Ireland AM
While I was having breakfast, Laura was improving her media profile by knitting on TV. Choice.
Knitting, at long last!
It's been ages since I've posted, and even longer still since there's been any knitting content!
To remedy that, here are a few of my more recent FOs:
Debbie Bliss cabled jacket
My cabled jacket is, in fact, a cardigan. It's lovely and warm, which is ideal for the chilly Irish climate. I used Bendigo Woollen Mills' 12-ply Rustic, which gives great stitch definition, and stands up well to cabling.
Unfortunately, the metal buttons I chose were too heavy, and I've yet to find good plastic replacements, so for now it's buttonless, done up with a kilt pin instead. Ravellers, the details are here.
Mulberry Bush capelet for Emma
One of my best models, Emma, received this lovely (even if I do say so myself) capelet as an early 3rd birthday treat when we visited her in NZ. Breaking away from the machine-washable yarns she's used to, I treated Emma to a merino/cashmere mix, with mother-of-pearl buttons. After all, she's a young lady now! Ravelry details here.
Emilie's first birthday dress
My other beautiful model, Emilie, received an "Angel dress" in a 4-ply mercerised cotton for her first birthday. She was too busy opening presents to really model it for us, but you get the general idea. (Ravelry link here.)
To remedy that, here are a few of my more recent FOs:
Debbie Bliss cabled jacketMy cabled jacket is, in fact, a cardigan. It's lovely and warm, which is ideal for the chilly Irish climate. I used Bendigo Woollen Mills' 12-ply Rustic, which gives great stitch definition, and stands up well to cabling.
Unfortunately, the metal buttons I chose were too heavy, and I've yet to find good plastic replacements, so for now it's buttonless, done up with a kilt pin instead. Ravellers, the details are here.
Mulberry Bush capelet for Emma
One of my best models, Emma, received this lovely (even if I do say so myself) capelet as an early 3rd birthday treat when we visited her in NZ. Breaking away from the machine-washable yarns she's used to, I treated Emma to a merino/cashmere mix, with mother-of-pearl buttons. After all, she's a young lady now! Ravelry details here.
Emilie's first birthday dress
My other beautiful model, Emilie, received an "Angel dress" in a 4-ply mercerised cotton for her first birthday. She was too busy opening presents to really model it for us, but you get the general idea. (Ravelry link here.)
Up next? A gazillion baby garments for the gazillions of babies due (I love them all individually, but seriously, there are a LOT of babies expected by the people in my life!), and Mum's belated Xmas present, which she knows is dark purple and contains cashmere, but is otherwise a mystery...
Treats!
It was Ger's 100th blog post recently, and she had a prize draw. Guess what was waiting for me when I came home from work today?
And when I opened it up, lovely treats awaited me:
Congratulations again on your 100th post Ger - I look forward to reading many more. And thank you for the lovely gifts - what a great way to start the week!
(Apologies for the poxy photos, my personal photographer had things to do. Ger's lovely blog has much better photos, you should definitely pop in and say hi...)
And when I opened it up, lovely treats awaited me:
Congratulations again on your 100th post Ger - I look forward to reading many more. And thank you for the lovely gifts - what a great way to start the week!
(Apologies for the poxy photos, my personal photographer had things to do. Ger's lovely blog has much better photos, you should definitely pop in and say hi...)
Labels: Dublin, Knitting, Laura, Things I like, Treats
There is no jam
So my plans for taking over the world - or at least our cupboards - with homemade jams and pickled onions are currently stalled, due to a distinct lack of sufficiently small jars available for the jam. We don't eat loads of jam anyway - and my recent conversion to a moderately healthier way of eating won't exactly increase our consumption - so small jars are in order. Short of scoffing everything in our cupboards that's in a small jar (yes, I did seriously consider this), I'll just have to be a bit patient.
Of course, pickled onions are perfectly good in large batches - but in a fit of generosity, I've decided to deal with one preservation project at a time. I'm sure that David will be quite relieved to read this.
I've used the additional time to knit, which is a fairly good alternative to preserving. I have one new garment ready to wear (just waiting for the photoshoot, ahem, David?), and tonight I plan to cast on for another.
However, the knitting hasn't completely quashed the urge to get creative in the kitchen. I know that pumpkins are not really viewed as food by the general public in Ireland, but they are certainly fit for consumption. Looks like it's time to make some pumpkin pie!
(If I find/empty enough small jars in time, I'd be able to make up extra pie filling and use up the space in the freezer that all those blackberries & rhubarb bits are currently occupying. I'm just saying...)
Of course, pickled onions are perfectly good in large batches - but in a fit of generosity, I've decided to deal with one preservation project at a time. I'm sure that David will be quite relieved to read this.
I've used the additional time to knit, which is a fairly good alternative to preserving. I have one new garment ready to wear (just waiting for the photoshoot, ahem, David?), and tonight I plan to cast on for another.
However, the knitting hasn't completely quashed the urge to get creative in the kitchen. I know that pumpkins are not really viewed as food by the general public in Ireland, but they are certainly fit for consumption. Looks like it's time to make some pumpkin pie!
(If I find/empty enough small jars in time, I'd be able to make up extra pie filling and use up the space in the freezer that all those blackberries & rhubarb bits are currently occupying. I'm just saying...)
Labels: Dublin, Food + drink, Knitting, Laura
Nothing to wear
Ok, a brief break from the cooking (and geekiness, love you David, mwah mwah).
I've completed two knitted garments recently. Both were intended to be comfy but stylish wardrobe staples for my winter - ah feck it, for my wardrobe, I don't have summer & winter wardrobes here because it is SO DAMN COLD the whole year long.
Anyway, these were going to be great garments. A lovely, classic cardigan in a nice teal merino (the Tangled Yoke, for knitters in the know), and a chunky v-neck vest in what was supposed to be pale grey, but ended up being pale lavender, but thankfully looked all right (Rowan - seriously, name your colours better in future please!).
Both patterns saw me measure myself carefully, select the appropriate size, and check my gauge (for non-knitters, that's the number of rows and stitches per cm, to make sure you'll get the intended size). I *never* check my gauge normally, because I always knit to it anyway, but I checked.
Both garments ended up HUGE on me. Not cutely oversized in a kind of stylish way - massive in a even-too-big-for-a-fake-hiphop-wannabe way. That's right, not once, but TWICE!
The cardigan has been shipped off to someone who will look stunning in it. The vest has been frogged (again, for non-knitters, this means unpicked and undone), and I've cast on again for the smaller size, which is supposed to be too small to even get over my head. I still want the cardigan, so I may try again at the smaller size that is also supposed to be too small to accommodate me... right after I look at the other* project I have on the needles that may also be too big.
Knitting gods, wherefore hast thou forsaken me? Is this a hint to bulk up for winter? Because I had plans to do exactly the opposite, but all this knitting and ripping and having nothing hand-knitted to wear is really starting to bug me.
I've completed two knitted garments recently. Both were intended to be comfy but stylish wardrobe staples for my winter - ah feck it, for my wardrobe, I don't have summer & winter wardrobes here because it is SO DAMN COLD the whole year long.
Anyway, these were going to be great garments. A lovely, classic cardigan in a nice teal merino (the Tangled Yoke, for knitters in the know), and a chunky v-neck vest in what was supposed to be pale grey, but ended up being pale lavender, but thankfully looked all right (Rowan - seriously, name your colours better in future please!).
Both patterns saw me measure myself carefully, select the appropriate size, and check my gauge (for non-knitters, that's the number of rows and stitches per cm, to make sure you'll get the intended size). I *never* check my gauge normally, because I always knit to it anyway, but I checked.
Both garments ended up HUGE on me. Not cutely oversized in a kind of stylish way - massive in a even-too-big-for-a-fake-hiphop-wannabe way. That's right, not once, but TWICE!
The cardigan has been shipped off to someone who will look stunning in it. The vest has been frogged (again, for non-knitters, this means unpicked and undone), and I've cast on again for the smaller size, which is supposed to be too small to even get over my head. I still want the cardigan, so I may try again at the smaller size that is also supposed to be too small to accommodate me... right after I look at the other* project I have on the needles that may also be too big.
Knitting gods, wherefore hast thou forsaken me? Is this a hint to bulk up for winter? Because I had plans to do exactly the opposite, but all this knitting and ripping and having nothing hand-knitted to wear is really starting to bug me.
No, I haven't died or been in a coma
I've just been taking a break from blogging.
I had a lot more to say when we started Cinnamon Patrol... wait, I still have lots to say. I guess the difference is that now, I say it to people I know in person, or via email. And between work, travel and knitting, things have been fairly busy.
David's done a good job of keeping you up to date with the travelling part of our lives, so there's no need for me to recap.
Family-wise, it's been a bit up and down this year. I have a new niece, who is super-cute and has great big chops (just like her dad did), which is great. Less great was my maternal grandmother dying, even though she was ready to. I managed to make it for the funeral week in Florida, where I caught up with relatives I hadn't seen in a very long time, plus my parents. Oh, and I warmed up after a very cold & wet year in Ireland. (And I discovered the delight that is Wildly Cherry M&Ms... The subject of yet another post perhaps.)
On the work front, I'm working hard. The job is a juicy one, and the colleagues are generally great, as are the bosses. However, the distance & time zone issues are definitely wearing me down. I visited the office in Vancovuer in May this year, and am negotiating hard for a second trip every year. I'm a one-woman band on the marketing front for 2 companies, which is fun but also keeps me pretty busy.
On the knitting front, I've managed some baby-related items, socks for David, and a few as-yet-unfinished items for myself. I've mad a conscious effort not to buy any yarn this year unless I really love it and have a project in mind - mostly because my yarn boxes are very full already. I discovered that one of my colleagues not only knits, but also dyes yarns (check her amazing yarn out here), and have converted a friend in Dublin to knitting, thanks in part to her boyfriend living far away, and a small medical incident (hers, not mine, and she's fine).
Otherwise, I've been reading a lot - whatever I can get my hands on, including a few disappointing reads (to be discussed later), cooking a bit (we *can* survive on M&S alone, but it is not necessarily good for the planet or our budget), and hanging.
My most exciting news is that I am experimenting with some plants and have created my own little inner-city (ok, well, Smithfield-centric) very-smallholding. I bought organic cherry tomato, aubergine (eggplant) and capsicum (bell pepper) plants, and while there were some initial... teething issues (mites! whitefly! spidermites! oh my!), we seem to be on the right track now. The aubergine and capsicum, victims to the above-mentioned nasties, were doused in bug killer, and as such are no longer organic. They live outside, are largely neglected, and seem to be thriving nonetheless.
My cherry tomato plant though... Ahhh George. George was spared the mites-and-bugs, and thus remains blissfully organic. He gets a lot of love and attention - daily spritzing with water, encouraging chat about how clever and strong and tall he is - and is now over 5ft 2in as a result. (I know this because he is taller than me now.) And in spite of a decided lack of flies or bees to pollinate the flowers, yesterday I discovered six (!!!!) baby tomatoes on him. They'll be horrendously late-season, but organic cherry tomatoes nonetheless.
And last, but decidedly not least, I find myself on the cusp of turning 30. In response, I've made a concerted effort to try to eat more healthily (though there are other reasons for that too, which I'll blog about later), and started to go to the gym (several posts' worth all on their own). I've also expressed interest in expensive antique jewellery (hi, David!), which is decidedly less painful and boring than the gym and eating lots of veggies.
While David seems to have settled into 30 fairly easily after a brief panic, I haven't started panicking yet, so I suspect I'll be doing that after the fact. Cross your fingers that I'll be too lazy to bother. I still haven't figured out how I'd like to mark my 30th - any and all suggestions for appropriate ways of marking my passage into moderate-amounts-of-adult-like-behaviour are welcome - please leave a comment!
And with that - which is much longer than intended, and IMHO more than makes up for my months of not-blogging, I'll leave you to it.
I had a lot more to say when we started Cinnamon Patrol... wait, I still have lots to say. I guess the difference is that now, I say it to people I know in person, or via email. And between work, travel and knitting, things have been fairly busy.
David's done a good job of keeping you up to date with the travelling part of our lives, so there's no need for me to recap.
Family-wise, it's been a bit up and down this year. I have a new niece, who is super-cute and has great big chops (just like her dad did), which is great. Less great was my maternal grandmother dying, even though she was ready to. I managed to make it for the funeral week in Florida, where I caught up with relatives I hadn't seen in a very long time, plus my parents. Oh, and I warmed up after a very cold & wet year in Ireland. (And I discovered the delight that is Wildly Cherry M&Ms... The subject of yet another post perhaps.)
On the work front, I'm working hard. The job is a juicy one, and the colleagues are generally great, as are the bosses. However, the distance & time zone issues are definitely wearing me down. I visited the office in Vancovuer in May this year, and am negotiating hard for a second trip every year. I'm a one-woman band on the marketing front for 2 companies, which is fun but also keeps me pretty busy.
On the knitting front, I've managed some baby-related items, socks for David, and a few as-yet-unfinished items for myself. I've mad a conscious effort not to buy any yarn this year unless I really love it and have a project in mind - mostly because my yarn boxes are very full already. I discovered that one of my colleagues not only knits, but also dyes yarns (check her amazing yarn out here), and have converted a friend in Dublin to knitting, thanks in part to her boyfriend living far away, and a small medical incident (hers, not mine, and she's fine).
Otherwise, I've been reading a lot - whatever I can get my hands on, including a few disappointing reads (to be discussed later), cooking a bit (we *can* survive on M&S alone, but it is not necessarily good for the planet or our budget), and hanging.
My most exciting news is that I am experimenting with some plants and have created my own little inner-city (ok, well, Smithfield-centric) very-smallholding. I bought organic cherry tomato, aubergine (eggplant) and capsicum (bell pepper) plants, and while there were some initial... teething issues (mites! whitefly! spidermites! oh my!), we seem to be on the right track now. The aubergine and capsicum, victims to the above-mentioned nasties, were doused in bug killer, and as such are no longer organic. They live outside, are largely neglected, and seem to be thriving nonetheless.
My cherry tomato plant though... Ahhh George. George was spared the mites-and-bugs, and thus remains blissfully organic. He gets a lot of love and attention - daily spritzing with water, encouraging chat about how clever and strong and tall he is - and is now over 5ft 2in as a result. (I know this because he is taller than me now.) And in spite of a decided lack of flies or bees to pollinate the flowers, yesterday I discovered six (!!!!) baby tomatoes on him. They'll be horrendously late-season, but organic cherry tomatoes nonetheless.
And last, but decidedly not least, I find myself on the cusp of turning 30. In response, I've made a concerted effort to try to eat more healthily (though there are other reasons for that too, which I'll blog about later), and started to go to the gym (several posts' worth all on their own). I've also expressed interest in expensive antique jewellery (hi, David!), which is decidedly less painful and boring than the gym and eating lots of veggies.
While David seems to have settled into 30 fairly easily after a brief panic, I haven't started panicking yet, so I suspect I'll be doing that after the fact. Cross your fingers that I'll be too lazy to bother. I still haven't figured out how I'd like to mark my 30th - any and all suggestions for appropriate ways of marking my passage into moderate-amounts-of-adult-like-behaviour are welcome - please leave a comment!
And with that - which is much longer than intended, and IMHO more than makes up for my months of not-blogging, I'll leave you to it.
One hundred and twelve
That's how many ends I have to sew in on my new niece's blanket.
Wait, hold on, there were a few extra threads there. Make that a round one hundred and twenty.
If anyone ever doubts my love of the babies, they only need to perform the requisit mathematical calcualtions involving my intense hatred of the end-sewing-in (really, hugely intense - I favour yarns like KidSilk Haze for their superb yardage per ball for precisely this reason) and the number of ends that need to be sewn in on my average baby knit. The result is proof that I do, indeed, love me the babies.
-------
In related matters, I am so supremely dissatisfied with virtually everything I've knit for myself, including two projects currently still on my needles, that I plan to frog it all (unravel it, for you non-knitters). With two nieces and an almost-niece, plus a lovely husband who us slowly being won by the delights of hand-knit socks made to fit his very feet, I think I'll have plenty to keep me busy.
This means I've become one of those knitters who owns almost nothing they've knit. Well, almost nothing I'd wear in public, anyway. A scarf, some fingerless gloves, a hat that David's talked me into wearing... I do have a few cardigans, but they're all huge on me now, and rather selfishly, I'd rather keep my current shape.
Who knows, I might get really frog-happy and unravel all them too...
Wait, hold on, there were a few extra threads there. Make that a round one hundred and twenty.
If anyone ever doubts my love of the babies, they only need to perform the requisit mathematical calcualtions involving my intense hatred of the end-sewing-in (really, hugely intense - I favour yarns like KidSilk Haze for their superb yardage per ball for precisely this reason) and the number of ends that need to be sewn in on my average baby knit. The result is proof that I do, indeed, love me the babies.
-------
In related matters, I am so supremely dissatisfied with virtually everything I've knit for myself, including two projects currently still on my needles, that I plan to frog it all (unravel it, for you non-knitters). With two nieces and an almost-niece, plus a lovely husband who us slowly being won by the delights of hand-knit socks made to fit his very feet, I think I'll have plenty to keep me busy.
This means I've become one of those knitters who owns almost nothing they've knit. Well, almost nothing I'd wear in public, anyway. A scarf, some fingerless gloves, a hat that David's talked me into wearing... I do have a few cardigans, but they're all huge on me now, and rather selfishly, I'd rather keep my current shape.
Who knows, I might get really frog-happy and unravel all them too...
Treats!
It's been ages since I've blogged, and loads has happened, but here are a few of the most important things:
Firstly, assorted treats
I participated in a gift swap in Ravelry (to the uninitatied: Facebook for knitters, but much, much better). I gave to the lovely but sadly blogless Mairin, and received a lovely bundle of goodies from the also-blogless (noticing a trend here) SusyMcQ.
By lovely bundle of goodies, I mean YUMMY cherry-kirsch-chocolates, Rowan Kid Classic in a soft blue, a great pattern of a cardi I *need*, festive bath bombs, and a Xmas candle. Such a great gift - David will have to work hard to match it!
Secondly, food-related treats
We hosted Xmas cookie making yesterday. 3 friends showed up and we ate, drank, and made & decorated cookies. SO many cookies. Perhaps a few too many, so I shared some at the office this morning.
Apparently people find actually spicy gingerbread (as opposed to shop stuff) almost too spicy. Huh, who woulda thought? I say down with the shop-bought stuff, make your own so you can actually taste the ginger (And cloves, and cardamom, cinnamon & nutmeg. No mace this time, I was a bit slack!). I'm not changing my recipe, I like the strength of the spice!
Thirdly, undecided treats
My third treat is yet-to-be-decided, though if you were mean you'd say it's kind of a treat in itself and I don't need a real treat. (If you were MEAN, which you mustn't be, because mean people don't read our blog.) I had my 6-month evaluation, and I'm now permanent at my work, yay!
Must think of nice treat to celebrate. New shoes, maybe?
Firstly, assorted treats
I participated in a gift swap in Ravelry (to the uninitatied: Facebook for knitters, but much, much better). I gave to the lovely but sadly blogless Mairin, and received a lovely bundle of goodies from the also-blogless (noticing a trend here) SusyMcQ.
By lovely bundle of goodies, I mean YUMMY cherry-kirsch-chocolates, Rowan Kid Classic in a soft blue, a great pattern of a cardi I *need*, festive bath bombs, and a Xmas candle. Such a great gift - David will have to work hard to match it!
Secondly, food-related treats
We hosted Xmas cookie making yesterday. 3 friends showed up and we ate, drank, and made & decorated cookies. SO many cookies. Perhaps a few too many, so I shared some at the office this morning.
Apparently people find actually spicy gingerbread (as opposed to shop stuff) almost too spicy. Huh, who woulda thought? I say down with the shop-bought stuff, make your own so you can actually taste the ginger (And cloves, and cardamom, cinnamon & nutmeg. No mace this time, I was a bit slack!). I'm not changing my recipe, I like the strength of the spice!
Thirdly, undecided treats
My third treat is yet-to-be-decided, though if you were mean you'd say it's kind of a treat in itself and I don't need a real treat. (If you were MEAN, which you mustn't be, because mean people don't read our blog.) I had my 6-month evaluation, and I'm now permanent at my work, yay!
Must think of nice treat to celebrate. New shoes, maybe?
Labels: Dublin, Food + drink, Knitting, Laura, Work
Awesomeness
Two of my favourite things: librarians (hi, Mum!) demanding decent pay for doing important jobs, and knitting.
Read all about it here, and view photos from someone else's blog here.
I almost wish I were a striking librarian so I could knit all day long. Almost. But I suspect I'd spend too much time reading & lecturing people about good books & knitting, and too little time librarian-ing, so I'd get fired, then have no money for books or yarn, and be too shamed out to spend time in the library, and I'd die all sad and lonely.
So I'll stick to marketing. But I'll keep nurturing my inner (chatty) librarian.
Read all about it here, and view photos from someone else's blog here.
I almost wish I were a striking librarian so I could knit all day long. Almost. But I suspect I'd spend too much time reading & lecturing people about good books & knitting, and too little time librarian-ing, so I'd get fired, then have no money for books or yarn, and be too shamed out to spend time in the library, and I'd die all sad and lonely.
So I'll stick to marketing. But I'll keep nurturing my inner (chatty) librarian.
Labels: Knitting, Laura, not-Dublin
Two good reasons to doubt the efficacy of airport security
Reason 1
A 188ml bottle of moisturiser that David took from Dublin to Stansted in his carry-on luggage last Friday night.
Reason 2
An 80cm-long metal circular needle, 1.75mm in diameter, that I forgot was in my carry-on until just before it was x-rayed in Heathrow.
The moisturiser? Fine. I mean, really, big deal.
But the needles? Long-ish. Sharp. METAL. Potentially quite dangerous. You could do some serious damage with these. (Or surgery, but I'm more concerned about potential harm.)
I'd bought them at Liberty's (ah, Liberty's, newest love of my life!). I forgot they were in my bag. Then I saw, I gasped, I commented nervously to David as I covered it with my knit wrap - as if that would somehow hide it from the x-ray... And then I felt concerned as it came through just fine.
I wanted to tell someone. Very badly. It is a surely a breach of security, no?
But I also wanted to fly home safely to Dublin with my new needles, so I kept my mouth shut. Please consider this my "telling someone".
(Oh, and London and the conference and all? Good, thanks. Seeing a friend I hadn't seen in years - awesome - hi Geraldine!)
A 188ml bottle of moisturiser that David took from Dublin to Stansted in his carry-on luggage last Friday night.
Reason 2
An 80cm-long metal circular needle, 1.75mm in diameter, that I forgot was in my carry-on until just before it was x-rayed in Heathrow.
The moisturiser? Fine. I mean, really, big deal.
But the needles? Long-ish. Sharp. METAL. Potentially quite dangerous. You could do some serious damage with these. (Or surgery, but I'm more concerned about potential harm.)
I'd bought them at Liberty's (ah, Liberty's, newest love of my life!). I forgot they were in my bag. Then I saw, I gasped, I commented nervously to David as I covered it with my knit wrap - as if that would somehow hide it from the x-ray... And then I felt concerned as it came through just fine.
I wanted to tell someone. Very badly. It is a surely a breach of security, no?
But I also wanted to fly home safely to Dublin with my new needles, so I kept my mouth shut. Please consider this my "telling someone".
(Oh, and London and the conference and all? Good, thanks. Seeing a friend I hadn't seen in years - awesome - hi Geraldine!)
Labels: Knitting, Laura, Travelling
A scheduled blogging hiatus
So it's not like you really expect me to blog a lot, but I thought I ought to mention the scheduled hiatus I'm about to take.
On Tuesday I fly out to London to go to a cool conference and hopefully meet up with a schoolmate or two. I'll be staying on for Friday, hopefully for an interesting meeting... And then David will join me for a weekend of fun and mooching, perhaps even a cup of tea with the queen.
(He's very keen to see her. Me, not so much, but who am I to argue??)
I'd blog more beforehand, but I'm snowed under with work deadlines, and the company president is coming to visit, so I have to be on my best behaviour. Oh, and I just got my invitation to Ravelry!!!
(Gloat, gloat. I've been waiting for ages, but now I will finally be able to see what everyone's going on about.)
Oh, and I have a million knitting projects for small people - mostly ones who aren't yet with us. There is no Christmas knitting here, but a few birthday (often literally "birth day") items to keep me very, very busy.
So I'll be here, but not. I'm sure David will keep you entertained in the interim,
On Tuesday I fly out to London to go to a cool conference and hopefully meet up with a schoolmate or two. I'll be staying on for Friday, hopefully for an interesting meeting... And then David will join me for a weekend of fun and mooching, perhaps even a cup of tea with the queen.
(He's very keen to see her. Me, not so much, but who am I to argue??)
I'd blog more beforehand, but I'm snowed under with work deadlines, and the company president is coming to visit, so I have to be on my best behaviour. Oh, and I just got my invitation to Ravelry!!!
(Gloat, gloat. I've been waiting for ages, but now I will finally be able to see what everyone's going on about.)
Oh, and I have a million knitting projects for small people - mostly ones who aren't yet with us. There is no Christmas knitting here, but a few birthday (often literally "birth day") items to keep me very, very busy.
So I'll be here, but not. I'm sure David will keep you entertained in the interim,
Labels: Knitting, Laura, Travelling, Work
Flashing (but safe for work)
Diane, who runs the Dublin Knit Collective, has asked knitters to flash their yarn stashes.
I have very little shame, so here's mine. And because it's been fashion week somewhere for the past week or so (New York last week, NZ this week, and I'm sure lots of other places where I've paid no attention), I'm giving them to you as collections.
The "venue"? Lovely Laura Ashley boxes hold my stash (with a ball of KidSilk Haze to give you an idea of how small they really are) - a birthday present from David.
Then the stash proper. May I present:
KidSilk Haze (or Similar) collection
Laceweight and Mothproof collection:
Being Used on my Current Project Collection
Yarn of Indeterminate Fibres collection
Sock Yarn collection
Random Slightly Scratchy Stuff collection
Wool & Cotton Blend collection
Too Much Bamboo (Maybe) collection
The Yarn for a Specific Project collection
Unmatched Cotton collection
8-ply Cotton collection
4-ply Cotton collection
Oddments collection
The link above gives you the Flickr set with all the (incredibly witty) commentary. If you can't be arsed reading it, and just want yarn porn, here's the slideshow.
And if you are interested, here's where you can find the culprit behind my expression, doing a Lien.
And that's my stash done! Looking forward to seeing everyone else's, and proving to David once and for all that I really don't own that much yarn after all.
(So please, someone else hurry up and post theirs!)
Labels: Knitting, Laura, Pretty pictures
Frustration
I began a lovely pair of socks for myself recently.
And as I prepared to turn the heel (they were toe-up), I found I was short a stitch. There were no dropped stitches, I was just short one. So I frogged it all, chalking it up to my first time doing a provisional cast-on and toe-up sock, and started again.
I paid attention, I followed instructions (for once), I did everything that was asked of me (again, fairly uncommon).
I'm still one damn stitch short. How?
Best answer wins eternal adoration as my knitting goddess.
Seriously.
And as I prepared to turn the heel (they were toe-up), I found I was short a stitch. There were no dropped stitches, I was just short one. So I frogged it all, chalking it up to my first time doing a provisional cast-on and toe-up sock, and started again.
I paid attention, I followed instructions (for once), I did everything that was asked of me (again, fairly uncommon).
I'm still one damn stitch short. How?
Best answer wins eternal adoration as my knitting goddess.
Seriously.
Labels: Dublin, Knitting, Laura, put me out of my misery
Fame!
(I'm gonna live forever... I'm gonna learn how to fly...)
So we've been here just over 5 months, but we've already made the national paper.
Not for illegal stuff. For knitting.
(Again, people, knitting brings good things into your life. David's started, and so has Claire, and Emily... You should think about it.)
You can't see our faces, but you can see Lili's lovely bald head and my shaggy curtain of hair-that-needed-a-brushing.
I haven't had a chance to scan the page so you can see the photo (work, ya know, it gets in the way of using my work computer for recreation), but we will eventually. And if you happen to be an Irish Times subscriber, you are most welcome to download the photo and email it to us - leave your details in the comments please!
So we've been here just over 5 months, but we've already made the national paper.
Not for illegal stuff. For knitting.
(Again, people, knitting brings good things into your life. David's started, and so has Claire, and Emily... You should think about it.)
You can't see our faces, but you can see Lili's lovely bald head and my shaggy curtain of hair-that-needed-a-brushing.
I haven't had a chance to scan the page so you can see the photo (work, ya know, it gets in the way of using my work computer for recreation), but we will eventually. And if you happen to be an Irish Times subscriber, you are most welcome to download the photo and email it to us - leave your details in the comments please!
Labels: Dublin, Knitting, Laura, Pretty pictures
Electrifying
Although we'd intended to spend last weekend tidying and getting ready for our friend Anthea's visit, we ended up going to the Electric Picnic instead.
If you haven't heard of it before (and I hadn't, so there's no shame here), it's kind of like the Irish Glastonbury - minus Kate Moss, thank goodness.
The main activities on our agenda were music, eating and knitting.
The music bit is fairly obvious - it's a festival, after all. We saw a bunch of acts and they were great. I won't say any more because that's David's area of expertise, but I was hugely surprised by how much fun I had at the gigs we went to.
The eating - and drinking - aspect is pretty obvious if you know us - after all, I'm the one who says a country is "delicious". And delicious it was - loads of great stuff, including the best chai I've had since leaving NZ.
The knitting part - well, that's how we got the tickets. Yes, knitting! The Dublin SnBers were teaching festival-goers to knit, and thanks to a last-minute drop-out, there were and 2 FREE STAFF PASSES!!! available.
It was interesting to teach people to knit - so many Irish people remembered it from primary school... and were perplexed as to why I didn't. Apparently I sound Irish enough if you've had the odd pint or three. I wasn't sure that my technique was elegant enough to qualify me as a teacher, but it didn't seem to matter much - the main qualification required was to be able to chat and knit garter stitch simultaneously. That, at least, I managed!
I met a lot of lovely people, but my favourite pupil was David. With minimal assistance he's picked up the knit stitch rather well, and with remarkably even tension for a beginner. I'm very, very proud of him.
And that will have to do for now. I'm knackered, so it's time for some mindless tv and bed.
If you haven't heard of it before (and I hadn't, so there's no shame here), it's kind of like the Irish Glastonbury - minus Kate Moss, thank goodness.
The main activities on our agenda were music, eating and knitting.
The music bit is fairly obvious - it's a festival, after all. We saw a bunch of acts and they were great. I won't say any more because that's David's area of expertise, but I was hugely surprised by how much fun I had at the gigs we went to.
The eating - and drinking - aspect is pretty obvious if you know us - after all, I'm the one who says a country is "delicious". And delicious it was - loads of great stuff, including the best chai I've had since leaving NZ.
The knitting part - well, that's how we got the tickets. Yes, knitting! The Dublin SnBers were teaching festival-goers to knit, and thanks to a last-minute drop-out, there were and 2 FREE STAFF PASSES!!! available.
It was interesting to teach people to knit - so many Irish people remembered it from primary school... and were perplexed as to why I didn't. Apparently I sound Irish enough if you've had the odd pint or three. I wasn't sure that my technique was elegant enough to qualify me as a teacher, but it didn't seem to matter much - the main qualification required was to be able to chat and knit garter stitch simultaneously. That, at least, I managed!
I met a lot of lovely people, but my favourite pupil was David. With minimal assistance he's picked up the knit stitch rather well, and with remarkably even tension for a beginner. I'm very, very proud of him.
And that will have to do for now. I'm knackered, so it's time for some mindless tv and bed.
Only knitting here, nothing else
So it's been awhile since I last posted. I've been busy at work, as usual, but also with knitting.
(Work, for the record, is fine. No one really asks anymore, except Brent, but it is ok. If anything dramatic happens, you'll hear about it, albeit in cloaked terms.)
As a reward for completing the world's loveliest (yet still-unblocked) lace scarf, I've cast on two projects, both shrugs.
The first is for the world's cutest girl-toddler (hi Emma!):
It's a Debbie Bliss pattern, and was a fairly easy, mindless knit. (Not that the pattern couldn't have been written more clearly, because it could have, but you get that some days.) It called for Debbie Bliss' own brand of yarn - the Cashmerino Aran, to be exact. Which is lovely, I am sure - ut probably not child-friendly.
So to save Katie some hand-washing, I opted for Lion Brand's Cotton Ease - 50% cotton & 50% acrylic, and washer- and dryer-friendly. The colour is Berry, #112, and it is lovely.
The photo doesn't really do the shrug justice. Hopefully I'll get emailed a happy-snap where it's modelled (hint, HINT!).
The shrug I'm knitting for myself is the Two-tone ribbed srug from Fitted Knits. It's on the 5mm needles agan, and with a DK-weigh wool, so it's been quite quick and satisfying, compared to my usual 4-ply and 3mm needle stuff.
However, there are 2 problems:
1. The yarn (Cascade 220 in #9420) bleeds on my hands & nails so I have green-y blue-y nails after knitting it. My nails are already in dire need of a manicure, and even more so after kniting this. I plan to try to machine through the rest of it so I can have a manicure this weekend and not risk getting dye all over my nice nails.
2. I'm not sure if I like the contrast colour I chose.
Again, the wonders of photography make the yarn look much better than it actually is in real life. Perhaps I have unwittingly specialised in purchasing yarn in colours that only look decent in photos? If so, I'd better stop wearing anything I knit, except for all those photo shoots that us glamorous modern women star in every day...
My next knitting project is in limbo. I bought some lovely Fleece Artist sock yarn in "Blue Lagoon", which is a most attractive skein. However, once it was wound up into a ball, things looked different. It looks...garish. Overly bright. A bit ugly, even. (It looks much more vivid in real life than in the photo.)
To be fair, I'm not really a variegated yarn kind of gal. But I figured I should try it before I completely wrote it off, ad how better to try something than with a top-grade product?
I'm waiting for some needles to start socks on this... but I'm not sure anymore. Any words of wisdom? Any recommendations for a sock pattern that will look good with the variegation and all the colour stuff going on?
I'm also on the hunt for great baby patterns. David and I each have a colleague with a pregnant wife, and we know another expectant couple too (it's not my news to share, so you'll just have to wait). I see many happy evenings with booties and blankets in my future... Albeit all in neutral colours, since no one knows what flavour they're having.
(Just to be clear here, I am not amongst the pregnant ones. And we are all quite happy about that, thankyouverymuch!)
Meanwhile, I'm slowly coming out of my greens-and-blues period. It seems like almost all the yarn I've bought this year has been green or blue, so I'm forcing myself to move into my greys-and-purples phase. I'm not sure if it will last, but these suckers will probably help me.
Zephyr wool-silk, 630 yards a ball. If a soft silk & wool combo in a lovely lilac laceweight doesn't do it, nothing will...
(That said, feel free to send me beautiful yarn to tempt me and prove me wrong. I have absolutely no problems with that sort of behaviour!)
(Work, for the record, is fine. No one really asks anymore, except Brent, but it is ok. If anything dramatic happens, you'll hear about it, albeit in cloaked terms.)
As a reward for completing the world's loveliest (yet still-unblocked) lace scarf, I've cast on two projects, both shrugs.
The first is for the world's cutest girl-toddler (hi Emma!):It's a Debbie Bliss pattern, and was a fairly easy, mindless knit. (Not that the pattern couldn't have been written more clearly, because it could have, but you get that some days.) It called for Debbie Bliss' own brand of yarn - the Cashmerino Aran, to be exact. Which is lovely, I am sure - ut probably not child-friendly.
So to save Katie some hand-washing, I opted for Lion Brand's Cotton Ease - 50% cotton & 50% acrylic, and washer- and dryer-friendly. The colour is Berry, #112, and it is lovely.
The photo doesn't really do the shrug justice. Hopefully I'll get emailed a happy-snap where it's modelled (hint, HINT!).
The shrug I'm knitting for myself is the Two-tone ribbed srug from Fitted Knits. It's on the 5mm needles agan, and with a DK-weigh wool, so it's been quite quick and satisfying, compared to my usual 4-ply and 3mm needle stuff.However, there are 2 problems:
1. The yarn (Cascade 220 in #9420) bleeds on my hands & nails so I have green-y blue-y nails after knitting it. My nails are already in dire need of a manicure, and even more so after kniting this. I plan to try to machine through the rest of it so I can have a manicure this weekend and not risk getting dye all over my nice nails.
2. I'm not sure if I like the contrast colour I chose.Again, the wonders of photography make the yarn look much better than it actually is in real life. Perhaps I have unwittingly specialised in purchasing yarn in colours that only look decent in photos? If so, I'd better stop wearing anything I knit, except for all those photo shoots that us glamorous modern women star in every day...
My next knitting project is in limbo. I bought some lovely Fleece Artist sock yarn in "Blue Lagoon", which is a most attractive skein. However, once it was wound up into a ball, things looked different. It looks...garish. Overly bright. A bit ugly, even. (It looks much more vivid in real life than in the photo.)To be fair, I'm not really a variegated yarn kind of gal. But I figured I should try it before I completely wrote it off, ad how better to try something than with a top-grade product?
I'm waiting for some needles to start socks on this... but I'm not sure anymore. Any words of wisdom? Any recommendations for a sock pattern that will look good with the variegation and all the colour stuff going on?
I'm also on the hunt for great baby patterns. David and I each have a colleague with a pregnant wife, and we know another expectant couple too (it's not my news to share, so you'll just have to wait). I see many happy evenings with booties and blankets in my future... Albeit all in neutral colours, since no one knows what flavour they're having.
(Just to be clear here, I am not amongst the pregnant ones. And we are all quite happy about that, thankyouverymuch!)
Meanwhile, I'm slowly coming out of my greens-and-blues period. It seems like almost all the yarn I've bought this year has been green or blue, so I'm forcing myself to move into my greys-and-purples phase. I'm not sure if it will last, but these suckers will probably help me.Zephyr wool-silk, 630 yards a ball. If a soft silk & wool combo in a lovely lilac laceweight doesn't do it, nothing will...
(That said, feel free to send me beautiful yarn to tempt me and prove me wrong. I have absolutely no problems with that sort of behaviour!)
Blissful birthday weekend (the extended version)
Ah, what a weekend!
What a lovely, long weekend (hence the "extended" in title) - a 3-day bank holiday weekend, to be precise.
On Friday night we made the acquaintance of a Moldovan security guard at our building complex. He was tall, blonde and handsome (if you go for boys with hair, that is), spoke beautiful English, and a number of other languages besides. Then we went to our local supermarket and tried some vegetarian Linda McCartney prepared meals. Interesting, and the only vegetarian prepared meals - apart from a cheese pizza. I wouldn't go out of my way to have them again, but apparently it's better than a toasted cheese sandwich.
Saturday dawned bright and clear... and stayed that way for a long time. I had some of the local Dublin Stitch n Bitchers over, since the cafe we go to was closed for the weekend. We sat on the roof terrace admiring the view and stuffing ourselves with delicious food. My simple - but successful - contribution was scones made with cream and 7-Up. Sounds gross, I know, but they were pronounced lovely and light by all who ate them. Here's the recipe - it's dead easy, no rubbing in butter (yuck).
I loved having people over, and the SnBers were - as usual - loads of fun and no trouble at all. I'm definitely going to invite them back if we're venueless again.
On Sunday - aka my actual birthday - I managed to sleep in a bit later than our usual 8am (the sun is very bright at the moment - roll on winter and darker mornings!). We Skyped with my parents, which was **very** entertaining. If you know my mum (Hi Mum!), ask her about her "lap dance without a lap". Then ask for a demo. (It's ok, it's G-rated, but it's still very, very funny.)
I also opened my presents from David. As usual, he bought me lots of lovely, thoughtful and useful gifts, including (but not limited to) some very fancy hair straighteners I'd been coveting.
(I know, I seldom look like I do my hair, but I do actually do it! And once my hair dryer from NZ arrives, I will be able to dry my hair in under half an hour, and possibly use the straighteners before work even. Really!)
We decided we should roll on out to Malahide for a pub lunch. So out we rolled, via Swords (nice enough I guess, but nothing made me feel compelled to move there). There were no pubs on the main road through Malahide (I think we were supposed to go into the town further, but it was comfy in the car) so we kept going to Howth. At Howth we did find a pub - again, once we moved inland. Seems the main road is for non-Irish eateries.
Mmm, Guinness and a pub lunch. We were very full, and I had a very small nap afterwards, before we headed slowly home, where we chilled out with some quality downloaded tv.
Incidentally, that was my first Guinness in Ireland, albeit only a small one. (Guinness is a serious drink and it requires time and stomach-space to drink. I had fried-food plans, so I knew I had to limit myself to a small one.) It tasted chocolate-y-er and bitterer than I remembered - perhaps because it apparently tastes different in Ireland than everywhere else in the world. Anyhow, it was good. I look forward to rainy weekend afternoons in pubs with David, Guinness, and my knitting.
Yesterday we managed some brunch at our favourite crepe place, then popped out to my favourite yarn store in Blackrock for some needles and a gossip, then bought some plants. It has been really, really hard to find indoor plants here - or even garden centres, for that matter. I don't know why - people do actually have plants and gardens and stuff - but it's like they all either buy the plants ready-potted from M&S, or they steal each other's in the middle of the night!
Oh, and I got some knitting done - I may actually finish my first Irish knitting project sometime this month. Maybe. I accidentally popped into a shop to get some needles I need for a number of upcoming projects, and I'm dying to cast on with them. I already have 2 nearly-completed projects on the needles. And I'd like to finish them both soon - one to wear, one to finally give to the very deserving recipient (even though it'd be totally out of season). Must... be... strong...
And to round out my little round-up, today I caught the bus to work again (ugh) because I had a meeting with an M&A target this afternoon in the city.
In brief: Bus: late, slow, irritating. Location of meeting: Dublin 3, very different from anywhere else I'd been here previously, a lot like the western viaduct in Auckland. M&A stuff: really satisfying to research, prep my boss on, then meet with a potential target. It's not my call - I doubt I will get to even go to many of these - but very, very interesting.
And that's it for now. More quality tv downloads and a spot of knitting (old project, I will be strong!) await.
Except I almost forgot - thank you to all the knitters who came and kept me company on Saturday. And thank you to everyone who remembered my birthday - it really was the loveliest one yet!
What a lovely, long weekend (hence the "extended" in title) - a 3-day bank holiday weekend, to be precise.
On Friday night we made the acquaintance of a Moldovan security guard at our building complex. He was tall, blonde and handsome (if you go for boys with hair, that is), spoke beautiful English, and a number of other languages besides. Then we went to our local supermarket and tried some vegetarian Linda McCartney prepared meals. Interesting, and the only vegetarian prepared meals - apart from a cheese pizza. I wouldn't go out of my way to have them again, but apparently it's better than a toasted cheese sandwich.
Saturday dawned bright and clear... and stayed that way for a long time. I had some of the local Dublin Stitch n Bitchers over, since the cafe we go to was closed for the weekend. We sat on the roof terrace admiring the view and stuffing ourselves with delicious food. My simple - but successful - contribution was scones made with cream and 7-Up. Sounds gross, I know, but they were pronounced lovely and light by all who ate them. Here's the recipe - it's dead easy, no rubbing in butter (yuck).
I loved having people over, and the SnBers were - as usual - loads of fun and no trouble at all. I'm definitely going to invite them back if we're venueless again.
On Sunday - aka my actual birthday - I managed to sleep in a bit later than our usual 8am (the sun is very bright at the moment - roll on winter and darker mornings!). We Skyped with my parents, which was **very** entertaining. If you know my mum (Hi Mum!), ask her about her "lap dance without a lap". Then ask for a demo. (It's ok, it's G-rated, but it's still very, very funny.)
I also opened my presents from David. As usual, he bought me lots of lovely, thoughtful and useful gifts, including (but not limited to) some very fancy hair straighteners I'd been coveting.
(I know, I seldom look like I do my hair, but I do actually do it! And once my hair dryer from NZ arrives, I will be able to dry my hair in under half an hour, and possibly use the straighteners before work even. Really!)
We decided we should roll on out to Malahide for a pub lunch. So out we rolled, via Swords (nice enough I guess, but nothing made me feel compelled to move there). There were no pubs on the main road through Malahide (I think we were supposed to go into the town further, but it was comfy in the car) so we kept going to Howth. At Howth we did find a pub - again, once we moved inland. Seems the main road is for non-Irish eateries.
Mmm, Guinness and a pub lunch. We were very full, and I had a very small nap afterwards, before we headed slowly home, where we chilled out with some quality downloaded tv.
Incidentally, that was my first Guinness in Ireland, albeit only a small one. (Guinness is a serious drink and it requires time and stomach-space to drink. I had fried-food plans, so I knew I had to limit myself to a small one.) It tasted chocolate-y-er and bitterer than I remembered - perhaps because it apparently tastes different in Ireland than everywhere else in the world. Anyhow, it was good. I look forward to rainy weekend afternoons in pubs with David, Guinness, and my knitting.
Yesterday we managed some brunch at our favourite crepe place, then popped out to my favourite yarn store in Blackrock for some needles and a gossip, then bought some plants. It has been really, really hard to find indoor plants here - or even garden centres, for that matter. I don't know why - people do actually have plants and gardens and stuff - but it's like they all either buy the plants ready-potted from M&S, or they steal each other's in the middle of the night!
Oh, and I got some knitting done - I may actually finish my first Irish knitting project sometime this month. Maybe. I accidentally popped into a shop to get some needles I need for a number of upcoming projects, and I'm dying to cast on with them. I already have 2 nearly-completed projects on the needles. And I'd like to finish them both soon - one to wear, one to finally give to the very deserving recipient (even though it'd be totally out of season). Must... be... strong...
And to round out my little round-up, today I caught the bus to work again (ugh) because I had a meeting with an M&A target this afternoon in the city.
In brief: Bus: late, slow, irritating. Location of meeting: Dublin 3, very different from anywhere else I'd been here previously, a lot like the western viaduct in Auckland. M&A stuff: really satisfying to research, prep my boss on, then meet with a potential target. It's not my call - I doubt I will get to even go to many of these - but very, very interesting.
And that's it for now. More quality tv downloads and a spot of knitting (old project, I will be strong!) await.
Except I almost forgot - thank you to all the knitters who came and kept me company on Saturday. And thank you to everyone who remembered my birthday - it really was the loveliest one yet!
Hanging in there
Sheesh, it's been two weeks since I've posted! Where has all the time gone?
Well, most of my (awake) time has been spent at work. I still like work, which is a minor miracle. I like the driving-commute better than the bus-commute, and haven't had an accident yet (another minor miracle, considering the generally poor driving skills I've encountered). I'm finding the time difference with my Canadian and American colleagues frustrating at times, so I've started leaving a weensy bit earlier, and emailing in the evening. I get less purely work-free time, but I'm far more efficient.
I have spent a small amount of time knitting. Much less time that I would have liked. But I'm well on my way to finishing a beautiful shrug in a jade green bamboo that I bought in Paris. I really, really hope I'll have enough yarn - I asked for extra, but the girl gave a Gallic shrug as a response, which at the time I took to mean "oh, okay then", but which may, actually, have been "no, you won't need it". I think I *do* need it, so here's hoping...
The funniest bit of knitting the shrug was translating the pattern. No wait - it was watching myself knit it faster and faster as the ball of yarn dwindled into almost nothing. It was as if I might magically have more yarn if I knit fast enough. (Translating the pattern was pretty entertaining too, I realised that I remembered a lot more 5th-form French than I credited myself with.)
I've been reading a little, but not enough. I'm often too tired to do much other than slump in a chair in front of the tv and eat what David gives me. Tonight's blog post comes courtesy of our currently tv-free state in our new apartment - otherwise I'd be slumped and incommunicative.
Speaking of which, the move has happened. All that remains is for us to clean the old place and fight to get our deposit back. The new place is large, airy, light, and much more like what we're used to. It's not large-large, but it feels much larger than the old place, even if it's probably just the same size. Plus, we have an under-the-stairs cupboard, aka the Harry Potter cupboard.
(And no, I haven't read the new Harry yet - I'm trying not to buy a non-matching book for my set of paperbacks. So that's a 6-month wait... Someone did very kindly offer to lend me their copy though, and I'll certainly take the offer up once they're done.)
I've spent a fair bit of time talking about the weather. Ireland is having it's coldest, rainiest winter yet, apparently. I'm not entirely convinced that people aren't conspiring to lie to us till we're too entrenched here to leave. But it rains every day, and for a fair bit. Plus it isn't hot. So no summer for us this year. I'm beginning to think that the Ireland-and-green association is not only due to the trees, grass, etc. - but also to mould from such a damp climate...
Amidst all the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, it's almost my birthday again. I'll be 29. As in, 30 on my next birthday. Now, I know loads of people who have turned 30 or more, and they're all fine. I truly believe that my 30s will probably be even better than my 20s. Yet I still feel like I'm playing at being a grown-up. I find myself saying and doing things like my parents (hi, parentals!), I like early nights, and I complain about noisy, inconsiderate people. It's like I've gone straight from 20-something to a pensioner.
Oh, and David teases me that I'm the fun police.
Anyway, as the big 2-9 approaches, I ponder the usual questions, plus a few new, fun ones:
- Can I nip down and buy some booze right now, or do I need to find some photo ID?
- Do I still look about 18 when I wear jeans and a hoodie, or do I now look like a mid-20-something?
- Why do I always want yarn that is impossible to buy in, or get shipped to, where I live? I mean really, I have relatively pedestrian tastes, and I could understand NZ - but this is EUROPE, people! Not continental Europe, but Europe all the same!
- Now that we live in a 1-bedroom place, what's to bet that *everyone* will want to visit us? (Luckily for you, there's a nice and cheap hotel 2 doors down - or you can bring a tent and camp on the roof terrace if you don't mind the rain!)
- Are the 30s really the new 20s?
- When I turn 30, do I have to start buying swishier clothes and shoes?
- When are you really supposed to start with the eye cream?
- Will living in such a sunless country (seriously, people, the rain and rain and RAIN!) undo some of the sun damage that NZ wrought in my skin? If I spend 5 years here, will I cease to age for those years?
- What do I really want for my birthday, anyway? (Damned if I know, it's a tough one. Answers to my questions would be useful.)
Oooooooooh! One little brag before I finish. In November we're going to Pisa and Florence. Our flights cost us 90 euros altogether. Which is stupidly cheap. Plus, it's Italy. All we'll need is a pair of elastic-waist trackpants each, and an empty suitcase for all the wine we'll bring back. Oh, and a week to sleep all the pasta off :-)
And with that verrrrrrry long post, I'm off to read a bit of my book, and hope that David will bring me my post-yoga (his yoga, but anyhow) kebab soon. No Britain's Next Top Model tonight (no tv, ergo no tv shows - did I mention how much I miss having tv yet?) - might try catching up on some sleep instead.
Well, most of my (awake) time has been spent at work. I still like work, which is a minor miracle. I like the driving-commute better than the bus-commute, and haven't had an accident yet (another minor miracle, considering the generally poor driving skills I've encountered). I'm finding the time difference with my Canadian and American colleagues frustrating at times, so I've started leaving a weensy bit earlier, and emailing in the evening. I get less purely work-free time, but I'm far more efficient.
I have spent a small amount of time knitting. Much less time that I would have liked. But I'm well on my way to finishing a beautiful shrug in a jade green bamboo that I bought in Paris. I really, really hope I'll have enough yarn - I asked for extra, but the girl gave a Gallic shrug as a response, which at the time I took to mean "oh, okay then", but which may, actually, have been "no, you won't need it". I think I *do* need it, so here's hoping...
The funniest bit of knitting the shrug was translating the pattern. No wait - it was watching myself knit it faster and faster as the ball of yarn dwindled into almost nothing. It was as if I might magically have more yarn if I knit fast enough. (Translating the pattern was pretty entertaining too, I realised that I remembered a lot more 5th-form French than I credited myself with.)
I've been reading a little, but not enough. I'm often too tired to do much other than slump in a chair in front of the tv and eat what David gives me. Tonight's blog post comes courtesy of our currently tv-free state in our new apartment - otherwise I'd be slumped and incommunicative.
Speaking of which, the move has happened. All that remains is for us to clean the old place and fight to get our deposit back. The new place is large, airy, light, and much more like what we're used to. It's not large-large, but it feels much larger than the old place, even if it's probably just the same size. Plus, we have an under-the-stairs cupboard, aka the Harry Potter cupboard.
(And no, I haven't read the new Harry yet - I'm trying not to buy a non-matching book for my set of paperbacks. So that's a 6-month wait... Someone did very kindly offer to lend me their copy though, and I'll certainly take the offer up once they're done.)
I've spent a fair bit of time talking about the weather. Ireland is having it's coldest, rainiest winter yet, apparently. I'm not entirely convinced that people aren't conspiring to lie to us till we're too entrenched here to leave. But it rains every day, and for a fair bit. Plus it isn't hot. So no summer for us this year. I'm beginning to think that the Ireland-and-green association is not only due to the trees, grass, etc. - but also to mould from such a damp climate...
Amidst all the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, it's almost my birthday again. I'll be 29. As in, 30 on my next birthday. Now, I know loads of people who have turned 30 or more, and they're all fine. I truly believe that my 30s will probably be even better than my 20s. Yet I still feel like I'm playing at being a grown-up. I find myself saying and doing things like my parents (hi, parentals!), I like early nights, and I complain about noisy, inconsiderate people. It's like I've gone straight from 20-something to a pensioner.
Oh, and David teases me that I'm the fun police.
Anyway, as the big 2-9 approaches, I ponder the usual questions, plus a few new, fun ones:
- Can I nip down and buy some booze right now, or do I need to find some photo ID?
- Do I still look about 18 when I wear jeans and a hoodie, or do I now look like a mid-20-something?
- Why do I always want yarn that is impossible to buy in, or get shipped to, where I live? I mean really, I have relatively pedestrian tastes, and I could understand NZ - but this is EUROPE, people! Not continental Europe, but Europe all the same!
- Now that we live in a 1-bedroom place, what's to bet that *everyone* will want to visit us? (Luckily for you, there's a nice and cheap hotel 2 doors down - or you can bring a tent and camp on the roof terrace if you don't mind the rain!)
- Are the 30s really the new 20s?
- When I turn 30, do I have to start buying swishier clothes and shoes?
- When are you really supposed to start with the eye cream?
- Will living in such a sunless country (seriously, people, the rain and rain and RAIN!) undo some of the sun damage that NZ wrought in my skin? If I spend 5 years here, will I cease to age for those years?
- What do I really want for my birthday, anyway? (Damned if I know, it's a tough one. Answers to my questions would be useful.)
Oooooooooh! One little brag before I finish. In November we're going to Pisa and Florence. Our flights cost us 90 euros altogether. Which is stupidly cheap. Plus, it's Italy. All we'll need is a pair of elastic-waist trackpants each, and an empty suitcase for all the wine we'll bring back. Oh, and a week to sleep all the pasta off :-)
And with that verrrrrrry long post, I'm off to read a bit of my book, and hope that David will bring me my post-yoga (his yoga, but anyhow) kebab soon. No Britain's Next Top Model tonight (no tv, ergo no tv shows - did I mention how much I miss having tv yet?) - might try catching up on some sleep instead.
Hot and summery weekend
Everyone always bitches about the weather in Dublin, and the general consensus is that it's cold, grey and rainy all the time. Now, it is cold, grey and rainy a lot of the time, but not always.This weekend, it was warm and sunny. On both days I wore my Birkenstocks, and today I wore a singlet. (This is evidence that is was, in fact, genuinely warm, because I hate to be cold.)
On Saturday I joined a bunch of other Dublin-based knitters in St Stephen's Green to celebrate World Wide Knit in Public Day. As usual, I didn't accomplish much knitting-wise, but it was fun to meet up with everyone and see their projects. Thanks Lien for organising us all!
It was also a chance for me to show off a beautiful cardigan I knat back in NZ, but hadn't had the chance to wear. It's a simple pattern - the only hassle lay in threading hundreds of beads onto the yarn - but it looks very impressive when it's done. David and I haven't gotten around to doing a photoshoot, but when we do, I'll post a photo or two.
Today we just ran some errands - nothing very exciting, but it was nice to run them wearing about half the amount of clothes we usually do! My only concerns regarding the warmer weather are the warmth of our already-warm apartment; and the local tendency towards loud outdoor hijinks when it isn't freezing cold and/ or raining heavily - these may interfere with our sleep.
Of course, it will be gorgeous weather all the coming week, because I will be in an office, unable to enjoy it. I knew this would happen - it always does - but I guess it's a small price to pay for the happiness of so many Dubliners. Me, a martyr? Aw, shucks.
Sock it to me!
Finally I have some knitting-related blog content!
May I present my first pair of socks - aka David's birthday socks:
These were finished just before his birthday, so they're well overdue for showing off.
Yarn: Lana Grossa Mega Boots Stretch - colour 506.
Pattern: I used the simple sock pattern that came free when I bought the yarn.
Needles: 2.mm dpns - Clover bamboos, because I love bamboo needles.
These were a lovely introduction to sock knitting: a nice yarn with a bit of colour variation to keep me from getting bored, and an easy pattern. My only quibble was that the socks took a little longer than I expected - mostly because David has large feet!
Using the same pattern, I knat myself the pair of rainbow socks I've previously blogged about:
Yarn: Opal sock yarn - Feelings shade 01.
Pattern: as above.
Needles: as above.
The first sock knitted up like a dream - the stripes finished juts as the heel shaping started, and even there, the colour was distributed beautifully.
On the second sock, however, things were more complicated. The lengths of colour seemed inconsistent with those on the first sock, and there was a lot of frogging, re-knitting, etc. and annoying tension tweaking to get the stripes lined up nicely. This was particularly irritating to me because I pride myself on my textbook tension (I seem to get what I'm supposed to pretty much every time, and it's even throughout a garment).
Even after some washing, this yarn produces a slightly scratchy sock. I don't see myself wearing them as everyday socks - more likely, they'll be my default slipper-socks. After all, they are lovely and cheerful.
I have another ball of Opal sock yarn, plus my lovely stash, but I'm not sure what I'll knit next. I'm hoping to finish up my UFO, plus pick up some nice yarn in Paris at the weekend for... something.
Mostly, I'm anxious about a particular job, and unable to focus on anything for very long before I feel stressed. So I'm giving knitting a rest in favour of reading and tv - less opportunity to make mistakes that I feel too crappy to frog and re-knit.
May I present my first pair of socks - aka David's birthday socks:These were finished just before his birthday, so they're well overdue for showing off.
Yarn: Lana Grossa Mega Boots Stretch - colour 506.
Pattern: I used the simple sock pattern that came free when I bought the yarn.
Needles: 2.mm dpns - Clover bamboos, because I love bamboo needles.
These were a lovely introduction to sock knitting: a nice yarn with a bit of colour variation to keep me from getting bored, and an easy pattern. My only quibble was that the socks took a little longer than I expected - mostly because David has large feet!
Using the same pattern, I knat myself the pair of rainbow socks I've previously blogged about:Yarn: Opal sock yarn - Feelings shade 01.
Pattern: as above.
Needles: as above.
The first sock knitted up like a dream - the stripes finished juts as the heel shaping started, and even there, the colour was distributed beautifully.
On the second sock, however, things were more complicated. The lengths of colour seemed inconsistent with those on the first sock, and there was a lot of frogging, re-knitting, etc. and annoying tension tweaking to get the stripes lined up nicely. This was particularly irritating to me because I pride myself on my textbook tension (I seem to get what I'm supposed to pretty much every time, and it's even throughout a garment).
Even after some washing, this yarn produces a slightly scratchy sock. I don't see myself wearing them as everyday socks - more likely, they'll be my default slipper-socks. After all, they are lovely and cheerful.
I have another ball of Opal sock yarn, plus my lovely stash, but I'm not sure what I'll knit next. I'm hoping to finish up my UFO, plus pick up some nice yarn in Paris at the weekend for... something.
Mostly, I'm anxious about a particular job, and unable to focus on anything for very long before I feel stressed. So I'm giving knitting a rest in favour of reading and tv - less opportunity to make mistakes that I feel too crappy to frog and re-knit.
