bekswhoknits

5 Happy Things

Posted on October 6, 2014October 6, 2014 by bekswhoknits

I’ve been using the tracknshare app for just over 2 months now.
Almost every morning I would go through the same routine of ‘have I taken x medication yet?’, with the associated anxiety of what if I did take it and I take too much or what if I haven’t and what happens then. I also wanted to keep a pain journal so I had some empirical evidence for those days when I was wondering if it is all in my head.

So I test ran a few different apps but tracknshare has really worked for me, mostly because it’s so customisable.

I’m now in the habit of ticking off my medications as I take them, but it also gave me new things to track!

But one of the more challenging items to track is ‘5 Happy Things’. I’m finding it very easy to list all the negative things happening around me so I’m making a deliberate decision to change this. So here are 5 things that have made or are making me happy.

1. We’re picking up a new outdoor setting this afternoon. We’ve been putting off buying one for ages but with summer just around the corner it seemed like a good time. (Side note: Shay [because you read every blog post I might as well just ask you here instead of trying to remember to ask you on twitter] Have you and your lovely wife been over and tried out our beer bottle chute yet? Have I even told you about it? We now have a chute that you pop the empty cans/bottles in and it goes straight in the bin. I live with a clever clever man.)

2. I finished a jigsaw puzzle. It’s a hobby that HWF enjoys and so he started it and had finished the border. Then I had some forced time off work and so worked on it from time to time to stop me from going mad. Now I’ve finished it, he can rip it apart and make it again by his self as he really didn’t appreciate me hijacking his jigsaw. I’m to stick to my own jigsaws from now on. (But look at it I finished a jigsaw puzzle!!)

3. More dyeing! This time I experimented with semi-solids. Pretty soon I’m going to have more yarn than knitting hours left in my lifetime. I really need to find a better supplier than Spotlight though. Unwinding balls of yarn is getting annoying, and 100% DK wool isn’t really my favourite to knit with, but a 50g ball of white is $2 when its on sale.

4. All of the gorgeous knitwear in Outlander. It’s sure a visual feast for the eyes. I can’t believe there’s no more this year though. Although it will give me time to knit one of the many Outlander patterns that have sprung up on Ravelry. Like this cape, or these fingerless mittens.

5. I organised the couch and I counted up my knitting WIPs and only have 8 things on the needles that I don’t intend to frog. Hopefully by tomorrow that will be down to 7. Plus 3 are blankets so they don’t actually count so really that’s just 5 things. And 1 I can’t work on because I need to find the pattern and where I was up to so that takes it down to 4. And one of the scarves is charted and I can’t look down for that long so that’s on indefinite hibernation. Oh whoops I forgot about that one so we’re still at 4. But hey 4 WIPs is really not bad! And now they’re all organised too. Go me!

What are you happy about today?

Spot the dye job!

Posted on September 30, 2014 by bekswhoknits

The keenest of observers would have noticed I had bleach white hair on the day that my Golden Skein delivery arrived.

And my hair was bright pink and purple when my yarn from Ms Gusset arrived.

And then all of a sudden it changed to teal. I don’t actually have any teal yarn due to arrive any time soon (I don’t think so anyway – I haven’t made too many odd codeine related purchases).
It’s football related.

There were two live football games which I went to, both against a purple team. The second one was a knock-out final so there was a race against time to remove any trace of purple!

I also promised a friend that I would dye her hair teal just for the finals. So naturally at the pre-game function I became Beks the hair dresser and with the leftovers from the bottle I put streaks in two strangers hair and a beard.

Other than football watching and taking yarn selfies I also participated in my first Ravelry swap.
I sent a package of yarn and yarn related goodies to a randomly (but carefully) selected swapper, and in return I received a package from another swapper.

It was so much fun seeing all the awesome mail that was being sent all around the world. Since ravelry has been available through my work computer I have been spending some of my lunch breaks and sanity breaks in the forums. I’m still not sure that this is good or bad for productivity.
On one side looking at pretty yarn and pretty patterns and chatting with other ravelers about life the universe and knitting is a very good stress reliever and a good way to break up the day.
On the other side I’m not keeping up with my blog reading. A month ago I would have said that it’s also dangerous and I’ll waste too much time, but I’m barely getting a lunch break let alone wasting time. That’s when I’m at work and haven’t been deemed unfit by my doc.

Health wise this year has been rather shit. Fortunately I have the best GP who, as well as being a very thorough, qualified doctor with 4 daughters worth of personal experience, is a knitter and so every time I go and see her we have a quick chat about knitting before getting down to the medical stuff.

Still I’m feeling like a walking pharmacy, people sticking needles in my neck, the awful and not at all attractive hospital gowns, and quite frankly am sick of talking/whinging about it.

Although it has been a good excuse to go into Typo to buy a new neck support cushion. And while I was there I may have slipped and bought a cat purse, some chalkboard paint, a pompom maker, and an envelope template.
I was also sorely tempted by their Knit Your Own Cat Kit – even though I already have all of the supplies in the kit and have already knitted my own cat. That’s just what typo does to me.

Other achievements from September have included listening to 44 episodes of Welcome to Nightvale, completing 84% of Swordigo, and purchasing a giant Eeyore pillow pet.

Oh plus my parents bought a house, sold a house, moved house, Mum got older, the Boyfriend got older, we spent a long weekend in Bunbury with his family, I figured out how to make anklets, I sent off some surprise care parcels & postcards and got a surprise one in return, and you know did some knitting as well. Phew! I think I need a nap.

Spot the hand-dye!

Posted on September 30, 2014October 2, 2014 by bekswhoknits

My sanity blanket is completed.

I am so please with it.
Not only is it squishy and warm, but I am damn proud of the way my own hand-dyed yarn holds up against the store bought yarn.

I really think that you can’t tell which stripes are professional yarns and which ones I did. But I may be a little biased.

See if you can tell!

Yarn Collection – Blood Red Shoes

Posted on September 5, 2014September 5, 2014 by bekswhoknits

My blanket just keeps on growing!

It’s gobbling up yarn so quickly I was forced (at gunpoint) to go and buy some more. Fortunately it’s on special (yay!) and $2 a ball. So I grabbed all the white they had. Then I went on a dyeing spree.

This time I experimented with dyeing 3 skeins at once. It was a vague attempt at dyeing a cohesive collection.

I’ve named them after Blood Red Shoes song titles.

It's getting boring by the sea — It’s getting boring by the sea

Everything All At Once — The Perfect Mess

Night Light was inspired by this picture I took from the balcony one night.
We do get some gorgeous sunsets.

I also experimented once more with separating colours using jars. There’s probably more technical ways to do this, but I’m having fun figuring it out for myself.

Some of the yarns from my previous dyeing adventures have been knitted up and look awesome, if I do say so myself.

My only regret is that I used two variegated acrylics that I just had in my stash and thought I could use them up.
They haven’t got the same drape as the pure wool. It’s probably something that only I will notice, but I will have to accept it. There’s no way I’m ripping back all of that work!

I’m totally counting these as ticking off my ‘Dye a yarn collection’ goal for this year.

More pretty yarn and a warm blanket

Posted on August 26, 2014August 26, 2014 by bekswhoknits

I’ve decided what to do with the yarn I dyed.

This blanket fulfills two main aims.
A) it shows off the colours of the hand dyed yarn really well &
2) it gives me loads and loads of mindless, therapeutic garter stitch.

I need the mindless repetition of doing the same motion over and over like you wouldn’t believe.
There is stress coming out of my eyeballs, bruises emerging from me trying to quell the pain in my arms and legs, things to organise, things I can’t organise and the only way I’m barely sane is that repetition of knitting.

I’m vaguely working on a pattern.
Cast on a bucket load of stitches (200 odd. I did attempt to do math and make a pattern but decided to go for simple)
One row solid, 3 rows variegated.
And when I’ve finished with one colour I start with the next.

It is guzzling yarn! I’ve stopped at spotlight to buy more (Moda Vera pure wool 50g) and dyed that up, but I’m estimating I’ll need at least 9 more balls.

But the next 6 are dyed and ready to go.

These gorgeous flowers are growing in our front garden on the tree that our passionfruit vine grows on. I decided to try and use it as an inspiration picture.

It gave me a chance to experiment with dyeing methods. And it looks so pretty!!! I’m absolutely kicking myself for not taking a picture of it all skeined up. I can’t believe I don’t have one on my phone! I’m very disappointed with myself. Unfortunately my favourite skein has become tangled whilst winding.

So it’s current status is sitting in the naughty corner (exactly where it is now) until I can work up the energy to untangle it. Hopefully without having to cut it. That would really annoy me.

Mums Garden – Part 2

Posted on August 25, 2014 by bekswhoknits

Almost immediately after posting what shall now be known as the first instalment of Mums Garden, I received a flow of emails with more photos. (Mum is a very faithful reader of my blog – Hi Mum!!!! love you!)

So I can show you some of the wildlife, and not so wild life that we enjoyed.

Mum is particularly fond of birds. I am not so fond. Yesterday I was just minding my own business, reading a book on our front porch (the last book of the Grisha series by Leigh Burdugo so it was particularly tense) and there’s an unidentified noise coming from the roof. I look up and I see two eyes and a beak peering down at me. Fortunately it flew off to chase some smaller prey but it made me jump out of my skin.
I’m jumpy around birds, which makes these next three photos a little odd to be on my blog.
I’ll put them after a break for all of you who are also jumpy around birds.
Continue reading Mums Garden – Part 2

Guest post – Mums garden

Posted on August 21, 2014 by bekswhoknits

My parents are moving house for the second time in my life. And while it’s a good move and a necessary one, it does mean that Mum loses her garden that she’s spent 15 years pottering around in.

Somewhere along the line Mum’s green thumb genes mixed with some recessive black thumb gene and resulted in me. I have killed cactuses.

So I asked Mum to guest post for me and show me her favourite parts of the garden.

There aren’t many places that can compete with this view. Although living so close to a National Park does have its downsides.

Fortunately fires aren’t too regular an occurrence.

But being that close to the National Park means native flowers and wildlife thrive. We actually do get kangaroos come up to the backyard and drink from the bird bath. [Beks note – I wish Mum had sent me a pic of that! I’m sure we have one somewhere]

And she even sent me a pic from my old bedroom window.
It’s not quite the view I remember as there has been a few changes since I left home. But it was still one hell of a view.

Pretty yarn

Posted on August 12, 2014August 12, 2014 by bekswhoknits

Things aren’t really so good at the moment. I’m being passed from one specialist to another to find the best way to manage the constant pain that I’m still in (seriously a fucking tablecloth!!!)

When you’re too sore for even the gentlest hug, and dealing with all the other shit going on, one can take comfort in looking at pretty yarn. (See also watching Jane Austen movies and remembering just how awesome the 1995 version of Sense & Sensibility is [what a stellar cast] and just how awesome Tilney is [especially in the 2007 version – I love the dry sense of humour]. I sometimes think he’s the best Austen hero. I mean the man knows his muslin! [but then Wentworth is so dreamy and Darcy, well he’s DARCY] but I feel I’m digressing/fangirling slightly…)

This is yarn I dyed myself.
I feel like a little kid when I’m dyeing. Especially as I’m using food colouring which is typically used for cakes and playdough.
It’s a colourful and very non-scientific adventure.
Just a bit here…. ooooh I’m not sure about that lets try a bit more of this colour.
In spite of some of the skeins I actually had a plan for not turning out according to plan, I’m rather fond of all of them.

My only regret is that they’re all 50g balls with estimated yardage of 80m. I don’t know what to make with them.
I guess I could just stare and pet them.

(Please politely ignore the state of my stovetop. Having a sparkling stovetop isn’t the highest of priorities at the moment.)

Shop Update! Bad Wolf & Bulletproof

Posted on August 8, 2014August 8, 2014 by bekswhoknits

I’ve added two new cuffs to my shop.
I’m trying to have more pre-made examples in my shop, which of course means making more for myself! All cuffs will continue to be made-to-order, but with more specific examples.

Before I started making cuffs for myself I had bought a bad wolf one. I ended up giving it to a friend one night at the pub.I figured that he wanted me to make him one, and rather than wait I just gave him the one I was wearing and made one for myself later.
(If you’re a doctor who fan the reference should be pretty self explanatory. If you’re not a doctor who fan – it’s something to do with doctor who!!!)

I also wanted to experiment with the new calligraphy font that I’ve got. So I looked through my notebook of other peoples words and settled on Bulletproof.
It’s one of the songs on my ‘ladies who kick serious ass’ playlist.(We all have one don’t we?)

(Don’t forget all my blog friends can get free shipping with coupon code “PARTTIMECRAFTER”.)

Curse the things that have made me sad for so long

Posted on August 6, 2014 by bekswhoknits

Curse the things that made me sad for so long
Yeah it hurts to think that they can still go on
I’m happy now
Are you happy now?
Spoke out the things that you‘ve worked out to be wrong
You got two hands to take all you can, but don’t take too long
To be happy somehow
Are you happy now?
Figured out I’m good
Turn me down like I knew I should
Punch drunk, dumb struck, pot luck happy happy
Don’t chicken out, it’s all good
You’re allowed to be what you could.
Punch drunk, dumb struck, pot luck happy happy
Punch drunk, dumb struck, pot luck happy happy
Punch drunk, dumb struck, pot luck happy happy
Figured out I’m good
Turn me down like I knew I should
Happy now
Don’t chicken out, it’s all good
You’re allowed to be what you could.
I feel good
I feel good
I feel good
I feel good
Curse the things that made me sad for so long
Yeah it hurts to think that they can still go on
I’m happy now
Are you happy now?