Extemes in the mail

This is the wristwarmer I started while visiting family in Atherton, QLD. I'm halfway through the second one and have been wondering whether I should give them to a friend whose birthday is coming up this weekend. This is a somewhat familiar dilemma: my desire to give a special gift takes priority over my desire to own yummy knitted stuff myself. After ruminating on this for a couple of days, I've decided to keep them for me, and buy my friend a good book. Feels like a good decision... (Here's me peeking into the neighbour's yard!)


The next issue is whether the black mohair (I'm knitting these with a strand of DK and a strand of mohair per colour) will go the distance. I should have divided it into two equal balls before I started, but oh well. Perhaps I will just leave it out, once it runs out, and then I'll have slightly mismatched wristwarmers made entirely with yarn from my stash, which will still feel quite satisfying, I believe...

And look what I've got in my hot little (fuzzy) hands - the premiere issue of mix tape zine! (And note the dishes done! But I confess, not by me, by a friend - thanx Jane!)

I've been reading the blogs of the editors, Nichola and Justine, saw that they were putting it together, and decided to buy it. I love that it's so local - they're both based in Melbourne - and combines craft / life with kids / recipes / enviro stuff. Haven't read it all yet - I'm savouring it! Nichola and Justine met up through blogland, found out they lived near each other, and became fast friends. I think that is so cool - so cool when the internet helps forge local connections, rather than perpetuating global loneliness...

Talk about extremes - on the same day I received this delicious zine, I also got hit with a speeding ticket! Didn't know whether to wriggle excitedly or swear and moan... Haven't paid the ticket yet. I have to psych up for these things. It's particularly galling, because... here's the saga! I was clocked 8km over the limit at 5am while I was heading to the airport a couple of weeks ago (to head up north). $138 for that, thankyou, come again! I knew I was speeding, but I was following my cousin, who had half of our luggage in her car, and I knew that if we got split up, it was going to be tricky finding her again at the airport. So she's hooning along, and it was all I could do to stick on her tail. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to wake up! My lesson is, next time, get my Mum, who was with me in the car, to ring her to ask if she could slow down a little. And now that I've copped this fine, I bloody hope she has too!!! (Just kidding, Kelli... well, half-kidding!)

Been away...

Just spent twelve rather impromptu days in Atherton, near Cairns. We'd planned to go up for a bit of a holiday later in the year but then my grandmother became sick, so it made sense to move it forward. Anyway, the long and short of it is that I haven't had any internet access for the whole time and therefore haven't been able to update this little blog. My previous post, dated only yesterday, was actually a draft from before I left that was just awaiting a few photos. Thought I'd post it anyway, even if it is late!

I took some knitting with me but didn't get to do much. For the first week I had the two kids to deal with by myself, with a bit of help from my dad, who travelled up with us. Felt like I hardly had time to scratch myself, let alone think of knitting! Once my partner arrived later, I was able to start a wrist warmer. Actually, I almost finished it, but I was hoping to finish perhaps two pairs, one for me and one for a friend! Slightly ambitious, for me anyway. I never seem to be able to accomplish as much as I would like to.

It was also more of a blokey space up there - we hung out a lot with my dad and his two brothers and my grandfather and my brother. Not to say blokes aren't crafty, but simply that the space tended more naturally towards backyard cricket, which is hardly my forte but I played anyway and enjoyed the run around!

Sorry for not having any photos to post, but we only got back early this morning (1am) and I really wanted to just get something up here...