Something For Kate OR When Flowers meet Fibre

I promised Kate to take her on a tour of Floriade this year, so Spidey and I visited on Sunday to check out the Alice Springs Beanie Exhibition with a view to a Picknit, and also to meet up with Helen Rippin - the dye-diva of Waratah Fibres (sadly, no website or blog).

For foreign readers, Floriade is Canberra's annual spring festival. Bulbs en masse together with garden displays and other activities. This year's theme is Aussie Myths and Icons. There was a Yowie, Kate, but no Sasquatch ;). I didn't photograph many of the myths and icons, mostly because the interpretative signage was pretty bad and we couldn't decipher some of the displays.

Flowers.

Myths and Icons

Possibly the Sydney Opera House made from bamboo?

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (also home of Australian Rules Football - the posts are the Aussie Rules goal posts)

Dunny complete with red back spider

Ute

Fibre

Shark Bite Hat

Tea Party Hat

Evil women bearing fibre (Helen Rippin on left, Spidey on right)

Large bag of dye-diva fibre. I only bought 50g - promise.

Daisy display which depicts sheep

Actual sheep (Spidey has dibs on this one)

A TTWC makes a pilgrimage

Seven Things Week Three

IN

• 1 handknitted vest by and from the Happy Spider - this is to be unravelled for TTWCs. It breaks my heart to do it.


• 1 set kitchen cannisters. I had a little falling down at the charity stall at Fyshwick markets last Sunday. These were $1.00 the lot and so very cute.


• 4 books : 1. No Great Mischief by Alistair Macleod which I've been wanting to read for a while 2. A Mills and Boon, The Librarian's Secret Wish, which Spidey spotted and which had to come home. 3. Trick or Treat by Kerry Greenwood - the fourth Corinna Chapman book. I don't keep many novels anymore. Usually they are read and BookCrossed. The Corinna Chapman series is one of them. I pay full-price for these books (a very good indication that I love them) and they are only loaned to people I trust to return them quickly and in good order. 4 The Lighthouse by PD James. I am devoted to PD James. I can justify this purchase (op-shop of course) because not only will I read it, but Jejune is a fan, too - we often swap books.


• 3 pieces vintage fabric spotted by Spidey - damn that woman's good, maybe too good! They went immediately to TSS, though.


• 1 lot of white roving, a gift from the lovely Sarah. It's one of Mandie's.


• 1 small bag of yarn from the markets charity stall. I love the vintage Patons Azalea/Cr***et Twist. I have a plan for all the bits and pieces of it that lurk in the boodle.


• Pink yarn for socks for Mum. It matches exactly the pink in the socks I'm currently knitting her. I should get a pair of plain pink, then a mix and match pair out of the remnats of the two yarns.


• 6 fashion mags from TSS. Is it fair that one of these is one I gave her ages ago?


• 1 knitting bag - beautifully fashioned by TSS. Now I have a nested set.


• 1 x 5k rice bag to become a project bag (see Shake-it-all-about, below). Also from TSS.


• 2 videos - Series 1 of The Office and Anne of Green Gables. From TSS, drat her. These will be watched and quickly disposed of. Put your hand up by email or in the comments if you want these after me.


• 46 knitting patterns (mostly Patons) - big thank you to Tink and TSS for their contributions


• 1 bag roving - yes we are a little creative with the maths on this one.


• 1 bag yarn - more creative maths.

OUT

• 10 books through BookCrossing. These were some of the 31 donated in Week 1. BOOKCROSSING


• 2 kid's magzines also in that box of books. To nephew. GIFT


• 4 kid's puzzle books from the same donation. My nephew loves puzzles and not many of these have been done already. GIFT


• 1 teeny little book from that same donation. It's going to the local library for a special display. GIFT


• 1 embroidery primer. GIFT


• 2 felt craft kits - off to Mum to keep the grandkids occupied during the holidays. GIFT


• 8 fashion magazines. GIFT


• 4 balls Patonyle. GIFT


• 2 cr***et books. See! I have tried to overcome my prejudice - I failed. GIFT


• 1 summer hat. I love straw hats but this one is nasty and scratchy. Yeah, I know I could sew lining in it but I just don't need it. SALVOS


• 3 coffee tins. SALVOS


• 2 plastic coffee measures. RECYCLING


• 1 plastic water jug which came with an iron. RECYCLING


• 1 back pack. Too big as a day pack, too small for a weekend away. SALVOS


• 3 cosmetics purses. SALVOS


• 4 little candles. SALVOS


• 4 packets fragrance sticks. SALVOS


• 1 fragrance stick burner. SALVOS


• 1 metal biscuit tin. SALVOS


• 2 old keys. RECYCLING


• 1 leather purse. MUM


• 5 pieces vintage fabric. TSS


• 1 white toothbrush. TSS


• 1 bottle Baileys Irish Cream. I know this is a consumable, but I can't drink it so to keep it is to hoard and getting rid of hoarded, useless items is the name of this particular game, so I'm counting it out. GIFT


• 1 new satin nightie. GIFT


• 1 pencil case. GIFT


• 1 pair summer cut-offs. Faded, zip broken, mis-shapen. RUBBISH


• 1 tube hair gel. This has been in the bathroom for years. The kids are having a "makeover" day at Nanna's over the holidays. This is part of my contribution to their fun.


• 1 lip gloss. I'm over 40 - what do I want with pale pink lip gloss? More for the kid's makeover.


• 4 broken hair combs - RECYCLING.


• 1 old dog brush. Broken and useless. RUBBISH.


• 1 telephone holder. Purple satin with shiny things all over. This was a gift from an old boss who hadn't a clue what I liked. We never got on. Off to one of the nieces. GIFT


• 1 garlic slicer. A gift from someone who knows I like kitchen gadgets, but this is a silly drawer clutterer. SALVOS


• 1 mobile phone handbook for a phone recycled last week. RECYCLING
  

SHAKE-IT-ALL-ABOUT

• 3 TTWC. To be fair, TSS helped. She is currently without a portable project so she knitted on a couple of these during our mini pub crawl on Monday and at the movies (free at the National Library) on Thursday.


• 5 x 5k rice bags transformed into knitting project bags.

These are great for carrying small projects and only once has it caused any problem in public. The cashier at Woollies tried to charge me for the "rice" I was carrying through the checkout. She hadn't seen me knitting a TTWC in the queue. I've been using these as small project bags for a year or so and they can be used just as soon as you've emptied the rice out of them. The bags are roughly and cheaply made, though, and the fabric edges usually raw, so I overlock the edges before washing the bags and then using them. Fewer nasty cotton threads tangling in your latest sock that way.

I have several bags that are white and two that are yellow. The white ones are for TTWCs and the yellow ones are for socks which makes packing the knitting bag so much easier on busy mornings.

The zippered bags also make great laundry bags for lingerie and other delicates. That was a tip from the Happy Spider.

IN 70
OUT 78
SIAB 8

nett out: 8

Bad and buggered blogger

A busy week Chez Taph - or rather not Chez Taph - haven't had a night home in over a week.

Not home = no blog but it doesn't mean no knitting. Neither does it mean no shopping, *sigh*. There's been a rather big falling down in the no shopping department.

The Lifeline Bookfair in Canberra is, reportedly, the biggest in Australia. I have to go for work. I line up an hour or so before the doors open with all other diehards, then storm the barricades. I worked on the latest sock in the queue (forgot to take a photo) spent three hours combing the tables for items for our collection and then checking with staff back at the library for holdings. In the course of this I have to pass the craft sections and it would be just wrong not to look. Result, 32 Patons patterns and a couple stitch pattern dictionaries into to the collection. Oh, and I made time to have a cuppa with TSS. We really should have thought harder about the likely pitfalls of a Seven Things Spring Challenge when Spring in Canberra means a Lifeline Bookfair and the school fete/garage sale season.

Add this to the 4 Tinkingbell sent, the 4 TSS found and the 6 I'd bought the day before, we have 46 patterns in this week.

After the Bookfair I popped in to the Salvos Store at Mitchell. Nothing to be had (much to my relief) but as I was leaving I heard behind me - "Just hold that bag open for all that spinning wool". It was mine within seconds, as was the bag of knitting yarn they were about to throw in the skip because it was so hopelessly tangled.

I haven't weighed it yet, but there is a substantial amount of dyed, ready to spin roving. Pretty good for $5.

An hour's work last night turned most of this tangled mess of yarn into 12 balls of Anny Blatt pure wool (roughly 12 ply), 7 balls and part balls of Patons Totem, and some part balls of Patons Bluebell. There is also a large tangle of wool still to be worked on. It's going to make wonderful TTWCs and wristwarmers.

Sometimes I'm just the panty liner of my wallet's incontinence.

Oh, and here is the one hundreth Time Thief Watch Cap for the year. It's knitted from natural greasy wool produced by the Little Bo Peep company of Geelong.

TTWC 2007.100

Speaking of Geelong - Go the Cats! (but if you ever tell Dad I said that, I will have to kill you).

On the job

So Margie included the results of a career quiz in her blog. It's from Career Cruising , (username: nycareers, password: landmark) .


I guess it's good the the three things I'm trained in are in the top ten, as are several other jobs I've done. Not listed here, though, are full-time stash wrangler or professional bargain hunter. Disappointing. ;)

1. Professor
2. Anthropologist
3. ESL Teacher
4. Foreign Language Instructor
5. Archivist
6. Economic Development Officer
7. Historian
8. Librarian
9. Editor
10. Dental Assistant
11. Computer Trainer
12. Medical Secretary
13. Foreign Service Officer
14. Funeral Director
15. Curator
16. Industrial-Organizational Psychologist
17. Nail Technician
18. Communications Specialist
19. Corporate Trainer
20. Tour Guide
21. Library Technician
22. Customer Service Representative
23. Print Journalist
24. Writer
25. Picture Framer
26. Market Research Analyst
27. Furniture Finisher
28. Sport Psychology Consultant
29. Human Resources Specialist
30. Health Records Professional
31. Critic
32. Dispatcher
33. Economist
34. Translator
35. Plumber
36. Technical Writer
37. Public Relations Specialist
38. Political Aide
39. Activist
40. Public Policy Analyst

Seven Things Week 2

IN

• 3 DVDs. The original Hairspray, written and directed by John Waters with Ricki Lake, Divine and Deborah Harry. Now I can retire the dubbed video an ex did for me (complete with hand-drawn and coloured cover). Cry Baby directed by John Waters and starring Johnny Depp and Finding Neverland also with Mr Depp. 3 movies within the Collection Development Policy (ie, anything I have on video that has survived the regular VHS purges and ANYTHING featuring Mr Depp) for $24.96.

OUT

• 1 sewing pattern to TSS. GIFT
• 1 tortishell headband. For a short while in the 80s I was a Laura Ashley/Sloane Ranger wannabe. This was just after the proto-goth phase. Anyway, a love of headbands is a left over from the Laura/Sloane phase. Now I prefer them as thin as possible and while this is thin and tortishell patterned (my preferred colouring), it's too stretchy and doesn't do the business on thick hair. All intact hair accessories have gone to my twin 12 year old nieces. GIFT
• 1 blue grippy comb thing. Blue? What was I thinking? And it's too small to contain my mop. GIFT
• 1 metal bar clip. Hideous and broken. RUBBISH
• 1 mauve hair bobble. Dunno where it came from, but it's been kicking around the hair maintenance drawer in the bathroom forever. GIFT
• 6 pairs of litte decorative hair grips. No amount of work ever made me look like Gwyneth Paltrow in Sliding Doors, despite the blondeness of my crowning glory at the time (she had a really great "do" in that movie and used all these little hair clips). Note that I am counting the sets, not the actual items here. That should calm down a certain person about my creative mathematics. GIFT
• 1 yellow hair clip with blue flower. Hideous and chipped. RUBBISH
• 1 silver hair clip with very cute diamante daisy (see ref to Gwyneth Paltrow). GIFT
• 1 packet bobby pins purchased in a rush to tame my hair one day and in the wrong colour. My strawberry blonde niece loves these. Please note this is counted as 1, not each and every bobby pin. GIFT
• 30 or so knitting patterns. Friday night was spent watching first the AFL final - what a marathon. I busied myself going through a large stack of photocopied or downloaded patterns. The earliest download was 1996! They all went either to the recycling bin or for reuse in the printer. I kept about 5 patterns out of a 2" high stack .

SHAKE-IT-ALL-ABOUT

• 1 pair socks (wheeeee!)
• 3 TTWC - pictured here and here

IN: 3
OUT: 44
NETT OUT: 39

SIAB: 4

It's a busy day and I won't be home until late - look forward to seeing everyone else's posts late tonight or early tomorrow.

TTWC 2007.99

This yarn was from the other child's sized jumper bought at Laurieton St VdeP (see yesterday's post). It's Patons Family 12 ply. Five beanies came from this jumper.

How do I know what the yarns are when it comes from a completed hand-knit? It's a gift.

I come from a family of knitters. Mum and my maternal grandmother knitted so I've seen a lot of ball bands. I also worked in David Jones' while I was at high school and college. Although I mostly worked in the Manchester department, it was next to the Haberdashery department and that's where the yarn was. I fondled a LOT of yarn. It also explains the mega fabric remnant stash I once had.

Also, I've been buying vintage, and just plain old, wool from op-shops for years.

Having bought a LOT of wool, both new and used, I've got a yarn memory that stretches back about at least 50 years.

And the beanie goes on

TTWC 2007.97-98

All this bottle green wool was recycled from a jumper found at St VdeP in Laurieton (near Port Macquarie). It's old Paton's Jet and knits up beautifully.

We had to go to Laurieton to get Mum's oxygen bottles filled. I'd already made a list of all op-shops in the district from the telephone directory, so we knew there were at least two in Laurieton. At Vinnies we struck pay-dirt. Here was where all the hand-knits on the mid-north coast were hiding. They certainly weren't in South West Rocks or Kempsey, because we'd checked (and bought the two that were to be had).

I can't remember now but we got something like 5 jumpers in Laurieton. Two of them were kid's sized in 12 ply. Neither of them had been worn, or if they had, they hadn't been washed. They were lovely and one had a "Knitted with Love by Nana" tag sewn in. When I unpicked them it was obvious they'd been knitted by the same woman.

I don't usually buy kid's jumpers to unravel. Often they are bought and used as they were intended but these were 12 ply and in Laurieton where no kid would ever need a jumper that thick. Also, I'd knitted all the 12 ply I'd brought with me and was desperate for some TTWC action.

These unpicked and unravelled easily and the crinkle fell out immediately the skeins hit the water. So far I've knitted four hats from this bottle green and there are three more on the needles and one less reusable item into landfill. I like to think that the original knitter would approve.

Pattern-Spotting

The realisation that I have become a sad little pattern-spotter has caused very little worry; which is a worry in itself.

Apologies that the Google doc is not available for viewing. If you would like to see it I am happy to email you a copy of the spreadsheet.

So here we have the pattern-spotter's guide to vintage Australian Patons pattern leaflets.


Leaflets of the late 1930s-1940s were black and white and looked a lot like this. Dimensions approx. 19cm x 24.5cm









In the 1950s and 60s, we got colour covers. Dimensons approx. 18cm x 23.5 cm










By the late 1960s and into the early 1970s when this first series of patterns numbered up to 1000 finished, they had color covers and measured 18 cm x 28 cm









The reprint series seem always to have had coloured covers, but not full colour. Someone who know about printing will probably tell me what process this was. They are identified by the "R" prefixing the number, and by their size. These are tidges at 13.5 cm x 21cm.








The craft series, identified by the "C" prefixing the pattern number are also small, initially. 13.5 cm x 21cm at first, they change dimension at the same time as the main pattern run does. So in the late 60s that are 18cm x 23.5 cm.

I have not included the Classics series. They begin in the late 1960s and are still published. Most of the more recent ones are reprints of earlier publications. The numbering and the patterns remain the same but the photography and leaflet size change.


The pattern-spotter's natural habitat is the op-shop and garage sale. She can be identified by the hand-knitted cardie, sensible shoes and woolly hat. She has been known to snoop in the craft cupboards of elderly relatives, capacious knitting bag gaping open at her side. She carries a notebook containing details of her pattern sightings and seeks out others of her kind. They congregate in coffee shops and bars where they share stories of their adventures and knit together. The more technologically advanced of them create blogs and websites to document their obsession collection.

They are mostly harmless and to be deeply pitied.

Patons Pattern Hunt

Over the years I've adopted different storage systems and classification arrangements of knitting pattern leaflets.

Storage systems used include

• hole punching and binders (I was 8, give me a break!),
• plastic sleeves and binders
• pamphlet boxes
• box files
• the "Lying Around on Any Available Flat Surface" method for which I have a patent pending.

Apart from hole punching they all have qualities to recommend them. My preference is for box files.

Classification schema have included

• Subject (babies, children, women, men, accessories, homewares, toys, dogs),
• Chronological (order in which they are received, usually in conjunction with the "Lying Around on Any Available Flat Surface" storage method)
• Favourites (often subdivided by subject) and
• Provenance (separate collections based on author or publisher with appropriate sub-divisions depending on the creator - usually chronological by publication date).

Because I am an archivist Provenance is my preferred method of arrangement but what I'd really like is to catalogue and index them all so I have a database searchable by designer, publisher, yarn, ply, size and pattern type. Because I am also a masochist, I've made a start.

Just before I went away for all those weeks, I sat down one evening and put the main run of the Patons patterns into numerical order. When I got back I spent another day or so trawling the various pattern storage devices for other patterns. I found many duplicates, most of which were offered around SnB members.


Patons produced a number of separate series of pattern leaflets in Australia. There are at least two single number series.

• Series 1 is numbered 1-1000 and runs from the 1930s to the early 1970s.
• Series 2 begins in the 1970s and seems still to be going.
• the craft series (number prefixed with the letter C),
• the reprint series (number prefixed with the letter R)
• the classics series.

I've collected the vintage (Series 1) Patons patterns off and on for years and was given a goodly number by Mum and Nanna. Now I want to complete the set if possible. It could be worse, I could collect vintage cars - I once created a catalogue for a collection of vintage cars and associated documentation and memorabilia for a friend's husband, I know what I'm talking about.

A spreadsheet was used to create a list of pattern numbers and colour coded to indicate which pattern numbers I have and in what condition. Grey indicates a pattern in good order and orange shows one that should be replaced if the opportunity arose and the price was right. Green means I'm on a promise for that one.


If you'd like to see the list, it's up on Google Documents.

A printout sits in my wallet with the needle gauge I habitually carry - what, don't you? I can check it whenever I come across a bundle of patterns for sale. Since compiling the list a fortnight ago it's been in constant use. Here's The Shopping Sherpa learning the system at the Salvos Tuggeranong. Why yes, that is a large basket of yarn in front of me - how odd. Please note this was before Seven Things Spring.

In Reply

Questions regarding my socks.

Bells, I have a narrow heel, but a large leg and foot. I'm going to have to play with decreases at the ankle to get a snug fit. The alternative may be to knit the heel on fewer than half the stitches but I suspect I'll get unsightly bunching at the front of the ankle/top of the foot if I do that. Any other suggestions gratefully received.

Olivia, sorry not to have taken a photo of the buggered up toe. Imagine a toe turned 90 degrees to the usual position. The graft ran on the same axis as the leg, rather than on the toe axis.

Up Front

The Front cafe at Lyneham is a lovely little cafe/gallery. The chairs are mostly good, the soy hot chocolate was ok, the choc muffin thing was pretty ordinary. It's spacious, though, and not too loud - a good SnB space.

We had a lovely SnB there tonight - new people, not so new people, old mates. A great range of ages and abilities. We were the only ones there (about 10 or 12 of us) and there was plenty of room for more people. Even the cafe dog got a chair to itself!

Pity about the attitude. Last month's problem was, perhaps, an understandable mix up over confirmation but tonight's announcement that they can't guarantee us space every month because they'd like to keep it open for a "more appropriate" (I quote) activity is totally FUCKED!

Yes, it's their business and they can do what they like with it. I have a suggestion about what they can do with it and with what degree of force, but I am a lady and cannot say.

I will say, though, that I will not be back.

As the Divine Miss M would say ...

"Don't brag about your body, baby,

And say that you're packin' a lot,

'cause all i see besides your big feet

Is that you got big socks."

So true, but now my big socks are hand-knitted.

Yes, these are the ones I knitted on the road trip with Mum way back in April from an Opal kit TSS frugalled for me last year.

Following a grafting fuck up (for future reference: toes are horizontal, NOT vertical), these have been languishing in the AID pile.

Please note the near identical nature of these socks - a feature which pleases me no end.

The Happy Spider rescued them for me yesterday. Thanks, Spidey.

72 stitch sandard pattern in Opal faux-isle on 2.25mm needles. Note to self - decrease a couple of stitches before the heel and don't forget that whole horizontal toe thing.

Seven Things Spring Week 1

IN

• 3 knitting magazines (Knit Simple, Vogue Knitting and Knit 'n' Style)
  1 fashion magazine
• 31 books donated by well-meaning friends to BookCross. I don't mind, but did it have to be THIS week? Every effort will be made to release them next week.
• 4 knit-lit books (Knit Lit 1-3 and Knitting Yarns and Spinning Tales) accepted from The Shopping Sherpa. Be warned - DO NOT participate in the 7 things challenge with friends who are likely to offload their 7 things on YOU.
• 2 lots of yarn also from TSS. 650g of Patons Sunspun textured 8ply cotton in dark purple (I'm thinking Everlasting Bagstopper) and 325g of Cleckheaton 5ply boucle wool in a dark cerise colour which will probably end up as a small child's cardie.

I can explain the knit-lit and the yarn; really I can. This sorry tale should serve as a warning to all - DO NOT leave home without your knitting.

On Friday I had a client visit mid-afternoon clear across the other side of town. I was in a rush and hadn't eaten and raced out the door grabbing back-pack, donor forms, explanatory stuff for the client, coat and keys. At the first red-light the sickening realisation dawned - my knitting bag containing the sock-on-the-go and 2 TWWCs which was in the tea room in prepartion for lunch-time knitting.

I did not panic. I took a deep breath and tried to think happy but non-knitting thoughts (there are some, admittedly few, but some nonetheless - puppies, babies, sunsets, that kind of thing; just don't think about knitting dog coats, baby booties or while watching the sunset and you're fine). The time was 2pm.

The client visit was lovely. He was showing me 600 odd photographs of the building of and life in a retirement village. Wonderful social history document. I was keeping it together and then came the photo of 15 or so women in the community room all knitting. Let's just say that I had a vision of the future and it was good but it did remind that there was an evening ahead that was yarn-less. I felt a twinge of anxiety but covered it by telling the client about Stitch 'n' Bitch (because if you can't be knitting the next best thing is talking about it). Lord love him; he'd heard of us.

By 5.30 I was in Civic to meet TSS for an exhibition opening. She noticed the missing part of my ensemble immediately. Twitchiness was also apparent - she offered alcohol which distracted me for a while but it did little to dull the developing craving. I resisted the urge to stroke the hand-knitted jumpers and cardigans and a particularly beautiful shawl of the other guests and settled for standing quite close and affecting a nonchalant and definitely non-stalker attitude while inhaling the yarn fumes. It worked to an extent but an hour later we were in BigW looking looking to score. The Jet was all gone but I fondled a couple of balls of Sean Sheep and we laughed and pointed at the nasty self-patterning acrylics which took the edge off what was now becoming a full on craving for yarn.

We were also hungry and decided we'd drive to TSS's, leave the car and walk to her favourite Thai restaurant. This is when it happened, I opened the boot to take out the fabric I had for her and she handed me 4 knitting books and a bag of yarn. She took advantage of my weakened state and I was powerless to resist. It was 8pm - I'd been without yarn and its accoutrements for 6 hours.

OUT

• 4 fashion magazines. GIFT
• 3 knitting patterns (duplicates from my collection of vintage Patons patterns - more of that next week). GIFTS
• 1 DVD (Ally McBeal the first series. Look, it was $1, I loved that first series, and it was a really good thing to take away with us. Now I'm inflicting it on someone else.) GIFT.
• 11 books via BookCrossing
• 2 items of West Highland Terrier memorabilia. The crappy planter and photo frame were gifts. I treasure the thought behind the gift but don't need to keep the objects themselves. SALVOS
• 3 vintage embroidery books. I can't successfully multi-task embroidery and I get a frozen shoulder from too much fine needlework. GIFT
• 1 box assorted vintage stationery with a floral theme. Yes, I could use it up but I have heaps of vintage stationery and this is going to an appreciative home. GIFT
• 2 handbags: 1 black leather; 1 my original "Classic" Kangarina, the bag that changed the way I view handbags - it's a cult thing. SALVOS
• 2 black leather wallets: 1 that was perfect - soft leather, just enough compartments but the coin purse stretched so much I kept losing my small change. SALVOS
• 1 pair cheap sunglasses that came free with a lipstick last year. SALVOS
• 1 pair cute cats-eye glasses frames in which I considered putting my own lenses. SALVOS
• 1 zebra-stripe faux fur handbag. Scarily, I have a skirt that matches this. Love the skirt, the handbag is too much! SALVOS
• 1 coin purse to match zebra-stripe faux fur handbag. Donated to TSS for possible recycling as a miniatures something. GIFT
• 1 old mobile phone with cow-print cover. RECYCLED
• 1 child's cow fancy dress costume. Frugalled for a friend's children but it was too small. Going to a work colleague with a suitably small child. GIFT
• 12 pairs of pantyhose. Mum used to work on the hosiery counter at DJs. Our hosiery stockpile was legendary. Mum gave me these to recycle as knee-highs and hair elastics (a tutorial on that later). They've been here at least 6 months, so they are going to someone who might actually use them. GIFT
• 1 shabby chic style purse purchased and used as a knitting equipment holder in the days when I only did premmie knitting in breaks at work, dreamed of bigger projects and hid it all over the place from a non-supportive partner. I don't have to hide knitting any more and this is far too small. SALVOS
• 1 silk jewellry pouch. Given to a jewellry making friend for a gift bag. GIFT
• 24 sewing patterns sold on eBay. SOLD
• 3 pieces of fabric to TSS, because turnabout is fair play!

SHAKE-IT-ALL-ABOUT
Only a single TTWC completed this week, and it hasn't been photographed yet.

In 71

Out 76

NETT OUT 5

I should feel like a failure, but I don't. I tried really hard to review some of the collections of things in my house (I got rid of handbags for God's sake!) and find good homes for them. Registering and releasing books is time-consuming as is eBay selling.

Congrats to the other Seven Things Springers. Five Ferns Fibreholic has posted - snaps to her, she got rid of yarn! TSS has posted and had the good grace to feel bad (but not TOO bad) about offloading stuff on me. TinkingBell emailed about her progress and it's good. Very good. Ferg's having to move house again so she'll be hard at it. Jay appears to be blogless, but cheers for Jay. Seepi, also blog-less, has reported her progress in TSS's comments - excellent start. Lastly, we've been joined by BB who had a bit of a setback on her first day. I feel your pain, BB.

WIP it! (with apologies to Devo)

Startistis is gnawing at the admittedly shaky resolve to finish some of the projects already on the sticks before succumbing to the tempations of new infatuations.

These are the projects in current rotation.

Short Circuit scarf in mystery boucle.

The yarn emerged from a boodle box of textured but not bad yarns. I imagine that it came from an op-shop in a bag of yarn bought for something else in it. The yarn has been unravelled from another garment and there is quite a lot of it. The boucle bit is plum and the plying thread is dark navy blue. Knitting it on 5mm needles (lovely vintage red plastic ones) gives it a lot of drape. This was started in July but abandoned in the whole mix up over my leave dates. It's mindless enough to be out and about knitting so I'm trying not to waste precious home time on it.

Plain Socks in Heirloom's Jigsaw sock yarn

The yarn is from the considerable sock boodle and I think it came from Cassidy's in Jamison last year. Started a week ago so I'd have an easy sock for toting around, it has progressed to the heel. The intention was to work on this at lunchtimes but the first week back at work was a bit full on and it was only knitted during one lunch-time. Will try harder next week.

"Khaki Cables" by Penny Ollman from Knitter's Magazine Winter 2006

This is the project I took away. There is a completed sleeve and half a back is currently on the needle. There's a front done as well, but I buggered it up and it will be unravelled in the fullness of time.

The cable pattern is lovely and easy to remember, definitely a Good Thing TM. I've made sizing alterations. The pattern is for quite a short cardigan but I've done the maths (several times *sigh*) and my version will be a-lined and below hip length. I'm praying that I have enough Cleckheaton Country Heathers to finish. Loving the green. This is my at-home knit. At-home doesn't happen very often, so this could be a very long time being finished.

And the needle is an Addi Turbo. I was not an fan of the Turbo but it's definitely the right tool for this job. I still don't like the short shank on the shorter length Addis, but this one is long enough to manipulate easily.

As usual there are five TTWCs on the go. They don't really count as WIPs as they are constant. Why five? That's the number of 4.5mm x 60cm circs I have and it's convenient to have them loaded and ready to go at a moment's notice. I also aim to have at least one paler-shaded TTWC available for knitting in low light levels (movies, lectures etc.). It's also useful to have a few on the go because sometimes it isn't always possible to knit the "finishing" stage on dpns and participate in other activities (like walking).

There are other projects lurking in the WIP/UFO basket but I'm ignoring them until something can be achieved with these babies.

Pear shaped

TTWC Jr. 2007.96 with Manchurian Pear blossom.

This is yarn George donated at the Harlot Happening in March. There was just enough left for a TTWC Jr. I got a bit silly with the umbilical i-cord.

The Last Post

TTWC 2007.95 on concrete seat ends

My Dad is from a tiny district near a small town in the Western District of Victoria. The dairy farm he grew up on was a post-WWI Soldier Settlement block with some land holdings added to it. Part of the block was the intersection of the two main roads in the district, that is - the road to the school and the road to the railway siding.

My Grandfather was a sporting man. He played football and cricket and trained race horses. My father played football and cricket (very well as it happens) and his sisters played tennis. So for the reasons of geography, personal inclination, district pride and to keep his children close to home, the local football and cricket pitch was in a paddock on the family property nearest the school, and my grandfather gave a portion of the land on the intersection of the roads to the Shire Council for a tennis court. The Council built a tennis court on the land nearest the intersection and my grandfather built another court next to it. The tournaments held there were legendary and summer and winter the little dairy farm was one of the hubs of the community social life.

Two young men from the district lost their lives in World War II. The community erected a memorial to them by putting up a seat at the tennis court. My grandfather had a matching seat constructed for the family court. The seats were wooden slats attached to shaped concrete end posts.

Some years ago Dad was at the farm doing some work and negotiating to purchase the old and now disused tennis court land back from the Shire Council when he came across 4 concrete ends and remembered their significance. No one he mentioned them to expressed any interest in them, so he brought the concrete ends home to Canberra where he erected one seat in his backyard and put a plaque on it in continued remembrance of the war dead. I advised him at the time that the local historical society should be told of the memorial and that he probably shouldn't have moved them. His argument was that it was his land, that there had never been markings on the seats in the first place and that at least he was prepared to honour those men's supreme sacrifice.

The other two concrete seat posts are in my garden waiting for Dad to decide where to construct it yet. The beanie didn't seem to mind.

Live wire

TWWC 2007.94 in fuse box

I just love finding new places to keep yarn.

AmandaJ wanted to know how I came to be taking photos in the loo yesterday. I knew someone would ask the loo question.

The camera was in my handbag, and I had my handbag with me, so when I'd finished what I was there for I took a picture. Now you mention it though, one of my superiors was in the bathroom at the same time (different stall) - wonder what she made of the flash. Maybe now she'll realise where the sun really does shine!

The feathers fly

It is most of a hat made from fake Feathers yarn and a big ball of acrylic on a round loom like a big French Knitting form that this under 14s centre forward is wearing. She was unaffectedly working on it between soccer matches at Young yesterday. I was chuffed.

In the passenger seat of a cab in Canberra today I knitted on a TTWC. The driver said he'd never had a passenger knit in his taxi in 20 years on the job. On reflection, he decided it wasn't as entertaining as the woman putting her knickers on because she'd forgotten to before she left the house, but it was much better than someone cleaning their shoes or putting on make-up.

Quite liked this graffiti in a loo at the Australian National University today.

There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance

TTWC 2007.93

The last of the Jet that Georgie donated, resting on the rosemary hedge.

I had a lovely time this afternoon with some of my favourite knit bloggers and cr***eter at Georgie's this afternoon. We welcome her to the Sisterhood of the Sock. Those sausage rolls were to die for, George - thank you.

Rosemary is one of my favourite herbs -it's so robust. Potato wedges baked with salt and rosemary; chicken breast marinated in a little oil, lemon juice and rosemary and grilled; lamb roasted with garlic and rosemary.

I planted a rosemary hedge at the highest point in the yard, behind the rose garden in the south west corner. I wanted this to be my vegie patch, Dad wanted roses. I lost.

When Dad trimmed the hedge last autumn I found the clippings on the trailer with the rest of the rubbish to go to the tip. I rescued a green shopping bag full and took it to work to share with my colleagues. Our tearoom smelled divine for a week.

The neighbour behind has his potting bench in that corner and I can tell when he's been potting because the dogs smell of rosemary from trying to get through to "help" him.

This morning I succumbed to the latest Knit Simple which has several designs I like, and the most recent Knit 'n' Style which despite an unfortunate tendency to novelty yarn, has some great patterns this issue; patterns that will fit if I knitted them. Excellent. I'm taking them on a trip to Young tomorrow. No, not to the fabulous Wool Room Country Store, one of my fave yarn stores, but to watch my nieces and nephew play soccer. After tomorrow's 400k round trip, I do not wish to drive again for some time.

Welcome to fellow Seven Things Spring (or September for the not so stuff-challenged), Tinking Bell, Five Ferns Fibreholic, Ferg, and Jay who shouted out on TSS's blog.