I've been busier than I thought

Well, I'm ridiculously pleased with myself:
Voila! the completed sleeve portion of the seashell shrug! Only 6 months in the making... phew. I've been a very responsible little puppy and washed the piece. After 6 months i figure it wouldnt hurt to rinse the dust off it, right?
Yesterday I finished my Moses Fire socks too. Ooh, that pic is blurrier than i thought. Let's just pretend it's the cashmere fuzz, k? They were meant to be for me but i think i need to gift them to a woman at my work who's been just the most amazing source of support over the last month or so. It's not like I've been teaching long enough to have any decent advice or resources to offer her, and i know she'll appreciate them.
Also started a lace shrug on friday. It's going to be for Taph who needs one in October and does not have the lace-is-fun chromosome in her genetic makeup. It was originally going to be in a frugalled coned 3-ply but clearly I am a decadent hedonist because i succumbed and purchased some 2ply cashmere (from here) because it would be so much nicer to knit with... and of course, to wear.
Having finished the red socks i cast on some green ones so I wouldn't be without bus knitting tomorrow morning. It's the Catherine pattern from ravelry using Filati Bacio. I am surprised at this yarn! It's 50/50 wool and ack which is a little too much ack for me usually... but it's a gorgeous yarn.
I love European yarns for this reason; when they use acrylic, it's to improve the yarn. They do it so well! In Australia, ack always gives the impression that it was chucked into the mix because it was cheap. Katia, GGH and Filati... the ack is to improve wear, soften the yarn up, do something special. I respect that. It's the yarn first, you know?
Anyway, my point is - this is a very nice sock yarn and I'm sure it will wear like a dream. And of course the colours are sensational.
Oh, and I finished Francis on Thursday night - mad dash to have something warm to wear on Friday!Photos are not great because, as usual, i dont have a photographer or decent light, but you get the idea. It is my new favourite - so soft, so warm! No seaming! yummeh!

I'm sure there are heaps of other little WIPs running around but that's enough for now. i dont want you all thinking I'm a crazy person.

One week and then it's mid-year holidays! Expect slightly more lucidity soon-ish.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Big clicks to Georgie who added to her family tree on Friday. I wonder who cleaned up on the due-date bets?

ETD

Drum carder is, of course, via the lovely Mandie of EGMTK. She knows her stuff and will find out for you what she doesn't know - go to her :)

I'm a good girl, I am. No, really.

So after several painful days, I've finished writing my reports. blech.

Report writing is a strange art. It's all about saying a lot without saying what you really mean, in a way that kind of gives away what you're really thinking anyway. I bet John Howard would be really great at it.

Quick Report Comments Translations

X is a vocal student who is always prepared to engage in class discussion = X is a mouth on legs and makes me mental.

Y is a very social student = If Y doesnt stop flirting with the guy behind her i may throw up on her shoes.

Unfortunately Z failed to submit any assessment pieces and this is reflected in his grade = Z is a lazy little shit who spends his afternoons smoking questionable substances and watching Futurama.

...needs to remember to be respectful to all teachers in the school = It's very sweet that you behave like an angel for me, but it's a real pain in the arse when you're a bastard to a relief teacher and i have to pick up all the pieces and soothe troubled egos.


Anyway.

There has been knitting (of course). I finished Jacqui's birthday mitts in time and she adores them. I felt a bit of a pang handing them over... I'd make myself a pair but they're the sort of WIP that all the muggles fuss over and I'd have them promised to someone else before the first thumb gusset.

I've also picked up my Seashell Shrug again. It really is a lovely yarn, vintage Country Collection 8 ply crepe. I've finished the shaping on the mid-back of the sleeves and am back to knitting 2x2 rib forever. It's pretty mindless, and oddly therapeutic at the moment, so we'll see. I do intend to finish it, really.

I also realised this week that i never blogged about my self-spoiling a while ago. After the obdm wool day, after i had weighed my profits and thought... i bought myself an ashford fine cloth drum carder.She is soooooooo pretty. Next to her you will notice two clip-lock baggies. These are works in progress. The bag on the far left contains pure angora fluff straight from the bunny's indignant little back, and the other bag contains said angora carded into lush and fluffy batts with the softest, whitest optim wool. I dont know what it will be yet... other than gorgeous. mmmmm.
oh and i have a confused little hyacinth in a vase. I can't work out if it's shy or cold or what. Constipated?
Sorry, I never said this would be a classy blog.

I also did a little dyeing this week because i needed the colour therapy. This is some Moda vera Sentiments Sparkle i confiscated from Taph at the TASDA meeting on Monday night. It's not the nicest yarn in the world but I'm having fun.. and it would make a pretty funky scarf i think.

Oh, and Satan's bunny not like cold. No sir.

Ok, I'm going to go knit 18 and a half inches of maroon rib and watch Law and Order. In case anyone was wondering.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Why you should not leave your computer unattended while working on a comment for a student with an amusing name: Axel is capable of working effectively as part of a larger machine. He constantly greases the wheels of academic progress and contributes to the educational revolution. Without him we would still be riding horses.

Thanks Monkey. Very helpful. :s

WWKIP day

So only three of us showed up? So what!

Presenting my tree cosy

Rachels horn-cuff.
And Jo's leg-warmers... and hysteria
I'd forgotten how much fun it was to be subversive :p

Peace out
Ms Spider xo

PS. Yes, we did look like massive dorks and Jo had to sew the legwarmers onto the sheep which was fairly amusing for me at any rate. And the lables were down to Rachel's organisation...

lots of pics and words - beware!

I am having a strange week. I think the long weekend threw me out a bit. and I may not have quite adjusted to the new bus timetable.
All i want to do is sleep. Monkey keeps teasing me because i fall asleep on the couch, in the car, and according to him 8 oclock is way too early for a self-respecting twenty-something to be in pjs. I can't help it! I think I've lost a little weight too. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Sure, there are some jiggley bits around my middle that i would happily send far far away, but having bits of me depart without warning is fairly... disturbing.
It's probably because when i was a little younger, weight loss was sudden and scary and really hard to stop. i mean i literally lost 8 kilos in a week and i was eating properly... it was weird. and this isnt that - it's probably just the side-effects of working my arse off (literally). but it makes me a little edgy.
and i realise this is totally mental to everyone who heard me complain about gaining weight in the last year or so. Hey, i never pretended i was rational!



I've been a bad blogger too. i cant say quite where the ennui is coming from. I love being able to just vent. i think it's partially ravelry consuming my web hours and making me forget to mention FOs (or even WIPs come to think of it).
there have been a few in the last couple of weeks.
My Mobius Wrap. I wore it to work today and it's ideal - keeps shoulders warm without crowding your arms. it was a total mind-f**k to work out but it only hurt my brain when i tried to think too hard about what i was doing. i dont think i quite understand how the cast-on twists... but it does and so i dont really need to fret too much. I used alternate rows/rounds of two of my hand-painted 8plys (Hydrangea and Wakame)
Another baby surprise jacket. In my fruit tingle colourway. Catherine at work admired the other one I made but her baby is too big for it and I am apparently the worlds biggest sucker. Luckily (ish) the new bus timetable doubles my morning travels so i do get a good deal of knitting time. Still looking for the perfect buttons, might have to wait until Saturday.
What else?
Did i mention that i finally finished the socks for Monkey's Mum? I shouldnt still care but she only got them today so they've been glaring at me for a while.
I started a new cardi in Cleckheaton Country 8ply (and a bit of woolbale where i needed the colours). It's Kaffe Fasset's Floral Jacket from the most recent Vogue Knitting. (this pic is a bit out of date now but you get the idea) It's pretty and I've deliberately gone with a base of Navy because i suspect it will be a little old for me. And my mum LOVES this kind of thing. and her current navy cardigan is... huge. a great big sack that swallows my little midget mother whole. So a cute, retro, slightly fitted one wouldnt hurt. (no promises though - might love it and that would be another matter. at this point it's a process joy rather than a race to the product).
Monkey's little sister turns 16 next week and I am halfway through a pair of endpaper mitts for her. I'm quite enamoured of the one i've produced already - grignasco bambi is such a lovely yarn! She chose the colours and shows definite skill in this area - perhaps i should give her some needles and the leftover yarn as well?
Oh and i did a trade via ravelry which resulted in my having a large quantity of Cleckheaton Merino Spun in the best blue. So I'm making Francis Revisited (rav download). it's such a nice yarn :) too big for bus knitting though. I just want to make a nest out of it and sleep (again with the sleep!)

I just turned around to see Monty climbing around on the top of the couch back. He quickly jumped down and pretended to be merely seat-theiving but we know the truth. Little acrobat. Now he's licking the arm of my couch rather diligently (I wonder what delicious substance I spilt there? He refuses to let me in on the secret and I refuse to lick the couch so i guess we are at an impasse)

This reminds me that the little terrors need to be put to bed and so do I.
Friday tomorrow! Thank Gawd! I think i feel a hackneyed phrase coming on... no, it passed.

Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Hi Caleb. Have you finished your journals yet?

all the meme

apparrently i'm a little stressed.
I hadnt really noticed until the insomnia kicked in and now... it's Saturday and i had the house to myself for most of the day and i have no good reason to be anxious but i am. I sorted the stash. I groomed the bunnies. i finished the socks for Monkey's Mum. I posted excess stash on ravelry. I skeined yarn for dyeing some self-striping 8ply.
I think I might be going crazy (crazier?).
Maybe it's still the effects of healing from the op last week and I'm just expecting too much from myself. But I cant help falling into a head-space which says: I'm always sick with something, I can't take leave for everything and I cant work and be useful at home in the same day when I'm crook.. which feels like always. I spend my weekends trying to catch up on housework and marking and then suddenly it's sunday night and i still feel like i need a weekend. Add to that the guilt of being a total burden to Monkey (i seriously cant remember the last time i cooked dinner and he works as many hours as i do) and constantly piking on plans because I'm either feeling sick or feeling so tired I know i'd be a total buzz-kill... and I'm feeling pretty useless right now.

I have some issues at work at the moment too. The Knitting group i started is going great guns and the kids are mad keen on it. It's one lunchtime a week and they're nagging me to do it more often. We've seen some amazing results already; one girl with huge behavioural problems is sitting quietly and focusing on a crochet square for an entire lunch... this is a kid who has been known to climb out windows on second floor during classes. Another girl who has been really struggling to connect at school... her eyes just lit up! She's a natural, she had a scarf by the next meeting. It's just great, the kids get so much out of it it feels really important.
but apparently it's not important enough for the school to deem it worthy to cover the odd playground duty for me so i can run it regularly. not only wont they cover it, they make me chase people to swap duties with me.
I know it seems like a tiny thing but it's just so... typical. All we ever hear is "we really appreciate you donating your time/we need volunteers/we need your enthusiasm/we need you to take initiative and use your specialist skills to help the school and the students/helps to make things run smoothly/supervise concert, social, P&C night etc etc" and then the next thing is "oh you have an extra in your only line off today/have you done enough hours/we wont cover a duty for something you're choosing to do".

cough

ok, maybe my stress does have a root. No bloody wonder there's such a high drop out rate for new teachers.

Now, because it's too dark to take proper pics of recent FOs, I'm going to do the meme that has been doing the rounds.


1) What was I doing ten years ago?
I was halfway through term two of year 8. I was madly in love with a boy called Sam and my favourite class was Art. My favourite song was Foolish Games by Jewel (before she went skanky) and I never missed an episode of Dawson's Creek (thought Dawson was a tool but wanted to kiss Pacey).

2) What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?
Dye self-striping yarn for a commission BSJ. List yarn on Ravelry. Finish socks for Monkey's Mum. bi-annual stash toss. blog.

3) Snacks I enjoy?
salt and vinegar chips are my oldest friend. I also love minties and redskins (but not while my mouth is still hurty). Tsatsiki and corn chips. Sashimi with soy and a really fresh wasabi.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire?
Hmm. Pay off house. extend house so Monkey has room as well as my stash and maybe space for kidliwinkles one day. Pay off car. Get hitched. Restock the school library with textbooks that arent growing fungi. Retire early and set up a yarn store/ book store / cafe with classes on spinning, knitting and specialist techniques and really good chairs. Fund research into alternate fuel sources. am i broke yet?

5) Places I have lived?
I lived in my parents' house in Qbn for 21 years, my bundah home for nearly 2. I realise I am very, very lucky to have moved only once.

6) Jobs I have had?
Sales assistant in Childrenswear department of Target. Sales assistant at Kookai. Volunteer at St Vinnies. Sales assistant at Hidden Treasures, little womens boutique in the Woden Hospital (HELL). Sales assistant at ReVamp in Qbn, selling antiques and collectables. Am now an English teacher at a Canberra High School.

7) Peeps I want to know more about?
Elizabeth Zimmerman, Jane Austen, Eleanor Farjeon, Ringo, Marilyn Monroe. If you want to be tagged and have get to do this then go forth, but I ain't tagging anyone.


Peace,
Ms Spider

nothing but the tooth

hello all! it's the third day and I'm feeling a little more human. My mouth isnt actively bleeding anymore and i'm allowed to eat food that is warm and requires chewing again. this is a Good Thing TM. Spider cannot live on custard alone!
i also have a new favourite painkiller - prodeine forte. it stops things hurting AND makes me sleep. this wins it many points because usually my trouble sleeping affects my recovery time. Now, for once, I'm sleeping right through the night and it's Monkey who's taking spells on the couch (maybe I snore when sedated? i should be more sympathetic but after 23 years of chronic insomnia I'm not that upset by someone having a few restless nights).

wow, pain maketh me meanish!
shake it out Spidey!

In my drug induced haze I have managed to complete some knitting... and how!
presenting the Bell Sleeved Jacket by Daniel Adamczyk. I used just over 13 balls of Cleckheaton Country 8ply and I chose not to knit the belt - I'm going to get a nice wide piece of satin ribbon to tie it with. I am really happy with it - it's just so pretty! It is very fitted and quite busy - it really needs to be the focus piece of an outfit so it's not an everytday thing. Was great fun to knit and didnt take me too long - just over a month i think?

I did also take a pic of the inside of my mouth - complete with tooth hole, stitches and injection sites but Taph informs me it is much too horrific so i'll keep it to myself.

I was actually completely terrified by the operation. it might have had something to do with fasting all day and being left alone in a room with no clock in a hospital gown for what felt like ages...
and i am apparently a complete geek. When i was recovering, the lovely anesthetist told me that when i went out i muttered 'The drugs are quick" and when i woke up they gave me my tooth in a jar and I said (to the tooth) "take that, you bastard!" and then passed out again.
I have no recollection of either of these events but they amused Monkey a good deal.

right now my biggest concern is that i have to stay home for two more days and i have no idea what to knit...

Peace out
Ms Spider

resolution is relief

So a few of you may remember my dramas last year with the tooth from hell? Well, my appointment to have it out wasnt til June and it's flared up again. So I've been a bit crippled, drinking tea on one side of my head and still getting the explosive pain that is an infected root.. ugh.

anyway, managed to (finally) see my dentist who freaked a little, showered me with scripts for antibiotics and got me an appointment with a different (and way more efficient) oral surgeon today... who managed to fit me in for Saturday! (i love efficient people... who just say "let me check now" not "here's 12 numbers to choose from, maybe call one?" because when I'm in pain I don't follow directions well)
I'm actually kind of.. excited. I know that sounds weird but the pain is excruciating and i want it to GO AWAY. I am having the tooth out because my mouth is crowded anyway and it's at the end of the line. I won't be allowed back to work til Thursday next week and Monkey gets a carers cert to look after me for 2 days. and i kind of need a mental health day anyway so I'm sure more than just my mouth can heal in that time :) so after the initial 2 or 3 days of feeling shitty I'm hoping I'll get some knitting time :)

In more interesting news, the market of yarn whoredom was on Sunday and our stall rocked! we had so many lovely people come and chat, old friends and new and we all had the bestest time. I totally want to do it again - Fibre day anyone?

I'm a little spaced out (tooth pain make me stoopid) so i cant think if i have any other interesting news or pics...

ooh! i bought a drum carder from Mandie! She is awesome and helpful and didnt tease me when i said i felt like i was propositioning her :D more about it when it arrives. But if you need help with Ashford or Louet you MUST contact her. Most helpful and idiot-proof (believe me!).

off to take my antibiotics (damn those biotics, who invited them anyway?)

Peace out
Ms Spider