A cardigan for the shed.

Almost finished. Only the collar to be done (in black). I've made this cardigan for the man of the house. The one he wears in the shed (among the sawdust and wood shavings) has been mended so many times it is unrecognisable but you know what he does don't you? Yes, that's right, he wears the dreadful thing out in public, mends, darns and all. A raid on my leftovers stash produced enough wool to put this effort together and I am satisfied with it. If it does make it out to the shops I am not going to hide my face and pretend I don't know him.
Somewhere back in the 70s the dear man discovered that this style is his favourite (no buttons, easy to unzip if he gets too hot) and I've been making it roughly every couple of years ever since. I've lost count of how many. To vary them I usually put a cable or Aran pattern up each front. This is the first time I've used stripes. I was really lucky and found a nice black open-ended zip in our local op shop (I do love that place) and so the cardigan has cost me very little.
Oh dear. Now you may have guessed what he said when he tried it on, "It's too nice for the shed. I'll just wear one of my others out there and save this one until it's starting to look a bit old". Solution: I plan to make another in all sorts of bright, mismatched stripes and garish colours that he won't dare wear in public. Even then, I'm not taking any bets on whether that will work or not.

We've passed the shortest day and, theoretically, should be heading for warmer weather. I'm not convinced. I know we have at least another two months of freezing cold to go before Spring - perfect knitting-by-the-fire weather with a mug of cocoa to hand. Loverly.
Hope you're having a good day. Bye for now until next time.

My creative place.

Thick white frost on the grass outside, 6 deg celcius in my kitchen but here by my fireside and my sunny window - bliss. Today I'm spinning real wool with the luxury of pre carded tops that my brother sent to me as a present. Though I enjoy spinning the natural wool straight from the sheep's back, this is much less work and very pleasurable. Plying the yarn comes next and then dying it. Haven't decided what colour yet. Something to look forward to. The last lot was this rather vibrant green, I think I'm over that.
Toddling down the yard to feed the magpies this morning in my jammies and slippers was a chilly experience. Those birds really have very good staff. The man of the house says I need my head examined.
Hope you're warm and comfy wherever you are.
Bye for now until next time.
PS the towell under the spinning wheel is to protect the carpet from grease when I oil the wheel.

Surfacing again

I've been buried beneath a mound of Newsletter preparation for the past week and now that its finished I'm coming up for air.
Not ready for handspun, from the blog 'Minding My Own Stitches' has offered me a 'beautiful blog award'. You can't imagine how that pleased me and since she has asked me to pass it on I am now endeavouring to do that.
Please forgive me if I am not getting it right but I have no idea of blog protocol. I Googled the question and it seems that I must name 7 blogs to whom I wish to make the award and include their links in my post. I must also display the award on my blog. This is a problem for me as I don't know how to do that (tried unsuccessfully several times) Neither do I know how to 'link' but I will certainly name 7 of my favourite blogs.
Next I am to reveal 7 things about myself that you don't know. So here goes (in alphabetical order) my favourite blogs are:
Bimbimbie, Craftycountrymomma, ecomilf, Foxs Lane, Minding My Own Stitches, Miss Muggins, nunde. There are more, of course, but that's 7.
Seven things you don't know about me:
1. I've been married for almost half a century to the same beautiful man.

2. I can't go for more than 2 days without a chocolate hit.

3. I was once bitten by a Little Penguin. It took exception to me holding grass out of the way so my friend could photograph it
.
4. Though my two sisters and one of my daughters are taller than I am, I have the biggest feet.

5. I have a good head for heights but loathe flying.

6. I was once riding in a taxi when the front left-side wheel fell off it. It was not a very dramatic event. We were just starting off from the traffic lights when there was a dull 'CLUNK' and all forward motion ceased. Of course I was late getting where I was going and absolutely nobody believed my excuse.

7. I am completely potty about all birds and animals but my favourites are dogs, gorillas, orangutans, elephants, all the big cats and the birds that come into my garden, oh, and the possum that lives in our woodshed. Also I am tollerant of spiders.

Well there you are. If I've done this incorrectly, feel free to let me know. Gotta go now.
Until next time I'll say goodbye.

Back At Last

Workmen have been digging at the end of our road, putting in huge water pipes which will bring the desalienated wated up from Gippsland to Melbourne. Regardless of what I think about the project, I get jolly annoyed when their excavations cause us to lose our telephone and consequently our internet. This is the 7th time in the past eighteen months and I confess that my sense-of-humour has been stretched to the limit. I am playing the glad game, I am glad that it was only a week this time, not 5 weeks as it was last year. Then it was the actual construction of the road that caused the problem. To add to our woes we are in an area that has a very poor mobile phone signal, so we are really isolated when our phone line is cut.
There, I've had a jolly good moan and now I can show you my socks.
My only venture into knitting socks, a very long time ago, was a pair I made for my then teenage son. He managed to put a great big hole in the heel within two wears, so socks lost their place on my things-to-knit list and I bought commercial socks for him.
Watching all the sock experts out there has renewed my taste for them and so I've taken up the four needles again.
Many years back, Mum taught me to knit socks (she used to knit them for her dolls as a child). Mum had a different and very easy way of turning the heel and wouldn't you know I've forgotten how to do it. Mum's not here to ask now but I found this pattern which is almost as good. I believe it is called a Dutch heel.
I'll stick with children's socks I think, as they grow out of them before they can wear them out.
Now I can hear great guffaws of laughter coming from the mother's of young tearways who go through there socks like a charge of dynamite. But if I give the socks away I won't know about the holes and for a brief time some little toes will be warm. That's enough to go on with.
Happy knitting everyone.
Bye for now until next time.