web-goddess

Tag: knitting

  • Non-Busy Business

    I have had a really busy non-busy weekend. (Busy in the sense that I felt like I was on the go constantly; non-busy in the sense that I feel like I got absolutely nothing accomplished.) Friday was St. Paddy’s Day so we headed over to the Papists’ for some beer and truly excellent Irish stew. (Seriously, Major, I want the recipe.) Saturday morning I was off to Newtown for my quarterly Depo injection, at which time I realized that my new Pommy doctor is actually Sir Bob Geldof. Sir Bob wants me to have a bone density scan to make sure I’m not losing calcium from the hormones. Whatever, Bob. I also met up with Miss Jane, who lent me Miss Fee’s knitting swift and ball winder. The Snook and I then had a lot of fun figuring it out so I could turn my five skeins of Harmony (color 801 Natural) into five beautiful center-pull balls. In the afternoon I was back to Newtown for SSK where I completed my gauge swatch for Rogue. Later that night I also experimented with different knitted hems. I like the twisted stitch hem the pattern recommends, but I quickly realized it wasn’t going to work with cardiganizing the pattern (since the hem lies on the bias rather than flat). So I tried a few widths of stocking stitch and then knitting my cast-on edge up into a tube, which seems to work well. I went with eight rows and I think it’s going to look nice. I also tried out one of the side cable panels just to make sure I was understanding the symbols right. Then I actually washed my swatches and laid them out to dry. (I know! Who does that?) Checking in the morning, I’m still a tiny bit tighter than the pattern suggests – I get more like 4.75 than 4.5 stitches per inch – but I’m not knitting it any looser. It’ll block to the right size. I did manage to go on a run Sunday, thank God, because Sunday night ended up being an orgy of consumption. One of Rodd’s cousins (well, kinda) got married and we attended the reception in Pyrmont. It was the biggest, funnest, most ostentatiously Italian gathering I’ve ever been to. We drank ridiculous amounts of wine and danced to “That’s Amore!” I ate everything – in a good way. I mean that I tried absolutely everything they put in front of me. Anchovies, olives, mussels, oysters (natural and kilpatrick), nonnata (which, since I now know what it is: *shudder*!), prawns, ocean trout, EVERYTHING. As I said to Ma Snook at one point, “Did you ever think that the girl who cried because you tricked her into eating yabbie paté would be eating this stuff?” (She maintains that there was no deception involved.)

    So diet-wise, yeah… It’s not going to be a good week. But I just need to write it off and get back to work, right?

  • Rogue

    Well, I bought the Rogue pattern. Jeez, it looks hard! The fact that it’s going to be such a challenge makes me feel less like I’m jumping on a bandwagon. Now I just have to figure out what size to make. I just measured my bust and got 39″. The pattern suggests an ease of 2-4″. My options are the finished bust size of 39″ or 43.5″. I’m almost thinking I should go the 39″. The 43.5″ would be a little baggy on me right now as it is, and I figure my bust is only going to shrink as I lose these last couple of kilos. I could easily lose another inch or two off that measurement. Besides, every sweater I’ve knit for myself has come out enormous. It’s time that I actually knit something fitted. Thoughts?

  • Rogue

    I am such a sheep. I can have zero inclination to knit a particular garment, but as soon as I hear it mentioned in a podcast I just have to make it. (See Clapotis.) The latest one to catch my attention is the Rogue Hoodie, which everybody in the world made ages ago. I was like, “Eh, that’s nice,” and I admired the one Crumpet knit, but I didn’t feel any particular compulsion to make it. Recently I’ve been catching up with the back-episodes of Cast-On though, and in episode five Brenda talks about making Rogue and how much she loves the pattern. And suddenly I found myself tossing up between 10plys to knit it in. *sigh* How predictable. Anyway, I’m seriously thinking about this gorgeous new New Zealand merino we just got in the shop. Am I insane? I know it’ll probably be too warm to wear for ten months of the year… and maybe I’m just being too much of a sheep… but I just can’t stop looking at those cables. My dalliance with fairisle has been forgotten with the re-emergence of my cable addiction. Does anybody want to try to talk me into/out of this?

  • Sunrise

    moblogged image

    Well, there we are… (minus Miss Fee, of course, who is taking the picture). As soon as we arrived this morning they told us that they weren’t going to be able to chat with us after all, due to time constraints. Getting bumped is now the story of my media career! (I suppose it’s to be expected given that my appearances usually fall under the category of “human interest” stories, aka “filler.”) So they stuck us in the same little room where we knitted with Nuala and cut back to us several times throughout the show. Apparently Mel and Kochie were arguing with the producers the whole time about coming up to see us, and eventually the “talent” won out. I got to sit next to Kochie! He really is a giant. (And no, he didn’t tell me about his Wednesday night adventures, Robert.) And that’s basically it. Oh, but that bit where they were marveling at the person knitting the “tube”? That was me, working on the Snook’s next sweater. So it ended up being pretty boring in the end, but we’ll see if we can’t get some video up for those of you who missed it…

    Update: The Snook just sent me an awesome screengrab. I actually look really good! It’s so weird; that’s not what I thought I looked like at all. I’d only glanced at the monitor and I think my brain filled in the details with my old self-image. That’s AWESOME. And man, I should get a commission for advertising those Crocs!

    Screengrab of Sunrise knitting

  • The Kris Howard Media Onslaught Continues

    We just got a call from Channel 7, and apparently they need someone to go on Sunrise tomorrow to teach the anchor Mel how to knit. Guess who got the job? I hope I’m skinny enough for the morning show! (If any other Sydneysiders are interested in joining me, they need more people knitting in the background. Of course, you’d have to get up at the butt-crack of dawn…)

  • Marianne’s cardigan is finished!

    Marianne's Cardy

    And it only took me two months longer than I expected. *sigh* Of course, that’s to be expected when you completely change patterns halfway through. After struggling through a fairisle cardy of my own design, I shelved that WIP in favor of something I could actually finish in time for Marianne to get some use out of it. This little hooded, cabled cardigan is my second project from Sirdar’s Denim Book of Aran Knits, and it’s knitted out of Denim Sport Aran (in “Purple Heather,” which has since been discontinued, I think). For once I didn’t bother with altering the pattern to knit it in the round, or make it longer, or switch anything around. Instead I just cast on and did exactly what the damn thing said. I was a little worried about the sad state of my mattress stitch, but luckily since I was mostly sewing moss stitch to moss stitch, you can’t even tell where it’s wonky. I made an excursion to All Buttons Great and Small yesterday for the buttons. Isn’t it cute? This was my first experience with both pockets and a hood, and I’m really proud of how well it turned out. I hope Marianne’s Mom and Dad like it! (Note: I deliberately knitted it two sizes too big. I figured she’d grown a bit since the last measurements I had – which were six months old by now – and this way she’ll hopefully get to wear it next year too.)

  • Knitting Olympics Update

    Cabled Cardigan for MarianneHow’s everybody been doing? I’m happy to report that Leonie (aka crumpet) has already won Australia a gold medal. So we’ve got one… and I suck. Much like Michelle Kwan, I crashed to the ice upon realizing that my program (finishing the fairisle cardigan I was designing for Marianne) was a little too ambitious and my heart just wasn’t in it. Or something. At any rate, I changed events halfway through the Games. (IS THAT EVEN ALLOWED? I’m gettin’ crazy, here.) My measurements are already six months out-of-date and winter will be ending soon, so the goal was to choose something pretty that I could crank through quickly. My eye landed on Sirdar’s Denim Book of Aran Knits, which I used last year for the Snook’s Looking Glass Jumper. And whaddaya know, there’s an adorable little hooded cardigan in there just begging to live in Colorado. As you can see at right, I’ve finished the back and both fronts (including pockets!), and I’m about halfway up the sleeves. So no, I am not going to make it in time to medal this year. But hey, if any of you want to have a Knitting Commonwealth Games, I am so ready…

  • For the fluffies

    This one’s for the fluffies: the knitwear of Lizabeth Oliveria. It’s pretty lewd – well, except for the Superman – and DUDE, it’s all mohair! (Link courtesy of SixDifferentWays.)

  • Giant knitted bottle cozy

    How come I never get commissions to knit things like giant Suntory bottle cozies?

  • It’s on!

    Just got the call from Radio 2GB. The interview is definitely on tonight! 7:20 pm on 873AM. I’m not skipping my damn meeting though; I’m having them call me on my mobile. 🙂

    Later: I did it! Felt like I talked a mile a minute, so we’ll have to review the tape to see if I’m intelligible. I managed to work in references to the shop (of course), Sydney Sity Klickers, Sydney Stitch N Bitch, and even Helen and Katherine (the girls spinning in Centrepoint). Snookums snagged a recording so we should have it up later tonight for those who missed it.

    Much later: Here is is! That’s a 1.2MB MP3. You know, my voice sounds really weird. I get such a mixed reaction to my accent these days – Americans think I sound Australian; Australians think I sound American. I can actually hear both in that clip. Some phrases sound almost Valley Girl (where did that come from?), while other words are almost Strine (like “bikini”). Mostly I’m just relieved because I sound a lot less dumb than I did in my head. I got in a few good anecdotes and I didn’t stumble over my words too much. (Though the latent high school speech team impromptu speaker in me winces every time I hear myself say “Um…”) Snookums and I listened to it, and I’m like, “I’m damned charismatic! Where’s my TV show?”