Did it!

So, I knit through my lunch break today, the guys didnt really come into the tea room at the end.  The apprentices looked a little confused (haha!) and one of the other guys had a bit of a chuckle with me, but all in all it was good!  Guess who will be knitting during lunch tomorrow??

Also, managed to snap this pic of the Maluka as it is post lunch (9 additional rows in about 20 mins lol).  Only 23 rows more to go and it will be ready to cast off and block! (sorry the pic is a little dodgy - I do miss my iphone at times like this)

Without the Bad, there cannot be Good

This post is a bit of a mixed bag really.

Let's start with the happy stuff :D  Last night I finished all 33 repeats of the edging of my Maluka and then knit up all 200 sts and started on the short rows.  I am now 'half way' where the rows are getting longer, and while I don't usually like stocking stitch, I am really enjoying this part!  It is knitting up so well and the Fibrewebs MCN that I used is just so OMG soft!!!  It's so soft that I can't even imagine what it will be like once I have blocked it out.  It would make gorgeous baby items!  I don't have a picture of it at this stage, but I might grab one at lunch because... *drumroll* I have bought my knitting to work with me for the first time since I have started working here.  I always took my knitting to my last job, but this is a much different environment where I am the only girl with a bunch of mechanic blokes! lol However, I know them all pretty well now, so it will be interesting to see their reactions if they pop their heads into the tea room at lunch time lol!

Now, the sad news, is that I have found out that we got the big no from the landlord in regards to bringing my 2 cats in.  I have had these cats for so long, that they are just a part of me.  I have discovered that rather than deal with this kind of pain, I just try to block it out, and try not to talk about it because then I have to deal with it. 

I have had Bala since I very first moved out of home (starting to get teary already - sorry for the outpouring guys) when I was 18.  I am now 27 and she has been my constant companion through all of my ups and downs.  She is your typical "I am a cat and I am aloof".  She is as independent as I am, which made us for a great pair.  She is also the typical 'scardy cat' who is very cautious and graceful in everything that she does.

If Bala is chalk, then Nanashi is cheese!  This cat is cuddly! He wants the attention, and he wants it now!  

He loves everyone and when he was a kitten was a complete nutter, doing laps of my flat and chasing Bala around.  I got Nanashi 7 years ago when my bestie Tory moved over from NZ.  He was to be her cat and he was our little baby (he used to sleep in our arms - still does actually!) until she had to move back home. This cat, I swear, thinks it's a dog!  He comes when he is called, he growls if he has chicken in his mouth and if I don't put toilet blue into the toilet, he tried to drink out of the toilet bowl... yup, he is a nutter!!

So, these are my fur-babies that I have had since they were kittens.  I am going to try and talk to one of my aunts about taking them on board, probably for a couple of years until B and I get our own place. But, how can I forgive myself for letting them down?? They are innocent and have done nothing wrong.  If my aunt is unable to take them, to be perfectly honest, I don't think I have any other options really and I don't know what I will do.

Those of you who know me and see me regularly, know that this has been going on.  But, I would ask that you don't ask me about the cats as to be honest, right now I really don't want to talk about it and will end up as a blubbering mess if I do. 

Before I go though, I would like to share these couple of photos of Nanashi, as he truely is a nutter and I love him for it.

Maluka

The other night I cast on (yet another project!!) shawl.  This one is called the Maluka, and is a shawlette.  I chose this as it was something a little different, and should knit up relatively quickly.

It is actually knit in a slightly different way to other shawls, in that the edging is knitted first, but luckily the stocking stitch that follows is done in short rows, so hopefully that will make it seem a little less daunting.

I am just over halfway through the edging at the moment, I have finished the 17th pattern repeat of 33.  It's a little hard going at the moment, as I want to finish it, but I don't want to get too bored.

Here is a photo I took the other night.  It's a little longer now though :)

My Lovely Ishbel

The other night I finished my Ishbel shawl.  I only cast it on last week, so it was a very quick knit!!  I used Moseley Park's 50/50 wool/silk blend.  I was really surprised by the yardage on this shawl, as I only used (exactly) half a skein!  Which is quite a bit less than the pattern called for!!  However, now I am considering making a matching Ishbel Beret as I definitely have enough to do one and I think it could be quite cute!

I wore this yesterday (as you can see by the picture), and the only downside to it is that its quite 'slippery' as it moves a lot.  I might have to invest in a shawl pin to stop it doing this.

Travelling Woman

Last night I finished my Travelling Woman shawl!  I was able to block it out last night and it was nice and dry this morning!

This particular shawl was a little painful in that I thought I would be able to add in an extra repeat of Chart A, but turns out I didn't have enough yarn.  When I ripped it back, I didn't 'read' the knitting properly, and ripped back to the wrong point, so I basically knit everything I had just ripped back.

I had started this just after the Bendigo Wool and Sheep Show last year, and finished it after the same show this year!  The pattern isn't that hard - I just don't like ripping back! haha!!  However, I managed to get most of Chart B done while travelling back home from the show and last night finished off the last 3 rows before casting off.

I am actually thinking about making another one of these.  The pattern is fantastic! It's easy to follow, simple lace design and quick to knit up (as long as you don't throw a hissy fit and refuse to rip it back! haha).  However, at this stage I think that I should try a new pattern... maybe keeping with tradition and using some wool I bought at the show this year!