugs. They are voracious aphid eaters, and given some of my plants had LOTS of aphids, I was very happy to encourage them even if the larva is not a native species (it's Chinese). Oh gosh, I hope the next wotisit is easier! We saw this on our trip into California's wine country. It has nothing whatsoever to do with wine, indeed if this was in your wine you would be significantly unhappy. But it does like water. Wotisit? Send your guesses to me at natiel3oneone at gmaildotcom. I'm still doing the prize draws every two or three weeks (even if Minnie's prize is still being made cos it is special! And I am silly and easily distracted by pretty shiny things). I thought I would show off my Personal Sock Club drawing today but when I pulled the yarn and the pattern, the yarn said "I want...

G'day all! What odd weather we are having here! 18C (mid 60s F) and humid. Just a bit warm for a jacket but too cool without one, but as soon as one goes for a brisk walk (pulling a hand cart full of vegies from the farmers' market) one breaks out into a sweat. Ick. Now it is drizzling. So on Friday, I pulled the sock for May. Just to show you it was all done properly, here's the loaded trolley: And the arm pulling out this month's PSC baggie: (I guess that is a plug for the Tattered Cover but anyone who lives in Denver, likes books and does not go to the Tattered Cover needs their head read. Great bookshop!) and the lucky winner: REDHEART!!! Heart & Sole to make some Rainbow socks . Except I have to do them toe up and magic loop, neither of which is written into the pattern. How I modified it so far. Magic loop means the start is confusing. Especially if one insists that the start of the round is The Start Of The Round And Can Never Be Moved. So I knitted ...

G'day all! Yesterday we did our taxes. At least we went to see the nice man who does all the tax stuff for us. Today I get a call from a rather snobbish sounding chap in head office. He was not quite rude but was not exactly courteous. Just enough to leave a bad taste in my memory of the call. There's a problem with my SSN or my surname. OK, call them, make sure they have the right details, see what happens. We rode up and back. It was only about 8 miles but oh boy! I am still knackered a day later! It *is* allergy season here - the plane trees/sycamores are all bursting into flower and leaf - and I get knocked around some by allergies but really this is ridiculous! I hav eto go and do Lots of Stuff and all I want to do is vegetate with the computer. I can veg out on the bus instead. Yesterday I also did the draw for my PSC for April. Here's the "barrel" (aka my nifty red trolley lolly lo). My arm delving into the barrel (gosh, love the way my arm looks ...

G'day all! Like quite a number of others, I have jumped on the Personal Sock Club (PSC) bandwagon. (Maybe we need a Ravelry group. Maybe there is a Ravelry group. No there does not appear to be a Ravelry group. So again do we need a Ravelry group? And you know you are addicted to Ravelry when you read a newspaper headline saying "Revellers head to..." as "Ravellers head to...") On Friday I did the first drawing of the club. First I pulled the baggies out of their bags - one bag was eliminated from the draw cos I saw into it by accident (I was looking into it to make sure no other bags were in it as it is one of the bags holding the club socks) - and popped them into the barrel (aka my trolley lolly lo). Some people might be fussed that the bags are all different - does everyone have a memory like my husband's where you never forget? - but I set this up a month ago and the only thing I remember is some STR is in the red bags. The rest are a total myster...