What’s in the Workbox? April 2012: belated.

Sorry, I’ve been cramming for my first exam, which was today. So I’m declaring myself a free woman this weekend – I’m not even cracking the new textbooks until Monday.

Meanwhile, here’s the April workbox roundup:

Cloud Chaser Vest: So close to done it’s not even funny. It’s only wanting bands and a good blocking.

Cable Rib Socks: just about ready to start the heel flap. I’m planning on working the heels and toes in some black Patonyle so as not to break up the colour progression.

Undercurrent Cardigan: Um, this is a bit embarrassing… I haven’t worked a single stitch on those seams since last month. And now it’s getting cold enough to wish it was finished, but every minute of quiet time I’ve had has been spent head-down in a textbook. I hope to get to it soon.

Ingenue has been frogged and the reclaimed yarn will be ready to cast on the Foxhollow cardi as soon as I finish the vest.

ProTip: if there is even the faintest chance you might need to unravel a garment, DO NOT use EZ’s sewn bind off. I know, I know, it’s stretchy, it’s beautiful (especially with garter or moss stitch), and it’s a perfect complement to the long-tail cast-on, but it just takes FOREVER to undo it. Like over an hour and a half to unpick the 250-ish stitches of the bottom edge of Ingenue.

And that’s it for this month.

Oops, I lost a week or three there…

Dreadfully sorry about that. The Easter hols meant that study slowed to a crawl; between one kid who can’t believe that anything I do might have any importance (Asperger’s + almost-a-teenager = if it’s not about him, then how could it matter?), and one kid who can’t understand why I wanted to be left alone for a couple of hours (because a time out is the worst possible punishment to an extroverted 8yo, so why would anyone choose it?), I struggled to get any work done at all. Somehow I managed to get my first two assignments finished and uploaded for marking on the due date, so that’s a load off my mind. My first exam is still coming up, but I’ve more or less caught up.

Meanwhile, the boys went back to school this week (hallelujah, amen) and I have two pairs of recently-completed socks that need blogging, so that I can consider them finished (because that’s the rule – if I haven’t blogged them, they’re not done):

Item the first: Hop, Skyp Socks

The Vital Statistics

Cast on: January 20th, 2012.
Finished: February 24th, 2012
Pattern: Skyp Rib Socks, by Adrienne Ku (Ravelink)
Yarn: Socks That Rock mediumweight, colourway Froggin’, birthday yarn 2009
Needles: 2.75mm Knitpicks fixed cirulars, knitted Magic Loop, as always.
Modifications: Nothing major. I worked the heel over 60% of the stitches, as is my wont, because I get a better fit that way.

*

Item the second: Blackberry Jam Socks:

The Vital Statistics

Cast on: September, 2011.
Finished: March 29th, 2012
Pattern: Retro Ribs, by Evelyn A. Clark, (Ravelink)
Yarn: My own hand-dye (on a base of Patonyle 4ply), colourway Blackberry Jam, dyed September 2010.
Needles: 2.25mm Knitpicks Options
Modifications: I used the very lovely Estonian cast-on (Nancy Bush demo video here). After that, it was just business as usual.

…and that’s that, two pairs of socks, officially logged and blogged, and into rotation now that the weather’s cooling down.

What’s in the Workbox? March 2012

Another month has come and gone, and this means it’s time for my workbox round-up.

Blackberry Jam Socks: Finished! Blocked! Ends woven in!

Cloud Chaser Vest: Back and fronts done, next step is picking up stitches for the collar. I’m calling this about 75% done.

Undercurrent Cardigan: I have started seaming – just the one sleeve set in so far, but check it out, it’s perfect – the stripes line up exactly! I’ll get back on it tomorrow, and hopefully there’ll be a F.O. post soonish.

Cable Rib Socks: New cast on – the Crazy Zauberball is back, and this time it fits over my foot! Yay!

And that’s it for March. Sometime this month, I’ll dig out the Ingenue pullover and make with the frogging so I can cast on for the Foxhollow cardi once Cloud Chaser is off the needles.

The Problem With Cathedrals…

…is that there’s too damn many of them! This morning, I was part of the school choir’s ferry service down to Bathurst for a combined schools musical workshop at All Saints Cathedral. Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows what happened next.
I got lost.
I thought I knew where I was going. But I went to the Catholic cathedral instead of the Anglican.
I tried using Google maps on my phone, but it tried to send me over to Kelso.
I even asked for directions at the Tourist Information Service (’cause I have the chromosome that lets me do that, you know), but the woman there sent me right at the lights when I should have gone left (and I double checked with her. She definitely said right).
Finally, the school called me and gave me directions that worked, and I got my three charges to the right place, only 40 minutes late. And now I sit here in my favourite cafe, drinking the Coffee of Shame, eating the Muffin of Embarrassment.

Cormo dreaming

More goodies arrived on my doorstep this morning.

A kilo of dreamy-soft Tasmanian Cormo wool, scoured, processed and spun in Victoria into a fat, squishy 10-ply yarn.

That’s right, people. This all-Aussie yarn has never left our rain-sodden shores.

It’s all Kylie’s fault. You can read more about it here.

This stuff is so soft, it makes merino feel like an old hessian sack.

Go on. You know you want some.

The Future. In a Box.

The other day, a parcel arrived on my doorstep.

A box containing my future.

Today, I begin course work on an Advanced Diploma of Nutritional Medicine.

If all goes well, four years from now I will be a qualified nutrionist.

I have a tidy desk, a fresh cup of coffee, a sharp new pencil, the online learning website open, and I’m sitting comfortably.

Then let’s begin.

Shhh, don’t look now…

… but is that actual sunshine?
If you’ll excuse me, I have to go and wash every article of clothing in the house. Right now.