Stone the Crows!

The beginnings of my Ahuriri inspired log cabin blanket.

With the days rapidly melting away before Christmas we have all being feeling the pressure to 'get things done'. Christmas is a double edged sword, it's the kick in the pants we need to get done all those little jobs we have been putting off all year, but in doing so we have a tendency to OD on stress as well as all the other festive imbibing.

Now that the cardigan is now finished, I needed a project that was low stress & required no brain power. An auto pilot project. One of my favourite magazines is The Knitter out of the UK. It is a lustrous indulgence of glossy pages & exquisite designs, a very aspiration magazine. In issue 8 I came across the regular Mason-Dixon column & they talked about log cabin knitting. Knitting blankets by starting with a central square the picking up stitches along one edge, knit length desired, cast off, turn & repeat. Perfect! I have an abundance of single & double ball samples, just the ticket for this project, so stash busting too! So far so good, I can knit, drink, watch TV, all at the same time with no stress at all - Excellent.

The weedy damp mess now replaced with smooth river stones.

With the festive knitting project sorted it is time to turn my attention to all those pre-Christmas jobs. Present shopping - Done. Christmas Day lunch menu - I need turkey. Garden tidy up - GailForce Gardening have weeded, tidied & stoned. Ahhh hopefully I can now relax a little & enjoy all the festivities of the season.

Finally Finished!

It has taken 5 months, but my tie front cardigan with ruched sleeves is now finished!

The choice of using the new Waikiwi sock yarn instead of the 4ply cotton the base pattern was written for was a bit of a risk, but the swatch measured up & I plowed on.

It fits perfectly, the drape is stunning with just a hint of possum 'halo' to make it really special.

I am glad I have modified the sleeves, the original pattern (by Sian Brown) called for a plain bell sleeve, but I felt that the yarn deserved something funkier. The only devastating thing is since finishing the weather has been so warm I have no cause yet to wear it!

Peas in a Pod

Louis & Luke hit the lake....

I am now finally walking pain free for the first time in over 6 months! Amazing, truly amazing. As part of the rest & recovery period the MacBuscke clan headed up to Lake Taupo for the annual Macdonald family retreat. This year we did things a little differently & rented a small holiday bach (http://www.rainbowholiday.co.nz/). Holly Cottage was excellent, fully fenced for extra safety & plenty of room, so each of the boys' could have their own room, so parents actually had a good nights sleep!

As luck would have it my cousin (and also the bridesmaid at our wedding) Karen, her husband Steve, their twins, Luke & Greer, arrived in Taupo towards the end of our stay. We were able to get our acts together & spend a long overdue day catching up. Karen & Steve's twins are just 3 months older then Louis & easily as busy.

It was nice for Louis & Luke to have time together now that they are a little older. Both are very full throttle & Karen has many of the parenting challenges I have in raising boisterous boys. It was amazing, they both clapped eyes on each other & it was love. Peas in a pod. Kindred spirits looking for mischief together. After hunting dino's, racing Hot Wheels & hitting balls it was time for a walk. Lakeside at Kuratau (southern shores of Lake Taupo) is just stunning & the day was perfect. The shot above is the boy's braving the icy alpine lake to see whether they could make it across to the other side - CUTE! (And before the PC police get on my case at a naked Louis with no hat on - he was thoroughly doused in SPF 70+ sunscreen - besides when you're that good looking all you need are your shades)