Wild ride.

I'm too tired to pen a clever, witty and engaging post at the moment. I'm taking the kids on a last minute trip to visit the family in Canada next week, and this has led to an insane amount of finishing. It seems not wanting to leave a pile of WIPs and UFOs scattered in my absence was the impetus I needed to get off of my ass and get completing. So instead, while I crank out the projects,  you get crappy, poorly focused photos (if any at all) and pithy descriptions until I am home (with the suitcase of wool I plan to bring home...) and drinking something alcoholic after handing both children to my husband, who will have had two weeks of blissful freedom. Punk.

First up, I completed my red tweed pullover. I even wore it, all day. Did I take a picture? Nope. It fits gorgeously, and even though it's a bit scratchy,  it's exactly what I wanted.

I sewed both kids some desperately needed new pj pants. The boy got yellow flannel, which was an awesome op shop find for $5 for around 3 meters, and the bub got a soft corduroy covered in deer. I am a crap...sewist? Sewer? Dressmaker?...I suck at sewing. But I have faith that if I keep doing it, one day I won't suck quite so much. These had French seams, at least.

With free demon child!

I finished the husband's birthday Doctor Who scarf, pared down to 9.5 feet from the original 22. Cascade 220 on 5.5mm needles.  Lovely. 

Made a mei tai to carry bub through airport. Broke all the needles that came with machine. Smartened up and bought proper denim needles. Sewed hood on backward. Decided I didn't care. 

Got these in the mail from FiberArtemis on Etsy. Rainbow is perendale, gradient is Romney. Spun perendale into nav-ply for socks, which I am halfway through. 

I've also done a cute little smocked dress for bub, which I need to photograph.

Not the world's most engaging post, but I'm still trying to finish two separate socks, half a bobbin of yarn, plus packing and you know, parenting. And maybe, you know, ordering yarn I can only get while I'm in Canada. Hehe. 

Inspiration

I've been finding it everywhere lately. Of course there's the usual places, like the gorgeous old pieces in my costume dramas (which Australia produces excellently), and the millions of knitted garments one passes just walking through Sydney on a busy day, but also in things like these tiles, spotted in the floor of the Queen Victoria Building:

In the bathroom,  of all places. 

Near an escalator.

The top one I see as an all over pattern on a 50's style stranded colourwork vest. The bottom would make a gorgeous yoke for a lopapeysa-style pullover. 

Even little things, like my own hair (yes, I realize how conceited that sounds, but I'm not shy), which looks like this in the sunlight,

It's a pretty nifty mix of blonde, brown, reddish gold and the greys I've had since I turned twenty-one. I want it in yarn form, and yes, occasionally, after a fibre binge, I wonder how it would go spun up. Thankfully, I like having it long, and I haven't reached that level of poverty or insanity quite yet.

When I'm not considering spinning my own hair, I'm continuing on sleeve one of the red Donegal tweed pullover, using a nifty 9" Hiya Hiya circular, and reknitting the heinous Dr Who scarf which was my first knitted item in much nicer wool and with the appropriate needle size. It's being done in Cascade 220,  on 5.5mm needles for added drape, and is coming up a treat,  despite the orange being just slightly off. The hubby likes it, good enough for me. 

The original and its replacement. Forgive the nighttime shot.

I've completed a few rows of the E charts on Celestarium, after printing the pattern, which made it MUCH easier to not constantly lose my place.  Of course, this necessitated a project bag, as I'm keen on organization. Having some fabric in the stash, I came up with a shape I would like, hoped, and started sewing. I made one smallish prototype which is perfect for socks, and a larger one just right for a sweater, or in this case, a shawl, with all the kinks ironed out. They both have a drawstring closure and a generous pocket inside, and are fully lined.

Lastly, and forgive the show and tell air, but I honestly forget what I've made without recording it somehow, I finished the handspun socks, which are really yummy and only took about 80 grams of 3 ply handspun. Seen here with baby foot, as she wanted in to the shot.