Unemployment+holidays=lots of time for knitting

I thought I might update my knit-files. I have made quite a lot actually! Biggest thing was the brown jumper, which is badly photographed in this shot. It doesn't bag quite that much since I blocked it. This is probably my tidiest, most uniform knitting yet. Pat on back for moi. Then I made a little green hat for a friend in the middle of a London winter...handmade (and Peruvian) Christmas presents abound this year. Recognise the cardi?

I also made this thing out of massive wool which was so chunky it hurt to knit with. Not so pleased with this. Was very fast to knit but the sleeves are really tight and the stitches stretch which annoys me enough that I haven't worn it. So I might rip the sleeves right back and make them shorter.
And these ones of course you already know...

Finally, some booties for Cameron's friend who had a baby girl recently. Used every last inch of the bits from my stash...yess!

So that's me for now. Do you still read this blog? Meh, not that it's a problem as I'm happy to ramble to myself : ) You might be in Sweden by the time you read this! Weird.

I thought this might make you smile

The Dam

This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property. It was sent by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania . Read the State's letter before you get to the response letter.

SUBJECT: DEQ File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. DeVries:

It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:
Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.
A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued. Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.

The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2009.

Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action. We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative and Water Management Division.


Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:
Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. Price,

Your certified letter dated 12/17/07 has been handed to me to respond to. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania .

A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood 'debris' dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skil lful use of natures building materials 'debris.'

I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.



These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. As to your request, I do not think the beavers areaware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.

My first dam question to you is:

(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or
(2) Do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?

If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued.
(Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.)

I have several concerns. My first concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names.

If you want the stream 'restored' to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.
In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).

So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2009? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.

In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area. It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! The bears are not careful where they dump!
Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.

THANK YOU,

RYAN DEVRIES
& THE DAM BEAVERS

For you my friend

Here is a little look at what I am making you for your birthday (mainly just to check that you don't think it's instantly hideous!). Believe it or not that is the daffodil yellow silk blend wool that you chose from my stash, it was a very sunshiny day and it all got bleached looking. I am really pleased with how this is coming along though, I just hope that the size is ok!

The Kindness of Strangers

I joined an international knitting swap with a group on Ravelry, which is super geeky but turned out to be pretty fabulous! Look at the great stuff I got! Some really nice greeny blue and organic wool, plus noro wool which I keep hearing about but seems to be absent from all NZ knitting shops. Why, when we have so many sheep, do we have so little choice here? This person sent me 6 balls of lovely wool and some other stuff too, including the cutest pattern for a knitted bat! I particularly liked the wooden marbled dpns, very pretty. If I was the type of person to say 'squeee!' it would go here. You have to come round and look at all my loot. I need help deciding what to make. 

And here, finally, is a photo of the shrug that I don't think I will ever actually wear. I do quite like it still, I just don't know what I would wear it with. I think I need to buy a nice, simple black summer dress. Or maybe I could commission you to make me one? Seriously? I can't find any that work on me, my shoulders are narrow and my hips are wide (sigh) so they are not usually flattering. By the way....can you see the coloured in stitches in the shrug? NO! Haha, I'm so clever!

Knitting mysteries are turning out to be not so scary after all

Starting with the mystery of the double pointed needle (or, as I now like to call them, dpns). They were not as bad as I had been expecting, just a bit fiddly. And I kept forgetting to change to the spare needle and ended up with all my stitches jammed onto 2 needles (not very circular knitting) and having to redistribute. But overall, not too worrying. So pleased with my new hat! It's just a shame that I made it so far into winter. But I think I might take it to Peru, as temperatures at night go below zero apparently. Brr! Also might need some cosy headbands!

You can see I am looking pretty smug in this photo, but it sums up the pride at having learned something new : ).

I started your birthday present today! Such a gorgeous wool, I'm really glad that I got a few balls of it before it was discontinued. I will take a photo and let you have a preview soon. The Devonport markets went well! I made some moolah which was nice, would have felt a bit shamed if nothing had sold. Will be going back to do it again in few months...just need to build up the stock levels again.

New dress

Don't you love it when a new item of clothing rejuvenates things in your wardrobe that you haven't worn in ages? My new Juliette Hogan dress does just that for a pair of boots that I bought two years ago and have NEVER worn (I am aware that this sounds like a shocking waste of money, but they're pretty cute...)! The problem was that I didn't know how to wear them. And now I do. New dress, I love you.

PS: You can borrow her sometime if you ever feel the need for a clothes swap.

Photos from the weekend...

Hi Fi,

I hope you don't mind these photos going on the blog, thought you might like to see them but I will take them off I you don't want them here! I think you look gorgeous, thanks for being such a great model. I have some wonderful new wool from Mel to make into a jumper which I am excited about! I also think I might try making that lovely brown cardi/tunic/cabled top one day, it looks so cosy.

In case anyone other than ourselves ever reads this stream-of-consciousness blog, the patterns and designs shown in these photos are Mel Clark's originals and will be available to purchase and download from South Seas Knitting blog, Slip Slip Knit, soon. Anyway, hope work is going well! I am knitting like a crazy person to get enough done for the Devonport Craft Market which is on the 2nd of August. Hope you can come and say hi!

Leftovers lunch and healthy cakes

Lunch made from last night's dinner. I cooked an awesome dinner last night. Free range pork fillet with a sage, caper and lemon stuffing, with roasted pumpkin, beetroot and the last of the capsicums from the garden. Also did some vege sausages for G. Leftovers made a good hash. Lemony coleslaw with cabbage, carrot, apple, walnuts and fennel (from the garden).

Tim thinks this picture is just a mess and I'd have to concede that it probably is...

And these get me in the good books with E because they're dairy and gluten-free:

3/4 C rice flour

1/4 C ground almonds

1/4 C cocoa

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t  salt

1 C caster sugar

2 eggs, separated

1 C rice milk

1/2 C chocolate chips

Mix first 5 ingredients, plus half the sugar in a bowl.

Whisk egg yolks with rice milk and stir into dry ingredients.

In a separate clean bowl, beat egg whites until peaks form. 

Add remaining sugar to whites and beat until peaks form again.

Fold one third of egg white mixture into flour mix.

Gently fold in remaining egg white mixture and chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into 12 well-greased muffin pans and bake at 200 degrees C

for 12-15 mins or until firm when pressed in middle.

Instead of studying

This is what happens when you are sick to death of uni and the dumb exams which ask you to study the children's responses to reading (for goodness sake!)...so much for not making any more pairs of things for a while! And just as a note, the baby things are not for me...they will be gifted! The pink wristwarmers are quick and fun, made them for Selina, you should make some to learn how to cable! The buttons cover up my awful seaming hehe.

Out on the reef

These are what have kept me busy for the last week or so (along with some very tedious assignments and working with 40 shrieking children in the afternoons), finished them this morning. Not sure if I will be making any more 'pairs' of things for a while as I get bored making the second one! Stripes are really easy! Quite liked doing them. The wool is a silk blend and is not very stretchy, so they are a bit gappy in places, but that's ok. They remind me of Nemo's friend...the tropical fish : )

Mittens a go-go

Finally conquered the second mitten and now I can actually wear them! Second one was actually much faster and easier so should have done it earlier. But never mind, now I can wear them and when people say 'oh those are nice, where did you get them?' I can be all nonchalant and go 'oh these? I made them'. Put some photos of Tim in his birthday scarf up...want to see it modelled! Bet it suits him. Was he pleased?

I am going to make a shrug as my next project. Ambitious huh? Hope it works. 

Ribbed for my pleasure

Oh yeah. Finished it off with my little vintage buttons and I am quite happy with it. I think the angle it has to be worn and the shiny buttons stop it from being too herbal. It almost didn't fit so I had to block it quite savagely, but now I think I will look quite the thing this winter.

Finished things

I thought that the scarf deserved a mention even though it has already been seen and admired. Pretty happy with it although it annoys me that the last ball was so much darker! Don't think I'll be making another long scarf in a hurry though, takes too long and is very repetitive. How is Tim's scarf coming along?

I thought that these ended up being very cute. I can see myself becoming one of those people who has lots of baby things stashed away but no actual baby to use them! Sad. But they are just so satisfyingly quick to make!

Back from the wilderness

I bought this pattern the other day. I hope it really is easy-to-sew.

Global Fabrics is having a 50% off sale until tomorrow.

So I'm going to buy something wonderfully woolly and warm for winter (alliteration is awesome). 

But first I might try making it in a fabric a little better suited to this humid weather.

Something to look forward to

In my lifetime I intend to make these. And also these because they are both very beautiful, and folksy is the new black. Also, are you impressed that I worked out the link thing? (good instructions thanks, you should be a teacher! But not at the school I am thinking of at this moment...won't name it here. I am the soul of discretion.)

Wardrobe Lurkers

Since when did I have the patience (or the time for that matter) to make something like this? And then to make more than one? I found these when I was hunting through my wardrobe for something appropriate to wear when teaching 30 children how to construct a bar graph. I think the plan was to make 3 of these and hang them in a row...hmm. Not sure about that anymore. The dandelion one just about blinded me and gave me some serious rage. And Cameron's mum looked over my shoulder just as I was finishing the agapantha (sp?) one and said " Oh those flowers have just been classed as a noxious weed". Awesome. 

Knittin' country

Would it be this video Charlotte?

There's a button that says link in the toolbar - you select the text you want to link and click the button, then you can enter the URL.

I haven't yet worked out how to do the picture link... That can be tomorrow's lesson.

Harnessing the power

I did it, Charlotte. I am an author of this blog, separately from you. I have this inter-web thing down pat. Now all I need to do is create something worthwhile sharing on this blog.

Did you find it?

Hi Fi,

Hope you found it ok. Isn't the name fab? Not at all seedy or conspicuous to anyone who sees it in your computers history. 

Mum's neck warmer

My family is going to be getting homemade birthday gifts this year (whether they like it or not!) This is a neck warmer that I am making for mum's birthday... first time I have ever tried cables and I have to say that I am pretty impressed with myself. And pretty cross with all the people who told me it would be really hard! It's not hard at all. Although I have already ripped it out once, and hated having to cast on the 112 stitches all over again...but I am much happier with how this Attempt 2 is coming along. The cables line up this time : ) 

 I think this should end up being fairly quick to knit and I like the way it's looking so far (except for the scruffy cast-on). The pattern is Tudora and is online at Knitty in case you feel inspired. Very economical present. But that's only if you don't count the personal cost (and rage) at having to start over once already.

Winter Projects

This is the most recently finished of my winter projects...hurrah! Happy to finally have it done and displayed! (thanks for the applause Fi! Appreciate it). It is the first tapestry I have ever done and was surprisingly easy. I have a new one to start already...but the knitting addiction has put a hold on that for the moment.