Early Spinning and Knitting on the Monaro

Archibald Crawford was born in 1833, in Campbelltown, Scotland and was 10 years old or so when his family settled for a year on The Dry Plain on the Monaro in about 1844. He was in charge of a flock of 800 lambing ewes. 

He writes in his memoir Eighty-Five Years in Australia (Sydney: John Sands Ltd; 1925), pp 22-23.

My mother, of whom I was very fond, used to spin all the wool for our knitted garments, of which we wore a good many. She never spoke English in the home, although she had an average knowledge of it, but always Gaelic. When she was knitting, sewing or spinning, she would sing old Gaelic songs to us; she had a very sweet and pleasing voice. One of my brothers-in-law, named Brayshaw, made the first spinning wheel which she used in this country; later on, when we went to Victoria, she got an imported one, which is still in existence as far as I know, and would probably be used during the Great War. At night I had to tease the wool for carding, another thing I did not like doing, and one night I was complaining and mother said to me, "No doubt you do think it a great bother to have to tease the wool, but you just think when you are out in the snow to-morrow how you would feel if you have no nice warm socks to wear." The next day I had reason to remember her lecture.

Merry Christmas

Thanks to The Old Flame for finding this.  He thinks it is "too true to be funny."

Thriftmas

Because there just isn't enough compulsory shopping at this time of the year, The Old Flame and I squeezed in a little op-shopping on the weekend.

We found heaps of wool, sewing notions and a toy loom (a bit expensive, but what the hell, it's Christmas), some shirts and these, my favourite things, which I even managed to photograph.

The white cane basket was full of knitting wool - most of it useable, the hand made little blue and white mouse in 3ply wool, the blue darning mushroom, and pink ballet flats with cute toe detail.

Surprise

So I had a birthday.  The perpetual problem of having a birthday so close to Christmas is that it's a big hassle for everyone.  People are busy preparing for Christmas, attending Christmas parties etc.  If I plan a birthday function it's a hassle, so this year I planned nothing but a quiet weekend with The Old Flame.

He managed to surprise me with a gift.  A Tupperware mystery box of goodies.  I'm difficult to surprise, mostly because I tend to buy myself what I want and need, and also because TOF and  I went to Sydney recently to buy each other's gifts, so I thought I knew what I was getting.  I didn't, he surprised me and it was lovely.

The day held a surprise garage sale around the corner, a surprise visit to some friends, a surprise purchase of cute underwear at reasonable prices in a chain store (something I've never managed before - the benefits of significant weight loss) and yesterday, a surprise cake from my colleagues.  I thought I'd hidden my birthday from my friends at work, forgetting that some of them are also my friends on Facebook. 

Jill made a delicious cake which we shared yesterday afternoon.

Touche Turtle and Away!

I just love fnding new uses for Tupperware!

On Second Hand Sunday (29 Nov just passed), The Old Flame and I picked up the base of a Tupperware marinating dish thinking we might have seal lurking in the bits and pieces collection.

It came in quite useful when we rescued this little fellow.  He was trying to cross the Barton Highway at a very busy spot.  I picked up the smelly freshwater turtle, either Emydura macquarii (Macquarie Turtle) or Chelodina longicollis (Snake-necked Turtle), and we took him to a reedy spot near the lake in Nicholls.  He was gone in seconds.  So quickly did he depart, we didn't get another photo.

Live well, Stinky.

Zippity doo dah

Lovely to run into Button Beauty and Consumption Rebellion at Salvos in Philip a couple of days ago.

I was buying old Zip disks for a friend who volunteers in a major national institution helping preserve technology and electronic records.  If anyone has old Zip disks they were considering ditching, I can find them a good home. (And thanks to Twitter friend Sonja who has already pledged a couple more).

Hope the Barbie Camper found a good home. :)

Iron woman

I have a shameful secret.  Really, really shameful.  Only a few people know it and I usually don't like to talk about it.  I quite like ironing.

My post on fabric napkins garnered a lot of "I love them, but hate ironing" comments so I thought I should come clean (so to speak).

Ironing is a bit like making jams and preserves - I'm not that keen on the process but I really love the result.

There is a sense of satisfaction that comes from a truly empty ironing basket that defies description. 

Early memories of my mother are Sunday afternoons watching old movies on the telly while she ironed.  The smell of hot cotton and Fabulon!  I got to do hankies and pillowcases.

One of my household chores as a teenager was the family ironing.  I didn't much like it, but I wanted my pocket money and it was better than mowing the lawn.  When I was at college, I took in ironing to earn extra money.  

Ironing also gave me a passive-agressive outlet.  When Dad was pissing me off (and when wasn't he?), I starched his undies and hankies until they could stand up on their own.  After I left home he complained to Mum that his clothes didn't feel quite right!

But I have to be honest, I enjoy seeing a rail of freshly pressed items and get a thrill seeing people I love looking smart in garments I have ironed.  It's a bit like knitting really.  All that time and effort - you'd only do it for those you love.

The Old Flame bought a divine new ironing board once I started doing his shirts, and I've invested in new spray bottles and pressing cloths and a clothes rack (because I broke the old one with over-use) in this last year.  I even found the much lusted after Elna Press (at a garage sale in South West Rocks in August for $40) - which makes ironing jeans and tablecloths a breeze.

In moments of frustration I dream of leaving work and setting up as an ironing lady.  There may even be a business plan tucked in the back of my diary.  It's a great plan; let me know if you need an ironing lady, I might be able to fit you in.

Now go away, I have a fifties housewife to channel.

Are you being servietted?

New/old napkins on the washing line this morning. 

I bought 17 cloth napkins recently in navy, yellow, red, green and cream at a garage sale for $2 and another 8 navy napkins at the tip shop for $1.    These are going into the big box under the house where we keep our catering sets of glasses and other barbecue and party paraphernalia.  I loathe plastic cups and glasses and much prefer cloth to paper napkins.

Popping cherries

I know it's Summer when the first stone fruits hit the stove in a preseve-making frenzy.

The Old Flame and I took Mum and Peggy off to Young on Saturday and bought up big in the cherry shed on Torry Hill.  30 kilos between us might sound like a lot, but much gets given away.

Sunday, TOF and I get busy with the cherry pitter. 

We sacrificed a bottle of vodka to make two jars of cherry vodka which will be ready in time for New Year's Eve and made a start on the port stockpile Dad left me and preseved a couple of big jars of cherries in spiced port for dessert on Christmas Day. 

There are three containers of cherries poached in cinnamon syrup in the freezer to be eaten sometime in autumn or winter when stone fruits are just a dream.  Five jars of cherry, ginger and port jam also made it off the stove.  I suspect we'll use this more as a sauce than a jam as it's very runny and very gingery. 

There's also a weeny bit of highly concentrated "Essence of Christmas" syrup.  We chucked all the cherry pips and left over syrups from the other recipes which included  port, cinnamon, orange peel, sugar, star anise and lemon skins into a small saucepan and let it simmer while we did the rest of the cooking.  I seem to recall a mango seed also got popped in for good measure late in the day as well.  We then strained and bottled it.  It will be the base of a sauce or two for leftovers after Christmas.

Another couple of kilos went into the dehydrator for winter enjoyment as well.

Then there were the ones that only made it as far as our mouths.  And there's plenty for snacks this week.

Because I'm not the Mummy

I've been wanting to blog about what it's like to care for a parent for a while and not been able to come up with the words.

Luckily, Zuska has done it for me, and for all of us who care for a parent or older person.  While the specifics are slightly different, the issues are exactly the same.

This post was linked to in Wallaby's Down Under Feminists' Carnival, which I found through Penthe.

Progress

Ya know, I may still have "stuff" problems but it is not insignificant that in the last few months I have given away a chest of drawers, repurposed a large wardrobe and another chest of drawers previously stuffed full of unworn clothes, and there's a whole bookcase in this house (3" x 4") currently unoccupied. 

I will admit to the acquisiton of my Nanna's china cabinet, but that is all the new furniture to come in.

Am currently reclaiming the vast tundra of floorspace from the roaming herds of dust buffalo.  OK, so the tundra isn't all that vast, but there's definitely a clearing of modest proportions.

The Bearable Lightness of Unsubbing

The weeks away with Mum allowed me time to assess her level of capability and mine.

She is no longer interested in cooking for herself (although she can still manage biscuits for the grand-children and the dog food - but this can be done in peak energy times, not in the evening when she's worn out), and manage other things like laundry and grocery shopping.

While I was already doing some of these things for her, it was when she asked - now it's factored in on a daily basis.

We have got her more home assistance, so cleaning is not a huge issue and that's a big help.

In the few weeks I've been trying to accommodate Mum's increased needs, my long-suffering mates have been advising reducing my activities. Well I would, but that happened already. I stopped attending SnB and didn't renew my memberships of the textile groups I used to belong to and attend. I have resisted invitations and enticements to join new groups or to take an active role in those I have continued membership of. I don't see my friends as much as I used to or as often as I'd like. I can't afford to give up work and I'm not prepared to reduce the pitifully small time The Old Flame and I spend together so I had to look at other areas that take up time.

This week I've been uncluttering my virtual life: unsubbing from email lists, changing profile settings on the time suck that is Facebook so I don't receive ridiculous email updates, leaving Ravelry fora and unfollowing advertisers and negative people on Twitter.

Now the email I receive is from people I want to keep in touch with and is a joy. The blogs I read are the ones I treasure. There is no blog reading or email replying backlog to make me feel bad and I can keep up with all of this in the half hour or so I allocate to it each morning.

Claytons post

We're back (have been for nearly two weeks), but time and the desire to blog has been limited.

And now I'm back at work.
 
What became very clear being with Mum 24/7 for so long is she needs more assistance.  We're arranging an aged care review to see if we can get her more help around the house, but I'm not holding my breath. 

The schedule around here is pretty tight.  There is less blogging and social networking time, and no complex knitting time.  Luckily I'm nearly
done with the WIPS.  Only one thing to finish, and the rest is
unravelling.  The endless parade of beanies is about to reappear.

I'm pleased to report that The Old Flame's Mum was pleased with her blanket.. We gave it to her last weekend because the Raiders had a night match here in chilly Canberra.  Seemed to do the trick - Raiders defeated top of the league St George 24 points to 12! 

View from the Rocks

Blagged some online time at the very part time South West Rocks Library.

The blanket for The Old Flame's mother is done - I'll block it when I get home.

Also done, TOF's 4ply socks. Don't have time to go into details about why they were not knitted last year when I first cast them on - detailed updates will have to wait.

The remaining WIP is a jumper that's been on the needles for 4 years. Should be finished by the weekend.

Days here are warm, and there has been much op-shopping and unravelling of old hand-knits.

I'm off to South West Rocks for the last few weeks of Mum's winter sojourn.


A bag of books went up with my brother a fortnight ago and I've been mostly packed for a week.


One medium suitcase of the miniumum of clothes and maximum of DVDs and one smallish suitcase of knitting and associated paraphenalia - viz.

• 1 set Knit Picks nickel interchangeable needles
• 1 set Knit Picks Harmony interchangeable needles
• 1 set of mix and match DPNS,
• 1 niddy noddy,
• 1 ball winder
• usual pins, tape measures, stitchmarkers, scissors, sewing in needles etc.
• 1 blanket WIP (should be finished on 12 hours+ train ride on Monday and will be posted back)
• 1 jumper WIP (should be finished in a couple of days and will be posted back)
• 1 pr socks for TOF WIP (my carry around project for the trip) and an emergency ball of sock yarn just in case these get finished too quickly, which is looking likelyall associated patterns
• 1 coffee plunger because 3 weeks of instant coffee is no holiday.
• 1 new project's worth of yarn because the rest of the WIPs are mostly unravelling or little scraps of things that will not take any time to knit and because this "holiday" is the only time I'll get for ages to do some serious big project knitting.

The posting back is necessary because Mum's cousin is there now and I'm told he brought down another two suitcases full of hand-knits for us to unravel so I'll need the space. And that's why he deserved these socks, and why he'll probably get a few more pairs.

Back in late August.

WIPeout 2009 - my accursed socks

These took seriously too long, a month since they become the take along project, even with Pooh's help. Actually, probably says more about the lack of down-time than my knitting speed. That and my inability to take notes on pattern changes, resulting in several unravel and reknits on the second sock.

Too sick to reflect on the socks or the nature of the yarn. Just another project off the needles and not enough light to photograph them properly. Feel nice on, though.

WIPeout 2009 - Comfort and Shield Vest

PATTERN: Pasticcio Circular Vest. Fantastic pattern - knit to size.

YARN: Patons Jet bought by the Old Flame in the K-mart $2 and $3 sales this last year.

PROGRESS: All done but the crochet around the armholes and the blocking. I started this in early March. It went to Narrandera and to visit Nanna, it went to Wagga a couple of weeks later for her funeral and kept me company in between. It really was both my comfort and my shield in that period.

ISSUES: I don't crochet.

ACTION: Ask a friend to do that for me. Spidey kindly obliged, despite liking crochet only marginally more than I do. I'm grateful in the extreme.

Steam blocked until it screamed for mercy.

All done and being worn. Apart from a tendency to slip on the shoulders, it's a divine garment to wear and I love it. Maybe, one day, when I can get a photographer, I'll get some action shots.

WIPeou 2009 - Baby Cardie

PATTERN: Pretty sure I got this from the back of an old Woman's Day.

YARN: Mystery 8ply cotton purchased in an op-shop many, many years ago.

ISSUES: Well it's been sitting for at least 4 years in this state - with only one side band and the neck band to go. I don't like how the bands came out and I don't like the chunkiness of it for a small baby, although the pattern is very sweet, and I really hate the way my seams came out. I could have redone the seams and I did try to unpick it but the cotton shredded in the process. Hideous.

ACTION: Binned.

Get out of Gaol Free Bootees

Socks for Aiden knitted in recycled and rescued blue crepe 4ply weight yarn on 2.5mm needles, using Mim's pattern.

WIPeout 2009 - vintage socks

Someone else's UFO, purchased in this state from an op shop for $2. The bag included another ball of vintage Patonyle as well, in a delightfully retro mustard yellow.

PATTERN: Don't know. Bought these for $2 hoping to either finish or unravel them. Most likely a Patons sock pattern and I have most of their vintage sock books. I could find or read the pattern to finish them.

YARN: 1970s Patons Patonyle.

PROGRESS: There was one completed sock and second sock done halfway down the leg. From the handwound ball attached to the second sock, some unravelling had already occured.

ISSUES: When I tired on the first sock, the foot fitted perfectly but the cast on was too tight to go up my leg.

ACTION: Frogged, washed and drying.