I'm glad I didn't make any rash New Years Resolutions about yarn diets or such, because if I had done, I would have to be out the back giving myself a stern talking to.
I was hoping to get through the whole month of January without buying any yarn. I didn't.
Why aren't you at least pretending to be surprised?
So, for February, I am going to declare 'Yarnadan', a month devoted to contemplation, planning and higher pursuits (like knitting and cleaning), and not low and carnal pursuits (like cruising the internet and shoving people out of the way - in a virtual, cybershphere manner - to grab yarn at a Wollmeise or Sanguine Gryphon update).
Besides, February is a short month and I might make it.
As well as some beautiful yarn which may be making its way towards me, there is also the matter of a New Zealand Sampler Box which will hopefully hit the Tasmanian shores in a day or so. This, of course, is not buying yarn. This is more in the manner of a 'research exercise'. Sampler boxes are fun show-bags of lovely bits and bobs, including fibre and notions which allow you to touch and try before you buy. I have been lucky enough to buy a couple of the new Australian ones, and now managed the first New Zealand one.
The grand plan for some unspecified future date is to knit up some of the samples into swatch squares and make a sort of patchwork blanket from them. Sometime between now - and when I turn ninety!
The time thief has been here again - the summer holidays are almost over - in less than three weeks, the kidlets are back at school. And we have only a week of January left! I'm glad I'm not the only one affected by timethiefitis. Check this:
(There was an unsuccessful attempt to embed the youtube video in here which, as you can see, failed completely. Never mind. Just follow the linky!)
Seems as if Kate Miller-Heidke has the same trouble!
Of course, part of the trouble has involved connecting my Christmas Wii and playing lots of silly games which we are mostly bad at, but are lots of fun. I think I damaged my hamstring, possibly 100pin bowling, or maybe trying not to wet myself laughing as I attempted to beat the Accountant in a canoe race. We are enjoying it immensely, and it is bringing out amazingly competitive streaks in my children!
This weekend we are off to Cradle Mountain. Hope to get in lots of walking and see lots of animals and have a lovely time. I am even hoping to actually finish something in the knitting line, but as I haven't managed to do that in weeks, I see no reason why it is likely to happen in the next few days!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Twenty10 - It's a Year, not a Game (or maybe it is a game.....)
Happy 2010 everyone (insert sounds of fireworks, party poppers, sirens etc here).
I went to bed before midnight, but got up again because the noisy neighbours around where we were staying in South Australia started letting off very loud fireworks at midnight - and I LOVE fireworks. I got up and stood outside in my PJs watching rockets and sparkly things head skyward and laughed and made faces and left my mouth open.
Did you all have a marvellous Christmas and a very Happy New Year?
I'm not sure about 2010 so far, I was really just hitting my stride with the old one, just getting used to writing 2009 on things and then they change it. Seeemed to fly past, but I think it is just the time thief again. Maybe 2010 should be the year I find out who is stealing all my days and weeks.
In deference to the season, a little summing up is in order.
2009 was the year that:
-My children were both at school for the first time
-We worried about husbeast
-I knitted 13 pairs of socks, 9 jumpers/cardis, and assorted blankets, scarves, shawls etc
- I created too many WIPs and think I should do something about them
-I joined 5 sock clubs (a few too many, I think)
-I seemed to add rather a lot of 'insulation' to the house
-I sorta learned to spin
-I worked off 18kg (round of applause please), although I still have 12 to go
-I started (gasp) running - sort of
-I went to Bendigo and met lots of my wonderful no-longer-imaginary friends
-Australia seemed to go to the pack as far as climate and environment are concerned
-The 30th anniversary of the Mt Erebus aircrash
-Started the year as a journo, ended it as a redundant journo
In short. lots of good stuff happened, some not-so-good stuff happened, and some downright bad stuff happened (bushfires, floods, GFC, Copenhagen failures, Japanese whaling).
In other words it was a pretty normal year all round. Welcome to life in general!
So here are the last finished projects from 2009.
Felted wine socks, knitted from stash yarn, pattern from Yarn Magazine issue 1, gifty knitting.
Gumdrops socks, knitted in BMFA STR lightweight from the sock club, july, 2008 (did I mention about too many sock clubs?)
Arch-shaped socks knitted in BMFA STR Mediumweight in Iolite.
What does Twenty10 hold? Hard to predict, but probably some good, some not so good and some bad (see above).
Bendigo again, I hope. School for both the kids, more activity, more knitting, some spinning. I might be going back to Uni and I can almost definitely say there will be ups and downs.
The rest? Well I can give you a definite maybe on that!
Happy 2010, everyone!
I went to bed before midnight, but got up again because the noisy neighbours around where we were staying in South Australia started letting off very loud fireworks at midnight - and I LOVE fireworks. I got up and stood outside in my PJs watching rockets and sparkly things head skyward and laughed and made faces and left my mouth open.
Did you all have a marvellous Christmas and a very Happy New Year?
I'm not sure about 2010 so far, I was really just hitting my stride with the old one, just getting used to writing 2009 on things and then they change it. Seeemed to fly past, but I think it is just the time thief again. Maybe 2010 should be the year I find out who is stealing all my days and weeks.
In deference to the season, a little summing up is in order.
2009 was the year that:
-My children were both at school for the first time
-We worried about husbeast
-I knitted 13 pairs of socks, 9 jumpers/cardis, and assorted blankets, scarves, shawls etc
- I created too many WIPs and think I should do something about them
-I joined 5 sock clubs (a few too many, I think)
-I seemed to add rather a lot of 'insulation' to the house
-I sorta learned to spin
-I worked off 18kg (round of applause please), although I still have 12 to go
-I started (gasp) running - sort of
-I went to Bendigo and met lots of my wonderful no-longer-imaginary friends
-Australia seemed to go to the pack as far as climate and environment are concerned
-The 30th anniversary of the Mt Erebus aircrash
-Started the year as a journo, ended it as a redundant journo
In short. lots of good stuff happened, some not-so-good stuff happened, and some downright bad stuff happened (bushfires, floods, GFC, Copenhagen failures, Japanese whaling).
In other words it was a pretty normal year all round. Welcome to life in general!
So here are the last finished projects from 2009.
Felted wine socks, knitted from stash yarn, pattern from Yarn Magazine issue 1, gifty knitting.
Gumdrops socks, knitted in BMFA STR lightweight from the sock club, july, 2008 (did I mention about too many sock clubs?)
Arch-shaped socks knitted in BMFA STR Mediumweight in Iolite.
What does Twenty10 hold? Hard to predict, but probably some good, some not so good and some bad (see above).
Bendigo again, I hope. School for both the kids, more activity, more knitting, some spinning. I might be going back to Uni and I can almost definitely say there will be ups and downs.
The rest? Well I can give you a definite maybe on that!
Happy 2010, everyone!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
We Wish You a Ripper Christmas and a Snappy New Year
Taken from my son's kindie class song. It rather tickled me, because it's just so Aussie - it goes:
''We wish you a ripper Christmas
A dead set ripper Christmas
A full-on ripper Christmas
and a snappy New Year''
Great song and they had such fun singing it!
Thanks so much to everyone who commented on my last post, I really appreciated your help. And I love 'Six White Boomers - and, now, so do my kids!
Have a wonderful Christmas, all of you. Take care of yourselves and each other, drive carefully and safely. Take time to have fun, knit, crochet and do silly things.
And have a wonderful 2010 - and all the best for a very happy and healthy New Year.
I'll see you all in January.
''We wish you a ripper Christmas
A dead set ripper Christmas
A full-on ripper Christmas
and a snappy New Year''
Great song and they had such fun singing it!
Thanks so much to everyone who commented on my last post, I really appreciated your help. And I love 'Six White Boomers - and, now, so do my kids!
Have a wonderful Christmas, all of you. Take care of yourselves and each other, drive carefully and safely. Take time to have fun, knit, crochet and do silly things.
And have a wonderful 2010 - and all the best for a very happy and healthy New Year.
I'll see you all in January.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Bad tempered
I heard the most remarkable and amazing Christmas carol this morning. I was in the shower and listening to Macca on Australia all over and I heard 'Carol for the Wheat Country' by Zita Denholm sung by Andria (or Andra) Muhoberac. It was incredible and Australian and described the wonderful Australian Cristmas of walking down hot dusty roads, and the harvest going on and I can't find a link to it anywhere.
Nearly all our carols are about snow and winter and frost and such, and really, Christmas in Australia is not like that. Christmas in Australia is about summer and beaches and prawns and long sunny evenings and chilled champers and flowers and worry about bushfires.
It apparently appears on 'Macca by Request' and I really don't want to buy a Macca album for just one song. But I do want my kids to hear uniquely Australian Christmas Carols. We've done Carol of the Birds and the Australian Jingle Bells which is this one:
Anyone know of links to Carol forthe Wheat Country? Hard I know, but just in case.....
Nearly all our carols are about snow and winter and frost and such, and really, Christmas in Australia is not like that. Christmas in Australia is about summer and beaches and prawns and long sunny evenings and chilled champers and flowers and worry about bushfires.
It apparently appears on 'Macca by Request' and I really don't want to buy a Macca album for just one song. But I do want my kids to hear uniquely Australian Christmas Carols. We've done Carol of the Birds and the Australian Jingle Bells which is this one:
Aussie Jingle Bells
|
Anyone know of links to Carol forthe Wheat Country? Hard I know, but just in case.....
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat
Yes, the Christmas knitting is complete (no, there are no pictures, some readers of this blog are to be recipients!). Mind you, I had pared it down to the minimum, but apart from knitting, it also needing felting, which has also been done. So I am currently feeling an enormous sense of accomplishment.
And, it is not often that I beat the Yarn Harlot onto a bandwagon, but this time I have done it. My French Press Slippers have just been waiting until the Christmas knitting was put of the way (seeing that I am currently feeling the felting love). Zephyrama initiated me into the slipper fold, and I am so ready. I seem to have the perfect buttons, too.
I currently feel so swamped with WIPs, with books (I request books from the library, and then all the books I have requested for the last 6 months all arrive at the same time. There is never a possibility of renewing them, so I have to try and finish 10 books in three weeks. Makes me feel under pressure.), with Christmas preparation, that any little thing I finish fills me with a great feeling of achievement. Anything.
Done the washing up? Warm glow.
Finished one sock? Yay!
Posted all overseas and interstate Christmas presents? By crikey, you're a good 'un.
Done Christmas knitting? Bursting with virtue.
Finish a book? The best, baby, the best.
Now all I have to do is finish some more WIPs, the pile of books by my bed, cleaning the house, the Christmas cards, wrapping presents, de-cluttering, losing 10 or so more kilos, the laundry, the vacuuming, the bathrooms, the dinner, commenting on blogs, the stuff needed for the end of the school year, organising the holidays and keeping the children gainfully occupied, and I'll be right. Everything will be under control.
How about you?
And, it is not often that I beat the Yarn Harlot onto a bandwagon, but this time I have done it. My French Press Slippers have just been waiting until the Christmas knitting was put of the way (seeing that I am currently feeling the felting love). Zephyrama initiated me into the slipper fold, and I am so ready. I seem to have the perfect buttons, too.
I currently feel so swamped with WIPs, with books (I request books from the library, and then all the books I have requested for the last 6 months all arrive at the same time. There is never a possibility of renewing them, so I have to try and finish 10 books in three weeks. Makes me feel under pressure.), with Christmas preparation, that any little thing I finish fills me with a great feeling of achievement. Anything.
Done the washing up? Warm glow.
Finished one sock? Yay!
Posted all overseas and interstate Christmas presents? By crikey, you're a good 'un.
Done Christmas knitting? Bursting with virtue.
Finish a book? The best, baby, the best.
Now all I have to do is finish some more WIPs, the pile of books by my bed, cleaning the house, the Christmas cards, wrapping presents, de-cluttering, losing 10 or so more kilos, the laundry, the vacuuming, the bathrooms, the dinner, commenting on blogs, the stuff needed for the end of the school year, organising the holidays and keeping the children gainfully occupied, and I'll be right. Everything will be under control.
How about you?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Having a bit of a WIP 'round...
It has been a month of WIP frenzy. Each night I put my hand into the Big Bucket o' WIPs (tm), and play Knittlotto (tm), knitting on whatever gets hauled out. A little concentrated effort on a couple of projects which may have been hanging around for a while has resulted in this:
Clapotis 2, started in May 2009 finished in November 2009 (Touch Yarn Merino and utterly gorgeous)
This:
Radiate from Knitty.com, in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Luscious Single Silk in Citrine
and some secret Christmas Knitting (which isn't all finished yet)
There are also a couple of single socks and a bit more done on several other projects which have been lurking in the undergrowth for a while.
So the whole stash honesty thing doesn't look nearly so bad at present:
Knitted: 1300 grams
Inward enhancements: 1700 grams
Slightly better stats this month!
The aniversary of Mum's death passed with a family trip to beaustiful (but slightly rainy) Strahan on the West Coast of Tasmania.
There was some of this:
And some of this:
And almost a whole day of this:
The trip on the West Coast Wilderness Railway was a wonderful day despite the rain. The original was contructed over a century ago, and has been revived as a tourist route, with a 50 year old diesel locomotive for the first section, from Strahan to the base of the mountain, and then a 111 year old stem engine - named Percy because he is green - takes over and the line becomes a rack and pinion (sort of like cogs) to go over a mountain and down the other side to Queenstown.
The train stops at all the old stations along the way, includes a lovely lunch of Tasmanian gourmet bits and pieces and the kids had a wonderful time. A long day, but really interesting.
Strahan itself is lovely - and I'm ashamed to say that I haven't been down there for 17 years. We had crayfish and the local hotel had a wonderful restaurant. The old railway link between the town wharf and Regatta Point is now a walk along the side of the harbour. Macquarie Harbour is, in fact, the second largest in Australia after Port Philip Bay (Sorry, Sydneysiders!)
I intend to visit again, long before another 17 year hiatus!
There have been lots of things happeneing - mainly at the school, with the year winding up - I have atteneded sports carnivals, inter-school sports, swimming lessons, the fete, the garden opening, and have the disco (lots of kids from 5 to 12 in 'crazy' dress hitting the town until the heady hour of 8pm) and the school picnic coming up.
The time thief has struck again, because I cannot believe we are currently in December - woe is me!
Back to the scheduled Christmas Knitting!
Clapotis 2, started in May 2009 finished in November 2009 (Touch Yarn Merino and utterly gorgeous)
This:
Radiate from Knitty.com, in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Luscious Single Silk in Citrine
and some secret Christmas Knitting (which isn't all finished yet)
There are also a couple of single socks and a bit more done on several other projects which have been lurking in the undergrowth for a while.
So the whole stash honesty thing doesn't look nearly so bad at present:
Knitted: 1300 grams
Inward enhancements: 1700 grams
Slightly better stats this month!
The aniversary of Mum's death passed with a family trip to beaustiful (but slightly rainy) Strahan on the West Coast of Tasmania.
There was some of this:
And some of this:
And almost a whole day of this:
The trip on the West Coast Wilderness Railway was a wonderful day despite the rain. The original was contructed over a century ago, and has been revived as a tourist route, with a 50 year old diesel locomotive for the first section, from Strahan to the base of the mountain, and then a 111 year old stem engine - named Percy because he is green - takes over and the line becomes a rack and pinion (sort of like cogs) to go over a mountain and down the other side to Queenstown. The train stops at all the old stations along the way, includes a lovely lunch of Tasmanian gourmet bits and pieces and the kids had a wonderful time. A long day, but really interesting.
Strahan itself is lovely - and I'm ashamed to say that I haven't been down there for 17 years. We had crayfish and the local hotel had a wonderful restaurant. The old railway link between the town wharf and Regatta Point is now a walk along the side of the harbour. Macquarie Harbour is, in fact, the second largest in Australia after Port Philip Bay (Sorry, Sydneysiders!)
I intend to visit again, long before another 17 year hiatus!
There have been lots of things happeneing - mainly at the school, with the year winding up - I have atteneded sports carnivals, inter-school sports, swimming lessons, the fete, the garden opening, and have the disco (lots of kids from 5 to 12 in 'crazy' dress hitting the town until the heady hour of 8pm) and the school picnic coming up.
The time thief has struck again, because I cannot believe we are currently in December - woe is me!
Back to the scheduled Christmas Knitting!
Friday, November 13, 2009
The story so far...
The story so far, dear readers, is not for the faint-hearted.
Our heroine, who has been battling a spring cough and lurgy, decided to take action last night and informed all and sundry of her intention to sleep in on Saturday morning. Nothing would get her out of bed, she declared, but the last trump.
Enter the morning, in a burst of sunlight - and the knowledge that one of the heroes of the epic, Destructoboy, has not only thrown up in his bed, but has then made a conscious decision to sleep in it.
Strangely, this had the effect of galvanising a very sick mother into motion and imploring the Accountant to (and I quote) "Will you stop wandering around with that damn pillow, you are spilling vomit everywhere!"
Strange how every time I consider actually getting something approaching 8 hours of sleep, something like this happens.
So I have the traditional spring/summer lurgy, which up until this morning consisted of feeling a bit yuk, and a dry polite cough. This morning, however, I sound like someone who has been smoking five packs a day and sleeping rough for the last 10 years. Not nice.
In happier news, I am a gnats whisker from finishing Radiate, and am devoting the next seven days to finishing WIPs - so hopefully, the Clapotis and a pair of socks will be off the needles.
Then I will throw myself into Christmas knitting (already organised), and Christmas presents, and into trying very hard to keep all the balls I am juggling in the air - instead of dropping the lot.
There are no pictures in this post.
Aren't you glad?
Our heroine, who has been battling a spring cough and lurgy, decided to take action last night and informed all and sundry of her intention to sleep in on Saturday morning. Nothing would get her out of bed, she declared, but the last trump.
Enter the morning, in a burst of sunlight - and the knowledge that one of the heroes of the epic, Destructoboy, has not only thrown up in his bed, but has then made a conscious decision to sleep in it.
Strangely, this had the effect of galvanising a very sick mother into motion and imploring the Accountant to (and I quote) "Will you stop wandering around with that damn pillow, you are spilling vomit everywhere!"
Strange how every time I consider actually getting something approaching 8 hours of sleep, something like this happens.
So I have the traditional spring/summer lurgy, which up until this morning consisted of feeling a bit yuk, and a dry polite cough. This morning, however, I sound like someone who has been smoking five packs a day and sleeping rough for the last 10 years. Not nice.
In happier news, I am a gnats whisker from finishing Radiate, and am devoting the next seven days to finishing WIPs - so hopefully, the Clapotis and a pair of socks will be off the needles.
Then I will throw myself into Christmas knitting (already organised), and Christmas presents, and into trying very hard to keep all the balls I am juggling in the air - instead of dropping the lot.
There are no pictures in this post.
Aren't you glad?
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