Sunday, 28 June 2009

unbustling

The bay is very, very still tonight.


So very still that you can see the reflection of the underside of Anzac Bridge in it.

Should have really grabbed the decent camera, but it was quite brisk out there!

Winter nights like this are so lovely, if only I had a fire pit or one of those cafe-style gas heaters, I'd be out amongst it with a glass of wine and my knitting.

All this quasi-suburban calm reminds me why I shudder at the thought of going back to Potts Point or Lizzie Bay to live. I think this is what could be referred to as embracing middle age.

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Saturday, 27 June 2009

hottest 100 of all time: don

Don's statement: I tried to be competitive as well as honest. Unfortunately, I think this list fails both. Nonetheless, if I was forced to choose ten songs to spend the rest of my life with, I'd be quite happy with these

My Bloody Valentine: Only Shallow
R.E.M: Radio Free Europe
Radiohead: Paranoid Android
Arcade Fire: Wake Up
Yo La Tengo: Blue Line Swinger
Sonic Youth: Teen Age Riot
The The: Uncertain Smile
Pixies: Debaser
Pavement: Range Life
Modest Mouse: Trailer Trash

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elemental (examining my crazy)

SEATED on a small couch in her Park Slope apartment, drinking tea and wearing a muted dress of lavender and brown, Julie Metz appears to be a tranquil and composed slip of a thing. This is impressive, since she is recalling the time after her husband’s death, when, learning of the five women with whom he’d had affairs, she tracked them down, called and confronted them, and tore their little hearts out. nytimes

It's rare that I link to news articles, but I really I had such a visceral reaction to this that I couldn't resist, even if it is just to examine my reaction to it. I think you should go and read it, I'll wait ...

My reaction is, of course, adverse - for all manner of reasons (some of which some of you may be aware). Tracked them down and confronted them, and tore their little hearts out.

What an utterly loathesome cow.


I am also examining my ridiculously extreme reaction to one of those blogs over there <--. That chicky who tries ever so hard to be so poetic and artsiful (and whom I generally quite like), but who constantly misspells a couple of very basic words (quite ruining the artsiful effect) and it drives me absolutely batshit crazy when I read them. Deep down I know this is wrong and that I am a judgemental witch (orders of magnitude better than a loathsome cow, hmmm ... perhaps I can adopt "Julie Metz" as the ultimate term of derision), so I leave the blog over there and in my reader as a challenge to myself and hope that I will let it slip on by, but it never slips on by.

Please, dear reader, if you see something misspelled (and which is not obviously deliberate or one of those plentiful typos), please, please let me know. Honestly, I won't be sad, rather I will thank you profusely, because I'd really rather not look like an idiot.

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hottest 100 of all time: dfkan

Too sick to come up with some witty one liner. Bands she has enjoyed over her life.

A Perfect Circle: The Hollow
Muse: Map Of The Problematique
Nine Inch Nails: The Perfect Drug
Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit
Placebo: Running Up That Hill
Radiohead: Paranoid Android
Rammstein: Reise, Reise
Red Hot Chilli Peppers: Otherside
The Smashing Pumpkins: Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Tool: Stinkfist

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fuzzy

Okay, I now have a flickr account for all of those artful iphone snaps. Best of all, I managed to score the www.flickr.com/photos/carolbaby URL.

But that is not going to stop me posting them here for a while:


Corner of George and Liverpool. I don't understand it either.


On the way to work


Tree on the way to work


I thought wattle day was in August?

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hottest 100 of all time: carol

Bloody hell, that was difficult (lots of awesome stuff was cut). I tried to go with songs that had some sort of personal anecdote to go with them - except for Nirvana, that song is there because it is awesome.

Really, if I had to have my favourite 10 songs of all time, I daresay none of these would be in it.

Arcade Fire: Wake Up
Band of Horses: The Funeral
Jane's Addiction: Been Caught Stealing
Modest Mouse: Bukowski
Nirvana: In Bloom
PJ Harvey: Dress
The Prodigy: Smack My Bitch Up
The Sisters of Mercy: More
Violent Femmes: Kiss Off
LCD Soundsystem: Losing My Edge

I'd have to say that the Triple J schedule of announcing the Hottest 100 (over a week? During work hours?) is completely and utterly ridiculous. How on earth is one supposed to have a Hottest 100 party?

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hottest 100 of all time: bess

Rather less obviously going for the win than Joe/Frank.

I voted for some classics, but not necessarily favourites

Oasis: Wonderwall
Oasis: Morning Glory
Eskimo Joe: Sweater
Eskimo Joe: Who Sold Her Out
Jet: Are you gonna be my girl?
John Butler Trio: Zebra
Spiderbait: Buy Me A Pony
Spiderbait: Black Betty
The Avalanches: Frontier Psychiatrist
Ben Folds Five: One angry dwarf and 200 solemn faces

(I love the 13 year old girl definition of classics)
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hottest 100 of all time: joe/frank

Joe/Frank's tips.

From his email: NB: Voted for favorites that I knew and liked.

Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit
Radiohead: Creep
Led Zeppelin: Stairway to Heaven
Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody
Pearl Jam: Alive
Silverchair: Tomorrow
AC/DC: It's A Long Way To The Top (if You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)
Franz Ferdinand: Take Me Out
Crowded House: Don't Dream Its Over
Guns N' Roses: Sweet Child O' Mine

As Don pointed out, Joe/Frank's choices are "calculated". Definitely going for the win.
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Friday, 26 June 2009

the half anniversary misty hat

Dishy Boss pointed out to me that it was my six month wedding anniversary on Saturday. I'm really pleased that he is looking out for all my important dates for me, because I truly had no idea. As I said on twitter - the 3rd marriage is like the 3rd child, you don't fill in the baby book, don't take as many photos1 etc.

Because of this ... ahem ... auspicious occasion, I decided that the jacques cousteau hat would be a half anniversary gift. "Baby, I am so utterly full of love that I crafted you this quite difficult hat! What do you mean you didn't get me anything?"


Should really have left it like this - nice airhole at the top.


Ends need weaving in.

I will take a proper photo with an actual camera in the daylight. It's super-warm and wonderfully soft.

And might I say that the recipient is utterly thrilled with it and thinks I'm a crafting genius.

Once I got to double pointed needles it was quite difficult, I'm not accustomed to jusggling(TM Harriet) all those needles. I occasionally dropped stitches which was somewhat frustrating and overall, my stitches are nowhere near as even as I would ordinarily tolerate (I think this is being not really used to the circular needle, I'm much more satisfyingly even on straight ones).

I'd also make the body something like 18cm, rather than the suggested 20cm and I'd finish up a row or two before the 12 remaining stitches (can have somewhat of a pointy crown, which I've seen in some of the photos around on the internets). Luckily I have all of these learnings, because I'm planning another hat from the same pattern in a rather nice green Lincraft brand cosy wool, I think I need more knitting practice before I embark upon the jumper.

And on the subject of crafting, how pretty is the purl bee? I don't know what it is, (the light? the colours?) but it is so visually pleasing. Makes me want to chuck in the job and stay at home all day and make pretty things.

1 although this is not strictly true as there are probably equally as many (if not more) pix of Bess than her siblings

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Tuesday, 23 June 2009

tuesday, 23 june 2009 (no, i couldn't think of a title)

I apologise if I am boring you utterly with my winters-ish melancholy iphone snaps, but you're just going to have to deal until I tire of it. And hey, just be thankful that I am not forcing ALL of the pix I take upon you!


Look!


Yet another building through the bare branches. Harris Street.


While looking, unsuccessfully, for Space 1999 interior shots, I stumbled across this spectacular dedication to thematic decorating. That is some hardcore fibreglass.


I really do need to stop purchasing articles of clothing which do not suit me at all, but which are on sale. It doesn't happen a lot (because I tend not to purchase a lot of clothing), but when it does happen, I really go all out. For example, the most recent, a review1 dark grey knitted top with puffy short sleeves and a bow at the neck. It was like 85% off. Bargain!

But I have very straight shoulders and anything with puffy sleeves makes me appear to be wearing enormous shoulder pads, a la Krystal Carrington (or those hipster kiddies at the Deerhunter gig on Saturday night). I wore it once, realised how perfectly ghastly it looked and it has been in the cupboard since (no, I don't know what the hell I was thinking either).

It did take a photo of myeslf in the hideous garment, but really it does not convey the full unflattering horror of it, so will spare you.

This evening I was attempting to re-fashion it by chopping the sleeves off and removing the bow, but really I should just charity-bin it with a big lesson learned.

Actually, I think I'm going to put it in the cast off bag for the charity bin it right now.

Bye, bye ghastly shirt.

1No idea what happened to the website, perhaps they have a strange new unintuitively named URL that I cannot work out.

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ein kleines spiel cup perpetual trophy award for excellence: 2009 week (something) week 13

I'll just paste the text from Don's email here:


A big week to report as Joe/Frank and I post perfect rounds in the NRL! And Dfkan and Bess finally break the 100 barrier!

Thing are tightening up at the top (I'm not out of it yet!). And Dfkan maintains her death grip on the wooden spoon.

Carol: 143
Joe/Frank: 140
Don: 136
Bess: 108
Dfkan: 101


Stupid Broncos.

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Monday, 22 June 2009

nobody can stop the photos...

I do need to get myself a flickr account for these iphone pix.


Do they define gang borders? Identify a brothel?


On the way to work this morning. Muddy. I had to tiptoe around it.

Also, much less artful and melancholy:


Giant! mushroom! (boney girl hand for scale) I now know that giant mushrooms are rather overrated.


In crafting news, because I'm sure you are all dying to know where I am up to:

Don's hat is coming along nicely and it was gratifying to get it to a length where I could test it that it fit around his head (the circular needle being smaller than most heads). It was even more gratifying that when I shoved it on his head, it fit.

Can or should one block a hat, I wonder?

It is pretty cool to knit on circular needles (although again, talk to me when I am at the decreases). Not nearly as fast as crochet, but I think rather more pleasant to look at.

I have a pair of knee high rainbow-striped socks (shut up) which unfortunately have toes which are beyond all repair (having repaired them so many times that all is left are repairs and not too much original sock). I really do like this tutorial which might see their redemption from unwearable into the long desired arm warmers. Only for hauswear of course. I say that with all good intentions, but then I just wore the Big! Orange! Jumper! out to the shop. See what this hippy suburb has done to me! Next I'll be going without shoes, hazelblackberry style.

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Friday, 19 June 2009

hazy shade of

That side of the Harbour might be 57 kinds of evil, but it has some rather wonderful buildings in the style I am utterly in love with.








And their evil footpaths are so much nicer than ours. You could have gone with sandstone, Clover! Why the godsawful slippery grey marble everywhere? WHY?!?!?





And, rounding off the artful iPhone pix, rain on poor wee Bav's window last evening on the way home from shopping:



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Thursday, 18 June 2009

idle hands

Winter time activities in the Don and Carol haus:


I'm working on this hat for Don. The first time I have knitted in the round. Using Patons Merino Totem DK and 3.75mm needles (cast on 120 stitches). Worried that it may end a little small, but can't shove it on Don's head as yet, because the circular needle is smaller than his head. I'm not averse to frogging it, so it is an excellent experiment even if I have to start again.


Don uses his fave new tool. The edge pro knife sharpener! He imported it from Oregon and I don't even want to know how much it cost (which is why I am not going to search for a link, because I might find out how much it cost). But the knives cut through things (that are not butter) like butter. He is, however, running out of knives - we may have to raid St Vinnies for practice implements.

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Wednesday, 17 June 2009

the evil side of the harbour

Today, I escaped the confines of Marie Celeste and journeyed to North Sydney for training.

It was rather gloomy out.









Dishy Boss is quite kindly letting me stay on for the advanced course on Friday. Which is awesome. Learnin' is all kinds of cool.

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Sunday, 14 June 2009

sunday sunday sunday

Rainy, lazy day where not a lot in particular occured, but where we did go out and get a new modem/wireless access point (a single device to replace the two utterly craptacular ones) - which is all kinds of fabulous! And finally we have an actual operational haus network, which we've not really had for the past couple of years.

There was also much cooking, which is always a lovely thing indeed, well except for the jerky that Don and Bessie insist on making when the babies are here. Everyone raves about it, I think it smells icky and decline to sample it. Don says I will be screwed when the end of civilisation comes and they are feasting on the jerky they have stockpiled. I say that is the point at which I embrace a vegetarian lifestyle.


I had all good intentions of starting this utterly lovely hat for Don this weekend, but don't seem to have done so (although technically it is still the weekend, so there is time to at least cast on, I somehow doubt this will happen).

Disappointing because I made a special effort to leave the office to go get the wool and circular needle, but, hey, I did at least get out of the office - so there was postive benefit. And by golly, did I need to leave the office after the staff meeting on Friday! I really don't think I can bear to go into the full details of the horror. It is enough to say that there was an older gentleman (benefit of the doubt) singing "If I were a rich man" and shimmying in accompaniment - not sure when any of us will recover. Truly, it was just like being back in the days of Marie Celeste at the most ghastly.

Speaking of hats, I may have misplaced hat#3 on on the bus on Friday evening, either that, or it is on my desk, hopefully the latter.


Meanwhile, enjoy my other winter comfort jumper:

Somewhat more subtle than the Big! Orange! Jumper! As mentioned in the comments, a USS Independence sweater, gifted from an old boyfriend around 17 years ago. Also mentioned in the comments, I wear it with irony.


I've decided to scatter the more pleasing (to me at least) photographs that I've twitterered throughout the blog because twitter seems to very transient.

So here is the first: view from my pillow, just before flicking off that light.


Yes, it is a touch lamp. Yes, I do find that appalling. What can I say? It was here when I moved in.


Am drinking hot chocolate. Really needed a warm drink for the evenings and infusions lack that certain satisfying, warming effect. I really feel as though they are more of a summer drink, I (at least) find them very light and refreshing (except for Dr Stuarts, which you'd drink at those times you hate your very existence and want to punish yourself). The hot choc is rather wonderful, although I can't see it having a very positive effect on the figure. But hey, curves are tres chic and appealing to boys? non?


Purchased because it didn't appear to have any humectants (not that I know if drinking chocolate ordinarily contains humectants) or thickeners or fillers or flavour 624 (no, I don't know if there is an actual flavour 624, but I daresay there is) or other crap in it.


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Saturday, 13 June 2009

stuffing our faces: w/c 120609

The Don and Carol (and babies) Menu: week commencing 12 June 2009 (edited 140609)

Friday:   Nige's Roast Chicken wings with lemon and cracked pepper - and baby spinach (yes, we did have list last Friday night too - it's delicious and simple and we all love it)
Saturday:   Pasta Bakey thing (essentially, lasagne with bechamel sauce, where any sort of pasta shape [in this instance, liscio piccolo 40] is substituted for lasange sheets) and Kerry Apple cake with double cream - Dfkan is coming for dinner and has requested her favourite comfort foods
Sunday:   Some sort of firm white fish with beurre blanc1 and baby spinach
Monday:   Nige's braised oxtail with mustard and mash (p.63 kitchen diaries) forgot to remove the oxtail from the freezer (and it is a 2 nighter), we'll be having Thursday's dish instead!
Tuesday:   Lamb cutlets with Harrisa and cous cous
Wednesday:   Porchini Mushroom risotto (a recipe of Don's devising)
Thursday:   Nige's orecchiette with roast tomato and basil sauce (p.197 kitchen diaries)

As always, the MTWT list is subject to rearrangement.

1our firm white fish was snapper (thanks De Costi!) and this recipe for beurre blanc is absolutely to die for - yay Don!

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Friday, 12 June 2009

ein kleines spiel cup perpetual trophy award for excellence: 2009 week 13

Complete slackarses in terms of updating. Personally, I blame Don.

1. Carol: 128
2. Joe/Frank: 120
3. Don: 115
4. Bessie: 98
5. Dfkan: 94

I will not comment.

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Wednesday, 10 June 2009

i made a hat3

There wasn't anywhere near enough pink wool for the hat I was making and it looked perfectly ghastly with a white/cream trim, so I unravelled it and started afresh with cream wool left over from a scarf I knitted Dfkan a couple of years ago.


New hat: from no pattern in particular

It was so very horribly freezing today that I wish I had finished it ealier.

You may be questioning my taste level (or perhaps overcome with horror) after seeing my Big! Orange! Jumper! Yes, it is hideous, but it's also cotton and soft and wonderful. I have had it for years and I love it to death (and it does not leave the house).

I think a couple more hats to go (but I will not bore you senseless with yarn arts) before I embark upon the jumper (but not the cable one yet - just the rib at this stage)

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Tuesday, 9 June 2009

spongey

It's been a while since I've had a crazy frugal tips post.

This one, while nowhere near the giddy heights of watering down your milk, or praying to God for tips, comes from via Re-nest. As an aside, I'd have to say Re-nest is wearing a little thin with me, of late a substantial amount of their content has really quite tenuous links to green/recycling and that editorial "we" thing is becoming really grating1 (particularly when they use "our husband" in posts and they don't even appear to be polygamists).

But I digress, crazy frugal tips:

Ways to reuse your yoga mat!

1. Use cookie cutters to cut the mat into holiday ornaments.


The humanity.




1Harriet will be amused by this, for reasons much too complicated to go into.

Monday, 8 June 2009

i ain't got no alibi

Making yet another hat, because they are totally fun and quick. And once you get into the groove, you can really see the methodology of the crocheted hat.


Pink hat. Bessie knitted a really sweet neck warmer last year and this is the leftover wool1.
Yes, I am wearing white linen pants. Shut up.
Also, I look totally hott in them.

I joined Ravelry! While I am totally fickle in the yarn arts (confined to simple, winter projects), I'm finding some fabulous patterns. If you're there, friend me! I'm carolbaby. Harriet?


Making short work of that long weekend list!

Don cleaned the pantry, like the fabulously adorable husband he is.


from this


to this (about half of what was in there)


to this (might not look it, but so, so, so much betterer and neater!)


Left on the list?
Sort papers (that's another Don job)
Skirt pattern (that means stick about 28 A4 pages together - that would be my job).

Gah! Is it really work tomorrow? Noooooo.

1Damn, not enough wool - will have to add a large bit of white/cream to the bottom.
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Sunday, 7 June 2009

tedious weekend images

Warning: image-heavy post. The lovely HB should be well pleased, as it's the weekend and she can see them.

There appeared to be a terrible beanbag accident on Glebe Point Road last evening, the remnants came all down our street and two blocks in either direction:


No, it's not snow



We have a list! We're idly getting things done this weekend. Emphasis on idly.



Broke out the expensive Italian wedding wine (giftage from the colleagues) last night to accompany the roast beast (tasted like a verdelho - the wine, not the beast).


Made a hat last night, still unsure about whether it is too large or not

I think it is a little roomy at the brim, but then, I'm a bit of a perfectionist.


Hair is much blonder than the photgraphy would suggest.

Hat is quite warming - think I will leave it as is.



Fabulous MCM wine label. I think this kiwi winery is trying to get all DOC with a little serial no. &etc



Random pretty mistake picture from iphone


And now, to bed!

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stuffing our faces: w/c 290509 and 050609

This is entirely for my benefit, so do feel free to ignore! I find the blog so useful for remembering what I did and when. The brain is utterly not helpful in this regard, must have been all those drugs I did at the turn of the century.

So, a new series: what we've been eatin (our eating weeks commence on a Friday, shopping night generally being Thursday) ...


The Don and Carol (and babies) Menu: week commencing 29 May 2009

Friday: Take away pizza (mexicana and salami and mushroom) from Perry's
Saturday: Harira (from Women's Weekly: The Weekend Cook
Sunday: Kung Pao Chicken + Bessie pancakes for brekkie
Monday: Nige's Pork Chops, Mustard Sauce
Tuesday: Lamb Tikka Masala (thanks Pataks!)
Wednesday: Burritos (thanks Old El Paso!)
Thursday: Pasta Sauce with Lamb Chops and orecchiette


The Don and Carol Menu: week commencing 5 June 2009

Friday: Nige's Roast Chicken wings with lemon and cracked pepper - and baby spinach
Saturday: Roast Beast (standing rib roast) with potatoes roasted in duck fat and baby spinach with mustard vinaigrette
Sunday: Beef Burgandy Pie (in reality Beef cab sav pie) with snow peas - from the fab Pies: Sweet and Savoury (Bay Books)
Monday: Orecchiette pasta with slow cooked lamb sugo (known as lamb neck in the Don and Carol haus - now with extra oesophagus) - from Don's Meat book
Tuesday: Spaghetti Bolognaise (of my own invention)1
Wednesday: Cheong Liew's Braised Pork Belly (from the lovely Jennifer McLagan's fat1)
Thursday: Steak - with ... ermmm ... stuff! 1

And just to prove that I'm not randomly grabbing things from recipe books and pretending that we're eating them:


Hearts! It's not a Carol pie unless it is covered in hearts


Currently cooking and smells divine.

1subject to rearrangement

Friday, 5 June 2009

how carol got (or at least attempted to get) her groove back

I've been wailing and bemoaning my lack of craft mojo for a very long time, as long-time readers have well and truly suffered through. I'm inclined to blame some of it on the giving up smoking - really does dull the creativity - if you don't believe me, believe this much more articulate account of the lack of creativity that comes with giving up smoking.

After challenging Don to decide upon 3 things he would like to achieve this long weekend (much to my horror, I did say "achieve" - way too work-speak for a weekend [or at all]!), I decided I'd better take a good, hard look at myself and FORCE myself to make things. Of course this involved the expenditure of a great deal of $.


I'm making Don a jumper (it's a very simple pattern)! And myself a skirt (see gorgeous fabric which reminds me of a cordurory pinafore I had when I was six)! And some hats - for everyone!


Lincraft now have this awesome thing where they provide you with a print out of the care instructions for your fabric! This certainly didn't happen 12 months ago. So yay to them! Of course, I'll probably ignore it and wash it on warm.


My tension gauge for the Don jumper - constructed while watching Silent Witness. And I have perfect tension - woo!

What I really want to knit is this, but I've never cabled before, so unsure whether I have the skillz to cut it.


We'll also spend the long weekend by cleaning out the pantry. I've done my part by eating those kinder surprise choccies.

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Wednesday, 3 June 2009

i don't think i want to knit a p3n1s

So if you are lazy like me and use google reader, you'll know that there's a "Top Recommendations" link over on the top right hand side of the home page. I've found some quite fabulous blogs from this link, but it can be very much like etsy (loads of dross to find the treasures).


Top Recommendations, just a click away.

I'm not sure how the algorithm for the recommendations works. Knowing absolutely nothing about it, but willing to have a wild stab in the dark, it seems to be based on the types of blogs you've recently added - so, for example, when I added Melissa C Morris, I was recommended loads of tiresome, preppy wankers1 and when I subscribed to the super-splendidly wonderful needled, I was recommended loads of lesser knitting blogs churning out all manner of hideousities (which I promptly clicked the "no thanks" button on).

But recommendations also seems as though it could have some basis in what you've been recently posting about (oh Google, you know everything about me! Note to self: diversify). Having a bit of time on my hands today (with being sick and the endless drilling from above preventing me from napping), I had a good deal of time to wander idly around the internet and eventually clicked on the Top Recommendations link. I haven't added any blogs for ages, but I have been posting about knitting a little bit and what do you know?

Two knitting blogs: one perfectly ghastly (no thanks!) and one I had bookmarked an age ago for the most perfectly lovely jumper and forgotten about completely (naturally, added to the list).

Then there was this one other blog.


I'm not entirely sure why google thinks I'd like to look at semi-naked and totally naked (with bits!) buffed gay men. Or which of you in my blogroll caused it to be recommended to me by being linked thematically in some way that I can't even begin to understand. Looks darkly at list.

No I'm not showing you the bits - they are just for me!
(well, okay, you could see them if you went to the url).

There are an awful lot of muscles though:



Who knew that knitting could be so risque!

1Of course, MCM, Chappy and Monty are not tiresome wankers at all! *air kisses* We love you!

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my very first hat!

Bloody hell, that was fast! Three hours-ish - with the ends still to be woven in and flower to be made and attached. And cheap! Goodness! It only took half a ball of 4ply merino baby wool (I think that works out at about $3.75).



My utterly stunning hat model. Isn't he pretty?

I did have to add a couple of rows to the bottom, probably because the baby wool was proabably slightly thinner than "thin-worsted yarn", so was undoubtedly not to the correct gauge (plus I was probably crocheting a little tightly because of unfamiliarity with the size of the hook).

That was fun! I'm planning to try some different weights of wool/yarn (whatever is lying about, if I can remember where I've hiddent the deliberately very small stash) and variants of the pattern.

I think the lovely model gets a hat next, think I might just give the flower and lacey bits a miss on his.

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cause when they met, it was murder

Another sick day, all kinds of fabulous not being in the salt mines (even if I do feel less than spectacular).

Despite my plans to put the hat aside and concentrate on arm/legwarmers, I started it today, mostly because it is nice and small (and not too hard), so that I might read fascinating stuff on the internets.

By golly, that pattern crochets-up quickly! (I am not sure crochets-up is an actual term, but I know knits-up is, so if it isn't, it should be). I am using a way bigger hook than I have used before and while it was a little unwieldly at first, I think I am now into the groove.

In the space of around an hour I went from this:



to this:



to this:



Now that I am on the pattern repeat, I'm going to sit on the couch and watch Heart to Heart - the dirty little secret I save for sick days.

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