between theory and a brickwall

i am currently being a good student and reading the required articles for my archaeology tutorial next thursday. this week: critical theory. last week some other theory. the week before that: indeed, more theory!  just a bit too much theory for my brain to absorb.

so to relieve boredom, and stave of insanity: knitting!

i finished one project this week: the Rayne Wrap cardigan, I have been making since january. No photos. need to weave in ends before a final photo can be taken.

and of course, finishing one project, meant i could start another: Brompton. I am making this out of a 4ply – 5ply yarn in a lovely lighter tweedy blue. As it is a top-down raglan, progress should be fast, as I have other projects that I really should be working on. but in my mind it is probably better that i work on things i know i will enjoy than rush to finish something, and not have the energy to rip back any mistakes i might make. complacency is a good friend of mine.

On board STS Leeuwin II

I had the opportunity in February to participate in an archaeological field school/heritage management expedition to the Recherche Archipelago off Western Australia.

Here are just a few snapshots from my time on board the STS Leeuwin II.

I didn’t want to leave…

3 weeks away

we spent 3 weeks in Sydney. it rained a bit; it got a bit humid; there was some sunshine; and a day of fog. caught up with friends. appreciated some fine art. had a good time in Canberra.

a few snapshots from our time away: 

k-nitting

pattern: urchin

materials: made using one strand handspun, one strand alpaca/merino/mohair blend.

result: not too bad. happy with the yarns together. but the overall shape of the hat is more like beanie rather than beret…

justification for a splurge

after the fact, i received justification for the splurge. not that i really needed it, but just in case post-shopping guilt set-in (which it has a tendency to do).

so my 6000 word monorail, which derailed my social life for a few months, was returned to me last week:

i have to confess that on seeing that number in red, i may have bounced down the department corridor (forgetting about anyone who may have been trying to work). i didn’t expect to do badly in this paper, but i hadn’t been at uni for a few years, and i started this course mid-year which meant i missed out on the lead up works to this 6000 word marathon. so to do so well was slightly unexpected.

splurge

several factors contributed to my splurge – a discount voucher from Country Road, encouragement from a colleague to spend, and the desire for a few new things (including a bad, a shirt and a dress). so the IT guru and i hit CR, and bought: a bag, a shirt, and a dress. the bag is above; the shirt is black, elbow length sleeves, gathered in parts, sleek; the dress is floral, spaghetti straps, ruffles, pretty. the rubber gloves are to protect my nails while washing up. i read somewhere recently that detergents can make your nails split – which is what mine have been doing a lot lately. hence funky washing-up gloves.

knitting progress

beige rowan 4ply cotton to make Arisaig

a pink cardigan, now finished

just in time

on tuesday we had a long lunch to farewell a pregnant colleague before she went on maternity leave. at 1.30am the next morning she goes into labour. at 11.22am she has a baby boy. talk about timing.

a few people in the office expressed relief that she hadn’t gone into labour at work. the baby is two weeks early, hence why she was working up until the day before…

 

ps, i must have been psychic knitting a blue bunny hat!

a visit with a purpose

i visited my sort-of-local yarn shop (in subiaco) to buy some orange yarn to make a pumpkin. an invite came through this morning for a halloween party, and while cycling my mind whirled through various ideas of costumes and props. i have settled on an idea, but i won’t share it till after the party – just in case i change my mind or it doesn’t work.

so, while at the knitting shop i got slightly sidetracked and bought my first ball of noro. it seems that almost all knitters have an opinion on noro yarn: it breaks easily. it has knots. it has bits of grass/organic matter. why would i pay that much…..

personally i think that the colours in noro are worth whatever slight ‘defects’ the yarn might have. also i love single ply yarn. something about the texture, and the fact that it is not crepe. 

i can’t reveal what i am making as it is a christmas gift. i am amazed at myself for starting so early. hoorah!

on a side note, i spent my birthday voucher from Calico and Ivy given to me by my Granny. the yarn i bought is rowan 4ply cotton in beige. i had a plan to make a round yoke cardigan, however plans have changed slightly….

as i seem to like a challenge when knitting i have decided to knit Arisaig. i’m just going to ignore the fact that the pattern is designed for wool; also that cotton does behave rather differently to wool – having a fondness for stretching. 

my reasoning is that if i do a gauge swatch, wash, block and stretch then it should be ok…. 

i’m also going to try and knit the body pieces as one, casting off at the armpits and then knitting back and forth from there…. not sure if this will affect the pattern. we’ll see.

bunnies!

for a work friend (who is expecting at the end of this month), i made these. not sure if it will be a boy or girl, but blue looks good.