in between time

days of drifting, children reading and making up songs, playing with Christmas presents, me, dreaming into new knitting books, catching up on stuff around the house, forgetting what day it is...wondering how on earth we will ever eat all the shortbread and chocolates we brought home from Christmas gatherings....doing nothing much...those in between summer days

k n i t t i n g
progress on the Vertebrae; very fond of  the twisted rib edging.

h a n d m a d e  g i f t s :

the night before Christmas Eve, I decided I couldn't let Christmas happen without at least one handmade gift.
These pencil rolls were so quick to whip up, possibly because I was a little slap dash and didn't do any measuring! The girls absolutely love them. I checked out a few tutorials online for ideas by googling "pencil roll tutorials". The pencils are Lyra Giants, our all time favourite pencils for drawing. There's an extra layer of flannelette in the middle to make them padded and the ties are wool "twisties".

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and here's the gingerbread shack we made for fun!

getting into the spirit...

I must admit I  have been lagging behind in the Yule cheer, personally, even though I love Christmas. However, today, even if mostly for the sake of my dear wee excited full-of-wonderment 3 year old, a surge of Christmas enthusiasm swept over me. Or should I say, I dug a little deeper to attempt to invoke enthusiasm by simply partaking in Christmas preparations.

 Star making, the intoxicating smell of a freshly cut Christmas Tree, some bling and lights and a bit of Sufjan Stevens carols and I'm feeling a lot more in the mood for the season! Hooray! Thanks to my three ever willing Christmas elves.

 

 And on the knitting front: I've started a cardi for moi. It's called Mama Vertebrae, a little frontless number for summer.  I'm using a surprisingly delightful yarn (sadly being discontinued) by Cleckheaton containing angora, silk and merino.

the rushing, the pausing

Spring hit, the rushing began...the pace has picked up. there are more events, fairs, volunteering,  rehearsals,  less empty pages in the diary, and less knitting!
Life seems to be about a swinging from rushing to pausing (or gasping?).
Something must be done about this periodic quickening... this November malaise...knitting seemed the antidote...but it's being pushed out by the packed agenda of a family of five.
That said: I finally finished my  "hitch"jumper/sweater! hooray for that! (ravelled here)
It feels good to finish something, and it's a stunner in the Rowan Felted Tweed.

and while I dither about between projects, I have some finishing of socks underway...

oh, and on a hot afternoon, I picked up the girls after school and we all five, yes the whole family, drove in peak hour traffic across town to the bay for a first of the season swim and a fish'n'chip dinner on the beach!! worth the fumes, I can tell ya!

and just because, I'm joining the Yarn Along with Ginny, though I haven't read much at all except of course, bedtime stories! The favourite is "Charley's First Night" by Amy Hest and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (I love her work); about a child and a new puppy.

Spring nature fix and a yarn bombing party!

went to family music camp:

the gumboots say it all...ready for wet weather and plenty of  knitting...

my chickens made new friends and jammed in the forest.

 Taught a friend to knit!

 climbed a mountain,

and explored the rocks and caves.

and then back for my 11 year old's birthday bash complete with a lesson in granny squares and bike bombing (just a bit!)

Spring, Bikes and, yes, knitting!

It's Spring, and Mr P and I are on our way to becoming serious bike commuters, as the family car is being used for other purposes by the mister.
Here is the new bike, a Dutch cargo bike, called a Yuba Boda Boda, modelled on the African workshorse bikes which are a staple mode of transport for Africans I am told.  Rather an elegant lady bike, don't you think.

We are just getting to know the bike and Mr P is yet to get his cushion, which I will promptly yarn bomb, inspired by this photo here.
I love bikes! I used to ride everyday when I was a kid, and then moved from Sydney to Melbourne (1200kms) by bicycle. I then took my bike to India with the intention of riding around the south tip, only to find it was a very dangerous plan (crazy scary road behaviour and being run into deep ditches because apparently I was invisible).  I abandoned my bike in a sleep village to continue on bus and trains!

I am embarrassed to say I am still knitting my Hitch, though almost there!

Yarning along with Ginny who is knitting with one of my favourite yarns, Osprey by Quince and Co.  I am itching to knit with that yarn again soon! Can't you tell I just want this jumper/sweater off the needles, though it is sure to be gorgeous to wear once done!!

And the book is from the library, a crochet book to help me devise my yarn bomb for the bike!

It occurs to me we need to name the bike! I like "Nelly" but I guess Mr. P will have other suggestions...

portrait of a domestic environmentalist on the first warm day of late winter

View from a sinus infection

Sitting up in bed, my nose and eyes are feeling very strange. 

So, in between Neti pot nasal cleansing and inhaling eucalyptus, I knit "hitch", a sweater design by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark, really impatient to get this on my back! 

I also have my bag of tossed aside knitting works-in-progress here on the bed, which I have looked over, admired, promised each I will one day return to them: the eternal socks, the shawl I meant to knit my oldest daughter as a Menarche present  and the shrug for that wedding 18 months ago....all enticing projects! What happened...

Somewhat feeling like a snake-tongued knitter I then open my bag of recently purchased yarn and paw it, dreaming of the delicious new patterns they will be applied to!

These are the yarniforous ravings of a sinus-challenged bedridden knitter!