amonik

Just a PSA: It's not a good idea to carry one's cloth menstrual pads in the same pocket as one's little fabric coin purse. Because pulling out the wrong thing to pay for one's obscene amounts of chocolate is a little embarrassing.

This is the first year that my husband and I will spend Christmas Eve together, and we're spending it with his family.  Then I go back to work, so we're not going to see my family until after New Year's.  I've missed W a lot the last couple of Christmasses, and I really like his family, but I can't help worrying that it won't feel like a real Christmas without my birth family and our traditions. Silly.
W and I are working on establishing our own traditions though - we brewed glögg for the fourth time this year, and for the first time actually got a Christmas tree! It's a tiny tree, but a real one, and I found some tiny balls for it and a small star for the top. Also, I've made a Christmas apron, and worn it a lot this month.
( See me all blurry! Without the hangover! ).

I love Christmas.  And now the only necessary preparations left is to pack for going away, I'm ready to relax and enjoy it.

I started socktoberfest by knitting some baby booties, since I didn't have the material I wanted for my planned projects.  Then the yarn, wool and dyes arrived, and the result can be seen here, although not very well



The big socks are for my husband, and the smaller stripy ones for me. The booties will be for other people's babies - they go into the 'presents' box until they're needed. The yarn is my first proper spinning project - 300 g of Bluefaced Leicester top, dyed and spun by me to a fingering weight 3-ply. 

I'm still knitting socks, and spinning sock yarn.  I finished my first pair from the orange handspun today, and started a pair of Trekking socks in blues and greens. The spinning is an undyed BFL/silk blend, so I'll dye it to a nice solid when it's done.

I've got my spinning wheel and have been busy spinning some fibre samples from Wingham Wool Work.  My favourite is the Bluefaced Leicester and Silk tops, a combed preparation of natural light brown wool with light yellow silk. It makes a soft, strong yarn with a subtle kind of lustre.
Since all I want to make right now are socks and sock yarn, I've decided to join Socktoberfest 2008.  I have ordered supplies, and plan to knit stockings for me and socks for my husband, dye wool and spin sock yarn.  I have cheated of course, and already knit a pair of socks for me with some of the sample yarns (combined with Opal Uni), and am currently working on a pair of stockings (purple, with a cable/rib pattern).  The wool sock season has already started here, so there is need.  Especially for W of course, he wears them out so quickly!  I have also practised my darning technique a little lately. I still have a hard time when there are actual holes, but if it's only threadbare areas, I do fine.
Right now, I have a sneaky cold that is making me sleep long nights and most of the day without exhibiting many other symptoms (had a fever for a few hours), so it's very comforting to sit with a sock in front of the computer or radio.

The work thing has solved itself more or less.  I've been working much too much this summer, but starting this week I'll be on a normal schedule.  Well, as normal as it gets when you take care of other people for a living - I'll work only nights, and every other weekend.
To reward myself for the lost summer, I'm going to buy a spinning wheel! The Symphony, it's at the bottom of the page.  I'll probably order it from another vendor though, where the price is better. 
The planning for this autumn is all about fun - now that I have a job, I know I'll have money for yarn, and fabric, and wool, and medievalist events, and I'm looking forward to it all immensely.

And if you're on my friend's list, I'm reading.  I'm just too dull to comment much or update my own journal. Here are some things that have happened recently:

W and I got married on the 26th of April.  The ceremony (not religious) was at my parents' house.  It was very relaxing to be there and let them take care of everything.  I finished the dress about an hour before we left home to go to their house, but that was the day before so it felt ok.  It was a lovely wedding day, and yes, there is enough time to be quite touched during a three-minute ceremony.  Apparently everyone didn't think so, because afterwards we had a toast and my nephew (5 yrs old) piped up: "But when are they getting married?"  Then we had dinner, talking, and cake.  The kids (my nephews and two of Ws nieces) played nearly non-stop from about three o'clock till eleven, when it was time to go home.

The next weekend, we had a party for friends.  Again, we got so much help we could just enjoy ourselves, and things went off  without a hitch (except we had somehow managed to miss three people on the guest list and had to squeeze in some extra places).  Of course there was too little time to talk to people properly, but then it's always like that at large parties.

I've changed my name.  I don't want to write it here since it's quite unusual, but for those who know us, I now have W's last name, with my old last name as a middle name.  I got the papers back yesterday, so now I just have to get a new passport, bank card, library card etc etc.

Last week I worked two days, and this week I've worked two nights, at an old folks' home.  I haven't worked with old people before, so most things are new, and I feel very green compared to the other people who work there.  The days are fun, when you actually get to talk to the old people a little, and the work is more varied.  At night, it's mostly help with toilet-related matters, and some people who are restless and need some comforting.  It's interesting to see how it affects the body, being up all night.  Even though I'm up and working with my body, metabolism slows so I don't have to eat much at all, and the circulation slows so my feet are quite swollen when I get home and I get aches in my legs.  I'll be working some nights this summer, filling in for people on vacation, and extra whenever they need it.  It's too far away to work there all the time though, so I'm looking for more work closer to home.

The work situation could be better, but otherwise everything is good.  I'm trying to go back to normal hours right now, so I'm tired, but I only have to do a little paperwork and cook dinner today, so it shouldn't be a problem.

I've decided to quit my job, yay!  I need to start looking for a new one, boo.  And that's all I'm going to write about that on the internet.

I got the materials for my wedding dress yesterday, and thanks to some help from 

bippimalin the pattern is done and fits fine.  It's the first time I'm working with silk, so this will be interesting, to say the least.  I think the fabric will work well with the style (plain fitted bodice, circle skirt), and I've made a prototype dress, so it should be ok.

I'm reading Doris Lessing's Canopus in Argos series.  And I can't think of anything to say about it.  Not because it's not interesting.  It may be that I'm just in an undecisive mood - but then, see the two previous paragraphs.

Overall, I'm very well.  Most days, I'm happier than I've been in a long time.

The nice little manageable cold I mentioned last week has turned obstinate.
Allright, I just deleted a long paragraph of unnecessary detail, and will sum it up: I keep going back-and-forth between severe cold with possibly a light fever, just being a little tired and sneezy, and feeling quite fine. And it's very annoying.
At least I'm knitting, and listening to excellent books from librivox. 

Some more squares for the Learn-To-Knit Afghan

Other news: I have a cold and can't go to work. I'm not terribly ill, just not well enough to work a whole day, so it's actually quite pleasant. Except for the phlegm.

I'm starting to feel better, sleep better, and have more energy. From today, we are no longer understaffed at work, which will help.

I've been knitting a lot on the Learn-To-Knit Afghan by Barbara Walker.  I'm not sure it would have been a good project for me when I was a new knitter - I was a rather slow learner.  Now though, it's so much fun!  I knit a little square of one pattern, and then I get to do something else! And it's portable, and will all add up to a nice big useful thing once I'm done. It's not going to be a little lap-blanket like I thought at first. It's going to be a bedspread for our double bed! Not a problem, since we don't have one. I had meant for this to be my bus knitting, but I have liked it so much I've been working on it at home too, and already finished about half the squares.

I got the pattern for my wedding shawl last Monday  - It's the Spring Shawl from Heirloom Knitting (the company, not the book).  I ordered the yarn and pattern at the same time, but they were sent in different packages. I'm hoping I get the yarn today or tomorrow, so I can get started this weekend. The pattern is nice and detailed, with some lovely close-up photos of the shawl that makes me really look forward to knitting it.

I've been really tired for the last few weeks, and sleep badly most nights.  W says I'm snoring a lot, so that may have something to do with it.  I have no idea why.  I haven't had the energy to do large things like organise my room, sew more skirts (I wear the same skirt for work every day - the only one with pockets - so it would be really good to have another one), sort through the big closet, etc.
Instead, I've been knitting, and actually finished a few things! I've made a squid hat for our god-daughter (is that the right word?), and a watermelon hat which will probably also be for her.  I've nearly finished the green cardigan, it needs to be washed so I know how big the buttonholes turn out before I can pick out the buttons for it.  Hopefully I'll get some use out of it before summer is over.  
Last night I actually pulled myself together and finished the hems, buttonholes and buttons on a grey-and-purple patterned cardigan that I started at least 18 months ago.  Too bad I had 7 buttons and 8 buttonholes...  They were new buttons, so it shouldn't be a problem getting another.  It's really warm, so I won't need it for at least two months.
My next knitting project is Elizabeth Zimmermanns Baby Surprise Jacket, but I'm waiting for my copy of Knitting Workshop before I can start it. I've got the yarn - it's the leftovers from the green cardigan, with a couple of contrast colours of the same yarn (white and a lighter green).  It seems like an interesting knit, I'm looking forward to it.

The pigeons finally took a break from breeding, so I could clean the balcony.  After filling a huge garbage bag with mostly poop, that whole "live in the country and have hens" fantasy I had seems much less appealing.  W is going to make a new owl drawing to keep birds away (the last one worked very well, but it fell down and we didn't notice).
In other news, I've been home with a cold for a few days, and spent most of the time knitting.  One sleeve and an all-round border left, and then I'll have a bright green little cotton cardigan.  Part of my project to start wearing more colour.  I need more summer cardigans, so it will be good to have.  I just hope it shrinks in the wash at the same rate as my swatch, or it won't fit.

From MSN Lifestyle - referring to wedding budgets.


"4. Engraving Savings
Instead of having invitations engraved, use thermography, a less-expensive process that produces similar results. "

I'm guessing it would still cost more than our entire wedding.

I was in London last Thursday - Tuesday.  We had a hen party for an old friend from school on Saturday, and the rest of the time I spent doing very typical touristy London things that I haven't done before (I've only been there once before and was very short of money at the time).  I went shopping in Camden Town and Oxford Street, and took a nice long walk through Hyde Park, Green Park and St James' Park to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. Then I took advantage of the opportunity to drink good cider for nearly nothing, and stuffed myself with salt and vinegar crisps. Unfortunately, we went out to bars and a club, so there wasn't much good beer. I'm more of a pub person. Overall, it was a great trip. The hen party was a success too - the bride was very surprised when she expected her boyfriend to come home from work, and four friends from Sweden were outside the door instead!

The pattern is in the book A Gathering of Lace, and is designed by Hazel Carter. I knit it in Merino Laceweight  that I got from Heirloom Knitting, on 1.5 mm Inox circulars (also bought from HK). It was the most advanced knitting I've done so far, and very much fun. It helped that the instructions in the book were very good and easy to follow.  Changes I made: I didn't bother to check gauge. I knit and blocked a swatch to make sure the yarn worked with the pattern and I liked the result. The finished stole is a little smaller than the pattern says, about 180 cm long - not very surprising since the yarn I used is thinner than the suggested one. 
I started it January 25th and finished on May 30th, but I didn't work on it the whole time.  After half of the edging I took a long time out.

These aren't all the babies - she had fourteen of them! Do fourteen eggs even fit under one duck? Perhaps we're seeing duck daycare here. Or the little fuzzballs had a playdate. W took the photo.

Testing the flickr+LJ thing. The baby pigeons have turned pre-teen and shy, so we can't get a picture of them now :-(

After working two extra nights, I've finally reached the end of the work week, and don't have to go back until Wednesday! I'm going to knit on my friend's wedding shawl (I don't know if she'll wear it for the wedding, but it will be her present, and I'll give it to her beforehand so she can use it then if she wants to), continue my experiments with tomato bread, and if W wakes up before the shops close today we're going shopping for a digital camera. We've been saving up for one for ages, and we want to take pictures of the baby pigeons on the balcony before they leave the nest. Then we want them to leave the nest fast so we can clean the balcony and be able to use it.
And then of course there is laundry, because apparently I love it so much I do laundry whenever I get the chance... If we ever have children they'll have to wear paper and plastic disposable clothing until they can do their own laundry. Since they inherit the clumsy gene from me *and* W, dirt will be sucked loose  from the ground and jump onto their clothes while they're sleeping in their pram.

We got the hot water back last Monday (which is why I haven't been whining since then - too busy taking baths). W fooled me for about two seconds this morning when he said it was gone again. I'm not a good joker, so I don't usually fool anyone. The local newspaper had a good piece about moving the opera house, and since I never seem to get too old for potty humour I love Google's joke.
We went through the stuff in our storage area today, and a lot less than I expected was damaged by the water leak. Sometimes procrastination is good - I've had a box of old papers and books in my room for about six months that I meant to move down there, and if I had it would have been ruined. It's mostly uni stuff, so if I ever go back to finish my degree I might need it.

We've got cold water, yay! I've filled up most of our large containers just in case they turn it off again. The most annoying thing now is that we need to take everything out of our storage room. It's in the cellar, and that's where the water leak was, so anything that stands on the floor is wet. Most of it is things that should be thrown away anyway, and nothing is valuable, but I really don't look forward to the work. Whine whine blah blah blah.