Colours galore

Caution Photo Heavy.....

This week is going to feel very change as the oldest son and Hubby have flown away to Sydney for Son No 1 to compete in the Monster BMX Games there on Australia Day.They went early as Son convinced Hubby that he wanted to get some practise in before the big day! In theory this is great but yesterday they found out that BMXers only had short session times where they could use the facility anyway(tonight its 6 to 10) in the big city I would question even my H in being out there!So far a basic motel room without aircon. on arrival hasn't made for a good start!

A bit sh**ty about H going really as I had planned to go with S and leave him with his team(so he was with a group) and go out to Dubbo to see my Nan who I have been told by family there, is going down hill(shes in her 80's) and now I can't see myself getting over for at least till end of year when I will have the whole family to contend with.Besides I would loved( for envy) to be there to support him and cheer him on....

Trying to yarn with Nanna about the family history that so far she has only told me about(bugger I didn't have a recorder ) with at least 5 bored boys is not going to happen. Funny thing is that H tried to get me to take his place a week after my boss went on holidays and it was impossible to organise leave(lost my assistant in that same time span) and HE even tried again on the way to airport,I had the clothes I was standing in? God Men!

Me being the usual "get the best out of time" thought he could have organised the cement for the verandahs in that time off from work(staying with kids had I gone that is) as he has declared that he will lose more holiday days hes acrued when I was going to fly over! He even declared that He is not staying here with the boys and will take them off for a trip somewhere while Im gone.Now I am stuck here with boys as for:

1 I have to work

2 I don't trust my car to get us anywhere worth going to anyway!

Well I have had my whinge! I might come back at a later stage and wipe it but for now it makes me feel better to say something..........

The one thing on the horizon is the promise of getting a new wheel called the Victoria by Louet

for just under $1000 landed here its a far dream considering I now have to budget for a loan extention,house reno's,new kitchen etc but if I can put the money away I will reveiw if I really want it what ever the result I will have successfully saved a goodly amount of dollars

Well, heres some knitting content....I mean wool content..

From this ...

To this!

A close up,a lovely soft colour and feel, I love BFL....

This is some wool angora that have dyed in raspberry,mushroom and I think oak,I used this colour way before and its amazing how different fibre takes up the dye in a different ways!The roving came from the Bendigo Woollen Mills I was able to visit 3 years ago,love to go again!!

All of the above is for my Spin to Knit Secret Pal and I am really having a hard time parting with the angora hank!!!Hope she loves it like I do!

I was also able to do the last of the Panda Wool that I across in the LWS that had been discounted.A five ply in white with nearly two hundred metres on the label!

This is dyed with food dyes and its super bright! A pair of socks for me as its a bit coarse to be gift stuff!Any suggestions for a pattern?

There are numerous projects on the go as per usual and more on the horizon,it stops me getting bored.... ! have to, in the next little while, complete Bday pressies for Nanna and Aunty,two pair of socks for work associates(though one will be lucky to get them if there is a change in attitude,office politics and so on) and a pair for another dear friend, I haven't planned a colourway yet but with oddles of BFL sitting there I won't have any trouble finding the material!

I am building up stocks of dye so the colour choice will be better!

Ok I am off to the pool to sit in my new folding chair and knit while kids play,I asked H to get it from Bunnings last trip while he was busy a fortune buying tools like cement floats etc . I suspect the injuries sustained while covering for my supervisor early last year when she found she was expecting, are coming home to roost so to speak! Disc damage I think,lifting heavy weights and moving a ute load of wet sand is finally starting to impinge on the nerves.I could barely move last weekend and this week was agony,especially with the ammount of work that had to be done with school ,so glad the new assistant has started,shes a treasure......

Tea Cosy

Simple Cosy for a 3 to 4 cup Pot

Yarn: 1 ball Patons Jet

remnants of three colours(Cleckheaton Silk used here )

Needles: 5mm

Abbr:

RS-right side

WR-wrong side

K-Knit

P-purl

YO- yarn over

SS-slip stitch

PSSO-pass slipped st over

St-stitch

tg-together

Rib-K1 P1

Cast on 84 sts,work in basic 1x1 rib for 4 rows

Work Rib pattern 40 sts,cast off 4 sts,continue knitting on these 40 sts for 20 rows.

Break yarn and rejoin to other 40 sts and knit for 20 rows as for first half,knit across the first 40sts so there is a toal of 80 sts on needle keeping in rib pattern.

Knit in Rib pattern for 8 rows,then knit two together across row ,40 sts, Purl 2 together across row,20 st,knit 2 together again so ther are 10 sts left.Break yarn leaving enough yarn to draw up remaining sts.

Using wool needle, pass through these last sts and secure.

Decorate with knitted or croqueted flowers,pom poms,or a knitted cord(cast on a number of sts knit a row,cast off) that can be tied into a bow.Another sugestion,gather last sts with a ribbons of contrast colour and tie in bows.

Green leaf pattern:

Cast on three sts,

RS R1 Turn,K 1,YO,K1,YO,K1

WS R2 Purl all sts

RS R3 K 2,YO,K 1

WR R4 Purl

RS R5 K 2,SS,K1 PSSO,YO,K1,YO,K2 tg,K2 (7 sts)

Repeat last 2 rows 4 times,should have 6 lace"holes"

WS P

RS Knit 1,SS,K 2 tg,PSSO,K1.K 3 tg (5 sts)

WS P 1,P 2 tg,P 2tg,P1

RS K1,SS,K2 tg,PSSO,K1 (3 sts)

WS P 3 tg.

Using wool needle secure end of yarn by sewing into back of sts, Press and attach to cosy.

Flowers used are from Simply Knitting ,Issue No 16,June.

This is my first written pattern of one of my own projects inspired by other designs and adapted to use what I had in stash.Good simple tea cosy patterns are hard to find so thought I would put this here for my own and others to have fun with,if there are any problems with this pattern ,please email or contact me and I will see what I can do!

So busy

Well I intended a post before now but have been plain busy and the long hours at work have also made me so tired.
How ever I finished the skein for the Spin to Knit Swap and have dyed some more in mushroom,stringybark and black(more a dk grey ,dissapointing as I wanted jet black) but its spinning up a treat and will hopefully get some piccies today to add if Blogger behaves.

Finished,

A pair of socks in the purple On Line 6ply(not 8 as advertised)

one sock in the orangey colourway from patonyle(gorgeous soft wool,wish Opal was like this,are there any sock yarns out there soft as this?)

One sock done in a five at a guess Panda wool I found at the LWS(and only decent shop even though Kmart is lifting its act) this wool I dyed in Rasberry,mushroom(love it) and a nice dk green can't remember its name,it has turned well and will probably wear well for its feel coarse in the hand on the foot its magic,a discontinued wool I was lucky to get the 8balls left in white but I will be snavelling the pale yellow next time!

two wash cloths for family Bdays in March,will add to these as these are special recipients,probably mentioned them before....

nearly finished a Jigsaw sock for its mate,down hill run to toe...this is a green red pattern that I won off Ebay for $7,whooppee,$18 in mail order shop!!!

Now these don't sound much but with limit of time its good for me,just to stay on track and finish pairs of socks for one is an accomplishment,still have a cotton Sweater to finish,DH possum jumper(just sewing up!!!!!!!!),my own Possum jumper(needs a collar),an 8 ply sock to match the one made for a girl friend of son 1,a shawl from the first Creative kniting,will probably never wear it but loooove the colour,all greens and blues,and of course the CPH....

On the future list

Numerous socks including the entire Opal Forest collection,

possum handspun beanie to do for H(who called the stuff Possum Tw#@ Hair,your wearing it dearie,LOL

two more CPH

a pair of fulled/felted slippers

mittens(to be dyed) for two youngest boys by request

a jacket for a friends baby from Grarn studio,a secret project,hope I get his size right,

a cabled jumper for my DAD

A cabled vest for my MUM(menopause makes jumpers too hot so I will do a juer later for her(what is it about cables,love them,bought a Patons book of 8 ply cabed items,yum,I read patterns like people read the Womans Day, but I think I get better value,I can spend many a night with a late night cuppa and choccies devouring furture projects,draming of colour combinations and so on....

Icarus Shawl,been sitting ther looking at me for awhile.....

a small list of quick projects like mittens and cloths for Chrissie gifts ,have to get in early,my aim is to have a box of them to sift through.....

Have all the yarns for these except parents jumpers and friends baby project but the rest I plan on doing doing as a voluntary stash slashing exercise,no I will not be jioning one the stash busting Kals,I can't resist buying more,yarn diets are enforced by guilt and frowns from DH,besides if the kids want to play hockey this winter I have to budget now as we have just visited the bank and am in big debt to finish the house,probably not big by most people in the city but it is to us (especialy if it means I have to watch my yarns expenditure,oooh its going to hurt.Look positive at least at the end I can enjoy a new kitchen adn being able to sit on my front verandah to watch the sun go down(er, perve on the neighbours.....)

What will the boys get up to during the holidays? Up a tree trying to catch a photo of a young goanna for the Jan 07 photo comp on Reptile Traders in Perth...Can you see the poor terrified creature?The goanna not the kid!

Heres Fluffa in his fav spot under the Xmas Tree which should be down and packed,maybe today,He is comfortable being cool on the tiles and out of sight to watch the traffic past....His fluff is now about 1 and Half to 2 inches long,so he feels the heat now!He was suposed to be lop ear but one ears up and the other is nearly always down,Hubby reckoned the breeder pulled his ears at kitten age to flop them,gross,and cruel to even think someone would do such a thing.Although he is No 3 sons bunny and I make do a lot of the work with cleaning etc,Fluffa tends to come to me more for a ear ruffle,and often turns back for an extra tweak if I have put him down following a cuddle,with everyone else he stamps his foot in an annoyance!!!(most of the time he runs to the mat under table to do this as the tiles must be hard on his feet!!!!)

Hers bush veiw of Kambalda after the recent rain from cyclone Isobel,cleans all the dust off!

A bit of colour!!!

I m getting to spin something for the Spin to Knit Swap and thought I would play with some colour and also as I had all this BFL sitting in the stash adn very white....

And then as I had mixed some green ,(lucerne) but changed my mind about using it on the roving,and not wanting to waste it of course,dyed a bit more yarn.

This orange is supposed to be a pink but I have decided to call this rockmelon and will make socks as Im curious to see if it stripes well....

Chrissy knitting

I had imagined lazing around and starting a couple of new projects to be a special something for the day...
Well I think I dozed most of the day away but after three attempts,managed to start a toe up sock using On Line sock wool from The Wool Shack which had it as a special just before the big Day.Couldn't resist and bought two balls ,one for a gift and the other for me(read that,practise new pattern and if it looks dodgy I will still wear it)
This wool is sold an 8ply but is more a 6 so getting the needles right was a pain and finding a suitable pattern was equally so!! Finally I found one and have tweaked it abit to suit my foot and after a fight with it at Ten last night!!!Managed to figure out the heel... It remains to be seen if my patience holds out and I can finish it....There isn't much for a 6ply wool I found particularly if you are after a quick no thinking one!!!
That patience was tested by the CPH this morning as well as I finally picked it up at tea break time and managed to get three cable repeats when I realised that I didn't face a cable the right way and had to undo it back to the ribbing, grrrrr.Not so bad,you could say! only thing is ,is that this is the third time I have knitted this sleeve,(second for other). The story behind this? Too many projects going at once and I forgot which needle size I used for 1st sleeve.There must be an advantage in keeping a note book especially when you fiddle with pattern and I have learnt my lesson....
Christmas Eve saw me busily trying to finish the second project I have been working on, as it was, I managed to only complete one(don't know why as the recipient hasn't got it yet and the second is looking at me now waiting for the last bit).I was so out of it that my DH had to be Santy and the next day I kept remembering the odd parcel still hiding in cupboard,LOL and some didn't get names on them!!!!!Alls good though,kids were resonably happy and only two partially unhappy at the fact I had in the past distant memory promised a certain item.....to go off in another direction,oh well ones Birthday is coming up so that will be reckified and the other will be used as a reward for good behaviour,sort off( he has a problem or three so it will be good for him)
Remember this?













Well this is the finished item with a close up for detail....
A tea cosy that I adapted from a Simply Knitting Mag,the idea was there and the flower pattern but the rest I worked out using Jet as the cream base and the flowers and leaves(yes there is another sitting on the opposite,not sewn just sitting to give an idea of finished look!) were out of Cleckheaton Silk,pinched from yarn stash put away for future knitting! All in the name of texture and colour.I figured out the leaf design
and although the original idea came from the Mag I will write it up for future reference as I can see a few more of these coming out! I was worried it would look a bit tacky but after seeing them in a new day I am immensly pleased with my efforts! They are destined to two friends who love coming to my place 'cause I make tea in a pot,no TEA BAGS ,real Dilmah Tea leaf,so I thought what a brilliant idea,they can have tea at home when I visit them,LOL!!!!!!!!!!

Just a Quick Post to Wish everyone!


A Very Merry Christmas and a Wonderous New Year full of fibre and knitterly and spinnerly goodness!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Eve

Well I managed to finish all my shopping but didn't get any parcels out on time or any cards ,relying on the good old phone for that!
On the menu tomorrow evening for my brood of 5 boys and Hubby!

• Chicken dinner with roasted pumpkin,potatoes,greens with gravy( chicken from Woollies and reheated ,the vegies done in olive oil and a dash of sourcream with garlic and chives, easy and no effort with only a minimal break from spinning/knitting and movies!)
• Desert is an array of fruits,little Pavlovas decorated with kiwi,passionfruit and strawberries (no bananas,they were just too green even at 5.99 @kg), trifle and of course Icecream as spiders

Am hoping kids will be exhausted and not up at 4.30 in the morn which is normal,boo hoo , Im usually half awake until 1 am so I can do the Santa bit and sneak the pressie out to the tree with out the parcels crackling.....It makes for an exhausting Day!

On the knitting front I have to make about 15 knitted flowers to attach to the project I showed last post and then off to deliver them and I will finish the IHS in the week to come to post to that recipient.there a few new projects calling and I can't wait to start them!

At Last

A bit of knitting related content!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I joined this Secret Pal Exchange that I saw on Interweaves Knitting site! I am not letting out who my Pal is but shes not in my country so I have to get a move on and get that spinning parcel ready as it may take a while to get there!Not sure what I will spin yet,sought of thinking a nice angora merino mix which I will dye some wild colours like orange,purple and hydrangea mainly because I very nearly bought some off ebay that colour in a handspun single which I haven't been game to do yet.Always afraid it will fall apart.Haven't tried navajo plying either come to think of it..........

On the Central Park Hoodie bit, I fell behind and the original site is closed but another has started.Now I have the Xmas knitting out of way I can get back to that.I am already dreaming of another in dyed blues but doubt I will spin it ,take too long,Bendigo Mill here I come.....

Now this is the latest dish cloth/face cloth thats destine to a lovely Aunty of mine who goes out of her way to be there and help despite her own hardships.It will be put with a matching hand cream.Not really much but its handcrafted by me and the first I have managed to do for her in mind so that makes itspecial.Its a tulip cloth in hot pink....

Its a bit dark so put a couple other pics to show a close up of the "tulip".

Here the tulip shows up as a puffy shape.This cloth took me about 2 hours to knit,I was a bit aggravated at time so it meant fast knitting,LOL.

The pattern didnt say to press but I may do the edges at least to pull it into line!

This creamy alpacca wool,Jet is nearly finished in a 2nd last Xmas pressie for two very special friends(I'll being doing two).They don't suspect a thing.....I will post finished pics later....

The weeks are flying, I am prepared this time with a few photos so here goes,

My back yard showing the vegie garden that is a bit sad,nothing like Sweet Peas lovely plot, there are some tomatoes that need spraying for russet mite that Sweet Pea was able to help identify,I am spraying today I hope anyway, as I am in a big clean up to make place look super presentable to be value so I can get the new kitchen and verandahs on.Living with 6 males doesn't make it easy as they have yet to learn to pick up their tools etc .In tis plot are some cabbages that I haven't picked yet(at least something successful) and some small zuchinis that are abit slow(maybe because I keep forgetting to water them...Guilty as....)
Anyway this plot will be the main vegie area and I am building up the humus level with soil improver,manures and by using pea hay as mulch I have been able to continue this through the year so I haven't had to do as much work.The bugs did most of it.
No close up as it definitely needs work.

As Head Gardener at School I have had a few comments that the school gardens are lovely ,when am I going to put my front lawn in!
Well I am not,The front will be a cemented drive curving around the front of house with natives filling majority of garden beds left.I have already planted successfully a row of roses(I didn't intend this but I couldn't help a few) and a heap of natives such as diosmas,grevilleas and Geraldton waxes.I will adding more such as myaporums(prostrate) and Grevilleas robyn gordons,spots already reticed and ready to go.The local Waldecs Garden Centre have a 50% sale I didn't know about so I am ringing them to find out if its going this week as I may have a another trip to Kal before Xmas(even though I am broke(owed 4 boys 10 weeks pocket money on top of Xmas shopping, Yikes!)
Back to original thought,the back yard is mainly lawn with a cottagey garden along the fence.My excuse is I am waiting for house renos to at least be nearly finish as there is no sense in planting for machinery to squash.I veiw the current area a holding and progating one where I can chose
the final plants to keep or give away!

This a series of pics featuring our Tilly on a cockroach/lizard/spider hunt in among my DH treasures behind the shed,hopefully where the valuer won't go! DH collects wood like I collect wool/plants( I like to think my collection is better preserved than his bits!












This tyre is part of a collection(that word again) that he has in mind for a buggy to take the boys out onto the salt lake on his days off,they have been there two years,I have wool that I have stored for longer so I don't comment!!!!!!!

Tilly loves it and she needs the exercise anyway!
















In keeping with the gardening theme,some little animals that come within the boundries,(hopefully Tilly won't find them) This baby goanna was caught on camera by the boys,hes ready for takeoff.....












A little baby dragon,they came out after the thunderstorm last week and the boys were quick to get out there to see them emerge from the ground nest the female laid the eggs in,weeks ago.
Speaking of storm,it was unusually violent with a little rain but the lghtning was spectacular with a direct hit on a powerpole behind us that went straight to the house nearest.It was so hard a hit ,we went straight around there to see if they were okay(or as H said to see if they were still alive!) They were OK but very shaken(NewZealanders and new to this area) and at that stage hadn't checked their house contents for damage.We didn't get our power back on for about 6 hours,the power contracters were up and down the lane way behind us looking for faults for ages! Kids loved the candles.....

Christmas knitting!

"Christmas Knitting"









The kids are home and the holidays have started at least for them as I will only have Xmas day and Boxing day but there is a bonus I can just get up in the morning and go to work so can be home an hour earlier ,no lunches to make and no last minute making sure they all have soxs and uniforms in their draws!!!
Christmas Knitting so far has been successful! I haven't finished the lovely Irish Hiking Scarf but have the address of the recipient and will post it to her!

Heres a close up of cables ,I love them!!!! As for the other knitting I was able to finish two pairs of Fetching in Tapestry and two washcloths in Sirdar Cotton DK.I can tell you that this stuff is gorgeous to work with and I will definitely be looking into a cardi or something for a coolish spring/summers night(like at the Community Xmas Tree last night,I was cold by the time I got home!!!)

Any ideas anyone? i have to check The new Jo Sharp Book there may be an idea or two there!!

This is the third cloth that I started just before the fireworks last night,They make lots of light they do!And funny looks I did get!!!

This is a really lovely ivory colour and I think I will use to make that cardi,the others were soft pastel colours such as powder blue soft lavender,pink and green.I teamed them with a small tube of hand cream from Innoxa that are all different "flavours ". This was a house pattern that I found on this address.I had it memmorised quickly and will probably do more later as a stock up for little gifts as I always seem to get caught for time!!!

The last and only half done is a lacy one that I will add later,in the lavender shade,again an easy one and rather enjoyable.These are intended for the two office ladieswho make my life easier and forgive me when I forget to take my securteurs with me or don't answer my mobile because the lawnmower is on......

Edit, The finished pics of last cloth....

I made amistake in nt adding a garter st border on the bottom and didn't see the problem until I had finished the pattern adn was about to cast off,I think its lovely anyway...

A close up of the pattern,it was easy to memorise and will probably do another for a late pressie for my Nanna...I gave this to a staff member in the office along with a tube of lavender hand cream.I didn't recieve thanks but the other lady was thrilled with the above cream one, though puzzled as to what it was and even confered with the registrar until I asked her for her opinion later(of the yarn not pressie) and she loved it.

As for the lavender recipient it will probably be the last handmade gift I will spend time on as it looks like office politics has been the issue(all because I asked my assistant to do her job properly,she thought she had a cushy position to come and go as she pleased,it was noticed by my boss so I have worn the blunt of someone elses directives and as the office person is friends with that family,I am the biggest B@#*@, but as I said to my boss at beginning of my position,I will be a great supervisor at the end of my term,she agreed.....I am a really nice person really.......I am very appreciated by everyone else,especially when I bring smoko in ,LOL.........

GTS

GTS, heavens is it Sunday again?


I have a great love of Grevilleas and these show why!
Grevillea sylvia,
This small tree is about three years old and for a while was an ugly slow growing shrub that although always had buds or a flower was decidedly disappointing for me anyhow!
This year it has thickened up and is growing a lot better so now I can enjoy its lovely flowers.From memory its around 4m in height but I will check on that.
I saw today on the ABC Gardening show, a park dedicated to these plants which are a member of the Protecae family (something I didn't know!)


















This time I have used my hand as a gauge to show how big these flowers can be in the ideal situations which has been a nice thunderstorm and mild temperatures.















I saw acouple more on the ABC that I intend seeing my local nursery about,one of which is called a bannana bush G.simplex, prickly but a strong scent, so thats one I will be tracking down with the other two I think were G. Bulli Beauty and G.Bulli Princess. These had fantastic colours and again the size of them is fantastic!
Cheers....

GTS

I managed to get some photos this week that I can post for the GTS so at least I can participate this week!!!
Last Sunday I was too busy doing my Resume,and everything was put on hold! Even the housework though I issued instructions to the boys to do a bit which actually worked as the house wasn't too bad!!!!

Hydrangeas, this a blue one that was donated by Woollies last year to the school and although there were originally 8 only this one and a pink one survived.Its a nice size and I hope it will gain some height this summer as the frost didn't touch it during winter.

There was a pink one but the light wasn't very good to get it just right and it didn't produce flowers as nice as the blue one.I am thinking of getting the soil tested in around both plants as they close but separated by cement walkway.The blue plants soil wasn't touched,the head gardener at time just planted it with some soil wetter but the pink one was treated with manure and soil improver that I added at the time of planting. It will be interesting to see how the colours bare up( if they survive next winter as the last was warmer than normal but there were a couple of black frosts that the lawns are only just recovering)

Lookey here I did take a photo of the pink one but as I said it didn't flower as well but at least the bush is fairly healthy and may do something later.

This week they will get a liquid feed of magic grow to boost them,interesting to see how they go with that.

This is the bed that the blue hydrangea shares with some tiger cannas so that has probably helped to protect them from the heat and the frosts.

Well thats my entry for this sunday and now I have to work on my own garden!!!!
Cheers..............