Friday, June 30, 2006

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am up to the heel of a second Opal sock and have Yeeeeks lost the pattern (it goes everywhere with me in the knitting bag!) and somehow its gone...Nooooooooooo.....

Does anyone have that pattern? its a basic Opal one that if I remember right starts with 73 sts and is the one that The Wool Shack sent with every ball upon purchase, I am really desparate as it has to be finished by Thursday at the latest and I was doing really well and on target ! The recipient is a fello staff member and its a surprise for her birthday!!!!

Now I can read a lot of the pattern by counting sts but I want to make sure that both are the same.......
Please let me know if anyone can help!!!! I will be eternally grateful!
Oh I had to add this ,isn't he gorgeous and so cute in his little woodmans vest!

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Better late

Than never! I have had to fight to get the computor this week and but I managed to get it a late Sunday(for me as I have to be up at 4 in the morning for work(I need the money))
Anyhow Below is my long awaited stove that still needs the electrician for the oven side,but the gas bits work!

Now it makes the rest of what is left of the kitchen look decidedly crappy but we are getting there!

See the tiles? I grouted them myself at the end of a very long busy day finishing them at 6.15pm just as Hubby walked in from his work! I am rather proud of my work (though it iseasy to do as long as you don't mind getting very dry sandpaper hands for acouple of days after!


I have finished one sock and am well on the way with second,pretty quick for me and I hope to repeat this speed so I can have some groovy socks in my draws!These are for a work collegue who has no ideaa that I am doing thembut they will be from a whole pile of peoples as it will look better as she is a senior person of mucho importance,but a really nice lady!

I even managed to get the colours/stripes lined up nicely too!


And some progress on the Country Silk Vest that I started, I think.... last week! Up to the arms holes and going up the back, lovely to knit with and hoping to start the cardigan shortly as I will not be wearing it this winter if I don't get cracking!

Another project is this one,some handspun merino(from Bendigo Mills) that I dyed and looked a bit yucky but has grown on me so desided that I had nothing to loose but try a pair of fulled booties.My first deliberate foray into felting.

I've been watching out for some soft suede soles precut as I am feeling lazy but the only ones so far to be found are for children sizing and I certainly am not that little in the feets area!

These are the ones I do when needing a quick thing to knit while blogging and are kept handy for phone knitting as well(I must go to Telstra shop and get one of those things you rest the phone on against your neck for a hands free and no neck strain)


And lastly ,Tilly,looking hopeful that one of her adoring boys will take her for walkies(which they did,fast energetic and thoroughly enjoyable(especially when the kids are getting you to pull the scooter along!!!

Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Its been a while but heres a little entry....

Its on its way to a secret Pal! But I forgot to put the lovely card in with (info on contents etc) so I will try to find something else for a early 2nd skein and get that off as I was a bit slow with this one! Or maybe I will just send it on its own!!!!(I will pin the blunder on the kids as it was bedlam after school when I was trying to do it up!!!!!!!!)

But look what arrived from my lovely Pal!


Yes I had a peak but had to take a piccie of this exciting event!!!!!!!!


Behold a wonderful ball of SOCK wool,Anne! thank you very very much,I must have answered the questions really well for you to pick up my infatuation for socks in all the different styles and colours that are around!!!!!( (I am hoping to get a ball of Lornas Laces,I mean enough to do a pair of socks but I will nt be telling DH the cost of that shopping expedition!)

Now when I posted the other Secret Pal Parcel, I didn't put my name and am hoping it won't get lost and I was so, so, careful not to reveil my identity that I scrawled the Dangerous goods declaration,LOL.This a new thing for me to participate in and hope my SP enjoys the parcel!!!

Til the weekend when I hope to put some other all important woolly shows on...........

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

I am down with the flu again(second time in 3 weeks ,With tummy bug in between,never having Flu shot again.....) so I don't need to say how I am feeling at moment!!!!
However I have done a bit of knitting,which has surprised me as most of the time when I am sick, I die and last thing I want to do is anything at all(family doesn't quite starve but they are learning to fend for themselves LOL)
Huge surprise( for me anyway) I am up to the heel of a pair of opal (blue magic that I won on Ebay for $6) and that is amazing as it would usually take a week! I did mess up and didn't read instructions so I knit about ten rows past the decrease spot so instead of every 5 rows decrease,I did 4 rows but I think I got away with it!
These are destined as a gift for someone at work who according to her daughter loves blues so these should be perfect!!!!!
Also I am nearly up to the armhole of the Country Silk vest(maybe another 3 inches but I am getting excited and it makes me knit faster when I think I am getting closer),its gorgeous to knit and I love the way the silk slubs weave around the needle.Can't wait to start the cardigan which is the same as Beatlewears lovely creation but I think I may put a little extra length ( everyone tells me that its hard to believe that carried 5 big boys but I KNOW I have a little roll that peeps over my troosers so I disguise!)
Late night shopping on Thursday as all the younger boys need shoes(shriek,looking at $60 min for 7 and9 yrs) and I need to get some extras goodies for my Secret Pal.I checked the Blog yesterday and a few people are adding significantly to the skein parcel, so I am thinking hard of what can I find to add to mine! I have to post shortly so stitch markers are out (haven't time scratch let alone get creative!) sort of thinking some fabric,ribbons thread even......
Anyway I am off to bed as I have to crawl out of bed for work tomorrow but if I still feel like death warmed up then I will only do a half day!!! I will leave this for contemplation( from the usual spot
Doesn't he look just it!!!!!

Sunday, June 04, 2006

I managed to get to the wool that was soaking the vinegar bucket for a couple of days,(the Clinker wool from Kmart) and dye in it in the requested colours from a couple of people keen for house socks!
Now one lot was to be pastels.................
don't you hate it when the particular person cannot give you a definite choice and leave it up to the dyer to form mind reading miracles to produce the one they want!

Well I like it and its pastelly though I would love to add some light green and yellow in there,I will leave it in case it ends up a messy mix of colour!

This one ,well its not a disaster as I haven't decided what I will eventually do with it.....


Its supposed to be mauve/purple with pink varigation! But the colours sort of separated during the cooking process and I have greyish mauve that flecks of green/blue here and there!

Behold Galah socks!What does everyone think?

I was so disgusted that I jumped on Ebay and bought some Gaywool dye from Hawthorne Cottage as I really wanted to get past the fruity colours of food dye and get some earthy real colours of browns,purples,oh can't remember the others I ordered!But thats the idea anyway....

Here they are together,the wool its self I am pleased with for a budget type and washable though I did notice it did have some fibre cling ,after rinsing but it was lovely and soft upon drying!

I may just knit Galah socks,or just over dye with the plum colour when it arrives! Maybe its a chance to try a different pattern!


Another trip into LWS and picked up the green Country Silk(which I have already started in a vest) and the other for the hat in piccy, its 12ply and the pattern is more a 14 but I will play around with it and see how I go,the colours look great together....

Thats it! There must be heaps on the broadband as its getting slow with this entry,lagging and starting to be trouble!

One last thing( from Cuteoverload) Think of the brushing and grooming...............

Saturday, June 03, 2006


Brrrrr,its been cold in the early mornings when I am starting work! I saw some of my red salvias were a bit burnt this morning so it must have frosted a bit last night! I hope they don't burn too much and survive for a spring revival! They're really bright against the dk blue plumbagos.
I am just getting over a nasty tummy bug that I am still not sure if it wasn't the yucky horrible sulphur yellow pills that the doctor gave me on Wednesday for a nasty sinus infection! I only took three and the old tummy started rolling and I was running by midnight!.
So there I was sharing the lounge with my 7 year old (no5) son who was curled up after chucking everywhere in his bed!It was warmer than my bed even with snoringDH,and I didn't want to disturb him anyway!
Considering I was bigger than Ben I thought I should have been on the three seater but no He was there first,asleep.........didn't have the heart to shift him so I spent the night curled up in a single seater!(I was flat to walk the next morning but I went to work (didn't eat or drink to avoid upsetting tummy) as other gardener was on personal leave for the day and we had another casual gardener coming in and I had to show her the ropes. I hung on till 12 then called it quits,very lucky we were only watering!)
Now Bubbles had been complaining of a sore tummy for few days but I still think my bug was antibiotic related as the doctor warned that it could have that side effect and should only be taken after food ,but I hadn't been eating much,hence my conclusion.
So the tablets have been thrown to the back of cupboard.I still have to take the Cera...something for my shoulder to try to get rid of the tendernitus(hope thats spelt right).He, the doc, wanted to do the cortisone injection into the shoulder but I was quite plain that we would try something else and needles were not going to happen! I personally think he was disapointed, (the other doctor wants to do MORE x rays if the sinus didn't clear,had enough of those too.....)
On the DH front he has cornered his underground manager and "upped" him and them for not giving him his Jumbo tickets even after working in that mine for over twelve months and seeing newcomers get theirs in a matter of days. DH is very good worker and well regarded so I think Its his persistance in pushing for a safer work environment (hes safety Rep for his team) that has held him back! Political B......t
On my work front ,I have just been told I have to apply to have the senor position when the other gardener goes on maternity leave, I have enough to do now and will have to fit in the retyping of my resume that was wiped when the computor died earlier this year. Oh well it will be worth it and my work partner has been great in giving me ideas in writing it properly for my current position though she can't help me this time round,I think I have a good grip on it.

At least I can use a spindle now and I think it right,I hope to do enough to make an egg cosy,How on earth people can spin enough to do a larger project! Okay maybe a tea cosy, it is relaxing and portable and fun, what can I say!

This copper head wasn't too happy when my two boys let it go after giving it a trip home to show me(I promptly roused on them, and made them transport it back to where they found it, poor thing!!!!!!!!!!)

He was only about a foot and a half long,just the right size to fit in a coke bottle!


The latest for the stash from the Bead and Opal Queen That I found on Ebay and I think was a great price and have since gotten two balls of lovely pink and cream Opal I think from the same store.I had seen this wool before on international sellers sites so was delighted to see it available here!Photos when it arrives!

Not much in knitting content this week and I'm sad to say I haven't been able to do much knitting either ,too tired,work,illness all take a toll but I had fun taking the usual floral piccies of great prettyness!

Cheers................