2paw

Wool Frontal

This post was shaping up to be all about knitting, but then some other things crept in: Labradors of course, and some material, clothes and weather.

Knitting first. I have knitted the Ding Dong hat out of the Socks That Rock 5ply Merino. It is the Rainbowret, a free and very simple pattern. I did twisted rib for the band and then just knitted away until I realised I was running out of wool. I wound up two strands of my Colour Me Surprised Opal sock wool and did a few alternate rounds, which you can just spot in the middle section, and then remembered I'd stopped winding the skein of STR when I hit a knot. So I wound more and knitted a hat's worth. It is very warm and if you wear it on a nice Autumn day you give yourself a warm hat headache.

I actually knitted this to check out what the hat was like for MrsDrWho. She found her Lord of the Rings Royal Mythral 8ply from two Christmases ago and now I am half way through her hat- My Precious!!!

The other emerald green 5ply is the wool for a new cardigan for me, Floriston. These are two pictures from the Twist Collective to whence the link leads. I think the pleat at the back is lovely, the vents in the sleeves too and it has a nice flared shape which I am learning is very flattering for me.

My newest cardigan had no wool yet. It might be this wool, unravelled from the cardigan it almost is.

It's Aislinn by Amy Herzog, who is my current cardigan pattern crush. MrsDrWho persuaded me to buy the pattern. I have one cardigan that just needs to be sewn up, one started in mohair, the Floriston ready to go and now I have Aislinn. I adore the pattern around the hems and the lovely lace, and as I have but an illusion of a waist, when I knit and add the ties at the end they can be at Empire Line height. And once again the photos are from Aislinn's pattern page and the link leads there.

So it's all about the knitting here and there has not been a dress at all this month. Luckily I had the extra dress up my sleeve. New dress material arrived from the FatQuarterShop. At $5 per metre it is too hard to resist, and nice teachery material. The fat quarters are metallic greens for something I've yet to decide on.

Peri rolled in something so smelly today that I had to drive home breathing through my mouth. Baby wipes met their match in Peri. She has her eyes closed as she blissfully rolls. This isn't the actually smelly site, that was somewhere in the bush.

When we came home she had to be washed. Again. She's on her lead because she runs away before she is dry and the weather is too cold for that. She's pretty happy with all the attention and wagging her tail at me.

It was 1*C this morning and there was ice on the car so I used my gifted ice scraper, which worked a treat, much better than a bucket of warm water.

Poor Gilly had an issue with the big metal plates we walk across every day at the dam. She runs across them and has never paid any attention until today. She put her little paw on the icy cold metal and then would not go near it again. No treat would entice her. No nice or commanding word would do. She tried valiantly, and in the end Peri was so exasperated she ran back down the steps, growling playfully, and herded Lorelai Gilmore across.

She seemed quite recovered after that.

RoseRed was an invaluable help in the purchase of my new Denim Leggings. Yes, that's right. RoseRed helpfully explained that they were less legging and more jean. She is right. An emerald and sea green pair arrived today in the post and as I tried them on I said a prayer to the Denim Legging gods. They were listening and fit was achieved. The colours aren't true, it was dark outside when I took this photo.

I've also had a crush on tiny quiches and lemon meringue tarts: I've made two batches of each, and more no-knead bread made with Atta flour as suggested by Jan.

There was a little special happening for a few moments at the lights on Sunday. Tony Robinson, Baldrick of BlackAdder fame, was filming an interview for one of his Time Walks. He'd been in town for a few days hosting rebellions and such like. I don't know who he's talking to, but I'll see when the programme is shown later this year or next.

And now we're off to bed. I slept for 3 hours this morning as I was feeling a little bit swimmy and dizzy in the head. Not poorly as such, but not quite right. And I am sure there are myriad people who would agree I am not quite right. If I'm still feeling dizzy tomorrow, it's off to the doctor for me.

All Creatures Great And With A Cup In Them All.

Easter has come and gone, but not without Peri's favourite happening of the year: The Nextdoor Party on Good Friday. Peri has been going to the party for years. On Friday Gilly took an added interest. There is a sign that says Don't Feed The Dogs: I think she was trying to get some attention and, ergo, a sausage or two. It didn't happen. Peri stayed there until way after dark when everyone went home.

MrsDrWho gave The Labradors some Easter presents, and this year's hit with Gilly has been The Creature. You put a small plastic bottle, or in our case a plastic cup that she loves, inside the velcro part so it crackles when she bites it and it has a fluffy squeaky tail. She has been worrying it since Sunday and just a few minutes ago she managed to open the velcro part and pull out the cup. She is inordinately pleased with herself.

Peri is not interested really, she has her eye on the rawhide bones that are up high and out of reach. Peri is looking particularly beautiful at the moment and is loving the cooler weather, as are we all.

In fact Peri is feeling so well I think she is secretly training for some kind of obstacle course, maybe even The Krypton Factor?? Gilly is being an excellent look out for bunnies, and could certainly help solve any puzzles involving a plastic cup.

I did a little Easter cooking, mainly for The Vet and some Easter Egg Kiss Biscuits for MrsDrWho.

There has been good new and bad news with respect to my knitting. The good news is that the I Let Leaves socks are complete. Well apart from ends and blocking. I'm calling them done. I love the lacy leaves and they are so warm and soft to wear.

Then the bad news. I started my Rags to Ridges socks (Kebnekaise socks) with The Knittery Sea Life. It was the perfect wool, the pattern has you purl a colour every time you come to it, so I was purling the orange. It looked great. It looked fantastic. Then suddenly the wool just started disintegrating in my hands. Falling apart all the time. The outside was fine, the centre ball I pulled out was fine too. There was just a swathe of sad, falling apart wool in the centre. I don't know why. I did try my Opal wool, but that just didn't work. Any suggestions of where to buy a mainly green sock wool with another random colour would be greatly appreciated.

So know I am knitting plain and simple TV watching socks, not that I don't watch TV with the other socks, some Opal Show Your Colours: My Colour Me Surprised Green socks. I am almost to the heel turn.

MrsDrWho gave me a wondrously indescribable teapot with cats and dogs for Easter. It was on super special and I can't for the life of me think why. It rates right up there with the triptych Cat mirror I gave her years ago.

I made a Doctor Who tote bag for MrsDrWho. I seemed fitting as it echoes her name and Doctor Who was back on TV with new episodes yesterday. I did look online for a tutorial, but there were none so I had to use my brain to make the Bow Ties Are Cool tote. It has two right sides: one with The Eleventh Doctor's red/burgundy bow tie and striped shirt and the other with his brown bow tie and brown check shirt. I actually left my handbag with the Bow Tie bag wrapped up inside, at home when I went to MrsDrWho's for tea. So sadly it has been badly wrapped and wrinkled for over 24 hours.

I am particularly pleased with the brown timey-wimey buttons!!!

I am still very tired. There has been a lot of sleeping because it has been so cool, but I haven't quite caught up on my making chocolate crackle Easter eggs effort. I love doing it, and the children were all so good and helpful. It just really reminds me of how I don't live in the real world anymore, where you can just do things you like, willy-nilly. I think that's why I have been such a prolific sock knitter: it's useful, keeps my mind busy, but requires little effort other than being able to sit up and wriggle my hands about a bit.

Now the Ravening Labrador Hordes must be fed, there are socks to be knitted and I really must pick up all the dog 'toys' in the lounge room......

Escape To Witch Fountain.

Labradors and Border Collies think the best drinking water comes from a day old puddle.

Apparently people can't stoop to drink tap water. This is new near The Library:

All The Dogs especially posed for a photo. Their humans called them and I told them all to sit. The Labradors sat together, and it looks as if Rafa is telling them all what to do. Peri and Gilly are sneakily looking sideways at me, hoping for a treat!!

Plums are plentiful, so I have been cooking plums madly. I made Sugar Plum Pastries: I made pate sucree (posh name for sweet shortcrust pastry) with almond meal, orange zest and flaked almonds. Then I made teeny tiny galettes with a frangipane between the puff pastry and the plum. I spooned a little sugar on top after fifteen minutes and the last five minutes caramelised it. Yum. I didn't eat either plummy dessert because of the orange, but MrsDrWho said the pastry was deliciously short (Yay!!) and the little galettes were tasty too.

And once again, actual knitting content: The Purls Before Swine socks are almost complete. The need their ends sewing in and a nice blocking. Instead of the 'pearls' on the instep of the foot, I made holes instead. I worried the 'pearls' would make indentations (Princess and the pea, you know) Three day pair of socks: I watched a lot of TV.

And I have begun a new pair, in fact one is already complete: The I Let Leaves socks. I knitted my ordinary 'fits me' sock pattern and then an Eyelet Lace Leaf pattern from the Vogue Lace book all the way from the cuffs to the toe.

And here's a photo for my mum. Here are the little pork chipolata sausages wrapped in puff pastry, a kind of Pigs in Blankets. I like them with tomato sauce and I bought some American mustard. I like to dip them into both!!

I went to MrsDrWho's school and spent 90 minutes with very well behaved groups from her class making Chocolate Crackle Easter Eggs. It was lovely, they were all good, but I am so tired. We are off to bed for more sleep any minute now. It was hot today, so that didn't help either. No knitting tonight!!

RugLabs

We have no style at our house. When I watch TV shows and read magazines it is all Shabby Chic, Retro and Minimalism. Our style is Someone Gave Us Two Lounge Chairs, I lIke Green Walls Which Match My Star Wars Poster and I Have A New Bargain Rug That Won't Show Labrador Dirt. And here it is, avec Labradors.

It is acrylic, which means I could carry it myself, and instead of being $100, it was $39. I used a voucher which made it $29. Our house is not faux wild animal skin friendly being a 1930 building, but I chose the colours that would camouflage Labrador dirt and bits and bobs. Peri and Gilly like their new rug a lot and have lain about on every part of it.

We had a phone call from The Vet this morning to ask if Peri could donate some blood for a sick dog. I was having my hair cut at noon and two hours was a long time for Gilly to pine and howl at home alone, so she went too!! The nurses were happy to babysit her while Peri donated blood. They were so excited to be at the vet and went happily with the nurse with nary a backwards glance for me. They were both very well behaved and Peri received a bag of special food for her efforts. She is sharing it with Gilly!! I think Peri is very brave and very clever to sit still for so long and not wriggle. I'd wriggle.

This year I am being 'inspired' by the Craftsy Block of the Month quilt rather than following it faithfully. I have made four 12 inch blocks. One of the striped ones is in reverse and the crosses don't quite met perfectly in the centre but I like them. I managed to find an aqua blender fabric the same as the two green ones as my background so I am very pleased.

MrsDrWho starts school proper tomorrow, all the children arrive and of course the weather is hot. Our new four terms means that children and teachers will be at school in the hottest weather for longer. I am still a little bah humbug about it all. She needed new containers for desks to designate colours and hold zooms and rulers etc. There were none to be had at a reasonable price in seven colours. I thought I could probably make some kind of cover for the $2 Target jugs and I made a prototype:

I refined my pattern and sewed some very successful covers that are reversible. I have enough material left over to make one more reversible set and then one more with a contrast. They are very economical and washable!!

I cooked some Kiss biscuits to ameliorate MrsDrWho's return to school. I made twenty eight, so that's four weeks at one a day, or one week at four a day. I used my mum's raspberry jam and lemon icing. There was a plain biscuit left over so Peri and Gilly had that.

I've returned MrsDrWho's iPad which she lent me over the holidays. I played all of Angry Birds Rio. I feel modern and up to date having conquered the whole thing. Of course anyone who says they are modern and up to date is demonstrably not.

We've had some lovely cooler days in the last week and Peri especially loves the nip in the air. There has been running in and out, jumping and chasing, and playing Tug of War with the reindeer. Peri doesn't usually like toys, but she was quite taken with Gilly's reindeer and so there ensued a long and exuberant Battle Royale. Peri was triumphant.

MrsHouseOf bought us all a surprise gift, one that has me humming the Darth Vader theme tune every time I have a cup of tea!! Use the force, Kettle!!!

Tomorrow the Hydro is turning the power off from 9am until 4pm-ish, and so I am going to decamp. I couldn't stay home all day with no cups of tea. Peri and Gilly are staying home with a bone.

I'm Gonna Brush Those Teeth Right Outta My Head

Going to the dentist is not a scary experience for me, except for the possibility of expensive procedures. Today I had my teeth cleaned and polished and two tiny x-rays. I have one tiny spot of concern under a very ancient filling which we are keeping an eye on. Going to the dentist wears me out. The dentist is from South Africa so I have to watch myself every minute in case I accidentally fall into doing the accent: sympathetically, not comically. He gave me some teeth bottle brushes. You use them instead of dental floss between larger teeth. They are very cute and not too expensive.

After a little R&R at home I went to the lovely wool shop and sewed together most of a small lap blanket. People donated over 800 squares (so far) and today was the day for volunteers to sew the strips together. Kind people had already sorted them into sets of 24. I spent two hours and that's all I did. It took a long time to match up the edges, sew them together and then sew in all the ends. You can see I lost the will to sew ends in. These are for the ABC Giving Tree which is a big production here, the biggest Christmas Charity in the state, and in its 25th year.

I also found some very cute Australian themed fabric at Esme's. I saw it in a quilt and luckily she still had some left.

I had a very happy experience with the staff at Woolworths (or Roelf Vos as I still call it). I am always in need of measuring spoons. I drop them and then step back and crush them- Land of the Giants style, or I throw them out. I don't know where they go. They go with potato peelers. Anyway, I picked up a set of Woolworths measuring spoons, but when I went to use them they had a tablespoon of 15ml and a half tablespoon of 7.4ml. An Australian tablespoon is 20ml. I rang their Customer Care line. They did not care and pretty much said that I didn't know what I was talking about and all tablespoons had always been 15ml. I have a feeling it was an overseas call centre. I printed out information and went back to the shop I bought them from and lo, they were as amazed as I was. The listened, they wrote it down in the book. They were going to investigate, as it didn't say anywhere on the packet that they didn't meet Australian standards. They agreed that anyone trying to raise a cake with a 15ml tablespoon of baking powder or set a jelly with a 15ml tablespoon would soon be in cooking trouble. They replaced the measuring spoons with a proper Australian set, they were more expensive and I protested. That's not what I wanted, I was prepared to pay for a new standard set. I wrote an email to Woolworths commending the service and the attention I received. I have yet to hear back from the Big Wigs, but well done to the staff at the shop.

Peri and Gilly have been really enjoying their breakfast lately. It is a long time since tea. Gilly likes to dive in nose first and then eat very speedily. She hopes she will be able to steal some of Peri's food.

Peri is a slower eater, she likes to pick out the 'good bits' and eat them first. She never growls at Gilly and Gilly waits patiently to eat the leaves of the celery. Peri has a new lump in her side, it's a fatty lipoma (an Adipose form Doctor Who) the same as the one on her leg. As long as they don't interfere with walking and they don't cause any discomfort we are leaving them alone. She's almost 12 and we are trying to avoid any operations.

I finally bound Baby Zoe's little quilt and dropped it off to Uncle Dutch along with a Nigella Brownie!!! It's a cheater's panel and I sewed around each square with just the layer of wadding underneath. Then I added the backing and just sewed a cross from top to bottom and side to side. It is a very cute print. I backed it with some vibrant green and a cute dotty print that MrsDrWho found at The Black pot of Doomlight (tm)

Tomorrow I am having my hair cut. Somehow the time just whizzed by when I was sick and I cut my own fringe and it needs to be made respectable. It's Friday Food and I think I will bake something for the vets. Then I have to sew a dress. Well, cut out and sew a dress. I cut out the pattern pieces yesterday and it really is just easy cutting out and sewing. And a little bit of fitting. Wish me luck!!

The Famous Five (Words)

Not famous words at all. But definitely five.

I had 117 blog posts to read and comment on and I felt daunted. Those blog posts really mount up and people are participating in NaBloPoMo: I'm not! I feel daunted quite a lot in my life. Nevertheless I made a plan: read and then comment in just 5 words. It made the task seem less Herculean. I wanted to read all the posts and comments!! So if you found a weirdly short comment with  a - or a : then it was me, being concise!!!

Speaking of weird, I have a tree growing on my fence line.

I found Gilly eating the fruit. I think it is a Medlar. I know they are safe to eat. Does anyone know what it is?? I did search for pictures, but as I am no gardener, I couldn't really tell. The knife blade is 8cm or about 3 inches long and inside the fruit are four compartments with a big seed. The fruit is very yellow and soft when it is ripe.  Since birds are eating them, I reckon they are safe!!

In other gardening difficulties: my zucchini leaves are going yellow. I am trying not watering them so much, and then I will try watering them some more.

Gilly met her very close friend Sandy the Labrador last Thursday. She insisted on walking up the hill and then stood still, and in the distance I could see Sandy and his dad walking down the hill.

When Peri, Gilly and Sandy met there was a muddle and confusion of happy Labs!!!

Since there will be a posh birthday party this weekend for Wee Jock and Bessie's mum, well finger food and bubbly, I am making a new dress. It is a Simplicity Amazing Fit pattern and I have some lovely emerald tie-dye fabric. It doesn't seem to photograph well. I plan on making the scoop neck and I think sleeves. If I don't finish the seams off I can take the sleeves out and face the armhole later on.

On Friday we had three tornadoes in the South of the state and hail storms here in the North. I have never seen a tornado or such hail storms in all my life.

Of course Gilly thought the hail was tasty treat just for her!! No-one was hurt. I did check in with my mum who was busy and didn't even hear the warnings that were broadcast all morning!!

Gilly wears herself out with all her running about and guarding the house. She is so sweet when she is asleep.

Peri has been enjoying the sun, and her hay fever comes and goes. The ointment helps, but I have to put it on wearing gloves and just before she hops out of the car for a walk or has a meal so it has ten minutes to work. She's not supposed to lick it off.

 

One of the women at Leukaemia Support Group, who is a carer for her husband, knitted a cardigan for herself from some very vintage Coats Patons wool. She didn't like the way it looked on her and so she gave it to me. I have tops in both the main green colours. It will need a single button at the mid bust point. The sleeves are too long, but we both decided I could just cut the sleeves off and then knit new cuffs. There is a belt so I have plenty of wool. It is just too hot to wear it right now. I think it is such a lovely gift!!

At long last.

The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, announced today that there will be a Royal Commission into Child Abuse in the churches and other care facilities and institutions. There is video of her speech and of an interview on 7-30, but it is confronting.

Yesterday was Rembrance Day. I always think of my dad especially. He was in the Navy and fought in the Korean War.  Lest we forget.

The Sixth Fence

"I see dread, people". 

Or as Split Enz (almost) sang: I see dread, I see dread, I see dre-ead.

Yes, there was dread in our hearts, we were afraid that the fence would fall over and/or The Labradors would escape. So Operation Fence commenced last Thursday with a kind next door neighbour. There was a lot of aerial whipper snippering. I am not sure of the names of pruning tools.

And then some sawing and a lot of bags of vegetation to be taken to the tip. And help from The Labradors who were banished inside when the electric tools were operating and then had to sniff double time to make up for it.

After a couple of hours the fence looked like this:

A  trip to the hardware shop and there is now lattice ready to be attached to make the fence more stable and escape-proof. The top of the old trellis has to be chainsawed off before we can proceed.

After that effort I have had to have quite a big rest over the weekend and, ergo, there has been a sock knitting fest.

I started a new pair of 8ply socks (Sake to Me) in Teal Patonyle. The wool is just so soft and snuggly. The second pair is in some hand-dyed 4ply and my own pattern to fit my foot: The Green Style socks.

All my Library book Holds are taking forever and so while I was idly browsing the shelves I found and borrowed The Knitter's Book of Socks.

I am quite taken with most of the sock patterns and so I have decided I will knit my way through all the socks without fair-isle or intarsia. I am trying new things and so I learned Judy's Modified Magic Cast On, and I am knitting toe up. The gusset increases are made in the sole, so is very interesting.

On Saturday I helped the Wool Shop lady with a double stitch heel. For me, this is much easier than a wrap and turn and now I am up to the heel turn before the flap I am using the double stitch instead of W&T because there are no holes!!!

I am going to knit the 8ply Stepping Stone socks next. This pattern is free and there's a link on the Ravelry page.

MrsDrwho and I have completed August's Craftsy Block of the Month block #2. Of course, even though I sew a very scant 1/4 inch my block is still too small. When all the blocks are completed we are going to sew a plain background border around all the squares and then cut them to the 12 1/2 inch size. I am beastly careless because when my quilt is finished it will be lain on by Labradors in a trice. And grubby ones at that!!

My mini garden has moved to a new higher Labrador-proof table and when I came out the back door this morning there was Miss Peri Pumpkin, sunbathing on the warm foam squares atop the little table. She was all warm and snuggly and had a lovely nap. I think she looks a little worried that she is being naughty by lying up there.

Miss Lorelai Gilmore, who does not have her Naughty Ears on, is standing near the other new lattice that contains The Forbidden Zone.

I am very unhappy with The Typepad at the moment. For perhaps a month I haven't been able to add any books to my side bar. The linky thing to Amazon is broken and all they can say is that it is a priority and that we should all become Amazon affiliates or something and use a widget. The very reason I pay for my blog to be hosted is that I am not computery enough to add widgets and be affiliated. I am reduced to scrabbling for my Library print outs and taking photos of my book covers. Now the Spell Check is broken. I thought I was doing something wrong for weeks as when I click the Spell Check button the incorrect words are highlighted momentarily and then the Spell Check turns itself off. Many people have complained about both these issues and the Typepad Satisfaction Staff ( and believe me I do think this could an oxymoron) ever so nicely say it is a priority and they are working on it, but nothing has happened. Typepad users are trapped because if they are sad un-computery people like me their blogs are pretty much held hostage because we don't have the skills to take our blogs somewhere else. One Satisfaction person offered me some free months of blogging, but I don't want money back or compensation. Shall I tell you what I want what I really, really want? I just want my blog, and all it's bits and bobs, to work the way it used to. I do not understand how things can just stop working all of a sudden when they have been working for years.

I have no recourse. Consumer Affairs would find it too difficult, or get no response from an overseas company. So I shall just keep replying to the Tickets I have opened, stating my case, albeit more crossly as time goes by, and hope that it might be fixed sometime soon.  I cannot recommend The Typepad to you right now. I am very disappointed, which is worse than being cross really.

Aung San Suu Chi visited the US last week and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. She was given 2 minutes 9 seconds on the ABC News. A young footballer on an end of season trip to Las Vegas who was extremely inebriated and died while trying to jump from a hotel roof to a palm tree rated 2 minutes 5 seconds.  In fact his funeral was given greater coverage than that of an Armed Forces member who was killed in Afghanistan. It is very sad for his family, but I ask you what is the world coming to??

And now, here is The Magic Path. Gilly believes that when she walks back along the track to the gate Sandy the Labrador will appear. It is variable reinforcement, because sometimes she comes out the gate and he is there, and sometimes he isn't. She's positive that Sandy will be there and surges ahead, making Peri and I walk faster. Sandy wasn't there today. She saw some people getting into their car by the Look Out and after they went she ran like the wind just to see if Sandy was there. He wasn't.

Ahh, true love!!!

"I may be blind, but I have acute 'earing." "I'm not interested in your jewellery, cloth eyes."

Yellowbeard may not be the World's Best Comedy Film, but MrsDrWho and I quote the above dialogue so often that when earrings are exchanged as gifts, the tag simply reads: Cloth Eyes.

Lots of lovely earrings in all shades of green and a beautiful green glass necklace from Italy: the Eldest HouseOf brought me a present when she came back from her Italian sojourn!! I am so lucky to have such beautiful green jewellery.

In Car News: my car is fine. Thank goodness, I did feel very relieved. It went to be serviced and passed all the tests and there was not a leak or any damage underneath. I did get a brand new battery as mine wasn't cranking. I just nodded and agreed.

I am almost, almost technologically caught up. I have the wifi, I have the Apple TV and the HDMI cable (Thank you MrsSingapore, MissManga and Young Spawn!!) It's just that the computer doesn't have the wifi thing to click on. Damn. I even have Conspiracy 356 waiting to be accessed along with a wide array of other films and TV shows. I hope that when my computer goes for its One Year Check it can be wifi enabled!!!

Here is the plate that The GardyGardeners gave me. You can see the fruit and the tiny leaf border with even tinier flowers around the edge.

I also have some other new things: cute cupcake biscuit cutter and a leather card holder and it smells so nice (don't read this bit Vegans [??])

My lips always feel dry and so I am constantly 'balming' them and I have four new lip balms that make my lips feel soft and moist. And I only took a photo of three of them. Also some gorgeous lace weight Malabrigo from a very lovely Internet Friend. Just because it looked lonely and I love green.

My Tax Return is back and so I have bought a new teapot. My lovely flowery teapot has a chip in the spout and I don't want to use it in case it harbours germs. My new teapot was an impulse buy because it was green and only $9-99.

I have also indulged in new fabric to make dresses. It accidentally matches my new cardigan!! Apples and Pears.

And here's my cardigan, well the back of EverGreen Vines, my Petrea.  I am so happy with it and I love the stitch pattern of Travelling Vines. I've made a misplaced decrease, but it is just going to stay there. I made the waist decreases and increases higher and closer together. I'm also putting a few pattern repeats at the neckline. I think I may finish the back tonight. I was a little worried it would be too small, but I measured it against my last cardi and it is fine.

Some poor, unlucky plants volunteered to come home with me from the shop. There are potato onions, red chives or onions (not sure, see what a bad gardener I am?) mint and flat leaf parsley. I expect they shall not flourish and I will kill them. Peri and Gilly were Very Interested in the unusual dirt, water and plants. They kept getting in the photos.

Here's a Labrador-less photo. I watered them with some seaweed fertiliser, which I am afraid may be a Labrador magnet.

And here is a Labrador-ful photo. Peri is doing her own thing and Gilly and (her boyfriend) Sandy are doing whatever young people do!!! Gilly is so small compared to Sandy, but she is very fast and so nippy in the turns.

Peri was just waiting to roll in something smelly!!!

The Kind Internet Friend alerted me to the Ribbet photo editing site. It is basically the same as Piknik. Right now there is a free Premium upgrade. I think it has much better collages and I like the Christmas and Easter decorations. It means Peri and Gilly don't have to suffer the indignity of posing whilst wearing a funny hat.

I can vouch for the toastability of the Banana Oat bread. I ate the last of it for breakfast this morning, so it will definitely keep for four days. It was a little moist, but toasted beautifully.

And now I want to finish my knitting and watch more of Supernatural, the TV show. MrsDrWho has lent me the first three seasons and I am well and truly hooked.

Doily, Doily, Give Me Your Answer Do!

I'm half crazy all for the love of you.

I am half crazy in love with my Kind Hearts (and Coronets) Doily. It was finished and ironed, but not starched, because I wrapped it up to give to my mum at the weekend. She liked it and has a pot plant in mind to adorn it.

My Mum and Aunt came to visit on Saturday and stayed till Monday. Not in my house, because it is small and full of Labradors!! We dined out each day (sometimes twice), visited the Museum, shopped, looked at iPads and talked a lot. My Mum baked me a cake, a delicious ginger cake, full of ginger in all its forms with lemon icing. Yum!!

I have been having a Big Worry about my car for the last week. I was at The Supermarket and there was building work. I was driving extra carefully, but a car came out of a row at the right and drove in a wild and wide curve and I had to veer left and I drove over the curb. Normal curb, but it made a big bang. Thereafter I was, and perhaps still am, convinced that my car is broken. I smell fumes when it starts and I have been watching the fuel gauge like a hawk. Is it going down too fast? Is there a leak?? Did I always smell fumes??? These, and many other questions, I can't answer. I wittered on about it to all and sundry. Even MrsDrWho's sister listened supportively via email.

I didn't think I could take it to the Nice Mechanic in case the guarantee was voided, so in the end I rang to have the Two Year Service a month early and the Lady on the phone suggested I use my free Roadside Assist. It was actually The RACT when they came (!!!) I am a member and I still don't know if they will come to a Mad and Worried Woman's Car to assess it. But he looked very thoroughly underneath and under the bonnet and declared it Roadworthy. Still, I will only be happy when it has been serviced.

The Labradors, my K9s, make me happy all the time!!

I am so extra tired from doing three things every day with my Mum and Aunt, so tired I can't sleep. This morning I momentarily thought of not going for a walk and as a penance we had an extra long walk.

The weather has been beautifully warm and so Peri has been lying on the decking, sunning herself.

I refilled The Paddle Pool with clean water and Gilly has been 'swimming'. You can see her wet footprints. Imagine these on the carpet and the bed. Hmm!! I love them both, even when their feet are wet and muddy.

After a long consideration, and much reading of the Helpful Notes for Projects on The Ravelry, I have decided to knit Petrea. I am not sure of all the rules about photos, but this is a picture from the pattern which I bought. I took a photo of the photo on my computer screen.

I've bought some Heirloom 8ply to match my dress material and knitted two tension squares: one using the 4.5mm needles in the pattern and one with 4mm. Usually I have to go up a needle size but this time I had to go down a notch. I'm calling it The Evergreen Vines Cardigan. I shall make 3/4 normal sleeves, then I can wear it all year round.

I'm going to wait till tomorrow to begin knitting. I am too tired to make a successful start tonight.

And with that I shall endeavour to answer a few comments, finish sopping up the cold cup of tea I knocked over (just missing Peri and because it had lemon in it it smelled naughty and she has gone to bed) and then read for a little while. Then to sleep, perchance to dream!!!

The (Almost) Great Escape

When I came home on Saturday Peri wasn't waiting at the gate. As I walked down the steps Gilly came racing around the corner with her Naughty Ears on and when I asked where Peri was she ran to the fence. And there Peri was, on the other side of the fence. I suspect both of them had wriggled their way through the fence and pushed the palings aside, but Gilly is wrigglier and smaller and she managed to get back. Peri was caught red handed.

Luckily they 'escaped' into a little enclosed garden and so they were safe. I took a photo and as soon as she saw me Peri ran to the gate, all wriggly and wiggly. Her tail was going twenty to the dozen. She's looking at the opening side of the gate in the second picture.

"Please rescue me," Peri says plaintively!!

When she came home, Gilly and Peri ran about like mad things, over-excited and mad with joy, and then it was over and they both trotted off inside to look for a treat!!

I made temporary barriers and then MrsDrWho very kindly gave me some bamboo screening and I was able to make a more permanent temporary Girls' Carpentry fix. At least until I decide on what to do next. I am just very glad they were both safe.

I made a knitted cosy for my mug and it works well. I used some Bendigo Neon and the pattern is very good, it covers the base of the mug too. Of course there is no photo without Gilly in the background.

I finished the sleeves, again, for my You Only Rib Twice cardigan. I haven't sewed one up to check if it fits though.

I am helping at the knitting shop with some sock knitting. I've unravelled the Dalek sock (sob) and knitted a plain one so the ladies can see what a sock looks like and we can knit along together.

MrsDrWho and I ordered some Christmas Fabric from the Christmas Cloth Shop (Fat Quarter Shop's Christmas section) Here's my lovely set of 18 fat quarters!!!

It has been very cold in the mornings. I always open the windows in the car when we drive to the dam and the other day the window ice made a lovely sculpture. It soon melted in the sun.

It has been a quiet time here, Peri and Gilly like to sleep all day: inside if it is cold and outside if sunny. We've been napping in the afternoons and I've even caught up with TV shows stored on my DVR from last year. MrsDrWho and I finally watched the last three episodes of Doctor Who 2011 and when we watch the Christmas special we are all up to date. We thought we should as Doctor Who 2012 will be starting soon. I don't know how we could have waited so long. MrsDrWho thinks we missed one episode and then it all went to hell in a hand-basket!!

Oh and how could I have forgotten, I've knitted another beret which I love. I have another, recommended by MohairMama, ready to go. Soon I will have three berets, I will be spoiled for choice. I must remember to take a picture for my next post. I did take a picture of the fairy, or butterfly, cakes I made for the doctors and nurses at the vet. We paid the last part of Lorelai Gilmore's bill and so we can stop being poor at last. It's taken three months, but knowing what is wrong with Gilly, and what can be done, is a positive thing- though I may yet to sell her for medical experiments!!! 

Half the cakes are filled with my mum's raspberry jam and the other half with lemon curd. We used to have jelly in our cakes when I was a little girl: jelly, whipped cream, the 'wings' and then icing sugar. I think these are a little more sophisticated, though not much.