Guest appearance

Sorry about the unexplained absence - it feel like i'm making guest appearances in huge parts of my life at the moment.

But i'm great! The new job is fantastic. It just takes up a huge chunk of my word quota for the day. By the time I've given another chunk to JD ('where's the beer?', 'thanks for cooking/vacuuming/washing the clothes...') there's not much left for this here blog...

But there has been craft - see:

Another one from Subversive Crossstitch

The knitting's been a bit patchy though - there's a shawl, some socks and some baby bits and pieces I finished quite a while ago now, but failed to photograph before they went to live at their new homes. After that there was nothing for a while: I was floating in the black whole of knitting nothingness.

And then the idea for perfect knitting escapism struck:


Return to what you know.


And get some Christmas knitting done at the same time.

Bits and pieces

Wow people, thanks so much for all the pomatomus love! It was definitely worth it in the end.

I've felt like a bit of a break from knitting since I finished them so i've been doing some needlework. It's so fast and satisfying in comparason. JD kinda likes it too, we've been making up little crossstitch patterns based on movie lines and song lyrics. I'm going to make myself a 'where is my mind?' plaque to put up at work (the pixies have been touring). It seems appropriate at the moment.

The options are pretty endless though, I made this crossstitch for a wonderful friend for her birthday. She's a bit of a Grates fan.


On a side note, I don't believe you've met Zeus? Our third (and final) cat. She's opens doors and can almost turn a key. I kid you not.

Anyway, I was enjoying the cross stitch so much I decided to give embroidery a go (dum-da-dum-dum).


It's not going too badly. It looks a bit amateurish, but it's a first-born so hopefully you can excuse me. I splashed out on some $10 vests and the plan is to spiff them up a bit with some embroidery once my skills improve a bit. We'll see how that goes...

And because it seems that I am a masochist when it comes to knitting deadlines, I've been making a pair of gloves for a visiting friend


They're a belated birthday present so I said I'd have them done before she leaves. Which is tomorrow.

Looks like it's back to the knitting after all.

Loose ends

I've been flap, flap, flapping around the house this week trying to tick things off the craft to do list. I knew things were a bit out of control when I was sitting at work being stressed about coming home :) But now:

• Loose ends have been woven in:

• Glue has been applied (with a paintbrush of course):

• Things have been hung in their new homes (this is what you see when you walk in the front door. Well, this and cats.)

• And the last of the birthday brooches have been made and sent!

The universe obviously felt I deserved congratulating for all that ticking off (we won't mention the poms) because I got a little surprise in the mail:


Yarn pirate. Oh how I have coveted thee. Well the lovely Melissa must be my fairy-yarn-mother (or something) cause we're having a little sock yarn swap and this is what she sent me. I often drool over the yummy yarn on US knitblogs (koigu, socks that rock, yarntini, sundara yarn and yarn pirate are all on the shortlist) so I'm super psyched to have some of my own. Thanks so much Melissa, excellent choice. And I must have been extra good, because look what else I got - gorgeous little hand made coasters.

• Oh, and your parcel's in the mail Melissa.

Tick.

Ed: I know I said it in the last post, but the cross-stitch pattern is from Subversive cross stitch and there's instructions for the framed fabric at purl bee. Oh, and the brooch pattern is from mollychicken. Didn't want it looking like I was taking credit for other people's ideas!