I'm Back and I'm Knitting Again

I’m trying to get the blog updated a little more often now. Blogspot isn’t designed for a dial-up connection. Some days it takes me 10 minutes to get to the front page, then another 10 to navigate to write a new blog. And don’t ask about photos.
To top it off, I just found out we have occasional interference on our phone line which has caused it to drop off. Hopefully they have fixed it and we can be online for more than 30 minutes at a time.
I figured if I load the pictures up at work I’ll be able to post a little quicker. So no more saving drafts of this blog and posting it a week later when things finally work.
On a positive note, I think things with my shoulder are finally working out. I figured why my recovery suddenly went bad. I was given an exercise to strengthen my neck muscles, and I got it wrong. I’ve been strengthening two at the front of my neck by accident, not the one in the middle. I’m glad my physio worked this out, because I was at the stage of ‘well it aches when I knit, and it aches when I don’t know’ so I rationalised that I may as well do what I enjoy. Which has been really bad, because I’ve picked up my knitting with a vengeance.
My mum loves her toe-up sock pattern, and while I want to try it, I’m not able to commit to two toe-up socks. A while ago Denise and I found some nasty sparkly yarn on special in green and red, and I got inspired. Christmas Stockings!!! I don’t mind the pattern, or the toe, or the heel, I just really don’t like all the stitch wrapping in the pattern. I’m using Wendy Johnson’s Generic Toe-Up Sock pattern.
At least by experimenting with the patterns on christmas stockings I don’t have to commit to that second sock. And I can experiment with gauge too. The yarn I’m using is by no means a sock yarn. It’s a nice big chunky yarn, and I’m using nice big needles (5.5mm). So while I’ve cast on the amount of stitches the pattern says, I’m getting a nice big sock I can fit both feet into.
Denise is also trying the pattern. She hates kitchener stitch used for top down socks (where as I love it, my stitches always look so perfect!) and anything that can avoid it is great. However she doesn’t like the heel and is looking for a toe-up pattern with a flap heel. So it’s not the perfect pattern for us, Denise thinks she is closer to that pattern that is just made for her.
Last week one of the women in our local knitting group has brought along some sock yarn with the proceeds going to charity. And who can argue with that. Denise got three balls, her favourite in red, blue and white, which is the colours of her AFL football team, the Western Bulldogs.
At least she finished off her last pair of socks before starting on these ones. Yay, now I have a pair of purple cotton socks knitting by my love. For some reason the pattern didn’t continue through the second sock. Nothing changed, same dye lot, same amount of stitches, same size needle, but it gave a different pattern. I love them though. Excuse the scary hairy legs though. I don’t believe in shaving, it would make my morning routine so much longer, and people don’t notice the operation scars on my knees when all they see is hair.
One thing I’ve been meaning to show off for a while is the magpies in our area. Whenever we have stale bread (or we find a loaf with freezer burn hidden in the freezer) I’ll throw it out the front for the birds. We have two families of magpies in our area, and they seem to be well fed by everyone. Our neighbours also love putting bread out for the birds too. Rather cruel since we both have indoor cats who love to watch the birds out the front. Its funny to sit out the front when the magpies come in and see Frankie, Chakra and Cashmere sitting in their windows, staring at the birds.
The magpies are just beginning to bring their young down for a fly around the area. These gray squawking little teenage magpies are so cute, but so demanding. We also have one with a broken beak. The ends of both top and bottom beak seem to have snapped off. She doesn't seem to have any problems though. She's the one in the foreground of the picture.
The other day we decided to be decedent and buy a banana. Whoop-dee-do you say. That banana cost us $4.05. For ONE banana. But it was so worth it. It’s amazing what you miss when you can’t have it. By the looks of some of the odd shaped bananas beginning to arrive down here, the first crop of bananas after Cyclone Larry seem to be ready. Bananas and strawberries for desert were wonderful.