Plans...

I've given up on getting my laptop modem to work properly so I've borrowed my parents' computer to write this. I can't wait until I'm in New York and London and can have broadband back again! Because I'm in the country right now broadband is not available (unless by incredibly expensive satellite - the set up costs are enormous and ongoing costs about $70 per month or something...) and dialup is very slow since we are miles from the nearest telephone exchange. It feels so primitive!

Well I have been having a fairly relaxing time since I finished work, and have been pottering around organising my stuff, catching up with people and crossing the odd thing off my to-do list. Not long to go now and I'm really looking forward to it now. I'm terrified, but also very very READY.

I'm in two different dance troupes performing for the last time on Thursday and Saturday, so if you want to see me let me know and I'll give you the details.

I have been doing a lot of knitting! Which reminds me, I really should take photos before I give stuff away. I have done three hats, a pair of slipper/bed socks (!!! I know! I knit a whole PAIR of socks! and on 4mm needles they only took a day), and started on Thermal from Knitty. There is no way I'm going to eliminate my stash before I leave, but oh well.

I will try to update later with pictures!

ps also CAN'T WAIT for spring! Although the autumn colours here are incredible it is starting to get very cold...

Sizzle 2!

Made from Naturally Me, a New Zealand-made 80% merino, 20% cashmere blend. Don't you wish you could feel this? At $NZ14.95 per ball I think it's a bit cheaper than other similar blends available. It's made up of lots of individual plys quite tightly spun, but eminently soft. The end result is a little fuzzy so I'm not sure if it would be good for cables. If you didn't want to spend a lot of money (Sizzle took 6 balls, so it cost $90) it would make an excellent hat yarn. I thoroughly recommend it.

The second time knitting Sizzle did take me a bit longer, but I think that was more due to other things in my life. The pattern was still as enjoyable and fast (if you don't count all the time I wasn't knitting) to knit. And with the clever shaping, Sizzle fits perfectly. So if you haven't knit it yet, go on over to Knit and Tonic and get yourself the pattern! I am eagerly awaiting Wendy's book.... I also have plans to knit Le Slouch before I leave.

I made the second size this time because I made it to wear over a shirt as you can see in the photo. It's snuggly warm and soft, fits like a dream and I'm very happy with it!

Oh, and I finished it in time to wear it on my last day at work.

Wednesday-itis

hehe, I shouldn't really complain about having to come back to work on a Wednesday, should I?

The weekend was fantastic, thank you Wellington for saving up some sun for me and making me want to come back there. I really did dance until I dropped and it was great. I even made it on to national television! (I'm about halfway through, in the background - I wouldn't have even known except a workmate spotted me. It's fun watching the video though as there are so many familiar faces!)

I have almost finished my second Sizzle, so stay tuned for pictures. After that I have a hat to knit for a certain dance partner of mine, and then I will be trying very hard to use up some random stash yarn. I finish work on Friday so that means more knitting time for me! Oh, and trip planning. Oh yeah.

Show me some cool knitting - what is the best knitted thing you guys have seen lately?

Easter eggs are WRONG

Perhaps a controversial attitude to take at this time of year, but...

My office tends to go Easter egg crazy. This morning I got to work and there were four tiny little eggs on my desk, then a chocolate bunny appeared, then a bag full of eggs, and just as I was typing this someone came in and offered me some rocky road-type confection.

Anyway, it's getting to that peckish time of the afternoon and I was feeling like a little chocolate. So I unwrapped and bit into one of the little eggs I got this morning. I just about choked. It tasted like a combination of chalk and wax, with no detectable chocolate content. Luckily I had some emergency chocolate in my desk, so I spat out the inedible muck and quickly administered an antidote ("emergency chocolate" is anything above 55% cocoa mass, preferably 70% or more or in today's case - thank goodness - Lindt 85%. It must be kept in desk drawers in case of situations such as this, or for when clients yell at me)

But it got me thinking - why is it that Easter eggs are so foul compared with normal chocolate? Why do the chocolate companies think they can cheat us at this time of year by selling us stuff with minimal chocolate content? Why doesn't New Zealand have laws about what you can call chocolate, for that matter! (I know Europe does, and they have laws about what you can call yoghurt and cheese that wouldn't go amiss here either) Mind you, if something merely says "Easter egg" on the wrapper I guess it isn't making any assertions as to its ingredients.

But honestly! I still have a drawer full of so-called "chocolate" from last Easter that I haven't eaten. What am I meant to do with this year's haul?

Phoenix Bess

This girl has been linked all over the place lately and featured in Vogue Knitting, but in case you missed the buzz, go visit her site!

I must admit, I'm rather jealous of her! A talented knitter and dancer, and gorgeous to boot, with her own successful company, all at the age of 14. She makes me feel rather inadequate.

That aside, there are a few of her patterns I'd really like to knit. Stuff like Drama Queen, the Queen Anne's Lace tunic, the Pirouette Socks, and Flower Petal Arm Warmers.

Checking in

Just to let you all know I'm still alive! (ok, and to prod Eclair a little).

Plans are progessing - unfortunately I have to move out of my flat this weekend, but since I have to be in Wellington this weekend I am actually moving out tomorrow and taking the afternoon off work. I am now finishing work a couple of weeks earlier than planned, too, so I'll be finishing at the end of next week. That gives me a bit more time to sort things out, and the first week my mum will be on holiday so we can spend some time together.

This weekend I am heading up to Wellington on Thursday night for the NZ Pacific Salsa Congress. One of the dance troupes I am in is performing so that will be exciting. I'm also going to be doing heaps of workshops and partying into the night! I'm still in Welly on Monday so will hopefully catch up with some friends then. Then back Monday night. On Tuesday (which is Lawyers Day so I have the day off) I'm going to go and stay with one of the teachers from Mum's school, who has a spare room, so I can stay in Christchurch. Mum and Dad just live too far away and their internet's crap - not good when I am trying to organise stuff for my trip!

So as you can imagine, life has been a bit hectic and stressful! I finally picked up my knitting again a couple of weeks ago, which definitely helped with the stress. But I made a mistake and had to rip back heaps, so I've hardly made any progress. Hopefully I will have some time soon.