A Busy Week

The end of the holidays here in WA! I ve had a relatively quiet week at work with few tradesmen and a couple of teachers coming in to start on the coming terms work. My assistant had to go to Perth so I had a nice few days to potter around the grounds and catch up on the little jobs I couldnt do with other people around!

The first Monday was abit rough with the Invasion of the poor old Mouse Spider stired up by the demolition of the West Hall nearby.One was found inside the main office complex starting off a panic of "these spider being not native and highly dangerous" ,blah,blah,blah!As a result I spent the first day back at work dealing with a Pesticide man who was more interested in talking about his family and what car he drove! He didnt wear any protective gear save a pair of old gloves and proceeded to spray the eaves ect with poision wearing, only, The Gloves and shorts ,t shirt attire!!!!And he was prattling about he and his wife hoping to have two more bubs!Being his main occupation I would have thought at least overalls be included!

The first sign of a rough day came when he set off the security via the fire alarms, needing myself to call and settle any feathers in that department before we had the local Fire Brigade land on us!

The fire alarms screeched for at least Hour and a half by which time Security did come out from Kal to make sure we were not indeed in dire troubles,bless their souls. As it turned out this was a common problem for the pesticide people as the bombs they use set off alarms!

It was with interest that Talking with the local builder that the nature of the pesticides used to kill spiders became clear. Im a big beleiver of less chemical the better and this builder recommended highly to all who asked him to deal with these insects in their homes not to spray, the impact of the chemicals in the future was much higher than a few cobwebs,I couldnt agree more!

The poor old Mouse spider in the centre of this wasnt what a majority thought anyway, but it did make for some sensational headlines locally and an altered photo of a giant spider crawling over the Plazza Sign here at the Supermarket gave us some laughs! Heres another photo! Aren't they pretty boys, the girls look a bit mean though!

Tell you what though,wouldnt there be stir in one these beauties appeared! If your game click on the photo at the bottom,its supposed to be life sized! They are around here as a specimum was handed in to the library for ID but the librarian was so spooked she wouldnt give us a look,should have seen the masking tape wrapped around the parcel!!!!

Hope I havent scared anyone with these bits! .......

On the spinning front I have around 600 metres spun of that Machine washable laps,had a couple of days off so I should have spun what I had in the bag by now....

On the knitting front I have about 3 inches to go on Hubbys socks, and two sleeves and half a front to finish on that Studio Mohair cardigan jacket!

And Ive started this! I love the pattern now that I have ,dont why it spooked me before,especilly as Ive nearly got it memorized already.Late nights dont make for clear brains....

On another front I acquired a bit of Finn/crossbred and abit of English Leicester.Both were the greasiest fleeces Ive seen and have the 'experience to touch',LOL

The F/CB is quite long as is the EL but I only wanted these to be a texture additive, not sure what Ill spin as the intitial ply but Im texturally influenced by Taueret in her July 5th entry of citris merino plied with marigold English Leicester, not sure what colours Ill choose as it changes with the day and mood!

Poor Mandie must think Im loopy as I suggested that I would be after some pastel dyes and what did I put in my list?,heaps of colours that are Not pastel!!

Anyhow...

The first picture,Before bath, this sent the kids out of the kitchen

The second is the Bath.....

And the End result,lovely clean nice smelling locks that curl and gilt with their lusterous wealth! Now bear in mind I rarely wash my wool before spinning as is normally fresh of the Baas Baas back and only extremely good wool that the staples fall apart like little creamy(depending on colour of course) islands that I would flick with the old trusty wide tooth dog comb and spin straight up!

This is a learning curve for me,washing the wool that is,Im petrified of matting the fibre but oh my! Id forgotten the joy of fluffing the staple! I wanted to dye some today but its windy and half raining( just heard a rumble but it was the Wattle Dam mine exploding more 'dirt') so the wool wouldnt dry quick enough,rats... Oh well theres always tommorrow! Now Im off to make a Pav Roll for desert!

My Big Day

Well it is to me!

I ve a reasonable day,got to go to town and spend an ammount on flowers for the school as we gardeners have heard that our school has been attracting attention for its presentation etc and we're going to keep it up and get a spring petunia display going!!!

Secondly I made into the LWS to get some more supplies including some white and some gold embroidery thread to ply with the wool I have sitting there in the hidden recesses of the huge kitchen Ive found myself in!!!Hidden so Hubby wont see them too often....

Lastly i think the new knitting book I also picked may be the one for that lovely grey natural wool that Aunty J gave me!! A mans pattern, but Ill change a few things to 'feminate' it!!! This picure has a round neck but imagine a v neck thats rolled not ribbed and that may be used on the wrist and hem as well.....

My big day,

Have some of my fav flowers up there !!!(want to grow some.....)

Its my annual big day for which I was treated to morning tea and cake by the staff working during the holiday break, a worthy voucher to the best jewellers in Kal and my friend sneaked a lovely set of gold earrings in as well, And to cap it off Hubby and I may go out to dinner, all dressed up swishy at the best Italian Restraurant!!!! Love the food there.....tommorrow night as Im bushed......

On the knitting front Ive finished the back and made a good start on the left front of Studio Mohair jacket!

Nearly to the heel of H 2nd sock in handspun BFL,

and Spinning, could finish the 3rd bobbin after plying the first spinning and gaining about 200 metres in that I calculate i have to do at least 8 bobbins all up for around 800m to dye and knit that vest Im hoping to do.Hopefully thers enough of the laps to do this but Mandie has abit to save the day !!! Thanks Mandie!!!!

Saturday!

Two days left of my leave,Waaaaaaa...................

Anyhow I decided to get cracking on some spinning,this a lot of machine washable laps that Yarnivorous had in her de stashing list,its gorgeously silky, soft though in pieces is fairly easy to spin. I aim to finish this lot and hopefully have enough to knit a vest though i may have to look for some more to finish off,a normal vest will need around 800m to 850, and Im trying to get the first bobbins done to measure what Im spinning so to order any extra,I think Mandie may have some?

On the knitting front,the success of the jumpers made or should I say finished in time for the Big trip,Ive started another that would have been just as nice, done in Studio Mohair and the same colour as in the Book and best of all scored as a sale from Kmart... worst part is the unending K1P1 rib.....maybe finished next winter?

And at last the photos of the lovely home grown merino given by Aunty J,it so soft and Ican feel some lanolin in it so it should be fun to knit.Just as well it was squishy Hew had to help get the bag closed,ha ha ha ...A huge thankyou AJ!!!!

Some of this lot has been solar dyed and it cam up a treat! Im thinking of a jacket/ cardie style knit in cables if only a few to make it interesting(still liking cables...) and maybe spinning some extra up for an additional colour or if enough of theis grey I can overdye it! Half is balled up so before doing 2nd I will calculate the length and work on that. The skein holder is not quite big enough to easily roll with the ball winder so tis makes a time consuming job but fun all the same! Still thinking of that black fleece...maybe I should wait and combine it with this... I saw some fleece on the net I wouldnt mind trying either,Finn X Border Leciester,long staple and lovely crimp! Anyone tried this cross?

Im dreaming again of Mandies very pretty Merino on Acid......

Home again!

I still have the rest of this week before going back to work and althogh I havent done much in the way of fibre fun, its been nice to have some time to do things a bit slower!

We flew into Sydney just after lunch and spent 3 1/2 hrs waiting for the connecting flight to Dubbo and finally arrived there at 8.30pm after a 50min flight.I was auto pilot and simply marched up to Budget Cars and gained the keys while Hew waited on baggage to come out.I got the opinion that the man behind the counter looked a bit scared,LOL but the little Nissan Xtrail wa ours quickly and we were on our way to Nannas.

Dubbo has changed abit since our last visit 4 years ago with more trees and islands and definitely more houses!!!!

We travelled out to Cobar and onto Louth to Dunlop after battling roos,wild goats and Angus cattle on the very rough dirt road sometimes only going at 35km with the potholes and bad lights on the Xtrail.It was dark and hard to see but made it there by 7pm. It was great to see Mum and Dad and we sat up quite late to talk and catch up!!!

Some Baas Baas wandering past the house,super fines that I hope to try at having processed later.... at least it looks green for the time being and the sheep were in good order

The next day we walked(Mum Hew and I) to the weir to check out the water levels... note this is the remains of water released up near St George to flush the Darling and it has blarely made it to this weir below louthe and is only trickling over.The people at Wilcannia are now complaining that they havent seen this water yet and I seriously doubt they will....The photos are of the weir itself and below!

This is me on the first bike Dad bought me over 20 years ago and its back in working order, with I might add, a new front tire as Dad is trying to get Mum to ride it so she can give him a hand chasing goats.......

We walked a fair bit over Dunlop and boy was it cold!!!! The possum jumper got a real work out as did the scarf that I took as a second thought!!!!!

With heart break we left on Saturday morn to arrive back in Dubbo at 2pm (we spent a short hour with SIL at Cobar) where we had lunch and returned to Nannas house to finally get a long hot,hot shower(Mum 'n Dad have generator power with a old hot water system so baths were cool.......)

The little Xtrail was superb and I hated giving it back as my own Tarago is in need of hubbys TLC...

On Sunday we went to my Auntys for a chat and boy that was fun,she and my Cousin are right into fibre in a big way and I came away with a Kilo of lovely soft yarn from there own sheep that had been put through a Mill in Kyneton Victoria I think,anyone know of amill there who will do small lots? Photos later....

On top of this they tried unsuccessfully to offer a gorgeous Black Fleece and really I didnt know which one was the nicest as K also had one there,they were seriously scumpious and it was hard to say no. My eyes must have lit up at the sight of them... hope I didnt embarress myself but I havent seen a fresh fleece for years and these were just gorgeous...anyhow Ive since been onto my Aunty J and shes going to send it over and Im sending in return a bundle of BFL for her to try as neither knew much about it!!! Im so excited!!!

On top of this Mandie at EGMTKs has that Buffalo in and waiting.... I can see this month being a beaut one.....

We flew home on Monday which is a shame as we could have gone Tuesday and managed a trip out to Cousin B to have a gander at his farm that he has made a success of... hes in this weeks Land paper too, holding a bucket which I took as being protection from the red bulls wrath for removing him from his girlfriends....... visit next time for sure!

The kitchen is nearly finished but I havent managed to get everything in the right place but the space is just lovely!!!!

On the trip I managed to finish apair of Patonyle socks that went to a surprised Mum and scarf that I made up in Sensation, merino angora wool from naturally, I wore it home...

In Dubbo I made it to the only Wool shop I know of and bought 4 balls of the new Tapestry in blues for thick socks and 2 balls of white Patonlye as my own LWS hasnt been able to get yet,not sure whether to dye them or just knit some nice whiet ones, Embossed Leaves pattern,perhaps?

There were not one but 2 shops that apparently stock sewing and wool items in Cobar but I didnt have time to assess them,I had intended to visit just to say I bought these balls from XYZ,part of my holiday foolishness,HeHeHe

Now its back to work on Monday and the additional chore of getting my resume ready to apply for my current position next month..........

I shall make an additional entry for "Dunlop" for I took heaps of photos and for history need a special space and also the scarf I knitted while there......on top of these i will have a bit more in photo content later,Auntys wool etc......

The trip was fun including the scary landing in Perth due to high winds tossing the Jumbo 747 around,we had to hang on for a moment but Hew was delighted and I think our enthusiasm helped a couple of other kids coming back to Kal on the same flight with us as well, cant wait to go home again.....

Madly knitting

Im almost done with the CPH, and then sew up others...

The pinky one is apattern from Jo Sharps Contempory Knitting

The blue v kneck is a Creative Knitting design and could also be a Jo Sharp(too lazy/tired to find book)

Both are in Merino and Fur,Possum wool with merino in other words,very fuzzy and am keen to try them out.The biggest problem I have is choosing which one to take,the weather is saying Dubbo s forecast Temps from 0 to 13 on Thursday to Friday, I definiely will take the CPH and the v neck seems the most comfy as Im not sure if the high neck of the other will make it comfortable for any prolonged use...

These jumpers are very light too compared to the CPH..(which is in Bendigos Aran,Denim colour,I forgot to add ) but I think it will be the better fit as well.

The blue is actually a small mens sizing and I think I may have a fight to keep it as Son No 2 is intersted(Dad has grown too much and considering how its sat nearly finished for two years its any wonder,LOL)

Something new

I needed a break from sorting out what to take on my little journey so hopped on the net to see that Knitty has the Summer Edition Out.............There goes a hour of time..........

Mayhem

Edited
PHOTOS AT BOTTOM "KITCHEN"...........................

I havent had the time nor head space to post this week,the combination of Hubbys Kitchen do over and the fact Ive given myself a deadline of Wednesday night to complete not one but THREE jumpers so I may take them on my trip,leaving 8.10 am WST from Kal!
These are a jumper from Jo Sharps Contempory Knitting,knitted in maroon Merino and Fur,
The famous (at least in my house) Central Park Hoodie in Aran Denim Blue!
And a V-Neck sweater that originally was intended for Hubby from Creative Knitting at least 3 years ago again in Merino n Fur,dk Blue,...... Hubby gained some, ahem, size! ....and its now going to be my comfy over jeans with a white tee under style of thing! Though I suspect I may be fighting with Son No 2 for possesion,(Its nice that at least one of the teens thinks a handknit is cool!)
I have to post pictures later,Son No 1 has absconded with my camera!
I solved the dilemma with the BFL that I mucked up last weekend and plied the remainder in the Navajo fashion and am very pleased with it.I really want to spin a bit more up (heavons knows I have enough of it around and Im geting more!!!!!!!!!!)
I recieved some absolutely gorgeous stuff from Yarnivorous whoes trying gamely to stay calm in her BIG Move!
And of course Ewe Give Me The Knits, Mandie,....Good Morning!!!!.... sent over some dyes I want to try and the long awaited Wild Fibres, Mandie you have so many goodies in store,its hard to resist!!!!!
Any way Im off......kids are waiting for This computor and hubbys asleep,kept us awake last night drilling holes in the kitchen walls to hang the wall cupboard so hes knackered poor thing!, so I cant access my own computor!!!
Will return with photos later...I hope....

I have some photos.....

Half done,with the sink and laundry end to go!

See the pantry?

See the lift up door for microwave?(above me!)

And the man himself who has been slaving away all week to get this big project as close to finished as possible so I could see it before I leave next friday!!

Here you can see the above doors,I had to have them when we visited the showroom in Perth!!

The pantry is a God send...........still heaps to like tiling etc but we're getting there,considering houses are hitting the $300,000 we need to get things done.......

On the Knitting side I have to finish the hood and sew sleeves on it and the other two,so I should get there!

I have a close friend who is expecting a buddle of joy in about 6months, and I would like to knit a baby blanket as a surprise,it will be an heirloom style one with an easily memorised pattern as I need to be able to knit it quickly(read that Im brain dead each night during the week)

Anyone have any pointers? I know there is wool shop in Dubbo so will have alook there as well,my LWS is great but I rarely get to see other shops and often they have different stock etc!

new dye efforts

These are a few dye experiments I did quickly today.The pink/blue and multi coloured raspberry,alpine,mulberry and oak are handspun Cheviot which came out fairly coarse and doomed to be cabled tea cosies for want of any other small item I could use it for but I love the colours never the less.





The small skein of pink and greyish tone is a ball of Bluebell,probably a pair of childs mittens if theres enough. The bright green and red oranges are the efforts of my two youngest boys who have requested mittens this winter,have to get started on them.....



Lastly is the 400g total of BFL that I found in a bag of forgotten dyeing lot I did a little while ago,looking forward to spinning them and most likely socks but starting to think of other things.



I would love to dye and spin enough for a vest but I have a problem of spinning too fine which makes it a problem when I would love to do the vest from the last Knitty where the V is steaked,Yep Im game to actually cut my knitting.....



My big news is an upcoming trip to Dubbo to see my Nan and then out to Louth to see Mum and Dad.Hope I dont get rained in as the ground is black flood country and 20points means not going anywhere.This may create a problem as Im renting an Overlander and dont want to get stuck......On another bit of interest,the property mentioned on the lower part of information page is my parents home,funny to think my interest in fibre and sheep is maybe stemmed from the fact I grew up on one of Australias historical wool growing( shearing approx 184000 sheep in its hayday) properties. I will take some photos and make a special post just about our trip!!!



The best part is not just seeing my older fav relatives but also to catch up with my Aunty who is into spinning in a big way and has several wheels.Also her oldest daughter,my cousin is another highly crafted person! If time permits I may see her sister as well from near Narrabri. In fact spinning in my Dads family is fairly strong as my Grandmother was one of the foundation spinning members in Bourke group!



With all this I would definitely love to take Vicky to do some spinning.(have visions of spinning on Nannas and Mums back yard in the warm afternoon sun but I have too much luggage....)



This trip includes flying from Kalgourlie to Perth,then Sydney where we ll catch the connecting flight to Dubbo.Hubby has very kindly spooked me in his infinite wisdom saying that I and Son No 2(who is lucky to come with me, see previous post,hes the one will MORE hair than everyone there) have to catch a train from the International Airport to the domestic Mascot one.... shall be an interesting day,Friday the 22nd,glad its not Black Friday!



Another thing is that Im coming home in time to spend my last 3 days off work at home and hope to spend that helping Hubby renovate but will definetly include a lunch date with friends and one with Hubby somewhere......



By this auspicious date I shall ,I mean SHALL have an almost completed Kitchen and back verandah!.....................................

My babies

Heres my babies an Me!

Green thumb sunday

A day early but heres vegie patch.............













And Hubby with his carrot!















More lettuce














Kale

Hi Joe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boys toys(and Mums Too)

Hubby flew to Perth friday and returned at ten that night with this

And this,the kitchen!

He was worried when the carrier we had first set to bring it up was a bitnervous of how it is was boxed,that meant buying an expensive truck.... mens logic!!!! will someone please explain?

Anyway ,the work starts now and also I wont have a washing machine for a week..........

Update

The windows in!!!!!Now I can start the fire and warm the place up,read that tell one of the boys to do so,HE HE HE

The Boss's a bit crabby as the place that made the window Didnt follow his measurements exactly so there was a bit of muscle involved in getting it in,I...I mean myself ...was kicked out of kitchen while he was fiddling,2 kids went Harry Butlering,the air was tense but its in and house is secure from boogy mans(we're safe,the window may fall on the boogy mans though,LOL)...I might get into trouble for saying that......

Window update

Well hes finished the bricking!!!!!!!!!!!!

House wrecking

Well this is a long weekend and everyone knows long weekends are for HOUSE RNOVATIONS,dust and crap everywhere (in kitchen)

Its a cold dampish day(Hopefully the sun will appearsometime today?) and a *%#* great gap in the outside wall where hopefully H will rebrick today? and as soon as the cement is off enough the NEW WINDOW can go in...

The Kitchen is due this week from Perth and its going to be mayhem all week.....

On the knitting front, H's BFL sock is finished and another started,its the lovelyest sock i have ever felt,soft and warm fuzzy fuzzy to touch!

In a fit of boredom,I forgot to take lunchtime knitting,disaster!!!! Anyway I had a ball of Patons Bluebell that I had been using to mend a friends Pops cardy and 2 x 2.25 needles(dont ask where the others were!) and off I went,by the next day(I knitted at home too,couldnt put it down) this is what I had! The cables I threw in, as Id seen something similiar on the net and loving cables,off I went purely on memory,might I add! Rather pleased with myself!!!! Only fault so far I think its about 5 rows too long in the foot length,but who cares it saved the day and I learnt a bit on the way!!!!

Updating

Sick,sick sick...............
I ve been down with the kids bug for three days now,fortunately i was able to go to the Docs and get one of those sick Certs for the boss on Wednesday,miserable as I was it was worth it.I will be back at work on Monday and I hope with fingers crossed it doesnt affect my application for this position in August.
The Doctor was understanding when I told him the conditions of my job,starting work in very low temperatures that if I went back a bit earlier may casue this bug to hang around(2' this week,brrrr) I dread old age as a simple cold can lay me out for days and lingering effects for weeks, now whats it going to like then.He laughed when I told him............
Anyway Im feeling a lot better today and am sort wishing for a nice thick steak Sambo,Hubby was going into Kal to pick up some bricks to start filling in the laundry door so he could put the new window in as soon as the council got their finger out and approve our renos.Lunch was on the agenda....He was real keen on me coming too...
However He told me a short while ago, he wasnt going in til later(the truck might be in at 2) so there goes my sambo as I think the youngest boy is coming down with this bug too and may need picking up.I would have like to get into town early and out(I really wanted to get to the wool shop to get a couple of sets of needles for the Fuzzy Feet project,shhhhh) the sambo was a extra yummy,alas.....Im putting weight anyway...
Now Ive been fiddling around trying to work out how other knitting bloggers have been able to put up on their blogs items such as items finished,% completed and catorgizing their links,eg Shops,patterns fav blogs etc.Ive put in my template as a heading on the blog list My Favourite Peoples but it never came up and I couldnt really be bothered going back in.
Now Ive set another blog and its come up as the new style one(I actually worked out how to put a picture in the header,gasp) but Im not game to transfer this one over as Im dont know how much of my old settings Ill loose,Has anyone else gone through this?
If you have, how did you transfer any old stuff?
I presume Id be losing my favourite links etc ....hmmmm I may attempt it later when I have some more brain power...But if anyone can offer some advice from their experiences ,I would be grateful,
Now Im off to try some of EGMTK dyes she sent over on some BFL...Stay tuned for pictures!
PS ive joined this
And found this ,theres a couple of funny videos(found it on Bloggers help pages this morning) Roll down to the videos,a comic or two on the way.....

Parcels

Oh I love getting parcels, though DH is miffed as he was expecting more computor bits!!!

I give you.....

Cascade 220 in Raspberry from Yarns Online,its simply lovely, the colour! These are destined for Fuzzy feet,theres three skeins which Im going to share with my friend Kym who Im going to teach to knit a sock,(and as she loves slipper socks after I did a toe up one for her a while ago) this will be perfect opportunity t show the basic construction!!!

And here is the truely colourful Citrine from Yarnivorius herself, handspun of course,Im thinking those Fetching agian but may try a different finger mitten yet,the colour is unbeleivable!

And Socks That Rock from Lynnes stash,I think I very nearly broke the keyboard getting to the email page to ask for it when she first offered it!I seen this wool often and now I have skein for for meeeee!

Anyway I ve decided to join the STR Club next intake if I can,thee are too many delicious(love that word!) colours out there in the Club Members Blogs now.....

Remember the socks from the weekend? this is an update....

The first was finished by night fall Monday,I did a bit here and there through the day.The second I started at Smoko this morning with Lunch time thrown in,(I did have an extra tea break as the Darling boys have given me their lovely bug so dizzy spells have been the order of the day) In the last photo you can see the slip st Ive carried down the foot and its worked out very well.The recipient will be pleased I think!!!!

Sunday Knitting

The day has started cold with a bit misty effects with a light wind ,that to sit close to BH to block it out was lovely as we sat and cheered the U 13s on during the only Kambalda game for the day!

I started that friends sock in a stripey blue and pink that I wasnt really sure of but after getting through to row 20 it was looking ok! Now i know the last pair I did for this person became her savior with the cold nights and the even colder house they were living in ,sitting on a little 2 bar heater huddled together(nice to be young and no kids!).

That pair of socks Kate has by the sounds of it are worn lovingly thin, mind you if she had known the effort that went into making them,she may not have used them as SLIPPERS! So this pair are the super quick and boringly easy stocking st type that just fly off the needles!

Now Im going to work out the pattern and post it as I used aran or ten ply yarn that i dyed some time ago.It started out as Clinker Yarn from KMart which I beleive Rachel managed to score quite a few on special.I managed to get a few but mostly in black as I had grand plans to make vests for my two youngest boys,last winter (how ambarrassingly behind is that) anyway i discovered after that, it was 10 ply!!!!! and now have to work out the pattern anyway.This also haulted any sock making until now. Im so far pleased with it and not being too coarse ,its knitting up fairly quickly and Im up the heeel,Yippee.

Now I would have gotten past that as it only took about 20 mins to knit the leg but unfortunately my son Pat was dealt a nasty blow to the face towards the last few mins of game! A quick trip to the Kal Hospital resulted in going back home to our local nursing station because we would have been stuck waiting in emergency for up to 2 hours . Being only 35mins from home it made sense to do that, as there was in all probability, no waiting line!

As it was, he sustained a deep gash to his left eyebrow(seems to be an awful lot of fatty tissue in that spot!) When we got back there the duty nurse informed us that both resident doctors were in Perth,heaven help anyone if there was major mine accident! Pat was given gas to ease the pain while it was glued back together as she couldnt stitch it herself. Well , Ive had gas a few times while in labour bringing these beautiful boys into the world but by jingoes,Pat got better value than me!!!! he was as high as a kite!!!!!!!!!!! The Nurse and myself giggled with him,it was so funny!

Apart from a bit of a sore face hes doing OK and is villified in knowing that the other player was in trouble for an apparent illegal stick action but the whole team sent their whole hearted apollagies etc but at least I was able to get half a sock done!!!!!!!!!

I have this wool dyed also in what I called a Galah colourway as it supposed to be purple and pink but the colour didnt blend so it came out a funny grey silvery effect with pink and white.Now I think I will do up socks for me in the future of course.

Im after the soles that I saw on Ebay where you sew them onto the bottom of the socks so the soles are protected.i could cut them out of thin leather myself but I would love to do the precut ones.The moccasun (It that spelt right?) bottoms on thick socks would be great as I couldnt find slippers for the two younger boys and having all that stash meant it was gong to good use as well! the only other thing I can think of is to contact the sheep skin (Searched slipper socks on google) people in NZ to see if i can buy a few off them! Hmmm I might have another look around.....

The post has arrived

This week has been exciting with email bringing not one but two parcels of goodies!

The first was from the lovely, hi Mandie!!!! Ewe Give Me The Knits with a absolutely gorgeous 200g bag of merino.The colours had to be seen in person to appreciate the true colour,a mixture of blues,greens and purples! And so soft!! The latest copy of Wildfibres that Ive been drooling over on their own site,was going to get a sub to it! And tree new colours to add to my collection, Mist,Cloud Ears and heath,lovely pastels that are the opposite to what I have been using but a nice change! Mandie also put in a sample of I think is moody doo,I will ask her to make sure! Also check Mandies up and coming additions to her stock,or maybe I should keep it to myself, Buffolo Gold,yes sirey, I got the patterns sorted,Im raring to go,needles poised.............

The second parcel is the first icelandic roving Ive seen and cant wait to try it. The wool is obviously a mix of guard hair and soft down but I can see why its popular,it feels soft and warm in its roving state,I hope I dont ruin it by overspinning!

I really need to knit,or should I say finish the vests Ive been half doing since last winter,I couldve used them this week with the weather going cold to warm and back again, I have a green Cleckheaton Silk and enough of other "stuff" in the stash for at least two more but Ive sort of fell in love with Knittys Morestripes and have earmarked the wool from a US Ebay woolshop and while purusing that site came across the Lornas Laces "Black Purl" which Ive been also lusting after.Now Ive never felt this LL so Im curious ,does it match up to its price? Has anyone who s knitted with it for socks at least found it to be worth the price tag? Please let me know as Im hitting that buy button this week IF my yarn budget can fit it in!

OK Im off to try some sunny corner knitting,nearing finished my Mums socks and must get a bit done on CPH,really need it,its cold here! Then again,theres also ,,,OMG,I have aweek to start and finish those socks for friend on European holiday!!!!!!!!!!!!!...............

A bit of trivia

I found this on a Favourite blog,Knitobssession,she has the most divine shawl happening!
Anyway i thought i would put this up for fun!

Edit the list, bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing.
Afghan/Blanket, Two down three to go!
I-cordGarter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch all the time
Socks: top-down Heaps!
Socks: toe-up One pair down and one on the needles
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up Easy ones
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat Charity
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL Central Park Hoodie,My First Toe Ups
Sweater Quite a few
Drop stitch patterns The famous Clapotis
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns Yep but cant remember what
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns Played with them
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting?
Charity knitting KOGO of course!
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan The first thing I knitted besides the garter st scarf,Nana started me off with
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles lots!
Knitting with your own handspun yarn Have enough to make lots o'things!
Slippers The wools on its way..............
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments Well sort of,still working on it,LOL
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran) Love them
Lace patterns Yep,won first prize for a handspun and knitted lacey vest in the nineties
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf See Mothers Day Stall piccies!
Teaching a child to knit Sons!!!!!!!!!
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental) Isnt that normal knitting!
Knitting to make money Oh yes,$85 a jumper in the 80's
Button holes Baby cardies
Knitting with alpaca So Soft!!!
Fair Isle knitting Yep see Knitting for a Living
Norwegian knitting Circular knitting like lopi knitting?
Dying with plant colors Did a bit as a teenager
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…) All those named!
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs oH yes ,SOXS Rule
Holiday related knitting All knitting is like a holiday!!!!
Teaching a male how to knit Do my boys count?
Bobbles Heaps of them
Knitting for a living Believe it or not I knitted for Jane Signature Handknits in Sydney when I left school
Knitting with cotton Dish cloths............and that blasted Bolero
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn OMG need you ask......
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool Pure bliss
Textured knitting Isnt all knitting textured....????
Kitchener BO LOve it
Purses/bags hmmm sort half way done....
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO I think i know what this is
Entrelac This still beats me but I will get it one day
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting The Bond Knitting machine!!!!
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn,I think I will keep quiet
Stuffed toys, aknitting kit bought for me by Mum as an 8yo, a bee!
Baby items I have 5 sons...........
Knitting with cashmere Would love this!
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn Yucky but kids TV blankets are easier to wash
Writing a pattern The tea cosy?
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine, all the time
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift, heaps
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho That Bolero again
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public Always have socks in my bag.......................

Wow I didnt think I would put much in but it seems there only few horizons I may explore!
Have a go,its fun!
PS I added my comments as well so I hope the originator isnt insulted!!!!! Cheers!

freak out!!!!!!!!

OMG!!!!!!!!
Son number One has his PPPPPPPPPPPPPPP's
I now lay in bed and listen like so many other Mums to the sound of their baby coming home!
He got them Friday and went out that night to get used to being a sole driver and got tagged by the local Constabulatory,they followed him all over town but he was a good boy and didnt do anything to attract anymore than alook!
We have a new Sargent in town and hes very busy catching everyone........
We find out this week if Son1 is lucky to land a Boiler maker Aprenticeship.A fello worker/friend of mine has put in a good word for him at her partners workplace and they interested .Now the second part of being a Mum,hope he does and says the right thing to get it ! hes been so bored at current place of work,at that age they have yet to learn patience and tolerance,well being called aF@#*@ Retard doesnt help.........
i shall endevour to add a some knitting piccies shortly but DH has arrived home with some goodies for the house.......
Current list of Knitting!

• Central park Hoodie
• Soxs for Mum,one to go
• soxs for moir,one to go
• soxs for friend going on european holiday
• two jumpers ,me and DH,sew up
• cotton bolero,adjust stupid sleeve height, nearly done
• a pair of fetching for a dear friend

If I get into it I could finish these in the next month easy,then I can start the Jo Sharp cabled cardie in a lovely soft but thick Ultra yarn in the colour "Fleece?",cant remeber what its called but Random Knits bought some very well priced yarn from this seller on Ebay so I couldnt help myself and had asticky beeck and wouldnt you know there was the gorgeous yarn I need to make this wrap cardigan in one of JS books from late '06? I will come back with all details later...................

Natives

GREEN THUMB SUNDAY

Grevilleas rule,they grow so well and flower all year(at least mine do),this little fello is Sea Spray and I think it goes by the name of Chinese Lanten too.

A close up of the flowers,when if full flower they seem to hang like lantens too,small but very effective,hardy and just big enough to make an impact!

Geraldton Wax,Its leapt out of the ground and is at least a 120cm tall,only 7 months in the ground,Im so thrilled with it as they can be fickle to grow and drop dead with no warning.I have two more ready to plant that I picked up for$5 but not sure of their colours.

Theres a close up of the older bushes with bud which should open this week so stay tuned for progress reports!!!!!!!!!!

Finished!

Heres what my friend and I have been doing,mind you Kym did a majority of these,24 in all!

Mother Day scarves for the annual fund raiser at school! Now its over(the knitting that is ,I can hit the other UFOs and get a few more out of the road)!

Thats me in my work clothes of course,we had a few miniutes to throw them over the clothes line at Home Economics side door to take this piccy!!!

Heres Kym! I was amazed I could actually get her to pose,shell probably kill me when she sees this but she put such an effort into producing all these for the stall,it deserves to be noted.

I can of course claim the responsibility to getting her to knit,knowing the basics was a real advantage but guess what!!!! Kyms going to knit a pair of socks for daughter(I think she should treat herself ),,,ahhh another convert to sock knitting!!!Love it!!!!!