Socks done and now it's time for........

Tonight I finished the 3rd pair of tofutsie limited sock yarn. I love the colours, purples, pink and white. The pattern was nice to do, although I am thinking that the bobbles might be a bit uncomfortable under my boots, they might be more for when wearing my crocs. Next lot of yarn and pattern is due out in February..wow ahead of schedule with the knitting, well with this sock stuff anyway. Not so much with the reducing the stash.

So that means I have cast on for...........my first lot of knitting for the grandchild due in August.

I am doing it in a lovely 3ply mint green pure wool (australian) by Heirloom yarn. The pattern is the (hang on while I go and get it from the loungeroom) "Nikeau Sweater amd Pants" by Just Jussi who is designing some pretty nice baby wear. This pattern is the native palm of New Zealand (I had better check that is correct, it is a few days since I read about it and bought the pattern).

I love the mint green colour, I knitted a lot of it for my boys, I have done the back band and I am on the straight knitting, how quick is this knit going to be. While knitting though I was wondering how it will look if it is a girl, I guess time will tell.

It is 10.18pm Wednesday night, I am sitting here (obviously) updating my blog, the window is wide open, damn it is hot. A slight breeze comes through every now and then, I can hear the sprinklers on the 10th green of the golf course (behind us), if it wasn't for the train track and long grass and fence to the course I would be out there running around under the sprinklers. Because of the drought we are on water restrictions and cannot water down hard surfaces at all, eg. house, windows, car or any vehicle for that matter, we are able to water our gardens and grass on Wednesdays and Sundays before 9am and after 4pm, but I wouldn't waste water on either unless it was a vegetable garden. The golf club has a dam full of recycled water from the sewerage system in an housing estate a few kilometres away, so the golf course looks great at all times, it is a great idea..... Come on autumn!

We took Ruby for a swim in the river yesterday after work, she loved it, as long as we kept throwing sticks in for her to swim out and get. She wasn't a happy girl when we decided we would stop and go home.

Other news is that on Saturday afternoon on my way to Stitch N Bitch at the Novotel Lobby Bar in Wollogong, I stopped by Spotlight (no not for yarn), I went to the Janome Sewing Machine shop which is located inside Spotlight at Wollongong, and lay-by'd a new sewing machine. I have been thinking all day how I can afford to get it out this saturday instead of paying it off and the plan is.....to empty my 50cent saving tin (huge tin) which at last count which was only last week had $239.50 in it, I have been adding a few more fifty cents since then, less the $50 I bought down on it, and the $100 son #2 owes me and promises he is posting to me tomorrow and the money allocated to the lay-by for this week I would be around $50 short, which I think I can scrape up....see how I go, must remember to empty and bag the 50cents tomorrow night and put into my account. I plan to make a few things or more for the baby.

Winners are Grinners

I entered two knitted items in the Kiama Show, the 2ply Christening Gown and the Irish Hiking Scarf in Heirloom Cashmino.

The Christening Gown won 1st place in it's category of "Baby Dress" and the scarf won 2nd place in the category of "Knitted Garment or Article not previously mentioned (not toy)".

Pretty pleased with myself. I will post photos when I get the items back with their certificates.

Walking up the street to the show yesterday in my lunchtime, and I caught the first smell of cow shit, how wonderful, I love that smell. It reminds me of going to the Royal Easter Show in Sydney when I was a little girl. Luckily I live in what is still (at the moment) classed as a rural area, so I only have to drive about 3 minutes towards Jamberoo to get that smell. Where I live is on the coast but the moutains are only a short drive away, it is referred to as living "between the mountains and the sea", beautiful. From my back verandah I can see some farms, the hills and most of the mountains from where they start further north up near Stanwell Tops and south (in my area) at Kiama. It is good views living on a bit of a hill.

Maybe I should have been a farm girl. I still even at my age have dreams to own a few acres or 10, and have some alpacas or/and sheep, just a couple of each, chooks and a nice vege garden, but I would have to be able to not have to work in a paid job to do that. I would have to move in west more to be able to afford this as it is extremely expenses to buy in this area. I would need in excess of a million dollars to have it here. Donations gratefully excepted.

Busy Australia Day long weekend for me. Went out drinking last night, just a tad too much. Our neighbours are combining their 40th birthdays and having a party at the golf club tonight (3 minute walk) just not looking forward to the noise level after closing time, it will be a bit hard to sleep when we get home as they are huge drinkers and very loud. Then we are having a party at my sisters in Jamberoo tomorrow for her 70th birthday, Monday will have to be rest & recover day. I also have to remember to pick up my knitting from the show tomorrow morning and pick up Mum's birthday cake.

3rd tofutsies

I have finished the first sock of the 3rd tofutsies limited edition sock club. I will cast on for the other sock sometime today. Need to do some housework (did I swear then) first.

DH & I celebrated our wedding anniversay on Monday 14 January - 24 years (officially). That means we lived together for years before and had the boys before we got married. 30 years is what we have been co-habitating together.

I have to decide today if and what I am going to put into the Kiama Show which is next weekend. The rules state that knitted baby clothes have to have flat seams, I am not sure if the christening gown does or not, I wasn't going to put it in, but I think I will anyway and see what happens. I have the Irish Hiking scarf too, so that may go in.

January knitting

I have completed a scarf in Eki Riva Carioca Flame, it is lovely and soft. I just did the easy pattern of 4 rows knit, next row yarn around twice and knit then the next row knit and drop off the extra yarn around.

Yarn: Eki Riva Carioca Flame

Colour: 1183

Amount: 50 grams - 100metres

Needles: 10mm

I haven't done much on the 3rd limited edition tofutsie socks, here is the progress so far. It has a scalloped edge.

Last night was 'every other tuesday knitting night', we had a great night, catching up after christmas and new year, stories to tell and a few laughs, made the night what is

always is - so good.

Happy New Year

New Year's Eve DH and I went to Wollongong with friends for dinner and then walked down to Wollongong harbour to watch the fireworks at 9.30pm. I use to play there as a small girl with my sister and our aunty, (she was a teenager when we were small children). Our aunty would walk as to the harbour to play on the sand and the swings there when we visited our grandparents. We then drove home and watched the Sydney fireworks at midnight on tv.

Can you believe that another year is over and 2008 has began. What a lovely day it was today, the first day of 2008.

We went for a long ride 455 ks, I am pretty tired tonight. It was very hot here today, and over the mountain was extremely hot, not a breeze anywhere. I have to get 1600 ks on the bike to have the first service and get the nice loud pipes on it, I now have 498 ks to go, thank goodness for that. Another 2 weeks then it will sound like a harley should....loud and recognisable.

I have thought a bit tonight about the year ahead and what goals I would like to reach. After I think or make some I will soon forget some of them and will probably forget to keep looking here to check on how I am going.

I will knit every last bit of yarn in this room by the end of 2008 (sound familiar... same goal as last year but I did get through a lot of it, just so much more to go).

I will try to get to Curves 3 times a week and try to lose some fat of the old body and try to be a lot more fitter than I am sitting here tonight.

I will try not to drink so much alcohol or maybe just not until a special occasion. And no after dinner sitting knitting and watching tv on any day is not a special occasion....bugger.

I will try to be a lot more tolerant of people around me (even strangers).

And a big one...will be to go through all my recipe books and get rid of a lot of them. I am such a sucker for recipe books and knitting books.

That will be about it for now, I may revise this list after a few months. See how I go first.

Well I am going to sit, knit and what some tv while drinking a zero coke (with NO added bourbon) before going to bed.

Happy New Year again to you all.