- YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Tina Corolla
- YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Boysenberry Ripple Monte Carlo
- YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) P-Wom
- YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Green Beaver
- YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Louise Portland
- YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Wompa
- SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Purple Spirulina
- NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) William Charles
- STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) 4711 Caramel
- WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names ) Barbara Henry
- TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Millen Moscow
- SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Spring Camelia
- CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now + "ie" or "y")Banana Cardie
- HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Muesli Maple
- YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + "Tour") The Knitting Frost Tour
Thursday, 31 July 2008
What's my name?
Monday, 28 July 2008
TdFKAL: stage 22 - the final analysis
I stayed up on Saturday night to watch Cadel race the time trial. SBS were hyping it up big time with a series of Smashing-Pumpkins-soundtracked promos. Even my boss got excited about it and this morning reported that she had set her alarm and got up after a few hours' sleep in the middle of the night to watch the last gasps. The end result was a little disappointing, but on the bright side, an overall second placing two years in a row is an amazing achievement in itself.
I am now looking forward to some early nights. Le tour follows straight on from Wimbledon which effectively means 5 weeks of burning the candle at both ends. So now I've got a couple of quiet weeks before the whole shindig in Beijing takes off - with more armchair sporting than you can poke a stick at.
Saturday, 19 July 2008
In other knitting news
I finished the first half of the "Not the Boyfriend" Socks a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't got around to photographing it.

I've knit about half an inch of toe on the second sock. I'm using the TdFKAL as a bit of an excuse for a touch of SSS. I'm pleased with the way that this sock has come out. The colours are gorgeous. But I've knit this at a very tight gauge on 2mm needles. The Noro has a bit of uneven-ness to it which means that the 2mm needles occasionally struggle with the slightly thicker bits. The whole process is quite hard on the hands. It lends itself, therefore, to train knitting as I'm not working at it for really long periods. No more than half an hour at a time.

I've had a bit of a cold this week, so I took Thursday off. I caught up on the latest episode of Prison Break (I think I missed the season return - they slipped that under the radar a bit), then for contrast, I watched Stephen Fry's directorial debut - Bright Young Things (starring, amongst others, the delicious James McAvoy and a surprisingly unappealing (in this role) David Tennant). To keep my hands occupied, some mindless knitting - another dishcloth.

The mistake you can see rippling through the middle of the centre panel isn't so obvious in the flesh. Cameras can be so unforgiving.
TdFKAL: Clapotis update
Lest it appear that I'm spending all my energy on sprint finishes like Mark Cavendish (4 sprinting stage wins so far), here is a progress shot of my "real" TdFKAL project - the Clapotis. As you can see, it's a scarf version. The goal is to keep knitting through this one skein until it looks like I've got just enough to do the decrease section at the end.
I'm really happy knitting this. The pattern and the sea silk work really well together. I made a clapotis a few years ago when the craze first hit, but I made a bad yarn choice then and the wrap has sat in a drawer since then. I can see this version getting plenty of use though.
To be honest though, we're now about 2/3 through le tour and I think I might be pushing it to finish this project, especially given my aborted attempt at the lace ribbon scarf. But I try not to focus on the "if onlys" of life. In this instance, I will still end up with a beautiful scarf. Happy Days.
TdFKAL: second sprint completed
May I present the Jacques Cousteau Chapeau. The pattern, like everything else these days, is on Ravelry. (ie: I can't be bothered finding the link). It uses a decrease that I haven't come across before - KKS. Super easy and pretty quick.
The wool is Patons (Australia) Merino Deluxe DK. This appears to be ACS's attempt to produce a competitor to the Italian style basic yarns like Filatura di Crosa Zara. It's pretty good and a leap forward from the basic 8 plys that they've stuck with for so long. If I were going to be critical, I would say that Zara is a smidge softer than this. But that would be being a little bit picky.
Monday, 14 July 2008
TdFKAL: first sprint completed
Most of this beret is made from a delicious merino-seacell handspun that I got from Pigeonroof Studios. There wasn't quite enough so I used up the rest of the plum coloured merino-cashmere from the "Anne of Cleves" hat. That still wasn't quite enough, so then I broke out a cake of Marta's Yarns 8 ply merino blue multi to finish off the brim.
Photo is blurry. Hands are not really steady when taking photos in the morning before the first cup of coffee.
TdFKAL: The clapotis begins
Ahh..... that's better. This is giving me so much more satisfaction than the last attempt. And dropping stitches? It's so counter-intuitive, but then really satisfying when you drop the ladders all the way down.
Thursday, 10 July 2008
Serenity now...
Pictures making me happy right now...
1. IMG_7460, 2. IMG_7698.JPG, 3. IMG_7750.JPG, 4. IMG_7728.JPG, 5. summery rail fence., 6. 1000., 7. Red Spring Forward Socks, 8. Colinette Jitterbug Toscana, 9. All Laid Out, 10. Great Aunt Irma mini quilt 2, 11. IMG_7431, 12. wee lamb, 13. february lady sweater, 14. IMG_7221, 15. IMG_7387, 16. Cleopatra's Stockings, 17. Monkeys for mommy, 18. no. 1 : framed, 19. freshly laundered, 20. Mulino dei ceci set, 21. Post, 22. windy laundry, 23. Canal, 24. February Lady Sweater in progress, 25. Celebration Keens, 26. img_4519.jpg, 27. Durham, 28. vintage blueberry cotton, 29. Double Gradient Noro Scarf, 30. Kyoto_40, 31. Mingus, 32. Loopy Central Sock Wall, 33. Pillow and top, 34. brown blue quilt detail, 35. brown blue quilt, 36. making
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
TdF-KAL: Changing bicycles...

So for the last couple of nights, this beautiful soft sea silk has been sitting on the coffee table watching le tour while I neglect it in favour of some pretty pigeonroof handspun which is knitting up easily into a beret (pictures to come). It deserves better treatment.
Look at it, sitting here patiently. It is worthy my love, not resentment.

Monday, 7 July 2008
Saturday, 5 July 2008
baby tractor shoes
Made for T3 from tractor fabric supplied by his mum. Everything else is from the stash. Green gingham heels, soft brown corduroy soles and some squishy soft light green flannelette for the lining (not seen).
Pattern can be found here:
http://stardustshoes.blogspot.com/2006/10/cloth-shoe-pattern.html
Tomorrow is C's baby shower. Her presents are all ready, but I have some baking to do between now and then...
Friday, 4 July 2008
TdFKAL - lining up the day before
So in order to dip my lid to this aspect of le tour, I propose to undertake some additional sprinty little projects along the way. These two little chapeaux francais are looking like the most likely candidates at the moment. The One-Day Beret and the Jacques Cousteau pipo are lining up for their chance at la gloire de cyclisme.
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
my best Leo Da Vinci impersonation
This ended up a lot floppier than I intended. Consequently it has that floppy-artist-beret look about it.
If you turn it around so that two corners are pulled down over the ears, it makes a pretty good likeness for Anne of Cleves.
Pattern: Three Cornered Hat from the June chapter of Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann.
Yarns: Naturally Me (Merino Cashmere) and Marta's Yarns 8 ply merino multi-colour.