Summer holiday... in autumn

The Trouser and I are about to embark upon a brief holiday. It's our summer break - because we didn't get one over summer - even though it's autumn now.

We're heading off to Sydney, where we'll spend the weekend relaxing (Oxford St and Paddington markets are on the cards), and he'll spend 2 days working while I shop or knit or do whatever. Then we're off to Gosford, where his grandmas live, to spend 5 days with them before flying back late on Sunday night.

For me, it's a chance to sort out a few errands, like buying a dress to wear to my brother's wedding in Fiji, and some boots for winter. (We do have clothes and shoes in NZ - but the shopping is better and often cheaper in Australia.) I'm hoping to catch up with my brother who lives in Sydney, if he isn't too busy being a high-powered consultant. And I'm hanging out to see The Trouser's grandmas, who remind me a lot of my late paternal grandmother.

It's also a chance to spend some time knitting and relaxing. I don't know what our hotel will be like - The Trouser's company is paying for it so they picked it - but I hope it's a short walk away from Hyde Park. I love to sit and read there, so I figure knitting will be even better.

On the knitting front, I've decided to take Forecast with me, because although it will be bulky and warm to knit, I love knitting it. I'll also take some yarn for a wrap for The Trouser's mum. And, of course, I hope to stop in and find some yarn shops. All recommendations for where to go are very welcome, as Google has not yielded anything sensible yet.

The upshot of all this is that this is probably my last post for around 10 days. I'll see you then!

Knitting: progress and a finished object

In spite of my athletic endeavours, I've managed to get some knitting done.

Exhibit 1: progress on Forecast (discussed in more detail at the Forecast knitalong):




Exhibit 2: finished Monette scarf, from Rowan 38:




The colours are not true in either of the photos - more aubergine-y for Forecast, and less orange-y for Monette. But you get the idea.

My only problems now are that it's not cold enough yet to wear Monette, and that I need to cast on a project to take to Sydney with me. Everything I have to work on is either complex or heavy or hot, or a combination of these factors. Perhaps a new project???

Athleticism

If you know me - and let's face it, if you're reading my blog, you probably don't know me in person - then you know I am not at all athletic.

I try when required, but I lack coordination, athletic ability, and any desire to do really well or make a huge effort.

I don't like sports at all, really. To participate in or to watch.

So guess what completely out of character thing I did in the weekend? I participated in Round the Bays!

The Trouser's work had a team, and with the promsie of corporate hospitality at the end, I agreed to participate.

We walked.

10 km - the 8-odd km run, plus another almost 2km walk to aforementioned hospitality - is a long way. But the Powerade was blue and cold, and the sausages were pretty good. Plus I got to eat white bread (and why this is a treat is tyhe subject of another post entirely!).

My legs are not super-sore today, and my blisters have gone down a lot. I could almost do it again, or go for a walk this evening.

But that would be far too athletic - I'm planning on a nice, quite evening of knitting. After spending all that time walking and then eating and drinking, I'm behind schedule!

At a crossroads

I've been toying with an idea recently.

I'm thinking about blogging as me.

I mean, I blog as me now, but it's a kind of covert-me. I don't mention my name or much about me. It means I won't get dooced, which is always a bonus, but there are downsides.

For example, we're planning to get married and move overseas. People want to know what's going on on those fronts, and once we're gone, blogging will be a damn sight easier than individual emails (I hate the group emails, o how I despise them!).

It would mean I couldn't bitch about some things anymore, but I'm not sure I need my blog as that kind of an outlet so much anymore. I'm getting better at dealing with all the weird and hairy nastinesses that come my way, rather than just brooding.

It would probably mean choosing a new blog title (an exercise fraught with difficulty) but it would also mean I might put some real effort into the layout and stuff. Dammit, I know the HTML, but in some ways I can't be arsed for my anonyblog.

Also, it would mean being able to share a blog with friends in a way that I would never share an anonyblog. There are 3 people in the whole world who know me and know about this blog. Only 3 people.

I'm at a real crossroads in many areas of my life at the moment, and the blog question is a much smaller and less important issue than the rest (What kind of wedding do we want? Should we buy an investment property? Where do we want to live? Do I want to make lifestyle changes to include exercise in my everyday life? Is it time to stop reading trash and tackling all the classic novels I promised myself I'd do once I finished studying? Can I get over the stuff that has caused me to feel to alienated and second-class with The Trouser's family? Do I even want to?).

It's an issue most people would argue is less important than most, and thus should be allocated less energy. But you see, it is hugely important to me. It's my issue and my issue alone - no one else to consider, just me. And blogging has become so important to me that I give it due consideration.

So why am I particularly thinking about this now? Because I was googling my cousin to find out details of her wedding (long story but we barely know each other due to living on different continents), and I found her blog. It was weird to read about someone I'm related to, a similar age to, and who's going through similar stuff, but have no actual personal connection to. And I wondered how she would feel about me reading her blog.

And it made me think of the one 'overseas cousin" I'm a bit closer to, due to our trip last year. And how I'd love to share more about my life with him. And how he'd make a kick-ass blogger.

And I wondered if this whole anonyblogging this is just a bit chicken of me.

So I'm standing at the proverbial crossroads, waiting for... some sort of sign or something. Just waiting...

It's first

My first knitalong - the Forecast knitalong!

The idea (I think, anyway) is that a group of people knitting the same thing show each other their progress and pattern modifications, and keep each other motivated.

I've already posted, since my ineptitude means I picked a great pattern that includes cables, something I know nothing about knitting. D'oh.

I do hope someone can help me - otherwise I'll feel a bit silly :-)

New beginnings

After an early-morning stop at the wool shop, I'm now ready for 3 new projects:

- Knitty's Forecast, with a lovely aubergine-y Jo Sharp wool.

- Rowan 38's Bianca, a beautiful beaded cardigan. I'm hoping to get the beads so I can start soon.

- A wrap for the mother-in-law in a bright purple. It's a Mother's Day present - thought I should get started early, given that I'll be far more interested in knitting everything else.

And what's spurred me on? The blast of cold weather recently.

Of course, as soon as I actually bought everything, the weather got wise and warmed right up.

Typical.

The newness

I have almost run out of my trusty lip gloss, and last night I finally got around to investigating my stash of lip glosses to pick the next victim.

Yes, I have a stash of lip glosses.

You see, you never know when you're going to come across a great lip gloss, and equally, you never know when you're going to need a new one.

(OK, you can probably guess the latter, but you know what I mean.)

Last night I looked in my trusty stash and picked out a 3-stack that was allegedly in colours that were perfect for brunettes. I'm not quite a brunette, but the colours were nice.

The gloss smelled like old-lady roses, and had a slightly gritty texture. It didn't live up to the glossy, beautiful promise that it had made when I bought it, so I threw it away.

Instead, I've started a 4-stack from the now-defunct Red Earth, bought nearly 4 years ago. There are 2 glosses with glitter (which are good as eyeshadow on the days when I'm looking a bit tired) and 2 without, and all the colours are a bit out of my comfort zone, but actually quite flattering.

It's not the same as fancy MAC lipglass, - I'm waiting to replace that duty-free when we trip over to Australia at the end of the month - but it is very glossy :-)

Out of limbo

Well, my empty-ish needles only lasted a short while.

I received my wool, which included 2 balls each of Kidsilk Night in the silver and white, and 12 skeins each of jade and umm, rabbit? the pale grey, anyway - of Rowanspun 4-ply.




I had great plans for the Rowanspun, but now I'm not so sure. It's quite tweedy and not super soft, so my plans to make a cute cardi in it are dashed. I think it would suit a more outdoorsy kind of cardigan. Ideas, anyone?

I also got a few balls of Kidsilk Haze, an managed to cast on and begin a scarf - Monette, from Rowan's Vintage Style. I swapped the colours around so that it's mostly pink, instead of mostly orange, and 102 rows into it, it's looking pretty cute:

And it turns out that while Kidsilk Haze is the slipperiest, most annoying yarn to knit on metal needles, it's fine on bamboo. (Thanks Trouser for giving me such perfect needles for Christmas!)

In other news... Um... Well, I had to work all weekend so not much happened. I did get to see a new ballet by Witi Ihimaera though - The Wedding. It was unconventional and exciting and a bit racy, and I highly recommend seeing it if you get the chance!

In our wedding news, we've booked a place for the ceremony. And we've got less than 2 weeks to either confirm our pencil booking for the reception, or find somewhere else. The pressure's on!

We've also been looking at buying a second property, which sounds very tycoonish, but isn't really. A great Art Deco apartment is for sale, and if the price is right we'd be keen to buy it up. We'd lose cash on it initially, but it would be a good investment in the longer term.

I'm a bit reluctant to lay out more money and almost double our mortgage, but it is a good opportunity. I think the buyer has gotten greedy and it's unlikely it'll go for what she wants at auction, so a post-auction offer may be a way in. Maybe. I'm still a bit debt-averse.

In limbo

As I wait for the wool, I realise that I have nothing to knit. Nothing at all!

I had been working a scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, but then I finished it. And yes, it may be in the 8-hours-or-more category, but it did take awhile.

I used different yarn from the one specified (or I'd be waiting for it to be delivered still!), but it worked out fairly well I think:
And it looks good on (ignore the maternity-look top, it's just the style/ angle):
And here's the obligatory close-up shot of the chevron pattern. The colour of the wool is not as vivid as in the other shots, nor as washed-out as this one. It is actually quite attractive.

Anyway, the scarf - all 2-metres-plus of it - is now winging its way to Argentina in the baggage of a family friend. I quite liked the pattern if not the colour, so I might even make one for myself.

After I've done everything else, of course (blush).

Whoops

I'm almost finished a cardigan (waiting on more wool), have bought wool for another cardigan (waiting more wool, again), and have bought loads and loads wool from the UK for as-yet unspecified projects (though I have a few in mind).

Then today I came across Forecast, via Fig and Plum. The sleeves are too pouffy, but there's a modified version that looks amazing.

One more project to add to the list.

I really ought to make myself an actual list to keep track of these things.