This is...the contents of my handbag

This is such a mess!


This is a good chance to have a clean out.


This is very dull compared with other people's handbags!

A gift voucher for my Dad's birthday from hardware chain

Teddy bear bikkies (now teddy bear crumbs) for PJ

My work pass

Paracetemol

Travel pack of tissues

A pile of used tissues and old shopping lists

2008 diary

Notebook and pen - I always need something to scribble on

Tape measure

Mobile phone

Emergency dummy for PJ (yes, he still uses one in time of distress)

Emergency sugar rations - snakes and barley sugars (it gets ugly if my blood sugar gets low)

Two house keys (same house, same door!)

Tickets from the paddle steamer ride in Echuca with the Germans in February

Business cards, including one for a wool shop in Luebeck, Germany

FIVE lipsticks / glosses. (Strange, because I put lipstick on once a day, on days when I work. In the car before I go into the building. )

Saftey pins

And my purse and bag, both from Colorado.

Very utiliarian, Im afraid!

All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey

We are finally waving goodbye to summer in these parts, and although this year has been lovely and mild (only a handful of days over 35oC), I'm not going to miss it. I was feeling the heat as the bump grew, and its nice to snuggle under the doona again. The trees on our (soon-to-be-former) street are starting to turn colour and we've even had a little rain.

My lack of blogging can't be written off by disaster or tragedy - it has been simply due to lack of time and anything interesting to blog about.

But there has been knitting. A commission for my colleague G (who either admires my handknits or uses it as a way to shut me up about knitting!) as a gift for his partner's birthday next month.

G wanted some socks. After much discussion, and cruising of Ravelry, he decided on embossed leaves (sorry, Rav link) from 25 Favorite Socks, using The Knittery's cashmere-merino sock yarn in Merlot.

This yarn was just a dream to knit with, and they came up beautifully. It was very hard to give them up. Sorry about the dodgy photo though; little fingers smeared the camera lens and the light has been tricky this week. It doesn't do them justice (even if I do say so myself).

Egads, its worse than I thought. Trust me, they're pretty!

Yarn: Knittery merino-cashmere in Merlot (link above)

Sticks: 2.75mm knitpicks dpns

Mods: Several. Remedial sock knitter here, don't forget. I didn't follow the first two lines of the pattern; I just used my usual cable cast on and then did 20 rows of twisted rib. I also had to make them a bit longer to fir the recipient's foot, so did an extra half pattern rep (rows 9-16), then did a usual flat unpatterned toe shaping and grafted toe (instead of the slight patterning as stated). Oh, and an eye-of-partridge heel too. Just to make myself feel clever!

I really can't take credit for these socks coming out so well; the pattern is really straight forward and I enjoyed knitting them. But I must thank Bells and RoseRed for holding my hand when I got all angsty and needy over the changes.

In other news:

The bump is growing. All is well.

We may have finally found a house to move into to. Its not yet 100% certain, so please keep up the sacrifices to the goddess.

PJ and Beloved are both recovered from the chocolate-induced comas of Easter. Am I a bad mum if I steal the easter eggs out of PJ's basket while he's searching for more eggs, to hide them again and keep the fun going?

Friday round-up

tap tap tap...hellloooo......testing.....Apparently I blinked, and February happened. Hopefully there are still some readers out there who drop by occasionally, water the plants, feed the goldfish, check on stuff. Because I have been somewhat negligent, and it serves me right really if Bubbles has gone belly up.

But I'm still here, honest!

On houseguests:

The Germans, Frank, Katja and Maya, have come and gone. As is always the way, time flew, we all had a fabulous time and we were very sad to see them go. Spending time with them always makes me wish we lived closer to family and could hang more than once a year or two.


On knitting:
I finally have some FOs to report (drumroll, please!) (hold on to your hats, people these are MAJOR FOs - ahem):


Dashing, for Beloved, in Lana Grosso Bingo, bought from Germany. I love this yarn; its super-soft and has a gorgeous twist. I have some more small amounts in the stash, but will be seeking to upgrade on the next trip to the Vaterland.



I have been participating in this project, although only at a minimal level, Im sorry to say. However, I did manage to finally send off my "Dishcloth series" to Elizabeth's exhibition in Philadelphia:

Top to bottom, they are:

Lacy dishcloth in Achor Magicline (pattern from the dishcloth boutique, which, alas, isnt working right now);

Ballband dishcloth from Mason-Dixon Knitting in Yarnbee 4ply;

Ballband in leftover Heirlook cotton;

Squidge cloth in Anchor Magicline;

Grandmother's Favourite (from Dishcloth Boutique) in Panda 4ply cotton, 2 strands held together;

Squidge cloth in gifted unknown cotton from Happy Spider;

Grandmother's Favourite in Peaches and Cream;

Ballband in Peaches and Cream;

Feather and Fan (from Dishcloth Boutique) in Peaches and Cream

I am totally sold on two things: dishcloths as instant-gratification, cant-concentrate-on-anything-larger knitting; and Peaches and Cream cotton. None of the others even come close, I love love love it. Really. Love. It. Sadly I have found only one supplier in Australia (The Wool Shack).

On excessive garden produce:
I love the idea of a veggie garden, but rarely nurture it enough to produce any, well produce. This year, though, the conditions in Canberra have obviously been perfect because we have had a glut of tomatoes. So far nearly 10kgs from 4 vines.

I wanted to make some nice preserves, since it makes me come over all Nigella-housewifely to preserve stuff. So I made some tomato kasundi recommended by kms, and some spicy tomato relish from a recipe shared by Tinkingbell.

Yum.

On house-hunting:

Nada. Nix. Nought. Nothing.

Looking for a reasonably priced rental property that is livable is a depressing and infuriating process. We still dont have a house, and we have 4 more weeks to find one.

However, we are packing and cleaning, so we are at least trying to get ready. Please keep fingers crossed for us!

So that's it - the long weekend will surely be spent doing more packing and cleaning. Oh joy.

But there is another project on the needles that I will blog shortly - its a secret-squirrel gifty project, so I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. And there's too much packing to be done for that!