California Girl in Oz

Joe Made Me Do It!

2011-08-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

My cousin Joe reminds me that I haven't posted for ages! Thanks for the little nudge, Joe...

I think this photo says it all about why I haven't been on here:

Yes, there's a jumbled up pullover on the left, with only the sleeves left to be knitted. In the center are two books written by another cousin, Jeff Maulhardt, about my family's roots in Oxnard, California. In front you see a stack of file folders, organized by my family's various surnames, and some notes...plus the obligatory cup of coffee to keep me going. Yes, thanks to Mary, I've been bitten by the Ancestry.com genealogy bug! So engrossing, entertaining, fascinating and obsessive. Just what I need, one more obsession...no smart cracks, OK?!

Meanwhile, out the window, winter is leaving us and spring is trying hard to arrive. This morning is still very chilly, but here's how things looked a couple of days ago:

Cloudy was ready to start his around-the-hard prowl, under the Manchurian Pear blossoms.

Then he decided to visit the horses in the adjacent paddock...notice they are still wearing their rugs. It's still down into the mid-30s at night.

Patch decided to join his brother in a prowl around the yard, oblivious to the fact that Chloe is perched on the limb directly above his head.

Doesn't Chloe look smug, having gotten away with escaping Patch's less-than-welcome attentions?!

OK, enough schmoozing...back to the family tree!

And thanks again, Joe, for getting me back to Blogger, and also for sending the GREAT family photos! You are the best!

Done and Dusted...and Modeled!

2011-07-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

So I did get this shawl soaked and blocked and dried in time to wear it out for dinner last night. First up, here's a picture of it blocking:

It was BIG...ended up 80" x 45".

And here's how it looked when I wore it:

And the back view:

Glad this one is finally finished, but I feel a little bereft! Of course, I do have the pullover I'm working on, plus another shawl that's underway...

We took a 2-hour walk today up into Mountain View Cemetery at the top of Piedmont Avenue. This is the cemetery that was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park. It was a glorious summer day and I took zillions of pics. I think they will deserve a separate post.

As Yarnivorous Lynne would say...anon!

Yay! The Red Highland Triangle Shawl is Finished!

2011-06-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

I thought that knitted-on border was going to finish me off, but there's nothing like keepin' on keepin' on...

Here's the finished product, even if it does still look like a large red puddle:

Don't have the energy to tackle the blocking at the moment. But I do have a nice glass of Zin poured and at the ready to celebrate!

Tomorrow is soon enough for the soaking, blocking...and modeling!

California Girl in California, and the Knitting is Fine...

2011-06-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

We were delayed a day in leaving Australia because of the volcanic ash cloud that caused cancelled flights for a few days. Bad news was we had to route through LAX instead of direct to SFO, but we arrived eventually, tired but ready for some summer. Oakland was glad to oblige!

I did some knitting on the train to Sydney, then gave it a rest for the flight. The Red Highland Triangle Shawl is proceeding well and I'm knitting the edging now. Fiddly, but effective. Wanna see? Of COURSE you do!

The shawl still looks kind of like a big red puddle, but it will change into a dramatic, beautiful piece when it's blocked...I hope. Here's where we are with it today.

As you can see, there's a l-o-n-n-n-n-g way to go, so I'm taking a break and (surprise, surprise) starting something new:

I bought this gorgeous yarn at Stitches West last year and have been itching to start something with it. Now seemed like a good time... I seem to be on a red kick, don't I? This yarn is a wonderful color but hard to describe. I'm calling it Black Cherry, for want of a better name. It's a blend of wool, silk and viscose, from Brooks Farm Yarns in Texas. Lovely stuff to knit with. The pattern is a top down swing pullover from Knitting Pure and Simple...couldn't be simpler or plainer. I think it will look good layered over a t-neck, or worn alone with black pants and a nice necklace for a bit more dressy look.

The weather is glorious -- sunny and warm, but not too hot. I think we'll hang about for a bit, then take a stroll down to Article Pract (LYS, name is a play on the words "practical art" -- I know, kinda lame, but a great yarn shop) and then on to Barlata's Tapas Bar for a little nosh, then an early night.

Early O'Clock

2011-06-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

Jetlag has me in its throes...asleep at 5PM, up at 1AM...what's a girl to do? Why, funny you should ask!

On the last trip I wore my greeny-brown Highland Triangle Shawl a lot and enjoyed it every time, so I decided to make another. I can credit/blame Bells for my color choice...RED, RED, RED. It's Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, which is the same yarn I used for the last Highland Triangle. It suits this shawl very well. Drapey, easy to wrap, not too heavy, a nice sparkle to the color because of the silk content. This pattern, from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls book, is a dream to knit. Daunting, at first, because it is such a large shawl, but the pattern is simple, logical, orderly and relaxing to knit once you have the hang of it. As you see, I photocopy the chart and put it on a board with a rubber band to mark the rows. I also highlight the pattern repeats to prevent getting lost if my mind wanders, and I use stitch markers on the needles for the same reason.

Anyway, here's how it looks. I'm actually pretty impressed that even with jetlag, I'm not messing up!

I'm taking a chance that my friends won't mind me posting pics of them wearing the berets I mentioned in the last post. I think they are traveling today, so I can't ask permission, but they look SO GOOD in the berets I can't stand not to share.

Here's R in his charcoal Moss Stitch Beret:

And K in her brown Porom Beret:

Looks GREAT from the back, too:

Once the sun comes up I may get out in the garden for a bit. Yesterday was crisp but sunny, so I got a little cutting back of the Japanese Anemones done, and I'd like to tackle the Hydrangeas... But it's windy today, I can already tell, so that may not happen...frost and wind may overcome the sunshine.

Home Again, Down Under

2011-06-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

We arrived back today after a very easy flight. It was a busy trip for me, from a knitting point of view...lots of hats promised and delivered.

Here's the navy watch cap for Ross, finished, at last. Forgot to take a photo of the brown one for Greg...need to get a modeled shot.

And here's the brown Porom for Karine...need to get permission from her to post a pic of her wearing it! It looks MUCH better on her, believe me...

And here's me wearing the charcoal beret I made for Rodnay. Also need to ask if I can post a pic of him wearing it...

I think I already posted pics of the Mink/Cashmere berets in blueberry, so I won't post them again. But here's what I'm up to now..

First, a small triangle shawl, a Mystery Knit-along on Ravelry, pattern by Wendy Johnston. This picture was taken shortly after I started, and now I'm only waiting for the final clue before finishing.

And last, but not least, Anne Hanson's Crooked Walking Shawl is now underway, using more of the spectacular Great Northern Yarns, this time a fingering weight blend of Mink, Milk and Merino:

I've learned the hard way not to attempt any lace knitting when I'm jetlagged, so progress on these last two will have to wait a few days.

Saying Goodbye to Another Old Friend

2011-05-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

We've had a tough couple of years with our little furry friends, and the time has come to say goodbye to little Cassie:

She was diagnosed with diabetes a few months ago, but had been responding quite well to her insulin injections. We boarded her at the vet for this trip to California, so they could continue the insulin therapy. Sadly, a few days ago she began to be quite ill, listless, not eating, and uninterested in her surroundings. Investigation revealed a large mass in her abdomen, and this morning we got the news that the end had come for her. They have been keeping her comfortable with morphine, a heated igloo, hand-fed treats when they could get her to eat. But the time has come to say goodbye.

Here's the little darling in earlier days, as a spry young cat in the Sierra Foothills, lounging on top of her favorite perch:

Cassie was a stray, found wandering the streets of the small Gold Country town of Sutter Creek in 1997. We adopted her from the animal shelter, and she had made lots of moves around California and then to Australia in 2006. She was a cat with lots of personality, with a funny little meow, a shivery tail when she was pleased or excited, and a big fondness for her dinner.

It's hard not to be there with her at this sad time, but we are so fortunate to have such caring, affectionate staff at the vet in Moss Vale. They really appreciated Cassie and always loved having her stay. She was among friends at the end, and for that we are grateful. We'll miss you, little friend.

Amazing Great Northern Yarns...My New Favorites

2011-05-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

After finishing the Porom Beret using the glorious 100% Cashmere DK from Great Northern (pics on my Rav project page), I started yesterday on the first of two Monkey Bread Berets for friends. I made the last one for myself from the deep green 70% Mink/30% Cashmere DK weight from Great Northern and it turned out so beautifully that I knew I wanted to make more of this pattern for a couple of friends. Both friends chose the Blueberry colorway, and it really is a gorgeous color.

You may remember I mentioned I washed the 100% Cashmere in the skein to gain loft before I started knitting. The Blueberry Mink/Cashmere looks pretty non-bloomy in the skein (as did the dark green when I got it) but I decided to just knit it up and then see where I was...I knew it would bloom in the soak when finished.

Yesterday I started the first Monkey Bread and to my amazement the yarn, which has only tiny trace amounts of the light oil used in spinning the yarn, begins to bloom immediately as you start working with it. Your fingers must absorb the small amount of oil (and your fingers don't feel at all sticky or greasy, just light and moisturized!) leaving the yarn free to fluff up and expand as you work. Want proof? Here's a pic showing the beret where it is this morning (I got most of the hat knitted up yesterday!) with the wound skein beside it. Can you see the difference in texture between the two?

You can see the bloom much better in the close-up, which I lightened so you can see it even more:

I gotta tell you, this stuff is just wonderful to work with! And you only need one skein to make Anne's great pattern. I'm making only one modification: Toward the top there is one cable that she specifies as 7 over 1...from my last hat I feel that poor lonely stitch with 7 others stretched over it looks too tortured, so I'm changing that cable to 5 over 3 left. To my eyes, it looks more relaxed. Other than that, I'm knitting it as she wrote the pattern, and it is just a really special knitting experience!

Woo-Hoo, the Cashmere Beret is Finished!

2011-05-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

This was one of the most enjoyable projects I have EVER knit...the Great Northern Yarns cashmere was so soft, light and exquisite, and a perfect match for Jared Flood's wonderful Porom pattern.

As this DK weight yarn is a bit lighter than the usual DK, and I didn't want this to be too slouchy but more of a real beret, I used 3.5mm needles for the ribbing and 4mm for the rest. Jared suggests knitting to about 6 or 6.5" before starting the crown decreases, but as it's pretty lacy and therefore quite stretchy, I decided to knit only to about 5" before starting the decreases to avoid having it be too floppy and stretched out. Turned out to be absolutely perfect, in my opinion.

Here's another shot of it blocking:

Once it's dry, I'll try a modelled shot, and then I can deliver it to Karine! Can't wait!

I'm a Knitting Tragic!

2011-05-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

Do you want to know just how obsessive I am? Since DH is away, guess who's indulging in an orgy of knitting time? So, let's see just how bad things are at the moment.

Here's the most glorious beret I've ever knit, in Great Northern Yarns 100% Cashmere DK -- this will be a beret for my friend, K (you know who you are, Karine!) and its about half finished. This yarn is SO soft and light, I think it's going to feel like wearing a kitten on your head!

The pattern is Porom, by Jared Flood, a design I've knit a couple of times before -- it's one of my all-time favorites.

Here are a couple more pics of the beret, in progress:

And I didn't post a pic of my friend A's finished Icarus. Forgot to take a pic of it on her, but here it is blocking...the yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 8 Ply, a very fine micron Merino that is soft, silky-feeling and luscious:

But to know just how nutso I really am, this picture says it all...yes, there are two other watch caps on the needles, in various stages of completion. The dark blue for Ross and the hot chocolate one for Greg. Plus, there are four more skeins, also destined for hats that are promised to family and friends. The two skeins of Blueberry on the right are that incredibly beautiful 70% Mink/30% Cashmere from Great Northern Yarns in the colorway Blueberry...can you believe two friends to whom I promised hats chose the same color?

I know my knitting friends will understand...compulsive knitter at work! And I refuse to show you a picture of the closet where I'm storing all the OTHER yarns I have queued up for various projects. You'll just have to wait and see...

The Jane Eyre Shawl: The Modeled Shots

2011-05-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

So much fun! I wore this to the movie, Jane Eyre, yesterday. No other Jane Eyre Shawls were present, except for the one onscreen!

I really love the look of those ruffles across the back:

And here's Jane, herself, wearing her version in the movie, in case you haven't seen it:

The movie is fun for the costumes and atmosphere, but a little slow, I thought. But if you are a knitter, you really should make one of these shawls. Very warm, slightly shaped over the shoulders so it stays on pretty well. I think there's another in my future!

California Girl Back in California...for the Moment.

2011-05-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

So here we are again...back in Sunny California for nearly a month. Brought my knittin' with me, and a few quilt blocks:

This is my finished To Eyre shawl, pattern by Carol Sunday on Ravelry, following extensive discussions on the Rav boards about the shawl worn by Jane Eyre in the new movie, and Carol's exemplary pattern creation. HOWEVER...having run out of yarn about two-thirds through the shawl, I was forced to scavenge the collar from a sweater I knitted from the same yarn last year. Want to see the poor, depleted sweater today?

Kinda sad, no? However, the sweater was a bit too wide for me, and the collar overwhelming for my size, so I think I'll knit a new one, same pattern, smaller size and different yarn.

If the new shawl is dry in time I'm hoping to wear it when I go to see the movie tomorrow...wonder if anyone will recognize it as the same shawl Jane's wearing in the movie.

And I've been working on a Corn and Beans Quilt for my DS, and brought 3 and a half blocks with me to show him how it's going. Can you see the fabric that has green beans on it? How about the one with ears of corn? Cool! He loves the blocks, so I'm good to go.

I've got about 7 hats queued up to knit, so that should keep me out of trouble while we're here...

Long Time, No Blog!

2011-04-27T19:44:00.001-07:00

Here I am again, though I'm sure no one will care any longer...one can only disappear for so long or so many times -- but here I am again. Time to reinvent my blog as a place to keep track of what projects I'm working on and what's up in my life.

So, even if no one is listening, here goes .

Oh. I see. Blogger STILL puts photos in the reverse order of the way you load them. I would have thought they'd have sorted that out by now, but never mind... Maybe one of these days I'll switch to WordPress or something...how hard is it to do that, anyway?

Here's how things looked a couple of days ago, as autumn winds down and winter approaches the Southern Highlands. If I took this picture today, only about one-tenth of the leaves would be remaining on the tree!

If you are a Ravelry member, you may have come across the discussion of the shawls worn by the main character in the new movie version of Jane Eyre. A couple of very clever group members developed patterns to replicate the shawls worn in the movie and many of us are attempting to recreate the simple, rustic looking shawl. Here's my attempt. Of course, most knitters were probably smart enough to be sure they had enough yarn on hand before they started. That wouldn't be me, of course! Fortunately, I have a sweater in California that I knit from this year a couple of years ago. I'll cannabalize the collar of that sweater to finish this up. Where there's a will, there's a way!
From the back, you can't tell as much that I've run out of yarn at a crucial juncture...
And here's the finished shawl I did for my friend in gorgeous, heavy dark grey Lamb's Pride Heather. It will be very warm in winter, but much too heavy for other seasons. So...watch this space for a surprise shawl underway as we speak...Icarus, done in a DK weight luxurious extra fine merino wool...lovely!
And what have I been doing on the quilting front? Ah, a new queen-size quilt for DS with the traditional Corn & Beans block. The colors will be corn and beans colors...what else?!! Here is the first block about half finished. There are actually three completed now and lots of pieces cut out, so I'll have more pics soon.
And that's it from me for the moment. We'll be off to California again on May 6...can't wait to finish up my To Eyre shawl!

Here We Go Again...

2010-09-24T15:25:00.001-07:00

What to do when a very nice friend gives you a very nice skein of yarn for your birthday? Cast about for the perfect pattern, of course, and here we have the beginning of Anne Hanson's Fernfrost. It seems to me to be perfectly paired with the lovely yarn, which is Buffalo Gold's Lux, in colorway Dakota Dawn. The yarn is a wonderful blend of the winter undercoat of pure bison down, mixed with 20% cashmere, 20% silk and 15% Tencel...just incredibly soft, and no doubt quite warm for such an airy, laceweight yarn.

The pattern is a bit challenging, mostly because I always have trouble reading the wrong side rows and reversing the knits and purls, hence the red markings on the chart to remind me to purl where it looks like a knit...anyone else have to do this?
I can tell already that this is going to take awhile to complete, but WHAT a fun knit! Just need to keep my attention really focussed. Not fun to have to tink back laceweight on 3.25mm needles! I'll probably start adding lifelines every 15 or 20 rows soon.

And here's an FO I'm really pleased about -- my finished Highland Triangle Shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls book (Ravelry link):

Very hard to photograph because it's so large (78" x 43") and I don't have a photographer on hand today (so glad Ross will be home soon!). But you can get the idea, spread out on this settee:

The yarn is Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool DK in a color that's hard to describe...kind of an earthy, greeny-brown. Not everyone's cup of tea, I suppose, but I'm loving it.

Spring is definitely trying to arrive in the Southern Highlands, and I'm enjoying the warmer temps. May be time to hit the garden soon!

Spring is Springing Here, But Autumn's Coming to Maine

2010-09-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm on a roll with Meret...this is my second one, made for my sister, Sheri, who lives in Maine. I'm modeling it here, and DH will mail it to Sheri from California next week. Turned out pretty well, I think. Such a fun pattern... Hope it fits, and she likes it! I'm also starting a new project...another Clapotis, but in a scarf size, instead of a wrap, using Malabrigo Sock in Indiecita. No pics yet, but soon, I hope. This will be a gift for my niece, Erin. Hope to deliver it in October.

It's warm and sunny here today and I'm loving the sunshine. Shouldn't get too wedded to it, though...more cold weather will be arriving next week. We arrived back here from California 10 days ago to trees laden with blossoms, but within a day or two the huge winds kicked up and soon the blooms were scattered all over the ground...sigh!

Kitties, donkeys and horses were all well and happy to see us home again. I celebrated the big 70th birthday during this last trip...just unbelievable to think I'm THAT old...LOL!

A Sad Farewell to the Best Old Friend

2010-05-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

And so the time has come to say farewell to our little friend, Alfonse le Soot. He would have been 13 years old right about now. Those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile may remember his dramatic disappearance in July of 2008. And his equally dramatic return just over a month later. No explanation was ever found for his disappearance, but we were so happy to have him home.

In late March of this year we made a trip to California, only to have the terrible news from our wonderful house-sitter, Judy, that Alfonse had collapsed and had to be rushed to the vet the day after we left. The vet tried mightily to save our little fellow, but he had experienced sudden heart failure resulting in a clot that paralyzed his hind legs. After three heart-rending days and a steadily worsening condition, the decision had to be made to let him go.

We returned to Australia two days ago and today, with heavy hearts, we picked up Alfonse’s ashes, brought him home and buried him in his final resting place. We chose the spot he loved to visit every morning…in the garden, next to the old bathtub in the horse paddock..where he always preferred to have his morning drink of water.

Alfonse was our sweetest cat, with the silkiest all-black fur ever seen, and lovely dark-toast-colored eyes, and the longest tail of any of our cats. When he found himself in the house and wanted out, he would stand by the door and give the most piercing, strong call…we called him Our Little Opera Singer.

When we adopted him from the animal shelter in Amador County in 1997, he was in a cage with his mother and siblings, all of them completely black. Mama Kitty was awake, but all the kittens except one were sound asleep. It was Alfonse, of course, rubbing against the cage and saying “Choose me…Choose me!” Ross’s heart melted instantly, and he quietly said, “I’d like this one.” As we were settling up with the shelter, the attendant said, “This cat’s name should be “Lucky” because all-black cats are really hard to place.”

He was such a funny-looking little thing, very scrawny and tiny, with two bald patches in front of his ears. We wondered whether he’d ever fill out and get a proper coat of fur, but within a few months he was handsome, sleek and gorgeous.

In October of 2006 Alfonse made the long trip to Australia, accompanied by the six other feline members of the family. He hated the month-long quarantine time near Sydney because he had to be in a cage all by himself. When I visited twice a week during the quarantine, he let me know in no uncertain terms that he didn't want to be there and expected me to spring him from his captivity. Once he and the other kitties were finally released, he was the happiest of cats, prowling around the house and garden, exploring his new environment. All his life he loved to climb -- trees, trellisses, anything that would give purchase to his claws. His lithe body stretched along a huge branch many feet above the earth gave me pause, many times, but he always made it safely down again.

Alfonse had suffered the indignity of having been Top Cat in the household for a couple of years, until The Grey Brothers, Cloudy and Patch, showed up to depose him. He suffered this setback with grace and patience, and never stopped being his lovely, loving self.

So today we farewelled our lovely little Alfonse. He will always live in our hearts and memories.

Don't Faint...An FO!

2010-03-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

At last, I have finished Hugo's Wheels, it's quilted, bound, and in the washing machine as I write. Here's a detail that shows the borders and binding pretty well...

And another corner...

And ther label, too:

This was just so much fun, in spite of the tedium of paper-piecing. No doubt this is the last paper-pieced quilt I will do. I will mail this off to Hugo tomorrow and leave for California again on Thursday.

Our wonderful housesitter will have her work cut out for her...5 weeks away this time! No promises, but I MIGHT even post while I'm away...

A Finished Quilt Top...Hooray!

2010-02-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

Wow! A finished quilt top! I'm loving how it's turning out, too...Here's the final top, with borders, even! Another view, just cause I'm in love!

I made the decision at some point to have the cars and trucks facing the same direction, but alternating direction on each row. Of course, I made a very nice pick-up (ute for my Aussie friends) that I really liked, and only realized I'd made it facing the wrong direction after I'd finished it...what else is new? So, making lemonade from spare lemons, I decided to use the "mistake" block as the quilt label. I think it turned out pretty well...what do YOU think?

So, when we return from our overseas trip, all I'll have left to do is put the layers together and actually quilt it. Hopefully then, when Hugo and his family arrive from London for a visit later in March, I can give the actual finished quilt to him and they can hand carry it back. Not that I don't trust the Post...

We had a great weekend, making a run up to the Sydney Festival final concert of the year, Opera in the Domain...what a great venue, and the opera (Candide) was just terrific. A zillion thanks to Chris and Adele for thinking of us, and for putting us up on Saturday night. Of course, I forgot my camera, so I didn't get to memorialize the evening...

Off to California in a week...can't wait!

Oh, My Stars & Garters...That Was CLOSE!!

2010-01-25T16:07:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? SKYP Sock #1 finished, with 2 grams of yarn left. I was sweating it, for sure. I guess it's optimistic to think you can be sure of making a pair of men's socks with two skeins of Koigu. Any feet larger than DH's (about size 10) haven't got a prayer. I was already auditioning scraps of other sock yarn for the toes, just in case. So glad that wasn't necessary. Now, on to Sock #2... Meanwhile, Print O' the Waves has come to a standstill, due to lack of yarn:

I got one short side border and most of one long side border knitted on before running out. Fortunately, I have one skein being sent to me in California by a kind Raveler. Can you imagine how annoyed I'd be to have to switch dyelots at this point?

Not such happy news on the quilt front, though. I took a cruise through local fabric shops for just the right sashing fabric for Hugo's Wheels, to no avail. So, I'll need to wait till the California trip in two weeks. I had hoped this top would be all stitched together before we left, but that's not to be.

Oh, and Happy Australia Day to Aussie blogger friends!

To Canberra We Shall Go...

2010-01-20T14:19:00.001-08:00

So we're doing a little road trip today, to Canberra where it's going to be hot, hot, hot...35 C. Not nice! However, we're hoping both venues where we're going will be air-conditioned. Not sure if this will be going from the Ridiculous to the Sublime or not: first up will be a matinee of Avatar in 3D. Then, for a little "high kulcha," doncha know: the Masterpieces of the Musee d'Orsay at the National Gallery. It's a members only event, so we're hoping the crowds will be a tiny bit less than if we just went on a regular day. Promises to be a fun day! Then the long drive back home, 90 minutes or so.

In other news, I've FINALLY finished the paper-pieced blocks for Hugo's Wheels, and am auditioning sashing, cornerstones and borders. Wanna see? I thought so! This gives you an idea of how it might finish up. The dark blue is too dark (looks much darker in person) and I'll look for something a bit lighter with a slightly more turquoise tone to the blue. The wavy turquoise print for the outer border will stay, and I think the red cornerstones and skinny border will be something close to this. All in all, I'm pleased with how it's looking. Hope to get the piecing finished before we leave in a couple of weeks.
And since it feels very funny not to have a pair of socks on the needles, I decided to use this gorgeous dark green variegated Koigu to make a pair of socks for Ross. The pattern is called Simple SKYP Socks, and it's very fun to knit...relaxing, easy to take along, only two rows to the pattern so you can always tell where you are. I can even talk or watch TV while working on these:

And it's been ages since I reported on this Print O' The Wave shawl/stole. It's my longest WIP, since I started it well over a year ago. A fun knit, but I need concentration and quiet so it often spends time in hibernation. I will, however, run out of yarn before I can finish the knitted-on border. Fortunately, Ravelry friends pointed me to a nice woman in California who is sending me one more skein of this KnitPicks Shadow laceweight yarn in the Sunset colorway, so I can finish this one. Hopefully in this lifetime!

So that's what's up with me at the moment. Summer in the Southern Highlands...a good time to knit. What else is new?!

I'm MELTING......

2010-01-08T21:59:00.000-08:00

It is so hot today, and humid, and enervating. At least the hot winds of earlier today are moderating a bit. Have I mentioned that I don't do well in the heat? So what am I doing? Baking a Nectarine Cobbler. Must be mad! But the nectarines are really delicious this year, and we're going to some friends' house for dinner and I volunteered to bring the pudding (that's Aussie-speak for dessert, dontcha know?), so voila! One Nectarine Cobbler coming up.

No progress on Hugo's Wheels today. It's paper-pieced with blocks from EQ6, and I just don't have the patience for all those fiddly bits and the attendant mess today. Did a little work on my Print O' The Waves shawl...I finished the first short side of the knitted-on border. Fun, but slow going.

Here are the first blocks I've completed for Hugo's Wheels. Actually there's one more, but I haven't photographed it yet. Here's the Sports Car...

and the Fire Truck... and the Double-Decker Bus...

and a Blue Sedan...

and the Ambulance (I love the ambulance!)...

Only six more blocks to go. The one that's finished but not photographed is a big semi-truck.

It'll be great to get this one wrapped up and delivered!

Hello, World!

2010-01-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

What happened to the last six months? I think Facebook and Twitter took up all my bandwidth and I've been neglecting my blog, but the time has come to make a new start.

As you see, summer has arrived in the Southern Highlands, and DH is back into his walking routine. However, given the number and perversity of the blowflies (and ordinary flies) around here, this is his new "look" when walking...quite a fashion statement, no? I told him he looks like he's the bride at a Goth wedding...black veil and all! So what have I been knitting, you wonder? (Well, given my long silence, you may have long since given up wondering, and who could blame you?!) Here are Eli's Footlets. These were part of a Schoolhouse Press Knit-along, so I decided to use up bits and pieces of yarn I had around. These should be cozy when winter rolls around again.

And here is a progress shot of my Cookie A. socks, Clandestine, using Slackford Studio's wondrous Stalwart Sock yarn in the colorway True Blood. These socks are actually finished now, but I haven't got a good shot of the socks modeled yet. Can't recommend the pattern and the yarn highly enough...just gorgeous.

And finally, thanks to friends in Sydney who invited us to stay at their apartment on New Year's Eve. I got this shot of the red smoke and fire falling from the Sydney Harbour Bridge at the 9PM fireworks display for kids. This little girl really enjoyed the show.

In other news, I'm back into quilting mode and have made a good start on Hugo's Wheels...paper-pieced cars, busses, trucks, etc. Pics soon, I hope.

Hope you and yours had a great Holiday season, and that 2010 will be a better year for us all!

Alive and Well and Kindle-ing in Oakland

2009-07-15T16:25:00.001-07:00

Can you believe that before we left Australia I didn't get a photo of the completed quilt? Here's the best I can offer...it's all pinned together and laid out on the queen-size guest bed, so at least you can see how it fit. The quilting was a trial, but fun...I have such trouble stuffing large quilts through my home machine. I get stuck, then it all pops free and I get great big stitches, and other fun stuff. Still, Katie has now received the quilt and tells me she really, really likes it, and THAT's what's important! And here's what I've been up to lately: Kindle! With reassurance from some good Blog Buddies, I took the plunge, and I am totally in love...

Of course, as usual, here's the first thing we did when we arrived in Oakland. Can you see that happy smile? TACOS!

There has been knitting going on, too. This plain ribbed sock, made with gorgeous merino sock yarn from Piedmont Yarn Shop, knit on 2.25 bamboo DPNs. It's such a luscious color, I've decided to call these socks my Plain Strawberry Vanilla Socks.

And there's even been an FO (finished object) today. My first Kiri Shawl, in KnitPicks Swish DK in Forest Heather, knit on KP Options 4.5mm. I added some size 6/0 beads in a very pale green crystal and I think I'm going to like them. Once the shawl is dry, I'll try to get DH to take a pick of it being worn.

Other than that, it's been eating, drinking, walking the neighborhoods around our apartment, visiting family and friends and really enjoying life. We took a trip up to the Sierra Nevada Foothills over the weekend, visiting friends in Pioneer, and we even got a little rainstorm...unheard of in California in July!

Eight more days of play, and then we return to Oz. No hope at all that we'll have the same flight experience we had on the way up: the plane was madly oversold, and they bumped us to Business Class...what an incredible luxury!

Nearly Finished!

2009-06-17T22:32:00.001-07:00

It was a productive week, I'm happy to say! Realized at some point that there's no floor space that's safe to pin on and large enough for a queen-size quilt inside the house. So...a couple of days ago I set myself up in the garage after carefully sweeping up any dust and dirt. It was freezing out there! Worked out pretty well, though. Here's "Life is a Promise, Fulfill It", and all the layers stretched out and ready for pinning. Before I started the layering process, I decided to try to get one shot of the entire quilt top, for posterity. Not easy...had to perch on a ladder and it still isn't really satisfactory. I need a design wall!

Back in the house, after all the hours of pinning, sore knees, sore fingers, but that quilt is all pinned together!

Here's how I reworked the top border to balance Katie's name a bit.

Y.esterday and today I cloistered myself in the sewing room and got the entire top quilted! Hooray! Also got the binding strips prepared, so tomorrow I will sew those on and start on the hand sewing of the folded-over edge.

This baby is nearly ready for its new owner.

Another BIG thanks to Tonya...I needed to swat up on the wonky letter instructions again when I did these borders. I'm really happy with how they turned out!

Quilts and Shawls, Oh My!

2009-06-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

Well, woo-hoo! Yesterday I finished piecing the words for Katie Rose's quilt, at last. I forgot to take a picture of the entire center section when it was spread out on the guest bed, and we've got company coming any moment, so a pic of the full center will have to wait until tomorrow...but here it is with the center section folded up and pieces of the light pink border fabric laid out around the edges, so I could make sure the phrases are going to fit along the sides. Looks like they will! I'm hoping all these words in the border won't make it looke like it's from the Ransom Note School of Quilting! Now the hard part comes: sewing each letter to its tiny piece of background fabric, allowing for extra space between words, and then adding the extra border strips to top and bottom of the phrases so the overall quilt size will be correct. Not to mention deciding what to do about the backing...and THEN there's the actual quilting. Keep your fingers crossed that I can keep this momentum going and finish this quilt by the 29th, when we leave again for California.

And I have an actual FO to show, too: the Adamas Shawl is finished and here's the proof. All up, I think it ended up taking about 1200 beads, size 8/0, and that was a real exercise in patience! I like the effect though - especially as the beads add just a bit of weight to the outside edge, making the shawl drape very nicely. So, I pressed DH into service this morning for a bit of a photo shoot.

All in all, it was really a fun shawl to knit. Next up will be a very dark purple, almost black, mohair blend, with more beads, but I need a break from beading for awhile, first!

No pics yet of the new cardigan, Amused, but that's going well, too. I started the second sleeve this morning, so it will be finished this week for sure. Pics next time!

That's Why We Call It "Fall" in the U.S....

2009-04-30T19:50:00.001-07:00

So we are home, after an uneventful flight. DH still has a wretched cough, and finally went to the doctor yesterday -- secondary infection, following his bad cold of two weeks ago, resulting in the need for antibiotics and rest. Since the swine flu fear is everywhere, he is to avoid socializing until he is feeling better, and if he gets worse we must have a throat swab taken at the local hospital, just to be sure. No fever, though, so it's doubtful if it's anything but the result of overdoing work duties while he had a cold.

Add to that the fun of jet lag, and this is probably not our best week ever! Still, as you can see from the above photo, autumn has landed in Exeter big time. This is one of five big buckets of leaves that had accumulated outside our back door. Nice mulch for the perennials...

Not much sewing or knitting at the moment. Hope to be feeling more like doing something in a day or two.

Farewell to a Sweet Friend...

2009-04-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

I have postponed writing this because there is so much sadness for DH and me. We got news a few days ago that our beloved Spike was found dead in her kitty condo a few days after we left for California.

This is a pic of Spike taken in 2002, when we lived in the Sierra Foothills in California. She spent most of her time in DH's office, so we called her the Secretary Kitty.

A word or two about her name might be called for. Spike and her sister, Rosebud, were born under a house in Ione, CA in 1996. A predator took several siblings, so the people whose house it was rescued the remaining kittens and looked for homes for them. We adopted these two adorable furballs in a flash. A visit to the vet for first shots and a general physical inspection was called for, during which the veterinary assistant said, "Well, this one is a girl, and that one is a little boy," (indicating Spike). So we duly named them Rosebud and Spike, and a few months later were shocked when Spike came into heat! We tried to rename "him" -- Suki stuck for a week or two but just didn't come trippingly to the tongue. So we bowed to the inevitable and considered her to be our little biker chick kitty.

Spike had the most loving nature of any cat we've ever had. You could always count on a few gentle licks from her oh-so-soft tongue any time you petted or combed her. Over the years, she gained a few pounds (haven't we all?!) and came to be known as "one of the fat ladies," along with our two other female cats, Cassie and Chloe. (Rosebud had disappeared several years ago...she refused to sleep in the house, preferring a large knothole in a gigantic oak tree on our country property there. We believe a bobcat or mountain lion took Rosebud while she slept.)

Rebecca, our petsitter, told us that when she came in to feed the cats and clean their boxes, she found Spike stretched out on the grass, looking as if she had stretched out for a nap in the sun and just never woke up. Spike was Rebecca's favorite of our seven cats, and she is feeling grief-stricken, too.

We will miss our little Spikey more than words can tell...so sad, so sad.

All Knitting, No Quilting...BAD Quilter!

2009-04-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I've been feeling like knitting instead of working on "the" quilt, so I thought I'd share the most recent FO: This is Hypoteneuse (Rav Link), by Anne Hanson of Knitspot. It's really large, and very drapey and soft. Knitted with KnitPicks Swish DK, a really lovely, soft, altogether wonderful yarn. The pic below shows how long it is...it was windy today (surprise, surprise!) and you can see it flipping around in the breeze.

And I realized I never posted a pic of the pink alpaca shawl (also Rav link) in its full glory, so here it is. You may remember the disaster of the big hole that appeared in one corner as I was blocking it. Fortunately, I don't think it's too noticeable, but just to be sure, that corner is at the BACK in this pic.

And the obligatory close-up, to show off all the lacy detail. The yarn is Misti Alpaca Laceweight, and it's light as a cloud. Still provides a bit of warmth on cool evenings, though, because it's alpaca.

I've also begun work on another shawl, Adamas, (another Ravelry link) using that glorious KnitPicks Shimmer (alpaca and silk laceweight) in the color Cumulus (a pale, shaded taupe), but no pics yet. Right now it's just a puddle of loops on the needles.

One of these days I need to get back into the quilting studio, but that means back to cutting a zillion small squares for the sashing, and I just don't feel like cutting fabric at the moment.

We leave for California on Easter Sunday, for a couple of weeks, so I may postpone the cutting till we're back...on the other hand, think how happy I'd be to return home to a nice pile of neatly cut squares, just waiting to be stitched into star points on the sashing pieces...hmmmm, wonder how I'll resolve this...

More of Tonya's Inspirational Letters!

2009-03-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well, the journey has begun for Katie Rose's quilt. Here is a shot of the first quadrant of blocks with their sashing and star cornerstones. I've laid the first pieced letters on top: Katie Rose. As you may or may not be able to see, I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board for the "OS" of Rose...the O is too big and clunky, and the S is made from too busy a fabric. Try, try again! I do like the "Katie" part, though. I'm finding there's a little learning curve to come back to the free-pieced letters after a few months away. My brain needs to readjust...kind of like with paper-piecing, only not quite as "backward and upside down," if you know what I mean!
You can see the actual blocks and stars better in this upside down shot (taken from the other side of the ironing board. I like the look of the dotted sashing, and the deep pink stars.

I'm kind of rushing to get a bit of something together for this quilt, because I'm giving a little talk about my quilts tomorrow to a local group, and they'd like to see some of my work. Since I give away most of my quilts, I don't have a lot to show, so I thought they might like to see this one in progress. Hope to have the actual quilt finished and delivered by the end of June, so I need to keep on keepin' on. As you may remember, I have a LOT of words to make for the borders. First up will be side one: Life is a song -- sing it. I think I'm going to use one color family for each phrase, using maybe one fabric for the "Life is a song" and a deeper tone of the same color for "sing it." What do you all think?

And how about the obligatory kitty pic? This time with DH in the picture, too. He said this picture should be captioned "Ross and Cloudy...Working"

There's some knitting going on, too, and I'll be attending my first Southern Highlands Stitch 'n Sip (sounds a lot nicer than Stitch 'n Bitch, doesn't it!) gathering tonight. This little group was recently begun as a forum on Ravelry by Clovelly, and now, at her instigation, we're actually getting together in person -- face time! I'll try to remember to take my camera...

Deja Vu All Over Again...

2009-03-03T08:55:00.001-08:00

Here we are in the boarding lounge at SFO (San Francisco, for non-Californians), having had our flight cancelled last night, after four hours sitting on the tarmac with no news and nothing happening. After scrubbing the flight at around 2AM, they put up in hotels those people who didn't have a place to stay in the Bay Area and told everyone else to go home and come back at 9AM for an 11AM departure. We could have gone to our apartment by taxi, but we didn't like our chances of getting to the apartment, sleeping a couple of hours, and and then making it back to SFO on time, given that it's raining and we'd be in rush hour traffic, so we spent the night on the benches in the terminal.

Keep your fingers crossed that this 11AM flight actually goes...our kitties NEED us at home!

Wow, looking at the grammar and syntax of that first paragraph, I can see I'm sleep deprived (or maybe just crazed!)...

Next post from Oz, one hopes...

O. Ver. Whelmed!

2009-02-27T16:06:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm back from Stitches West, which was unbelievable. I think I wandered around in a daze for the best part of four hours, unable to focus on anything in particular. Feeling like a kid in a candy store, I just couldn't bring my mind to what I should buy...amazing! Eventually, I did find some gorgeous things. Here's Tactile Superwash Merino Sock Yarn in Aventurine:
And, feeling adventurous, I bought some Habu Wool Stainless Steel (75% wool, 25% stainless steel):

And a skein of Habu Superfine Merino:

My friend Margaret, in Oz, had contacted me this morning to see if I would bring her a couple of bits of Blue Faced Leicester so she could try spinning it. That helped focus my mind a bit, and Lynne (Yarnivorous) was a big help in keeping me on track to accomplish that goal. Thanks, Lynne!

Here's Lynne admiring some gorgeous yarn in just "her" colors:

And here's the BFL I chose for Margaret...first up, A Verb for Keeping Warm, in Color #9:

Next, some gorgeous Lisa Souza BFL in a color Lisa calls "Cwanberri", because that's how her grandson pronounces it:

And some gorgeous Leaf Pile:

And finally, some South Pacific:

I had hoped to find a scarf pin or two, but was just too distracted to focus on anything. I think next year, with the experience of my first Stitches already under my belt, I'll do better. But oh, my, it was FUN!

EZ Rules!

2009-02-26T12:34:00.001-08:00

What fun! Having 3.5 wheels of leftover Unspun Icelandic from Schoolhouse Press in the great color, Sumac, I decided to try Elizabeth Zimmermann's Stonington Shawl (from Knitter's Workshop, maybe? I left my book at home). Actually, this was my illicit airplane knitting: you may remember the great Bamboo DPNs Scandal of last year...well, this time I decided to be smarter. I took my KnitPicks Harmony 5.5mm tips, tucked into my briefcase beside the pens and pencils. The cable resided in an outer pocket, all on its lonely. One wheel of yarn was tucked into my rollaboard. Once settled on the plane, well after takeoff, I assembled the needles, cast on, and during my sojourn in California I have been knitting.

Today I paused to admire my brilliance in attempting a picot bind-off on the completed shawl/blanket, and here's what it looks like...cool, eh?

And here's the unblocked shawl...er, blanket. We're going to leave it here in Oakland at the apartment, so we'll have something nice and toasty to throw over our knees while we watch TV.

You may remember that I used this yarn in the Blacksheep color to make my Pi Shawl last year, and that's what we use at home in Australia for TV watching. It was a blessing having so much of the Sumac leftover from my Pansy Triangle Shawl, so I could make up this Stonington...love the pattern, love the yarn, love the color!

And today...it's off to visit some fabric shops on a quest for the perfect border fabric for Katie Rose's string quilt. Did I mention that she's chosen the words she'd like for that border? Here's the winner: Life is a song, sing it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is a dream, realize it. I'll use the stronger colors from the string blocks, probably one color group for each of the three phrases, and the background will be a light pink, either a very small print or a tone on tone. That's today's quest.

And TOMORROW it's Stitches West at the Santa Clara Convention Center. I'll have a chance to meet Lynne of Yarnivorous, too...woot!

Alpaca, and Wires, and Blocking, Oh My!

2009-02-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

Well, dang! Looky-looky...see that blue bow? As I started blocking the wet pink alpaca shawl, I found a very large hole, getting larger with every gentle pat of the shawl. It was such a sickening sight, I couldn't stand even to take a pic of it for you to see! Instead, I grabbed a yarn needle and some yarn, gathered up every open stitch I could find, and pulled them into this bow. Now I've gone ahead and blocked the thing, and I'll worry about somehow sewing that spot in some not-too-obtrusive fashion when I'm finished. Grrrr! Can't even feel too sorry for myself, because I remember Bells had a similar experience recently, and someone else, too, but I can't remember who it was. Anyway, here's the nearly finished piece -- sorry for the poor pic. It's a very grey day outside, and pink alpaca doesn't show up very well against the pale blue sheet on which it's being blocked.

In happier news, here is the scene when we visited our friends in the Sierra Nevada Foothills this weekend...pretty, no? It didn't actually snow up there while we were visiting, but I think they're getting some now!

As you see, they had gotten a pretty good fall over the previous week, although rain the previous day had melted off quite a bit of it. This is actually how I LIKE snow: enough to look pretty, but not enough to be a nuisance.

And, as promised, here's the Mini Mochi sock yarn. Since I took this pic, I've turned the heel and started down the foot on the first sock. I think it's going to be pretty, don't you? And very warm, due to the small percentage of alpaca in the yarn.

So now we're back at the condo for the final week of our visit to the Bay Area. Next Monday is departure day, but in the meantime, there are friends and family to visit, restaurants and shops to visit, and Stitches West on Friday...yay!

Pics, At Last!

2009-02-18T10:16:00.001-08:00

Look what jumped into my shopping cart at KnitPicks...two skeins of Imagination in the color Looking Glass, and two skeins of Felici in Tyrian Purple. These were supposed to be for socks, but...Imagination just wanted to be a scarf...
And then, and then...my Peace Fleece (in Volgasippi Blue) and Beaverslide (in Dusty Clover) arrived. Peace Fleece will be the Acer sweater, and Beaverslide I'm not sure...was thinking of the Amanda cardigan from A Fine Fleece, but now I'm uncertain.

I did also succumb to this DK weight Swish in Ash, because I've been wanting to make something in a superwash wool.

But wait...there's MORE! The Yubina Cashwool and Cashmere I'd ordered arrived, too. That's the Cashwool on the left in the silvery blue (it's maybe a shade lighter in real life), and the gorgeous cashmere laceweight in the red violet on the right. Too cool...

And, can you believe it? I finally got my blocking wires. Now all I have to do is find the intestinal fortitude to tackle that big pink alpaca lace shawl... And look what I found, used, in my prowling around bookstores here...

Plus, KnitPicks had a big book sale, and look what found its way into my cart:

And then, my sis, Sheri, sent me this adorable book, as a prezzie:

Plus, a little jaunt to Eddie's Quilting Bee in Sunnyvale found me the fabric I need for the sashing and cornerstones for Katie Rose's string quilt. I think I'll use the dots for the sashing and the bright pink for the stars, unless someone has a better idea.

So all in all, I've been a very successful shopper on this trip. Somebody stop me, quick!

Oh, and I almost forgot...we will make a little jaunt up into the Sierra Nevada Foothills this weekend (snow!) and I made this little hat to take to my friend Liza. It's the Belle Starr hat knit with Berrocco Jasper:

Plus, one more fun find: Crystal Palace Mini Mochi yarn...soft, cuddly and a little fluffy, which is trying to become a pair of socks...pic will be forthcoming in my next post.

A Post, But No Pics

2009-02-06T07:56:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd check in, anyway. Guess who forgot to bring the camera to California. Grrrrr! Fortunately, DH will fly up tomorrow, and he's bringing it along, so I may have things to show soon.

Having a great time just lounging around the condo, taking naps, going for walks, EATING OUT! And I've had a chance to see the grandsons three times...they are leaving for India with their mom tomorrow for three weeks' holiday (DS is staying home to take care of their kitties and keep the home fires burning), so I was lucky to have the time with them. We made bread together the other day -- the No Knead Bread recipe that's been all around Blogland lately. Have you tried it yet? Absolutely wonderful. In fact, since I learned to do it in mid-December, I haven't bought a single loaf of bread.

And I've been shopping, of course. What have I bought, you ask? Well, my Yubina Cashmere Lace yarn in a silvery pale blue arrived and it's gorgeous, as well as the Cashmere-Silk lace yarn in orchid...ditto. I'll post a pic and link once my camera is here. Also bought some gorgeous new sock yarn called Mini Mochi and have started some socks. Plus some lovely DK weight brown yarn for a hat for a friend. Also, the yarn I ordered from Oz was delivered to me here: 7 skeins of gorgeous Beaverslide worsted in Dusty Clover and 7 skeins of Peace Fleece in Volgasippi Blue... wonderful! Also did a little damage in the clothing department: a couple of pretty outfits at Chico's, and some elbow-length, v-neck t-shirts is black, white, turquoise and lime (gotta cover up those chicken-wing upper arms these days...LOL).

I mailed off the 10 Wishes quilt to its recipient and it was received this week...everyone loved it. In fact, Katie, for whom I'm making the big girl quilt right now (see previous blogpost for a pic of the string quilt in progress), loved her sister's quilt a lot. She had the following to say about the pieced "wishes" in the border: "Mom, Tessabell can't even read...maybe I should take THIS quilt instead" and "Really, this quilt is too big for Tess, who is so little, but it would be a good size for me." I take that to mean the quilt was a hit. And of course I now MUST add some words to the border for Katie's quilt, too. Thinking about themes or phrases that might be appropriate...and still searching for the perfect sashing and border fabric, but no luck so far.

Meanwhile, back in Oz, the temperatures soared and soared and have stayed up...really dreadfully hot and unpleasant for everyone, even in the Southern Highlands, which is not usually so affected for so long. Poor old kitties, locked in their kitty condos for the next three plus weeks. Fortunately the catsitter will come every day to be sure their water is topped up, their litter boxes are clean and they have their favorite food to eat. Supposed to cool off and even have some rain next week...I'll be hoping that's so. And the poor old horses, too...Nadia is in her late 20's and has been falling off quite a bit lately, so we worry about her. Our neighbor is giving her a special daily feed of "seniors" feed, with vitamins and molasses and other good things, but I think she will really feel the heat. Tyler is only just older than 20 and in much better health and strength, so I don't worry quite so much about him...

The Beauty Shot...

2009-01-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

And here it is, in all its glory! Amazing how hard it is to photograph this color. It's not actually quite this red, but a rich mahogany browny russet. Hard to photograph, too. I stood on the bed to try to shoot down on it, and then scraped a huge piece of skin from the back of my heel when I tried to step down without standing on the blanket. The trials of photography! So now, I need to get serious about what's next. Nothing too complicated, since I only have a few days before I take off for California.

Finito, Benito!

2009-01-19T20:47:00.000-08:00

Another FO, off the needles! Doesn't look very promising, does it? Still very blob-like. Turned out to be 41 inches (about 100 cm, I think?) fresh off the needles. Took 3.75 skeins of Bendigo 12 Ply rustic, and I used 5.0, 5.5 and 6.0 mm needles, depending on what I had available. Looks kind of like an amoeba, doesn't it? As you can see from this picture, taken on the (very bright) foam blocking mats, I gave it a pretty agressive blocking...up to 64 inches (160 cm, if my in-my-head math is correct).

Not a very good picture, because I'm blocking it in the laundry where the light isn't very good, and the dark mahogany/redwood brown doesn't photograph very well anyway, and it's competing with the brilliant hues of those kids' foam mats.

I'll post a pic of this in a more salubrious setting once it's dry. But I'm really happy to be finished. The binding off was extremely boring and time-consuming!

Keepin' On Keepin' On...

2009-01-16T18:12:00.000-08:00

Woo-hoo! Finished, and aren't they wonderful? This was SUCH a fun knit..and very fast, too. Yarn is Pagewood Farms Chugiak Merino in Grape Juice, and the pattern is the Cable Twist Socks...using that wonderful left twist: Following the example of Pat, I knit these with sock yarn, rather than sport weight, and they fit like a dream!

So, I'm making good progress on the Hemlock Ring Blanket, following the charts from The Rainey Sisters and Brooklyn Tweed. This is knit with Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic 12 Ply, in the color Russet, a rich mahogany-redwood color. I'm approaching the end, although you can't tell from this picture: it just looks like a big blob...a common failing when trying to photograph a circular shawl while it's still on the needles. Only 4 more plain rows to go, and then the final border. AND...today I finished piecing the blocks for Katie Rose's Big Girl Quilt:

These blocks are 9", and the sashing will be 2" with the cornerstones forming stars. I'll choose the fabric for that while I'm in California next month, as well as some super fabric for a wide-ish border all around.

And just for fun, here are some gratuitous kitty shots taken a couple of days ago when it was boiling hot here. Cloudy was lounging on the settee as close to the Pi Shawl as possible. He loves that shawl, and I'm constantly moving it out of the way so he doesn't suckle it to death!

Patch was distressed to hear the little musical chime that indicates I'm opening the cover on the digital camera, but he hung around long enough for me to get this shot, before he scuttled under the bed to hide until it was "safe" again!

Meanwhile, Alfonse was lounging on the cool grass under the big elm tree, enjoying having the yard to himself...no grey brothers around to beat him up.

So other than what you see here, I've been trawling the net to find patterns and yarns to occupy myself during my FIVE GLORIOUS WEEKS (!!) in California. So far, I have ordered some Peace Fleece in Volgasippi Blue to make to make an Acer Caridgan, shamelessly copying the above-referenced Pat, who has impeccable taste.

I'm also mulling over lots of quilty ideas. I keep seeing gorgeous quilts on everyone else's blogs and immediately want to make them all. (Of course, this NEVER happens to any of you!) So I think I need to start collecting some bright, hot colors in batik, for a quilt for our bed in winter, when it's cold and depressing outside. And some brown, grey, neutral fabrics for another quilt for warmer times of the year. And I feel the urge to make another log cabin quilt, and a square in a square quilt, and, and, and....

I'm just in love with the Amanda Jacket (Ravelry link) and I've been looking at Beaverslide yarn, maybe in Prairie Aster but I haven't decided on the color yet.

I'd like to take some socks on the airplane so I won't be too bored, but after having two sets of bamboo needles decapitated once before, I'm reluctant. I have some pink Louet Gems yarn that's been in my stash awhile, and I'm thinking it would look good in Marguerite (Stitches of Violet)'s Shetland Lace Rib pattern.

In addition, I accidentally bought some cashmere laceweight from Yubina the other day, and the Knitting Pixie's Luscious Lace Scarf (Ravelry link) has its name on that, I think.

So as you see, I've got lots to think about and organize as I get ready for my trip. Hope you are all having fun and making plans, too!

Stop Me Before I Quilt Again!

2009-01-04T19:31:00.000-08:00

What is this big pile of fabric and scraps, you may ask: Some you may recognize from the 10 Wishes quilt, but others are new.

Yes, I've made a start on the Big Girl Quilt (i.e. queen-size) for Katie Rose. I've been so inspired by the lovely quilts Mary and her Heartstrings group have made that I decided to make one for Katie. Here's where I am -- two rows of string blocks made...four rows still unmade. I will sash these blocks with 2" sashing (don't know what fabric yet), making stars from the cornerstones (ditto).You can't really see the EQ design very well, I know...sorry. Here's a close-up of the first four blocks:

Second four:

Third four:

It's really fun doing these. I love the colors...wanted them to be "girly" but not too bright. I will add a wide-ish border of some gorgeous fabric, yet to be discovered, I think.

I'm also ratting through my WIPs and getting inspired to finish up the As Time Goes By quilt pretty soon. Of course, I leave for California in three weeks, (yes, there WILL be stash enhancement going on!), so I'm unlikely to tackle that one before my return here at the end of February or early March. Still, it feels good to be working again, and to be so anxious to get in there and quilt, quilt, quilt!

I'm On A Roll...

2009-01-04T19:17:00.000-08:00

OK, so there is not JUST quilting going on...there's also knitting. These socks are called Hedgerow, and the yarn is Cherry Tree Hill in a gorgeous dark turquoise blend. 2.25mm needles, as usual. Pretty, no? And I couldn't resist also casting on this pair of Cable Twist socks after I saw Pat's (the green ones in the pic). Original pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, but Pat did hers in that gorgeous sock yarn, so I rummaged through my yarn stash and lo, what did I find? This beautiful Pagewood Farms merino, in the colorway Grape Juice. Again, 2.25mm needles.

AND...can you believe it? I finished this WIP...started in California before we moved Down Under, where it languished mostly, until last week. In the wake of the fast finish on the 10 Wishes quilt I decided to forge ahead and wrap this one up.

Here it is in all its glory: queen-size, quilted, bound and on the bed, at last. (But not washed yet...just didn't have the energy or patience to wait for it to dry.)

Some of you may remember that this quilt is a remake of a lovely antique quilt I have that is so worn I feel it's dangerous to use it any longer. But the design is so lovely I didn't want it just to sit on a shelf, so I worked the design up on EQ5 and started piecing. The original quilt is signed on the back with only the initials G. L., so for the moment I'm calling it "G.L. Reborn", but obviously I need a good name for the quilt...any brilliant ideas?

And, and, and...there's been a NEW BEGINNING, too! But that's for the NEXT post...

Done and Dusted...

2008-12-28T23:44:00.000-08:00

And here it is, in all its glory. Finished size is just over 50" by just over 60".

And here are the wishes...first up, Spirit, Hope and Peace: Joy and Kindness:

Grit and Patience:

Grace, Love and Humor (though my Aussie friends tell me I've misspelled it!):

Then there's the back:

This was just such a fun quilt to make. I almost hated to see it end. BTW, DON'T embiggen these...you might be shocked at how really bad I am at free-motion quilting...

Gasp! Two Posts In One Day!

2008-12-28T01:37:00.001-08:00

It was such a gorgeous day here that I thought I'd post a few pics I took at cocktail hour, as DH and I settled in with a glass of wine on the verandah, to enjoy the kitties and the view. I know lots of you are dealing with severe weather and short days, and I wanted to remind you that summer WILL come again...here's proof:
Of course, when summer comes again for YOU, WE'LL be shivering and hiding under the covers Down Under...

Alfonse, Cloudy and Patch decided to hang about and enjoy the late afternoon/early evening with us:

And isn't Patch a handsome fellow?

Of course, Alfonse believes that he is ruler of the roost:

While the donkeys hung out under the trees, looking for a cooler spot:

I meant to get pics of the other kitties, but Frank and Chloe decided it was cooler to lounge on their straw bales in the outdoor room of their kitty condos, while Cassie and Spike were in a deep sleep inside...being Ladies of a Certain Age, they need their beauty sleep!

Nearing the Finish Line...

2008-12-28T01:24:00.000-08:00

Yes, there has been quilting going on, even though it is the holiday season. Hot outside yesterday and today (sorry, folks in the Northern Hemisphere!) so it was a good time to sit inside under the ceiling fan and work on the Ten Wishes quilt. Got the quilting finished yesterday, and today I made the binding and got it machine-stitched on. Isn't this fabric a perfect match for the quilt? I don't think it misses out on any of the colors in the quilt!

One more pic of the quilted top, just before I put on the binding:

And best of all, the binding fabric was from stash, too, which means that aside from the batting, I bought exactly zero fabrics for this quilt. Embarassing, isn't it?!

And in other news, I finally finished these little ankle socks I've been working on for a few weeks. The Crystal Palace Panda Silk was a dream to knit...a mix of wool, silk and nylon. It's Grumperina's Jaywalker pattern, only with a short leg part so I can wear them during our hot weather with sandals. The socks are actually a matched pair, although the left one looks smaller in this pic...digital cameras do funny things when you're shooting down on objects, don't they?

Christmas was just lovely here...after a rocky start. Very grey and cool and threatening-looking when we woke up, but it cleared around 11AM and was absolutely gorgeous. We were able to eat lunch outside...ten of us, and a fabulous time was had by all. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, too.

The Top is Finished, With Wishes!

2008-12-16T14:06:00.000-08:00

And here it is, in all its glory: Doing the wishes using Tonya's techniques was SO much fun! I learned a lot...don't use fabrics that are too busy or you won't be able to read the words. Ask me how I know! I had to remake Spirit because you absolutely couldn't tell what it said, and even so, the new fabric I chose still isn't the strongest.

And I was able to use up a bit of fabric by just using 11" squares of many of the fabrics used in the blocks for the backing:

And see that orphan block in the top left of the pic? That will actually be the bottom right of the back of the quilt, and I'll use that block as the label, just adding the text I want.

So now, it's off to the LQS to pick up some batting, and the final phase begins. I've chosen a wonderful diagonal stripe fabric for the binding...it has all the colors from the quilt top. And I'm thinking either an all-over fairly nonfussy meander for the quilting, or possibly a wavy grid...what do you think? It's such a busy top I don't want to add much more...

Oooooo, Sashing! And Cornerstones!

2008-11-25T23:46:00.000-08:00

I've chosen the pale pink dots for the sashing, and I'm liking it a lot. Also a mottled raspberry pink for the cornerstones...I'm hoping the regularity of the sashing and cornerstones will tone down the multiple colors a bit. Here's how it's looking, laying on the floor in the quilting studio. Now for the fun of sewing all those bits on, and then trying to choose setting triangles. Can you tell I'm avoiding the stress of piecing the wishes? Actually, I've printed off Tonya's tutorials and am reading them again. More on that front soon. In fact, I'm not going to post any more pics of this quilt until I'm ready to start on the wishes. Feeling the need for something simple, I decided to start a pair of socks that I can wear with sandals. (Rumor has it that warm weather will arrive here soon...I'll believe it when I see it!) These are Grumperina's Jaywalker pattern, which I love a lot. I've already made two regular pairs of Jaywalkers, and decided to use the same pattern for these little angle-high numbers. Also decided on an Eye of Partridge heel, one of my favorites. Yarn is Crystal Palace Panda Silk, which is a blend of bamboo, merino and silk...really silky and soft. Needles are 2.25 mm, my usual.

And lest you think I'm a fickle person with a bad case of start-itis, I finished the Gentleman's Socks from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks, and they turned out great. DH loves them...soft, stretchy and comfy.

Thanksgiving approaches, and I'm feeling deprived. Aussies don't celebrate Thanksgiving, of course, and DH doesn't like turkey. What's a poor little California Girl to do? Maybe it's time to take myself off to the pub for a nice turkey sandwich!

A Little Rethink, and Some Good Progress

2008-11-24T15:34:00.000-08:00

So, as you can see, I made a little change...decided to make more stars and leave out the plain blocks between. I've not got 32 blocks, enough for the design I want to do. This doesn't show the sashing and cornerstones, because I haven't decided on what fabrics to use yet, but it feels good to have the pieced blocks finished. And I made a tiny start on Tonya's words...actually, I decided to wing it first, so I could learn about the issues on my own. This little "LOVE" is my first attempt, and it's pretty poor, but now I have enough confidence to print out Tonya's instructions and make a real start.
Here are the ten wishes I'm thinking of putting in the borders of this quilt, which would then be called Ten Wishes for Tessabell: love, joy, peace, hope, kindness, humor, grace, spirit, patience, grit. I'm nearly in a faint, just thinking about actually making all these words, though -- anyone got better suggestions (for SHORTER wishes!)?

This picture shows the blocks a little closer, but leaves out the blue ones, which will probably be cornerstones for the border. As you can see, I'm trying to group the pink and blue blocks in the center, with little satellites of orange, yellow, green and turquoise at the four corners. Sure looks busy at the moment, though. I'm hoping the sashing and cornerstones will tone things down a little bit.

So, what's your take on where I am with it now? Any suggestions? Toss it all in the bin and start over? Yikes!

Jest a'Quiltin' and a'Knittin'...

2008-11-12T14:01:00.000-08:00

Only four more blocks to be made, and then the fun begins:

So there's good progress on the Pale Stars quilt for Tess. Wanna see some up close? These are such fun 6" blocks. I'm planning to set them on-point, with maybe pale pink or pink on white sashing, and cornerstones of various pinks or maybe multicolored. What do you think?

And I'm toying with the idea of making pieced words for the border, a la Tonya, with the words being "wishes" for Tess's life. Here's a scribbled look at what I'm thinking. Now the challenge will be to come up with words that will be meaningful, but that aren't too long. As this will be my first attempt at pieced words, I don't want to get TOO ambitious.

When I need to take a break from all the bright colors in the quilt, I revert to a knitting project: Gentleman's Fancy Socks, from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. These are on 2.25mm needles, using a lovely "creamed spinach" wool from Pagewood Farms, in a mixture of wool, bamboo and nylon. And I'm getting smart in my old age...cast on both socks (on two different sets of dpns) so I can work on both socks alternately, thus avoiding, (I hope!) the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome.

And I swear I don't know how it happened, but Eunny Jang's Print o' the Waves stole sprang onto my needles the other night, too. This requires a lot of concentration -- for me, anyway -- so I just work on it when I'm alone and it's really quiet. The needles are 3.5mm and the yarn is KnitPicks Shadow, a lovely merino wool. You can see my first lifeline halfway down...I used the wonderful facility of KP interchangeable circulars to thread a piece of yarn through the little hole and put the lifeline in as I knit the last row of a repeat. However, I'd forgotten that would also put the stitch markers onto the lifeline...duh. Obviously I need to think this through a little bit. Still, it's SO worth it to have the lifeline, I don't mind adding a second set of stitch markers...it's just a bit awkward for the first row.

And how about this cool new addition. We are hosting our neighborhood Christmas Party on Dec. 6 and really needed an outdoor table and chairs. These look pretty nifty tucked into a sheltered corner of the verandah, and as it's a covered area, it won't be too sunny and hot, I hope...Christmas in the Antipodes is often hot, dontcha know?

At Last, Some Quilty Content...

2008-11-02T15:43:00.003-08:00

But first, before we get to the quilting news of the day, here's the Pink Misti Alpaca Shawl finished. Not blocked yet, but I need to work out something to use as blocking wires first. It's pretty big, even unblocked: 19" x 65", and it's supposed to be about 22 x 78 when blocked. We'll see about that. I'm worried about getting all those points going in the right direction, but I'm thrilled it's finished and beautiful. And now...without further ado...quilt news! I hauled out all the tubs and started ratting through, looking for pretty, "girly" colors. It's shocking to me how many different fabrics I have...no trouble at all in coming up with several pinks in pale, medium and dark...or blue, or green, or orange, or turquoise...seem to be a bit low on yellows.

And cutting things up is always fun. DH always wonders why we buy big pieces of fabric, cut them up and then sew them back together...doesn't make sense to him. Men!

And the block I've chosen is Pale Star, with the blocks finishing at 6". I think I'll do a diagonal setting with sashing, but haven't finalized colors/widths yet. There will be an outer border that may or may not be diagonal stripes or piano keys.

So, I'm back in the game, I think. I felt so awkward as I started out, and had trouble getting precision for my HSTs, but I think I'm getting my quilting mojo back now.

I'd LOVE to use up a bit of my stash this year. Can't really justify buying new fabric when there's so much that's been hanging around for a few years. Of course, I'm sure none of you has ever encountered this situation...

Bells' Long, Lacy Summer

2008-10-26T22:34:00.001-07:00

Bells has been challenging us to make some lace this summer, and I've taken her message to heart. Here's what I've been working on, from the gorgeous book shown. It's the Large Rectangle With Center Diamond Pattern, from Victorian Lace Today, knitted in Misti Alpaca on 4.5mm needles. I've finished the center section and have been struggling mightily with the knitted on border...today I turned the second corner, having finished one long side, the first corner, one short side and the second corner. I count this as VICTORY, because my learning curve was pretty steep. And guess who has been helping me knit...you guessed it, Alfonse le Soot, now recovered fully from his misadventure earlier this year.

During the struggles with the pink alpaca rectangle, I decided I needed to work on something with fatter yarn, so I inserted a couple of weeks to do this Shetland Shawl from Wrap Style, using Elisabeth Lavold's Silky Wool and 4.0mm needles. This was a piece of cake to knit, and a lot of fun, too...did wonders for my confidence about lace.

Then, lest I be too flushed with success, I was seduced by a KAL offered by Schoolhouse Press to do Amy Detjen's Pansy Triangle Shawl, featuring a really neat centered eyelet that's fun to have learned. I just happened to have some Unspun Icelandic in a gorgeous Sumac color, so I launched that one, too. After some rough spots while I struggled with wrap and turn difficulties, I finally clicked in with this one and sailed on through. I'm really loving it...it's shaped nicely, so it doesn't slip off your shoulders. Of course, no sooner did I finish than the hottest weather we've seen this year arrived...30 degrees C. (87 F.) today. Still, this is the Southern Highlands, and cold weather can (and does!) arrive at any time.

Here's a detail shot, showing the neat pansies with their centered eyelet:

And here's the full shawl, in all its glory:
Still no quilting to be shown, but I have done some designing with EQ6 and think I'm on the path to the first of the baby quilts I have queued up. Pics when I have something more definitive to show.

I've also got some gorgeous laceweight yarn in a gorgeous pale grey variegated that's crying out to me...but I think it's time for a break from lace. Actually, I have two pairs of socks on the needles, too, and one of those has a lacy top. Can't stop myself! And I need to get back and finish up the gansey sweater, too...still have to chart the patterns for the sleeves, and then I'm good to go. The body of the sweater is finished, and it's looking wonderful.

Woo-Hoo...New Toys!

2008-09-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well, looky, looky! Guess who has taken the plunge into lace knitting? I've started my first shawl, and it's a bit of a cliffhanger. Can you see the two (count 'em...TWO!) lifelines I've put in there? Who's a bit of a wuss when it comes to lace? I'm hanging in there, but at this point it's not looking like knitting lace is going to be my first love. Fun, but rather fiddly. There isn't much positive tension on the needles when you're working with such fine yarn and such relatively fat needles, which makes the stitches rather floppy and unstable. Still, I'm hanging in there, and it's looking good so far. Oh, and did you notice the very cool pattern holder with the magnetic line-finders I got from Knit Picks? This is a real boon for lace knitting, or any chart knitting. Don't know how I ever lived without it! The shawl is unblocked for the moment, of course, so don't be put off by the fact that it looks rather like an amoeba... In an abundance of enthusiasm, I bought this gorgeous laceweight yarn from KnitPicks, too, and started out on Eunny Jang's Print O' the Waves Shawl, but ripped it out after several rows. Don't think I'm up yet to the challenge of repeats that cross over my stitch markers. I'll try this one again after I've completed the "easy" lace shawl above!
And when I get too overwhelmed with the teeny yarn and fiddly stitches, I've been working on some baby things for a new baby that will have arrived by the time we return to Australia. These are from the Mason-Dixon knitting book: two bibs and a kimono, knit from Peaches and Cream. Also a learning experience: found out I really don't care for knitting with cotton, but I do think the patterns are very cute, don't you?
And here's another score from this trip. Haven't started knitting anything from it yet, but I'm feeling the urge to knit with sport weight yarn and smaller needles for awhile, and there are some really cute things in this book.
And finally, I HAVE to report on my 50th high school reunion a couple of weeks ago. It was such a fun time. As you see, we gathered in the new gymnasium for a group shot. I think there were 49 students in my graduating class, and as you can see from the pic, quite a few of us turned out for the reunion. We had dinner together the night before at our favorite local Mexican restaurant, then had a tour of the high school (which is looking really great these days...new buildings, enthusiastic principal, great students), and a buffet dinner that evening. On the next day, Sunday, we gathered at the gorgeous home of one of our classmates for lunch and more catching up and sharing our experiences. What an incredible gift to see these people after so many years! Can you spot me in the second row, white t-shirt?

Now only a week left here before the long flight back to Oz, where I am hoping Spring is springing!

Ooops...Forgot A Couple

2008-09-01T16:21:00.001-07:00

Senior moment...forgot to post pics of my two February Lady Sweaters, knitted as part of the KAL on Ravelry. First one was knit with Queensland Rustic in a taupe blend, on 4.5mm needles. Don't you love the coconut shell buttons that are assymetrical in shape? This is my current go-to sweater for running around in...three quarter sleeves, slightly flared shape, gull wing lace for sleeves and body...fun, fun, fun! So then, I thought "What if I made the same sweater, with long sleeves, using just a ribbed sleeve and body below the garter stitch yoke...and wonder if I could make a ruffled edge with a dark contrast." Remembering I had a ton of Snickerdoodle Wool of the Andes from my last Knitpicks buy, I decided to launch. Turned out cute, I think, and enough different from the other one so I won't get bored with it. Used 4.5s on this one, too. I do need to restitch the buttons...must have been tipsy when I sewed them on! They don't quite line up with their buttonholes. And forgive the wrinkles. Didn't fold this sweater up properly when I put it away last time.

These February Lady Sweaters are really fun to make...I think there's a fuschia one in my future!

Alive and Well, and a Knittin' Fool...

2008-09-01T15:49:00.001-07:00

As you can see from this shot, Alfonse is looking like himself again...he's even managed to get his nemesis, Cloudy, to snuggle up in the Quilting Studio for a photo op! And yes, that is one of my quilts they've managed to co-opt for their pose. So, I thought for those of you who are still dropping in from time to time, you might enjoy seeing my recent progress...a friend asked for a knitted hat in "pink tones"...and since I'm nothing if not obsessive (but haven't got a lot of pink yarn in my stash), I made four versions in different combinations of the pinks I have. You can also see my first attempt at a Gansey Sweater (the purple pile on the left), and a deep red cabled scarf that is languishing for the moment.
And lest you think I have forsaken quilting entirely, here's evidence that the pastel quilt remake is nearing the final stages. Only a few lines of quilting left before I get a binding on and put it on the guest bed. However, since we're off to California tomorrow, I won't get this finished till we're back at the end of September.
And here's how the window seat is looking...almost buried under piles of my junk. Still no nice neat cushion for the window seat. That will require a trip to Sydney to locate a piece of foam large enough (window seat is 91" wide). Or, I may get lazy (or rich!) and decide to have a cushion professionally made. Then it might have a chance of actually getting completed.
So, off to La La Land tomorrow to attend my 50th high school reunion...just unbelievable! Should be a really fun time catching up with people I haven't seen in nearly that many years. Then up to the condo in the Bay Area for a couple of weeks of retail therapy and catching up with family and friends.

Will try to post while I'm away...and will be reading everyone else's posts, too!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

2008-08-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

What a WONDERFUL day! Alfonse le Soot has been found...alive and well! A small sore on his nose, as you see below, and both ears have some scratches, he is just skin and bones, but he's doing fine. Here's what happened: Ross went for a walk up our street last evening to visit our neighbors' property about a quarter mile up our road. They are rebuilding their house, but don't live here full time, so we sometimes stop in to take photos of the progress and e-mail them to our neighbors, so they can see how things are going. As he finished photographing, he suddenly heard a very loud meow right behind him. He turned, and there was Alfonse, just standing there looking at him.

He scooped Al up and cuddled him, shedding a few tears of joy, I can tell you! Then he started carrying him toward home. As he neared the edge of our property, Al suddenly got quite agitated and tried to escape. We wonder if there was some kind of incident or attack near the edge of our property that scared him badly. Or maybe he somehow got carried farther away in a vehicle and was on his way home cross-country and now recognized how near home he was.

At any rate, Ross brought him to the door and called in to me: "Dianne, you are going to be VERY happy when you see what I've got." I was absolutely gobsmacked!

Needless to say, Alfonse got a small can of tuna from the pantry immediately, plus cuddles galore. He has lost so much weight it's unbelievable, but he ate and drank well, without overdoing it.

There was plenty of time for cuddles in the rocking chair, and as you see, both my "boys" were ecstatic to be together.
It has been very cold here recently (0 C. yesterday morning...32 F. for you Northern Hemisphere folks!) with lots of frost, and we even had a little snow last week. We wonder where and how he managed to take shelter and survive for three weeks and three days. Fortunately there are a number of dams and small ponds, so water would not have been a problem, if he had access to the outside and wasn't trapped inside somewhere.

Last evening, Ross and Al enjoyed a cuddle and a rock by the fire, then we all went to bed exhausted. Al was up and down all night, padding down the hall to the laundry for a little nibble of his dry food, a quick drink of water, then back to bed with us.
Can you tell we are THRILLED to have him home?!!!

Chapter 97, The Perils of Pauline...

2008-07-24T22:23:00.001-07:00

Long time with no post...again... and I need to start off with the sad news first. Our lovely little Alfonse le Soot disappeared last Saturday afternoon. He was a prince among cats, and we miss him so much. The likely culprits in his disappearance are Mr. Fox or Mr. Eagle, both of which abound in these parts. Alfonse was not a wanderer, and indeed, on this day he spent his time climbing around on the trellises and roofs of the house, climbing trees, and snoozing under shrubs in the sun. We saw him on the trellis around 3:30 PM, but by 5:20, at the dinner call and time to be locked in his kitty condo for the night, he didn't appear. We are so very sad...thank you for being part of our lives for 11 years, Alfonse. So, after a long hiatus during which we made a trip to California to recharge our batteries after the stresses of the construction, we are now in residence in the remodeled house, and I've begun to make the space that is the quilting studio a real, happening place. Some of you may recognize the pieces of the blue and white Lady of the Lake, my life's work, on the cutting table and ironing board. Not much progress has been made, and since each block requires 20 2" HSTs, and it's for a king size quilt, you can imagine that, while I think it is beautiful, it sometimes feels like an albatross around my neck.
Here is half of the cupboards at the other end of the studio. Things are still pretty much piled in there haphazard, until I get up the energy to sort things out a bit and decide on final homes for the books and other junk. The matching cupboard on the left has more books, and a lot of yarn for knitting projects.
And this is the "business" corner, with the Bernina. I'm a bit worried, because I haven't used this machine very much, although I've had it for a year and a half. A friend who has the same model (the Aurora 440QE) tells me the motherboard fried on her machine and on that of her friend's 440QE...great! I feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.
There will be quilting going on here soon. I have two children's quilts to make next up, so that will be a good break from the endless LOTL, and the fun of deciding on a design and choosing colors.

I have also been knitting a lot, and finished my first Elizabeth Zimmerman ribwarmer. Here's a pic, which also shows you my new hairdo. Yes, I finally decided to let my natural graying brown color take over, so cut off all the old, dyed hair, and we'll see what I end up with. Anyway, that's the news of the day from the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. So, how's by you?

You CAN Go Home Again...

2008-05-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

We're in, at last! Gorgeous weather on Friday meant we could have a crew there bringing our stuff from the shed over to the house, even though the driveway (STILL!) isn't finished. Some guys wore shoes and schlepped through muck to bring stuff over, while others in socks delivered things to the appropriate rooms. In parallel, the carpet layers were putting carpet into the bedrooms, hallways and my quilting studio. What a performance! By late afternoon all was in, and we were exhausted. No pics yet of the lived-in house because it's all still too disorganized, but here's how it looked before we moved in...first up, the new kitchen: Here's me standing where the new barstools will go, once we find some tall enough. That end of the room will also have our dining table and chairs.
And this is from the kitchen, looking toward the view end of the living room.
Once I can find places to put everything I'll post again...I KNOW you want to see my new quilting studio! Till then, I'll be reading and posting sporadically because Telstra still hasn't managed to get our phone lines/internet in yet...

Will They Will, Or Will They Won't?

2008-05-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, so I was tagged by Dorothy to resurface with 7 random facts about myself. But first, a word to explain my absence. As you know, we've been in the middle of a huge remodel and extension project. Well guess what? We're supposed to move back in this Friday. I'm very skeptical, though, because there are still a raft of things needing doing to the house, and not enough workmen turning up when expected to make them happen. For instance, here's what our driveway looks like at the moment:

On the other hand, here's how the house looks on the view side:

Wish the other side of the house looked this good! Still, someday it will be finished and we will actually live there again! This has NOT been an experience I would wish to repeat, though. It's our third building project, and believe me, if this had been the first, there would NEVER have been a second! Can you spell High Blood Pressure? How about Stress? Or even Depression?! Nearly there, though...

So, on to my 7 random facts:

1. Although I am now 67 years old, I still have one baby tooth in my mouth.

2. I love, love, love salty snacks...I'd rather have crispy bacon than Godiva chocolates.

3. Once upon a time, I broke my neck in Winnemucca. Doesn't that sound like a song lyric? (think "I left my heart in San Francisco") I was on tour with my ballet company, had to do a somersault on stage and snapped the spur of C-7 vertebra...ouch!

4. I was a cheerleader in high school, before I realized it was going to interfere with my ballet training.

5. I am a movie freak, and love to watch on my laptop in bed...I use the Aussie version of Netflix to feed my addiction.

6. But I refuse to see any movie directed by Quentin Tarantino...I think these gross-out, over-the-top, gory movies are a pimple on the nose of society.

7. I am a confirmed AAP: Applique Averse Person. I'd rather have my fingernails torn out!

So that's my schtick and I'm stickin' to it! And now, I'm gonna tag: Diane, Jeanne, Clare, Jenni, KathieB, Malagueta, Libby.

And in other news, I'm still not quilting, (not having a quilting space yet), but here's my latest knit project:

Can't believe I figured it all out and it actually fits! This is Elizabeth Zimmermann's Circular Yoke sweater, knit in the round, and I used a number of motifs from several of her books. Not too shabby, eh?

And I've joined both a knitting group and a quilting group, which -- wait for it -- meet on the same day. Not sure how I'm going to manage THAT feat!

Fresh Off the Needles...

2008-02-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

Hooray! Today I finished the Pi Shawl! Here it is, in all its unblocked glory: 56" across, which will likely grow to 66" or more after blocking. And here's a detail of the Gull Wing lace pattern just before the final garter stitch border.
This shawl was "unvented" by Elizabeth Zimmerman, and I made it pretty much as she suggests in the Knitter's Almanac: follow the pattern till you are out to 576 stitches (!!), then do as many rows as you can stand (I did 37 rows), then add a few repeats of the Gull Stitch pattern (I did 3 repeats), then a final cute sideways garterstitch border of 8 stitches, where you knit the final stitch of the border together with a stitch of the shawl, neatly avoiding ANY seaming.

Details: 5.0 mm needles, starting with dpns, then to 16" circular, then 24" and ending with 40". I used about 3.5 "plates" of Unspun Icelandic wool in Blacksheep. This thing is warm, warm, warm, and so light you can't believe it...like wearing a cloud.

And last Friday, the guys formed up the 110,000 litre water storage tank, and poured the concrete for it, too:
And Saturday they came back and poured the lid:
So, in spite of a humongous 45 minute thunderstorm last evening that dumped 2.5 inches of rain and 1" hailstones everywhere, all is well in Exeter. Actually, the new garage flooded bigtime in this storm, leaving water and half an inch of mud throughout, including the fancy new kitty quarters. This was caused, we think, by the above-seen concrete truck driving over the junction of the storm water pipes, crushing them and causing the drainage system to back up. After hours of cleanup, and pipe repair, we hope THAT problem will not present itself again!

The kitties spent a peaceful night on warm, dry bedding, but using the "facilities" required some damp tiptoeing until today's sun and breezes dried things out.

Fireplace goes in next week, and probably kitchen cabinets, too. And they built the window seat in my new quilting room! I'll post a pic once the painter has done his finest...

Progress!

2008-02-21T15:49:00.001-08:00

Actually, I've made even more progress since this pic. I've added another set of 20 rows or so, and have started a lace pattern...the last section before I add the sideways garter stitch border. It's slow going at this point, with 576 stitches on the needle, and it's murder on my hands and arms! Each round takes me about 20 minutes or so, so this will take awhile. Still, it's fun to see the progress. Can't wait to get it off the needles and see what it looks like blocked. And there's big progress at the farm, too. They finished digging the huge hole this morning for the 110,000 litre in-ground water storage tank. We are on town water here, but given how dry many areas of Australia are, we thought it would be prudent to collect all the rainwater from our roofs and channel it into this tank. We can use the water for the house, the garden, and for topping up the dam that's closest to our house. Here's the last scoop of dirt before the guys started forming up the tank:
And here comes the first huge piece of formwork for the tank:
And then they started putting these pieces together, so the concrete can be poured...hopefully tomorrow!
And at the front of the house, the renderer is busily covering the bricks with plaster...can't wait to see all those bricks disappear...not a fan of brick! Notice Alfonse le Soot, hanging around to watch the action...
Inside the house, the wallboard is all on, ditto the cornices. The tile guy will be tiling the bathroom floors, showers and the verandah you see in the pic above next week. Carcasses of kitchen cabinets have been delivered to the garage, the doors are being painted, and hopefully the cabinets will be installed in the actual kitchen by the end of this month. Then it will be time for painting...still choosing colors.

So all in all, we're creeping up on the hoped-for move date of mid-April. Fingers crossed!

The Mother of Invention...

2008-02-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

So, this is what the socks looked like when the airline inspectors were finished snipping off the ends: (Sorry about the color...the yarn is actually a pale sage green.) (Also sorry I forgot to take a pic of the other pair...a variegated red pair of Nutkins, just started, that I put on new needles when I reached Oakland, forgetting to photograph the carnage.)

So then, on the way back, I needed to try my hand at an end run around the inspectors, didn't I? And here is my triumph: bright red tweed neckwarmer, invented on the spot, comprised of simple K2P2 ribbing worked lengthwise, only I decided to add a ruffle at one end. Turned out kind of cute, no?It's a little loosely knit, though, because here's what I used to do the knitting...
There's more than ONE way to skin a cat!!

And here's what I've been working on since we got back to Oz. It's my first attempt at a Pi Shawl, from Elizabeth Zimmerman's fertile mind, knitted in Unspun Icelandic Wool...like knitting with a cloud. It's quite scratchy, though...not something to wear around your neck, but I think it will be very elegant when it's finished.
I haven't posted any house pics yet, because things are really rolling there this week and I want to wait till tomorrow when a lot of the gyprock will be up on the walls and you'll be able to see much better how it will look. More soon...

Whew! What Happened to January?

2008-02-01T12:40:00.001-08:00

So, here we are in California, after three weeks of visiting, eating, shopping, and tomorrow it's time to head homeward. What else did I do while I was here? Well, I made this little sweater for Tess, who is likely being born even as I write! This was lovely pale, dusky violetty-lavender, a blend of cotton and bamboo. Lovely to knit, washable, soft -- what's not to like? And then I decided to make a little hat, 'cause it was COLD, COLD, COLD here! The hat turned out well, don't you think?Except when Thomas, the eldest grandson, saw it, he decided it was A-OK, so guess who got the hat?! And then, nothing else would do but that I should make a hat for William:
And another for James:
They were duly delivered last evening, and were well received. Granny can return to Oz, knowing the grandsons will have warm heads and cozy ears!

I did a bit of damage to my credit card this trip: yarn from Schoolhouse Press for a sweater and a large shawl, yarn from KnitPicks for two sweaters and a shawl, needles in various sizes. Why more needles, you ask? WELL....Had a funny time at Sydney airport this time...they hassled me about the knitting I was taking on board, claiming my 2.25mm bamboo knitting needles (which had a half finished sock on each of them!) were dangerous. Took them away, cut the bamboo needle tips off, taped up the ends with the socks still on, and returned them to me...grrrrr. Then I confessed to having an envelope of other needles with me, including some stainless steel ones. Consternation! They took the whole lot away to confer with a manager, then came back and told me they were all fine to take on board...including a few sets of bamboos that were identical to those they'd just beheaded before! Go figure! I've carried these onboard before, and last time I even called ahead to be sure it was OK. This time, a different story. Gotta watch those dangerous Terrorist Knitters!

The three weeks here has flown by. We had a lovely long weekend in Amador County, visiting friends and enjoying the snow and cold weather. Then back to Oakland where it was cold and grey, mostly, with a nice rainstorm yesterday to remind us of home! We hear it's raining there for the next week, but not too cold.

Lots of progress on the house remodel...I'll save posting about that till next time, with pics!

Glad to be back, all...

Happy New Year's Eve, Everyone...

2007-12-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest kniting effort. It's actually all sewn together now, but sadly it's a bit small. I'm going to try to block it with steam to make it a little larger...it's my first time knitting with cotton, using Rowan Cotton Glace. Pretty color, though, don't you think? And it's not a Partridge in a Pear Tree, but how about this cheeky visitor to the apple tree outside our bedroom window a couple of days ago? In the few minutes I watched him, he devoured about 15 little apples! There are flocks of these sulphur-crested cockatoos that swoop into the trees in the yard here...very beautiful, raucous birds that can inflict a LOT of damage!
It's New Year's Eve in Exeter, and we'll probably do our usual: in bed by 9:30PM after a glass of champagne! I tellya, we're real ragers around here!

Hope you all have a safe and sane New Year's Eve. Here's wishing you all the best of all good things for 2008.

And A Very Merry Christmas To All

2007-12-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

The builders wound up their 2007 activities around midday on Friday, and have departed till 7 January. Thought you might enjoy seeing where things are at this point. Here's the new "kitchen" in the garage. Pretty neat to have all this available out there...makes washing up after the cats much easier. I can also wash and dry their bedding easily, and it never hurts to have an extra fridge for wine, beer and soft drinks out there. This is the other side of that wall, with the new outdoor fireplace. The renderer has started with the chimney, and it's looking good. I think we'll use this area a lot, don't you?
And here's our bathroom, just off our bedroom, with our closet on the left. The brickwork here will also be covered with sheetrock and painted...no brick will be visible anywhere.
This is the view from our bedroom. The wall on the right will move to the right about one metre, and the opening shown will be much larger. There will be a large set of French doors there onto a verandah, where I'm sure we'll sit in the mornings with our coffee...it faces east.And here is the lovely view from our temporary digs. It was raining when I took this shot on Thursday, but isn't it pretty? I hope to catch a shot sometime that has the two sheep, Mary and Martha...they are a kick, always looking for a treat.
Finally, I wanted to share this lovely poem I came across today, that expresses my wishes to you all as this eventful year ends and we look forward to 2008:

A Lyric Day

Robert W Service

I deem that there are lyric days

So ripe with radiance and cheer,

So rich with gratitude and praise

That they enrapture all the year...

To-day has been a lyric day

I hope I shall remember long,

Of meadow dance and roundelay,

Of woodland glee, of glow and song.

Such joy I saw in maidens' eyes,

In mother gaze such tender bliss . . .

How earth would rival paradise

If every day could be like this! ...

Merry Christmas, everybody...may you enjoy this special day with family and friends, and may the coming year bring happiness and joy beyond measure.

Demolition Derby!

2007-12-14T19:26:00.000-08:00

Woo-hoo! They've started demolishing the inside of our house, and here you see me (left), with my darling in-laws, surveying the damage. Feels SO good to have this kind of progress, especially given the terrible weather challenges of the past few weeks. DH looks like a happy camper, don't you think?
Patch is inspecting a big pile of windows and enjoying the lovely sunshine this morning...yesterday was glorious, too! Now, this afternoon, it's beginning to cloud over again, and we are expecting MORE rain this week. I tell ya, we should be building an ark, not a house!
Can you believe this incredible pile of lumber that's come out of the house? Patch and the others find this all very interesting...especially on Saturday, when there aren't workmen around to make noise!
As you can see, the connection between the house and the new garage is still a bit tricky! We're thinking of auditioning for the high wire act next time the circus comes to town... Do you see the cool new outdoor fireplace to the left? Can you just see us sitting out there on a warm evening, sipping our wine and enjoying the fire? The renderer is coming Monday to start rendering (stuccoing over, for you Northern Hemisphere types) the fireplace, so it will match the garage. The house will also be rendered when it's finished.
It's so great to have this project really underway, at last. The mud everywhere is a bit of a worry because we still have big open trenches on one side of the house. They can't fill them in because the ground is so soggy that the bobcat can't get back there. If only we'd get a couple of weeks completely free of rain, they'd be able to take care of this...pray for dry! I know, I know, that's positively un-Australian, but it would really help...just for a couple of weeks.

The new garage is going to be absolutely wonderful. They've moved the old kitchen cupboards out there, plus my old fridge and dishwasher. How easy will it be to barbecue, then keep the mess confined to the garage?! I'm also going to put the old washer/dryer in the garage, so I can wash the cats' bedding out there and avoid having lots of cat hair and twigs in the "nice" new dryer in the house!

In the next couple of weeks they'll have the new internal rooms of the house framed up and I'll be able to give you a glimpse of the new quilting studio. It's going to be really great, with closets at one end with shelving for stash and mess, AND...a large windowseat with that incredible view.

In knitting news, I've nearly finished my first cotton sweater - pics next post. No quilting news as yet. I haven't discovered a place in the temporary digs to set up a quilting station, but my Bernina is here and I made sure to park the plastic tubs with my stash near the front of our new shed, in front of all the furniture and household stuff. Gotta be ready when the mood strikes, doncha know?!

Moved Out!

2007-12-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

Friday was moving day, and over the weekend we got settled in at our neighbors' house. The cats moved into their new digs on Saturday: What you see above is the two outdoor screened-in rooms, with the two inside rooms just behind. The cats are allowed to roam around freely outside this complex during the day, and then they get locked inside each night.

Here's what the inside of one of the indoor rooms looks like. We'll be adding more places for them to "roost" up high on some shelves, I think, but this works for now. You can see Cassie lounging in the camp chair. Since not everyone gets along with everyone else, the division allows for the two more agressive males to inhabit one half of the complex, while the other five more mellow types live in the other half.

And both rooms have this view from the windows and from the outside screened-in area:
Meanwhile, at the house, here's what's happening to the kitchen:
After a few hours of messy work, the skies opened up (AGAIN!) and here was the result:
Today there are no workmen here, the ground everywhere is a giant mud bucket, and there are pools of water everywhere.

This will be short, because I'm writing while sitting on the floor of the empty bedroom. Our internet connection isn't up at our temporary digs, so we have to come back here till tomorrow to send e-mail and such.

More later...pray for some sun!

Happy Turkey Day!

2007-11-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving in the States...eat some turkey for me, please!

Business as usual here, but it started raining day before yesterday and hasn't really let up, and no end in sight...sigh! We're surrounded in a quagmire of mud...again. Time to get serious about packing things up here...we'll move out on 1 Dec. Not sure how we will go about schlepping all our stuff out to the new shed through all this greasy mud, but I'm sure it will happen somehow.

Night before last, Alfonse, our little black cat, managed to climb onto the roof framing for the extension, in the middle of a huge thunderstorm. Lightning, deafening thunder, and constant rain. We couldn't find him at dinnertime and thought he'd come in at some point. That didn't happen, so at 10PM I decided I'd better make one more circuit and look for him. Wellies and raincoat on, flashlight in hand, circle the house in the rain and very slippery mud.

Spotted him on the roof and started calling him to come down. He meowed piteously and continuously, but wouldn't jump down onto the scaffolding. Did I clamber up onto the scaffolding, in fear and trembling, trying to reach him? Of course. Was I successful in getting him down? Of course not. He retreated to the "safety" of the roof of the house. Sigh.

Wandered around in the shell of the extension and found a large ladder, in the dark, and dragged that over to where he was cowering. Crept up the ladder, flashlight in hand, all the time thinking "if I fall on this slippery ladder, it will be REALLY BAD!", and started calling him again. He slowly crept closer and I managed to grab him by the scruff of the neck and haul him to me, all claws out and desperately scrabbling at me.

Brought him inside, where he indignantly headed for the food dish and then settled in for a nice warm nap on the couch. Grateful for the rescue? Nah...he's a CAT!

All's well that ends well. Now, if the builders will JUST finish up the garage, with its two kitty condos, life will get a lot easier!

New Sock Basket Needed

2007-11-19T19:56:00.001-08:00

As you can see, I've managed to fill up this basket with socks for me. There are three (and a half!) pairs I've made for DH, as well, but they aren't in this basket. I've also got three more pairs for myself on the needles...I should try stopping knitting sometime soon! Here's how the slab looked when the crew finished pouring it and removed all the forming up lumber. That's the last time we'll be able to see this wide-angle view...it's now framing up and there are walls and stuff in the way. There is, however, a nice big picture window right in the middle of the wall, and French doors on either side.
Here's how it's looking today. Roof trusses are going on now. Noisy, but very nice to see. There are thunderstorms predicted for later in the week, so I know they're gunning to get at least the plywood on up there ASAP.
I actually started clearing out the kitchen yesterday. Can't tell you how TIRED I am of packing and unpacking! Plus, I managed to tweak my left lower back picking up boxes that are too heavy for me. Will I ever learn?...don't answer that!

It's All GO in Exeter!

2007-11-15T15:38:00.000-08:00

Can you believe the size of this rig? It needed to be able to go completely over the house! Isn't this an amazing shot? Ross thought it looked like the cement was falling from the sky, it was so foggy this morning.
The shiny part below that looks like a swimming pool will be our new living and dining room. The curved part where the guys are just starting to smooth it out will be the new verandah that extends beyond the living room. There will also be an outdoor "room" on the right hand side...cool, eh?
A mucky job, but nice and cool this morning. As it warmed up and the sun came out, the flies also came...horrendous! Any Aussies reading this will understand what I'm talking about! The blowflies here are unbelievable.So all this activity happened between 7AM and 10AM. Now it's just finishing up the smooth surfaces. I'll post tomorrow how it looks when all the formwork is down, but isn't this GREAT?!

Progress!

2007-11-13T19:26:00.000-08:00

We've had sun for the third day in a row, and the place is a beehive of activity today. The deck that will be at the end of the addition, overlooking the dam, is being framed up. It's huge and curved, so a BIG job. In the middle you can see the new garage with its plaster on. Note the little section at the far left of the garage...that's two rooms where the kitties will live at night, or when we are away, with their own little screened in exercise yard, so they can either snuggle up in their two cozy, insulated rooms, or go outside and enjoy the fresh air, trees and birds, but still be secure. The huge truck on the left has the roof trusses for the new addition. I think we'll be seeing a LOT of work in the next couple of weeks! Hooray. The inside of the garage is looking very neat. And how about those cool stilts the taper/mudder is wearing? You can just see the kitties' two rooms behind him at the end of the garage.
And lest you think I haven't been doing anything lately, here's the evidence. This is the current sweater in progress - a Tomten jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman, on 4.5mm circular needle, knitted with Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic in Green Tweed, with Alpaca insets in Sphere. I'm coming down to the home stretch on sleeve 2. It's a very cool design, and should be warm and cozy next winter:
This sweater was finished in time for me to wear it recently, and I really love it. It's Knitting Pure and Simple's V Neck Top Down Raglan Cardigan, knitted on 4.5 mm needles, with Bendigo's Rustic yarn in Graphite. It's such a simple classic design, I'm sure I'll get a ton of wear out of it.
And I apologize for this bad pic, but it's Phoebe, from KnitPicks, in their Wool of the Andes yarn in Sapphire Heather, knit on 4.5mm needles. Gorgeous color, but very hard to photograph. There are really cool cables running down the arms, but hard to see.
In other news, enabler Jane Ann has aided and abetted me in my interest in English paper-piecing, and I'm mulling over a hexagon quilt, maybe Grandmother's Flower Garden. Picked up the hexagon papers yesterday at the LQS...we'll see how I go!

Hoo, Boy, Am I Glad THAT'S Over!

2007-11-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

Well, long time, no post. I have to say, I've never been in such a deep hole for so long. So glad to be back among the living after that horrible hiatus, and may it NEVER return!

So, what's been going on, you might ask (that's for the 2.3 of you who may have wondered whether I might surface again one day!)? And thanks, QuiltingFitzy and Clare, for rattling my cage and motivating me to get going.

We started on our renovation project in September, with the demolition of the garage and outbuildings. It's been a slow process from there, mainly because of the weather: lots of rain, mud, wind, muck. This picture is, I think, worth a thousand words. The garage has looked like this for the last two or three weeks, but today (Saturday, of all days!) there are workmen here putting on the outer "skin" of the garage. The weather is holding so far, today, and I'm hopeful that we'll have more clear weather next week. The cats will have two rooms at the far left of the picture, with kitty doors to an outside wire enclosure. I will be SO happy when they can move out to these new digs. Right now, all seven are living in the house...yikes!

And speaking of the house, here's how things are looking in there...warning, it's NOT a pretty sight:

All the stuff that was in the garage and the cats' house has moved inside, mainly into the living and dining room. I also had to empty a few kitchen cabinets onto the dining table so they could remove one section of cabinets when they removed the double doors to our outside screened-in porch, so the dining room now looks like this:
And instead of looking out at the lovely view through the French doors, that's been replaced by this:
And doesn't EVERYBODY have a chainsaw and whippersnipper on their dining room floor?
BTW, I wish all those boxes you see stacked up there were full of our stuff, but unfortunately they are still just full of the old packing paper from when we moved in. I need to get started packing things up very soon.

Here's the plan: in another two or three weeks the garage/cat rooms will be finished and the cats can move out there. We will then pack up the stuff from the house and movers will carry it all out to the new garage. At that point, we will move to our neighbors' cottage a few doors away for the duration.

So, that's what's up with us. I haven't been doing any quilting at all, but I did loan a few quilts to the local society's quilt show a couple of weeks ago...it was in Burradoo, a nearby suburb, and was just a wonderful show.

I've also been knitting like crazy (poor choice of words, that!): four and three quarters sweaters and nearly 20 pairs of socks since I last posted. Knitting is small, portable, and manageable, when everything around me is in chaos, for the moment. Still, it's going to be wonderful when it's finished.

I've been reading all your blogs regularly, and want to say a big thank you to you all. Your sharing of your lives has really helped keep me sane over the past three months, and I LOVE you all!

BTW, for those knitters among you, and I know there are a few, if you aren't on Ravelry yet you should be. It's a great site, still in beta so you can't log on until you're invited to join, but you can add your name to a queue and they'll let you know when you can get on. I wish there were such a wonderful site as that for quilters.

Not to worry...I'm back! And there will be more pics of the project and my handiwork, but Blogger won't let me put up more than five pics at a time.

Taking a Break

2007-08-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Time for me to take a break from blogging, I think. This long, cold winter is getting me down, and I just don't feel like doing much of anything. Think I'll hibernate for awhile, and hopefully when spring comes I'll resurface.

We should be starting our remodeling project soon, and will need to move out of here in a couple of months. Should be back in the house again around January/February of 2008.

Best wishes to all...hope to see you again in a few months.

Road Trip!

2007-07-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Didn't get a chance to post before we left for the U.S., but we're in California at the moment. DH had a short biz trip to Chicago, but I stayed at the condo and lazed around, went to the movies (saw Waitress and Evening, both very good), and visited the local yarn shops. We were to have returned to Oz yesterday, but extended our trip for a few more days to make a short road trip up the eastern side of California. Here's a shot on the road just north of Lone Pine, looking west toward Kings Canyon National Park and Mt. Whitney. Today we'll meander a bit further north to Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, Mono Lake and Bridgeport. Then we head west into Amador County to visit good friends there, before returning to the Bay Area on Saturday.

Here's what I've done on the trip. First socks are plain stockinette, because I felt a pattern would distract from the gorgeous green Koigu variegated yarn. What fun to knit this stuff...it's so soft and fluffy it's a dream to work with, and feels great on your feet, too.
And here's my second pair of Jaywalkers, knit with variegated sunset colors of Crystal Palace's Panda Wool, a blend of wool, bamboo and a bit of nylon. This stuff is a bit splitty, but very soft and lovely to knit, too. I bought another color while in the Bay Area, very pale pink and cream. Can't wait to start on that, too. I'll post a pic of my other yarn purchases once we're back in Oz.
When I can get on the Internet on this trip I've been reading everybody. So good to stay connected to you all!

A Finished Object, or Two...

2007-06-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

Success! This is almost my first sweater. When DS was five years old (when dinosaurs ruled the earth), I made a little raglan sweater for him, that turned out wonderfully well. He wore it till it wore out. And now, I've made one for myself, only a few decades later! Loved the pattern, loved the yarn, love the fact that it fits! And here's the first completed Monkey Sock. The second one is underway, but as I need to keep track of the pattern rows, this one will be a knit-at-home sock. I've also started a pair of socks to knit on the go, in a self-striping, almost-Fair Isle yarn, that's turning out to be really beautiful. Pics soon.
This cold, clear morning deserved a photo, and can you believe the gorgeous protea on the right? I think this is a South African native plant...it seems to be thriving in the frost. The morning this was taken it was minus 3 degrees C. (about 28 degrees F. for your Northern Hemisphere types), so it's pretty impressive that this plant looks so good.
As you see, the cats weren't deterred by the cold, and they had a fine time prowling the yard.
Check out the frost in the foreground of this pic...you'll note that Chloe has wisely decided to stay under the leafless tree, where there's plenty of sunshine and the frost has gone!
So, this is the week we hope to have approval of our house remodel plans from the local Council. Keep your fingers crossed!

No Ark Yet

2007-06-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

So, the rain has stopped, though we've had more than 13 inches (332 mm) of rain in the last two weeks. It was clear this morning, with this stunning sunrise, though extremely windy and cold...2 degrees C., or 34 F....Brrrrrrr! Ross did a wonderful clear-out of the spillway, so the dam hasn't overflowed again. This morning it was so windy we nearly had whitecaps!

The cats are absolutely loving being inside. Last night both the big grey fellows were on the bed with Ross, till I booted them out. They spend their nights in the bathroom, to avoid those incidents of World War III on the bed at 2AM! Wonder if Feliway would help them. I actually think it's too much testosterone, even though both brothers have been fixed, long since. The other five, comprised of three females and two males, get along much better and are able to spend the night peacefully in the laundry. The two fat old ladies rarely leave their little cupboard nests and seem happy as clams in there.

And here's where I am with the sweater/jumper. Just a few more inches on the sleeves, and I can block this baby and wear it. I'm really loving the color.

I succumbed to the apparently worldwide urge to make a pair of Monkey socks (designed by Cookie A. and pattern available free at Knitty.com) This is Knit Picks Memories yarn in Red Hat color, though the overall tone is much more purple than the blue of this photo. A very fun pattern, I must say.
Also finished the red pair of socks, using Colinette Jitterbug in Fire color, using Nancy Bush's Oak Leaf pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks, but the red color is so intense I haven't been able to get a photo that looks anything like correct.

Meanwhile, we're finishing interviewing potential builders and checking out references. This is turning out to be a much more expensive project than we had envisioned, but at this point we aren't ready to retrench to less extensive modifications. Will keep you posted. Our neighbors, who only come here once a month or so, are kindly agreeing to rent us their house during the time we need to be out of ours...isn't that terrific?

So, that's the news of the day from here. Still no quilting, but getting to a much better mental/emotional place.

Rain, Rain Everywhere...

2007-06-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

As you can see, our dam is overflowing this morning. We're hoping the downhill side of the dam will hold, otherwise there's going to be a big flood of water cascading down our hill!
Here's DH trudging out to attempt to improve the capacity of our spillway...my hero!
We couldn't leave the cats in their little chicken coop and yard because it's just not weatherproof at all. You can actually see through the mortar holding the bricks together in places, and the roof is a joke. It was freezing, wet and mucky out there, and I wasn't sleeping for worrying about the cats. So, yesterday we moved them into the laundry in the house: During the day, those who want to venture outside have a staging area on this little porch outside the kitchen. As you can see, it isn't weather-proof either. Fortunately the house has remained dry, may THAT continue to be so!

And here are the three fat ladies settled into the cupboard in the laundry room. They rarely venture out, preferring to sleep away the storm in comfort. Their four siblings are in and out, being more adventurous, but all come inside to sleep for the night. You can barely see Cassie in her donut on the top shelf, but Spike (on the left) and Chloe (on the right) were more willing to be photogenic. As for me, you'll find me on the sofa, snuggled up under a blanket, with either my computer on my lap or the second of the red socks, nearing completion. I think we'll venture out this afternoon, though...I'm so sick of my own cooking I could scream...

What's Up With Dianne, Anyway?

2007-06-06T21:09:00.001-07:00

Well, I've been among the missing for far too long...again...and no excuses, either. Just feeling a bit down and overloaded, as we now face the prospect of moving out of this house (that we only moved into last October) so we can begin the renovation project. I just can't seem to get myself in gear. No energy, no motivation to get myself going. It's hard to think of all that's necessary to bring this project to fruition: choosing a zillion things like stoves, fridges, bathtubs, shower surrounds, tiles, colors, flooring, etc. ad nauseum, when you don't know which suppliers are good, what brands to choose, where the showrooms are. Sigh. I know it's silly, because it will all be worth it when we're finished, but I just can't seem to get into it this time around.

We've built two houses before this project, and loved doing them both. I think once we finally get going I'll get my house mojo going again, but for now I feel a bit paralyzed.

And so, no quilting for the moment. It's winter here now and quite cold, and my quilting studio is unheated and uninviting. Plus my enthusiasm for pink, blue and cream hasn't returned yet. So, I've been working on small projects like these socks:

And this sweater:

Keeps me busy and engaged, and they are fun things to work on and not overwhelming, like everything else seems to be at the moment.

And guess what? Our neighbors, who are moving, are letting us care for several of their horses for awhile, until they get themselves settled and organized. So, here's Minnie, on the left, a lovely young horse with a sweet, loving disposition, then Naadia, the white horse in the middle, and Tyler, the black gelding on the right. Naadia and Tyler are rather elderly, both just lovely horses. I think we'll enjoy their visit with us.

Also thought you'd enjoy these visitors to our lower paddock yesterday morning. I guess now that the steers are gone, they feel comfortable grazing a bit closer to our house.

So. That's the news of the day from me. Sorry to be such a lame blogger of late. I hope to be better soon, but no promises at the moment. I'm reading everybody else's posts and loving them. Thanks for being there, guys!

No Quilting, Just Knitting...

2007-05-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

So, this is the state of affairs to date. In the center are the two pairs of socks I knit in Australia (well, I finished the second brown/purple/gold one on the plane and in California), below them the wonderful Koigu's, knitted on 3mm bamboo dpns. I tore through these, because the yarn was so wonderful to work with, and the pattern, from Sensational Knitted Socks, (the Baby Cable Rib), was a dream to knit.

And then there are the yarns, needles and other books I've picked up since I got here. Keep in mind that when you see one skein, there are actually two of most, since that's what it takes to knit socks. The dark turquoisy-blue at the top middle is Wool of the Andes from KnitPicks, and there are 11 skeins of that for a sweater. The lighter turquoise sock on the needles at top left is giving me fits. First toe-up sock, and the wraps for the toe and heel are NOT fun. I think I'll stick to cuff-down from now on. That's Crystal Palace's Panda Wool, a blend of wool, bamboo fiber and nylon, and what a dream to knit.

So, I've declared a moratorium on yarn-buying for the rest of this trip. The damage to my credit card is enough, already! (Oh, except for the yarns I bought in Australia on the Internet yesterday...uh-oh!) Good thing I brought an empty suitcase, to carry home my booty...

We're off to SoCal this evening for the weekend, to visit family, then back here for a couple of days before returning to Oz on Wednesday night. At least I'll have something to do on the plane!

Springtime in California...Pretty!

2007-05-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the lovely spring in the Bay Area, and feeling like there's something I haven't done.

Oh, yeah, I’ve been tagged by Jane Ann to reveal some random facts and idiosyncracies about myself (moi, idiosyncratic? Nah!) and am finally finding a few minutes to post.

1. I was a professional ballet dancer in my earlier years, a founding member of Oakland Ballet in 1965. We performed in the Bay Area and toured around the Pacific Northwest. Sadly, the company became defunct last year. Being a member of a touring company is an interesting state of affairs: fun, nerve-wracking, infantile at times, satisfying and thrilling at others. I really enjoyed these years of my life.

2. My internal temperature control is set on a hair trigger: 68 degrees F. is just right. 65 degrees is freezing, and 73 degrees is boiling. Just ask my DH! He also says my speed tolerance is too fine-tuned: 65 mph is fine, 63 and I start asking if he’s zoning out, 67 and I wonder what’s the hurry. I think I have to cop to this…

3. I hate people. Well, actually, I love CERTAIN people (all of you, for instance!) but I hate people in large groups. Maybe I’m just really shy, or maybe I have an antisocial streak. Personally, I think it dates back to being raised in the country and having to find ways to amuse myself. I enjoy my own company and am seldom bored. I can always find something to do that amuses me…reading and writing blogs, for one! Quilting (or knitting) for another.

4, I hate to cook, except when I don’t…that is, I enjoy cooking occasionally, for friends and family or to try out an interesting recipe. I hate the day to day, breakfast-lunch-dinner production line, and especially coming up with what-to-eat ideas. However, I LOVE to eat, and as we now live in the country in Australia, I’m having to come to terms with more cooking than I really like. If I had a zillion bucks, I’d have a cook!

5. I love to read, but have gotten tired of amassing too many books. This was a fall-out, I think, of two major moves in three years. I gave away many, many books when we moved from the Sierra Nevada Foothills back to the Bay Area, and then made heavy use of the Marin County Library system. I’m slowly coming back to the land of buying paperbacks again, but I’m really trying to keep the numbers down.

6. I tend to be just the teensiest bit compulsive (like, none of you are like that, right?). If I’m going to make a black and white quilt, I have to buy a gazillion blacks and whites, more than I could use in ten black and white quilts, because once I get into it I want to have just the “right” black and white.

7. I love plants and flowers, and have a need to know the botanical names of all the plants I grow. However, now that we are living in the land of the scary snakes, my actual gardening activities will be curtailed to plant selection, supervision and observation. Maybe I’ll finally have fingernails again!

8. And I have to add an eighth item, after reading the above items, since I have another observation about myself. I have Overactive Exclamation Point Disorder...OEPD...have you noticed that?

In other news, I tried to buy some fabric to back the As Time Goes By quilt, which is the next one queued up on my to-finish list, but they didn't have enough yardage. Gee, I guess this means I meed to make a visit to the LQS before we head for home in a week or so.

And finally, here's what I've been doing at the apartment, since I don't have a sewing machine here...pretty, huh? The yarn is Koigu KPPPM and it was a dream to knit. Also, I knit these on 3mm needles, which seem absolutely huge after using 2.5mm for the last couple of pairs.

Are We There Yet?

2007-05-02T23:14:00.000-07:00

I'm seeing lines, lines, lines in front of my eyes! Will this blasted quilt NEVER end? I tell you, a king-size quilt that's quilted with straight lines on the diagonal every inch and a half in both directions, requires a LOT of lines! I'm working several hours each day on it, and it never seems to get any closer to being finished. I'd hoped to have it quilted before we leave for California on Sunday, and in a fit of optimism took an hour or so yesterday to cut the binding, stitch the WOF pieces together on the bias, and iron the whole binding in half, ready for sewing onto the quilt...NOT!

Sigh. In between times, I rest my back and shoulders by knitting on some socks. Finished the Jaywalkers, which I love, and started another pair. Loved the yarn, hated the fit of the finished first sock, so this morning I frogged it and started over. Hope the airlines will let me take my bamboo dpn's onboard. That would be a good 13 hours of solid knitting on the flight to SFO. I hear from the local knitters that no flights leaving Australia will allow knitting needles of any kind, so I may be knitless...to go along with my being witless from quilting all those lines!

Anyhoo, I'll be reading your posts for inspiration while we're away (only two and a bit weeks), but don't know how faithful I'll be at posting myself.

Later...

Here's What's Happening in Exeter...

2007-04-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

Well, for one thing, there's QUILTING going on, at last. Yesterday I started machine-quilting the antique remake, but as promised, no pics till it's done. May I just say that the Bernina 440QE is a fabulous machine. Not using the BSR for this quilt, but the diagonal quilting looks wonderful and I'm totally in love with this machine.

In other news, I've knit my first sock-and-a-third. Used Grumperina's Jaywalker pattern from the net, and it's been really fun, though a bit daunting with those teeny-tiny (US Size 1!) needles. I'll make more socks, I'm sure, and I have some gorgeous Jo Sharp tweed yarn that's hankering to be a sweater, at some point.

And here's what things are looking like in Exeter, these days. As you can see, autumn is in full dress, and the colors are gorgeous. When we go back to California in a couple of weeks, we'll have full spring there, so what's not to like?!

And on a sad note, the six steers went off to market on Tuesday. I took this pic through the slats of the truck once they were loaded. DH got splattered with steer bleep shortly after this pic was taken...after he'd spent 3 hours chasing the one escapee up and down the paddocks till he got him penned! Turns out this one steer was actually an intact bull! So glad I didn't know that when we were strolling through the paddocks!

And that's the news of the day from Exeter.

In Memoriam

2007-04-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

My mother passed away last night in California, after a long struggle with Alzheimer's, at age 86. She had been living in a very caring residential care facility for the past few years, following a stroke, and after suffering a second stroke a couple of weeks ago, she finally has found release from her suffering and is at peace.

She lived a long and interesting life. Born in the Texas Panhandle in February of 1921, the youngest of 10 children, she and her older sister hitchhiked to California during the Great Depression to live with relatives there, as it was too difficult for her own mother to take care of all 10 children and give them the help they needed to make a good start in life. They arrived safely in California, where she lived for the rest of her life.

She was not a quilter, but did beautiful knitting and crochet. She loved to garden, and enjoyed a succession of lovely cats. I like to think of her with a cat or two on her lap, enjoying the warmth and fluffiness of their coats, and the comfort they brought to her.

Here's a picture taken early in her illness, with a little "knee quilt" I made for her to keep them warm after her knee replacement surgery.

Rest well, Mom. Tracy, Sheri and I will miss you sorely.

Hello? Hello?

2007-04-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a L-O-O-O-O-N-G time since I've posted, but I'm back at last. Dunno, I've just been in a real funk lately. Finally beginning to see the light of day. Feels good to be back.

Haven't done a lot of quilting yet, but as you see to the left, I finally got the largest center section layered and pinned together. I stalled out when I realized I need to learn how to put on the walking foot attachment on the new machine. That, plus there's company arriving this week, meaning I had to clean up the quilting studio/guest room to allow a place for them to sleep.

So, quilting is on hold for a week. Still, it feels good to be nearing the end of this project. And I promise, no more pics of this quilt until its at the binding stage! You must all be as tired of it as I am!

Thought you'd enjoy this pic DH took this morning...weather is really changing here now, and autumn in Exeter looks like this...sometimes. Very changeable, so you might have three days worth of weather in just a couple of hours here. Already, the fog has burned off and we've got scattered clouds with a fair bit of sun.

And the next pic gives even more a a glimpse of the foggy patches at the bottom of our lower paddock. Pretty, huh?

And here's an interesting pic of the strange mushrooms growing in our upper paddock. Don't they look like the creature from the Blue Lagoon?

I started my first pair of socks in about 40 years this week. Using five eensy double-pointed needles. Yikes! Fun, but I feel like I'm all thumbs. It's a portable project, though, and with company coming I need something to work on that's manageable.

We're off to Sydney to pick up our guests today, climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge tomorrow (another big yikes!), back home with them for a couple of days, out to Canberra Friday/Saturday, and taking our friends to the airport for their flight to Hayman Island on Sunday. Wish we were going along on THAT little jaunt!

Anyhoo, sorry for the long silence. I hope to be a more faithful poster in coming weeks...

White Scarf Pattern Link

2007-03-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

Anonymous posted a question about the white scarf in the last post, and I couldn't answer because she is set up for noreply on blogger, so I thought I'd post the link to the pattern here.

The directions are very clear, it's an easy piece to knit, and if you scroll down there are some great photos of how to wear the scarf. In fact, if you haven't visited knitty.com, I recommend it...lots of great patterns with good photos, too.

In other news, it's off to the quilt shop today to pick up my "wadding" (thanks, Lily, for the correct name to ask for in Australia!) and the calico to use for the backing of the pink, blue and cream quilt. Funny, after I got my wonderful new Bernina with BSR, the first quilt I'm doing on it will be this remake of the antique quilt, which just has straight line quilting...no need for the fancy BSR for this quilt! That's probably good, since I haven't done much practicing with it yet. Next quilt, for sure.

Had fun this weekend visiting the Robertson Show, a kind of small county fair with lots of animal exhibitions and riding events, etc. Robertson is a gorgeous country area a few miles from where we live. In fact, if you ever saw the adorable movie, Babe, about the little pig, it was filmed in the Robertson area. We were there to see the alpaca breeders and learn a little about those beautiful animals. Once we send our six steers off to market, we're thinking of replacing them with alpacas. I got to hold one alpaca on his lead for a half hour, while his owner was showing another in the showring. What fun! They are lovely animals, and after their yearly shearing the fleece can be sold and spun into yarn, fabric, quilt batting, etc. Hmmm, a fun hobby for DH and me?

Surfacing...With Pics!

2007-03-08T15:04:00.000-08:00

At last, at last, at last, the piecing for this quilt is finished! The center section is sewn together and ready to be layered and quilted. There are two side sections that are not sewn together yet, two and a half blocks wide, and a one and a half block section across the top that needs sewing together. Then I'll quilt those other three sections and join the bugger together! I'm loving how it looks...it DOES look like the antique one that I'm copying. But boy will I be glad to abandon pink blue and cream for awhile!

And here's the red and black poncho I took apart once and remade. I like how it turned out...remember the 60s when we all wore these things? Just goes to show...never throw ANYTHING away!

And I also made this little furry scarf for winter. The second pic shows its odd construction, like a huge letter H with very long arms. You tie each set of ties separately. I think it turned out cute. This is an all nylon yarn, nothing fancy, but I think it will be fun to wear this winter.

So, that's what I've been up to lately.

Blog-Free Interlude

2007-03-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

What happened to February? Apologies for dropping off the face of the earth, but we've been trying to stay on California time for the last couple of weeks. DH has some on-line work with participants in California and in Europe, so he decided to remain on CA time for a little while. This means going to bed at 6PM and getting up at 2AM, local time...yikes! I'm being good wifey and keeping him company. Another 10 days or so of this, and we'll shift back to Australia time.

In addition, I've been a little sidetracked from quilting with a yarn interlude. Bought some yarn and a circular needle so I'd have a project for the plane, and it was fun to knit a bit...haven't done that for years. However, I ran out of yarn before the poncho I was making was finished. What else is new?! Bought more yarn in contrasting colors, and finished up yesterday , only to notice a few major flaws here and there where I'd been knitting in the low-light levels on the plane. Ripped the entire thing out, rolled the yarn in balls, and it now resides in a paper bag, until I feel motivated again. The good news is that the little fluffy scarf I made before the poncho turned out fine and will be cozy when winter comes. I'll post a pic one of these days.

So, back to finishing up the antique remake quilt. Large center section is completed, most of the remaining large blocks are done and just need to be put together. Still need to make the little half-blocks that make up the border. I need to pick up some batting (wadding, here?) and backing fabric (thinking of using plain muslin (calico, here?) to mirror the original, and then start putting this baby to bed.

I've been reading everyone's blogs and posting comments from time to time, but have been a bad blogger buddy lately. Not sure what's up with that, but I think I'm back on track now.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jog!

2007-02-18T21:15:00.000-08:00

A long, uneventful trip home, and all is well, I'm happy to say! The cats were overjoyed to be released from their captivity in the chook house and yard, and seem to have forgiven us for being gone. There has been significant rain, so the paddocks are all green and the donkeys are fat and sassy...ditto the steers.

Wireless connection came up with a minimum of fiddle (by DH, NOT by me!), and I'm happy to be connected. Now for a couple of good sleeps and I'll be human again. They've raised the price of upgradable economy tickets... again! ...to a horrendous level, and even at that ridiculously high price there is no guarantee of an actual upgrade, so we opted to be squished into economy for the nearly 14 hour flight. But who's complaining (well, actually...me!)

Very hot and sunny when we got here, but it's now thundering and clouding over nicely...hope it isn't just a tease. We could still use a lot more rain.

Don't think I'd better contemplate the Bernina until I'm a bit less lagged...my eyeballs seem to be spinning!

Check You on the Flip Side...of the Pacific

2007-02-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

Well, the time has come, and we're in the throes of packing up whatever is going with us on the plane. Sent two huge boxes (24 lb. each!) to Australia yesterday...ouch!

Oakland is putting on a glorious farewell for us. It's been sunny, warm and beautiful, with flowering trees coming into blossom, daffodils beginning to appear hear and there, and a zillion birds serenading us each morning. I'm happy to say, we'll be back to enjoy it again in May.

Now, to return to summer in Oz. We hear there have been lots of rainstorms since we left...8" in one several-day period...which we desperately needed. We're hoping our dam will have topped up nicely and that the grass, which had become quite crinkly, will look like grass again. We're anxious to see the kitty cats and hope they forgive us for leaving them. Knowing how cats are, they'll probably say, "Oh, have YOU been gone?"

And then, on to the big remodel and extension of our house. We have a preliminary plan and will meet with our architect next week to discuss final adjustments to the design and to meet with the landscape architect. What a big adventure...can't wait to begin!

So, see you all on the flip side in a coupla days. I'll be among the jetlagged for a few days, I'm sure!

Quilty Fun with Christine!

2007-02-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

What a great day...Christine and I met at Thimble Creek (now in Concord, not Walnut Creek -- a fact we fortunately found out before arriving at the wrong location) and had a ton of fun finding beautiful fabrics. Here we are just before surrendering our credit cards to the clerk...my smile was a bit smaller after that! Here is a group of gorgeous brights we both liked enough to buy them. Won't it be fun to see what we get up to with these?
And then there was this nice group. We both bought the crysanthemum print in the center, which looks like fireworks and is just gorgeous, as well as the black print on the right, which has lovely tiny squares in autumn colors. Pic doesn't do it justice.
This lackluster photo should be ignored. The little rose sprigs are charming, the pink and blue tiny checks are lovely, and the green is a lovely texture, but you couldn't prove any of that by this picture!
There is one more group similar to the rose sprigs, but it photographed even worse, and blogger wouldn't upload it anyway, so just pretend there are a few more pretty soft prints here.

Also bought a copy of the Gwen Marston/Freddy Moran book, Collaborative Quilting. What a great inspiration it will be. Gorgeous photos, lots of things to think about...I hope it will help me break out of the box a bit more.

Christine and I next went on to The Cotton Patch in Lafayette, where Christine bought some absolutely gorgeous Asian prints in jewel colors with metallic touches. These are going to be stunning together. Let's watch her blog to see what she does with them!

And I fell for these batiks, having absolutely NO idea what I will do with them. I'm sure the perfect place will present itself in time.
If I don't get myself to the plane soon, my credit cards are going to burst into flames, I swear!

California Interlude

2007-02-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

Fortunately, the rest of our sojourn has been less eventful than the trip from LA to Detroit. We made the jaunt to Houston with no trouble, and I did serious damage to the credit card at the Galleria. My postage bill to Australia is going to be heinous! Then on to San Angelo to visit with lovely friends there, who took us to Mr. Boots:

No trip to Texas would be complete without a pair of Tony Lama cowboy boots, would it? They are really fun, but I think I'll need to spend some time walking around the house in them...those odd heels will take some getting used to.

So now we're back in Oakland, where DH has a bit more work to do and we have lots of visiting scheduled. I know the time will fly by, but I'm going to try to meet up with Christine for a visit to ThimbleCreek in Walnut Creek. Aside from some time spent fiddling with EQ6 I have had zero chance to think about quilting, so this will top me up a bit.

Then a visit this weekend to Pioneer, in the Sierra Foothills, to see my friend and shopping buddy, Liza. Time will be too short for us to get into too much trouble, but we will likely make a little trip to Wal-Mart, pretty much the only shopping option in those parts.

Back here on Sunday evening, and then only a few days remain till we hit the skies again. I hear it's warm, warm, warm in Exeter. Hope the kitties are still speaking to us!

On the Road Again...

2007-01-29T12:35:00.000-08:00

It's been a fun trip so far, with several lovely days in Los Angeles, visiting family and friends. However, yesterday has to have been the trip from hell...

Left the hotel for LAX at 7:30 AM, for a 9AM departure to Detroit via Chicago. Late departure of one hour...no biggie. In Chicago, we boarded a small jet for the flight to Detroit, but after sitting on board for half an hour or so the flight was cancelled due to a mechanical failure. Scramble to assemble coats, laptops, rollaboards, race out to the Concourse (C), get info on next flight to Detroit, race to Concourse B to line up for that plane. Clever DH called on his cellphone to secure seat assignments, so our seats are at least confirmed.

Waiting, waiting, waiting to board, when I noticed my purse was missing! Panic and consternation, DH implores gate agent to check with maintenance on the scrubbed flight. She reports it may take awhile, and my best chance to recover purse is to remain in Chicago while she tries to track it down. DH MUST be in Detroit this morning to work, so he boards that flight, (after we fiddle around with sharing cash, credit cards, switching powered-up cellphone and laptop batteries) and I start hanging around the desk for news.

Miracle of miracles, the purse is located on the plane, completely intact, with all money, credit cards, passport, driver's license, etc. all there, turned in at the other concourse (of course), but the wonderful agent who tracked this down also secured a boarding pass for me on the next (sold-out!) flight to Detroit, due to a last minute cancellation.

Raced from Concourse B to Concourse C 3, got purse, raced back to C15 for flight department and made it just in time to board. While running, I managed to make a cell call to DH to let him know I would arrive in Detroit very likely only 15 minutes after he did, so maybe we could share a limo to the hotel.

Uneventful flight, DH and I hook up, all amazement that this worked out so happily, and we hop into the limo to the hotel. Very cold in Detroit at midnight (five hours later than we'd expected to arrive!), and the roads are icy. Halfway to the hotel, we find ourselves in the middle of a 7 car pile-up! Our limo has a smashed up right front fender and scrapes along the right side, but we are all ok...no one injured, though in the other 6 cars a total of 3 people were taken to hospital in an ambulance and several cars are very badly damaged. Of course, sorting all this out took 2 more hours, before the police would let everyone leave the scene.

So, we strolled in to the hotel at 2:30 AM, with DH expected for his all day work responsibilities at 9:45 this morning. Poor guy made it up and out the door, but I'm sure he'll be wiped out tonight.

As for me, I caught a little shuttle to a local mall for a stroll through shops and restaurants and then came back to the hotel for a snooze.

Sure hope tomorrow's flight to Houston is less eventful! Here's my question...do you think I should give up traveling? Clearly, I can't be trusted to keep all my bits and pieces together, what with all the schlepping, hoisting, stashing, hauling out, racing from place to place. Maybe I'm getting old?!!

Will It Ever End?

2007-01-18T14:21:00.000-08:00

Yes, I've been sewing again, and making good progress on the antique quilt remake. But BOY am I tired of these 2.25" squares with triangles on each side that make up the square in a square for the large pink squares! I think I'm down to the last 100, and here are some pics of where things are. Here are the last cut pieces of these yucky corner units...I'll be so glad to see the end of them!
And here are the various bits awaiting being put together. You may recall, this is just for the drop sections of the quilt. The main top section is already pieced and awaiting quilting, once I find just the "right" backing for this quilt. Maybe that will be a task for me while I'm in the U.S.
Oh, WAIT! I just noticed those large triangles in the middle left of the above picture. Those ALSO need those corner units on two sides...GRRRRRRRR. That means another 40 or so of those units to be pieced. Sigh! Will this quilt ever be finished? Gives me new appreciation for the quilter who made the original, by hand, probably taking much longer even than mine is taking!

BTW, I just did a quick count, and this quilt required 328 of those little pieced corner units!

In other news, we're meeting with our architect this afternoon to see the first preliminary sketches for the remodel and extension on this house. Can't wait to see what she's come up with, and how closely it meets our brief for what we wanted. We'll be able to mull over these sketches while we travel around the U.S. for the next month, and hopefully we can move right along to permits and planning upon our return. Yippee!!!!

Back to Biz...

2007-01-13T23:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess it's back to biz as usual tomorrow...I finished a few more blocks for Clare's Leukaemia Project and am ready to mail them off. It was really fun working with the red and white, I must say. I discovered that I had left nearly all the white fabric in California, so my choices for white were a bit limited, but I had lots of reds. Do you like my wonky heart block on the lower left? I paper pieced it, just messing around to see what I could come up with. It could definitely be improved if I'd planned ahead a bit better, but I decided not to obsess too much.
With family lunch in the middle of the day, I was lucky to finish these up. Company coming tomorrow, so I won't be back at the pink and blues until Tuesday.

Were off to the States on Jan. 23, so I'd like to get as much done as possible before we leave. I know I'm going to be doing a lot of fabric shopping while I'm there...I'm planning to take an empty suitcase! Of course, none of you would EVER do such a thing, I'm sure...

Taking a Break from Pink and Blue...

2007-01-12T16:37:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm finally recovered from the yucky cold, and have spent a couple of days sewing and having fun. The antique quilt is proceeding apace...I've finished that large section that covers the top of the queen-size bed, and will now move on to the drop sections. But FIRST, I need a break from pink and blue! So, I decided to play today with red and white...and here are my first two blocks for Clare's Leukaemia Quilt Project. These are two blocks from Marcia Hohn's Quilter's Cache, Mosaic on the left and Indian Star on the right. What fun to just play around with my red stash for awhile! Tomorrow I'll probably get back to the work at hand, but just for today...I'm having a good time!

Down for the Count...

2007-01-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

Sorry to say, I've been in bed the last two days with the dreaded lurgy...nasty head cold, slight fever, headache, chills, the whole magilla. Feeling a bit better today, but doubt I'll be back at full speed until tomorrow. So, I've been doing a little reading of everyone else's blogs today, but this post will be wimpy...just like the way I'm feeling today.

Did want to report that the In-Laws' 60th Anniversary Party was a roaring success, in spite of the fact that FIL had this same cold. He held up amazingly well, considering how yucky this thing makes you feel.

We're planning to have an outing later this week, when we're all recovered, to see The Queen. I LOVE Helen Mirren, don't you?

Covered in Threads!

2007-01-03T00:27:00.000-08:00

At last, I've actually gotten some sewing done! A quick trip to Sydney to pick up my new No. 57 Quarter-Inch Patchwork Foot (THANKS, Jane Ann!), and I'm in business. As I mentioned, I think, this remake of an antique quilt is going to be completed and quilted in sections. As you see, I've finished all the blocks for the top of the queen size bed and just need to finish sewing them all together. Two sections are sewn, so when I complete the third, I'll quilt the entire top. Then I'll add the drop to the sides and the end, and voila...it will be the first quilt I've completed in Australia! So now, I'm covered in threads again and loving it. I'm sure none of YOU ever get covered in threads, do you? Hah, liars!

Hope I can keep my momentum on this quilt. I'm finding I'm getting tired of the soft colors already and thoughts of my Dear Jane and Lady of the Lake quilts keep intruding. I'm going to try to persevere, though.

Meanwhile, I've still not loaded the EQ6 upgrade I received a couple of weeks ago and that's definitely calling to me. Just not enough time in the day and too many social engagements this time of year.

Tomorrow is my In-Laws' 60th Wedding Anniversary Party...should be a wonderful time, and what a stellar achievement. Sixty years together is pretty amazing, if you ask me!

Now I'm Cooking with Gas...

2006-12-21T16:32:00.000-08:00

Some of you have seen the antique quilt I'm copying. I was working on it in California just before we moved. The antique original is here now, and I'll pull it out and post a photo soon. This lovely old quilt is just too fragile to use, so I drafted it in EQ5 and am remaking it with modern fabrics in similar colors, and resizing it so it will fit on a queen or king bed...haven't decided which. Here's my first bit of sewing yesterday on the new Bernina. I have quite a few blocks made, and decided to put some of them together using the new machine. What a dream to sew on! My only problem is getting used to the Bernina quarter-inch foot. My old Elna quarter-inch foot had a little flange on the right side, so you could just rest your fabric edge against it to sew. It requires a little more concentration to guide the fabric using just the edge of the foot for guidance, but I'm getting there. Also decided to be brave and put the BSR foot on and have a little play...my first with the new free motion toy. It's a lot of fun, but it's going to be a challenge to regulate the moving of the fabric at an even pace. I tend to go in swirls and swoops, and it's hard to keep a regular pace, but still, the machine does its best to make a consistent stitch length. I didn't think this was bad for my first time. I've decided I'll try to play around with it regularly, so that when I'm ready to quilt the first quilt on this machine, I'll be very comfortable with the BSR. What a GREAT invention, though!
It was kind of funny when I fired up the Bernina for the first time yesterday morning. I had put it in the new cabinet for the photos I posted yesterday. When I turned on the power switch, I got a funny, high-pitched whine sound...uh-oh! I thought there was something wrong with the power outlet, or the extension cord I was using. Moved the machine to another power outlet...same thing. Sigh. So I called the dealer in Sydney and described what was happening. "Hmm," she said. "Sounds like the bobbin is trying to wind." Oh. Yes. I must have bumped the little gizmo when I placed the machine on the sewing cabinet. Can you spell d-u-m-b?!!! One little flick, and it worked fine!

Things Are Lookin' GOOD in Exeter!

2006-12-20T17:41:00.000-08:00

Long time since I've posted, but it's just been busy as we continue to organize our new lives in a new country. Big news of the day is that I've got the new Bernina sewing machine all set up in the guestroom, in its new Horn sewing cabinet, with my new Horn cutting table right alongside...hooray! Can you see the EQ6 Upgrade box on the left in the pic below? Still in the box, but I'm hoping to get it loaded up before long. Also, the cutting table is in its folded up position, with my laptop and the attachment box for the new Bernina on it in this shot, but BOY is it huge when it's open! This is going to make my life SO much easier...
And here's Patch, watching Wall TV, at last. The little hole in the wooden retaining wall used to be home to a blue tongue lizard, but lately it's been the hidey-hold of both a little bunny and a large skink (smooth-skinned, shiny lizard, for those who're wondering). Patch stares at this hole for hours, gets his head and arm into the hole feeling around, but no disasters...yet!
And here's Alfonse, enjoying the wide open spaces on our driveway. The sun broke through this afternoon for a little while, and all the cats had a wonderful prowl around for an hour or two, then returned, on their own, to their little chook house for a snooze. All's right with the world!
The party for our friend, Garry, went off without a hitch on Saturday afternoon/evening, with 23 old friends gathering here to wish him well during his short visit to Australia. A wonderful time was had by all, and it was a great shakedown cruise for DH and me...it's always strange to throw your first party in a new house. Of course, all 23 congregated in the kitchen the entire time!

Our architect came on Monday to draw up the plan of the existing house. The renovations and extensions begin in earnest in the New Year and will take about a year from start to finish, we think. I told her after Saturday's experience, I want the new kitchen to be right in the middle of the living room!

Christmas will be here at our place on Monday, with DH's family joining us...8 for lunch...coolish, showery weather is expected, but there will be no complaints from any of us...this drought has been going on much too long for anyone to be whinging about a few raindrops!

Happy Holidays, everybody!

Together, At Last!

2006-12-13T01:39:00.000-08:00

The day we knew would come at last, has come at last! All kitties are home and safe, and we are SO happy to have them with us. Here's me, with Patch, who looked so miserable at the quarantine facility. Cloudy, his brother, is behind me, very blase, having a bath.
Chloe, one of our most scaredy-cat ex-ferals, contemplates a break-out, but decides the chook pen and it's fenced yard may be an ok place to hang out until we complete the renovations and extensions to the new house.
Cloudy is settling in very fast, and may be able to do some prowling around tomorrow, outside the cage. He's our most confident ex-feral.
Spike is our oldest cat...a female who was mis-identified by the first vet who saw her after we adopted her, but we just couldn't rename her. She's VERY happy to be back with us. And here's DH, Ross, with Patch, Alfonse le Soot and Cloudy, getting comfortable with the new space.

Didn't get photos of Frank, who was still so terrified he wouldn't come outside, and Cassie, who was busy at the food dish!

I hope these Jet Set Kitties will never need to travel this far from home again!

On a quilty note, I set up my new Bernina and did a little playing around with simple stitches. Got the BSR all plugged in and set up, but ran out of time to do any actual playing. It is a GORGEOUS machine, though, and feels like a real winner. I heard today that my new sewing cabinet and cutting table will be delivered tomorrow, along with a new bed so we can accommodate some overnight guests this weekend.

Hope to have a chance to post a pic of the new Bernie in its cabinet tomorrow.

Can you see me SMILING?!!!

Pa...Thetic!

2006-12-11T08:22:00.000-08:00

Well, I've had the new sewing machine for a solid week, but haven't sewn a single stitch!

Seems like sometimes life just intervenes and keeps us from our passion, doesn't it? I HAVE read the entire manual, and today I did set the machine up on my dining room table and prepared to wind my first bobbin. That's when I realized that I have not a single spool of thread here...they're all still in California. So, tomorrow I'll be off to the LQS to stock up on thread, and hopefully will make a first attempt with the new Bernina.

I've ordered a sewing cabinet and cutting table that should be here in a week or so, and then I can get serious about setting up my sewing room.

And, of course, Wednesday is pick-up day for the cats, at last...need to save lots of time for cuddling and cooing with them! I'll post a pic once they're settled in their chook house (chicken coop, for those in the U.S.)! This will be their home until we're sure they know that this is where they live...finally!

Meantime, a good friend from California will be here Saturday and we're throwing a party for him, so my attention will be elsewhere for the next couple of days as I pull things together. I'm pretty savvy about the local shops at this point, but special food for parties may be a bit more of a challenge, and the oven here is still rather a mystery to me...but DH will barbecue, which will help.

Hope to have Quilty News soon...

Woo-Hoo! New Machine at Last!

2006-12-03T23:10:00.000-08:00

Well, a big thanks to my friend, Margaret...she took me to Chatswood this morning and we bought my new sewing machine! It's absolutely wonderful: the Bernina Aurora 440QE with BSR. This baby is slick, slick, slick! Can't wait to open everything up and start playing.

Tomorrow is visiting day at the quarantine facility, so no time to play till Wednesday, but look out after that...pictures at 11!

More Antique Quilt Tops

2006-11-28T13:31:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are some more of my eBay purchases from a few years ago. This Improved Nine Patch is in lovely soft colors. I think it will look lovely hand-quilted, don't you? Here's the entire top. It's double-bed sized now. I'm thinking I might add a couple of borders to bring it up to at least queen-size, but I'm worried about finding something that will have the right look. Not to worry, by the time I've actually learned to hand-quilt who knows WHAT wonderful fabrics will be available!
This old top looks nicer in person than in the photo. I like the simple geometric shapes and the old fabrics are lovely and crisp.
And I've always been a sucker for Shoo-Fly, so how could I resist this old one? Again, it's wrinkled because I'm afraid to iron it until I'm ready to work on it. The fabric is in good shape but it is very old.
So, do you think I have enough old quilt tops to keep me busy learning to hand-quilt...hah! Wretched Excess is my middle name...

Only four days left till I go up to Sydney to get my new sewing machine...can't wait! Hope I can still remember how to piece quilt blocks...

Yesterday's visit to the cats at the quarantine place was really disgusting...41 degrees C. on the drive home. That's 105.8 F., for those in the U.S. Really horrible, but fortunately we'd left the little room air conditioner going in the living room, so the house was pleasant when we got home. Felt SO sorry for the furry felines, though...they just lay around looking long-suffering in this kind of heat. Two weeks from today we can go collect them and bring them home, at long last. REALLY looking forward to that!