FO: Butch Cap Mark II

The Byrans *sigh* and I finished another Butch Cap in the wee hours of Saturday morning. We stayed up late and took a walk down memory lane to St Elmo's Fire and got the job done (how fair is it, BTW, that Rob Lowe looks the same in The West Wing at 40 as he did in St Elmo's Fire at 19?).

This time 84 stitches were cast on instead of 80 and 10 extra rounds were knitted to give a deep enough turn up brim (and extra warmth around the ears). I still cannot get over how gorgeous the natural greasy wool is to knit with. I always turned my scarred-by-the-70s, I-am-not-a-hippy-even-though-I-knit nose up at all that natural stuff, but this was great. I will not be so prejudiced in the future.

Speaking of prejudices, though, the one against ack-rylic and fun furs will continue. Spent the afternoon and evening en famile at Jejune's Place (her actual place, can't seem to squeeze into the blog). She rescued some yarn from a local op-shop the other day that actually squeaked as it was knitted! Don't think these 40 balls will be seen in a garment around Canberra ANY time soon.

We had our own private Stich 'n' Bitch, with Jejune knitting a particularly beautiful little clutch bag and her stripey socks, Othlon, that demon knitter, made progress on the Marley's Ghost scarf and cast on the kitten ear hat from the first Stitch 'n' Bitch book and I worked constantly on JEC's cabled tunic. It does seem to be taking forever. Ah well, it doesn't have to be finished until September, but it would be good to get it finished.

It was a busy morning. Mum's grocery shop, quick trip to Weston Salvos (oh dear, how did those two bags of yarn, several circ needles and c*****t hooks and all those beads get into the car?), field call from cousin who is moving from my grandmother's house about provenance and intended custodianship of various items of furniture and could she use my washing machine. Drop Mum's groceries off, find large suitcase and fruit box full of yarn, needles (my original 1970s rocket needles have come home!), fabric (all those off cuts from my scary 80s fashion design projects plus a couple of nice bits of vintage fabric), and about a dozen rolls of knitting nylon (kind of like long strips of terylene curtaining) have taken refuge at her house from Nanna's house. Coffee, pack wool, needles and nice fabric into car, get reminded to call it at Nanna's and make claim to Mum's 1960s Singer sewing machine (on which I learned to sew and which is beautiful). Call in at Nannas, chat to Auntie Marj, collect sewing machine, sewing machine table and cousin's washing, also order for mauve sewing cotton and Nan wants "her" purple blanket (actually my purple blanket, but Mum let her have it when I left home and Nan returned it years ago, but she doesn't remember that). Home, unload everything except sewing machine and table (it's over 30 degrees now and they are too heavy to drag up the stairs), hang out my washing, put cousin's washing on, return to Mum's with cardboard boxes. Coffee. Find purple blanket "and while you're up in that really high cupboard just throw down a few things and that suitcase is full of your towels and stuff so you'd better get it down, too", triage the resulting avalanche of fabric pieces for long-ago planned projects and manchester purchased over 20 years ago. Haul two boxes of fabric and unwanted manchester into car. Find mauve cotton. Return to Nanna's to hand over blanket and cotton and assure cousin that her washing will be dry by late afternoon should she wish to retrieve it. Down to Phillip Salvos with cartons of fabric etc. to find that everyone else has been clearing out too, so feel obliged to buy some yarn (200g very nice Cleckheaton tweedy 8ply - perhaps the Voodo Wristwarmers?), a couple of books and some black elastic sided boots (yay), to help them out. Just so as not to show favourtism, duck into Phillip St V de P and buy a book. Forgot to buy milk earlier so over to the nearest shopping centre, oh dear it is also home to LYS. Buy wool for Woosang's wedding hats and for practice mohair rug, still no bamboo dpns, and blag a few Jo Sharp freebie bookmarks and booklets for the SnBers. Home, hang out cousin's washing, bring my washing in (it's about 36 degrees by now and I get sunburned in the 15 minutes I'm out there), answer several email, pack basket and go to Jejune's. Knit, chat, laugh, eat, lovely.

The upshot is that my dining table looks like a knitting bag-lady has taken residence. There's lots of plakky bags of lots little bits of wool. I bagged the big stuff last night, and now I'm down to the stuff to be unravelled and the ends of balls. Some real gems among the dross, though.

100g of a beautiful think and thin handspun in soft bluey-grey, cream and eau de nil.
100g NZ 4ply crepe (socks!)
several single but complete balls of Patons Totem
odds and ends of vintage Patonyle (good for heels and toes)
odds and ends of vintage Patons Azalea (lovely twisted 3-4ply)
darning wool
fantastic vintage apron pattern
400g grey Patons Bluebell

So apart from running around like a blue-arsed fly, I spent a lovely afternoon and evening with some of the bestest people I know, I got some knitting done, expanded the stash and best of all, my mother asked me to knit a baby jacket for her physiotherapist, whose wife is expecting their first child. Why is this the best thing that happened all day? I have graduated from the knitting apprenticeship and received a commission from my knitting master.