Knitting by the Pool

Whilst I love all the hubbub of the festive season, also like the renewed mental freshness the new year brings. I have an optimism that all the tasks I set will be no problem & am motivated to get stuck in making things happen. Since returning from Gisborne I got stuck into my blanket, even taking it to my cousins to sit & knit whilst the kids escape the 30+ degree heat. I have had plenty of comments about the blanket, especially from those who want the pattern. I have adapted the Log Cabin blanket from Mason Dixon knitting, instructions can be found here on their blog, I have chosen to do mine in stocking stitch as I plan to have a backing sewn to it, however the garter stitch version on their site is a great reversible, multi purpose blanket. Well worth a look.

The most exciting thing though to happen this week was the first 'unofficial' meeting of the Hawkes Bay Knitters, formed via Ravelry. A small group of us have been knattering & we have finally got things organised to get together. In typical fashion this hardy bunch couldn't wait for the first official meeting, taking place next week, so we had a sneaky trial run over coffee yesterday. There is nothing better for the motivation than getting together with other knitters. We are all now fizzing for the next 'official' meeting & are even looking at doing some evening meetings over an intoxicating beverage or too (yipee!).

Lifes a Beach.

Somehow it seems strangely appropriate that my 50th post is also the first for 'twenty - ten'. It is a great relief to be through another Christmas, to have peace restored to the household & most importantly happy children. Poor Louis acutely felt the weight of expectation that Christmas bought. He was ecstatic with all the offerings from Santa & all that was left was to pack the kids up & head to the beach.

Louis just blown over at his 'Dino Hot Wheels'

The hot holiday destination in NZ this year certainly seemed to be Gisborne. This is my home town, so I am more that used to throngs of holiday makers making a path to it's golden shores, what I wasn't prepared for were the tens of thousand festival goers who came for Rhythm & Vines. However this mattered not. My parents lived in the country & even better was my brother who lives beach front on Wainui beach.

Mum, bless her, had the boys, so I (far left) could enjoy New Years Eve with my brothers.
Now before you get visions of a grand beach palace, my brother literally lives in the worse house on a very affluent street & he loves it! He had made great preparations for the many visitors who arrived for festive season. Louis & Hugo just adored the beach & having time with their cousin Nina.

View from Stuarts Deck, pretty hard yakka really!

I managed to get some time to unwind & catch up with family & friends who I hadn't seen for a very long time. I bearly had time to knit, just a couple of panels completed on the Ahuriri blanket.

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)

T-Rex Did It!

Max, my 100Kg canine shadow, supervises T-Rex reconstruction.

I love that saying "Out of the mouths of babes", Louis has been so adorable & helpful since I have had my op. He's been busy helping Nana, getting nappies, bottles, fetching the phone. He has taken his role very seriously. He calls the my ankle "Bo-Bo Ankle" & has been very intrigued at what has happened to it. I, of course, have told him the factual details around the ankle, but hey, "Mummy has had a special Doctor who has fixed my ankle because it was still sore & not getting better" doesn't exactly capture a three and half year old imagination.

So last night the new explanations for Mummy's Bo-Bo Ankle started. He sat on his fathers lap before bed & explained to him & I that Bo-Bo's like mine are because "mummy slipped over, running too fast". Mummy run?! "floor wet Mummy, get slippy, fall over.... Oh No BIG Bo-Bo". Right, so glad I have Louis to clear these things up for me.

But not to quiet his busy mind, the mystery of my ankle obviously played on his mind overnight. This morning he saunters into the living room & after saying his good mornings he looks sincerely at me & says "T-Rex did it Mummy", did what?, "T-Rex got grumpy, went CHOMP, T-Rex make Bo-Bo ankle"

Hey who am I to argue!

Stuck on my Arse.....

After almost two years of constant pain from chronic Achilles tendonosis I finally managed to get all the parental planets in alignment & underwent the chop. Weeks of planning & preparation for 45 minutes surgery & three long cuts, but I know it's all going to be worth it.

I am now day three post op, have made excellent progress on the two UFO's I have lined up to be completed in this time. I have spent far too much time enjoying the Ravelry forums, started the Christmas shopping (all done online). Yesterday I saw the ankle bandage getting a bit grubby, so a bandage sock was whipped up to keep it covered & clean - ah well why not!