WIP Wednesday: Saturday Leftovers

Writing has been... interesting... to get around to. The Photographer's here and he is linked by umbilical cord to this here laptop. Having sent him off to find new hooks for the spinning wheel, I managed to work on some pictures. You may have noticed they are in greyscale this week, since it may or may not be possible that one or more (or none) are to remain secret for a bit. 

Less than 10 grams left of this skein after finishing a project

About 8 rows worked with this yarn

About halfway done, there is actually now a little less than this on the ball

Just being pretty.

I will try to keep up with the blog, but I won't be able to post regularly on Wednesdays for the coming 2 months. I can't guarantee winning the wrestling every week on time. Don't worry, I still love you all even if I'm not around so much ;)

WIP Wednesday: Friends

I had been thinking about the topic for this week's WIP Wednesday post. When I thought of all the pictures I had taken in advance of my knitting, there could really only be one: Friends.

For the last 8 years I've probably spent more time participating in online communities than most people. Maybe you're about similar, as you're reading this, and I suppose you must have been active in some online community to have found me here. Anyway, most people I meet on a day-to-day basis spend hardly any time on their computers outside of work. Sure, they check their email, tweet and facebook, do a little Youtube browsing, but all of that is much like reading the newspaper with your morning coffee. 

It started with a game. Its demography was varied, and so there was a variety of characters to go with that. I still like to call a few of them friends I'd like to meet (again), and of course there's the Photographer that I kept from that time. He's lovely, and a friend as well. After that came other games, insane writing contests and finally I stumbled upon the knitting community. All of these have a variety of people in them, but it's so much easier to avoid the ones you don't get along with than in f.i. an office environment. And yet, friendship can be found there as well. 

What pleases me most is when the two worlds collide. I find it easier to be the extravert me* online, while I sometimes find it more difficult to protect the introvert me in real life. So when I met The Lovely Louise (remember the MEMEME-show?), that was rather awesome. Not because she's semi-celeb, but because she's a wonderful person who shares her passion and collects people around her who share the same passions. Today I found this in the mail. 

Handmade notebook

competition lanyard for keeping track of small scissors**

She didn't need to do this, so I'm very touched (and blurry-eyed) that she went through the trouble of sending me a pick-me-up. I will keep trying, Louise. 

It's nice to know these things don't just happen to internet celebs. I've seen it happen more than once before. People, who really have no reason to know each other, from all over the world, band together to help their virtual friends.Sometimes this help fits into the space of 140 characters. Deep down, we know we're all more than 1's and 0's. So if you're reading this and you need a little support, consider yourself virtually hugged. Patted on the back. Hand held. I'll go as far as to pinch your bottom if that's what you need to feel better right now. 

While I'm writing this, I received an e-mail from Teresa of the CanaryKnits blog. I answered a question she posed, which was easy enough for me to answer, and to thank me she gifted me some of her designs. She didn't need to do this, but how wonderful is that? You should totally go visit her blog now. Knitters*** are the best.

I'm not doing a lot of selfish knitting these days. I put some time into Tanit's Jacket when I ran out of gift knitting yarn. I got this far with Tomten the Third...

The Future Women's Gift-gift knitting has proceeded to be this...

When my back gets over itself, I'll continue spinning Tardis for the Photographer. I've prepped...

I worked on another gift, one Which Can Not Be Shown. Yet. But I'll show you this...

Even with all that knitting for friends, there is always time for some for me. Tanit's Jacket, of course, but I skeined and measured and took pictures of my 170m skein of Celebration yarn.

I am after all my own friend too. 

Be good, Play nice, Compliment. Touch wool.

*tests have shown this

**Mom won't let me wear scissors around my neck

***Knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, you know what I mean.

For your viewing pleasure, some pictures that didn't make the main blog post.

WIP Wednesday: Say it with Colour

Maybe I'm tired of winter, or maybe I'm just craving a little colour in general, I don't know, but colour is what I worked on this week! You may also have noticed I picked a new colour scheme for the blog. Much more inviting to the new season, which seems to be on our doorstep now the frost has gone. However, it only rains now, so it might as well be Autumn still.

I spun and since n-plied this bobbin full of wool, I started a third Tomten cardigan for a friend's sister's soon to be born baby*, once more did not read the book club book by Paul Mceuen (Spiral), burnt a few candles. I had a lovely lunch and found a trigger and food for thought, knit some more on the never ending Tanit's Jacket, and listened to some podcasts. 

Celebration

Dutch Wool Diva

Tomten the Third

Elizabeth Zimmerman

Tanit's Jacket

Gudrun Johnston

Colour Swatches

by me

The Photographer celebrated his birthday and promptly soiled his new Kindle by putting a picture of me on it. I (re-)established some priorities. I slowed down. 

Float on the good stuff, or sink.

*follow my project here

WIP Wednesday: a year unplanned but in progress

It's not too late to say Happy New Yarny Year is it?

No?

Well, in that case, I wish you all a Happy Yarny New Year!


I spent mine many miles away from where my mobile phone provider thought I was (the Isle of Man, really?), and even further away from where I am right now (as home as home can be, when one is away from one's home, or one's heart). I got to spend it with my love, some old and some new friends. Yes, there was a little alcohol involved. However, and I cannot stress this enough, I did not have a hangover in the morning, epic or otherwise. Ha! Whether it be age or wisdom or both (or an upset stomach in the middle of the drinking) I can't claim to know, but hurrah!

I managed to meet up with some wool I had delivered, and delivered some jelly I had made earlier this year. Both were well received. My love and my BiL made me a most wonderful tool in the shape of a swift, of which I did not get any pictures in the sun. My camera took some shoddy pictures while my other camera made some difficult ones...

I visited new places (Cooper, twice in a day, twice!), met some new people (the best bar-keep of the week, nay the year! (2011, for 5 minutes) I'm just saying!), found some family not as I left them (Ehm, what happened to your chest area? It has bumps!) and left some family not as I came in (street-walker lipstick, the newest rage amongst toddlers).*

I found my shoes but not my kettle, a LYS and the bottom of my wallet, more bad but oh so good food (cheesy tots and a banana shake, unless they're out of banana at 4pm. Really?) and a potato pouch.

We travelled many more miles than we expected and did not see the Atlantic Ocean. We'd seen it already. We did go see Shiner though...

2012?

A work in progress. Let's all assume it's about moving onwards and upwards and maybe the universe will start believing it. (All together now!)


Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet up with my jetlag...**



PS. Nell, Heidi, how does February sound to you two?***


*Remind me to get those pictures off of MiL
**getting older
***yes, I'm trying to plan a meet-up through my blog. Why does that surprise you?****
****also, thank you Donna, for the potato pouch! Planning some sweet potato soon!*****
*****does Donna even read this?

WIP Wednesdays: it's all about the due dates

Oh I know, I do go on about the local baby boom, don't I just?

Don't be so fast to judge, there may be more to it... Remember this? Back then the blackbird nest was very much Under Construction, with very real Mind Your Head This Might Collapse warnings all around it.

 

Turns out our building team is quite good at construction, because it ended up looking like this!

Mother Blackbird is usually on the nest, so I grabbed the rare opportunity to take a snapshot from above to see if there was anything in it. Obviously, no Empty Nest Syndrome here!

 

At least 4 perfect little eggs of a strange blue green hue... I'll have to mind they don't poop out the side of the nest... I walk past there thrice every day!

 

Obviously, there was also some knitting. I finished, then frogged the bind off and refinished the Jeweled Cowl, which goes by the name of Silkie on Ravelry. Which reminds me, I should update that. Normally, finishing one project means I get to start a new one, but there's another Due Date looming. Someone else is about to drop a little bundle of joy in about 2 weeks, so I've gone back to Tomtom because it needs rapid finishing! Just 7 more 8-row repeats on this sleeve, and it's downhill from there. Just as well because there's another Due Date!

You might not care, but I'm signing up for the Tour de Fleece this year (not to be confused with the TDF, which I follow diligently on the radio and tv, but nowhere else...). I believe there will be a lot of spinning involved, so that should be good. I have this single to finish, park it and ply some linen for mom, and when that's finished Navaho-ply the singles before moving on to the package we got from the Landelijke Spindag last year. I may or may not be able to go this year, because of another Due Date!!!*

The Photographer (remember him?) arrives just after the TDF is finished and is staying for a whopping 3(!) months this time! Due to changes in circumstances, he's able to stay the maximum allowed, and will do so unless the job calls and tells him he's needed and they will actually pay for his effort. Now I just have to convince him to pick my camping trip idea for our camping trip and everything will be as close to perfect as this year could get. Almost.

For now, I'm due some sleep and a good ponder about my next project...


*Yes, another one