A little bit of dissatisfaction has crept into my life of late, and it seems to have affected my enthusiasm for finishing off the projects I’m working on at the moment. Today I decided that it was time to get on with it so I could move onto things that I have more enthusiasm for.

I finally got round to dyeing some yarn destined for a grocery bag or bags, depending on how much yarn is needed. My fingers are only slightly green tinged, so all in all I’d call it a success.

I’m also nearly at the cast off stage for this sock. This really shouldn’t have taken as long as it has, particularly given it’s the only knitting project that I’m working on at the moment. It really is a tribute to the powers of procrastination!

If I keep my head down and keep chipping away at things for the next few weeks, I’ll have all the current projects out of the way, and I’ll be able to start working on the projects that have been swirling around in my head.

There hasn’t been a shortage of things to write about lately, but I’ve struggle to actually get on with writing a blog post. This is mostly due to having to get a pair of socks finished by this weekend, so every time I thought about writing a post, thoughts of not finishing the socks in time were enough to stop me from sitting down and writing.

I’m glad I did refrain, because I’m giving these to my Mum today, and I only finished blocking them yesterday.

Snicket (rav link)
0.75 skein of The Knittery Merino Cashmere sock, in Chocolate
3.75 dpns
Start: October 2008
Finish: October 2008

These are the first pair of socks I’ve knit in over a year, and the first pair of patterned socks. It was also the first time I had to worry if I had enough yarn to finish the job. I needn’t have worried, there is plenty left.

The colour pooled a bit, but it looks a lot more severe in photos than in real life. I think the cables draw enough attention away from it to be ok, but to be honest, I just didn’t have time to do anything about it, once I started to notice it on the first sock.

If I had more time to modify the pattern, I would have tried to continue the pattern, in some form, down the back of the heel, as I find the transition from the leg to the heel a bit abrupt. Apart from that, I quite enjoyed knitting them. The knittery yarn, as always, was lovely to knit with.

I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to knit next, as a few of the projects I have lined up will be unbloggable. I guess I can always try to write about something else instead!

Riding to work has been a feature of many of the lists that I’m good at writing but not completing. Today I started. By pure coincidence it was ride to work day, so I guess in some sense, it was the best day to start.

I’m not a confident cyclist, particularly in urban settings. I grew up in the country, so there wasn’t all the traffic and road rules to contend with like there is in towns and cities, but I’m sure I’ll get better the more I ride.

This is the noble steed that got me there and back safely:

I am unashamed to say that I adore this bike. I love all the rattles it makes, the whirring and clicking noise the rear wheel makes and the slightly dodgy brakes and gears just as much as the colour, the handle bars and the noise the bell makes. It also makes me wonder, what is carbolite 103, and how could I have existed without it?

It was a Christmas present from my boyfriend, my part time reluctant knitwear model, found at a salvage yard. It makes me sad that someone sent this beauty to the tip, but their loss is my gain, I guess. I’m quite hesitant to give my bike a name, because as soon as there’s a name, there’s an emotional attachment. I gave my first car a name (Basil), and when my Dad took him away to get the gearbox reconditioned, there was many a tear shed, because it was like a friend or close family member was leaving me. I’m not sure that would have happened if Basil was nameless.

The only drawback to riding to work I can see is that I won’t be able to knit on my commute anymore. I could try to knit and ride, but I suspect that it’s illegal, dangerous, and perhaps a bit silly.

Even though I mentioned that gift knitting wouldn’t really be blogged until it was in the recipient’s possession, I’m still going to blog about this one. So, if you happen to be my mother, look away now!

Snicket (Ravelry link) is a project that ticks all the boxes for me right at this very point in time. My Mum, whose birthday is at the end of this month, has made positive noises about me making a pair of socks for her, I’ve been itching to do some cabling and I’m currently quite enamoured with single ridges of rib against large sections of reverse stockinette. Can’t go wrong, really!

Georgie recently blogged about knitting epiphanies. My most recent one was a couple of centimetres into the cabling on Snicket. I was sick of the mess of needles that I had from cabling in the round, so I learnt how to cable without a needle using this very clear and useful tutorial. I think Snicket’s a really good project to learn this technique, as you’re only ever switching one stitch over at a time.

The heel of the first sock has just been turned, so I do need to get a wriggle on, but I’m relying heavily on the assumption that the second sock goes quicker than the first, despite the threat of second sock syndrome. I’m really enjoying knitting with this yarn, cashmere merino sock from the Knittery, so I’m hoping that will help me get through any tough times.

The only drawback to this yarn is that it has a wee bit of a halo to it, which seems to be causing all sorts of focus problems for my camera, even when using manual focus. So, apologies for the slightly fuzzy photos.

This season I decided to have a go at growing peas. Things were looking promising when 8 little sprouts sprang up from the soil, but only one really kicked on. I noticed a couple of flowers on it a week or so ago, but didn’t think much of it. Today when I checked on them, there were pea pods! I’m trying very hard to be patient and leave them for a couple more days before picking them.

It’s such a satisfying feeling growing veg, even if there’s really not enough to make even one meal out of the crop. I’ve grown tulips before, and while they were very pretty, it just wasn’t quite the same as growing peas or even herbs.

The mild success with the peas is perfect timing, as I was planning on putting in some more peas this weekend, as well as some chilli and capsicum plants, and I’m now even more motivated to give it a shot. Here’s hoping they do alright!

The descent into gift knitting season has commenced over here. A couple of birthdays are on the horizon, and I needed to whip up something quicksmart.

Turn a Square
a smidge of blue Lincraft cosy wool, a smidge of Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 8ply in Raven and Anthracite and a smidge of Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic 8ply in Graphite
3.75 and 4.5 mm dpns
Start: September 2008
Finish: September 2008

The hats are for are typical boys, so I wasn’t very adventurous with the colours, but that’s ok, because they were scraps of yarn that weren’t doing anything anyway.

Even though the recommended yarn is worsted weight, 8 ply seemed to work fine without any modification to the number of stitches cast on. I opted for a 3.75mm needle for the ribbing, as I wanted to make sure it fit snuggly around the band. I had a bit of trouble getting used to the jogless stripe technique, but once I got the hang of that, the hats were done in no time at all. In fact, I highly recommend this pattern if you need to whip up a present quickly, and the giftee is a skull cap wearer.

Because it is the gift knitting season, and I don’t know who reads this blog, I won’t be posting about projects much until they’re done and they are in the recipients’ possession. Don’t want to be ruining any surprises!

Thankyou for the lovely comments about my sewing exploits. Fingers crossed its warm enough this weekend for its public debut.

Georgie tagged me for the seven random things meme. How I chose the things wasn’t particularly random, in fact it’s very much a deliberate attempt to not come across as a complete weirdo, or be a list of embarrassing childhood anecdotes that you would expect a parent to roll out at an 18th or 21st.

So, here’s my very non-random ‘Seven Random Things’ meme:

– I love Nintendo. I never had a video game console as a kid, so as an act of adult rebellion, I promptly bought myself a NES from an op shop shortly after leaving home. Take that, parents! The collection has expanded, and I now also own a SNES, a Nintendo 64, a Gamecube and a Wii. I do have other non-Nintendo consoles, but they pale in comparison. I don’t really play them anymore as I don’t seem to have the time, but it’s comforting to know they’re nearby. As a bonus piece of info, my favourite game is Yoshi’s Island on SNES.

– I have an irrational hatred of bananas. I fully admit that it is irrational, and I have tried tried tried to be at least a little accepting of them, but I just cannot stand bananas. The taste, smell, texture, the look of the banana peel, the sound of people eating it, everything. This is an aversion that does not discriminate, as it extends to lolly bananas and banana chips.

– The Poppy is my favourite flower. As a happy coincidence, they are out in bloom around my birthday, which is nice. So this isn’t a photoless post (and to bulk out this ‘thing’ as I’ve not got much else to say about it), here’s a couple of photos of poppies I took in Melbourne when I was down there for my birthday this year:

– My life’s ambition when I was little was to be 6 foot. Nope, not a fireman, or a marine biologist, 6 foot tall was the only goal in my sights. Unfortunately I missed out by 2 inches.

– I can watch the same movie over and over and over and over and over again without getting sick of it. In 2002 I bought Amelie on DVD, and watched it once a day for nearly a week. I still love that movie, and could still watch it over and over. On the other hand, I’m not very good at watching movies that are ‘must sees’ at the time. I haven’t seen a Harry Potter movie, but I have seen Jurassic Park and the Sixth Sense, however they were dubbed in German.

– I’m good at writing lists, but atrocious at actually doing the things on the list. I’ve been trying hard to get better at actually crossing off items from any lists I make, but I still find lists written down everywhere, forgotten and unloved.

– I once won $60 in a Home and Away quiz at a local radio station. I’m mildly repulsed by that now, as I was always a Neighbours girl. The winnings were wisely invested in an Australian cricket jersey which is still worn to the Boxing Day test every year.

As I’m fairly new to this blogging caper, I shan’t tag anyone specifically even though I know it’s a cop out. However, if there’s anyone who hasn’t done it yet and would like to, consider yourself tagged. Please let me know if you do the meme!

I’ve been feeling a bit ‘meh’ about the projects I’ve worked on recently. I like them all well enough, but didn’t really feel a sense of accomplishment that I usually feel. This project, however, I’m pretty pleased with.

Vital Stats:
Simplicity 3835 (a Built By Wendy pattern)
Red cotton poplin from Spotlight

Sewing has been something I’ve wanted to try for some time. I’ve made a couple of things in the past, but this is my first attempt at a garment. I didn’t find it too hard to do, even setting the sleeves in was ok. Some of the seams are a bit wonky, but the elastic in the neck and sleeves hide a multitude of sins (I think). Once it warms up a bit more, I’ll definitely wear it, and I’ll use the pattern again in the future, perhaps with some patterned fabric.

Next up, sewing wise, is a skirt. I’m not a big fan of elastic waists, and it might be too early to attempt a zip, so maybe I’ll have a crack at a wrap round skirt.

While knitting on the bus earlier this week, I noticed I was knitting with olive green yarn, while wearing an olive green coat and an olive green bag in my lap. Then I realised that my wallet is olive green, the last jumper I finished was olive green, two neglected projects in my cupboard are olive green, and I still have some olive green yarn stashed away. Even the first lot of yarn I bought after I started knitting again was olive green.

I really do like olive green, but making that mental list made my head spin. Once this current project is finished I will not be knitting with or purchasing any olive green yarn for a bit. It’s only fair for the other colours in the spectrum. I hope that I’m not the only one with a subconscious obsession for a colour.

So yes, the current project. The Tyrolean cardigan from Sarah Dallas’ Vintage Knits. This was an opportunistic project as I had the needles, yarn that knit to gauge, a number of options for buttons and the book, so it really didn’t require any effort on my behalf at all.

Despite my apparent love for all things olive green, I didn’t really want to be olive green. I was inspired to give this pattern a shot, after seeing this version on Ravelry, but wanted to do it in some manner of grey. Having said all that, I’m fairly satisfied with the colour so far.

Progress has been fairly steady, with the back finished and the left front almost done as well. The body is a couple of centimetres longer to accommodate for my slightly longer torso, and I think I’ll give the embroidery a miss.

Being vegetarian, a lot of the savoury recipe cards aren’t really suitable, so savoury delights will be few and far between. I suspect that even if I didn’t mind eating meat, not many of the savoury offerings would really do it for me – tripe in parsley sauce anyone? I must get a scanner in the near future, and share some of these culinary delights.

This week’s offering is the french cheese stick. The french reference loses me a bit, as it contain curry and mustard powders, and the cheese is just good ol’ cheddar cheese. Perhaps it’s the mustard that gives its frenchness. As the title indicated that it was a french stick, I assumed it was bread, but it’s more of a scone dough with curry and mustard powders, and chunks of cheese.

I had never plaited dough before, so doing that was quite fun, and made the bread look really good. It was also nice to be able to put my many years of training as a professional my little pony tail plaiter to use. I had often wondered if it was time well spent as a kid. Let me assure you, it was.

I’m still in two minds on this one. The curry flavour and turmeric colour of the bread is kind of wrong, but kind of not. The cheese chunks are great, especially when it’s warm, because you get a nice surprise of melted cheese. I think it’s worth another chance, but next time I might ditch the curry powder.