Right after Christmas I finished this beautiful Rainbow scarf, a longer sister for this one that I finished back in July. This one, for Amelia, is about 2.1m long, and made with a 2×2 rib with 58 stitches, on 5mm needles (US8). The yarn is a a 50/50 composition of Wool and Acrylic, and is a Moda Vera brand called “Fern” from Spotlight, (Moda Vera is an in-house brand). It took just one (very large) ball. Michaela’s one was only 1.7m long, and made with garter stitch.
It took me a long time to knit, as I put it aside while I was getting my patterns ready for release in recent months. As a result I have finished the scarf in an entirely inappropriate season, hence the lovely, but ridiculous photo above, of a person wearing summer clothes and a winter scarf. The weather has become considerably hotter since I finished the scarf, and as a result my nemesis, carpal tunnel syndrome, has returned to plague me. Unfortunately, I will not be doing any handwork for a while, until the worst of summer is behind us. Thankfully I can still sew on a machine, if I don’t overdo it.Yesterday, Amelia and I made this home made pencil case, with two of her favourite fabrics. We even designed it to have a tag for her name sticking out the side, and she is very pleased with the result.
She ladder-stitched up the lining herself, learning a new skill. So now it is full of new stationary, ready for her first day of high-school at the end of the month.
Speaking of new stationary, the kids and I went on a hunt the other day, through all the relevant stores in the local shopping centre, for this exact pencil sharpener. Everyone in our house draws, lots. Consequentially, we seem to be the house where pencil sharpeners go to die, as very few seem to be up to the task of working in our house. This pencil sharpener, by Faber Castell, seemed to be the exception. I had one that was never allowed to leave my desk, in case it disappeared, but we managed to track them down in order to buy them for the other members of the family. We found them where we didn’t expect them, in Coles (the supermarket). So now we can all stay sharp.
Does anyone else get obsessed with the perfect pencil sharpener? Perhaps you have another tool you obsess over?