Yesterdays post that the storm ruined
This is the Alma Dopel...
This is me with Edumnd Barton, of sweater fame. See how it looks like hes got his hand... somewhere it shouldn't be? hehe
The Estuary and breakwall. My most favorite place for a walk with my two best friends, Mr Baskin and Mr Robbins, who convinently have a store right around the corner.
This is on the headland at my local beach. If anyone can shed some light on exactly what it is, then you'll be answering a question I've been asking since I was 4.
A rowboat at Jerseyville. It just looked funny lined up by all the big fishing trawlers.
Fishing boats at Jerseyville. I really love just walking down by the boats and looking at them, and smelling the fishy smell that most people think is so gross. It reminds me of bing a child, and of how lucky I am to live here. People pay lots of money to vacation here, and I'm only just realising why. It's really, really beautiful.
Today I had a very wonderful day off, thank you for asking.
I got up, at the leisurely day off time of 7 am, after reading in bed since I woke up at 6, which is a good sleep in for me. I'm not a good sleeper at all. I'm lucky if I get 4 hours a night, and those are never all in a row. Sleep for an hour, watch some TV, go sleep some more, do some ironing, read a book, sleep again. That's how it goes.
I had a leisurely berakfast, and watched Sunrise, my favorite breakfast TV program. I took a shower and washed my hair and put on a dress.
I took a drive to my Mum's work to show the girls in reception the photos of my trip, becasue I'd been promising them since the day I got home, and now I've got my laptop it's much easier.
When I came home, I put on Gilmore Gilrs and got out the Jo Sharp cardigan (which will, from now, be referred to as 'The Edmund Barton Cardigan') and worked on it a little more. I'm 1 inch away from the armhole shaping, and excited to be done with the back.
My friend Emma came over, and we watched Gilmore Girls together, drooled over the Jo Sharp books that my Mum got for me, and knitted together. Emma has been knitting for only a year or two, and has never knitted anything other than garter stitch afghan squares.
She was knitting them for an afghan for har boyfriends dorm room, but they broke up six weeks ago (and I'm trying hard to be sad for her, but he was an absoloute jerk and she's better off without him) so now I'm trying to get her to knit something other than the squares.
We're making a trip to a Spotlight (Australian version of Michaels or Joanns) 3 towns north, which isn't the one we usually go to. They have a much bigger yarn department, and I'm going to make her buy something to knit a hat or some mittens, or anything other than a square.
Anyway, we knit, and drooled, and ate some home fries and talked about how she's dating my sister's ex boyfriend now. It's a little weird, that my best friend dates my sister ex, but they are Seventh Dy Adventist, and there are a limited choice of Seventh Day Adventist teens in town, and they don't date outside the religion. Anyway, he's a nice boy, and she's a nice girl. I hope it works out for them.
After we'd watched too much Gilmore Girls, and eaten too many processed potatoes, we went to town, for want of something better to do.
First off we went to our favorite clothing store (It's not hard for it to be our favorite. It's the only one there is, but they do have amazing clothes) and tried on matching dresses. The guy who works there laughed and asked if we were starting a girl band to which the logical answer could only be "YES!!".
Anyway, I tried on two amazing dresses, both of which I love. One is navy blue satin with a floral print, halter top and circle skirt. The other was a 50's style strapless dress with pink and green flowers and a bow. They both fit me perfectly, and I really do need some new dresses. The first one was $45 and the other one was $65, so I think I'll go put them on lay-by tomorrow on my lunch break. Emma is going to take her Mum there tomorrow and get her to get them for her for christmas.
Then we went to Barsby's the local department store. Their yarn department is one shelf, and they never get anything new. I get all my needles there, though, but today there was nothing I needed. They do have the entire range of Patons Patonyle sock yarn though, which is the only yarn that I ever buy there.
We flipped through the pattern books, and I write down some that I liked so I can get them at Spotlight, where they have 20% off patterns for club members.
We went to the two other craft/sewing stores, but they had nothing at all.
She had to go get her nails done, because it's her formal tomorrow night, which is similar to Prom, but more.. formal?
So I came home and put Gilmore Girls back on and started work on my christmas cards. I wanted to get them all done today so I can start working on christmas shopping lists and other holiday plans.
I only got three done, and I'll probabaly make around 20, so I need to get cracking.
I'm happy with the way they came out though, considering I'd never tried these designs before.
The light was so good today that I decided it's about time for some pictures. So, heres the best kind of garden...
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This is The Edmund Barton Cardigan on Sunday
And this is the Edmund Barton Cardigan today
A hat that I knit from my handspun/dyed. It looks to me like something that Ginny Weasley would wear. I love it.
A hat that I knit from some Moda Vera that I got on sale for $1.00. My own 4x4 rib pattern.
Yesterdays gift, todays obsession. Jo Sharp books from my Mum.
The San Francisco Scarf, or rather, Here and There Cables from Scarf Style. I started it in San Francisco, hence the name. It's in Plymouth Yarns Galway Highland Heather, which is an absoloute dream. I got the yarn and the book at Imagiknit. If you're ever in The City, you should definately stop by. It's my happy place.
Close up of the cable detail.
This is some Patons Patonyle for socks. I saw the colorway, I liked the colorway, I bought the colorway and wound it into a ball, but that's as far as I got. I do love it though.
This is Cleckheaton which used to be This, and will next be a cute Jo Sharp short sleeved caridgan. Hopefully this one is a keeper. I don't think the poor yarn can handle another failure.
And this my friends, is 100 grams of pure beauty, joy, grace, style and softness. My very first Heirloom sock yarn, and it was a very expensive birthday gift to myself back in April, when i wrapped it in tissue paper and put it in the stash. Today it had it's first outing, and let me tell you, I am in love. I've been told that I'll never knit with anything else again after this.
This is from my dying adventures last sunday
Yarn simmering in Jello water on my stove.
And it meets the world as some beautiful handspun/dyed yarn that I have no idea what to do with.
Since I'm getting in the holiday spirit, and making cards, I'd like to send some out to all you lovely people in journal land. Email me your address to kateheathcote@hotmail.com if you'd like some festive cheer in the form of a home made card.
Also, Emma and I are planning on haivng a formal dinner party, becasue we like to cook and decorate and wear dresses. So if anyone has any ideas for themes, let me know in the comments. Bear in mind that it's summer here, so we'll probabaly serve seafood, because it's too hot do do anything that involves turning on the oven.
It's killing me. I'm sure that this will be the year that my skin melts right off my face like I've been telling my mother that it's going to since I was 7.
I'll keep you posted.