Mission Impossible 2

I managed to get the first mission impossible knitting project completed fairly rapidly (Saturday to Wednesday).  I started to look round at jackets to go with the skirts. The skirt is almost finished but I basically have to have some daylight hours with the blocked skirt, my sewing room and with myself together at the same time to put the skirt lining that daughter has requested into the finished knitted skirt.  She actually took the skirt up to the fabric shop without mother to get the lining and choose the buttons by herself. So now it is just a case of doing this finishing and then she will be set for Greece in less than three weeks actually almost two weeks.

Mission Impossible 2 is the creation of a matching jacket to go with this skirt.  For a while there I did not think I would get there but daughter finally made a decision on a pattern. Thanks to all those who suggested patterns but she has gone with a Kim Hargraves pattern called Darcy which I will have to do major adaptations to make sure I fit her almost Amazonian body. Well at 6'2", its Amazonian to me and now it is most definitely a knit down to the wire job.

In between the pattern decision making process I also managed to finish the possum yarn socks that I started earlier in the month. Said daughter has done that thing she does with all things that I knit which are green. She has gone "I Want" "Can I have please MOMMY!!!!!!!  Pretty Please??? When Zoec sent me the yarn I warned her that daughter would do this.  Zoec also suggested the pattern as well which is Cachoeira by Kristi Geraci.

Wangi - dont they look like waterfalls

I am halfway through the d pair of my a-z kal socks and want to get them finished before my yarn for the e pair arrives. I am only a couple of days behind but I think the MI2 knit the peplum moss stitch jacket also known as Darcy will cause the next pair of socks to run late as well. I think the name had something to do with the selection as Pride and Prejudice is also a well loved novel.  She even has the good taste to prefer the Colin Firth production.

Undertaking another mission impossible

On Saturday evening when I got home from work the daughter, Ry, pointed out that she has less than three weeks before she is off on a history trip to Greece with college.  She had been reviewing her wardrobe and as a result I had a new mission impossible.

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Good evening, Kotaatok.

You mission Kota, should you decide to accept it is to knit your daughter a Carnaby Skirt by Nickiol Lohr. As always, should you or any of your knitting team be caught up in life or be swapped by work demands, the Knitting Collective aka Ravelry will disavow any knowledge of your actions.

This message will self-destruct when you have less than 10 rows to complete on the button bands.  


Good luck Kota.

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So around work for the last couple of days I have been knitting panels of this skirt for her. I should of finished it last night but the mission impossible of the deadline and a sudden upswing in work demands has meant that I have been delayed a day. It is a quick knit and I am tempted to make more items like this possibly for me but not this pattern as I have an arse and womanly hips. Daughter also thought to throw some wrinkles into the pot when she worked out that I had another bag of yarn and wants something else to go with the skirt.  

The issue is what else? Even though some really good suggestions have been made by other Ravelers (Ravelry website users) Ry has not been that enthusiastic. Her responses have been classic teenage understatement of "That's nice". For those who don't remember the exact teenage tone and linguistic meaning it translates to "Fine mother but Never in Holy Hell will I wear it". Head desk moment before I revert to violence. I have a circular needle in my hands so I could garrotte her very very easily.

Remembering the past.

Today the 19th of February is the 69th anniversary for the Bombing of Darwin. For many years the rest of Australia did not even know that people had been killed and Darwin had been bombed repeatedly.

Damage to defence buildings following a Japanese bombing raid of Darwin in 1942.
(Australian War Memorial : 012699 )

It was not until 1992 did it get into the main stream press down south (Eastern sea board of Australia) even though each year there is a remembrance service on the anniversary which was always covered by the local office of the national broadcasting service the ABC. My grandmother and father sheltered in a gutter in the main street during the first air raid as the bombs and planes strafed the street.  An uncle luckily escaped death in the Post Office since the post master had sent him out to get his hair cut as it was on his collar.

I remember getting in trouble when we did the Australian home front in History in high school because I corrected Mr Wright about the Japanese bombings and incursions in Northern Australia. When you personally know a Methodist missionary whose first husband was decapitated by the Japanese you know about it, it did happen. At the time our history school texts only had the midget subs in Sydney Harbour. I also got into trouble for mentioning that Changi Prison in Singapore also held women and children not just not military prisoners.

I don't know what type of memorial will be happening this year as again Darwin is battling. Tropical Cyclone Carlos hit earlier this week and there has been further major flooding. It really looks like that La Nina has continued to wreak her vengeance on Northern Australia this Summer.

Spring has sprung!

Now that I have said that we will get a dumping of snow. Oh what a cynical cow that I am. The crocuses have been out for a week or so in odd places. Now the patch in the front border has suddenly gone bang with their bright yellow colour.  I swear they were not there like this yesterday.

I love the count down from Xmas towards spring as with the Equinox we start to see the light come into the days and things not be so bleak. Since Xmas the weather here has been that dark damp drizzle that says winter but on Monday we had patches of Sunlight. Today it was what I call an early Spring day. The singing birds are returning and the cherry trees are budding. All the signs that spring is really and truly on its way. Normally I don't say spring is here until the first daffodil appears. But I think we can say that it almost going to appear.  The flowers are forming and they will burst open any day now.

Early daffs forming flowers.

Spring does a lot for us as a family as we seem to come alive with activities.  The kids after hankering down during the winter are now seeming to be busy little bees with heaps of events that mum's taxi service has been in high speed dispatch lately.  Tonight is parent teacher evening and I am looking forward to speaking to his teacher about issues that I have with them not paying attention to his records. Yet again I expect to get told by one of his subject teachers that they did not know he is a dyslexic or that he is a registered young carer. At least I will have my C sock toe of my A-Z KAL project to finish so I can wait patiently without killing one of the teachers in the disorganised chaos that is a high school parent teacher evening.

Warning she knits so she does not kill!

I had finished off the first sock but since daughter is doing a hankering for it I have ripped it back and will redo the toe so that it fits her foot.  It will be a little bit wide on her cause I was doing them for me but it really is case the possum content in this yarn has it in for me. I am not going to reknit both socks from scratch just the toes cause that was were it was too dangerously baggy. She has not reacted to it so it looks like she is getting another pair of green socks for her collection.

Getting little things done

The last couple of weeks have been a series of little steps followed by more little steps. I have finished of my third shawl for the year but still not blocked any of them. The weather here has been that dank and damp I am sure they would never dry and unfortunately my laundry monsters keep growing so I have no space in my tiny galley kitchen cum laundry to have a couple shawls blocking.  Let alone one on blocking pads. I have also had issues which the camera ie a number of individuals have borrowed it an not returned it to the kitchen cupboard. I only got it back today when I threatened to cut off the food supply chain. Remember teenagers like to almost inhale food.

Dishcloth wise I had my arse kicked by a couple of dish cloths but I am restocking our supplies of these and general tea towels.  I need to get some more linen so I can make some more tea towels for glasses but that will be for another day.  It must be the start of spring cause I have the urge to do some major spring cleaning.

KAL = Knit along. The status update on what is going on this sock project wise.  I had gotten a little behind on the A-Z kal but in the last week I have finished off my B pair of socks. The pattern is Blackrose sock by Suzi Anvin. I called my project on ravelry Róisín Dubh. I thought it was appropriate for this project in oh so many ways.  For those who can not work out Róisín Dubh = Dark or Black Rose in Gaelic and is a famous political song from about the 16th century. The song in lyrical form talks about the trials and tribulations of the English rule.  For the song in English see further below.

Slightly too big.

I had a slight gauge issue because I did not do a gauge calculations so the socks are slightly large but leave it to J. He will shrink them for me the first time he accidentally washes them in the laundry as he has not got the whole idea of colour and temperature sorting after over 20 years of doing laundry. I think he just gets frustrated and tries to shove everything into the one load.  It is at least one thing a week that he manages to shrink.  Son is complaining about a t-shirt that has suddenly gone short on him. 

All those years of ballet are paying off mother
 I can point my toes for photos.

This Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball Stärke 6 that I also did the last shawl in.  The wool is one of those long colour repeats and it moves from white to pink to green as you can see on the right foot heel in the picture above. I have also completed sock one of the C socks in the possum wool that Zoec sent me last year and I am even doing it in the pattern she suggested Cachoeiva.  Daughter is already eyeing them off to the point she tried it the first sock on before I had even knitted the toes. The second sock has been cast on and I hope to get rid of this sock project this week. For my next sock pattern for the D which was supposed to be started last weekend I have chosen a fairly simple one. I need something which will let me catch up.

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Róisín Dubh

Little Rose, be not sad for all that hath behapped thee:
The friars are coming across the sea, they march on the main.
From the Pope shall come thy pardon, and from Rome, from the East
And stint not Spanish wine to my Little Dark Rose.

Long the journey that I made with her from yesterday till today,
Over mountains did I go with her, under the sails upon the sea,
The Erne I passed by leaping, though wide the flood,
And there was string music on each side of me and my Little Dark Rose!

Thou hast slain me, O my bride, and may it serve thee no whit,
For the soul within me loveth thee, not since yesterday nor today,
Thou has left me weak and broken in mien and in shape,
Betray me not who love thee, my Little Dark Rose!

I would walk the dew with thee and the meadowy wastes,
In hope of getting love from thee, or part of my will,
Frangrant branch, thou didst promise me that thou hadst for me love-
And sure the flower of all Munster is Little Dark Rose!

Had I a yoke of horses I would plough against the hills,
In middle-Mass I'd make a gospel of my Little Dark Rose,
I'd give a kiss to the young girl that would give her mouth to me,
And behind the liss would lie embracing my Little Dark Rose!

The Erne shall rise in rude torrents, hills shall be rent,
The sea shall roll in red waves, and blood be poured out,
Every mountain glen in Ireland, and the bogs shall quake
Some day ere shall perish my Little Dark Rose!