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I decided to alter a beautiful lace pattern I found on ravelry to create a cowl for my grandmother.
I thought when I visit her December, it would be nice to bring a present, and a knitted gift will give me something to do on the train up to visit her. I thought we could spend the evening doing some knitting, and then I'll go back to London the following evening.
Here's the design so far:
she loves red so I bought the brightest, boldest red wool I could find.
The pattern seemed a little complicated at first because I couldn't figure out exactly which parts were the 'v' design and which were part of the scarf pattern the designer had chosen, but in the end I simplified it down to the basic 9 stitch repeat, which works out like this:
After casting on a multiple of 9, joining and and knitting the first row (if working in the round) or purling the first row (if working flat)
(k3, k2tog, YO, K4) repeat until end of row
purl entire row (knit, if working in the round)
K2, k2tog, YO, k1, YO, SSK, K2 until end of row
purl entire row (knit, if working in the round)
K1 k2tog, YO, K3, YO, SSK, k1 until end of row
purl entire row (knit, if working in the round)
knit entire row (knit, if working in the round)
purl entire row (knit, if working in the round)
repeat until desired length
I'll post when it's done! speaking of, my gryff scarf is almost complete but I usually remember to work on it after I'm already in bed, and as I need to confirm how much longer it needs to be by standing up, I end up working on something else instead. I have a pair of socks and my own cowl in angora to do before I leave Roma, as well as a few balls of left over wool I don't particularly want to carry home so I have a few things I can work on!
Whatever term indicates the most amount of tiredness, that's the term that I feel right now. I have a headache of tiredness. I have a heavy eyed sleepiness, even after a double cap! But we had a big weekend so I'm not surprised. Here's what happened.
We had a great dinner on friday with all Marisol's friends from the school at the hardrock cafe, and Carla and Guiseppe turned up! it was awesome to see them, and nice for Marisol since she left this morning.
We ended up going to bed really late, I'm not sure how it happened, but it did, and then we got up super early on Saturday - as in, left the house by 4am, and caught the night bus to Termini (because regular buses weren't running yet) As it happened we had to wait quite a while to get our train, but we got to the airport in time, I even got a whole lot of my Gryffindor scarf done on the train, hehe.
We got our flight to Venice just fine, and in fact, how cool was this, they served Starbucks coffee or hot chocolate, so I was a happy little camper.
After we arrived, we found our hotel, which took an age, it was down a tiny alleyway that would have been full of 'footpads' if it had been regency England! but the hotel was nice, so it was ok. As it happened though, we weren't staying inside the hotel itself, but in an appartment about 10 mins walk away, so we set off, over bridges, through all the crazy windy streets, and finally found the place. It was a shared bathroom between 2 rooms, but there wasn't anyone in the other room so we didn't have to share.
The floors were heated and it was a pretty room - were were so tired after getting up so early that we made use of it straight away by having a 1 hour nap, and then went out for lunch, before heading over to the island of Murano.
It was beautiful, we saw a demonstration of glass blowing and did a bit of shopping, I'm sure we were ripped off but that's ok, I got some christmas gifts and a few things for myself so that was good.
We were going to go to Burano before we came back to Venice, but it was getting dark so we left it. We visited a church on our way back to the hotel, and I lit some candles for Marisol's safe journey, the health and wellbeing of my family, and a few other things.
After that we continued back to the hotel, dropped our stuff and then did a little shopping on what I thought of as the main street before having dinner in a nice little restaurant.
We went to bed really early actually as we were absolutely exhausted.
On sunday we checked out of the hotel, had breakfast, which was a really great cappuccino and a sticky croissant filled with apricot jam. I got a rather fortuitous ring and heart combo in my coffee foam too.
We got the vaporetto over to Burano, and were lucky to get some time in for photos before it started raining heavily. Burano is famous for the pretty coloured houses and the lace, but I will remember it for being extremely cold and wet. I did buy a bit of lace and we had a hot chocolate, and then returned to Venice to visit San Marco's, which took us an AGE to find!
it was starting to flood as the water got higher from the rain and so some of the streets you had to wade through a foot of water which was kind of an adventure! the line was insanely long for the actual inside of the church so we blew that off after taking photos of the outside, and went for burgers at Burger King.
My leather gloves got absolutely soaked and are now drying at home, the fingers look like they have arthritis at the moment but hopefully when I wear them again they'll recover!
After San Marco we collected our bags from the hotel and went to the airport - the rain, the cold and the constant tramping about was kind of getting to us, so we just wanted to get the bus to the airport!
One strange thing happened on the bus though, a man got on and was carrying a large stiff paperbag, and when he moved it to one side, I noticed that he had his johnson out! We were really exhausted and I wasn't sure if I was imagining it, so I couldn't help but keep sliding my eyes back to see if it really was my imagination or not! so I'm sitting there, and the running commentary in my head is something like...
okay, maybe he doesn't realise it's hanging out, but then, it's absolutely freezing, surely his dick has got to be numb in this frigid (teehee) air? but then, he's not staring at me particularly, if he's flashing me it's kind of subtle..
and then of course I COULDNT HELP compare it to others I'd seen and it was altogether way too much information! he got off the bus to answer his phone though, so he didn't stay on the bus and that was the end of that.
I found a tiny little teddy bear on the floor in the wet at the bus stop, and put it in my pocket, I felt sorry for him, being abandoned in a puddle! He's drying out in my wallet at the moment.
Anyway, our flight ended up being the biggest drama. We got to the airport really early as it was, but our flight was delayed by an hour due to bad weather. So we didn't leave Venice until quarter to ten! and then when we got back to Rome, they had lost the entire plane's luggage - as in, were unsure which carousel it was going to come to, as one of them was broken, and another flight was also stuck waiting for their luggage too. It ended up taking about 45 minutes of waiting for the bags to come, and by then we missed the last train and had to wander around looking for a shuttle, which we didn't find.
In the end we got a taxi that cost us a fortune, but what can you do, you know? you just pay it and move on, but god we were sooo exhuasted when we finally got home around 2 am. It was quite an adventure, and I know I'm going to miss Marisol! she went back to Mexico today, and I gave her my Vegemite to take with her, haha!
anyway. So here we are. I need to do some washing and take some pictures of the souvenirs I bought, but I can't wait to get to bed tonight! I want to make my dinner and my hot water bottle at the same time, eat and then get to bed by no later than 8pm I hope!
Ciao for now voxies!
R
This morning Marisol and I went to the post office to send off another huge box, and then went for fragolini pastries at Romoli. Last time we went in there, I lost my knitting request virginity when the barrista asked me if I'd make him a hermione hat! We were kind of taken aback so we said I was leaving shortly so I wouldn't have time to finish one, but since I'm going to be here another 5 or so weeks, it's going to be kind of awkward going back there, which totally sucks since their pastries are to die for!
speaking of hermione hats, I finally finished Marisol's! here it is:
Yesterday I bought a pair of Levi super skinny 603's! I 'm super excited because they fit my legs as well as my ass! in Australia, when I buy skinny jeans, they are too baggy on the leg if they fit me on the ass, or too tight on the hips and butt if they fit my legs. But... check out the wonder of jeans fitting my body shape!!!
Tomorrow is Marisol's farewell dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and then Saturday we're off to Venice! bring it on!
Other than that I'm still struggling with a pattern for a cowl, I wanted something kind of lacy and saw a few I liked but the pattern really just didn't work out for me. So boo. I think I'll do my own pattern, so much easier I think!
AND! I spoke to my grandma and have 'booked in' a trip to see her for the first two days I'm in London - arrive in the morning, go straight from the plane to the train, get to her house in the evening, make her dinner, do some knitting, and then leave the following afternoon. Now I just have to buy the tickets!
Then I can spend the rest of the week doing whatever I like, and whatever I like is going to involve a lot of shopping, museums, and burgers! woohoo! can't wait!
so, yesterday my package from Aude arrived! I'd asked her to do a CP for me, something for Anna's christmas gift, and it arrived yesterday, along with a gift she had sent for me!
"beeeeewaaare the grooooove!"
On friday night, the Vatican museum was open until 11pm as part of a special program running through September and October - it was actually the last late night opening of the 'summer'. Anyway, Marisol and I thought it would be fun to go, so after work we d over there with our online registration print out, and were inside within 10 minutes.
I know I've been museum-spoilt since the Louvre - I thought that although the architecture of the Vatican was beautiful, the art was not really remarkable. They did have an impressive Egyptian collection, but then, I've been to the Cairo museum, so can't really beat that for Ancient Egyptian stuff!
The Etruscan collection was closed, and that was disappointing since I haven't actually seen Etruscan stuff before.
It was quite interesting at night though, and definitely quieter, although the Sistine Chapel was still very busy. There is actually a man that has the sole job of stopping people from taking photos and 'shush'-ing people! Last time I visited the Vatican, I don't remember being particularly impressed and I'm afraid the feeling lingered this time too. (Probably because the one thing I wanted from the shop, a beautiful engraved 'R' on parchment - had run out. Boo)
This sign made us giggle - Nowhere has better happy hour(s) than The Vatican!!
Anyway. We got home around 11:30 or midnight and today (Saturday, we woke up late, strolled down to Romoli for fragolini pastries and cappucchinos, and then caught the 38 into Termini and walked the length of Via Nazionale. We went to La Gardenia (perfume place) and I sprayed some Gucci per Homme on my arm. I swear, it smells like a bushfire, and being Aussie and all, I know I shouldn't love it, but I do! I can still smell it, HOURS later, I love it! If I ever met a guy wearing it 'naturally' rather than a result of my buying it as a present, I don't know if i could be held accountable for my actions!
Towards Largo Argentina, I found a pair of brown boots:
...And then found Marisol some Christmas presents for her relatives in Via Del Corso.
We had lunch and a glass of red wine in the sun and then did some more shopping before heading off home on the 80 bus. We finally found where it starts from, and it's actually incredibly convenient, so next time I'll catch it from there.
Tonight I made crepes with banana and home made butterscotch. They were pretty damn good I must say!
Other than that, nothing much exciting. I got a few small gifts and gathered ideas for Christmas, but my friends are being supremely unhelpful this year gift suggestion-wise and since I won't have time when I get back to sydney, I have to be extra organised this year.
hehe, I do love icanhascheezburger.com, so I added my own LOLrabbit...
It's done! tada! I guess I should write at least a rough pattern so I would remember how it was made, but in reality, I made it up as I went along, measuring it against my water bottle to confirm it would fit!
I should warn that I have no experience writing patterns, and I'm simply recording from memory what I did.
Materials:
2 and a bit skeins/balls of Main Color [MC]
a small amount of Contrast Colour [CC]
1 pair of circulars, size [US]
4 buttons in [CC]
RIBBED NECK
cast on 44 stitches, and join in the round (careful not to twist) knit 2, purl 2 until you have approximately 20 cm of tube. Insert a stitch marker at the beginning of your round, and then count 22 stitches and insert a second stitch marker - this is the halfway point.
SHOULDERS
okay, now you want to start increasing for the main body of the cover. At the start of a new row, make an increase on the first 2 stitches, knit 18, and then increase on the next 2 stitches. You will have reached your 'halfway' marker. Increase the next 2 stitches, knit the next 18, and then increase on the last 2 stitches of the row.
Essentially, you are creating a flat 'back' and a flat 'front'. You will continue this pattern (increasing on the first and last 2 stitches of each 'half' until your work is wide enough to cover the shoulders of your water bottle. For me, it was approximately 6-10 rows, until I had increased from 44 to 120 stitches.
MAIN BODY/HEART PATTERN
Knit 3 full rows of the main body. Next, you will begin your heart pattern. Each heart (including spaces) will be 7 stitches wide, and 4 rows long. The stitch markers will indicate where the front and the back start.
For me, I needed to Knit the first 4 stitches of the main body of my cosy, and then I copied the following chart:
|
M |
M |
C |
M |
C |
M |
M |
|
M |
C |
C |
C |
C |
C |
M |
|
M |
M |
C |
C |
C |
M |
M |
|
M |
M |
M |
C |
M |
M |
M |
M = Main Colour
C = Contrasting Colour
The end of the first half should have 4 (or 5) stitches, and then I did the same pattern on the back.
The rest of the cosy is simply plain knitting, until you reach approx. 2 inches from the bottom of the hot water bottle (you can test for fit as you knit, another benefit of round knitting).
You will then start k2 p2 rib, and continue on for 1.5 inches. Then, you will measure how many buttons you'd like as your closure. I had 4, so I spaced them evenly and stuck a pin in the purl part of the ribbing, where I wanted my button holes to go. Knit/purl the row as before, and then, when you reach the purl where you'd like your hole to go, Yarn Over, then purl 2 together. Continue the rib until you reach the next marker, and again, YO, p2tog. Complete the rest of the row in this way.
Complete another 3 rows of ribbing and then do a full row of knit 2 together. Cast off. Sew in ends, sew on your buttons and you're finished!
That is pretty much the only exciting thing that has happened in the last few days, haha! I have to get back to knitting my gryffindor scarf now, I'm itching to wear it, although I also have Marisol's christmas Hermione Hat to get started on... and my first pair of socks! yay for knitting!
On Saturday I met my penpal Marco. I took Marisol along and we did a bit of shopping, had lunch, coffee, saw the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain... it was nice, he bought us coffee and tiramisu.
After he left to get his train, Marisol and I went shopping for groceries and I found a leather bag on Via Nazionale! It's the last bag I wanted to get - a soft brown one. So now I have a smart brown one, a smart soft black one, and a smart soft brown one.
Here it is:
we also visited Di Cori yarn store so Marisol could buy some more wool for her scarf, and I bought some balls to make the Hermione Hat for her as a christmas present, as well as some red buttons for my water bottle cozy.
I got quite a bit done of my hot water bottle cover! I decided to design my own because I couldn't find one that was constructed in a way I felt confident about - mine is knitted totally in the round, top down - no stitches to pick up, no seaming to do, only a few ends to weave in. Nice and simple! I put a circle of hearts on it to make it more interesting:
If anyone likes it, I suppose I could write the pattern out for them, but I'm just making it up as I go along!
Today we haven't done much, I skyped with my parents (and Anna and the beast of course) and then Marisol and I went for a coffee at Romoli, a beautiful pasticeria down the road from us that I'm sure I've mentioned before.
We had fragolini pastries and cappuccinos. I'm going to miss that place when we go home!
Afterward we popped into the Tigre for a few supplies. We couldn't help snapping a picture of these baby food jars though, rabbit AND horse flavours. Tasty!
ciao voxies!
I went and saw UP today after work! it's only just come out here in Italy - most films seem to come out later than in Australia, and certainly 6 months or more behind America, but that's worked out rather well, as it means I've had the chance to see some of these films in English in Australia first, and then re-watch them here in Italian. It's fun to branch out and watch films I haven't seen in English though, and I loved UP although I'm sure I missed some of the jokes, but then, watching a movie in a foreign language is hard!
I couldn't help but think that UP was really sweet - the relationship between Ellie and Carl was beautiful - even though he and Ellie had many grand plans for their life together that didn't come true, Ellie was truly satisfied with her life, simply because she had spent it with someone that she loved deeply. I guess is something that we can all learn from, and I hope I'm gifted with a relationship like that one day.
The film got us onto the topic of relationships generally, and I was explaining how I'm somewhat bitter and cynical, except it came out Bitter-cal instead. So M and I have adopted the word!
I joke about being bittercal all the time, but I'm not really - I find being single intensely satisfying and relaxingly calm - no massive ups, no massive downs, no absolute exhaustion from late nights driving to/from someone's house, no anxiety about what he meant by xy or z, and I have time to do all of those things I'd like to do - the things that seem to get put aside when I have a boyfriend. I think that some of my friends have difficulty believing that I truly am happy, as though it's impossible to be spiritually satisfied without having a partner, but I'm lucky to have this time to myself, I really am. Sure, I miss heaps of things about being in a relationship, I would be lying if I said I didn't, but one of the best parts of being single, is that tiny spark of hope that the best is yet to come, and that there is someone truly wonderful out there that you just haven't met!
Tomorrow my supervisors still aren't back from their (presumably work related) trip, so I decided to sneak the day off and get some errands done. Like... possibly a load of washing, I have 3 packages slash letters I need to mail, and M and I are going to treat ourselves to fragolini pastries and coffee at the epic place near our house. Woohoo!
buona notte voxies!
R
Success! our dreadful kitchen was surprisingly docile this evening, and I was able to make a pretty tasty cauliflower cheese tonight! It's a really simple recipe, just boil the cauliflower, and then cover in white sauce (which is butter and flour melted together, and then you add milk until the right thickness) - sprinkle cheese on top, and bake for around 30 minutes or until brown on top.
