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| 03:47pm 12/08/2004 |
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I snuck out at midnight last night and pilfered flowers from my neighbours hedge. For dyeing wool. Hey, the hedge was partially on the footpath, so it's fair game. I need a lot of flowers for natural dyeing. The hedge had a lot of flowers.
Now the kitchen is full of drying flowers. We will see how they turn out. |
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Read 5 - Post |
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| 07:01pm 07/08/2004 |
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I am now officially the newest (and probably youngest) member of the spinners and handweavers guild. Yay! Now I get to buy tops and fleece and equipment and borrow books and such. Excellent. I borrowed a book on dyeing with plants and I have a pot of eucalyptus leaves on the go now so I will dye a skein with it tomorrow! Hopefully it's not just going to turn out BROWN. There's always that danger...grrr...
I went to the opshop to look for a pot to dye in and I found a perfect one for $15 - which is a little too much, in my opinion, for preloved cookeryware. Then I found another metal pan which a lady told me I could have for $1.50, so I took it to the counter and some grouchy man said I must be wrong, those pots are usually $8 or so. A pox on opshop people who want to charge you shitloads for everything! It's been such a trend of late. Anything that's older than 10 years is called 'retro'and you get charged double for some acrylicy piece of 80's shoulderpadded crap. Not that I buy such stuff anyway. And now they're gonna think POTS are the new thing because hip young people (err..) are buying them.
Rant over. |
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| 10:55am 04/08/2004 |
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Why o Why did I volunteer to give a tutorial speech on 'On the Road' in the first week back? O I am a doofus. Considering that there were about ten other doofuses who managed to get to the library before me and now the library is ALL CLEANED OUT of Kerouac books. Sigh. I have to do this thing tomorrow and have no resources. Heh. I think I will stress the 'audience participation' angle and make the class do all the work for me, play them some charlie parker and make them draw pictures of beat poets having hot monkey sex... no, hang on. Mmm. KerouacXGinsberg. mmmm... |
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| 11:52pm 23/07/2004 |
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Hey, I know it doesn't look like much. But that tiny little skein (which is about the size of a mouse or thereabouts) represents my learning to spin beads into my yarn! As in, not just plying one single with a thread strung with beads, but actually threading the beads onto the single as you spin. I got the technique from one of the recent spinoff mags. I'm chuffed. It looked harder than it was. Yay!
And I get to be an extra in a short film tomorrow. My boy's housemate's boyfriend wants people to stand around in a pub "wearing black and looking bohemian". I think I can do that. |
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| 05:21pm 20/07/2004 |
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Lately I've been spinning big old batches of chunky natural wool so I can make a rustic sort of cardigan- as fast as possible. For a knitter, I have an awful lack of warm clothes.
So I bought a new wardrobe for my petticoats ($35 from Vinnies wOOt) and within two days I managed to lose the key and now one door is irrevocably locked. Does anyone know how to pick locks? Goddamn! It always looked so easy. I really don't want to have to pay for a locksmith callout because that would cost me more than the wardrobe itself. I've tried everything, even lifting the whole thing on its side and trying to 'bend' it out of shape. Sheesh.
Haircuts are so traumatising. At least, deciding on a style is. And then finding a hairdresser. It disturbs me how much this affects me. Go away, stupid hair. You give me the shits. Why can't you be all straight and black and generally Asian in your ways. Then you would please me. |
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| 04:53pm 11/07/2004 |
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mood:  curious
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"Your New Baby: Points to remember
1. Your baby is an individual, and each baby develops differently.
2. Looking after baby is a family affair.
3. Change baby's clothes to suit the weather.
4. Babies thrive on love and affection"
I found this in my birth register thing. From this, I infer that owning a new baby is like buying a Tamagotchi. Look! I come with an instruction manual! |
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| 06:23pm 02/07/2004 |
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Yeah so I feel better now. Please ignore any self-indulgent tripe spouted yesterday. I have had a veritable OUTPOURING of creative ideas today... things to knit, etc. So I'm gonna be designing some stuff (or try to) which will be really GOOD and COOL and EXCELLENT. Yeah. Also have been fiddling with converting pictures into cross stitch patterns, and from then to intarsia/fairisle patterns. Haven't found a decent generator yet though, anybody know of one?? |
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Read 2 - Post |
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| 04:18pm 01/07/2004 |
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Gah. Wrote a long update yesterday but my piece-of-snap laptop didn't load it. Woe.
I suck at absolutely everything and am of no use to anything or anybody.
Yes, thankyou, I DO feel scummy today. |
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| 12:41pm 23/06/2004 |
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Here's mah wheel, yo.
And my petticoat rack finally collapsed under its own weight. You'd never think satin/silk/lacy fluffy goodness weighed so much!?! Maybe one day I'll be smothered by it. It'll jump into my bed while I'm asleep and suffocate me.
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Read 1 - Post |
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| wOOt! |
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| 04:03pm 22/06/2004 |
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Hey, I got a spinning wheel. Go me!
I went down to the handspinner's and weaver's guild which is in a huge old church building and smells of sheep and herby things. There were all these old ladies sitting around spinning and they all looked at me like I was a sheep myself :-) Yeah I'm young but I wanna learn old-timey stuff! I chatted to a most excellent Austrian lady about second hand wheels and she showed me an awesome deal, which I ended up buying. For two hundred Aussie dollars I got a castle wheel, two lazy kates, hand carders, flick carders AND AN ELECTRIC PLYER! I can switch this and turn it into an electric spinning wheel! Yay yay yay! The wheel is made by a guy who lives in the hills so if I need any parts or fixing I don't have to go far. It's not fancy or 'brand-name' and it's made of pine (which wheel snobs apparently turn their noses up at) but it spins really nicely and smoothly and does everything I want it to. The lady cleaned it up and oiled it and changed the springs and sold me a fleece (even though I'm not a guild member) and I was ready to go.
I'm extremely happy! All the extras alone are worth lots, so I think I got a sweet deal. Maybe if I'm still keen I can buy a Louet wheel after I've saved up lots but this one will get me there!
Pics tomorrow mebbe?? |
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| Slumpy ;-( |
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| 04:12pm 20/06/2004 |
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I am in that phase where I don't know what to knit and I don't really want to commit to anything big... thats why I'm having one night stands with hats and neckwarmers and such! Knitting ho, that's me. But nothing's really inspiring me either....
I'm on holidays and I have the house to myself for a month. Rah! |
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| Ich liebe Stricken! |
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| 01:48pm 16/06/2004 |
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mood:  calm
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I'm totally on a fair isle kick right now. I want to make a Prince of Wales vest - or is this too daggy?? Nah... very cool. I love that preppy 1920's oxford look! I can wear suspenders and wooly trousers and stuff... Only problem, I can't get 2 ply shetland wool here in Oz, will have to order from OVERSEAS! Gah. Why is this country so full of wool but not the sort I want? |
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Read 1 - Post |
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| tammy! |
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| 07:39pm 11/06/2004 |
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Here's my finished tamoshanter, blocking on a plate.
If I had a decent picture of me wearing it, I'd post that. o.o
And just because pictures are fun and take ages to load:
red and white wool I spun on my neighbour's wheel. I wanna make a vest out of it.
Gratuitous photo of overflowing yarn suitcase!
La. What do I knit now? |
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| 09:53pm 08/06/2004 |
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I'm making a fair isle tam o shanter from Alice Starmore's article in 'Threads' magazine (copied from library). It's going slowly. 8x9 gauge, dpns, all rather fiddly. I don't even know if it will suit me. Oh well. I'm beginning to think I just like to knit tricky things.
And I have so many essays to do. Sigh. |
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| spinspin |
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| 10:59am 30/05/2004 |
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mood:  artistic
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So far I have resisted the idea of learning to spin on a wheel just because I wanted to be really primitive and hands-on about producing yarn. You know, feel some sort of ancestorial connection with the wool and the technique....etc. But I have realised that if I ever actually want to make something biggish, without spending weeks just spinning, I'm going to have to learn to use a wheel.
So yesterday I asked Julian's mum to teach me, knowing that she had a wheel sitting at home. She pulled out a massive bag of unwashed fleece, sat me down with a little flick carder and so I began preparing some wool while she fixed the wheel. How greasy is wool??!! Ha ha, I'd never really noticed since I usually spin with clean wool. I watched for a bit, then had a go. COOL! It took me a bit to get the wheel spinning evenly and get the drafting happen but soon I was buzzing along. Okay, I love doing this. It was so much fun. More fun than drop spindling because it's faster (but you don't get to fondle the wool as much) and because you can see your progress more easily.
I loved using the unwashed fleece because it left my hands all soft and sheep-scented! But using pre-prepared definately makes for a smoother thread and easier drafting. Hey, I'm addicted. I'm going over there again today with my crate of fiber and I'm gonna make YARN! Lucky she only lives 5 minutes away, and has all the equipment one needs.
This left me on such a high. I love the whole learning process. I got a real kick out of learning something new and useful and creative all at once. |
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| 02:19pm 28/05/2004 |
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I bought a new drop spindle this morning; it's the smaller of the two top whorl ashfords. I have the big one too, it was my first spindle! The little one spins so beautifully. So much more gratifying than using a homemade one that only spins for about 5 seconds!
I am going to attempt my first project where I spin all the yarn myself. At this stage it's going to be a vest with a red/white yarn front and some other colour ribbing and back. Quite daunting on a spindle! The satisfaction better be worth it...! |
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| Goodness |
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| 01:07pm 23/05/2004 |
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Here are pictures of me and Salt Peanuts!
me without a head. I looked pasty. And yes, I am wearing something, I am not naked under my Peanuts!
Done, with the collar blocking.
Collar closeup. Even with all the short rowing I did (more than was specified) the collar still doesn't lie flat all the time. Might tack it down.
So warm! So cosy! |
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| Salt Peanuts! |
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| 04:55pm 22/05/2004 |
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FINISHED!! I'm done, finished, finito with 'Salt Peanuts'. Eleven days! That's how long it took me from cast on to put the thing on. It fits well, perhaps a tiny tiny bit big but due to the shaping it's not an issue. The wool is SOOOO cosy, I just want to sleep in it.
Ha ha, photos tomorrow :-). I've got a 21st tonight so no time.
All in all, this project was great: a challenge in some bits and rote knitting in others. It looks damn cute and cosy. The wool I used was a stunner (Montage Collection in 'Aubergine' from NZ) and the colours are different to what I usually wear so it's a change. I'm reassured by the knowledge that I can tackle something as tricky as the neck shaping stuff on this cardie.
So, what next? I'm already needing a new project.
****
This party tonight involves 'clubbing'. I've never been clubbing. I hate clubs and smoke and miniskirts, so I stay right away. What does one wear? Hmm. I don't want to wreck any of my slips or petticoats by some bogan spilling overpriced vodka concoctions on me. Gah. |
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Read 4 - Post |
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| Blocky. |
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| 05:51pm 21/05/2004 |
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mood:  irritated
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I'm still about 5cm from finishing...gah! Had to buy more woolly wool. My back and two fronts are blocking now and toasting in front of the heater to finish them up. I'll have the sleeves done tomorrow so they can block too...sewing up on sunday? I think the whole thing is gonna be about 3 cm longer than intended... not too bad.
Some bogans have moved in down the road and are ripping it up in front of EVERY speedbump on my road. Goddamn. Why can't they knit instead? ;-P |
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| Rar. |
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| 10:13am 21/05/2004 |
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I would like to express my displeasure with the boredom of sleeves. I am about 10cm from the end of my project and for some reason I can't knit pearl rows properly anymore. I have also discovered that I picked up the 5mm circs for the sleeves instead of the 4mm ones... so the sleeves are a different gauge! But at least they're both the same. AND I have finished my hank, and need to buy another 400m one just so I can finish the last ten centimetres. But I'm almost done. Now off to the yarn shop before uni... |
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