Holey Shite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, been knitting working and generally enjoying the quiet time that Christmas usually brings,not many traddies at work,only some top dressing,the painters scarpered before Christmas and it was just me and the birds for few days...Bliss

Here's the top dressing in action...

Nearly done..

Just looky at that colour,its taken a while but with tender loving care I think Im on awinner,as uausl I doubt the boss will take notice but isnt thats what agardener is supposed to be able to to do!Maje it green? if only the full and true story could be told.....

Knitting news!!Im about a third up the front of the River Avon Vest!!I absolutely love this pattern and yarn,Bling by Zen Garden. Ive looked around and found the yarn in the UK ina beaut blue..might get some later when I work out exactly how much Ill use in this vest!!

Im abit further than this .... heres a  close up of the stitch detail!!

Ok, now onto the heading of todays post,I was thinking to myself as per usual, last night,planning the next few weeks to get the maximum value out of my time before Study starts and I came to think of which nights are more likely to be productive study wise and which I can use as my treat nights and it hit me....call me brainless,a twit or whatever but it dawned on me that to get the necessary study time in, so I could still have some recreation time I WOULD HAVE TO PUT a FULL 5 HOURS A NIGHT,yikes A full time 45 hour a week job that starts at 5.30am and finishes at 2pm,Im going to be a zombie!!Never fear I shall conquer!!! I figure I wont know the extent of the work load til I see the paper work,Its art,it was one of my best subjects,the theory I did 45 out of 50 in the exam so I must be able to at least talk the lingo,Uni stuff is much more indepth of course...Anyway if I get an hour or so in before the hourde arrives home and then have my work area set up I should be able to do bits while cooking meals,Ha ha ha they wont know what hit them some nights,easy meals etc,Hubby hates Spag Bol .Combined with the hours on the weekend where I can study in normal hours,lunch breaks and the fact the subject should be interesting,the pracs should be awesome,drawing Im looking forward to..So to cap it off, Im not so freaked as I was last night.

Id love to move to Perth where, in my ideal world, Hubby gets a great well paid job comparable to the current one and the kids go to a great school and I get to go to the actual UNI!!!Im thinking the additional fun bit of the Curtin Knitting group too.................................................................; )

Just A Quick new post

From HERE

I will make a handmade gift for the first 3 interested people who comment on this post. I have 365 days to do it in…What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!

The catch is that you must participate as well: you must have a blog and before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Just cut and paste this one if you like, which I did.

Also, let me know if you would prefer a knitted something, or a sewn something :) I will try to do either as requested!
Now knitting news..

I finished Ixchel Fibres Sock Club,I think Club 1/Issue 3,red oranges BFL,God this beautiful stuff,I knitted alot of the last sock on very warm days and it did comeout slightly looser but I dont mind,they are washed and blocked,my way...

Look how much left over!!Im thinking of looking for some similar weight BFL in cream/white and knitting another pair using this for the coloured part,maybe stripes ,toes and heels with random hearts over leg section!!

Im sailing with the Avon Valley vest(see previous post,have about 4 or 5 inches done? will post when its a bit bigger

A bit sad this week,it was my only siblings anniverary of when I lost him..

New Year

Ha Ha Ha,its a New year and I feel that this year will be a good one,good news from friends helps too but I feel invigorated and ready for anything well almost,theres a shadow there on the horizon but we ll deal with that when it comes along..

Ive got my short list happening for the Toodyay Retreat,I ve started the River Avon Vest and enjoying that with plans for two other main items.

I had to frog the BFL socks back to ankle but should have it finished by tommorrow.BFL is lovely to knit and would love to commision a special dye job from a very special lady but have toooo many projects going, to need to get ahead first!!!

On the really short list

1. Cabled vest out of Beryl fleece  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/long-cabled-vest
2. Vestish in burnt orange Heirloom mohair http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vestish
3. Simple vest,waiting for English version in Beatrice or Jet http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pima
4. Beatrice Vest http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/talia-2
5. Another vest in ..something http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hoodie-vest-4
6. A Topper in hmmmm. Luxury...http://www.ravelry.com/projects/TT820/agatha-cardigan-2
7. a cardigan http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vera-7
8. Ditto!! ! http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ditto
9. Wurm...http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wurm
10. And 'cause I love it http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bertrand-louis

Now ths is a very short list ,have another list elsewhere...,if I can finish some  here I ll be very happy!

The River Avon,this lovely pattern comes from lovely Anne at 1morerow and when I saw her wearing this vest I was intrigued and as being local designer Ive decided after procrastinating to cast on.Its in Zen Garden Rasberry,very nice to knit with ahint of sparkle.Take swhile to get around each row being over 250 sts but Im getting there...

These two next balls have been in my stash for awhile,I havent decided really what to do with them but vestish can have the mohair,a warm light vest with an interesting style and the pink hmm,sort think a plain office style v neck but being a soft colour maybe a lacy one...

This year's  going to a busy one,Im enrolled in a  3 year Uni Course and am wondering how I m going to handle 20 hours a week study plus a full time job,caring for a large family as well....Hubby s nicely reminding me I wont have time to knit/spin,what does he know,thats my sanity anyway if I dont do some.. the stash will keep growing..

Photos of my success at school

These were yellow and dying until we had some nice falls in the last few months and also with an addition of organic fertilisers,such as Seamungus,they're gradually coming back.For a gardener like me thats as good a Chrissy Pressie as ever!!!!They arent top as some would sarcastically point out but I know whats what and Im happy...actually theyve improved nicely with no kids running on them too...

Mosaics!!

The Year in Fibrey Review!!

WooHoo it worked,LOL Havent done Mosaics before,a bit of deleting and fiddling and I think I got it!!!

Christmas 2009

Its been along time and like alot of others I just havent had the time nor the will/need to write.Ravelry can be the blame for some and lack of time plus other issues I wont voice here.

Anyhow I like to say Merry Christmas to anyone who may pass by and hope the day,weekend/holidays is as they'd wanted ,was peaceful , joyful and healthy.

I had a quiet one where I was lucky to have my RDO on Christmas Eve so I was able to tidy the garden and part of the house,get the mundane stuff out of the way.It was an early start this morning as to be expected with the youngest 11 and 12 respectively,I cooked a hot lunch of chicken ,ham and vegies(its a beautiful day here),it was abit late but went down well!

In the "peace" after, Ive been able to finish off a sock from Charley's club at Ixchel Fibres,gorgeous oranges and darkish yellows,reminds me of lava, in BFL,so Divine,they ll stay in my cupboard!!

Then started a shawl based roughly on a couple of shawls where theres a row of of eyelets at the colours changes,its handspun Bunny/merino again from Charleys beautiful fibres! I have over two full needles and may have to look at swapping over to circs soon! I got heaps done in an hour and if it wasnt for RSI starting in my left shoulder I think I would have finished the ball! There roughly 600m so it should be a largish one! Very soft and very light!!

This year coming will be interesting,Im on the Schools Waste Wise Committee(asked, not volunteered),having resigned from the School Council,full time job,OSH rep and taking on 20 hours of Uni Study as well starting in March.

Knitting/spinning will have to be allocated to only relaxation times and looking at my stash I think I have enough to keep me going for the entirety of the course,about 3 to 4 years

I also have about ten kilos of medium strong wool to spin too,at least a jumper worth for the owner apparently I can have the remainder,LOL

Anyhow Im going to endeavour to keep posting more regularly as a record more than anything of my progress next year and beyond,heaven knows ,maybe there's some one out there doing the same mad thing!!

The Knitting Retreat at Toodyay this is certainly marked on my Calendar too and am so looking forward to attending especially as my best Friend now lives there,it ll give me the opportunity to have look at her Federation mudbrick house they are renovating!!

Im off to water my garden and enjoy the lovely sunset!!

A Meme

I found this on SomeBunnysLove and thought I ll do this!
65 Questions You’ve Probably Never Been AskedYou know the rules. Tag people in this note (including the person who tagged you!) to learn more about people. Also, try to tag people whom you have tagged in other notes. Sometimes you learn things in new notes that you did not know about them before.
1. First thing you wash in the shower? My hair

2. What color is your favorite hoodie? Blue

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Always

4. Do you plan outfits? Yes

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? Mellow

6. What is the closest thing to you that’s red? My sons Tee shirt,it suits him.

7. Describe the last dream you remember having? I was trying to remember if I milked the cow on time and if I did .....

8. Did you meet anybody new today? Nope

9. What are you craving right now? Umm… Cup of tea!

10. Do you floss? Nowhere near I should.

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? Racehorses

12. Are you emotional? I try not to be but I do cry if others are too!

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? Not yet but I knit and love lace

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? I nip it and savour the flavour

15. Do you like your hair? I do most of the time,theres more greys appearing day by day though,I hate that

16. Do you like yourself? Most of the time I do; but I want to improve in a lot of ways.

17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? No,well yes, if I could do that what other stuff could I be doing

18. What are you listening to right now? Some crap my boys Friend has pulled up on the computor next to me

19. Are your parents strict? Obssesivley so,I couldnt use the phone even when I was 2o

20. Would you go sky diving? God no,why would I jump out of a perfectly good plane?

21. Do you like cottage cheese? No

22. Have you ever met a celebrity? Yes ,Dick Smith and his family,I milked the cow with my Brother,my Mum separated it for the cream while I made the scones when Dick visited our Shearing Shed in the 80's

23. Do you rent movies often? Yes when theres a good one to see

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you are in? Spiderwebs

25. How many countries have you visited? none

26. Have you made a prank phone call? No,indignantly

27. Ever been on a train? Yes — in Perth going out to the Show

28. Brown or white eggs? Both,theyre the same

29.Do you have a cell-phone? Yes

30. Do you use chap stick? Yes a nice bland one from Woollies

31. Do you own a gun? Not anymore, probably in the future I will again.

32. Can you use chop sticks? Nope

33. Who are you going to be with tonight? Knitting with the boys being noisy and Fluffa getting ammorous with my Uggies...

34. Are you too forgiving? It depends,I like happiness around me but can be upset at the ignorance of others,time can heal but memories are forever

35. Ever been in love? Yes — truly, madly, and deeply.

36. What is/are your best friend(s) doing tomorrow? Unpoacking after being away building their new house

37. Ever have cream puffs? Oh yeah… YUM!

38. Last time you cried? Saturday Night

39. What was the last question you asked? "how can I focus on what Im writing with that racket"

40. Favorite time of the year? Autumn so I can get my warm woollies out that Ive made

41. Do you have any tattoos? No but Hubby has on his arse,my name....

42. Are you sarcastic? Yes I can be but try not to be

43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? Yes

44. Ever walked into a wall? Not yet

45. Favorite color? Heaps but like pale pink blue peacock blues greens and rich purples

46. Have you ever slapped someone? God no,they might hit me back!!

47. Is your hair curly? No, but it does have a curly effect if layered as it is now...

48. What was the last CD you bought? Avenged Sevenhold

49. Do looks matter? Yes, but only for my tastes.

51. Is your phone bill sky high? I expect one to be, as Son 1 had a brief interlube,hes paying even if I have to hock his new moto

52. Do you like your life right now? Hmmm,ask me in August and again at Xmas

53. Do you sleep with the TV on? No

54. Can you handle the truth? Have to deal with sometimes

55. Do you have good vision? sort of,old age catching up,need glasses for fine work,headaches otherwise

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? No but I do have lists....

57. How often do you talk on the phone? Daily

58. The last person you held hands with? Hubby I was trying to get away

59. What are you wearing? My sons old grandpa shirt me never wore,trackies and uggies

60.What is your favorite animal? wont say,I love my Bunny and JR,real charactors

61. Where was your default picture taken? Xmas Tree Kambalda 08

62. Can you hula hoop? LOL nope

63. Do you have a job? yes a Gov one,nice and safe

64. What was the most recent thing you bought? Hot Chips Gravy and milk shakes for 2 boys, hot Choc (with cream for me) and ham,tomato and cheese sambos for me too, cost $35

65. Have you ever crawled through a window? Yes

There ,done,I wont tagg anyone but feel free to do it anyway!!

Ive been very quiet,getting lost on Ravelry,Ive decided Ill blog when I feel like it.

My sons latest addition

Easter 09

Well its another year and another Easter,I didnt lash out and buy heaps of choccy for the family this year and I havent really done so in the past as well,I reckon from the beginning that with 5 boys that money would always be an issue.A simple single giant egg was what I always got and so far thats all they expect even though their friends have Mums who have fallen for the commercised era of gifts and expensive ones at that.

I ve tried unsuccessfully to relax this 4 day break but the fears of what lays ahead has arrisen especially at night.I feel Im looking for solitude more and more ,though the family just thinks Im either selfish dont love them anymore or plain just dont get whats on...
Today,the last day I finally feel a bit more relaxed,Ive done afair bit of spinning,nearly up to the next pattern stage of the lovely swallow tail pattern, fingers crossed I have enough wool.On top of this Ive finished 2 pairs of socks for the firefighters and one adult size SES beanie.On the list for these holidays in the terms of time rather being at home, on leave yeah right,I have 2 child size beanies ,SES ones(the adult one was very large), and Kogo Beanies which Im going to find a an aran pattern and knit up what they sent,yucky acrylic but hey it was donated..with the thicker doubled yarn at least it will knit faster as Im behind in these charity knit projects...
Off to Toodyay next month,5 weeks and counting,I hope to have at least my first swallow tail done so I can wear it,a new bag for my Victoria Louet Wheel after the Rodent had managed to eat a fair portion of its base,I still love him though!
I haven't any piccies of projects as yet but will endevour this week..
On the up side, have to add something ,hey, otherwise its boring!!Our car has had a new coat of paint and is looking swishy,Im taking extreme car,B has waxed it and polished the old dear,put new batteries in the remotes,she under cover and behind the flash new gates that are also remote controlled.Read that? remote gates,I hit the open button as I approach the haouse and the door grind open ,I drive in and hit the button again even before I turn on the key and I inside out of the weather,the rabbit hasnt worked it out yet and the dog is amused.One of Bs toys that I actually enjoy playing with!! On the other hand it means Ill have to ride or walk to work as much as possible and Im so afraid of damaging the new paint work!!Have a gecko here and check out the number plate again...

And just for the beauty of nature this gorgeous dragonfly landed just in time for me to capture him on camera,these a bit rare around here,the last rain has brought a few interesting insects out,hope we get some more rain soon!

This is the last of the Jarob Farm corrie that Im just spinning up now.The last 4 batts I carded with some nylon for sock strength,I should be knitting them up ina week or two.These are destined to be on display at the Southern Cross Show,Im aiming to enter a few things this year too,havent made a definite list yet but have some ideas,Im hoping there ll be sufficient catagories.Another lady I was talking to last year was enthusiastic about doing something this year too so Id like to give her some competition!! Friendly of course!!!!
Anyhow heres to our wee Bilby,one of my fav native Aussies,I really love them all but heres the occasion to greet these little blokes!!!

Our Trip

Wave Rock 2

The road to the the rock...

Thas was fantastic smooth dirt, all weather road ,very well maintained and not a problem for our Car,meaning no corragation!!

The flowers I found at both Frog Rock and Wagin,in secluded spot near water holes,they looked hardy and were probably a callistemon or maybe a melalucca .

This our Chalet at Wave Rock,very roomy, I cant believe how quiet it was there,perfect to unwind.

These buildings were spread out next to a salt(gypsum) lake where there were small sail boats for hire(we d bring our own cannoes next time) The resort is still under developement with a couple areas obviously half "built",we spent some time trying to determine what they were hoping to finish.On reading the information bits on the obligatory coffee table,we found out the whole Wave Rock and Resort area was developed and continued to be by a group of land owners whos aim was to increase tourism to the area and provide employment for the locals. Good on them,its encouraging to see people getting out there to help their community.

Oh and thats Mums socks from Jane from Moseley Parks Fibre Club 09!!

I finished them just before reaching Wagin so I didnt get many other photos and we were a bit late so didnt stop anywhere on the road. Im really pleased with these though,very thick and should be great for Mum as they dont really have much heating at their house( I should know after spending 4 days in the middle winter there)

My Paddy sitting on the lip of Wave Rock,he was waiting for Sam, Ben and myself,to tell us that Dad and Hew had walked off to see the Hippos Yawn,Id had enough by then,it was 11 oclock and the bakery was calling,lol,it was a fair hike over the other side the rock anyway especially with Sam having fallen earlier and gashed his leg.

Anyway I managed to get a couple of sheepie photos,actually I felt an idiot doing this,Ive grown up with sheep and cattle,also goats and to run around clicking the woolly aspect of the show raised some eyebrows,one lady was obviously amused.So was I when Ben asked "how do you tell thats a boy,Mum?", hmm well after pointing the gigantic appendages he was all set,Sam was agog when a black suffock ram decided to use his ahem, item to scratch his front leg! And I was about to take the photo too....no I refrained,waited til he was more photogenic!!

Heres the black Suffock and white version..

And of course the ones Id come to admire and get a fleece or two from!!!Didnt catch which stud but there some big boys there!!!The owners of the fleece,I bought,the Rintoul Family, were from the Auben Valley Merino Stud which I believe was based on the Pooginook Bloodline near Jerilderie,NSW.The rams were the nicest boys Id seen for a while!!

And of course we couldnt leave without seeing the BIG Ram of Wagin which the boys reluctantly posed in front with Mum...

And of course me trying to get the haul into the back of the van,the boys were not happy having to share their olifactory space with a stinky gost fleece and a sheep on the way home!!!Yes I did add a gorgeous bag of angora to my purchases but more on that and the Fleece next post!!

As Usual

Well,I have no excuse for not updating,it started when the awful fires went through Victoria,I found I couldnt put words down,couldnt sit and ponder as I normally do,there is a draft for a meme that I just didnt get back too,maybe today!

Since I last posted Ive managed to spin heaps,finish a few small items,a couple of kid dramas,trips to specialists etc and believe it or not!!!!!we also managed to get away for a weekend trip to the Wagin Woolarama,Sheep,my dears,loads of big and varied woolly and non Woolly kind,Hubby also saw steak on legs,I believe Ive never seen him veer off direction so fast,ahem I shouldnt talk,I saw woolly goats and I went the opposite direction....the poor boys,sitting for hours to be dragged around looking animals and waiting to talk to the owners..Well they did get to go bush driving with Dad ,with me going crook about my car and its new tires,boys and a sandy bush track....

We left at 8.30 on the Friday,I took that day off as Ive been ill with something yet to be checked ,suspicious of what it is but I wont go into it here...we went straight into Kal as Hubby had checked The Tires the day before and declared at least two were baldy enough to be illegal,hello!!!Id been telling him for weeks or more that we had to look into tires,no he went and bought the mechanics for his self opening gates ....
Anyhoo,we got the tires fitted,left Kal came all the way home to pick up the bits we forgot,important stuff like credit cards,gave me an opportunity to check oldest son again as hed had a nasty gash to his head the night before,he refused to go with us on this epic weekend,it really needed stitches but the Nurses Station was shut and the stupid Health Line was useless...
We got to Southern Cross at about 2 ish,had the most god awful hamburger,(Id been hanging for one at Merriden) talked to mates at the tire service there,Porridge booked a spot to learn to spin at the Southern Cross Show in a few months....

Anyhow,he recommended we check out Frog Rock up the road, a short cut off the tourist road sort of thing!!

It was fantastic,we have sort of worked out there are rocks everywhere in WA,Check out the map I added!!

Frog Rock near Southern Cross

It was a warmish day and all over the rock surface were lizards,(Ornate Dragons,) sunning themselves,the boys were beside themselves and spent a marjority of their time trying to catch at least one,it was hilarious watching them sprinting after these lizards who were much fsater on their back legs!!!! Boys ,nil,Lizards, heaps!!

Me ,I tried to find the frogs making the noises in the sheltered little ponds dotted all over the crevise areas...

Wave Rock,Hyden

We stayed at the resort at Wave rock and it was the best one we have ever stayed at,it wasnt finished but there was heaps of room and could accomodate at least 7 to 8 people,a bathroom to swing a cat in,quiet to the point the crickets and birds were audible but no car sounds at all! The kitchen was great,the living areas was equally so and in short we loved it, even though our stay was short.

The man made wall around the top of the rock was designed to to catch water for the local water supply and still supplements the towns supplies,the whole time we were there was spent on the rock checking out the rock formations etc,It was well worth the trip and even being late to get to Wagin.The best part of this trip was the fact we werent really fussed on time,w just drove around...the bake shop at Hyden was wonderful too,yummy brekky there before we headed off.

I liked the fact it was quiet and there werent a heap of people roaming everywhere,enough to show it was a fav stop for tourist like us though. We plan more trips like this in the future and hope to go again to Wagin and towards Mt Barker and Albany.We still looking at farming areas to buy a farm of some kind and we wont know until we do go and have a look!!!

Ill be back with Part 2 later...

Australia Day 09

We went to the local pool where the Aussie Day Celebrations were held this year,wasnt much brekky left by the time the boys went through the line up! Its was great to see so many people.it coming up to be real stinker of a dya,I left the boys and walked over to the school (bugger got a blister from the thongs!) it was dry and a lot was dying from the heat this weekend so I satyed there and watered for an hour.

Heres our crowd,my boys and a friend captured the whole family!!