The Clap is done

I couldn't believe it, I actually finished the clap in 19 days, on Friday I wasn't sure I would even finish it, but with a lot of stress in my life the past 2 weeks, well what else could I do but knit.

Sunday I was just into section 4 and I was on my last 2 balls of wool, I was about 3/4 through section 4 and down to 1 ball, I started to panic as the shop I bought the yarn from last year has closed down. I just kept on knitting through the damn heat of the day and last night around 10.30pm I finished it, I ended up with about 2 metres of yarn left. Boy was I happy.

The wool I used was and Australian Wool, Heirloom Heatherwood 8ply 100% Wool, in a moss green colour which will go with a lot of winter clothes I have.

The Stripey Tiger had sent me info on Team Clapotis, so I swiftly joined in that on Friday, only to finish the clap on Sunday, but it is nice looking at all the other clapotis in the making.

And the Clap is coming along

I have done about half of section 3 now, I am so enjoying dropping those stitches and I can't wait to get to the next 8th row to drop another stitch.

I have emailed the person running "Team Clapotis" and will join that, thanks Stripey for letting me know about it.

Knitting Olympics Part 1 - The opening

I started my Clapotis on the 10 February, and had to rip it back 3 times, it was getting a bit late in the night, and obviously I was tired, and kept making the same mistake, KFB instead of Ktbl, anyway, got up bright and early the next morning and got stuck into it.

I have just completed the first set of 12 rows on Section 3. I am off work for 3 days this week, going to Central Coast with DH, so I will get a lot of knitting done hopefully while he is at work.


The above was written on Monday, it is now Thursday, and I have been away, I finished the Caitlin Scarf for my Goddaughters 9th Birthday this week and I am half way through section 3 of the Clap (so all you clap experts will know how much I have done), boy this is going to be a close call getting it finished by 26 Feb.

Pictures of Caitlin Scarf and Clap to come soon.

Another week gone by

It never seems to stop, always thinking about the next knitting project, thinking about when am I going to have time to get into the garden and try to get rid of a few million weeds. Well I guess you just have to bite the bullet and plan these things, and make the time.
Yesterday I thought I would go home and do atleast 1/2 hour weeding, got home and DH had got the hot water system valve so we set about changing that, after many attempts of getting the valve in the correct positon to connect the pipe to that leak was fixed, so what happens, the bottom tap on water system where the cold water comes in decided to leak, did I mention that this house which is a retirement plan if it works out is a "Money Pit", so DH changed the washer and rubber ring, that job done, then the cold water tap in the laundry wouldn't turn off, so DH set about to change the washer in that tap, couldn't get the damn thing apart, so he did it back up, it is a tap that requires a bit of elbow grease to turn off at the best of times, well it is harder now, if only DH had used a bit of elbow grease in the first instance, and if he had used the tap a bit in the time we had been here he would have realised that the tap does take a bit to turn off - there was nothing wrong with it to start with as it turned out.


I had started a beanie for a charity in Sydney "Just Enough Faith" then realised that our Goddaughter's birthday is in less than 2 weeks, so I got am making up a design for a scarf, and will either do mittens or hat to got with it, and hopefully this will all happen before this Saturday when the Winter Olympics start. The charity beanie can wait until after the Knitting Olympics.


I have ordered my new computer and will get broadband internet connected, it should be ready in a week or two, I can't wait to get broadband on, I can see a roster/or lots of fights happening at my place as DH and #2 son are already going on about what they can do on the internet.

I got the bargain of the year on Saturday, I have wanted for a long time a pair of Harley Davidson boots, but they are too damn expensive, so seeing as I had won some money I decided I was going to get them boots, Frasers in Wollongong are ordering my size in, they had a pair of nice slip on Harley Davidson shoes, the guy there asked if I was interested in them as they had them in a size 6, I tried them on, he said he would do a good deal, He asked if I wanted 2 pairs, I said what would I do with 2 pairs, he said wear the second pair when the first pair wears out, I thought what a smart arse. Anyway these shoes are $129.99 each, I decided I would get a pair, he said he would do 2 pairs for $70 each or 1 pair for $90, I just looked at him, thought and bit and said "How about $65 each and I will take both pairs", he laughed and said you drive a hard bargain, so he gave them to me for my price and I got 2 pairs of shoes for the price of one. See it isn't often they get a women in with small feet. The boots are supposed to arrive this week so on the weekend hopefully they will fit nicely and I will get them too.

These are the shoes I got.

Good one Donni........corner to clean....stash, stash and more stash

Well Donni went and did it, showed where she needs to clean up her stash. I took these photos on Tuesday but didn't blog about it, I thought I would wait until I could handle flashing the stash (mess). Thank goodness you can't see it all inside the bags etc.

Well here goes the mess first.











Now for the stash packed away in drawers.
Bottom drawer - Baby Yarn


I am going to try and knit all that stuff on the floor this year, including the huge cone of 2ply in a terracotta colour into some nice lacey shawls.

So how is that for wishfull thinking, I guess it beats having to find space for it. I will try not to buy any more yarn, well only for special things like goddaughters birthday etc if I don't have something lurking around on the floor or in the drawers.

On the subject of not buying anymore yarn (that will last until March). The Kiama Knitters Guild are having a bus trip on Saturday 18 March 2006 to the Southern Highlands to visit a few (well I think 5 in total) wool shops, 2 in Robertston, 1 Berrima, 1 Mittagong and 2 Bowral. There are seats available if any of the SNB girls would like to come along. The cost for the bus trip is $25 per person, it will be leaving Kiama approx. 8am on the day and will pick up at Kiama Downs, Oak Flats Railway Station and Albion Park, these times and pick up points are to be confirmed at our knitter guild meeting in February. Let me know if you are interested in coming along.

Winning Streak

I had a great lot of luck over the Australia Day long weekend. At the NSW HOG Rally held in Jindabyne (NSW Snowy Mountains), my bike was voted as the "Best Sporty", I got a trophy, cleaning products, American Beer hat and t-shirt and a sash.


We rode home on Sunday morning leaving The Station Resort at 7.45am, we arrived home at 1.10pm, it was a great day for a ride. We were very tired from a full long weekend of fun. We normally go to the local Golf club (the golfie) which is only 300 metres from home, for the meat raffles on Thursday and Sunday nights. I was really tired and wasn't going to go, in the end DH, #1 son's father-in-law and I went to the meat market, they also have the members badge draw after the meat market raffle, the first number drawn didn't belong to a member, so the next number out was, Yes you guessed it....it was my member number, yahoo, and what a noise I made, I was so excited, so I pocketed $2,550. I am thinking of buying a laptop and getting wireless broadband put on, I will see how I feel about that idea in a few days.

On Tuesday I got my knitting back that I had entered in the Kiama Show, the acrylic blanket didn't win, but the Vest I knitted for my Dad Won First Prize with prize money of a whole $4. I was told by a Knitters Guild member that I got 99/100 for sewing up, I was so pleased as that was the first time I had seamed anything in Mattress stitch, and it was so much easier and nicer than back stitch.




So I am pretty well on cloud 9, happy with the last few days events.