Manslippers and legwarmers

I have finished a couple of projects this week:

1) Spun Silk scarve - made with the Handmaiden yarn given by Emily at the Cross St Carnival earlier this year. I knitted myself a skinny scarf of 2 rows garter and 2 rows loop st (wrapping yarn around both needles and the thru the middle to create a long st). I really like the feel of it but it's creasing up a lot which is fine around my neck but I want the ends to hang better. So I might look out for some nice glass beads to add on the bottom.

2) Slippers - knitted a pair each for CH's parents out of some odd balls. CH is modelling the "manslippers" and really likes them - so might make him up a pair as it's getting pretty obvious his jersey ain't happening. I used three yarns (cotton, acrylic and wool) and size 7mm needles. I can't find the weblink for the pattern but am sure it was off the Lion Brand's website. I stitched some felt onto the bottom, then covered it with PVA glue to make it more durable.

It's been freezing in the house lately - discussions on heating, insulation are very regular - but it does provide the opportunity to wear my first ever knitted gift - a pair of leg warmers! Actually I've been wearing them heaps this winter under my jeans or over my errrrr... stylie ... red thermos. Nothing cooler than these babies showing above my converses when the jean leg rides up - yup love em thanks TTP :)

A Jersey for Me!

I took the Knit Rangers home dyed yarn ...

and knitted my very first jersey! (it's a bit tight on the arms ...)

Dear Placemakers

Dear Placemakers,

I have just completed some work on my property - the first bit of home renovation for me: fixing the drainage off my garage and creating a paved area for pot plants. I have been using Placemakers, New Lynn for my supplies where the customer service is good (courteous, helpful, prompt staff), prices are reasonable and there are decent products available.

But what irks me is I kept experiencing this attitude that I as a woman was not capable of doing the job at hand: staff asking whether I had a "bloke/man/husband/boyfriend" to dig a trench/use the trailer/saw a plank/shovel scoria/join spouting/hammer in the pegs/lay paving. Being advised that without this "male" tool I should use a tradesman.

Now I realise these comments were well intended by the staff as the work was a bit of hard graft, and I understand professionals are needed at times but after the 4th trip to the store this kind of attitude was tedious.

I have sent you pictures to show the job I finished by myself, without a "male" tool, and while it's not perfect I am proud of it. I have loads of other projects coming up and will continue using Placemakers, New Lynn. I just hope the Placemaker's slogan is not gendered though - "MEN Know How, MEN Can Do" - because so many women are doing home renovation and repair jobs these days. The "Know How" Placemakers provides today should determine if I "Can Do" the job or hire a professional - not determine which of the sexes should do the job.

Thank you for your time in reading my letter today.

Yours sincerely,

Jasmine Christie

(bloody hard work but worth every minute!)

I took a few days off ...

... WORK - yes holidays have been accruing and with the threat of it being taken away I needed to take a few days off. I got a load done, it's amazing what a few extra days either side of the weekend can do for your crafting and house renov/repairs. It should be the norm!

Friday & Monday: I had THE best days and did all my digging, drain-laying, retaining walls etc - I have the best pictures and will post them soon - just once I've drafted my letter to Placemakers - more later... I made malt biscuit fudge with walnuts and raisins, choc icing and KM came round for "tea" later in the day after all my digging. I even managed to finish some knitting - well that's if finding a blocked garment dry = finished! One Debbie Bliss tank and StitchnBitch rolled brim hat for JoeJoe.

Sat: spent with some Knit Rangers on Waiheke Island - doing our bit for WWKIP Day. We ended up at the Ostend Markets, getting piles of queries - especially Craig! I didn't get much knitting done, in fact totally mucked up my silk scarf pattern but I did learn some plain crochet - I'm trying to make knitted bibs from Katia cotton like the Mason-Dixon knitters.

Sat night: I saw watched the All Blacks play England - very nice in the corporate stand, my first and something I could get used too. Quite bizarre was the comment from a white Englishman sitting next to me when Topsy was scoring his first try with that massive run - "Cor that boy looks like he's got the Ku Klux Klan after him" (Topsy is a black pom) - I was dumbstruck and didn't know how to respond other than "huh?".

Sun: terribly hung over I spent the next day "crafting" in Greenhithe with Jenny and Lara. Much sewing was done and I managed to finish my giant wool cushion fronts (ran out of wool for the backside). Just have to find THAT backing .....

I thought I would post this picture of Lara too from Mothers Day - we went to the Breast Cancer Fundraiser "High Tea" at the Heritage with Jenny. She's so cute - and off to Sweden for a couple of months to see the new niece. Travel safe chickie and look after your mother!

Very little knitting content...

I almost forgot to blog about my weekend - and it was pretty spectacular - in fact its Thursday and I've still got a weekend hangover!

Friday: I attended a cocktail function at the Governor General's house in Mt Eden. IT is a lovely place, full of amazing Pacific artists and built on lush gardens (the very ones were Princess Diana was picture will babes Will and Harry and the infamous buzzy bee picture was taken). I met His Excellency the Governor General (that's what we actually have to say which is quite funny considering the idea of a monarchy is so far from most kiwis minds) and the British High Commissioner - he was a funny chap - father was Governor General, grandfather was Governor General, great grandfather was Governor of Leicester - he hardly could become a plumber or a car mechanic! I also had a fabulous conversation about Free Masons formality & the ZONTA group and their respective NZ chapters. Fascinating evening!

Sat: I went with some friends to see Priscilla the Musical which was FAB-U-LOUS. Pink daiquiris in neon flashing martini glasses set the stage at the Civic Theatre. Costumes galore - just amazing stuff - made me want to join the wardrobe department! The wigs were phenomenal too - really high and constructed out of the weirdest stuff like ostrich heads. But the best , the most impressive were the gorgeous young blokes who danced and sang all night in giant wigs, bright plumage and 3 inch heels! Filecia alone (played by Guy Pierce in the movie) wore 4 inch steel stilettos in his entrance. Even Bernadette (nee Raaalph!) wore heels - for a grey-head man than is cool. We headed to Bonito in Ponsonby for one of the girls birthday - the bar is lovely with great (albeit garlicky) tapas and chilled sherry in short glasses YUM!

Sun: I actually stayed in bed for the whole morning writing up my wish list for house projects; it's since be typed into a CHOICE-AS spreadsheet which is my speciality when I'm procrastinating from a report at work. Sunday arvo was with Knit Rangers where I finally came up with a pattern for the silk yarn. I'm about 3/4 through the scarf and notice it really "creases"; I'm not sure if you can / should block silk but I might have to. I'm loving my train commute each day - I really get so much knitting done.

Fresh Tea, I said I would put the Florentines recipe so here it is as I wouldn't want your critters to go hungry this weekend:

• Mix up 2 cups of cornflakes, 1 tin of sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup of sultanas, 1/2 cup of glacie cherries, 1/2 cup of roasted almond pieces.
• Put spoonfuls onto baking paper on a cookie tray. Flatten to preferred size or leave tall and fat. You can make bite size or jumbo size Florentines.
• Bake in moderate oven 180 for about 6-8 minutes - or until they go golden brown. Mine took quite a while - they definitely have to be brown otherwise you get sticky condensed milk in the middle as opposed to caramelized stuff.
• Let Florentines cool on tray then peel them off the baking paper
• Melt dark and/or white chocolate and smother the flat side of each Florentine. You can drag a fork across them to make wavy lines or do 1/2 dark and 1/2 white chocolate pattern.
• I got about 20 jumbo Florentines and they last for about 2 weeks in a plastic container.

I think there are heaps of alternative options for these beauties - I'd like to try cranberry and pine nut or crystallised ginger and raisin. In further baking exploits I've made chocolate, walnut, raisin and malt fudge last night for the trip to Waiheke on Sat - it's Worldwide Knit in Public Day - so a group of us are heading to the Ostend markets.

Hope you have a good weekend - I'm off to do digging and finish the drain-plumbing-sump-trench thingy.

Happy Bubba!

Someone's enjoying their handknits!

Knitting for myself

I managed to finished the old crochet rug and it's the best knee warmer in the house. I loved learning crochet - thanks Arty Farty for the lessons. The rug is a weird shape due to the hexagons and utterly disorganised colouring but I'm tempted to make another one as it's so warm. I think the additional squares on top of older ones provides the double-banger warmth. There are more pictures on flickr.

When I was travelling to Wanganui earlier this year I stopped off in Utiku for a bit of shopping at the Wool Company and got this huge 2kg beehive of natural yarn for $22. It's hard to describe but "lightly spun" might be a good description, and comes in natural brown or white. I've doubled the yarn, using 25mm needles and am knitting up 2 cushions for my spare beds. It's blooming hard work on these broomsticks so I'm only knitting a few rows at a time. I should have enough yarn to make both sides of each cushion - if not I'll have to find a suitable backing. I think some nice shiney shell or light wood buttons will look good with these.

And from the last trip to AlterKnitives, I have knitted up the Debbie Bliss Cotton Silk Aran into 2 cushion fronts. I'm just trying to find the "right" backing fabric to sew them up. I've knitted a large rib ie 10 garter st, 2 purl st and am going to reverse one cushion cover so there is a contrasting texture.
I've also started a scarf for myself from the yarn Emily gave me at the Cross St Carnival - have cast on and frogged a few times now as I can't decide what pattern to do. I'm tempted to try some lacey/holey stuff and will have to have a bit of a looky for an EASY stitch pattern.

Right, now I need to do some work and prep for my log stacking event tonight - hooray for open fires!

Nothing but cakey goodness!!

I struggle to go by a bargin book and I just can't go buy a bargin craft book! A new one this week from House & Garden on sale in Whitcoulls,. It's less detailed than the last one but full of gorgeous ideas. I spotted it primarily for the linen covered table - I want to print my own table clothes as my giant table is proving hard to find a cover that fits.

Last week I decided to break with my traditional habit of buying a craft book and just looking at the pretty pictures - this week I actually made something from it. Baked something from it! Floretines nonetheless! They were incredibily easy considering I always thought they looked really flash. My only suggestion is to flatten them before you put them in the oven. A great treat with coffe, for knitting with or on a tramp - being full of nuts and choc. Look away now if you only have some dodgy gingernuts to ease the sweet tooth this morning.

I spent Sunday afternoon digging a trench to make a sump(??) by the garage ie stop the lawn soaking up all the water from the dodgy spouting. My back was killing me but a florentine and a cuppa remedied a bit. I'm going to spread the task out over th next few weekends - next weekend I have to dig a bit more then shovel scoria, place pipe and then more scoria and top soil.

Thank god florentines last 2 weeks!

I did get a bit of knitting done and will show you some finished and "progressing" items later this week.