Well Im back with some piccies...

First up,the kitchen ready to be grouted probably 2day and 2morrow,dont think we have enough grout...

William!Me!

Started on the bath yesty and wore the skin off the pad of one finger and damaged another,all bandaged up last night,wanted to knit some of the Ravelry swap item,big secret but have had some oos and arrs over it here and lots of envious looks,LOL

Next some spinning Id done over the last month....

Theres the blue white alpaca,merino mohair...originally from Yarnivorous Stash, shes having a ball in the US among the stuff we can only dream about here,yarn wise of course,I think we have the Bestest wool!!!!

Now this is the alpacca straight from the Paccies back,one lot I paid 99c on ebay as I only wanted to try it first,a bit coarse and the fleece was quite dirty and I threw outabout a third of it,a lot of short cuts,a guard hair..this is destined for a pair of gloves,found a "recipie " last night on Ravely around 11.30,naughty but nice a quiet..this turned out around an 8 ply at a guess!

The next is the black corri/merino from my lovely Aunt,the first ball had been sitting on the wheel for months as I headed off in yet another direction,anyhoo Its been navajo plied(I needed the wheel free and it was very finely spun) and I quickly did up a second as I did get excited about how it turned out,but the second was alittle tooo quick,its a smiggin thicker but I done care I love it anyway! Imhoping tokeep picking away to make avest out of it as I only nee to do 6 or 7 more balls like this a couple of weeks work but I aint making commitment,I spin when the love there(remember the washable laps I was spinning last winter,I need one more ball,the others sitting in the stash box glaring at me and as I want to dye them I have to finish that ball first ...I really could have used a vest heaps....)

Next is the current spinning,I did this over two nights,and is guilty of me being slack with finishing the gouting the bath,had to comb while the sun was warm didnt I!? Its by memory, corredale,English Leicester,a caramel pale grey type,called socks Im thinking,one more bobbin should do,though I may be short changing there in expectations as theres roughly 90 to 100 meters per navajo ball on the Ashford! (I forgot how much spinning I can get done on this lovely old wheel) Need 4 for a decent pair of thick sockies... This wool is quite tweedy,some bits of dark staple appeared and Im curious how it turns out,all will be plied and washed this arvo!!!! I got this from another brilliant Ebayer who Im hoping will put up more of this wool later,she also sells her own wool commercially made into yarn,I have a stash of white corrie put away for a jumper and I had intitually contacted her for more of that and end up getting this wool instead...lovely lady to deal with and is a Fibre Trends dealer as well!

Lastly I just had to put this back up(I think Ive showed this bfore) the gorgeously soft BFL,handdyed and spun on the Roberta,just look at the lusterous squishyness of it,I really want to knit this but cant bear to undo the perfect ball!!!

Cant help but put another up....sorry but I just love this ball,actually I reballed it a couple of times to get it just right,ok Im nuts but Im back into the spinning mojo and knitting of course,and must try to squeeze some patch work in too, after a rather long period of non interest mainly from work crap but as I said before I aint going there,this is for good thoughts and yummy fibres ...
Speaking of which I was naughty and bought out Mandies mohair supply and got wee bit of Gotland to try,any chance of Gotland lamb soon, Mandie?
I just love getting parcels in the mail,the sight of the little red card in the box is better than Chrissy!!!!!
Im off to finish the bath!

Back Again

Oh dear! it has been a while! I had a week off the week before last when I picked up that ghastly fluey cold going around,acually I worked Monday ,mowed the Sports park and by one it had come in dusty rain so I was frozen by the time I got back to the shed,by 4 I was dying from bug!!!!'Thankfully pottering around at home I was a lot better y Thursday...

pumpkin soup made by Hubby,a new made up sock pattern in some of Yarnivorous gorgeous hand dyed wool and bits and pieces to keep me happy....

I cleaned up enough to set everything up to have some much needed fun as I havent had time off properly for 3 years (except that 8 days away to visit parents last July,not rest time though) I bounced from the Roberta Wheel to the sock on the table all day!! I got half a sock done and full bobbin of white alpaca and started the brown(99 cents worth off ebay...).All plied now but havent taken a piccie yet,gloves they shall be... Finished off the Silk wool socks for a friend,very happy with them,I think they are the first ones made just for her,delighted she was!!! This week Ive taken off as annual leave to help Hubby finally get the tiling etc done,half the Bath is done, finish tommorrow and then grout,we did the front verandah Monday and I started the grouting but the wind was up and warm so the grout went off too quick,may have to do again.Bugger,hard on the hands especially when theres a lovelt English Leicester/corredale to play with....Kitchen I hope will be on the way by tomorrow arvo..no divorce plans ..yet.....

Bath ,1.30pm today...

6pm tonight....

other veiws....

imagine a lovely green fern hanging near the glass bricks?

Doesnt look real upmarket, its a normal small room and when the fittings are in,it will look better...dont like the all white but that was Hubbys choice.At least I got say more in the Kitchen,LOL

On the spinning front Ive done another navajo plied ball of black merino/corredale and am really loving playing with raw fleece again..on the search for a white fleece in the same mix/cross,hopefully Hubby wont find out,I have an equally large stash of fleece too..woolistaking over the house,weliterally fight toget down the hall and its stashed in nearly every cupboard,finding stuff ive hiddenmonths before is like Christmas,LOL

Back with more later....

Its the last day!

For the Foundation Day holiday for WA and what did I do,not a sleep in or anything wool like,no I had a leisurely cup and then Brecky at 5.30am and wandered off to school to do some annoying little jobs I cant do when the kids are there,like spray for bugs,poision the lawns beetles out,and then a few enjoyable things as I was all alone,it was so quiet,wonderful,all ready to go home at 10.30 and lo and behold,the local Electrician saw my car nad pulled in to do a couple of jobs too.... got home at 12pm....

This going around a few blogs so thought it would be interesting to have a go...

1) What was I doing ten years ago? I was just getting over finding out no 5 was on the way(and Hubby was in the dog house)we were living in a run down disgusting house in Cobar and Hubby were looking for another job,things were not looking rosy,I was earning a few dollars sewing for a small clientele of ladies,YUK, rude and difficult....

2) What are five (non-work) things on my to do list for today? Whipper snip my disgusting back yard,water MY half of the vegie garden(Hubby has graciously let me have back,)have broccoli,colour chard and lettuce so far, Card the rest of a 99c lot of brown caramel Alpaca fleece I bought ,the white can wait....

3) Snacks I enjoy? Cheese cake,soup,greek salad,hmmm... home made raspberry muffins,hummingbird cake with loads of cream cheese topping...

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire? BUY ME A FARM,a flat for my boys to use while at Uni,and the usual pay off all the bills and import some woollies for the Farm,dont know how to have a holiday anyway,LOL

5) Places I have lived? Louth,grew up there or near there,Dubbo when I first left home(out the back door,quiet like) Jerilderie,on a Merino Stud, Longreach, on "Hartree" Stn, Cobar,mining industry, where rest of boys were born,then Kambalda,WA, best move we ever made!!

6) Jobs I have had? Hmm,jillaroo,SAHM,best job, and now Level 5 Senior Gardener .....

7) Peeps I want to know more about? No Idea,I dont follow celebritty stuff but would love to go see Yarn Harlots speeches one day ,only a dream of course!!!!

Below is that blue and white I was spinning,its turned out very well and varies from a 7 to 10 ply but reasonablysoft,very happy with it and I hope to knit a newsboy cap with it,even if it doesnt suit me,LOL

Another Parcel,STR Spoiler Alert

I actually got two and collected them on the way to an important meeting in Kal aout Sam so had to wait til we got home,the first was some beautiful English Leicester/corredale fleece from a lovelylady in SA,realllly,reallllly need more bobbins..photos later..

The second was this!!! Socks That Rock !!!!!Im putting it way done in case others havent recieved theirs yet! I was a little stunned as this a colour I seem to gravitate to,Ive really loved each and everyone of these yarns as they've arrived and no doubt Ill say the same for the rest of this years issues,Im going to make sure I can do next years as well,they are simply breathtaking!!!!This one is the Incredible ShrinkingViolet in Light weight merino! Yum,pattern looks great too,I have too much going at the moment so wont be starting for a while,LOL thats probably what I said for the last lots too!!!! But really it will be hardto wind them into balls,they look so neat as they are!!!

Any way Im off to catch up,we had to take Tilly into the vets this morning as shes really suffering from grass allergies and a $100 later plus fuel,dontforget ,I may have to make up a shirt for her!! Very nearly had a wasted trip too,they had ceased seeing patients due to an emergency but as we had travelled 6o odd ks they took pity on Tilly, she was not impressed and nearly took the door with her, leaving the surgery!!!

Ta Ta's

Some evidence!

Here's the knitting/spinning photos as promised

BFL,handdyed with Alpine,wasnt the effect I was after but very

pretty all the same,its plumped up as this fibre does so although I was spinning very fine,its filled out to an 8ply...nice warm soccies for moi! Huby is delighted with the ones I finised for him,declared the fibre as very warm!These are my dear friends socks in an Opal Silk,bought the brown blue version for me,P loves purple so these were just right!

The other is Jet,a nearly finished Beanie for Sam,about half an hour there then I can sew both of them up and bingo warm ears,not that we need them yet,very warm for this time of the year ,wish it would rain,might save the lawns at school!

And of course the spinning,once I had finished the BFL I had to try something else,very convenient as it sits neatly on the vast kitchen ench so I can do nearly a bobbin a night while cooking and keeping the homework going(Son 5 had a bast of a teacher,big trouble coming there,Hubbys involved now,oops)

Now I have a few bags of my carded bits to play with but the Roberta isvery fast and for soft fluffy fibre can be a bit tricky and would prefer the Louets or Traddie,but really as long as Im working through the huge stash of fibre I have hidden in every nook and cranny!Oh and yes I was ale toglue the big bobin back together,not a straight but it works!

A close up of this blue/white,its alpaca,mohair amd merino tops that I ought from the lovely Yarnivorous when she was destashing before embarkingon that trip and move to the States! After spinning this bobbin I thing I may have gotten a better result had

I carded and blended it all but I do like the texture changes as the alpaca/mohair or the white is devinely soft but the bluemerino is a quite strong,the colours should interesting when plied.

I read the last Spinoff and am very interested in trying Cabling,looks very good but I doubt I have the patience to spin the third bobbin to try it maybe when I get a bit more stash fibre through the wheel?

A day off

Ive taken today off after in a frenzy of running around,I managed to pick up a pair of kitchen tongs that appareantly were red hot and of course dinner wasnt the only thing cooked last night! If I had gone to work I have no doubt I would have lost a fair portion of skin off that hand which happens to be my right! Its amazing how important your dominant hand is,all those little things you cant do with the other hand!
Pain wise it was pretty awful,but heaps of ice water and jamming the injured part into the frosty ice in the freezer(boy Im glad I didnt clean it out onthe weekend)when the pain was unbearable Hubby being an experienced well trained Mine Rescuer was the best help and did the first aid bit and bandaged it up with wrapping soaked with a mixture (emulsion) of a bright green blue antiseptic/teatree that was the bestest thing out,I had at least a third of the fingers and palm lifting in blister,but by this morning it was just shiny and couple of small bubbles,with a tight skin feel! I took a couple of ibrofufen when the pain was beginning to cut in,Yes Im a wuss,but surprisingly the mix Hubby put together was the best relief,I sleep very well!
It was funny in a way ,as the first person I enlisted to help(Hubby was hidden away on the computor) was my Second oldest son,14, and I had to patiently instruct him where to find the bowl and ice to put my hand in ( I was running cold tap over my hand, not game to leave that) He seemed very slow,but he was perfect in getting everything together,love my boys....
So all my knitting projects are on hold as is the spinning,hmm just as I was getting heaps done too! grrrr!!!
Back with photos later..not of grusome hand but projects!!!!

WOW!!!

Doesn't time get away,not necessarily for having a good time just shorter hours in the day to get everything done,poor garden is a wreck,the house is,ugh... but i have scored some nice raw alpaca fleece which when it arrives will get priority and the back table will be arranged despite DH stuff and tools everywhere to have it carded and done,must find a box to store the fluffy bits in so they don't quash till I get the spinner out,which one don't know yet... the main jumbo bobbin for the Roberta came unstuck,very disgusted there,had to break,yes BREAK the yarn I was so carefully plying to re-ball while the bobbin was reglued.Might contact Ian to order another two so i can get some serious stuff done!!

Also have to "see" Mandy about some Ashford extra bobbins too,the black fleece I started from my wonderful Aunt has sat there,simply haven't had the time to get to it and would love to spin other faster stuff on that wheel!!

I have added to knitting with two beanies(aide suggested has a beanie for his ears ,he lost last one but I felt guilty enough to enjoy spending money on some Jet from Chezs in Boulder/Kalgoorlie),of course I couldn't make Sam one without one for Ben! So its one tan and one blue,half way through one at Friday nights Hockey and will be on a head this week sometime.I was asked to knit a jumper insert for another work colleague,why I said yes beats me but I felt she was desperate,it will be in a Patonyle pattern in some 4ply Bendy I happened to have in stash,shes paying apparently so will replace it when I order Mum and Dads jumpers soon. Think Ill do this for Mum and this for Dads just like Random Knits Hubbys,nice and quick!!

Oh and I'm on the second sock for a friend a plain one with a rib leg,a bit big but she was delighted the first one presented when it was at the ankle,just couldn't finish it for her B'day but it was OK!! Good for a laugh!!!

Ill leave you with this,they ve just had a haircut,very upset I wasn't there to see and had hoped to have a few fleeces put through a mill into top and yarn so my Dad and Mum could see what their wool looked like processed but couldn't find any who could do 18 Micron wool.Dad is losing his sight and it may be the last shearing....

A borrowed bit!

I found this Sheppard Chiks Musing this morning,had to share..PS have a gecko at her blog,what an ideal life,surrounded by Baas Baas!

Sock wool

Well after showing the wee bit of balling up I did last weekend,thought Id show a portion,mind that ! A PORTION of the sock stash......No Im not feeling guilty..

More arrived in the mail a few days ago!!!

But Ive finised DH BFL Handspun and dyed socks,they fit and he declared his feet were very warm quickly,it was quite cold last night!! Gorgeous to spin and knit! Need some more.....

And I did a bit of spinning to finish off the 2nd installment of Mandies second Fibre Club,the Corredale,yummo,very easy spinning and the plying a dream.Im hoping to fit the remainder onto the Louets huge bobbin so I can wash and hopefully fluff itup a bit,what I do with it depends on the yardage ,mittens? for a friend and me!!! Im going to try to start the Optim Issue this arvo if we get home early enough!!!

Now we're off to scrounge through the bush for abit of firewood as Autumn has reallly made her presence known!!!!

PS We think we had a few wee visitors in the front yard Friday night as some important bits have gone astray....

Another New Toy

Another new toy! It arrived about the same time as the last posts goodies but didnt have a chanceto try them until this arvo!! What fun it is to have the tools to do the yarn"chores" that come witha large stash.

This a small pile of the skeins and balls that I reballed ready to go for when the urge strikes!! The pale blue/green Lornas Laces from the gorgeous Yarnivorous who I was able to relieve from her vast stash at the time of packing for that momentous move to the US , along with the cobweb pink maroon and that jewel handdyed Patonyle if I remember correctly.These have been just too yummy to knit up but I feel I need to do something with them as Im running out of room,bought three 58 litre containers today,shhhhhh besides I need socks!The others are various 4 plys and the one on the left is the remains of a ball of 6ply sock wool from the Wool Shacks sale when they stopped stocking this one last year,cant remember the brand but I think I paid $16 a ball. Fast to knit up and it was my first go at a toe up,turned out great but wish Id written the pattern down... as there arent many 6ply sock patterns around especially toe up!

The Wonderful ISE5 Box

Its here and what fun it was to unpack!! My wonderful Secret Pal Angel sent over a gorgeous Pink Irish Hiking Scarf(love that pattern) with yummy Peaches N Cream, lovely washcloths and the loveliest pair of needles,just the right size for scarf needles!!!

The scarf is all quishy and so soft,made out of Bernat CashmereIts now on my wish list to try it myself!!! Theres a lot of cold winter mornings watching Hockey where its going to be my best friend,LOL ThanksAmanda,you rule!!!!

Heres a somewhat, hmmmm not ideal ,piccie of me wearing it,(home from work with scruffy hair and dusty uniform but you can get the idea how thick it is!!

A bit post heavy but you can see why Im so happy!!!!

More Goodies

My New Toy!! These arrived late last week and have been put to good use already!!!

I managed, after stalking ebay for a while ,to find a seller with a few wool winders,my wait paid off and I was able to score a Jumbo winder and a Empisal 100g winder. So now I can wind off balls of different sizes! The best thing about these ones is that the cones are removable and easy to store which also means I wont have to worry about the yarn running off the edge and tangling in the cogs like it did with the other one I have(which is minus the wire stand off thanks to kids moving it).

Me so happy with new toy!!

On the other knitty news ,Im sailing with the ISE6 scarf,photos to follow when I can! AndIm getting there with a few UFOs!

We re off to Perth this week for a couple of days of tests for Son 4 hopefully he will be calm enough to allow the peoples to do their thing.We hope to do some site seeing trips off the usual raod to have alook around too...

A lack of communication from person in a certain position has lead us to have a rough week with Boyo,we thought he was just having a moody blue time but it appears they neglected to tell me a change in aide again,not good when the you're met with a situation of your son undoing seat belt and opening side door on van to jump while Im driving at 110kms on the highway.

Heres hoping they may have listened this time.The other boys were very shook up and Im trying hard not to think about it,only to ensure it dosent happen again.....

OOOh A Parcel!! STR Spoiler

I was expecting this and had a peak at the Club Blog and knew what it would look like but in person...one word.. DEVINE!!!!!!!!!..but then again they'll all be devine,LOL!

What do you think Rachael? I know Im thinking this pattern appeals 'cause there appears to be cables..I loove cables.."Lucky", appeals to the Irish in me!!(Havent had a good look yet just enough to squeal at the PO,but they're used to me now!!)

I have the yarn in the hand with a pattern worked out for the ISE 6 ,post apiccie when its abit bigger,so that will have to get a move on but if I can get a fair bit done, this gorgeous sock wool will be my reward!

The last Club Issue,Serendipity, which I forgot to post about,a beautiful colour but didnt call like "Lucky",I just fondled it....Kids were fascinated by the mini skein,LOL

Bugger!!

What would you do if you were stuck in Perth with no wallet,no money,no ID,NO LICENSE in a new ute and you have to be back at work ,like today........lucky he's got a good friend and a pliable MUM...

The End to a Weekis(or two) Horibilus

To pinch a phrase from the Queen herself during a speech a few years ago? These last two weeks were not the bestest time Ive had, but with that I think things have been cleared and I know where I stand...wherein,that area of my daily life will not be revisited on here and only the good things will preveil!

The two older boys at school recieved a merit certificates,P recieved 3,Home Ec,Maths and English,H was Science! I m very proud of the two of them for being recognised (though I believe theres was and I suppose will always be jealously from others that,sadly I ve been too blind to see).

P.. has been the object for bullies since early Primary but being a Big boy now(hes in bigger sizes to his oldest big Brother) is holding his own and not afraid to tell them to F*** Off, I solved the problem in his earlier years when the school failed to do anything by telling him to hit back,it worked,LOL. H.. is a kind of young fella,however, that seems to be able to breeze his way through and come out unscathed,maybe I could get a hint or two from him?LOL

It a marvel to see the different characters merging from each of them.One thing they have in common is a rather strange sense of humour for whichI beieve they may have inheritedfrom my dad(not me of course,giggle,giggle)...

Anyway Im enjoying the break,been spinning,knitting madly to finish two pair of socks('cause I really need the needles to do another project,despite having ten or more sets of 2.5mm,Im waiting for Cheryl from Chezs Crafty World in Kalgoorlie Boulder to get some more stock in...)I really need to clear some projects to be ready to get the wool or yarn to make a scarf for the ISC6.

Ive been talking to Pals on both sides and nearly reveiled who I was when I got a little mixed up with who I was takling to!!

This is a shot though not very clear, of the last bit of spinning I ve done,angora wool plied with a strand of silk,after washing the wool plumped right up and I want to dye it a darker colour to makea wrap,there should be in excess of 600m, so enough for a nice dainty shawl.I tend to wear a lot of white shirts so any colour will do but for a winter one Im tossing between an autumn or a vibrant wintery purple or dark red , a mossy velvety green? probably varigated for interest!Im trying to steer clear of blue as its a colour Im always attracted to and would like something different,orshould I say should look for something different and not be so boringly predictable!!

This spinning result is by far the,I mean ,THE softest I have ever felt,its almost too nice to harden up with dye as I found some of my previous work has been,it would be cuddly against the skin so am really at a loss to decide on the final pattern!

Now Allittook put a video up of the sites around her spot and I know someone(cant find that person...Donyale ...or I Heart Knitting?) else put out a call for us to post a vid to highlight our voices etc,Well heres my current submission until something else comes up(maybe when my full uniform arrives, a spot of working the rake or mowing(AKA driving the mower),got to have a laugh...

Earlier this week I decided Fluffa was just getting too daggy,his tail alone was all matted...now his tail's but a ghost of what it was,a mere little stick with a bit of fluff adhered to it!!

Hope everyone is enjoying the long Easter break,these kids have until Tuesday when they are back to school for two weeks before the Autumn break! We;re off to Perth for S... to see some specalists in Behavioral Optometry and the Lions Hearing Centre also for other tests in another bid to help his progress in school,cruel for him,year 6 and he cannot read....the new Deputy has tracked down some further help with him too with a new programme called Click,where the student uses a computor to aid his learning path,lets hope this bloke gets it right!! We have a few things to do while there so I very much doubt I will be so lucky to even get to Spotlight....

Ive been tagged.....

Ok!!!!! Donyale from Indulging My Inner Knitter tagged me for this one!!!!

THE RULES:

1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you. Done that

2. Post THE RULES on your blog. Done That

3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog. OOOOh now its getting hard

4. Tag 7 people and link to them. Let me think.....

5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged. LOL sucked in!!!!! No really its fun,makes the old grey matter work and gives family friends and co-workers something to ragg you out with!!!



1. I have a fairly large personal space that people are always invading,friends are fine,its the newcomers.....especially the ones that are taller and leeeenover me...I hav zee urge to run.....



2. I have an addiction to all fibre things,but this isn't really weird, only to my family,I nearly break out in tremors when I step into a wool shop...rarely come home from town without something related to knitting or yarn....



3.T (son 1) thinks its weird that I fix my hair the night before, only to sleep on it and go to work the next day...my hair is quite thick and flat and it looks awful if I dont give it a lift with the blowdrier!



4.I feel a whole sense of peace when travelling into the real outback,arid and dry,the city can be exciting but I don't realise how tense I am,maybe claustrophobic until I see and smell the gum trees and the open country side!!!



5. I love a lot of my kids music,not all but a fair bit to annoy my Hubby,LOL ... Jet, Grinspoon ,Marylin Manson(one song) anyone? Not really weird either but when you consider Hubby likes John Williamson,Don Mclean etc I stand out in my music choice...Speaking of which I found one the other day..Save A Horse,Ride A Cowboy!!!!But I do like Beethoven and Strauss



6.I love Tom Sauce on nearly everything,even on a roast!!!! No Gravy..



7.I ll take countless photos of subjects that only I can see the reason for collecting these images,insects,flowers etc,filling my camera up and I just hate emptying the SD card for fear of loosing one....

Ok ,I read back see that I dont really appear weird but it was fun to have a go anyway!!!
I Tagg.....
Allittook
Bellsknits
Shazza Knits
Arletas Motley Wool
Woolly Jumper
Random Knits
Metal and Knit

I hope Im not going to annoy anyone doing this! It gave me a reason to sit and think and take a break from another awful week,hey that ryhmes.... abit..

Hi all!!

This week Ive managed to finisha large bobbin of angora wool from a bag of the soft luscious stuff found at the Bendie woollen Mills nearly five years a go on a trip through there(very disappointed that I couldnt do a tour of the joint)
It was fairly matted and needed fluffing up to spin, with Mandies help in acquiring a carder its just as fun to card it and much quicker than doing it by hand,hence I was able to do a little bit of spinning each night to get it to the stage of plying it with some silk thread I got ages ago from the Hawthorne Cottage(think thats right) on Ebay.
The effect isnt coming up like I envisaged but there will be heaps so a nice broad wrap may develop.The Louet S10 has large bobbins and fine spinning can result in a quite a bit of metreage! I wanted to emulate the skein that I gave away a couple of years ago but remembered half way through plying that I actually plyed two strands of the angora/wool and on the Ertoel which although was a nightmare in the fagility of the fibre(fairly short fibres),was an absolute delight in the end, soft and plump,all squooshy and elicious,AND I gave it away..... anyway Im hoping that this week to take a break from the angora and try to finish one of Mandies last Club Issues... took one out of the cupboard looking for the silk thread....amazing what things you find stash wise when hunting something else down....and thought,oooohI really want to do this one and seeing the other and ooh I really want to this one toooooo, one for the colour and other for the fibre...big decisions.....
Knitting....
I finished the first Opal Snake sock for H. and made a head start on the second,it was a secret but he has big feet and I just had to get him to try it on to check, very happy with them he is..big feet I mean by 14 years and size 11/2, the 12 year old is already 11 so its a competition to see what sizes they end up,Son 1 I think is 12.....Hubby is size 10 1/2, Im a 8 1/2 to 9, even the younger boys have big feet compared to their friends!!!!
Anyhow I have to this week get a hold of the Opal Frog socks for P so hes not too insulted,hes a wonderful boy,helps out heaps so I have to get a move and do his sockies soon...
I havent touched anyother knitting or UFOs though I look and want to,spinning has taken much of my very small free time this week,I really want to finish a couple of things before the cooler weather gets here,likethe CPH and JoSharps Wrap Jacket,I remain sceptical if I have enough wool (Alabaster Silkroad Aran) It seems like a thick yarn for an aran especially compared to Bendies Aran

Onto this week,I again earned myself a dubious record to solving problems,you see we have an increasing population of feathered friends,Pideons to be exact,24 at last count but they dont all seem to hang around much, anyhow they leave an auwful mess and everyone seemed to be stumped to how to get rid of them,no one ,in short,wanted to ,too much effort and dont know how? I went into work early one morn and while doing my rounds I came up with the idea that these birds were so secure they totally ignored meas I walked bywhere they were roosting. Next day at 515am ,found me with

• A box and milk crate to stand on.
• Place quietly under window ledge where fluffed up pigeon were sleeping
• stand up and quick as a flash grab a bird by the wings where they cross over
• Place in box and
• repeat.....

6 birds down and a possible 18 to go..though they are getting wary.....

Ill be back,about to loose power, action here house at Renovation Central!!!!Ill do some spinning til its back!!!

And this too!

Angora wool going nicely (accept for the fluff up the nose)!!! As you can see,housework was Not a priority......Carder was...

Something new!

Ive been busy!

This my postage stamp quilt Ive been working on for a while,shoved in the sewing box for time out and then revived last weekend! All these squares are from a big shopping bag of scraps, left over from various projects!!!!

Very happy with it now!

Long Time No Write

This last couple of weeks have been the lowest I had for a while.No interest in anything much,running on auto,making it through each day with no enthusiasm for much at all.I love to cook,knit and spin,have a laugh with friends, lately its been zero and zinch(accept for socks)had an invite to drinks Friday with some great Staff and Hubby was all ready to go but I just couldnt do it,I was in the Poo Bucket there for a while,hmm he got over it...maybe an intimate dinner out might perk him up later?!!

Days started at 4.45am, after checking the clock every hour through the night,average of 4 hours sleep,broken at that,

At work at 5am

Back home at 6am to pick up Son No 1 to run him into Kal for Tafe block, a round trip of 120ks, 8 days of this,dont think of fuel at $1.48/L.....and lunch money for him as he spent his wage on a new bike, Question!!!!! How On Earth can someone eat $50 in 2 DAYS....

Back at work at 730am to work through til 2.30 (3pm on a couple of days) and hopefully cover the time I was away off site,

Deal with crapola at work (friends understand this part) and other unmentionable stuff,I work with some fantastic staff,a chat here and there can make a day so much more uplifting!

Back home to deal with tired cranky kids whinging about homework and one going through issues as Autistics do,try to remember where everyones clothes are at that particular point,make sure all is ready for the next day(no time in that 15 min space when in Zombie mode) get some nutritous if not always appealing tucker on the table....sorry anywhere there happens to be a chair as I havent cleared the junk off the table as no amount of yelling will get anyone to shift their own!

The dog and the Rabbit are moulting too, so its like a snow storm in parts of the house(isnt it funny how you never notice it until a visitor arrives? like spider webs)

The one thing I make sure happens to hold it together,always make the time to have a that first Cuppa in the morn and just before bed,an enforced relax time that has made it all possible to come out the end a wee bit sane?

But in addition to all that is a good friend and a good friend who can quick as, send over the one item Ive been waiting for so probably 20 years,oops that makes me sound old,make it 15! In a moment of revelation, emailed through a request and its here and already been put to work!!!

A hugest thankyou to Mandy over at Ewe Give Me The Knits as a wonderful Ashford Agent,was able to make little dream come true!!! I havent even taken a picture yet so this Ashford site one will have to suffice! And of course for the chats,thankyou Mandy,imagine a big bunch of flowers!!!!

Ive been carding a little bit each time Ive managed to get it out and now have enough to finish a bobbin of angora wool which I want to ply with some silk thread and dye! I had a gorgeous skein of pure angora wool that I gifted in a Spin to Knit swap last year? and really miss it and hope to emulate the colours I used.Really its the colours I love,and often the skein exists to fondle and show off only,I couldnt bear to knit it up,LOL!

Im so happy with the carder however as it used to take ages to fluff up the fibre to spin and that took all the fun out of spinning but now the bags of wool filler,tangles masses of alpaca laps,little roving ropes of compacted angora wool,bunny fluff that has to be carded to be able to spin as its too short in fibre length,badly mixed alpaca wool,cut off the mill carder by the looks all are now spinable!Ive been slack with photos but hope this week to update!

Speaking of which I really need to update Ravelry too,much more stash enhancing going on and no records!!!

On the work front,Ive been elected OHS Rep,the duties of which Im lucky to fall back on Hubby for info as hes been there, done that, sort of thing. I hope to take this further and do additional courses over the next two years so I can move onto a job that will get me out of the sun.The area is of an interst to me especially after doing a unit of Law Of Tort years ago and did very well with 97% if I recall. The only disappointment is that the training is at this stage done in Kal and is so because I was told it would be Perth one and I was sort of looking forward to a plane ride,I love flying,but theres a question over through who,Union or Department,not many seem to know what goes.Its fortunate I have some info to start with and also a friend who was a rep years ago and did all the courses.Unfortunately I have a feeling it may not earn or keep friends in the work area,I wont go on, a bit of a sensitive area! I have checked the employment bit on the net and there some great jobs that I could go into later with an average of 45k income with training. Only have to be in the right spot at the right time!!!!

I dragged Hubby down to work yestarday and this morning to help me put up the new weather station for a teacher who has project for the class to send in the weather results to GWN for Kambalda next week,first time too I think,wouldnt have been able to do it without Hubby either,though he did get a bit toofy while painting lines for the canteen yesty,hes just too much of a perfectionist,pity he didnt think of the house like that,there might be some more progress there,LOL It was in all a bit of Mum and Dad Time or should I say C and B time?

Oh to add something of interest for family that may check in! Me and my Boys(Hubby as well) Im getting shorter......