Groan.. no knitting today

I am a real grump today and I didn't even knit..I spent too much time on the phone trying to deal with useless insurance agents about my claims because of the lightning strike to my house. Anyhow I am gettiing over it slowly. I have the geyser fixed and so can have a lovely hot soak in the bath. I have a new screen for my pc - tho old one couldn't take the heat. Still need to get the DSTV sorted and the microwave oven replaced, but I'll survive. I wanted to take some pics of my FO's, a whole 6 months worth, but I didn't. However, I'll share the pics of the brilliant sunset we experienced tonight and definitely, there will be some knitting pics soon. For myself - a list of what I have completed this year:

Cotton knit top with random stripes (started 1989 - no jokes!!)

Fluffy scarf (started 2004)

Green and pink fairisle pullover (started about 1990)

Blue rib sweater ( only started about 5 years ago)

Beige cabled cardigan ( started about 4 years ago)

Tea cosy ( started and finished in Aug this year!! - wow Jen, you rock!)

Bunny, bunny sweater, bunny sleeping bag ( all in Sep/Oct)

L's short sleeved cardigan (started and finished Sep/oct)

K's mauve cardi with crochet trim - all done in Sep 2007)
This list makes me feel better about all the years I didn't finish things!

What I did this weekend

I didn't blog. I didn't knit socks. This is a short post because I won't be on line again for a while. So what did I do?

On Friday our house was struck by lightning - it took out my computer screen (currently using a borrowed one), microwave oven, the geyser, satellite TV, and who knows what else.

Saturday reported the neighbour for dumping his garden refuse on my pavement

Yes, it does get better. On Sunday shared a bottle of Moet & Chandon with very old and dear friends who were just passing by our house on their way from Sun City to their home in Hamburg. Knitting? Well the black cardigan is nearing completion. Only 2/3 of a sleeve to go and the finishing off.

Beautiful morning - hot day to follow

With my first cup of tea of the day, I sit on the stoep and knit a few rows of K's black cardigan. I was resentful of knitting something black at first, but wanted to do something that she will actually wear and like and she has been wanting an cute black cardi forever. Then I started pattern hunting and found nothing, so I am working this out as I go along. I just wanted to do the whole thing plain with two lace panels up the fronts. And that is what is taking the time - doing the lace. Not that the pattern is difficult, but the man of the house and I sit on the stoep in the evening to stay cool and its difficult knitting a pattern in black in the semi-dark. Never mind. As soon as the front are finished, I'll fly through the sleeeves and get the bitch done! I am actually thinking of doing a black cardi for me soon!

Oh, and the lace is a total mess, but I am not re-knitting it. Thanks to Elizabeth Zimmermann's "Knitting without tears" which arrived in the post yesterday, I feel more relaxed about it. Yay! You don't have to be perfect, or knit perfectly. You just have to enjoy it and that's what I try to do.

I am not sure whether I am disappointed or thrilled with the book. I like her style, but is there really that much technique that she gives you? Her best and favourite cast on method is the only one I have ever used or known and it suits me well. I don't think I will ever knit a cardigan in the round and then cut it. That is scary. I won't even cut the sleeve openings. And I don't hate purl, or even sewing things up. Anyhow I will read it and enjoy her writing style and hopefully learn something from it and use it as a reference in the future.

I can't post photos of the black cardigan on the needles as the camera seems to have gone to Cape Town on a business trip. Well it will be back to night with the man of the house.

Here is my bunny

This little bunny is my first knitted toy. I finished her about two weeks ago, but changed her face before giving her to my daughter. So she no longer has a dog face, but a bunny face. Her ears are too floppy and her face is too long, but I am sure the next one I knit will be better. (She is a girl bunny)

I knit, therefore I blog

I have been knitting madly again - this year finishing off projects started in the last two decades and have thoroughly enjoyed it. This has lead me to finding patterns on the web and also made me realise that there is a whole knitting cum blogging world out there. So here I am, joining the knit blog world!! And what a different world it is. Here in South Africa, we tend to knit one or two things for the short winter during the winter and then we forget about knitting. As far as sock knitting goes, I have never met anyone who knits socks! Why knit those ugly, multi-coloured uncomfortable looking things and then post pics of your feet on the web? I spend most of the summer in sandals or bare feet and in winter wear thin, smooth textured, shop bought socks. I wouldn't be seen dead in most of the multi-coloured cabled and lace socks that I have found in blogs. Why cables/patterns and two or three tones. Yeeeuk! Too much decoration! Luckily I live in a warm climate, so never need worry about woollen socks. Another thing I have found amusing on knitting blogs is the terminology. We talk differently here. We use the past tense. "I knit" means I am currently a knitter - its something I do. But, I knitted a jersy last week is the SA terminology. Never "I knit this last week" - what happened to the "ed" suffix? Sweater is another word we don't use much. A sweater is a person who perspires. I wear jerseys, pullovers and cardigans. I'll post some of my completed knitting pics later. Including my own little cotton rabbit - inspired by the "little cotton rabbits" blog.