Lifes a bitch...........sometimes

Yesterday was time for the yearly painting maintenance of the old building I work in, what a day to be painting it must be the coldest day this winter (16 degrees celsius), they had the front and back doors wide open as they repainted them and in enamel paint so we got all the damn fumes to contend with aswell, my whole body was so cold, even with all the layers of clothing, I worked in my coat all day, scarf wrapped firmly around neck, then it happened I was starting to make a cup of tea, my hands were so cold I dropped the glass teabag jar on my BITCH cup and broke the handle off. Then to top that off, while eating my multigrain salmon toasted sandwich at lunchtime I broke a bit of a tooth off. Then of course you can't keep the tongue away from the chipped tooth so what happens your tongue gets all sore. Shit I was pissed off, wish I didn't have to work today, oh well just today then holidays for a week.

I have a photo of the back of my Dad's vest, hope it shows the cable well.

Dad's Vest 

Dad's Vest 

I also took a photo this morning from my back balcony, you can't see the mountains for the clouds, the rain is great, just hope more would fall in the catchment area. It can be relaxing sitting outside watching the golfers putting, or what's hilarious is when the crows come down and pinch the golf balls sitting on the green and the golfers running down the fairway clubs waiving in the air to scare the crow off, doesn't work, these are tuff crows, they just look at the golfer, then at the ball, then they just pick up the ball and fly off. We get a few golf balls dropped in our yard by the crows.

View from back top balcony 

Stitch N Bitch in Wollongong tomorrow, now that will perk me up, really enjoyed it last month.

Well I better get myself to work, if I sit here too much longer I just may not go, and that wouldn't be good.

Just blogging along

I have nearly finished the back of my dad's vest for father's day (September), I took my knitting yesterday while visiting a cousin, his family and new born son, I took it out to knit a bit more, and guess what, only one needle, I was sure I dropped the other needle into the knitting bag last night before going to bed, damn must have missed the bag. I put the knitting away, couldn't get it out of my mind, went back to the knitting bag, searching, searching, nope, nothing, no needle in sight. Later I had a brain wave (don't you just love that), I had the smaller pair of needles for the band, so I just started knitting on the front band, so now when I finish the back, I already have the front band done. Hooray for brain waves. And DH calls me blonde! Our other cousins daughter who is 9 years old, was there yesterday and has said she would like to knit, so I told her I would bring some needles and wool next time we visit (which will only be a few weekends away), isn't this great that the young ones are showing an interest.

At Knitters Guild on Saturday, everyone just loved the Jumper knitted in the Sirdar Snuggly Fair Isles DK yarn. I handed in the woollen bedsocks for the charity knitting, and showed off the baby things knitted for cousins new born son.

A knitter called Pam from out west in NSW has started a webpage "Knit 4 Charities" the link is on my side bar under "Links".

4 more days of work then I am off all of next week, yahooooo........can't wait, I have so many things rushing around in my head of what I would like to do or NOT do next week, I am so looking forward to the time off. I must start a list, so I can try to achieve some of the things.

Stitch N Bitch in Wollongong is this Saturday, so I am looking forward to that, what a great start to my week off.

I have had a few emails from my secret pal which is great, it will be even better when I know who she is. In the meantime I am busy trying to think of things to send my sp in July.

June Long Weekend (Queen's Birthday)

The weekend was great, we just arrived at our friends and the rain started, they were over the moon and the farmers around the area were ecstatic.
The news here on the Queen's Birthday carried on about Camilla wearing the dress she wore to the civil ceremony of her wedding, then wearing it to the Queen's birthday function....Well Hello!.....So what, at least she is being more like normal humans and wearing an outfit more than once.........good on Camilla.

I have a picture of our friends latest work in her garden. He is great, except he sometimes frightens her in the dark.

Potted Man 

I got so much knitting done while visiting this weekend, we sat around inside most of the weekend, I knitted, we all chatted, ate great food, drunk, and the bonfire was postponed until the Sunday evening because of the wonderful, wonderful rain all day Saturday. I finished off the new babies present, and then started on my Dad's vest, I haven't decided yet as to whether it will be for Father's Day in September or Christmas. I will post photos when I take some.

The bonfire went down a treat, we sat around toasting marshmallows, and having fun (well as much as you can) with the sparklers, the only type of fire crackers we are allowed to use in Australia. The only fireworks allowed are at professionally organised events.

Bitchology

I got this in an email today and thought it was so ME, that I had to share it with everyone here. I have a BITCH cup at work, which a girl in my department gave me for Christmas, actually it is the second Bitch cup she has given me, the first was a few years ago and was my favourite, "That's Ms Bitch to You", it got a crack in it so it is on display in the billiards room at home. Now I have the Babe In Total Control of Herself cup. (She does like me you know). It is amazing how others think that strong people are BITCHES - Go Figure.

BITCHOLOGY

When I stand up for myself, and my beliefs, they call me a bitch.

When I stand up for those I love, they call me a bitch.

When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts or do things my own way,
they call me a bitch.

Being a bitch means I won't compromise what's in my heart. It means I live my life MY way. It means I won't allow anyone to step on me.

When I refuse to tolerate injustice and speak against it, I am defined as a bitch.

The same thing happens when I take time for myself instead of being everyone's maid, or when I act a little selfish. It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be who I truly am and won't become anyone else's idea of what they think I "should" be.

I am outspoken, opinionated and determined. I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!

So try to stomp on me, try to douse my inner flame, try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me. You won't succeed.

And if that makes me a bitch, so be it. I embrace the title and am proud to bear it.


B - Babe
I - in
T - Total
C - Control of
H - Herself

B = Beautiful
I = Intelligent
T = Talented
C = Charming
H = Hell of a Woman

B = Beautiful
I = Individual
T = That
C = Can
H = Handle anything

Another one bites the dust.........and another ones gone

Wow, I am getting through my projects like a mad woman.
Here is a photo of the finished jumper for 4 year old boy. I have started a baby beanie for a cousins newborn son, I have a matinee jacket already done and I am practicing my knitting in the round with 4 needles by doing the beanie this way, so when I get to my socks, I will be all OK with knitting in the round.

Michael's jumper for 4th Birthday 

Here is the black Feathers and Ostrich trim hat for myself.
My Hat 
I will get to wear it this weekend as we are going to visit friends at The Rock (between Wagga Wagga and Albury) for the June Long Weekend (Queen's Birthday). We are having a huge Bonfire, a pity we can't have the fire crackers to go with it. But we can use our imaginations.

This is the scarf I knitted with the wool from Moggy and Me, it is beautiful and very versatile, it can be worn as a scarf or it drops down to be a shawl. I get so many comments about it.

Green Scarf 

Green Scarf from Donni's Yarn 

Birthday presents are on time..........yahoo!

Here is the finished present for a friends daughter's birthday this month. I think I will look around for a knitting bag or maybe get creative and make one.
Kimberley's Present 

I started on her brothers birthday present for end of July, this jumper is my only WIP at the moment, I am doing pretty good at having only 1 thing on the needles at a time. The jumper is knitted in Sirdar Snuggley Fair Isle DK yarn with Snuggly contrast trim.

WIP - Michael's Jumper 

The socks are getting closer and closer, I think they might be my next project, but you never can tell, as we all know you just have to spot some yummy yarn and then all plans are out the window.

Shhh...My Secret Pal 5

I have been contacted by the person who is my secret pal, I am so excited, the only thing is having to wait to the end to get to know about the person, it is going to be so much fun. I have been reading the blog of the person who I am going to be secret pal to and trying to get to know about them, when her secret pal 5 questions are posted I will know abit more about her.

Wollongong Stitch N Bitch

What a great afternoon at Wollongong Stitch N Bitch, I met "The Stripey Tiger", and "Pick up Sticks". Six knitters from the Kiama Knitters Guild attended, and we sat around knitting, chatting (Bitching) and eating and drinking hot chocolate, coffee etc. I was amazed at the wonderful knitting that people are doing, it really inspires you to do more and be more adventurous with knitting. I have finished my hat in black feathers with the Ostrich trim, and I am now knitting fingerless gloves for our goddaughters sister for her 11th birthday to go with the hat, I also got her some kiddies knitting needles and some 8ply wool to get her started in knitting. She has been learning with her grandmother, and she has been enjoying it, so I will give her a helping hand and hopefully she will become a great happy knitter too.

Secret Pal 5

I have recieved notification of who my Secret Pal 5 is, I have sent them an email to let them know I am out here, and I have also been reading about them on their blogspot. I am so excited, I can't wait to work out what to send first.

Secret Pal 5 - Questionnaire

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

I will knit with any type of yarn.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I have purchased a second hand Ashcroft Spinning Wheel, but have not learned how to spin yet. I can do basic crochet.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

No

4. How long have you been knitting?

Since probably about 4 years old, my Mum taught me.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

Lavender or Vanilla.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Aahh, Chocolate.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

Knitting at the moment, I would love to try beading and make myself some row markers, I can also sew.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I think my DVD will. I love INXS, Rob Thomas, Matchbox 20, Suzi Quatro, Rock and Roll, Eminem (from listening to my son play it constantly), depends on my mood. Most things loud.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

I love blues, mauves, into Greens at the moment, it depends on my mood, year etc.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I have a husband, 2 young adult boys (1 still at home), and a beautiful American Staffy, Ruby (nearly 2 years old).

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

To have a happy, LONG life, I always think I would love to be self sufficient, knit all day and just be happy pottering around a very large block of land and cosy house, with some chooks, alpacas, vege patch etc.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

Usually pure Wool, don't really have any favourites, as long as I have a nice pattern to knit it with.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Not sure...gee I am easy.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

Hats in Feathers with Boa Trim.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Baby clothes, clothes for our goddaughter and her sister and brother.

17. What are you knitting right now?

A jumper for Ruby our dog, and Bedsocks for Berrima Jail (womens prison) as part of the Knitters Guild of NSW Kiama Branch Charity Knitting.

18. What do you think about ponchos?

Love Ponchos, I am trying to find a girls pattern for Size 8 - 12 years old.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

I mainly knit with straight needles, but I am slowly trying and enjoy using circular needles.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I seem to break plastic halfway through a row, so Aluminium (metal), I do have some wooden needles and they are great.

21. Are you a sock knitter?

I am going to be. It is one of my goals for the year to knit socks

22. How did you learn to knit?

My Mum taught me.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

About a year old, I have misplaced the pattern.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

American Staffy's.

25. What is your favorite holiday?

Anywhere relaxing, we use to snow ski every Winter, now we mostly go away on any weekend we can on the motorbikes. I would love to get to Tasmania within the next twelve months. Canada, Italy and Ireland really appeal to me. I will have to put them on my bigger wish list.

26. Is there anything that you collect?

I try not to, I am trying to have less clutter. I have collected anything Cocoa Cola, Harley Davidson, and Jim Beam for our Games Room.


27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

Creative Magazine (Australia), just about to subscribe to Interweave Magazine (America)


28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Stitch N Bitch by Debbie Stoller and Stitch N Bitch Nation; Start Small Finish Big; The Color Purple; At Knit's End - Meditations for Women who Knit to Much by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.

It's Friday.........Ya gotta be happy about that!

Thank goodness it's friday, two days off, thank goodness for weekends.
Last night Ruby wore her new blue jumper I knitted for the first time, when I saw her this morning she was down the back yard, minus the jumper (I thought if she has ripped it I will kill her - not really), I went down and here it was in a nice pile in her kennel, I don't know how she got it off, but it wasn't harmed at all. Oh well I will try again tonight.

I got some really nice wool yesterday of a girl who works casual here, she sells jewellery and now wool, it is Fiddlesticks Vogue, a really chunky then really thin yarn in blue, mauve and green, I don't have any idea on what to do with it, but I have the urge to phone her and get more balls (I only got 2 balls).
Fiddlesticks Vogue Wool 

Also I have finished 2 pairs of woollen bedsocks for the Knitting Guilds Charity Knitting for Berrima Jail (womens prison on Southern Highlands), it is a really old jail (over 100 years) and it would be extrememly cold in winter and because of OH&S they aren't allowed electric blankets.


Bedsocks  

Bedsocks 

Tomorrow I hope to get to the Wollongong Stitch N Bitch for the first time, I don't know what DH's plans are but I think I will try to make it.

I have now started on a hat in Feathers yarn in the cream, pink and mauve colours for our goddaughters older sister, she asked me if I could knit it for her as she has a scarf in the same colours, her birthday is in June so I will make it for that, I would also like to knit her some gloves with the feathers on the bands and in a cream yarn, I will see how I go. Just trying to finish one thing at a time.

Knitting Sale

We had a great week at the exhibition and sale, we all did pretty well with selling our knitting. The weather was really terrible the first 3 days but the weekend really turned the good Autumn weather on. I sat out the front of the gallery knitting away, while watching the world go by. We had some really good comments on our work. I guess we will be busy thinking up new ideas for items to sell next year. And I forgot to take my camera and get photos. Donni came down on Sunday to visit, and met up with some other Wollongong Stitch N Bitch's from our Knitters group. I will have to try to make it to Wollongong this weekend.

Knitters Guild Kiama Branch

All my talk of knitting for our May Exhibition and Sale and I didn't say when or where it will be....silly me.

Kiama Knitters Guild May Exhibition and Sale
Venue: Old Fire Station Community Arts Centre, Terralong Street, Kiama
Dates: Wednesday 18 - Sunday 22 May 2005
Times: 10am - 4pm Daily

Hope to see you there.

Knitting Happens

Lunchtime used to run around and get some buttons for another baby jumper for the sale, will sew them on tonight, then hopefully all done and ready for setting up tomorrow.

These are some photos of the items I have knitted to sell at the Annual Exhibition and Sale this week.

I just have to remember how to post the pictures. Anyway here goes nothing.......

The top picture shows some hats and scarf in Feathers and Boa Trim, the middle picture shows a Pareo Wrap in Purple, hats, scarf and baby items and the bottom picture shows the Baby items.


Hats and Scarf for May Sale 

Items for May Sale 

Sale items 


My husband and a couple of our friends went to see the Textile exhibition at the Old Court House in Wollongong on Saturday afternoon, it was amazing, the work, the colours, it was just great. I bought 200g of handspun, hand dyed yarn in bright pink/blue/mauve, it is just beautiful, I am going to make a childs cardigan or jumper, I will be busy searching my patterns for something suitable.

After the exhibition we went up the road to a cafe overlooking north beach in Wollongong and had afternoon tea, yum "White Hot Chocolate", hit the spot perfectly, there is a first time for everything....even at my age.

The Countdown is on

A week to go until the Knitters Group May sale and exhibition. I am still madly knitting, I have finished 4 feather hats with Boa trim and 1 with a matching scarf, 2 baby cardigans, 1 modern and 1 traditional pattern, a couple of different yarn scarfs, and I am trying to finish another baby jumper. I just bought some nice 8ply Antique Brown wool of ebay, so when that arrives I would like to knit my Dad a vest for when he plays golf, (getting a head start on Christmas presents). My socks are still on the agenda, they may come before the vest.

Knitter possessed

I am a knitter possessed these last few weeks, every spare minute I have I am knitting.

We went away for the Anzac Long Weekend out west to friends, how relaxing, wine, food, and knitting of course. I knitted a dark brown feathers yarn scarf for my friends daughter, I didn't like the colour until I knitted it, it looked great.

I got more dark brown feathers yarn to knit a scarf and hat to sell at our knitting groups exhibition in May, I put a lighter brown Boa yarn on the hat brim and each end of the scarf, they look wonderful. I then made two more hats, brown with lighter trim and black with a black and white trim. Boy I wish I was a hat person (they don't look very good on me).

I finished the lacy scarf for my mum for mothers day.

I am trying to finish off a dark blue baby jumper for the exhibition along with numerous other ideas I have, running out of time. I was off work sick last week, so not much got done.

All the kids will be home for dinner tomorrow night (two sons and their girlfriends), so we will probably play snooker after dinner, I will have to try to get some knitting in aswell. My husband is being neglected worse than ever now I have the knitting bug so bad, he should be used to it, as I have been knitting most nights for over 20 years now, all our friends are used to me sitting around talking and knitting.

Wool, Wool, Wool..............

We shopped till we dropped on our bus trip. What a day and so much wool, we were in heaven. I bought Patons Caressa yarn to knit my Mum a scarf for Mothers Day, the pattern is the Lacy Scarf from the Annual Creative Knitting Magazine. I also bought some sock yarn, I am going to reach my goal of making socks this year (missed it last year). Wool for hats for our May Exhibition and Sale, the list goes on. I will try to post a picture of the Lacey Scarf of what is knitted over the last two nights. Lacy Scarf for Mum on Mother's Day

On the Needles

WIP's keeping m up at night are a dark blue baby jumper in double moss stitch, then before going to bed I put a few more tassles on a scarf/wrap in a beautiful olive green Karabella yarn. I'm not sure if I will sell it at the Exhibition and Sale in May or maybe give it to my Mum for Mothers Day. One more sleep then I am off on my first bus trip with knitting group to a yarn store in Western Sydney, I can't wait, my list of things I might like to start is growing by the minute, maybe I should just wait till I get there and see what yarns I like then worry about the pattern. I have just uploaded some photos off my camera, so now I can take some of my knitting and post them so others can see.

Still trying to work out how to set my blog page up, all the ones I have been reading are so very nice. I am knitting madly for an exhibition and sale in May for the knitting group I am in. I have some baby clothes, scarfs, hats on the go. When I learn how to post a photo I will put some up. I am working full time, so I am usually knitting in my lunchtime, at home every second I get, housework always takes second place, until we run out of clean towels or undies. I have to get better organised.

Getting Started

I am very new at this and I am trying to set up a blog. I have been reading heaps of the Secret Pal 4 blogs, it is so inspiring reading about all the things people are knitting and seeing photos of their works. I have just been knitting hats for a dear friend who recently had brain surgery, she looks great in the hats and they will keep her head warm while her hair grows back. She reckons it is very liberating having no hair, I might add she looks great without hair.