Amethysts are a quite attractive colour. Pines are not grey. Scarlet is bright and vivid red. Electricity has no colour, but the name usually describes colours of a startling and clear intensity.
Crystal also has no colour. And if it did, it wouldn’t look like cat vomit.
Sugar Plums don’t look like diseased apricots.
You might just be on the money with “Blue Haze”. But I don’t really know, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in one…
Scroll down past the reasonable use for an appalling craft for the knitting.
I’ve been designing (in my head) a follow up to the Myrtle Scarf - but not doing much knitting. Knitting has consisted of more booties, one pair from the gorgeous watermelon yarn that Bex dyed for me ages ago, and an orange pair now on the needles to “match” his purple corduroy pants that I made.
Here are a few pics I took of Myrtle before she went to her forever home, hopefully illustrating the beautiful sheen and stitch definition of the yarn, and the lovely drape of the finished scarf. Unfortunately the photography is nothing special - I was literally running out the door as soon as I took the blocking pins out.
And here is a picture of the sprog in his February Baby Sweater by Bex.
On a desperate mission to get a scarf finished by thursday, so any spare moment I have while the child is asleep has been spent knitting.
Lynne, our community health nurse is retiring this week. She has been an amazing support, and will be sorely missed. She was instrumental in getting us to see Dr McVeagh, and ultimately getting answers. I had always intended to knit her something special, but I never expected to have such a short deadline. I am on the last of three balls, but I am seriously worried about my chances of getting the knitting finished, and getting it blocked and dried by thursday morning. Project details here for those of you on ravelry.
Last thursday Inigo was 7.13kg - above the 3rd percentile for weight - finally! He’s hovering around the 50th percentile for length, but his head circumference is above the 97th percentile. He is on track to follow his father into the special hat shop for cranial gigantism.
On friday night he tried “solids” for the first time. There are funnier photos, but the kid will have friends that know how to use the internet one day, so I’d better keep them private for now.
There has been some knitting. Nothing complicated, nothing interesting, but I wanted to prove that I do still knit. A little.
Here is Oscar in his pram blankie and beanie set, knitted years ago when I was off work recovering from my collapsed disk. It is knitted in Bendigo Harmony which, sadly, looks like it has been discontinued. I love this stuff, a wool cotton blend with a little lycra, it is lovely and soft to knit with, sproingy, and great against the skin. It always had a pathetic colour range, but it’s been shrinking for the last couple of years, and now seems to be disappearing all together.
And here we have Ella, Inigo’s cousin wearing her new winter hat. It’s based on the Umbilical Cord Hat from Stitch ‘n Bitch, but made a little larger to fit for a little longer. The yarn is bamboo cotton from Spotlight - exactly one ball with about 30cm to spare!
And soon here is Inigo in his new bootees. Cecelia made three pairs of “Christine’s Baby Booties” for Inigo, which have been fantastic. They are the only footwear that reliably stay on his feet, but he is growing out of them, so the time came to make some in a larger size.
The yarn is Stella, 100% bamboo, and has a lovely sheen and drape. I’ve held it double and knit on 4mm needles to make a larger bootie using the same pattern (it calls for a “fingering weight” yarn).
Tresillian will be calling me tomorrow for an admission interview. Apparently they expect me to tell them what I expect to get out of the Tresillian experience. Give me strength.
Yesterday I went to the Inner West mothers group that Miriam goes to. Needed to get out of the house to preserve sanity and escape rising hysteria. Being around so many healthy, normal babies was really hard, and I nearly cracked when one mother said to me, “I’d be really worried if that was my baby”. Apparently it isn’t obvious to the casual observer that I am consumed with fear, bleeding terror from every pore, and only barely managing to breathe through each new day that brings no news.
But on a lighter note…
Yesterday the child exploded. There was such a tidal wave of poo that it gushed out of the nappy, down the trousers, and welled into the top of the new booties. So I gave up on the modern cloth nappies for now, his thighs are too thin to plug the leg holes in the nappies. So it’s cloth terry at home, and huggies newborn for outings. Unless I want to buy a whole lot of newborn sized modern cloth nappies, this will have to do. I do feel like a bit of a failure, but right now I have other battles to fight.
…that it’s about time I stopped being so lame, and learn how to crochet properly. I like crochet, not so much for garments, but for accessories, and for edging knitted pieces, but my crochet skills are pretty poor.
And this morning, I got “Crochet Blocks in a Box” by Luise Roberts. I had entered a Yarn Magazine competition ages ago, and apparently I won!
Thanks Yarn - looking forward to the next issue, and continuing a beautiful friendship.
Most of us give to charity now and then, Mark and I make a donation every year at Christmas instead of buying gifts for his family. We try to make it different every year, and last year for the first time we chose a human instead of an animal charity - we chose to send money to the orphanage we visited in Vietnam.
Today I came across the story of Macho, a baby alpaca who was the last of his flock to survive after they were abandoned to starve. Macho has been rescued by Edgar’s Mission, and is looking for sponsors to contribute to his care.
Inigo in his hand knitted organic merino soaker for the first time - kit from Eco Yarns
I took the squirt to see our community health nurse on thursday morning, as I wanted to ask her if she thought his issues were normal and nothing to worry about, or if it was worth pursuing further doctoring. My confidence was rocked rather badly by the Tresillian paediatrician, so I wanted to be sure I was on the right track before going off half cocked. She thinks it’s worth pursuing - screaming in pain an hour after a feed isn’t normal apparently. So we’re getting back on that horse, and I’m not getting off until we get an answer.
Alex sports a new hairstyle after a bath
I then went in to visit Alex, Adam and Sarah, and Sarah gave the boy a manicure and pedicure. Little fingers and toes have very little nails, and I still can’t bring myself to cut them. I tried once, it took me an hour to convince myself that I could do it, and then 15 minutes to cut one nail. I have a phobia about finger and toenails (I once put a staple through my thumbnail, and had to have someone else change the dressing until it had completely healed), and I come out in a cold sweat at the thought of having to trim his nails. As it is, I have to keep his hands in socks when his nails get too long, until I can get him over to see his Aunty for a manicure.
The view of the city from Balls Head at twilight
I picked up Mark from work, and we took the boy to Balls Head Reserve for a picnic. Since it was the day before payday, we had about $11 between us, which bought some chips and BBQ sauce, and a bottle of very cheap plonk, which we drank out of the bottle.
We were almost molested by a wild possum, who only left us alone after we convinced him that all the food was gone, and he went off to pester someone with food. One of the other picnickers was startled by a wet possum nose pressing against her leg as she was absorbed in conversation.
A fuzzy view of my Valentines Day. A gorgeous view, a beautiful husband, and a superb baby.
Ted, Inigo & Bev - his first “portrait” with grandparents
And Ted is fine.
Mark’s dad had to have surgery for a blood clot, which he was told was very dangerous. We were all very worried, and news that he was OK was a huge relief for all of us, especially Mark. We’ve all heard the stories about scary in-laws, controlling, manipulative, and downright mean, so it’s taken me a few years to get my head around the fact that Mark’s parents are exactly as kind, thoughtful, generous and caring as they seem. It’s a little bit strange to me that people can be that nice and not have a hidden agenda, but they are. Better parents in law you could not hope for.
Oh, and I finished knitting the socks. Now I just have to graft the toe and weave in some ends, and it’s safe for dad to have another birthday.
Inigo, a study in green
I STILL haven’t finished dad’s 2007 birthday socks, and that is still top of the queue. But I am at the toe of the second sock, so I could finish them in an hour if I just had an hour to sit down and do it. I have an hour now, but I am blogging about it instead of doing it.
But I need to finish it, so that Dad can have his richly deserved socks, and so that I can move on to my next project - a cotton or bamboo cardi for ME.
I’m having an odd morning, and since I don’t really want to phone a friend and unload on them, I’ll do it here, and provide an opt out (if you don’t want to know, don’t read - simple).
The boy was really sick last night. Spewing heaps, full of mucous, and SCREAMING like he was being tortured. We were on the verge of putting him in the car and racing off to the hospital (apparently they have a new emergency Paediatrician!), when he calmed down and fell into a deep sleep. He’s vomited a lot, that’s not really new, but since he’s been on the Zantac, he’s been a lot less spewy, and a lot happier too.
Yesterday he was particularly unsettled, and obviously in pain for a lot of the day, but when he turned into Linda Blair it freaked us both out. Just as I turned to Mark and asked him what he thought about going to emergency, Inigo fell into a deep sleep. He slept from 11pm to 5.30am, and seems pretty good this morning. But of course, I’m still stressed!
Daisy (the long suffering feline) has been leaving odd wet patched where he has been sleeping, and I think he needs to go to the V.E.T. (we don’t say the word out loud).
And there’s other stuff too, which I won’t go into here because I don’t want to dwell on it, but suffice it to say that I’m feeling a little wobbly today. So the boy and I are off to visit Miriam and Oscar, and I’ll try to maintain my grip.
Feets by Inigo, Socks by Ailsa
First of all, there is the strange triangular patch of hair on the top of his head that curls, like a cartoon baby.
Secondly, it’s hard to photograph without studio lights, but you can see if you look closely here - his left eye (to the right of the picture) is darker and browner than his right eye, which is a kind of slate grey. First noticed by Andrew his Fairly Odd Parent, I thought he was delusional, or it was a trick of the light. But now, at least a week later, the difference is still there.
In knitting news, I am still working on the socks I started for dad’s birthday last year, and hope to finish them very, very soon. So that I can start a new project to take to Opera in the Domain!
I have just received official confirmation that my parents are willing to look after Inigo for the night, so that Mark and I can have a child free night to catch up with friends, knit a little, enjoy fabulous music and a schooner or two. Or five.
If you’re interested in coming along, and haven’t already heard about it on Ravelry, or Kris’ blog, drop me a comment and I’ll send you the details.
Born sometime today, 3.2kg, Miriam and Oscar both doing well. No other details available at this point. I am absolutely dying to see a picture at least, but I respect their desire for some time without visitors. I am sure I’ll get to spend plenty of quality time with all the Lanes in the not too distant future.
I’ve been having contractions all day, some coinciding with actual pain, but nothing to get excited about. Went to pub knitting, and am glad I did - sitting around at home focussing on my belly would quickly drive me insane. Thinking that Inigo is considering making an appearance over the next couple of days, but he doesn’t seem to be in any hurry.
Saw Kerry today, and she looks happier and more relaxed than I have seen her in months. It looks like the final senate seat will go to the liberal candidate, and Kerry will be free to pursue other interests after the middle of the year. Like being an Auntie!
Am also close to making a decision about the camera. Harvey Norman has the Canon 400D body with 18-55mm, and 75-300mm lens for $1188. I played with Andrew’s 350D today, and it is a very nice camera. It also handles low light really well, and has a good, cheap portrait lens available. Of course, if I have an ugly baby, I won’t need such a good camera….
Still haven’t sorted out the camera thing. Mark has hidden the little point and shoot camera, my good camera is still AWOL, and my old camera uses a card that I don’t have a card reader for (well, I can’t find the damn thing since the move). So please forgive the dodgy webcam shots.
Picture #1 is of the organic merino soaker kit I ordered from ecoyarns thanks to a generous gift voucher from Andrea, and picture #2 is the adorable bunny hat she knitted for Inigo/Ampersand/The Passenger. Who I was convinced had turned in the night, until I got kicks and punches on both sides of my belly about half an hour ago. Life remains interesting.
The supervising midwife made a comment that she didn’t think that having a totally passive baby would agree with me. I was thinking that a totally passive baby would be a godsend, but now that Alex is getting more and more charming by the day, I am starting to see her point. I have amended my order for a passive baby to a healthy and happy baby that sleeps enough to prevent insanity in the maternal unit.
I have always said that the secret to happiness is low expectations…
Thank you to everyone who came to the party. I had an absolute ball - even though we didn’t have a chance to talk to anyone all day! Mark and I were so busy being social butterflies, there wasn’t a moment to just sit and enjoy the love. And there was a lot of love. So many people turned up that we ran out of chairs in the first hour, and we probably ran out of food too (not that I was capable of noticing!).
Apparently, we do have more than nine friends 
There were knitters, and non-knitters. And they even talked to each other.
And since I completely forgot to take pictures, check out Donna’s post for some great pictures of the beasties, and Kate’s extensive coverage.
Once again, thanks to everyone who made it such a special day.
So, Monday is court day, and I spent today finding a lawyer. Looks like I’ll probably lose my licence for 12 months. There is a chance I can escape a conviction - but I can’t afford to bank on it. It’s been an emotional roller coaster, and I left the last solicitors office in tears today.
As well as the isolation of being without a car (and with a small child - the concept of which is completely doing my head in), there is also the risk that a criminal conviction could jeopardise my accreditation as a celebrant.
I also managed to lose my phone (and assume it was stolen), which added a certain something to the day.
So a big thank you to Justine, who timed the arrival of her gorgeous gift perfectly.
I will take pics soon, and also of the beautiful gifts from Emma, when I find the card reader for my old camera. My beautiful new camera has been misplaced in the move, and I am trying desperately not to get hysterical about it.
So the big news (we’ve been pretty short on news here at Merrylands Manor), is that we have come pretty close to deciding on a name.
Of course, we may still get a better idea - or we might meet him and decide that he is definitely an Ernest, not an Inigo. But I have done a subversive cross stitch of the name, and it’s looking good.
And in PARTY news. We only have nine RSVP’s so far. Surely I have more than 9 friends?
Here.
Not much to blog about at Merrylands Manor. Housewarming invitations should be out this week, and I am still struggling with trying to get the last of the house unpacked. Two things are impeding me, 1) we’ve run out of storage. Mark has just bought some new bookshelves, so I can finally unpack my books, many of which were put into boxes more than a decade ago. And I have to talk to builders about getting a built in wardrobe put in the bedroom, so we can put away the rest of the linen and clothes.
And 2) my complete lack of any drive whatsoever.
Ampersands blankie is nearly done, I am on the last row of plain before the cast off, but have run out of yarn. I think I can drag myself off to Spotlight this morning, and pick up a final ball.
FULLY BOOKED
Using Alpaca – “Fibre of the Gods”. 1st & 2nd September
Tutor: Jenny Hopper
A 2 day workshop concentrating on exploring the advantages and particular qualities of alpaca fibres so that spinners, felters, weavers, knitters and other users of alpaca can create yarns, fabrics and garments/articles which use the best of alpaca’s features to greatest advantage.
Detailed facts of alpaca fibre varieties, structure, characteristics, qualities and handling will be covered in depth. Comparisons will be made with other fibres, also blends of other fibres together with alpaca and the resultant advantages or disadvantages. Cost $70 per day. ($140) which includes morning tea and lunch.
Fully booked. Damn.
My three day experiment going drug free is a failure. I was ok for two days, but this morning it came back to bite me in the arse. I woke early, before Mark’s alarm, and by the time he was ready to leave for work, I was ready to drive him to the station. All good, until I got home, and barely made it to the bathroom to lose my morning coffee.
I couldn’t keep anything down till about 11am when, still queasy, I ate some salted pretzels (food I thought I was well and truly over - thank goodness I still had some in the house!). The rest of the day has been spent limping about feeling sorry for myself, and guilty for not getting more done.
I did finally block my major project for the last few months. If your name is Christine, stop reading now, and please don’t look past the first two pictures.
Here is Custard, having a nap. He is not dead, honest. There is something about loppy eared bunnies, when fully relaxed, they tend to look like roadkill. Extremely cute, but slightly disturbing nonetheless.
Here is the gorgeous cockatoo. Sometimes known as “Cockalicious”, which if it weren’t so pornographic sounding, might be her permanent moniker.
She has decided that Mark is her “Special Friend”, and was following him around the house on the weekend, rubbing her head against his calves in a rather too affectionate manner. The bird whisperer has decreed that I should henceforth be the bearer of treats (instead of Mark all the time), so that she shares her affections. Here she is with her afternoon corn cob. Just prior to this shot she was holding it in one foot and going nuts, but she is a little camera shy, and dropped the treat.
And here is the big project (iPod included for scale). It is the first two charts of the Swallowtail Shawl (that has become a bit of a favourite with me), doubled, with a wide moss stitch border. I did a provisional cast on in the round, and used two “centre” stitches instead of one so that I could knit it on two circs.
The yarn is Patons Jet, a bulky wool/alpaca mix, in a mixture of reds, purples, and a little but of a rusty colour. Pattern modifications are my own, and yes, I do feel a bit clever.
This is to be a blankie for my new neicephew, who is due on the 13th of December, to Mark’s sister Christine, and her husband Matt. I hope they like it, it was made with much love, and great hopes for a very wanted child.
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