done dusted and some progress (or castonitis in action)

Damson mark 3 is finished or Campari and soda as I have named it.

This was my second wollmeise scarf project this year and once again the yarn was a delight to knit with.  although there is one pull in the yarn in the middle somewhere but I am sure that in time it will fade or not be noticed.

Project details 

Campari and soda(rav link)

Pattern - Damson by Ysolda 

Yarn - Wollmeise Twin 80/20 colour way Campari piccolo

Size - as written

Needles - 4mm

This one was just over 2 weeks to knit 

Then there has been a small amount of progress on my cooks river socks

I cast on Georgia last night - the tart sock arrived on Thursday and I just could not resisit

langishing is my Audrey but hope to make some more progress soon

The garden is thriving and I had a play in there today

thanks so much for coming along for the ride this month - I had fun and apart from one day - which I made up for - I posted every day - sometimes up to 3 times

I suppose there was alot to say this month

3fer

yesterday along with all of the excitement I managed 3 posts - so today I am giving myself a day off

this is the post for today


here is a gorgeous magnolia picture I found -click on the photo for the source- as today I got my shipping notice from Madelinetosh for the first package is on its way - YIPPEEE

cultured

last night I had the great opportunity to see the play Our Town put on by the STC

Having studied theatre I did see quite a bit when I was at Uni (or that cultural sausage factory as we call it).  this carried over when I bought subscriptions to Belvoir St for a few years running and even the opera for a year.

I found that most times I would go and be disappointed.

Last night I went with no expectation and I had such a great time.  I was transported by the actors and the setting.  The costumes and scenery were understated and very powerful.  I loved the restrained look until the final act when the detail only accentuated the loss and grief of the dead.

Then time passed very quickly and after the first act I was anticipating something to go wrong in these people's lives, as it unfolded in the 2nd and 3rd act it was only through the act of living that something went wrong.  This in itself was so powerful.

I was heartened and inspired, perhaps there is hope for the arts in this country.

Susan Prior was top notch and every bit as good as I remembered from when she was studying at NIDA nearly 20 years ago.  Such a powerful actor - with the ability to transport you with a look - from such a distance.

Wow I think I may try out this theatre experience again soon.

blogtober

wow nearly at the finish line - and so much has happened this month

I cast on and cast off a few times.

read a book and found some more

yesterday I bought some congrats on the new job books

and had a giggle at those staging dudes redecoration of their tea room

today

it is raining and I just would love to curl up like Po and sit at home all day

out with the old

I remember now why I was keeping all of this - for the craft book.  Well that got 'forgotten' by the new management - so after much discussion with my assistant on Monday we had a huge clean out.  Our other colleague came in to work yesterday and had the same feeling we did - more space and air to create new ideas and thoughts.

it is so funny as there is decoration from the trolleys all over the very bloke oriented staging area at the moment.

I'll try for some photos tomorrow.....

and don't worry a lot of it went to the childcare next door and lots of little people around.  We just don't need it - as who wants to see tatty cardboard 10 times over - not me, not you and certainly not those little people.  Our gorgeous audience deserves the care and love of new ideas and props for each and every show!!!

halloween 2010

My darling friend Grace has a favorite book at the moment 'Trixie the Halloween Fairy' which is the inspiration for her costume this year

so we went off to spotlight on Monday for the pattern and fabric.  Then last night we cut out and sewed up this creation so she can be that fairy Trixie from the cover of the book - I can't decide which is the better photo so you all get 2 views

and thanks came way of the most delicious dinner and dessert from a local famous cake maker.....

sock club and knitting progress

Finally a sock club reminder came around again this weekend and I am casting on...


These ones are for me and the yarn I have had in my stash a while now, Fleece Artist BFL sock yarn in grey.  As you can see from the socks below I am not being that adventurous with colour choice - I looked at other colours but it just didn't feel right.

Kalajoki by Tiina Seppälä

The pattern Kalajoki is slightly adapted so there is a small amount of thinking and researching what other people have done as it was written for 6ply but I am loving the waving rivers up the legs.
It is a Finnish pattern tranaslated into English and the pattern notes Tiina describes the socks thus
"Kalajoki socks reflect the Kalajoki river which winds its way through Finland and empties into the Baltic Sea. Like the river, these socks feature a twisted rib pattern that undulates down the foot."


I have named mine Cook's River but there will be no sludge or smell from my socks......

and continuing with the twisted rib I am just about to start on the body of Audrey having finished the ribbing section of the body - phew this is going not so fast but it is 4 ply so I should not kid myself.

what I did today

spent the day at tafe not much really -- where we learnt about powerpoint and here is the photo I used on my work introducing myself

the axis is shifting

in my world - can't say too much as people need to be told officially etc

but apart from the loss of knitting time it will be exciting

changes changes

the not-quite-finished first page of the pop up book this week - it all went really well - one page to go...

it isn't enough

that I knit but now I am looking at quilting sites too, mmm fabric....


I am loving this quilt - which I found via Three Buttons and over here

Quilt illustration for Parcs i Jardins, the park deparment of Barcelona city council. Thanks to Wai Lin Tse for sewing the quilt. Agency Small. Barcelona, 2009




Later today I am off to the opening of the Granny Square in Newtown - I hope that they are still going when I get there a bit late...




and a certain wollmeise fairy brought her stash to work today and I got a drool, a snuggle and a inhale of the wonderful wollmeise perfume 

Is it finished

When do you know you have finished a knitted project?

When you cast it off?

When it is blocked?

or when it is worn for the first time?

I am pondering this as I cast off my Damson today.

Finished - but is it really?

 many thanks to my photographic assistants Tom and Po 

after the math

I sat down and cast on many many stitches - and now onto row 2.

Yesterday also saw some sewing and some cooking

I made more chicken from the new cook book - this time chicken with rosewater and hazelnuts YUM, apple and olive cake - double YUM. 

Then the sewing machine came out and I made .  

a bird bag - not a bag for birds but for knitting with birds on it - this bag is from two Kate's pattern.  Here it is before I sewed the handles together -so you can see the birds in full glory - can you guess where this fabric is from - and for the other projects but not the quilt....

a toiletry bag,

 some serviettes

and played with some fabric for a quilt - perhaps

getting gauge edited to add - or how missfee is crap at math

So to embark on Audrey I need to do some maths



edited to add - wrong wrong wrong fee failed at math - see comments for the truth!!!!




as my gauge is on 3.5mm needles- 28 stitches and the pattern calls for 24 stitches.































I did go up a needle size to 4mm but the fabric looked all wrong and loose - so instead along comes the math.


I fit the 5th size - 38.5" or 98cm, just double checking that with tape - whoopsI am a bit smaller so perhaps I should go down a size


With a bust measurement of 94cm I fit the 4th size - 36.5" or 93cm - bit of a difference but it is meant to be with negative ease of about -2.5cm.


Here comes the math - BLURG - my gauge is 28 stitches over 10cm so on the overall garment I am off or over by 4 stitches which overall would be an extra 1.4cm every 10cm
Worked out by dividing 28 into 10 and times it by 4 - gives me 1.4cm


So over 93cm - that is 9.3 lots of 10 - I would gain 13.2 stitches - making my cardigan not 93cm at the bust but 106.3cm and one unhappy missfee.


So if I knit the first size at 77.5cm bust I would get a gain of (7.75 x 1.4cm +77.5) = 88.35 bust - too small


If I knit the second size - 83cm bust - the gain would get me to a 94.62cm bust - so this would be the one for me.  Non or 63mm of  ease but I am fine with that - I am not so sure that I would like a really tight garment.


Ok so I am crap at math - did I do this right?  Just asking as I know you are out there today Rosered, Jodie and Reccie......HELP




edited to add - wrong wrong wrong miss fee fails at math - see comments for the truth!!!!
so for every 24 stitches I need to knit 28 so as the lovely ladies say say I need to knit the 108cm Bust as it will give you 259.2 stitches at 28 stitches for 10 cm

how a tree, and my garden, made me forget

to Blog yesterday

I got so into the garden that I lost all track of time and ended up pulling out a dead tree - then planting a new one.

Here is the root















and the branches






















and the new tree




































and the veggie patch - we also bought a push lawn mower yesterday so there was lawn mowing as well!

some wool - sadly DK not sock was sent - so the Georgia cardie is still a while off yet















I am wondering if I should send this back or keep it......



Work in progress

Another Damson in wollmeise - love the orange

and here is Po in the stain glass window - not happy and jumped straight down again

Celery or Audrey what to cast on next?  Still can't decide.....