I am writing some of our thoughts about marriage and weddings and how we go to here out while it's still fresh in my mind. Just two months ago, I chose to become Mrs ManFriend and I'm lots of things about it still and at the moment. Excited, sure, but also trepidatious. I am the child of parents who divorced after a tumultuous married life. They divorced when I was 11, which is a LONG time ago now really.
My younger siblings don't remember my parents being married, which to me is weird. I don't remember them being happy, or being "together" as such, except for a few times when they went out to dinner. I can remember my dad putting on a dash of Old Spice aftershave and putting on his amazing dress uniform and going to work dinners, but that's about it. I remember going camping when I was fairly young (8 maybe?) and walking a lot with my dad, and of painting his trailer cage when I was maybe 9 or 10, and fishing with my grandparents, but I don't remember doing anything with my mother. I must have, at some stage, as I am a great cook now and can sew somewhat and can knit up a storm (all things I learnt from her) but I don't remember spending time with her when I was young. I remember her having her hair permed and me getting a migraine from it and the kind hairdresser massaging my head to ease the agony. I remember her doing things *for* me but not *with* me, ya know?
Anyways, I now have no relationship with my mother, and that had a big thing to do with us eloping. The discussion went like this:
- let's get married
- shall we have a wedding?
- where (I'm from Sydney and TheMan is Adelaidian)?
- who do we invite?
- do I have to invite my mother?
- how do I not invite her?
- ugh
- glass of wine?
- sure
- what wine do we like?
- marlborough sauvignon blanc
- where's that made?
- let's elope there to get married
- ok
And that's about it. Nothing dramatic - just avoiding having my parents in the same room as each other (something they haven't willingly done in 18 years) and avoiding having to put up with her in my life.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Emma hood and pondering on clutter
Today I knit myself a hood similar to the one that Lyra wears in The Golden Compass. You know the one I mean, if you've seen the (really not comparable to the book!) film.
Emma Hood
Moda Vera Mandorla Printed (55% merino 45% acrylic)
100g ball, ~100m (gauge given as 7-8mm needles = 12st x 12rows)
6.5mm needles (so it's a thicker fabric and slightly stiff)
Cast on 60st using cable caston
Did 7 rows of seed stitch, so finished with WS row
Then stockinette until I nearly ran out of yarn - as I was knitting on a circular needle, I could hang it on the cable and test it on my head as I went.
The cast off I wanted an obvious seam for, so folded the hat in half and the two needles with live stitches next to each other. Using another needle, knit one from the front needle, then one from the back, the pass stitch over, and knit another from the alternating needle and so on. You can cast off however you like, of course, but this gave me the nicest edge.
Twist up some of the left over yarn (I had maybe 1m left over!) to make ties under the chin.
It took me about 3 hours all up to knit and would make a great gift for winter for anyone who "can't wear a hat" because their hair make them look like they are bald with a hat on. I was complaining just last night that my ears were cold and my lace beret just wasn't cutting it in the breezey weather we are having here in Adelaide, so it was nice to make a hat quickly, and use up some of my stash.
I've been thinking a lot about stuff and things recently. I have a lot of stuff as anyone who's helped me to move can attest. But recently we moved house to a lovely big new place and there is ample storage for everything we have and there is no need to keep extra stuff. What I *have* done though is buy some storage furniture - three new bookcases to replace the collection of crap student furniture, and two new cupboards for in the study. The ceilings are high here and it makes sense to use that height rather than just the floor space.
I've also been ruthless in my unpacking. I have things that I've had for 5+ years. For example, I have some handmade paper boxes that had a cut-out lid on them. Useful for soap storage and presentation but utterly devoid of usefulness without me making soap for them (I used to do that - make soap). I've schlepped them from Canberra to Sydney and around Sydney and then down here to Adelaide x4 places and now I've said "no more" and put them in the recycling. I've learnt two lessons now:
1. Just because it's something useful, doesn't mean that I have to keep it. Also
2. If I haven't used it by now, but have kept it for a rainy day, chances are I can do without it.
There are things that I keep longterm. Yarn. Books. Paper and pens. But even there I do pare down what I own when I get the chance to review what is there. The upside of all of this is that there is now a method to my stuff and I can find stuff when I want it. I also will use what I have because I can look at my craft cupboard and see my glue gun, or beads, or photos, and do something with them.
Emma Hood
Moda Vera Mandorla Printed (55% merino 45% acrylic)
100g ball, ~100m (gauge given as 7-8mm needles = 12st x 12rows)
6.5mm needles (so it's a thicker fabric and slightly stiff)
Cast on 60st using cable caston
Did 7 rows of seed stitch, so finished with WS row
Then stockinette until I nearly ran out of yarn - as I was knitting on a circular needle, I could hang it on the cable and test it on my head as I went.
The cast off I wanted an obvious seam for, so folded the hat in half and the two needles with live stitches next to each other. Using another needle, knit one from the front needle, then one from the back, the pass stitch over, and knit another from the alternating needle and so on. You can cast off however you like, of course, but this gave me the nicest edge.
Twist up some of the left over yarn (I had maybe 1m left over!) to make ties under the chin.
It took me about 3 hours all up to knit and would make a great gift for winter for anyone who "can't wear a hat" because their hair make them look like they are bald with a hat on. I was complaining just last night that my ears were cold and my lace beret just wasn't cutting it in the breezey weather we are having here in Adelaide, so it was nice to make a hat quickly, and use up some of my stash.
I've been thinking a lot about stuff and things recently. I have a lot of stuff as anyone who's helped me to move can attest. But recently we moved house to a lovely big new place and there is ample storage for everything we have and there is no need to keep extra stuff. What I *have* done though is buy some storage furniture - three new bookcases to replace the collection of crap student furniture, and two new cupboards for in the study. The ceilings are high here and it makes sense to use that height rather than just the floor space.
I've also been ruthless in my unpacking. I have things that I've had for 5+ years. For example, I have some handmade paper boxes that had a cut-out lid on them. Useful for soap storage and presentation but utterly devoid of usefulness without me making soap for them (I used to do that - make soap). I've schlepped them from Canberra to Sydney and around Sydney and then down here to Adelaide x4 places and now I've said "no more" and put them in the recycling. I've learnt two lessons now:
1. Just because it's something useful, doesn't mean that I have to keep it. Also
2. If I haven't used it by now, but have kept it for a rainy day, chances are I can do without it.
There are things that I keep longterm. Yarn. Books. Paper and pens. But even there I do pare down what I own when I get the chance to review what is there. The upside of all of this is that there is now a method to my stuff and I can find stuff when I want it. I also will use what I have because I can look at my craft cupboard and see my glue gun, or beads, or photos, and do something with them.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
What's on the needles
Yes I appreciate that this blog isn't quite the same without pics and I am working to remedy that. You see, when we moved in here, there was no phoneline connected to the house, as it is a Brand New House. We contacted Telstra to arrange this. Telstra send out a technician to assess whether there was cable from the house to the pole (there was) and whether there was a little box on the side of the house (yes, there was) and whether there was a line from the phone cable down the pole (yep, that too). He said no, there weren't, so sent out a contractor to do the cabling. Contractor came out and said yep, the cabling isn't done but I can't do it so sent out a subcontractor to install the box on the pole that wasn't there. Subcontractor came out and signed off on it being installed and therefore Telstra had to come back and do something. Each of these steps took 2 weeks and us waiting around a lot.
Telstra then said they'd send someone out. And then didn't. And then said that the contractor and subcontractor still had work to do before they could do what they had to do. Which wasn't the case. We got jack of this and filed a complaint with the TIO and got nasty with Telstra. EVENTUALLY we have had a phoneline installed and are FINALLY able to make phonecalls.
Now we're dealing with another company to try to get nakedDSL and it is turning into one of those things, again, because we don't know what's going on.
ANYWAY - the moral of the story is that we are not able to use the internet much and only 1 at a time and not able to upload big things, like pictures. Hence the picture-free blog atm.
I have photos to share! Cool ones of a wedding I went to recently, and things I'm knitting and have knit, and house-y type stuff and so on. I've been to a midwife retreat, a camp, Sydney, a volunteering day at a local childcare centre, and there are lots of photos to share.
Right now I'm knitting Rogue and have updates for this. Because of my finger it's having a break atm but I'm up to the hood and am halfway through it. I've used 2 skeins of Bendigo wool so far and it's interesting to see the changes in tension that my shoulder going from mediocre to bad to worse has caused. Because of this, the body is going to be VERY long and warm. The hood is also going to be HUGE. I am knitting it as fast as I can, and have a 2 year headstart on it over Kate but she is up to the same spot as me! Damn her and her fast mad knitting skills.
I also have a scarf on the needles, and another shawl. Photos, I promise, will come soon.
Telstra then said they'd send someone out. And then didn't. And then said that the contractor and subcontractor still had work to do before they could do what they had to do. Which wasn't the case. We got jack of this and filed a complaint with the TIO and got nasty with Telstra. EVENTUALLY we have had a phoneline installed and are FINALLY able to make phonecalls.
Now we're dealing with another company to try to get nakedDSL and it is turning into one of those things, again, because we don't know what's going on.
ANYWAY - the moral of the story is that we are not able to use the internet much and only 1 at a time and not able to upload big things, like pictures. Hence the picture-free blog atm.
I have photos to share! Cool ones of a wedding I went to recently, and things I'm knitting and have knit, and house-y type stuff and so on. I've been to a midwife retreat, a camp, Sydney, a volunteering day at a local childcare centre, and there are lots of photos to share.
Right now I'm knitting Rogue and have updates for this. Because of my finger it's having a break atm but I'm up to the hood and am halfway through it. I've used 2 skeins of Bendigo wool so far and it's interesting to see the changes in tension that my shoulder going from mediocre to bad to worse has caused. Because of this, the body is going to be VERY long and warm. The hood is also going to be HUGE. I am knitting it as fast as I can, and have a 2 year headstart on it over Kate but she is up to the same spot as me! Damn her and her fast mad knitting skills.
I also have a scarf on the needles, and another shawl. Photos, I promise, will come soon.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Oops I meant to say yesterday...
Happy 2 months to TheMan / TheHusband! We are actually coming up to 4 years together (23/07) so it's hardly something to take note of except that to me it is.
For our first anniversary I want to get our wedding vows put on paper somewhere in the house. Remind me of that next year, yes?
I've been gardening and nesting a lot here in Adelaide, with the cold and wet (! yes, we've had rain!) weather doing my head in a little. The other day I bought fabric from Ikea, and made curtains. At the same time I also made stock from scratch (from the chicken I'd roasted a few days earlier) and then made risotto with it, and lemon delicious for later. It was so yummy and perfect and an amusement for me seeing as (a) I'd never eaten it before and had no idea what I was making and (b) I had never made it before.
Apart from slicing my finger so badly I probably needed a stitch (but instead it is bound up for a week) the whole thing was a hit. The dessert was soyummy! Thankyou Woman's Day "Cook".
For our first anniversary I want to get our wedding vows put on paper somewhere in the house. Remind me of that next year, yes?
I've been gardening and nesting a lot here in Adelaide, with the cold and wet (! yes, we've had rain!) weather doing my head in a little. The other day I bought fabric from Ikea, and made curtains. At the same time I also made stock from scratch (from the chicken I'd roasted a few days earlier) and then made risotto with it, and lemon delicious for later. It was so yummy and perfect and an amusement for me seeing as (a) I'd never eaten it before and had no idea what I was making and (b) I had never made it before.
Apart from slicing my finger so badly I probably needed a stitch (but instead it is bound up for a week) the whole thing was a hit. The dessert was soyummy! Thankyou Woman's Day "Cook".
Monday, June 1, 2009
A blog a day keeps the boredom away, right?
I'm going to blog every day for June I think. July is heinously busy, with a trip to Hobart and then to Melbourne and Bendigo for the Sheep and Wool festival keeping me away for 2 weeks out of the 5 and then back to uni.
I have a few things to say I guess but mostly I want to get back in the habit of blogging... because without the internet at home it's a HARD thing to keep going with. But I will perservere!
I have a few things to say I guess but mostly I want to get back in the habit of blogging... because without the internet at home it's a HARD thing to keep going with. But I will perservere!
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