Sanity returns - except for the In-Laws

What a nice (read 'episode free') weekend!

After the expedition on Friday (and its consequences), and the stop at Waverly (they do have a website and a shade card - check here) I spent Saturday carousing with only the smaller child at a birthday party (yum, birthday cake and fairy bread - for any overseas listeners that's a slice of white bread, buttered, and covered in hundreds and thousands- multi coloured teeny tiny pinhead sized coloured balls) and lots of chat. I even had an exciting trip to the BIG supermarket (in Tasmania size is relative - it's bigger than our local) on my own!

On Saturday night the end of the first monkey sock was in sight!

Sunday, my Father-in-Law, a dear man, and his wife, who has a good heart but is rather obsessive complulsive re cleaning ,visited. This meant frantic tidying and vacuuming - oh, and don't mention the 'episodes'. I was once ill when visiting them and was sprayed with Glen 20! I think it probably gives her physical pain to visit our house - given my generally low standards in the whole house cleaning debacle. I argue that it develops my childrens' immune systems!

She just averts her eyes from the tumble weed sized dust bunnies which I have somehow failed to notice, and I pretend not to see them too! On the up side, she is a great knitter - rarely knits now as has arthritis in her fingers, but is properly appreciative of Monkey socks and me showing off my KnitPicks Options Kit, and brand new ball winder - My FiL also liked that - he is a mechanical man and thoroughly enjoyed making it go round and round!

YARN PORN WARNING! This is the Kauni yarn in natural light - I promised a photo and here it is! It feels so lush and gorgeous - still slightly greasy and 660 grams of yarny goodness just waiting for me to make it even more gorgeous. I want to do Ruth's Cardi - but the steeks terrify me - perhaps I could use the same pattern, but make it a jumper? Any suggestions?







Then last night I finished the sock - it is so beautiful - you're right Bells when you say that it looks great in nearly every yarn, I sat and envisaged battalions of Monkey socks marching through the world in all the sock yarn in my stash!! But then, what about all the other gorgeous sock patterns out there?










So I cast on for the second sock and finished the rib last night! I don't really suffer from SSK - I love knitting socks, and adore amusing sock yarns. I do really think that Cherry Tree Hill is almost the nicest sock yarn I've knitted with - it doesn't split or fluff, the colours are great and it really feels nice in your hands. What do you think? Have you found even better yarns? Tell me! My quest for the perfect sock yarn is probably never ending.



On that note, I'll leave you. Off to get more (instant) coffee! Pray for me.

The Plague house returns to what passes for normality

Life is starting to return to normal. We are a plague house no longer (cross fingers, wish very hard). The smell of Pin-o-cleen is a memory. The towels, sheets, pillows, toys, clothes, chairs, carpets and paraphenalia are clean and dry.

HAH!!!!!!

I worote this yesterday (because I am all caught up in the excitement of blogging)_ - hah hah hah - it's come back and bitten me on the bum! I thought we had finished with vomit - but at 4am the 4 year old decided that I needed another lesson in what happens to pride (ie coming before a fall) and decided another vomitfest was in order - so we are right back to child not at kindergarten, other child full of rude health and the scent of Pine-o-cleen wafting through the house again - I had 36 hours of no problems and here we are again!

House looks like a bombsite. This is because two mainly healthy children have been quarantined and held inside. I pick my way through a minefield of toys, and blog - because that's a lot more fun than cleaning.


I'm not a great housekeeper. I find it difficult to get excited about something that people only notice if you DON'T do it. Who notices that the vacuuming has been done, the shower cleaned, the toilet harpicced and the windows cleaned? No-one, that's who. People only notice if you fail to do these things. How depressing. So they mainly get done - grudgingly and without enthusiasm - sort of with gritted teeth determination.


I know there are people out there who love housework. They sing as they wash up and clean windows, trill as they wash out cupboards and vacuum the cat - but I am not one of them (you will notice this if you ever come to visit!)

Cooking yes- cooking is rewarding! It's yummy andeveryone likes food. Knitting is rewarding (mostly). You knit, you relax, you make beautiful, useful items for yourself and others. The Yarn Harlot points out that knitting (even with expensive wool) works out to about one dollar an hour or less for entertainment - and that doesn't count the excitement value of wearing or giving!


There's something about using your hands and skill to create that is deeply and immensely satisfying. Even cr****t can be satisfying. Here's a little more yarn porn from my recently finished works - Canberra SnB will recognise these as the work I was knitting when I met you all (I still sigh for the possibility of a Devonport SnB)






These are the feather and fan socks from Socks, Socks, Socks, knitted in Irises from Knitting By Zen, an enabler if ever there was one. It was gorgeous to knit and looks so beautiful I can hardly wait to start another lace pair in the Roses colourway.



On a different note, for anyone in the North West (or North) of Tasmania that is interested, there is a Community Knitting Day at Adult Ed in Devonport on 14 July 2007 for World Vision - which is knitting for Mongolia this year. Come along and knit a hat, or blanket square or anything really. Register at Adult Education Tasmania - no cost!



I love to support my enablers - and bloggers, and bloggers who are also enablers - like Happy Spider and the Knitting Ninja. I also love to shop on ebay and my latest purchase is a ball winder!!!! It arrived yesterday and as soon as I work out how to use it the world is my mollusc (allergic to oysters). I will also post soon a picture of 660 grams of Kauni EQ which arrived late last week (after being opened by customs and quarantine) from Uta at this place. The Yarn is 400m/100g so that's a LOOOOOOTTTTT of yarn. Just the thought of winding it all is giving me a rash - Anny Purls points out that she had trouble getting on her wool winder (and I think she'd thinner than me so probably bought smaller skeins)- why does everyone sell skeins and hanks these days? Centre Pull balls are soo lovely!




Enough. Time to clean the kitchen and cook something!