Pay it forward.

I had a lovely afternoon today with my girlfriends - just a ladies lunch at a friends house. There was soup, really lovely antipasto pasta, chocolate cake, fudge and chocolate covered ice cream balls, wine, tea and some knitting. One friend is a crocheter and she made some lovely cushions- no photos as I forgot my camera - so you'll have to take my word for it.

Knitting - I am almost finished with the three little wee jumpers and will finish them this week, wash them on the weekend and mail them next week. It is way to boring to show you a picture of them again, but that is all I am working on. I've been keeping busy with other stuff too - like cleaning out my house so my friends who are going to look after my dogs while I am overseas won't get the shock of their lives when they open the door to the back room.

But this post is about a lovely little project I am partaking in with Nettie - Pay it forward. Maybe you have already heard of it or taken part in something similar already, but if you haven't maybe you would like to sign up with me.

It works like this. The first three people to sign up with me will recieve an Rhonda-made something (?) within the next 12 months. And then you pay it forward to three someones who sign up to pay it forward to someone else. What a lovely concept - how can I resist. I will love thinking up something wild and wonderful to make for someone. I love the idea of making something for someone 'just because'. And I love the idea of sending a present to a new friend for no reason other than they said they will do the same. Cool.

You know, if everyone who plays this just gets three people to play in the next twelve months I reckon 1,594,323 people will get a handmade gift in the mail. How happy will that make the world? (that's 3 to the power of 12!)

If you want to continue the game just leave a comment. I'm with Nettie tho - it will be a little embarrasing if no one reads my blog and therefore no one signs up but, well, at least I tried, hey?

Babies everywhere but not in my arms.

I'm doing heaps of baby knitting at the mo. I haven't met these babies but I am knitting away for them anyway. I've modified designs of little sweaters for some of them - two the same in different colours for sisters and one for their brother (they all have exactly the same birthday!).
And one - brightly lit - for another who lives far away. I love the colours but not so much the increases and decreases. They are much more forgiving in wool - and I think I may be doing them wrong. I'll see how it looks once it has been sewn up and washed, hey? And cute buttons may make a difference too.

But my knitting is not bringing me as much pleasure lately, as it usually does. Usually I can bliss out knitting for a couple of hours with music, tea, a movie, a book on dvd. But for some reason (well, I know the reason), I have had an extremely short attention span and low tolerance levels. And, of course, I am reading a 500 page book, knitting two pattern jumpers exactly the same, performing a very routine schedule at work - I'm not sure why I do this to myself. I went to see a silly movie this afternoon and almost left half way thru - I never do or feel like that.

I'll fix a bit of this by going home to Seattle in a few weeks, I hope. At least I can be a bit proactive over there, instead of just worrying. And I will get to see and hug and talk to and laugh with my beautiful son for four weeks too. Maybe I may even get to do a little bit of yarn shopping. And there is that bakery near my folks!

And I will get to look after my lovely, very sick father for a bit of time - and my saint of a mother. I will feel better when I can do all that!

4th of July - yes we have one too!

Every year, on this day when I talk to my folks, my Dad asks if we have a 4th of July in Australia. Every year I say 'no, Dad, it's America's Independence day' and he laughs and says 'well, what comes between the 3rd and the 5th?' It's not funny the second time, but the 30th time... well, we both just crack up every year. I love our little silly traditions.

When I was a kid 4th of July was huge. Dad had the day off work so we would usually go to a Rainiers Baseball game if there was a day game. Then a picnic at Green Lake followed by fireworks (oooh. aahh!) Then home for ice cream and bed. There was mom's fried chicken which was unbelievable, potato salad and jello in red and blue with white cream. Honesty who wouldn't love a holiday like that. What a family! What a country!

Now, I don't miss 4th of July, just my family. I miss them a lot, especially this year.

But in sentimental tradition I went to Aldi and bought some Al's Ribs (the name is just so American - plus my older brother's name), cooked them up and watched the replay of the Mariners Game on my computer. Not Quite the same thing - but the ribs were good.

Can you notice that my silverware has little balls of wool on the end of them? Well, they look like balls of wool to me!

There has been knitting. I have been comissioned to do some knitting for some small people. I am knitting with 4ply from Bendigo. It's nice to knit with but a bit splitty. I would like it to be plyed a little tighter.

Lot's of moss stitch.

I really like knitting for little people - it's so nice to see something come together quickly.

And look at this little present from a friend. I'm not sure why I would want to type in the dark but now I do want to. I like gadgety things.

So, happy 4th Dad, Mom, Son1, Bros, Nephews, SIL, Carl, Bruce, Soo, Marj, Gary, Barb, Betty, Connie, Carol, Aunt Nornie, Aunt Nea, Sonia, and all the rest of my family. I love you all very much and I miss you heaps!!

HI Mags!!

Two year shawl!

A little over two years ago, in my very early knitting life (I still consider myself in my 'early'
knitting life compared to, say, my mom), I decided to knit a shawl for a friend's birthday present. How hard could it be? I'd knit a few things before and even a little lacey stuff, so I went in search of a pattern.

I found one in a vogue magazine. Lovely lace, warm, wintery shawl. I'm not a lace sort of girl. I like solid, classic, colourful, layers...but not pastel or lace. But my friend, well she is a sort of lace type of girl. So I checked out the pattern - Deborah Newton's Lace Wrap in Vogueknitting Fall 2005- a nice combination of lace and solidity. I rushed up to Cassidy's and bought 10 balls of that beautiful NZ merino/cashmere that was on sale earlier this year for $2 a ball!! which I bought for $10 a ball!!! and began to knit.

Now, as I am an Aries (not that I believe that stuff!) I am really good at planning grand schemes, starting them, and then letting them fizzle because who can pay attention to the small details when there are grand schemes to plan? This is my life lesson - to pay attention and be conscious all the time. Stop! I'm talking about the shawl right now.

I was going to knit this sucker in one month and have it ready for the birthday party - which was her 50th by the way. I started on straight plastic needles and I was sooo slow. I had to read every line of the pattern and mark it off. I photocopied the pattern 12 times because I wrote on it so much I couldn't read it after about two repeats. I never got the flow of it.

Well, two days before the big birthday I ran over to Manuka and bought the most gorgeous big bug brooch with colourful paste jewels all over it and gave that to her for her 50th birthday present and put the shawl in a bag in the top of the stash silo.

A few months ago I found it again. Somehow one of the plastic knitting needles had snapped off - surprise! Half of the stitches had fallen off and the rest had stretched out. Now, that I know a tad bit more about knitting I decided this shawl was too beautiful to sit unfinished in a bag in the dark. The yarn is so soft and lovely. The pattern was, now, easy to remember. And I have discovered, and use almost exclusively, circular needles. So, out the whole thing tumbled, stitches were ripped back a bit, circs were inserted and I knit.

Now, I am especially pleased that I did not finish this in time to give it away. I love having it around MY shoulders. I even fell asleep in it the other night and it almost strangled me (but that is not the shawl's fault - my menopausal sleep patterns make for much tossing and turning in the night).

I love that it is mine, all mine. I can see myself as a old woman sitting knitting great grandbaby clothes wearing this cashmere shawl. I really truely am in love with it and I'm going to keep her!

Knitting - the universal language.

I had to go see the Doc yesterday and, as usual, he was running a bit behind time. Doesn't bother me cause I'm not in a hurry on my days off. I pulled out my sock and started knitting a few rows. A man in his 70's who was also waiting asked me what I was knitting. "Socks" I said and held it up for him to see.

Well, he told me his lovely story about how his Mum knit him a pair of socks every Christmas until she died when he was 17, and he still had one pair that he took out of his drawer and put on every time he missed his Mother.

He didn't want to wear them much because he wanted something that she had touched for the rest of his life.

By the time he finished telling me this both of us and a couple other people had tears running down our cheeks.

I got some bad news about my Dad yesterday morning and he has two pairs of socks that I knit him last year that he loves and he can wear for the rest of his life. How nice is that!

Don't let anyone tell you that knitting doesn't matter or isn't important for the other people in our lives, as well as for our own peace of mind and sanity!

I finally finished my shawl and I will take a photo after I block it tommorow - it is really nice and I love it!

I did knit myself a winter hat that has received more compliments, out in the world, than anything else I have knit. It wasn't even a pattern - just knitting until it fit. It is Malibrigo, though, and I am having trouble taking it off!

Safe Asset Socks

Last year when Kaffe Fassett was here last year to plug his latest quilting book his partner introduced him as 'Kaffe Fassett which rhymes with safe asset". He was great fun, by the way, for a snob.

When I was in the states I bought 100g of two of Regia designer balls of sock wool- the colours were picked by Kaffe Fassett. Really? You just pick colours and get your name on stuff?

I like them OK - but these will be for a friend, as they aren't really my sort of colours. It is also a little scratchy. I must admit that everything but my Malibrigo vest feels scratchy next to the lovely alpaca that I just knit.

But they are uniquely coloured socks at any rate.

Special Baby present

My parents live in the house that I was born in! That is over 55 years in the same house. Amazing! Everytime that I go to visit them I also get the bonus of visiting my three very first very best girl friends - all of whom I've known since I was 14. We were the fearsome foursome. I've known their lives for a very long time. They all still live very near my parent's house. I am the only one that has ventured far away from home. I've been in their lives for boyfriends, husbands, parents lost, husbands lost, children and now, for grandchildren. In fact this will be the first grandchild. She is due in July.

This sweet little vest is knit with 120 gms of suri alpaca bought at the Alpaca Show at Epic a few weeks ago. It is the softest wool I have ever knit. And I think I met the Alpaca that gave it up for me! I wish you all could touch it and fondle it. mmm...soft. I want a sweater out of it too!

Enjoy baby girl! (I want one of those grandbabies too!)

PS - yes there are three socks. I had enough for a third one so I just knit it. I guess babies lose socks to the sock monster too so an extra one may be needed.

Hey did Tom Cruise name his baby after an alpaca??