Just a Sound

Its a Grinspoon song Ive been listening to from their Black Rabbits Album,I love this one,the cellection I mean..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmWnO3vQIZw

Humming along to it as write here and enjoy the last few minutes of quiet before everyones home and hubby makes his presence known...
pics to feast upon  PS i dont seriously remember if Ive blogged about any of this but indulge me for this one time..
More stash

Not socks,a shawl or scarf

 Finally got enough for a vest,its so scrummy!

 this will be socks

 This will..I dont know.sort of wondering about finishing off the rest of top,working out how much and hand dying it a color like blue or raspberry tone and making a large shawl in a diamond pattern maybe

Oh Bear made his appearance so I put him in pride of position,I have to get his offsider out and made

 just had to share this again

 Pillaga pottery,love its color

 new shawl nearly half way in Casbah which dosent feel like Casbah,some colors I found make the yarn harsh to feel and this is definitely not as soft as the other chocolate skein I got with it

 The Rikke hat I will be wearing this weekend,its a heavy Dk and I would have used it as a worsted weight

 Patonyle DK,what can I say, these are the highest socks Ive ever knitted but I wanted to use up the entire three balls so I weighed it until nearly half way through so Ill just a bit left for darning later

 with a 2x2 cable on every 5th row~

It was sooo cold at work today but yesterday was worse,1' this morning yes but yesterday,it was overcast and cold all day, the frozen soup hubby brought down in the morning and left in the car but didnt tell me..was still frozen that afternoon when I got home,beat that!

Oh Dear

Ive been a little disorganized,well more guilty than any thing else,Im about two weeks behind with reading for the current uni,Australian Art History, so have made time to write,well I could have but Hubby was waching,lol
Currently Ive got the Bibliography and reference page done,and the first paragraph sort of , today Ill do the essay plan and read enough to get some citations organised as well,its due Friday week at 5pm,It will be done as I ll probably have the normal fast paced red eyed puffy face look by that day,this coming Friday is my RDO from last week but as my new offsider is due for his RDO on my essay due date I cant take it then.
I have a sneaking suspicion my health is not very good but not having a good female doctor any more it ll have to wait, there are two new doctors due in town this week after several months without one,but I dont think they ll be the ones I can use. Yes I am burying my head in the sand,its old age catching up sort of thing I keep saying and keep busy with things...
Anyhow pictures,Im sure a few of you who visit will want to see some pics of my 2013 trip to the Retreat,
THIS year there a special occasion for us to to watch,the Back to Back by the Toodyay Spinner Group. For those who dont what that is,world wide on that day there were teams of spinners and knitters who raced the clock to produce a jumper (a set pattern) from a freshly shorn sheep,the knitting of the yarn has to be started within I think 40 minutes of the sheep losing its coat,also if I remember correctly the record is just over 4 hours,the Toodyay team took about 9 hours to completion.

 The hectic stitching up of the seams,there were three or four there before I took this,lol

 The final photo of the group victorious with the finished garment

The warm spinning corner of our girls,so many different wheels,I took my little  Victoria (Louet), looking to get another wheel next year even though its a beaut wheel,a Kromski or a Spinalution maybe,the little Hitchiker is also in the running

The conference room AKA yarn market

 I missed the kookaburras that were up there on the Saturday morning,these galahs were my consolation prize

 The gardens are very lovely to meander around

 The meals are set to provide for those who have diet requirements,this was one lunch time selection,that was a little chicken pie in there but the others were for gluten free,etc the menu was awesome as ever,theres a push to involve more spinners and knitters for next year so we can fill the Homestead due to various reasons but the main one is being able to be ourselves and noisy when the need arises,also the mess are yarn and wheels and baskets of suppiles,tables littered with projects etc,makes it easier if its only us yarn people. If anyone reading this would be interested in coming next year,let me know and I can pass on information

 My knitting spot,as I couldnt sit in a lounge chair with the pattern and a cup or glass of something

 The first finished skein I did on the Saturday

 The work done on the grounds

 The second skein I washed on the Sunday and set to dry in the sun,it was from EGMTKs and was a mix of merino,targee,and a couple other fibres i cant remember at moment,most of the stash I brought home was limitied to a ball of Fibrespates DK which I nearly finished on the weekend as another Rikke hat,a skein of EGMTKs sock yarn for a gift for Southern Cross Friend who couldnt make it,two more fibre packs from Mandy and some destash yarns,enough for a vest in discontinued Jo Sharp DK,a strange plummy brown color, two balls of the marvelous velvet purple Jo Sharp,another hat,two balls of Debbie Bliss aran cashmerino in deep red and charcoal,a striped hat it will be,a ball of fine mohair stuff from Rowan for ,you guessed it a hat,Im into hats at the moment,my hair has grown so long I can wear a hat nicely now

 Natives abound through the gardens,with nooks and little quiet sitting spots,I want to go back in Summer for a quilting UFO weekend in January

And there you have it,count down to next year! the time I look forward to dressing nicely for four days and spending time with wonderful like minded people and talking to the best hosts Delvene and Peter who try every year to convince us to move the shop down there,lol
Currently Im working on this in between study and work (the house is a mess too but who cares)

Bubby Stuff

I saw this on the news page this morning
http://motherandbaby.ninemsn.com.au/pregnancyandbirth/reallifestories/8663893/real-life-i-had-a-heart-attack-during-childbirth
and it brought back what happened to me,I had an allergic reaction to syntometrine,during the arrival of my 4th son, but in my case the doctor had never heard  or seen a reaction such as mine,my blood pressure shot to 180 over 120 and was still climbing that no one recorded the last reading before they managed to stabilize me,that wonderful Doctor(Dr Kevin Coleman) sat with me right through that night I was told later so shocked and concerned he was. I was airlifted out to a bigger hospital next morning to make sure I was ok (CT scan) and although I had nasty headaches following ,they couldnt find anything, I had six months of feeling I was dragging my left leg but recovered to go on to have another 5th boy 19 months later,he was a different story altogether lol.
Oh Ive been dreadfully sick with some nasty flu like thing two of my older boys had earlier this week,I haven't finished the hat but here it is as now

Love this pattern,,, I did change needles, 3.25 for band and 4mm for rest,two balls of 8 ply,going to rat through extensive stash for more 8 ply and try a stocking st version with a rolled brim
No more work on other projects and study begins this week so they will just plod along
Waiting for son 1 to text results through from the trials,so hoping he does well.
 Country Tom

Still Plodding along

Ive been a bit lethargic lately not posting though have done a bit of knitting,I'm nearly done with the Rikke hat,looking forward to wearing it on Monday to work,it was freezing this lat week,I nearly cried one morning knowing I have to do this for the whole three months of cold weather,with no respite in at times appears to be hostile environment.
Now Im developing the flu that half the family had last week,it was bad enough to stop son no 3 from going to school which he never does though No 2 went anyway to work,he was sick too.
This week I become ogre to no 5 as I set to train yet another assistant,Im putting the foot down this time however and insisting the book be followed to a certain extent,if theres any bully tactics its head office they ll deal with.I ve had enough,told one thing and they do things another way leaving me to function out the cold literally
On other things ,no pics but if the suns as beautiful as today Ill do a photo shoot of a few things,in saying that Ill edit this post and the heading to suit
Count down to the annual trip to Toodyays "Avon Valley Homestead" retreat,looking forward to it but I wont have a new sweater etc to wear but it will this be a time to finish a few projects sitting there in the neglected basket.the Victoria will be coming with me too so i can also get another roving down,trying to keep it simple and enjoy myself
tomorrow,Sunday my dear No 1 is racing  down near Perth in the State trials,I wish him safe and successful racing,wish I could be there to watch



And a not very happy Bunny,it was raining and she had holed up under some insulation at the back of the yard,Hubby thought using the blower might encourage her to retreat into the house but no,she had to be dragged out


And from there you can see Hubbys near miss with a chainsaw,Men can be a real worry some days
Of course I managed some cooking this last week,a miracle I know,choc raspberry muffins

Money

makes the world go round...
What are your ways to stretch the purse?
Ill list mine

• never bought the boys anything but a single choc egg at Easter,when did gifts come with a bunny delivery,that way they never looked for anymore than that
• accepted hand me downs and used the very best,handed on the bag, used as cleaning aids etc
• bought the best I could so they went down through family in good order
• Made where I could,clothes recess food for school,I really miss the Cinderella Fabric Club,they had fabrics that were the same as those found in high end cloth shops,bang a label on and bingo you have the best dressed kids
• gifts that were practical
• Money gifts for birthdays never went over a certain amount ($50)
• Christmas gifts again limited to value and practical(though this has meant PC games or Consul games for peace during holidays,Mum needs a break somewhere),gift vouchers for teens is very good.I usually do this where they complain they need new jeans etc I love Jeans West
• Fridays have become leftover nights or simple meals the boys can do themselves,the older ones have become beautiful cooks here and as they gotten better incomes they shout a meal in terms of buying the ingredients
• on the really budget end,a carton of favoured milk fill you up fast but not good if its not A2..on days you cant get lunch,this is a backstop for those days when you find your self short of funds while away from home
• cut back as many treat foods like biscuits and pre prepared foods,use those $ for extra vegies etc
• know when the cooked chooks are ready at the shop,a cut down from $12 to $6 for example,buy two ,make a roast dinner with one(depending on family size) and use the second for soups(,freeze the extra servings for a weekend or fast meal), fresh bread, an avocado,and cheese toasted makes a beaut fast weekend meal
• be honest do you really need Foxtell? pay TV etc,freee to air Tv has good stuff,an early night can mean a saving in power,reading a book in a quiet house soothes the nerves,good for the kids too,at the least conversation can be the most entertainment ever,I used to listen to talk back radio,hilarious stuff sometimes

Not sure if this is all rambles or it may be useful but I had fun listing stuff,now Im off to hunt down fabric clubs..

PS I started a Rikke hat,pics this weekend,nearly finished it,using Zara print in the most gorgeous orangey flavours pinched from http://happyknits.com/blog/free-pattern-rikke-hat/  Brilliant hat pattern

Im also finished the second sleeve of Atelier starting body tomorrow..Featherweight has been put down as I think I could finish the former faster

Sunday that didnt happen

Well maybe its Saturday..
Mothers Day 2013.. Yesterday I was down in the big smoke much to my fun as I got to get more brushes for collection,a few more balls of wool for various projects, buttons for two finished UFOs,and a book or two.I got to Victoria's Secret and check out the perfumes..another wonderful shop filled with beautiful things... all to cheer myself after visit to Docs,the purpose of my trip. The flight down was pretty good on the 747 Boeing, and it was about 75% filled,seats next to me were empty,arrived in Perth around 10.50,earlier than predicted,made it to Hospital,St John of God by 11.40 so Docs was able to get me in faster than expected so i was out of there by 12.15 and heading to Subi.
 I couldn't pronounce the menu in the Red Chair Cafe I seem to gravitate to every trip, so had a green wrap with chicken and the usual companions of wraps,it was surprisingly good but the array of what other customers were consuming and the smells,love Thai even though the sweat just rolls down the back the neck,lol,Green Curry Chicken is to die for in this cafe..anyway I was coming home to a swish restaurant meal so tried to eat lightly.
Crossways Wool shop where the staff do seem to revolve from over busy snappy to friendly and so happy to oblige, I walked out with two balls of Zara,two balls of purple NZ wool like the last trip, three balls of teal Patonyle 8 ply ( I have  enough for a vest now)and a few more Knit Pro tips and buttons to finish those two cowls!! Felt guilty as I have far too much but dont expect to get there again for a very long time so did spend more than I anticipated.
 Had hoped to get to Spotlight as I really need to build sewing supplies but reasoned the running required as well the fact taxis dont like going there,its an bit unsavory area though I love shopping in that centre, I was really worried the ordered taxi would not come in time for the Flight home. As it was I enjoyed the two hours I allowed myself and grabbed a lovely taxi driver who had stopped for lunch near the Crossways Farmers Market corner and he was happy to get to the airport.
On the way we were entertained by an old biker on his Harley,he had his music so loud I doubt he would have heard anything else,I jokingly took his picture with my Defy phone and the taxi driver did a quick acceleration to get along side him for another pic, it was hilarious for the rider saw me taking his photo and I had to hope he wont recognize the poor taxi fello again..
I had an hour and a half wait for flight home on the 717, a very fast efficient jet,it was a little hair raising to see another jet coming in to land as we pulled out onto the runway,Im presuming we were actually just lifting off as the other touched down,congratulations to the air controller running a tight schedule but would prefer a few more minutes next time. By this time I had a migraine starting as I didnt consume enough water during the day and my back twinges was alternating between sides as well,shoulder was complaining after lugging a back pack around all day,xrays etc and my offending hand was also being objectionable..
Landed at 6 .50 in Kalgoorlie just in time for me to meet Hubby for a lovely meal at the Railway Hotel,lovely in that the sirloin was beautiful in pepper sauce and although very tender the Fillet wasn't fully cooked so i did almost expect a kick,one meal had a miserly amount of chips and veggies were a few sprigs of baby Broccoli and beans,both had what I could only imagine to be deep fried potatoes peel,I love my vegies and I had imagined a whole deal more,the meal so it was,a wholly meat based one which I cannot deal with although wonderful going down,I doubt Ill eat for a week now. the deserts were of the ordinary,I had cheesecake,Hubby had a Sundae,raspberry,his choice was better as mine was a little plain,a blueberry one with caramel icecream and cream,I had thought french or lemon and the description of handmade must also apply to packet mixes,those  chefs buy through wholesalers and mix on site. It was a lovely meal but has left me feeling heavy,the memory will be treasured however as it will be some time before we eat out again
Back to work as usual,dont think we won lotto and its count down to study for SP2...