Getting there

Just quick post to let you all know that I am still in the land of knitting. Just working hard to get this project finished. Will be so glad once it is done!!

Anyway have finished the body of the dress now. I knitted it in the round so just the neckline to do. I thought some rows of garter using the yarns from the hem line.



I have made a start on the sleeves. Yes that's right sleeves!! Well you can't have a knitted dress without sleeves. It doesn't seem very practical to be warm all over with bare arms. LOL.

So have done the domino knitted band for the first one working on the second now.



These will be slightly bell shaped to mactch the bottom of the dress and decrease to the elbow and increase again to the top of the arm. Wish me luck!!

Off to so some groceries.

Knit on all

Back to the grind

The only problem with going to art school and stretching out of your comfort zone? Well it can be harder to get back to the daily grind of every day life and work and... well you get the picture.

Summer school is always such an intensive experience. You learn so much squashed into a few days that you barely have time to think and then poof it is over .... for another year. You come home with some great images, hopefuly and no time to do more just when creatively you want to hide away and work...... Oh well it is better than having no time at all!

I definitely enjoyed the collage more than I thought. I have already started work on a collaged journal cover .. pic later perhaps :) [ Well it is hardly knitting lol]

The last couple of days we did surrealism, montage, chemical transfer and most interestingly - encaustic. A very old painting technique using beeswax and pigment with heat.

Of course one day back at work and I feel I have never left. Still the same old, same old. To make matters worse they up and annouce changes that effect my job while I am away without talking to me first. Now of course the manager is away for 3 & 1/2 weeks... but I can wait! I am like an elephant. Perhaps they they will make me redundant. I wish, they couldn't afford to I have been there too long. Seriously tho that won't happen but I would so like to leave ...so bored now. But at least it pays the bills.

Enough blabbing here is one pic I tried to post last week. One half of a pair , which will be lonely for a while longer until I finish my fashion parade entry.




As you can see plain stocking stitch, it was a jaywalker but some how my guage was way off so as we were away at the time and I needed to knit so just did it plain. Fits Ok and will be warm. If this summer is anything to go by we will need them sooner rather than later. The weather has gone mad. Freezing long winter and no summer , well a couple of days this week are finally warm enough to think beach but will it last.. hmmm.


Here is the bottom border of the knitted dress I am currently working on. You may just make out the modular squares and diamonds that I worked together and joined in the round before picking up the stitches to start the rest of the body. I have until the middle of Feb to get this baby finished so the chase is on....


Some of you may remember this wrap I knitted as the result of a club challenge. We all swopped small lengths of yarn and had to use them in a project. We were allowed to add our own colour. So I made a wrap using the modular squares and triangles. Then added a border and pom poms with beads.





Anyway to cut a long story short I ended up deciding if I knitted a dress to go with it it could be entered in our national fashion parade.. so much knitting later I am now up to the bust line nearly. [ Of course now it is big enough to be like a blanket on my knee the weather warms up and with my menopausal body, boy is it hot at times!!]


Another PS , no way is this for me, with a shape like that definitely a "10". Trying to resist the temptation to make it strapless.




Only the top then sleeves and neck band to go, will I make it ... watch this space.

Knit on all I am off to do some more rounds of brown.... Cheers

Goodbye christmas and hello summer

Well we hung on until twelveth night. But it was rather strange all around us christmas decorations came down and summer sale and back to school sale signs poliferated. We did our bit and had the lights on, watched christmas movies and gave gifts etc but we were definately in the minority.

So all is away again until next year and the house looks kind of sad and bare. A bit of sun would help!! Hmm it has warmed up a bit as in I can now leave off the coat but the layers stay.

Here is our tree in all its glory of the old and new and treasured.



But a least now our "New Zealand" Xmas tree or Pohutukawa is in flower. They say you can tell how hot the summer will bne as to when it is flowering. Well this year it waited until after christmas so guess we are in for a late and cool one. Surprise, surprise...!!!







But it is summer and now is time for my annual treat. That is art school. I wanted to do jewelery this year but was a bit slow to put my name down so am doing collage instead. I am really enjoying the process and it is much easier than the stone lithography I did last year. I have heaps of ideas already. Here are two works in progress.......

Picasso style...



and Matisse ....






Hmmm and here I was going to show you the latest pics of knitting and blogger won't play ball... ah well guess it well keep until next time.

Cheers and knit on >^..^<

Happy new Year all!!

Hmm , hi and happy New year to all. I can't believe it is 2007 already.

This year DP and I have been trying to keep the "spirit" of Xmas alive a little longer. Everything is so geared to commericalism these days. Xmas starts even before Halloween, decorations up and all the ads "pushing" buy, buy, buy. Once the 25th arrives Xmas is just forgotten when really it should be the 12 days from the 25th. Soooo we have been trying to stretch it out. Everyday we have been doing small things. Such as on boxing day for the past two years we have taken plates of homemade shortbread and chocolates to the Police station, Fire station and Ambulance station. This year we took hot muffins and shortbread and chocolates to work on the 27th for afternoon tea break and so on.

We have ideas for next year already, Xmas cakes and shortbread to the old peoples home down the road and we are going to find out who has no visitors and send cards and cake to them.

Family Xmas's can be stressful this year a case in point. DS2 is still not talking to me when I had to "rescue" the situation over access with the grandkids who are back home with him now. [He'll get over it. Hopefully sooner rather than later.]

Anyway New years resolutions.... well I have made mine just have to see if I can stick with it all year. And no it is not "not buying any stash".!! I am realistic as to what I have a hope to stick too. One is to refuse to be the "piggy" in the middle!!!! They are just going to have to grow up and talk to one another.

Anyway my "Xmas " thing to share today is a small "tour" of some cheer at home.

First up when you have walked up the front steps past the garlands with fairy lights and candle lit lanterns to the front door.......................



The green door pull plays up to 4 Xmas tunes in rotation. This was DP birthday gift as he was really taken with it. We have more garlands and wreath with of course the special key for Santa to get in as our chimney is on the small side.

Welcome in.... past the small gold Santa and two small trees and candles and tinsel, oh and the bells on the back of the door more fairy lights with garland tinsel and "merry christmas".



Next into the ktchen and dinette past the advent house complete with a door for every day of December to the small display on top of the TV.




See the small bear, well he has Washington DC on his tummy. He lives there to remind me of DS1 in Maryland. There are elves and and more candles etc on the table.

Next up the dinning room cum library. Here we have a large Xmas arrangement and more candles Santa ones this time with wooden folk art trees and a handwoven santa mat.



Oh a half eaten Xmas cake , want some tea and cake??? Perhaps shortbread... or a chocolate or two?



The dining room also has our fibre optic tree and rocking chairs complete with matching Santa hats etc. We have been sitting here at night listening to Harry Potter and the Half blood prince while doing the Xmas wasjig.




Now the lounge coffee table has a very large arrangement of pine and candle. We have a small collection of Xmas books collected over a a few years so please few free to stop for a read. The most popular one has been the old second hand one which tells you how to have a sucessful house party complete to presents, menus and games.

We have had 2 small gatherings this year around this table. One the week before and one on boxing day.




Now meet the boys...They are been added to yearly and welcome a cuddle or two. The grandkids love these, especially baby as he "talks".




Now our lounge TV. A small wooden tree and in the background a wind up one that snows while playing Jingle bells, this to go with the small Xmas candle lights that were my DP families and all the hanging balls etc from the beams.



This lot has been nearly moved today as it has been so cold...brrr. But we did add to the village this year with some that light up at night. There is a star hanging above the houses not visable in this pic.



Well that shows a small portion of our Xmas decorations all of which will have to go away until next year come 12th night. Such a pity as the house looks merry and bright. Oh should have mentioned the soft music as well , we have several CDs to play.

Of course we have our main tree as well some of which shows in my last post. Sorry blogger only lets me post 10 pics at a time.

Just in case you are wondering if this is still a knitting post, lol I have been slowly working on my entry for the Creative fibre fashion parade this year. I really must get on with it as it has to be finished by mid Feb. I promise a pic of this next. Oh and I have nearly finished the toe in the ex Jaywalker sock.

Hope all is well with you and yours. All the best for a happy and properous 2007.