Fighting with inanimate objects

So I'm currently having my ass kicked, by a christening gown. I've frogged and reknit the stupidly simple, 10 round lace repeat that will make up the body of the skirt three times now, and every time I've managed to stuff something up. Attempt numero uno was thwarted by decidedly vague directions in my stitch dictionary (*cough* vogue *cough*). Seriously, "end last rep SKP, k1". Straightforward, right? Except that it doesn't follow the natural end of the last repeat, no. It's inserted, seemingly at random, in the last three stitches of the rep. Attempt numero dos ended in disaster while attempting to knit said lace repeat while watching a scientific program. DNA pairings and yo's do not mix. Attempt numero tres is currently in progress, one round at a time, while not speaking and muttering the instructions to myself. Here's hoping.

Now let's focus on what HAS gone right. I've knit up a fingerless mitt idea that's been stewing in my head for a few months now. Perhaps I did so to avoid The Gown. Anyhoo, I've been calling them the "fern gully gauntlets", and I suspect that will stay. I'm not 100% happy with them, simply because I have teeny tiny, turn a certain way and they disappear, wrists. So the beautiful eyelet detail at said wrist bulges out unexpectedly, rather than hugging elegantly. Still, they're lovely and warm, being made from Naturally NZ's Karamea, a gorgeous merino/alpaca/possum blend which sadly appears to be discontinued. No wonder I scored it for so cheap. I've worn them nonstop since I wove the ends in. Here they are, pre-blocking:

 So comfy, so not navy blue. Man, I need a nicer camera. They're actually a lovely mallard shade, greeny blue with a lot of depth from the grey possum fibres. Possum doesn't take dye, did you know that? Not unless it's been specially treated.

I look like I have no hair. Sigh.

I also decided to sew myself a dress. Without a pattern. Because I dive in headfirst like that. All in all, it went alright, although I initially cut out the waist for the circle skirt in a size roughly large enough to encircle Sydney, so I had to cut chunks out of the skirt and generally fudge it to get the thing to look like it's meant to.
I need to tack down the front so it doesn't gape when I sit, but I'm 90% satisfied. To close, here's my chicken bib! I am immensely amused.

PS: Haven't forgotten the free pattern, I'm just a bit run off my feet at the moment. 

PPS: Who am I kidding? I'm always run off my feet.

PPPS: I'd love to be off my feet.

C'est Finis!

The neverending shawl is...ended, I suppose you could say. After what seemed like months and months (actually, it was, for once I'm not exaggerating), all that gorgeous, yarn-consuming, slow ruffling is completed. The shawl is blocked, and has been worn on the school run a few times. On a side note, pretty sure the other mothers think I'm the weird knitting lady who wears A) shawls, in 2014 and B) shawls that don't match anything else she is wearing but which are obviously handknit. Plus, I tend to swathe the bub head to toe in handknits. Bet that doesn't help. Ah well, all publicity is good publicity, right? Who needs friends, anyhow?

So here she is, in all her breezy, sun-dappled glory.

I knit this lovely layering piece in the Australian Alpaca Barn's Panache 4-ply. The main body is stripes of "beige" and "grape" (creative, aren't they?), and the ruffling is "mulberry". As this knit to my own design, I plan to release a free pattern, stay tuned.