Sock? What sock? I know nothing about any sock...

Tena kotou katoa. Ko Rachel tenei. Kei te pehea kotou?

It's the end of Maori Language Week so I thought I should throw a little Maori in there. Sadly that's about the limit of my reo skills. I would love to speak more. I did a year of Maori at university but we never learnt anything useful, like how to say, 'Would you like to buy my children for medical experimentation?' or 'double point needles are indeed the devil's work'. Actually, everything we did learn sounded like pass signs for cold war spies: 'The morepork calls at night'; 'the orcas are swimming in the distance'. Not so handy when you want to chat or blog, but come the revolution I'll be fine!

So knitting... I decided to go with the Baby Yoda cardigan - with a few modifications. (Because I can't just knit a pattern the way it's written, can I? Oh no, I've got to tinker and tutu and increase the chances of it all going horribly wrong. It does make it more interesting though!) I'm knitting it in Shepherd's Colour 4 Me wool which is nice and soft - a blue/pink/yellow/white variegated colourway, since Grant & Kate don't know the sex of their baby yet. I remember when I was pregnant and people would invariably ask 'Do you know what you're having?'. I took to answering very seriously: 'a baby, I hope'.

The colours in the photo aren't quite right - it's not as orange (where did the orange come from????) and much more pastel.

I've also begun a neckwarmer for my partner. This is the first time he's ever expressed any desire for a hand-knitted anything, so even though I'm totally over neckwarmers (this will be the fourth) I've said I'll do it. I probably won't bother photographing it or even mentioning it again - the instructions are it has to be black, and it can't have any lace, or pattern, or anything even remotely interesting. So it's 2 x 1 rib and it's very, very boring. Why does it have to be black and boring? Because he wants to wear it playing golf (when a scarf would be get in the way of his swing) and he doesn't want anyone to laugh at him on the golf course. Now on the surface that sounds reasonable doesn't it? But what you have to understand is that we are talking about the man who wears orange, yellow, red and green plaid trousers to golf in summer (which he had his mother make because he couldn't, unsurprisingly, find any in the shops). And he teams these trousers with a turquoise, purple and white Hawaiian print shirt. And he's worried people might laugh at a neckwarmer?????

Does the boyfriend curse still work after ten years and two children?

Global Warming?

Sometimes it's odd being at the bottom of the world. This morning's paper was full of heat waves in the Mediterranean and I keep reading North American blogs about how it's almost too hot to knit, and yet here, this is what I found at half past six...


That's ICE, which not something we routinely get in Auckland. Brrr....

So I sent Katie off to kindergarten looking like Nanook of the North...

and Jess and I hunkered down in front of the fire while I sewed up the neckwarmer - which I will need today!

This one I'm keeping - I gave away the last two. But today my nose is cold...

Back on the needles

I'm back on the needles - sounds like I'm a junkie doesn't it?

The sock progresses - I've turned the heel so we're on the home stretch. And I've nearly finished a third neck warmer (just the seaming to do). And I'm about to start a baby cardigan - I'm dithering between Stephanie Pearl McPhee's Daisy and the Baby Yoda Sweater by Cari Luna. This fit of enthusiasm will probably expire on Tuesday when I'm back at work, but that should be long enough to finish the sock at least.

I realise, reading back over this blog (oh the things we do to delay housework), that the last entry was the first time I've mentioned a book, apart from the odd knitting book and university things. If you knew me in real life you would find this odd. (I can safely say if you knew me because nobody I really know reads this blog. I mention it occassionally to friends and family and they go, 'Oh a blog about knitting; how interesting,' and stay away in their droves.) I read all the time. I read when I'm cooking, I read while I'm knitting (except socks or lace), I read while I'm theoretically watching TV. I read in the bath. I read in bed. I read while I'm brushing my teeth. When people say they haven't got time to read I look at them blankly, and say, ' but what are traffic lights for?'. We have books in our sitting room, dining room, kitchen, bedrooms, spare room, bathroom, toilet and garage. We have books in the car, books down the back of the sofa, books under the pillow, books piled up in the wardrobes. I sell books for a living. And yet I rarely mention it here. Very odd. And I guess, proof, should you need it, that a blog can only ever be a very partial reflection of a person's life.

Anyway... I think maybe I'm knitting again because the excitement of being back at work has well and truly worn off! I left home at 6 am on Thursday and got home at 6 pm on Friday, having driven 754.8 km, and I remembered how tiring this job can be! I'm still really enjoying the change, but I'm not as excited as I was the first two weeks. The trip, although long, tiring and busy, was lovely. We really live in one of the prettiest countries in the world. Driving from Kerikeri to Kaitaia around the coast early on Friday morning, I was just grinning inanely the entire time - it was so beautiful. And the girls were just fine and only missed me a little bit.

Now, some advice please... Is there a guide to blog etiquette on the net somewhere? Lovely people comment on my blog and I usually comment myself on their comment. But that does feel a bit like writing someone a thank you card, and then leaving it on your front porch so that they have to come and pick it up themselves. But if you then go to their blog and comment, other people can't follow the conversation (for want of a better word) which seems equally rude. Does any of that make sense? What's the protocol here????

Anyway... back to the sock before the knitting frenzy passes...

Read faster dammit!

Just finished the final Harry Potter (oh thank heavens it's over!) and now I'm insanely frustrated because my partner and my mother are still reading it and I can't say ANYTHING. This may drive me back to the sock!

Quilts!

Golly, it's been a while since I posted...

I haven't been getting much knitting done lately. First we had a friend staying - a fabulously talented fabric artist who makes the most amazing quilts. Here's a picture of Katie as a baby in the quilt Raewyn made for her...

And Katie and Jess in Jess's quilt....

Sneaky hey, posting pictures of other people's work because I have nothing of my own to show!

Then, of course, I've been adjusting to life in the working world. If falling asleep at 7:30 every night can be called adjusting!

So no knitting. That poor second sock, which so far consists of about an inch of ribbing, keeps looking very accusingly at me, and with the rotten weather we've been having I could do with a pair of warm socks, but it's just not happening at the moment. Once I'm more into the rythym of juggling work and kids I will return to the needles.

The whole work thing seems to be working out quite well (apart from making me very sleepy!). People keep asking me if I'm applying for the position permanently, but I'm not. It's a fun break but already I'm missing the time with the girls, and it's only been two weeks. Next week I have a night away in the far North and I think I'm more freaked about the idea than the small people are! As well as being freaked about leaving my babies (o I am sad and pathetic) I'm also keeping my fingers crossed about the weather: the poor old North had a terrible time this week (but eclair of Mad Hair Day is fine you'll be pleased to hear) and I so do not want to drive through storms and floods next week.

Time to go hang with the girls and ignore that damned sock some more!