100 things you may or may not want to know about me.

It's my last day of work this year and I am facing a whole night of last minute packing before the movers come in tomorrow. Also DH and I had this insane idea that we'd host the Christmas dinner this year for both our families. And we just decided this last weekend! It's been a mad rush to arrange the turkey and the ham, enough tables and chairs and drinks of course. The fridge and curtains will arrive on the 23rd as well the cable guy.

I just decided I'd jump on the bandwagon on the 100 things that you may have been reading on other knitting blogs. But try as I might, I can only come up with 20 for now. I'll probably update more next week.

1. There are three passions in my life - Craft, films and books ( in no particular order). Oh and my husband
2. I love reading fantasy and historical fiction. In fact thery're almost the only type of books I read nowadays.
3. When I like a book I can re read it over and over again ad nauseam. And cry at the same places too.
4. My husband loves books almost as much I do. He's not too hot on the knitting though.
5. I occasionally write film reviews for my local newspaper. I just got an invitation to attend the Bangkok Film Festival next year.
6. I started out my working career as a family lawyer. I got out of that within 18 months.
7. I would have stayed on if our country's laws regarding the family were not so archaic.
8. I met my husband at my next place of work - a bank.
9. I didn't like him at all at first.
10. He became one of the main reasons I got out of bed to go to work. We were best friends then and one day the thought of not seeing him every other day filled me with horror.
11.I have trouble finishing anything I do. I absolutely love starting something new.
12. I like going to the same familiar restaurant and ordering the same dish each time
13. I like watching Sex and the City, CSI and West Wing
14. I absolutely love "The Lord of the Rings" books and try to reread them at least once a year. I have been doing this since I first read them at 13.
15. When I first went to New Zealand at 18, no one understood what I was saying and I didn't understand what everyone else was saying. We were all supposedly speaking English.
16. I miss New Zealand so badly I sometimes can imagine the smell of fresh air and my sister's kitchen.
17. A New Zealand boy broke my heart for the very first time, and the song playing at the time was "A Groovy kind of Love" the Phil Collins version. It took me 1 year to get over him.
18. I was 60 pound lighter then than I am now.
19. I learned to knit in New Zealand and once sold 4 hand knitted Sweaters on consignment at a craft market.
20. The friends I made in University are still among the closest friends I have today.

The latest at the knitting front, I've finished the back of the Butterfly and have started the left front. I hope to pick it up again after Christmas.


Have a Merry Christmas everyone!!

Axelle's Atropos

If you're looking for my list of Clapotis Alternatives, click here.

Yes I am still not sick of Clapotis yet.
I've added a few more yarn alternatives to the list

Kristine using Inspirations Yarn

Margene - Horstia Maulbeerseide-Schurwolle - unpronouncable name for a gloriously silky sleek and solid coloured Clapotis.

Axelle has some of her own hand dyed yarn which looks really beautiful. Check out her own Cashmere Clapotis. Speaking of Axelle's yarn - I am in love with this colour way # Atropos



..Well maybe next year...

Fluff Stuff and Excess Stash

Not much to update since I hit a speedbump with my Butterfly.


Don't you hate it when you finish a ball of yarn just an inch or two before you're suppose to cast off? I just hate joining yarn right at the end of a piece.
Worst, the other balls of Noro are now in a box at the new house.
That's what happened to my Butterfly. I now have to wait for Saturday before I can unpack and knit the last inch and bind off for the shoulders.*see note below*
Assuming I will have enough time to between packing and unpacking boxes that is.





To while away my time until I can get to the rest of the Noro, I have been frogging this


to make this




I didn't think the striping was working so I just stranded the two yarns together to knit a garter scarf with a ( what's the name of stitch where you wind the yarn twice around the needle and knit into it the next row?). I'm frantically trying to finish this tonight so it can go into the Christmas parcel to NZ tomorrow. Another couple of hours should do the trick.

The packing goes slowly. The worst thing about packing after being in one place for more than 6 years is deciding what to throw away.
Some stuff is just pure sentimental, like wedding invitation cards, birthday cards etc. Some are just waste paper - bills from 1995 which DH insists may be important records one day. *rolls eyes*.
Some are books you have read once and are quite ready to give away.

For me the worst decisions are about excess crafty stash I've accumulated during the years. Things like
- siggie squares and 2.5 inch charms from the Millenium Quilt Craze in 1999- 2000
- blocks from block swaps that will never get made into quilts - at least not in my house
- Books and magazines that don't seem to sell on eBay
- rotary cutters, walking foots, rulers and various other tools of the trade.

I mean I don't think I will be quilting real soon but maybe one day ... you know???
Anyway.. I've decided to sell some of my 2.5 inch charms - they'd make good watercolour quilt stash. I'll start to post them for sale in my destashing site in the next couple of days. So if anyone is interested - you know what to do.

* If you're wondering why I can't get to my new house and just get the balls out of the box- it's because I am camping out at my Mom's half the week. Actually DH and I have been camping out at my Mum's since my son was born. He stays there while we're working and we take him back during weekends. It's a long complicated story that I am sure I'll get to one day.*

The Lure of the Butterfly

I have finally received the Jane Ellison book. Jessica kindly got me one to replace the one "lost in the mail". I am never going to buy from that ebay seller again.

Anyway who could resist such a beautiful knit?? I was dying to see how the Noro would knit up so I casted on last Friday. By Monday I had realised that I used larger size needles (5.5mm instead 5.0mm) and the back looked kind of HUGE. Measured it and yeap sure enough, the back was 30 inches in width!

So off to the frog pond I go. I recasted on correct sizes and here's my progress as of today.

Noro Silk Garden Colourway # 37
Click here for a closer look

I am about 2 inches away from the armhole shaping and just finishing my 2nd ball. I have shortened it by 4 inches - just enough at the back to cover my butt. So I am hoping to get away with 10- 12 balls to finish this project.

I can't wait to finish the back, as the other projects are clamouring for my attention but who could resist such luscious colours?

The Curtain person is coming today to install the tracks (woo- hoo)and I hope to get some curtains up by the end of the day. Problem is DH wants light green curtains but I think that will clash with the yellow and rose walls. I want khaki!! Khaki or a darker sage green - not light pastel apple green! Some people just have no sense of colour.

We're ready to move in now but I can't handle the packing at the moment. I don't even want to think about it. Excuse me while I go back to my Butterfly.