Happy Birthday

Our baby turns 23 today (22 July), and I was looking over his baby photos and thought I would share.
The first photo he is 2 days old, his brother is 3 1/2 years old. Birth doesn't do anything for the mothers looks I can tell you, it takes a few days to feel a bit normal again, and in my case after 16 hours labour then a C Section, it took about six weeks or so to get back to normal.

The second photo he is 5 months old with his fluffy dog. He dwarfs this dog now, yes he still has it and it still looks pretty good.

The third photo is with his girlfriend not sure when but in the last 12 months. I will try and get one later today of him to have a birthday picture.

As I post this today, 23 years ago he would have been 1 hour and 15 minutes old. My boys make my heart sing, they can bring a tear to my eye just thinking of them. They have been great to bring up, but sometimes with some heart tearing issues, I guess that is what being a parent is all about, being there for them, loving them unconditionally (even if they push that fine line so hard it bends a mile), Happy Birthday Timothy. Love you always, XXXX

Here is the photo taken after dinner tonight of Tim, Ruby and the fluffy dog from previous photo. What a good boy having this picture done for his mum.

I got Mail

Yahoo... I got my parcel from Amazon with The Happy Hooker and One Skein, now I can have a look and see what to knit my One Skein Wonder Pal to be sent off in August. Looking at the Happy Hooker and I am really excited to have a book that shows you clearly how to do things and with some pretty funky things to crochet.

My Sunrise Circle Jacket is coming along nicely, I am getting through the right front increases and hope to have that done by end of this weekend. Then onto the back next week.

My next project should be my gift for the One Skein exchange, then I have an order for 2 scarfs, 1 gloves and 1 fingerless gloves for a woman to send to her granddaughter in England for Christmas, so I will get them out of the way. Then it is open slather on what I will knit next, I have so much yarn still to get through and so many books with lovely things in them. I think I will get onto some more socks, and then maybe the lace knitting, which I would love to do my Mum some lace knitting for Christmas. I think I will be all done for knitting for others until I finish my stash reduction and get it down to nearly nothing. I also will probably do another sunrise circle jacket for girl at work, we swap pressies at Christmas, so the deal maybe she buys the yarn and I will knit it for her gift, that is if she still wants that jacket when she sees mine finished.

Nice cold wet winters day again, we got woken up at 4.30am this morning with #2 son car alarm, remember he is house sitting down the road, we had to ring him to come and turn it off, we then found out we had all the keys at our place, but the car battery had gone flat, but the alarm was still going, and the remotes for the alarm didn't work, so he had to get out of bed and come up in the cold wind and rain and turn it on silence, so it was still going but no-one could hear it. I am sure I will fall asleep at work today, not good being woken at that hour.

Saturday Sky and stuff

Above is my saturday sky and it is raining, raining and more rain, we need rain desperately and do get our fair share on the coast but not in the catchment areas on the mountains which is only approx. 30 minutes drive away, crazy I know.

Yesterday I had an accrued leave day off work, and with the rain not much got done but catching up with knitting. I did one load of washing and put it in the dryer, then I crochet around 2 knitted blankets of 35 x 6 inch squares, and then crochet together 2 more blankets completely. These get donated by the Knitters Guild Kiama to the Mental Health Unit at our local public hospital.

On this raining saturday morning I am getting a head cold, it has been coming on for about 3 days now, and isn't coming on very quickly either, which maybe is a good thing, although I do prefer illness to come and go very quickly, I don't do sick well, and as a wife, mum etc when does anything change, Sick or Not

I finished the left sleeve and front of the Sunrise Circle Jacket the other night, I have now cast on for the right sleeve and front and am up to the second increase. I hope to have this finished by the end of July, it is a really nice and easy knit. I may not get it put together as the next few weeks are busy for me: Work 5 days per week, today I have Knitters Guild in Kiama, tonight we are going out to dinner with friends celebrating a friends 40th birthday, tomorrow (weather permitting)we have a ride to Manly with the HOG group, next Saturday is my baby's 23rd Birthday, then on Sunday 23 July we hope to rip out the laundry, entry and ensuite downstairs, the last weekend in July we are going away to celebrate 30 years since we met, I will miss SNB in Wollongong, but a weekend away is going to be great.

Tribe Gift and One Skein Gift

I got my special Tribe parcel today from Jussi, thanks so much. I was very busy when I got home from the post office, so didn't get to open the box until I had dinner cooking, which it still is, I hope it doesn't burn...ooops. I shall be quick then.

The box contained some lovely hand dyed by Jussi yarn in the best colours, I love them and the yarn is Rabbit (how cool), also a very nice crochet flower brooch, I am thinking that will go nicely with my clapotis, a box of Boss Lady cinnamon gum, it says to chew them up and spit them out and on the side it says "sizzling nuggets, should I be afraid. A cake of Vanilla soap, I just love vanilla, I have vanilla oil perfume, and I keep spraying the vanilla air freshner in the toilets at work, just to get a smell (how sick is that). A lovely bright green notebook, a bright green with pink spots tiny make up mirror, it is so cute. A lovely skein of pink, white and green of angora yarn (for show) and a lovely needle wrap for my dpn's. The Rabbit yarn was wrapped in pink checked material bag made by Jussi.

I will cherish it all, thanks Jussi.

Earlier this week I got my One Skein pal gift, it is 2 lovely balls of Wirraworra 8ply Wool from South Australia, it feels really soft. The colour is wattlebark, I will wait until my One Skein book arrives from Amazon to see what I will make with this wool. Yes I am still waiting for my books, apparently Amazon said it must have gone missing (someone has got themselves 2 good knitting books - the bitch in me hopes they can't read english), so I had to re-order them and Amazon will refund me the money for the original order, the downfall of this is that it cost me more for quicker postage, which doesn't guarantee delivery, and customs may charge me a tax duty on the parcel now, what bullshit. Anyway I will be just happy to get the books in my hands.

A bit about Wirraworra wool (from the label) It is a semi worsted handknitting yarn, millspun from wool grown on our family's farm at Reeves Plains in South Australia by our coloured Corriedale and Merino sheep.. Their prizewinning fleeces are selected for their silky softness and sorted into 8 natural shades. Subtle variations in shading and texture are designed to create knitted garments with a unique, handspun look. Knit and enjoy - Coloured Wool Naturally!

And no I didn't burn dinner, the T-bones were cooked just right.

Baby Blue

The Baby Aran Jumper is finished, it looks great and so soft. I visited the baby and his family the other day, it is only 5 weeks until they head back to Ireland to live, they have been here for over 3 years now, and the dad is very excited about going back home, along with the mum she is happy to be going back to Ireland and making it home for her family instead of her home Australia. The baby is 7 months now and the jumper is a size one so it will be just right for the Irish winter this year.


Onto progress on the Sunrise Circle Jacket, I have finished the left sleeve and I am onto the front circle bit and raglan part of the pattern, the Jo Sharp yarn is just lovely to knit and it is nice and soft. Pictures to come later when a bit more done. It is nice knitting something for me. And I someone I work with wants me to knit her one when I have finished.

Happy 4th of July to USA knitters

Today while we are awake and USA is asleep, it is the 4th of July here, so when you all wake up over in USA (tomorrow here) then it will be your independence day. We celebrate Australia Day on 26 January each year. It is a cold and raining winters day here today in my neck of the woods, I bet it will be a hot day for your 4th July celebrations.
Below is a picture taken last wednesday by one of my sons, this is taken 200 metres from our home, we have the river (on left) and ocean (on right) out the front way (we can't see it from inside the house, but can from the front yard) and the mountains is our back view from anywhere in the house at the back. The photo is taken at very low tide. In summer we swim across the river and walk down the beach to the end and back, it is so lovely.

The Baby Aran Jumper is coming along nicely now, I have gotten my head around the pattern and am enjoying it now, although I do wish it was finished, I want to get to my own knitting for a bit. I did put the pockets in (see stitch holders), even though I don't know what a baby is going to do with pockets, but the mother wanted the pockets, so I did them. I just have the front to finish, edge and sew in the pockets, put it altogether and then do the neck.


I have cast on for the Sunrise Circle Jacket in Jo Sharp wool, and even though I have only done a few rows it is lovely and soft to knit. I don't have a timetable as to when I will complete it, but I hope to be able to work on it over the next few weeks and get a lot done, hopefully to get some wear before winter is over (plenty of time then). I am probably the last person to cast this on in the KAL for this jacket, but I will try not to be long in finishing it.

I still haven't received my books from Amazon, it is over a week late now, I just wish they were here already.

Stashalong - 3 months on

I survived 3 months on stashalong and have reduced my stash heaps, but still with a lot more to get through, I am going to sign up for another.....1 no 2, bugger it 3 months, that should see me through my stash. I wasn't going to, but I know I need to commit to this otherwise I would just go and mess up all the good I have done over the last 3 months. I am really liking how my stash isn't all over the floor now, it is just over 1/2 the floor..hahah. I need to get this house in some type of order and this is the only way to do it. I wonder if there are dusting, cleaning just plain housework alongs, I would definitely have to join it.

I am on my day off today, we work extra hours and can make up 2 days per month to take off, my plan is to thoroughly clean our bedroom top to botton and all in between, hem 4 new pairs of jeans, (3 for DH and 1 for me), wash my car (it hasn't been washed in months (alot of months), we are still in water restrictions and will be for a long time to come, get the clothes washing all done (which isn't much) and naturally do some knitting and hopefully finish the sleeves for the baby aran and then get onto the front, and all before 4pm as I have to pick DH up from work and take him to bike shop to pick up his bike (what a good wife), I even got up at 6.30am and drove him to work to save on messing around with vehicles this afternoon to pick up bike.

Flappers, yarn and good times

We went to our friends 50th Birthday party on Saturday night the theme was 1920's Flappers and Gangsters. We had a great time, she rolled up in a 1928 Ford, didn't she and hubby look the part as did the 60 or so guests all in fancy dress. Here is me and DH just be leaving home for the party.

Here below is the birthday girl and her hubby. Their daughter in-law and my hubby also got in the picture.

I have been waiting for a parcel from Amazon with two books, The Happy Hooker and One Skein Wonders, it has been over 4 weeks now, I am getting a bit anxious as the date they gave for delivery has past, so I am starting to worry they have gone astray, as the last lot from Amazon took about one and a half weeks to get to me, and I am having tomorrow (Friday) off work as accrued leave, so I would really love it if the books turned up now.

Last night I cleaned up the study/knitting/sewing room by putting alot of yarn into clip lock bags and then into large clear containers, I have 3 piled high, and the rest of the yarn is in the middle of the floor in cane baskets of all descriptions, it is still messy, but I had some nice surprises of yarn I had totally forgotten I had. There are some little odds and ends of balls of yarn, so I am thinking I will take them to Knitters Guild in a few weeks and give them to whowever wants them.

This Saturday Berry Spinners and Weavers are having their first annual show at Berry, so my plan is while DH is at work I will drive down to Berry to see the exhibits and I also want to go back to one of my favourite shops and get some tea towels I saw there a few weeks back that will go with my kitchen nicely.

Confessions of SEx

At the Annual Craft & Quilt Show in Sydney I did my one day a month (Stashalong) of Stash Enhancement eXpidetion. I did all my shopping from stall for Bendigo Mills in Victoria, they are working on a website, at the moment the only way of buying yarn or patterns is by visiting the mills or mail order with free postage and handling in Australia for orders over $35 (as told be a reliable source). I got six 200g skeins of 8ply cotton in Gumleaf (green), Wattle (yellow) and Flax (cream) colours, 2 skeins in each colour for $6 each skein, 2 skeins is enough to knit some summer tops for me, I also got for $10.70 a ball, 6 x 200g 8ply pure wool Classic range in Aztec colour (a nice deep blue) I am going to knit DH a jumper, but he doesn't know it yet. I also got some patters for the cotton tops and the jumper but have already put them in the cupboard so no pictures of them.


My confession is that when I went to my spinning lesson at Daisy Designs in Fairy Meadow with Kerry I did buy a ball of sock yarn for my One Skein Secret Pal, that was 4 days before my one day a month shopping day at the Craft Show. I know I can only buy yarn one day a month, and I have stuck to that for the previous two months, but I did need to send my pal a skein of yarn to keep within the rules of that KAL.

I am also thinking of doing another 3 months in the Stashalong, but will think about it over the next week that I have to go in the KAL as I did sign up for 3 months, and it has been wonderful and kept me on track for stash reducing.

See I have been knitting, this is the slow progress on the baby Aran jumper, I did manage to get just past the armholes last night.


This is my knitting for the Guardian Pharmacy Angel Program which will be going to Mongolia. A size 1 Baby jumper and a hat in progress, it is knitted with 4ply baby yarn and using double yarn, gotta love that for stash reduction.

2006 Craft & Quit Show continued

I have been busy knitting and will post pictures next time. I have more pictures of the Craft and Quilt show in Sydney last weekend.
The Knitters Guild of NSW is 20 years old this year and to celebrate you need a cake, this cake is just the best thing, doesn't melt, looks delicious the whole time on the plate and the best thing is....it doesn't have any THATS Zero Calories.


The summer section of the exhibition was great, you had your beach life saver, your family picnic set out including BBQ, even a bottle of wine and willow pattern cup and saucer, a bikin clad surfy chick.
Here are some more shots of the Autumn and a bit of the Winter section, the beautiful jumpers, the blue and white men's jumper was knitted by a younger male member of the guild (in his early 30's), he is so talented, he was at the exhibition with us on the saturday and was wearing another of his own knitted jumpers a lovely all over fair isle pattern, it looked so warm, he was knitting a baby shawl while sitting with the exhibition.
There is the elegant mum in beautiful lacy skirt and top, below are some lovely biscuits, can you see the Arnott's Ice Vovo's?

We had a great day, and with the area for the Knitters Guild being away from the smaller areas for exhibitors, you could sit and knit, go for a wander around, then come back and sit and knit a bit more then take in more of the exhibitors.

Rox would have loved it as they had the Annual Bead Show as well, I think it was the first time they had this, some of the beads and ideas were wonderful, I didn't see any stitch markers though, afterall it is the Craft and Quilt show not the Knitting and Fibre Show, wouldn't it be great to have a show just for that in Sydney, I don't know of any such event, well in the future it may turn out to be more knitting and fibre as people told me that a few years ago there was only one or two yarn stalls at this show, I think this year there were about 6 stalls, so it is increasing.

2006 Craft & Quilt Show Sydney Australia

We had a great day at the craft show, the Knitters Guild of NSW had a wonderful display, I did manage to get some photos, there was a strict NO Photos to be taken policy, but you could get the permission of the stall holder and as we were there for the Knitters Guild photos weren't a problem.
Bendigo Yarns (Victoria) did well from me and a lot of other keen knitters, I will tell and show more later.

The 50 Japanese Quilts were on display, they are something else. Fiberfish would have loved them. The Australia Quilt display was just as wonderful with so many different patterns, styles etc, some were hand quilted, some machine quilted.

It would have been wonderful to see more knitting stalls but I guess it is a Quilt and Craft Show and was originally the Quilt Show.

The following pictures are some blankets and the winter theme which the Kiama guild was a part of doing. It was amazing, everytime you looked at the exhibition you would find something you hadn't seen in it before when looking.






Isn't the knitted fire place in the background so just warm and cosy.

I think this post is photo heavy so I will post some more another time, including the knitted 20th Birthday Cake as the Guild is 20 years young this year.

More gifts done

Our god-daughters older sister turned 12 the other day and I knitted her a poncho and scarf, the poncho is in (I foget the name of it) a yarn with little bits of paper like things hanging out of it, the effect looks good, I just hope it washes alright, I would hate it to go like a mushy mess of wet tissue paper. The scarf is made out of a New Zealand yarn called Fibreworks??? it is a hand painted yarn that goes from thin to chuncky throughout. I love the colours, I was thinking of keeping it for myself, but I didn't. It is all wrapped ready to go for the next time we visit.

I am off to the Craft & Quilt Show at Darling Harbour Sydney tomorrow with the Knitters Guild of Kiama, the guild as most of you have read before are having an exhibition of the seasons at the show, I can't wait to see how it has all come together. I will try to remember the camera and get some shots of it.

The weather is a bit nippy lately, down to around 6 degrees over night and tops of up to 16 in the day (this is celsius) - check out my weather guys on the side bar for comparison between celsius and fahrenheit.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

Go on : Vote for the Fabulous Miss Knitabulous in The Amazing Lace competition. Go here to vote.

She is entrant #5 and the lone Australian competitor. So go on, GO NOW and vote for her.


Voting closes at midnight tonight Wednesday 14 June 2006.

Long weekend knitting or not

A great way to stash reduce is this pattern 4ply baby wool use double yarn, reduce stash by double for one garment, gotta love that. This is for the Guardian Pharmacy charity knitting which is going to Mongolia. It is a size 1 jumper.


I have picked up the Baby Aran Jumper which needs to be finished by August, my goal I think is 25 June, see how I go.

My MIL bought me this last week, isn't is just so cute! Just in case you haven't worked it out, it is a knitting bag. She did say she did not think of me as the black sheep of the family...yeah right...who is she trying to kid.

The Brain is Mush!

I have gone off track a bit this week, I have cast on and knitted about 10 rows past the band on the baby Aran Jumper, it is pattern intense so I cast on....Yes I cast on another item, this is a secret POM gift, I have 1/4 finished the project, and have had to rip back 3 times the second bit of it, so I lost interest again and cast on a 3rd item, stay with me, I know I don't usually do this, but it really isn't too bad I guess having more than one thing on the needles at a time, anyway I cast on another beanie for Just Enough Faith, I finished it last night and took pictures this morning, I just have to sew up the seam and put it in the post, I am really enjoying knitting for JEF, especially now it is getting so cold, I just wish I had more time to do more knitting for them this winter (that could be my portable projects to carry everywhere), but I do have knitting projects that I want to get done for me...like the Sunrise Circle Jacket.

Plan for knitting over next few weeks or so: Finish by Tuesday - POM gift and post; By 25 June finish baby Aran Jumper; then cast on MY Sunrise Circle Jacket. Before August make my One Skein project to send off. No more deviations, I need to stick to my list.

1st Day of Winter

It is winter now and we have had the last few days of rain and cold weather, it hasn't been bad as we desperately need the rain, we can only hope that it has been falling in the catchment areas, in the meantime the water restrictions continue, they have been going for so long now I think they will be a permanent thing in our lives.

I have finished the Aran jumper for the 1st birthday on Saturday. It is made out of a Cleckheaton 80% Wool 20% Viscose, it was an older yarn in my stash. The pattern makes it feel thick and very warm which will be great for winter.

I did start the next Aran baby jumper (different pattern) but was so tired last night that when it came time to do the bobble, I couldn't get my head around it, so I quickly ripped it back to nothing, then "lights are on" it came to me what I was supposed to be doing, in discussed with myself I packed it away and went to bed, which is where I should have gone before I started the bobble row, oh well, today is another day, I shall start it again tonight.

Knitting along

Knitting progress is pretty good, this lovely mauve baby jacket is being gifted to a friend, this is probably my favourite and most knitted pattern - "Heather" from an old Patons pattern book.
This is the Aran jumper for cousin's son's 1st Birthday, and I have to admit, I had to rip it back yesterday morning, I noticed on Thursday night that I hadn't done a cable in the correct position, I ummed and arred if I would just let it go or not, yesterday morning with a clear head, I just ripped it back, right back to the beginning. It is looking really good now, I am taking it to SNB this arvo, I might just take something easy as I really have to concentrate on this pattern and only have a week to finish it, so I can't afford more mistakes.

I have been book shopping with all the extra money I am saving from the stashalong while I am on the yarn diet. I got Mason Dixon, Yarn Harlot Knitting Rules and two Readers Digest Knitting books.


My next big spend up will be at the Sydney Craft Show on 17 June at Darling Harbour, I can't wait. The Knitters Guild of NSW are having a big display, guilds around NSW teamed up together and had a theme of either: Summer, Autumn, Winter or Spring and each group had to knit to that theme. Kiama, Goulbourn and Southern groups got Winter. It is amazing what people will come up with for each theme.

Exhibition

We had a pretty good exhibition with Knitters Guild Kiama on last week and weekend, along with a good SNB exhibition in Wollongong. I got along to SNB exhibition on Saturday arvo with my Mum and Sister then we went for coffee at a new cafe on the Harbour, we haven't had a girlie afternoon in probably 22 years.


I sold heaps of my stuff at Kiama exhibition, and gave the scarfs left to Tianne to take to the Salvos charity for the needy, I have sent off all the beanies I made along with a few from Tianne to Just Enough Faith in Sydney, they should have them tomorrow or the next day.



Books from Amazon, I got Yarn Harlot's Knitting Rules and Mason-Dixon The Curious Knitters Guide and from Readers Digest Two Stitch Knits, I can't wait to have time to read them all.

I finished the black vest last week for #2 son's GF, and guess where I found it tonight, in the washing machine, not even in the lingerie bag to protect it, yes it is a machine wash wool that I used, but I thought she would have hand washed it for a while atleast.

I am doing a baby jumper in Aran pattern for a cousin's son who is one year old next week, his party is Saturday week in Sydney, so I am busily knitting even at during my lunchtime at work. I have nearly finished the back.

Aunty Rose called in to see the Knitters Exhibiton and had her picture taken in front of the squares she knitted and we have made into blankets for the mental health ward at our local hospital.

Quiz - do you really know me?

I did really bad on Amysue's, I can't find Donni's I didn't do too bad on Tianne's. So here is mine. Go for it.

http://www03.quizyourfriends.com/quizpage.php?quizname=060511221819-143393

I can't get it to work with a link, so just copy above link and paste it in your browser and hit GO(enter)

Good Luck.

WTF...

I decided to look around my template and settings etc, and liked the blue colouring of a blog, so I thought I would be clever and change it. Now it did say something about not saving something or other... so I just hit the button and way it went, I got the nice background, but WTF...I lost all my links. Shit I am mad with myself.

I have lost some I can't remember, but one imperticular was I think the first one listed on "other blogs I read", and for the life of me I can't remember what the name or address was. I really enjoyed reading the blog too. She is building a family home on some land and it is made of styrofoam sheets with concrete poured in between. Bugger it.

On the knitting front, I have decreased for the armholes on the back of the black vest for #2 son GF, hoping to finish the back tonight.