Warning! Sunglasses needed to read this

I cast on for the Jaywalker KAL last night after everyone had left and I needed to just sit and unwind (read Knit), the pink is so bright you may need your sunnies to have a look. I got the wool off the trading table at Knitting Guild for $6.














I wanted to be finished my Mum's blanket tonight, so I will take to work to do some at lunchtime.

My parcel yesterday was the book Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles, I had totally forgotten about it coming as they had told me the expected delivery date would be December 12. I had a quick read before making the salad last night, I will need to sit down and get the circulars out and try it I think, it wasn't making really good sense last night, but I did have about a million other things going around in the old mashed up brain.















Just for Cece, this will be a great idea when you and Aaron start a family.

Jaywalker KAL

I am going to join in a knitalong, while reading Fiberfish this morning I read about the socks she is doing with the Jaywalker KAL, so I thought, and I wish I didn't think sometimes, that I would love to do this too. I have some bright pink sock yarn so I was thinking (there I go again) that I would use that for the Jaywalker pattern.

Shit what am I thinking (I am not) I am 3/4 through Mum's blanket, with another one for Dad, the Tribe Christmas gifts, sew together Seanna's "Lucky" top for her 21st on 12 December. And I would also like to knit myself a cotton top to wear on Christmas day, and maybe a cotton top for Abby for Christmas. Then the only people I have knitted for will be my BIL and Nephew, I could do them a beanie each. Bugger, what the hell was/am I thinking.

Well I shall see how much I can get through before Christmas, we also have a friends daughter having her first baby which is due 10 December, I think that just may have to be a bought gift.

I will cast on the Jaywalker socks tonight, as it is Steve's birthday (he is 47 - but don't tell anyone - shhhh) so the family will be over for dinner tonight and as Steve's parents will be there I can't knit on my Mum's blanket as I have done one each for Steve's parents for Christmas.

Steve has just rung me at work to let me know a parcel is at the post office, so I will collect it on the way home, I can't think of what it would be as I don't think (there I go again - all this thinking is mashing my brain) I am expecting anything.

Major Disappointment

We had a phone call from DH's favourite Aunty last night it is his favourite uncles 60th birthday on Wednesday and they want us to have dinner with their family on Saturday night at Wentworthville Club. So now I am going to miss SNB Dinner. I will still get to SNB but will have to leave around 4.30pm to drive to Sydney. Another craft person who's blog I have been reading is going to come along to SNB, check out her blog here.

I finished the sleeves on Lucky, and have cast on for the front band. All bits are ready to block, so I may do that tonight, oops, well after I sew in all the ends.


I am so getting itchy hands, I have so much going on in my head with what I have to knit and what I would like to get knitted before Christmas, it is driving me mad, as you know I like to work on one thing at a time, and it has been so hard this week, as I want to be getting lots done.



I have wrapped up my tribe pressie to go to US, I will post it today at lunchtime.


My #2 son is home today from TAFE with a tummy bug, and as I sit here typing this, my stomach is not feeling to crash hot, but I have had a bit of time off lately sick so I had better get along to work.

Here is how much I have done on Mum's Christmas present.

And the heat is on.....not in my office

After 14 1/2 years my office has finally got reverse cycle air conditioning, yippee, this summer is going to be very bearable.

In the knitting side, I am up to the armholes of Lacy and hope to finish them tonight. I also have done two more repeats on my Mum's blanket.

I rushed around at lunchtime getting some things to hopefully do for pressies for Christmas for my tribe, but time is getting extremely tight with all the projects I need to do and the ones that I have in my head to do....I must stop listening to my head.

I also got some things to send to Marti with the lace yarn, I hope she is going to love the colour, as I am sure it will go with a lot of different things.

Wollongong SNB will meet this Saturday and afterwards are going out for dinner together, it is going to be a great night. Ailsa is the November gift recipient for our tribe so I will take her gift to SNB.

I will get my act together and get some photos on my blog of knitting I am doing.

And if you want a virtual patty cake then just go and see the mouth watering ones that Just Jussi and Pick Up Sticks have pictured on their blogs recently, they look like they are such great cooks.

Shannon, I am thinking of you along with our other tribe members, I hope all goes well for you in the coming weeks, I know how hard things seem sometimes, but just keep going, keep smiling, and most of all never forget.

What my birthday says about me....

Your Birthdate: September 15

You take life as it is, and you find happiness in a variety of things. You tend to be close to family and friends. But it's hard to get into your inner circle. Making the little things wonderful is important to you, and you probably have an inviting home. You seek harmony with others, but occasionally you have a very stubborn streak. Your strength: Your intense optimism Your weakness: You shy away from exploring your talents Your power color: Jade Your power symbol: Flower Your power month: June

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Weekend Away

This picture has my bike first then Geoff and Fiona's (with Indian head) and then Steve's bike.


Our weekend away to Canowindra was great, but I didn't get the camera out until Sunday morning when we were leaving. I have some pictures mainly of the bikes. The countryside was absolutely beautiful, everything is so green and the farm dams are nearly full, they must be getting a fair bit of rain, I don't know if the drought is over for them or not. I love the Blue Mountains and Katoomba, we rode through Lithgow, lunch at Bathurst, through Orange then Canowindra, the ride home goes through Cowra, Yass, Goulburn, Marulan and down Macquarie Pass to home. Most after Marulan kept going up the Hume Highway to Picton Road and down Mt Ousley to Wollongong, but it is quicker for those south of Wollongong to go down Macquarie Pass. Steve and I left to ride home by ourselves, the first time all weekend we rode together, he rides up the back and helps keep the group together I ride up the front it is faster, a few others rode also left as we did they caught up to us, I was having a ball leading about 8 bikes doing 140klms down the freeway, all the time trying to keep an eye out for any cops and there radars, luckily we didn't see any.

I got home and within half an hour I was sitting doing some knitting, I need to catch up a bit on Lucky, while riding home, besides singing to myself I was going through things that need doing, I decided that I would get lucky up to the neck decrease last night, well I got further than that, I am up to the armhole decreases aswell. I hope to have the left front finished by Wednesday night, I don't know how that will go as I have the mole cut off my back tomorrow morning, so I may not get knitting done tomorrow or the next few days after, I will have stitches for two weeks. NO riding, lifting heavy loads, Yey! no carrying basket loads of washing, I will have to get the whip out around my place.

I have received confirmation that my ebay purchases are on there way, so hopefully this week I will have my 8ply cotton and my wool winder. I also received confirmation from Amazon that my book Socks soar on two needles is on its way, expected date of arrival 12 December, but with the back log at the wharfs and customs with there new beaut scanning machines, it could be a bit late.

The picture is my bike out the front of the Canowindra Hotel, this is were we stayed the night, this is getting ready for the ride home. The local Lions Club come down and set up in the side carpark and feed us a great dinner and good old country style breakfast, they have been doing it for 9 years now. This is an annual ride on the 2nd weekend of November.














The next picture is Steve with friend Glenn, who is sitting on his bike suffering from the worst hang over, he was so drunk on Saturday night that we had to walk him about a kilometre to his motel room, I nearly wet myself laughing, I have never seen someone so drunk that they were staggering on every step, it took over 1/2 an hour to walk him to his room, we then went back to the pub for more dancing, they had a great band there for us - "Loose Stones".













The next picture is the bikes lined up in front of the Royal Hotel Canowindra all ready to ride home.

Shopping at Ebay and Amazon

I just got some great bargains on ebay, and ordered from Amazon the book (knitting book naturally) Socks Soar on Two Circulars. It says 6 - 21 days shipping, so I will see if I get it before 1 December, then I will order the smallest bamboo circulars to knit some socks on, I can just see my list of things to knit getting so out of hand that I will be still getting through them next Christmas. I need to stop buying yarn, but who can resist when you get a bargain. I will have to flash my stash in the next few weeks, and let you all see how out of control it and I am, and I don't mean in how much....I mean "how much and how messy the room with it is".

I bought 10 balls (500g) of Heirloom 8ply Cotton in green for $16.55 (they are over $4 a ball in shops), don't know yet what I will do with it, probably knit myself, yes myself a summer top. I also got a wool winder, I have been trying to get one of these off ebay for ages, but was always outbid, I ended up paying $32 for it, but it is still about 1/2 price to a new one.




I got another little suprise in the mail from another tribe member, Donyale sent me a really nice little mauve colour notebook, just the thing for carrying around in my knitting bag to jot down knitting things when I need to.

I wonder how those two tribe members are going on their family together holiday this week down the coast, I can see them now, loungeing around the pool, with drinks in hand and knitting close by, lucky things.

I tried to order some things for my giftingtime person from Knit Picks and got right through to the checkout part, put in her address etc, but couldn't get it processed as I don't know her home phone number in US - bugger, bugger, bugger. Anyway, now I am getting a wool winder I may just do up some of my lace yarn purchased recently and get some things from here and send instead. So hang in there Marti I haven't forgot about you. I can't wait to get my ebay purchases in the mail, probably next week now as we don't have saturday mail delivery here, only a couple of weeks before christmas as they get such a back log of christmas cards/mail.

The weather here is being a bit unpredictable this week, boiling hot one day, cool the next, with the forecast for here on the coast in low 20's and inland under 20 degrees for the weekend, I don't know what to wear riding as I am not taking much, the area we are riding through is the blue mountains, which is going to be a bit cool, but then where we are going could be a bit warmer, what a pickle hey!. I guess wear long sleeves and take a short sleeve t-shirt and hope for the best.

Lucky

I am getting along very well with Lucky, I will have to use the computer less as it makes my arms ache too much using the mouse to often. I am trying to get as much down as possible as this weekend there won't be any knitting until probably Monday, we are riding to Canowindra for the weekend with the local HOG group. I hope the roads will be all clear, as they had a really bad storm the other night out Bathurst way and some roads are still under water, we may have to take a different route. No the knitting won't be going with me, I am only taking one small bag strapped to my pillion seat, so with a change of underwear, t-shirt, socks, toiletries, and the bourbon, and then there are Steve's things, there won't be any room for knitting. Plus Drinking alot and knitting won't go well together. We ride most of the day saturday, party the night away, then ride home most of the day sunday.

Here is the right hand side front of Lucky.













I have been tormenting myself again, by looking on the knitpicks webpage, why is it that US get all the good online stores, but they don't ship to Australia. Bugger - double bugger. There sock garden yarn in hollyberry is yummy, and the sweet tarts is a nice colour

Knitting progress

Damn my left arm from elbow down is so sore, I think something is a little overwork in it or something, it really hurts to bend or twist my arm from side to side. Anyway that won't stop the knitting.

I have now finished the right front of "Lucky" and will start the left front tonight, this is knitting up quicker that what I imagined. Photos to come. I also completed two pattern repeats on my Mum's blanket for Christmas.

Stupid me got my arms so sunburnt yesterday, and I didn't even think I was out in the sun for long, well at any one time that is. We washed our bikes, I hang out heaps of loads of washing, (that is probably what did it), we mowed the lawn at 4.30pm, so I was cranky with myself when later in the evening I realised how burnt my arms were, and the cancer spot cut out recently is extrememly red and raw, I hope it goes before I go back to specialist Tuesday week to have a mole cut of my back. Boy is he going to be pissed. I will have to put on the sunscreen all the time, I wish it was in the shower water it would make is so easy, instead of trying to put it on yourself.

Thanks Shannon for the lovely card you sent to say hello. It was really thoughtful. I am trying to decide on what to send Weebug, I had better get my act together before long and also the November person I have to do something for her. It is all so exciting.

Ailsa is knitting Annie Modesitt's Corset Thank Top and it is beautiful. I didn't put two and two together when she was showing us how it was going the other week, I decided to have a look at where to get the pattern from and it was then I realised that I have Annie's book "Confessions of a Heretic Knitter", I haven't read much yet, but what I have read is very interesting, something I will have a try at next year.

Tagged by Donna

What is your all time favourite yarn to knit with? Heirloom wool and their cotton are nice to knit. Aurora 8 is a really nice yarn to knit.

Your favourite needles? Addi turbos - circulars

The worse thing you've ever knit? I can't remember so I will go with the blanket I made my in-laws for this christmas, I don't like the colours used, but hopefully they will, they were made with my attempt to reduce my Stash.

Your most favourite knit pattern? (maybe you don't like wearing it but it was the most fun to knit) I enjoy lace patterns, I just didn't know that is what they were all the years I have been knitting these patterns in baby wear etc.

Most valuable knitting technique? Mattress stitch and Kitchner Stitch, I have to have instructions for doing the latter.

Best knitting book or magazine? Whichever one has the pattern I like knitting.

Your favourite knit-along? I haven't been involved in a knit-a-long, maybe next year, I have too many things I need to get done in a very short time at the moment.

Favourite knitblogs? All the ones on my blog especially Our Tribe.

Favourite knitwear designer? Not sure, I just knit whatever takes my fancy.


The knit item that you wear the most. (how 'bout a picture of it?) My jumper made from Nundle wool - springtime colourways????.

Tagging? A lot of people have this so I tag Fiberfish and Yarntherapy and Sassy Gina-d - my favourite USA bloggers.

I feel of the wagon

I slipped up, I have started the blanket for my mum for christmas. Lucky is coming along nicely, but sometimes (like late at night or at lunchtime) it takes a bit more concentration than I can muster, so I have cast on for the blanket and will do that when the old mind isn't thinking clearly, I guess it isn't too bad having two projects going at the same time.

Mum's Blanket for Christmas














I have finished the back of lucky and am up to the right side front. It is in Heirloom 4ply Cotton, which is really nice to knit.















On the losing weight side of things, another 1/2 kilo is gone, I am doing OK by just trying to eat better, no biscuits just yoghurt or fruit between meals.