Teenagers

Living with teenagers is a pretty good method of contraception. Not only do they stay up late, bug you whenever you might possibly be in the midst of a romantic moment, pull faces if they see you being smoochey, their emotional rollercoaster is bound to make you think twice about multiplying the human race.

Unfortunately by the time you’re living with teenagers it is well and truly too late to do a lot about it. Perhaps the answer is to make it compulsory for every couple to spend a month with two teenagers before making the decision to have a baby. Babies are the easy part, sure they cry and have dirty nappies that can make a nuclear meltdown look pleasant, but they are utterly adorable and totally cute. They smile their gummy smiles and even the most sleep deprived feel an extra boost from somewhere. Teenagers do not evoke cuteness. There is little that is cute about a teenager. They may be interesting, challenging and good fun (when they want to be) but they are also a whole parcel of contradictions.

The worst thing about teenagers is their ability to recall every word of every conversation you’ve had with them. They will sniff out discrepancies like they were two week high kippers. They will use everything against you and you have no weapons that will effectively deal with this, unless you are also able to record all conversations so you can be 100% certain about what you actually did say. Not likely since pregnancy, childcare and constant erosion of the brain cells will have diminished your memory to a quivering mess.

Please be kind and save a teenager, make their frazzled parents a strong drink and offer a large sponge to soak up their tears of frustration, know that you are doing a huge service to mankind as you prevent a murder. Remind the parents to hang on in there, like infanthood time is short and it will pass and the teenagers will emerge as butterflies from cocoons to take their place in the greater world and perpetuate the cycle of life.

Finished

but no photo because it was grabbed hot off the needles so it could be worn to Christchurch down on the South Island of NZ where the temperatures are a little cooler than our Auckland norm.
Yes I finished the second piece of knitting for cute neighbour guy. And it fits him. Beautifully. He looks so hot (the good looking kind, not all sweaty) in it.

It was a simple sleeveless vest as seen in 500 Days of Summer and Couples Retreat. I had no idea it was going to be so trendy, when I started knitting it. I think I may have slightly aggravated my cinema companion when I kept nudging her to point out for the 100th time that the vest on screen was identical to the one my needles were clicking away furiously trying to finish. I don't think she cared after the first twenty times. He wanted it so badly I didn't even block it. The pressure was on, he even thought something might have gone wrong with it because it was two days later than expected and he hadn't seen me knitting it. He was right.

The first time I got to dividing for the neck I had two less stitches than expected. Usually this wouldn't faze me but with the other effort turning out too small I just couldn't risk it. So I frogged back to the armhole shaping. Away I went again, staying up late to try and make up lost time. As I started to divide for the neck I realised that I had inadvertently been following the instructions for the crew neck when I wanted a v-neck. A few choice phrases were to be heard especially as I had to go back to the armholes again. Of course the last time cute guy had seen it, only the neck needed doing, hence its disappearance for a few days while I caught up. I'm thinking these minor hiccups are protecting me from any other bad karma possibly linked to the giving of knitwear to a male someone special.

I used the Zhivago pattern book, weekend knits, a book that I have used so often it's beginning to look a little sad. Why didn't I photocopy the pattens first. I wish I had now. I didn't use Zhivago though, I used Spotlight's basics Merino, which was only $3.99 for 50g. I used 300g in total so not a bad price. It was surprising even to knit with and not at all scratchy. BUT it does mean he can't just throw it in the washing machine, however, I intend being close enough to leap to the rescue should it end up spinning where it has no right to spin.

Now though he loves it so much he wants a jumper. He really really wants a jumper.

I have, of course, already cast on. No curses here.

A trip down memory lane

The internet is a wonderful thing indeed. Thanks to an old school friend on the other side of the world I have just seen photos of me that I didn't even know existed.


I'm the small one with dark hair at the front.
Me aged around 11 or 12, at Secondary school would you believe, I look about 5!! The best thing is seeing how like me my youngest daughter looks. So scary.



Daisy age 5


Daisy aged 8

Confession

is they say good for the soul and while I can try to hide I know my sins will always find me out. When you choose to put things into the public arena then you have to expect there to be some kind of accountability. Thus it is with me. I asked about the supposed "sweater boyfriend curse". I explained my cunning plan to devise a way of thwarting any such possibility, but curses are not so easily fooled I have discovered. I decided as you might know to knit a sleeveless hoodie, as surely the lack of sleeves made it safe. It was safe. Very safe. After hours of knitting and even more hours of sewing up especially sewing up the pesky hood, and a lot of cursing and tweaking with the zipper to be ready just in time for cute neighbour guy's birthday, disaster struck. I was gutted. I didn't see it coming and I still can't explain what went wrong. No we didn't split up. The sleeveless hoodie zipper thing was too small. How bad did I feel, definitely smaller than Tom Thumb. I would have liked to take the offending article and crawl away to my lonely rock somewhere while I tried to work out where exactly I'd made a mistake. I measured him, I checked my tension, I knitted the correct size. But it fits me, not him. The curse clearly outwitted me.



But all is not lost, being the wonderful cute guy he is, he has very sweetly allowed my transgression to be left to gather dust, unspoken of, until today when he shows me a picture in a magazine of a guy wearing a V neck slip on vest and says, "You could knit me one of those couldn't you. You could use the yarn from the other thing to save it going to waste"



I was speechless. Not only does he still want me to knit him something, but he totally understood the concept of frogging. Not that I have any intention of frogging it. I like it far too much for that. It could have been made for me don't you think?
So I am set to cast on for the slip on vest after all I no longer have any fear of a curse. This cute guy likes my knitting even when it goes wrong, he suggests frogging and is ready to ask for more. How can we not be meant for each other?

Any good confession also has some atonement and I have already made amends for my sin. I knitted a pair, yes a pair of socks. I am so pleased with myself. It's the first pair ever off my needles.



They are knitted in Patons dreamtime 4ply which is 100% wool but very soft and cuddly. The beads were put on using a 0.75mm crochet hook rather than threading them on prior to knitting. I thought it would be quicker that was as I am way too impatient to spend time on threading. It wasn't quicker but I did enjoy the level of concentration required, thus the reason why two socks were created. Next time though I'm not using such a light colour.

Look what I had done

I am smiling because despite the pain I am high on endorphins or what ever the heck the body pumps out to make you feel good. I feel invincible because I have overcome an almost crippling fear of needles. I have more excuses not to visit the dentist have a blood test, or get vaccinated than a dictionary has words. Even when ordered to have such things done I am pretty adept at wheedling my way out of it or at least delaying it in the hope of it being forgotten forever.



So I hadn't really considered ever having a tattoo. Never. It just wasn't on my radar. But Cute neighbour guy has lots. Both arms, chest and back, and they do look cute. So my perspective changed somewhat. Then we started talking and I realised that they were more than decorations they were declarations and I realised I wanted something that would be a physical symbol of all I had gone through and survived. I wanted it somewhere private where it wouldn't ever be on show unless I chose to do so.



I chose a dolphin because they symbolise joy and protection both of which I have a great need for in my life. I also think that my nature is quite dolphin like, I am quite a playful personality. I loved this design because it also embodies New Zealand's Maori culture which I have embraced fully.
Cute neighbour guy lied when I asked him if it hurt. He said it was just like being scratched.



I was scared and it hurt a lot. But I did it and I love it. Now I feel ready to tackle anything.

Finding me again

Some of you will have noticed from my comments on your blogs that my name has changed. I thought long and hard about whether it was worth the effort of reverting back to not my maiden name but my fahter's name which I took on in my twenties. After all, what's in name? Quite a lot it would appear. I needed to re-discover a time when I was strong and happy, a time when I felt I could do anything and problems were no more than minor hiccups in the fabric of daily living. I needed to feel that I was that person again and that meant shaking off a name I had never truly felt comfortable with.
I have taken that step and feel as though life is opening up with possibiliites again. I have also overcome a huge fear which I will post about soon. I just need to get the camera issues sorted so I can show you all the evidence.
Knitting progress will also follow. I have actually started on a second sock, a partner no less for a sock now sitting eagerly awaiting its match. This is further proof that changing your name can indeed lead to great things. Never before have I managed to knit two matching socks.

Thank you

for all your wonderful comments. I've cast on for a sleeveless hooded vest in the hope not having arms makes it a non sweater and therefore exempt from any possible universal curse vibes. Of course I know it's perfectly safe because the curse is aimed at boyfriends and cute neighbour guy and I are not yet at the point of being that closely linked, at least not to the rest of the world. Maybe at some point in the future who knows. I hope so. For now though we're just having fun, hanging out. The knitting is keeping me focused and busy that's for sure.