Yarnivorous

G'day all! Things are pretty stressy around here. Nathan is having regular hissy fits and I am taking them all too seriously, which is not good for me (or him). Can you believe that the photographer has already been here taking shots of the house? We only found out on Wednesday like two days ago that the place is for sale. And the poor photographer was whinging cos he couldn't get a good picture, particularly of the inside. Quelle surprise! This ain't Changing Rooms or Queer Eye or a place that has been being dolled up for six months for the photographs and the sale. This is a dumpyish old house that needs a lot of care - it hasn't been painted in at least 7.5 years inside or out (except for two rooms), the inside is mostly APRICOT (which the landlord thinks is lovely), the previous owner used softwoods on twiddly external bits that are out in the rain and they have rotted. Its contents tend to be hand me downs or bits of Ikea furniture. It ain't classy and ...

G'day all! We got a phone call from the real estate agent an hour ago. Our landlord, the one that we had a good relationship with a year ago, has decided that he wants to sell the house we live in. Not that he rang us up and told us so himself. ARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH! (and that is not pirate speak!) We don't have enough money to try to buy it, so it looks like we are going to be on the move. Also, is it worth buying even if we did have the money ($440K) - it is going to need the whole south wall replaced, window frames replaced, etc. Bottom bottom bottom and poo! Nathan is talking moving in with his parents. Ack. It would be cheaper but like yeah, especially if his little brother is still at home playing very loud computer games at 2am. We'd have to put heap of stuff into storage - some of it could go full stop but other stuff is too good to turf. Plus the car that we found a buyer for? The guy who owned the car won't give out his bank details cos he says that onc...

G'day all! Well today was not too bad a day at all. OK, I had to go to work but I was given another bit of work to do! HOORAY! Plus the stuff that is about to be overdue is being pushed out because we didn't know that the person who needs to provide their opinions on the stuff is away this week. At lunchtime I went for a little walk with Leisel down to the Yarra River. Leisel took in the view along the casino across the river: It was very pleasant indeed in the sun but alas I had forgotten the chart and sat there looking at my knitting sure that I had it wrong. I didn't but instead I just dilly dallied in the sun. I could've stayed there all afternoon. The train trip home was uneventful but I got a very rude shock when I got back to my car. I had parked near a powerpole the day before and had a few vague scatterings of bird poo on my car but NOTHING could've prepared me for this: OHMIGOD! There are two pee wees, mudlarks, magpie larks, call them what you wil...

G'day all! OK, had enough of whinging and moaning. I've sorted some stuff out in my own head and requested some stuff at work (such as the provision of feedback not plain criticism). Liesel continues apace! I am halfway through the ball of Lion and Lamb now, though Liesel isn't overly long yet. I reckon she will be an easy length to fling around my neck in a most dashing fasion but not enough to double over and loop through. A pic tomorrow when my progess looks even more impressive - I've probably done about 15 repeats now. Yesterday I sanded some lengths of dowel and shaped some points on them. Two even have knobs on the end, but the rest need to have some sort of stopper fitted. Home made knitting needles! Do they work? Dunno. Haven't found the right yarn to test them with - I'm not using the Lion and Lamb, though it would be a good one to find out if there are any snaggy bits. I just have problems letting myself use $33 a skein yarn for testing.... ...

It's off to work I go (in the morning). This is a tedious and dull post. I've had a rather full weekend - done lots of spinning, lots of gardening, even some tidying up inside. The changes to the garden are noticeable, which pleases me. I like making a difference. I wish I had taken some pics of the spinning but oh well, you'll have to wait for another day! I am playing with singles, and with a fine thread of yarn plied with a thick and thin thread. Some of it is very interesting. I like trying out new ways of doing things. I'm not making it bulky though cos I just can't do bulky easily on my wheel - I need a bulky flier, orifice, etc. Now that the spring equinox is past, I am getting home well before dark, so pics after work are more likely, though it keeps being cloudy. The sun is already rising more than an hour and a half earlier than at winter solstice, but sunset has only moved on a bit over an hour so far. That fascinates me. After summer solstice, ...

G'day all! TGIF. Hooray for Friday, even though I had a very short working week - only two days. What is glossy and black and makes music when you lift its lid and hit its keys? Answer: Do you like my spinning wheel reflected in its glossy blackness? Today Nathan's parents bought it for him and we have to pay them back. If we can pay them back and still save, we will be doing well. Does someone look happy with his new piano? See how shiny it is? And if you are wondering, the next thing along is a/n harmonium. It is a weird old box and a somewhat acquired taste in music which I now like very much. LOL In other news.... Yes, Judy , it is a Clap! But I am not sure it is the best use of this horrendously expensive yarn. So instead one skein is going towards making Liesel, and here is my version to date: I think the lace pattern is showing up OK even with the variegated yarn. I should be watching "Johnny English" with Nathan but there is too much of that excruciatin...

G'day all! What a stressful day it has been. Burning the yarn was not helpful. Getting through the first ball of Lion and Lamb for my blog-disease and figuring that I didn't really like it didn't help either. Having one of the cats, who *always* comes when I call her not come in for 15 minutes of calling and then spend half her time washing her backside and looking terribly stressed didn't help. I had images of poor Beatrix in my mind. (If Brainylady drops by, my condolences, if a bit late - I didn't want to leave a comment after finding out nearly two weeks later cos that is bad form too). The house smelling of burnt hair leads to a certain stress too, along with a sore throat, scratchy eyeballs and unhappy lungs. But I did manage to get to Marta's to buy some replacement tops to spin up. Plus I saw this pattern by Yummyyarn being knitted by Jillian and decided maybe it would be a better use of one ball of Lion and Lamb. I've only done one repeat so...

I just nearly burnt the house down! I forgot to turn off the slow cooker last night. I was overdyeing the 50:50 silk wool that I wasn't totally happy with.... I had put it in the laundry cos Nathan hates the smell of hot silk. Of course I forgot all about it cos it was in the laundry. I have no idea how long it will take to get rid of the smell of burnt hair. The house reeks of 80 grams of carbonised hair. I can't have a shower until the smell dies down cos my hair just absorbs stenches (like it has this morning - it stinks a LOT!). So, dreamcatcher, it will be even longer before your birthday present arrives... (Did I cry? What do you think if you had just carbonised a friend's well overdue birthday present and nearly burned the house down?)

G'day all! Well, I've not heard many theories about what the triangle is, though I sure gave away a lot of clues.... Today for your delectation and DE-light, we have (TA-DUM!) A FINISHED object! (With slicey dicey head and a really dopey grin - I was half asleep at the time - topped off by uncombed hair cos my head was not supposed to be in shot) This is the sort of thing that happens when I am not at work- I get bored and knit things and spin things whilst waiting for the unwellness to recede. I even finish things! And here is the back view with me attempting to be saucy since Nathan was playing photographer: Mental note to self - being saucy in trackpants, even fairly neat fitting trakky dax, does not enhance one's bottom. Hooray for me! It is actually ok! The neck is a little sloppy but it has to be cos otherwise my boofhead won't fit through the neckhole (boofheaded mother, boofheaded father = boof headed kids. Just something for you girls out there to remembe...

G'day all! Today be "Talk like a Pirate Day", 19 September. Avast there! Aaaarrrrrrr! (This post be written in very poor poirate speak.) Arrr, this be what you can get done when you wait 2 hours to see a doctor. Not that poirates see doctors cos poirates are always sailing the seas or a-visitin Davy Jones' Locker! Yes, one of the sleeves for the pink top be done. I pillaged and looted the old sleeves for their lace. The front be done too. You've seen the back. And since I start writing this todee, the second sleeve be done. Aarr, and what could this be? Some form of not-so-eensy-weeny string bikini? Some form of blog-inspired venereal disease? But clever pirates be knowin how to avoid VDs.... I be readin too - still ploughin through Trudi's books. (What's that? Of course pirates can read - how else can pirates be findin treasure maps and work out the directions??) I be enjoyin 'em lots. Nathan finished them on Saturday and had a hissy fit...

No piccies at present - my image server is down after a blackout today. The server is less than a kilometre from me. We had no power for about an hour. I actually had to do some tidying instead!!!!

G'day all! Today I am going to ramble, maybe even more than I normally ramble. Be afraid, be very afraid. Wedding, a year ago A few people have asked about my wedding. I shall enlighten all of you who read this blog who were not able to come along (mostly cos you didn't know me yet). Nathan and I met through a club called "The Fellowship of Middle Earth" aka FOME. The name of the club might be a bit of a giveaway. We are geeks. We like SF and fantasy (I am currently reading this . It is good. You need a copy too. Conflicts of interest? I know the author). We like watching SF stuff on the telly. We've watched all bar about 10 hours of the 4 DVD sets of the FotR, TT and RotK. We have a locations book for the Lord of the Rings and in our trip to NZ will not be afraid to use it to find some of the places we saw. I had been a member of the SCA for about 10 years until the back stabbing got a bit much (it seems that people whose ambitions in real life are...

G'day all! Jillian tagged me for the me meme. So if you wanted knitting and spinning content, you won't find much here. 10 years ago: What was I doing 10 years ago? I was definately working on my PhD. Was I living in 3/1 Panorama St? I must've been. This means that I had broken up with my boyfriend two months earlier and was very unhappy. (Incidentally, I just discovered that he and another friend are now engaged - hooray! At last! It's taken him long enough!) In another month I pranged my beloved car (blasted people who stop at the *exit* of an intersection in heavy rain at night cos they see a red light ahead of them whilst turning right....) and was basically suicidal. I had the means but couldn't work out the exactlogistics. My friends were looking after my ex, who had dumped me and was severely depressed, and left me to find new friends. I did find a new group to hang out with and RR looked after me through the bad patch, for which I remain very gra...

G'day all! I reckon it is time to show you that I do still knit, and spin. So here is the pink top, so far: The back is done, now for the front - it is partway through the armpit shaping. I do hope you like my favourite flannelette sheets (my total and utter favourite sheets of any type, actually). At my current rate of progress, I might get the front done by the end of the week. Then I'll be able to compare the armsceyes of the front and back with the already made up sleeves, but I fear the sleeves are not as neat fitting as I'd like, so I'll probably have to frog them. Here is something I have been playing with. Lynne Vogel often uses "energised singles" to make socks and treasure bags (kits offered for sale here ). Singles yarns are well known for causing bias in knitting - they slant to the right or to the left, depending on whether they are S or Z plied. For energised singles, you have to knit what you've spun as a single rather quickly after sp...

G'day all! Well a year ago today, Nathan and I were wed. Ohhhh..... The weather was foul but everything else was grand. We had a fun day :-) Today we drove back from the Grampians. Didn't want to leave. Never want to leave - that is the problem with going up there. We only had one full day up there. Why would you want to leave this view off the front verandah of the place we stayed at: or this little bit of paradise: to come home to steenky work? But I wanted to get home by 3 today so we could fix up things and get all tidied away before we choof off to the PiL's for dinner. Isn't that nice - they are cooking us dinner so that we don't have to argue over whose turn it is to cook dinner. LOL Now did I do any crafting over the weekend? You betcha! Did I managed to find some places to buy fibre along the way? You betcha! More later, along with more pics of the Grampians. But first I gotta tidy myself up for a dinner :-) anon!

G'day all! We're off to the Grampians now. See you on our Sunday, which is actually our anniversary... anon!

G'day all! I've been a complete grumpster recently. Grump grump grump! Grumperina , eat your heart out! Noone has been able to outdo my crabbiness (and no it isn't hormonal). Then today, as I was discussing possible plans for things to do whilst Nathan is in England, I suddenly thought, "I can visit my sister!" Well for some people that would be reward enough, though you might want to visit your own sister not mine. LOL. Of course if you do want to visit my sister, you'd better visit me too otherwise I'll be very jealous. So you know what made me happy? Not so much the idea of driving to Wodonga (300km away, about 200 miles) but the fact that if I go via Beechworth then I can go to La Blanche, my favourite icecreamery. Now I hear you say, "But Lynne you can't eat icecream." Nope, I can't. But they do absolutely wicked gelati that are GF and DF. Drool. So seeing my sister is nice, but getting to go to La Blanche, buying gelati a...

The grass is riz I wonder where the boysies is? G'day all! Ah days like today make the heart sing, at least for the time one is allowed out of work at lunchtime. The rest of the day it weeps, desperate to be let out of its work box. Bright sunshine outside, very little breeze and it felt warmer than 20 degrees. But alas! I must work to keep a roof over the heads of my beloved and I. This blog entry is a random ramble. Not much knitting content cos I am working on the pink top and that involves much stocking stitch.... Plus from an optimistic start, this entry really goes downhill. This time a year ago I was watching the weather forecasts with a certain degree of dismay. A big day was coming up and the weather forecast was becoming increasingly poor. On the Monday before they forecast 15 and snow to 1200m and by the Thursday it had stabilised at snow down to 400m and 13 max. I reckon the temp hardly topped 10 all day and was about -20 as I stood shivering outside the pavil...

G'day all! My fingies are going a dainty shade of green. Fingers should not be green, but it seems some of the dye is coming off the sock yarn I spun a while ago. I have been swatching on some 3.5mm addi turbos cos they are the only needles I could find in circs and in the right size for my yarn. At least the metal needles shouldn't turn green - I can guarantee that bamboo would and maybe even plastic would get a green glow.... I searched all over town for the needles. Mmm, maybe I exaggerate - I guess Marta's would have them and they did! Anyway, I have been playing to get the sizing right. Depsite the fact I should be using 56 stitches for my foot width and the yarn swatching, I actually have to reduce the stitches to about 48 cos the sock was going to be monstrous on my foot - I like them to stretch a little on my foot, not be sitting loosely about it. Here's a marvellous picture of the just cast on again sock. So exciting! NOT! Do you love the amazing zing...

G'day all! Well we now know what happens when I get angry, when I am outraged and my principles, my very values are threatened. Plants DIE folks! Yes, that is right, I get all righteous and (get DH to) prune a whole lotta shrubs. Lookie this poor grevillea: And there's the pile of shrubbery all bundled up (that took four hours to bundle up today) and ready to be collected by the council in their hard rubbish collection sometime in the next week or so: Costs us nothing this way. Normally our council take trailerloads of greenwaste for an unknown sum and offer it back to us at the princely price of $35 per cubic metre. Yikes. Costs $15 to dump greenwaste and $5 for a cubic metre of mulch at the next door Knox waste transfer station.... but this is FREE! Then we'll have to pick up some more cheap mulch. It is the best stuff in the yard - worms love it and the soil is so much better after a good layer of newspaper and mulch. I could also blame Peter Cundall for Nathan ...

can't say g'day all on this one. Don't read this post if you get upset by the thought of someone being nasty to an animal, cos it is all about people being nasty to fellow human beings (But I am sure they would stop to pat a pussy cat.) I've been reading a few blogs about the aftermath of Katrina and I have to say that I am totally dismayed. I now why why NO is necessary - it is the fith largest port in the world and absolutely necessary for the US economy (not even including the oil). I've been reading about the revelation of the Two Americas (and I mean true revelation - the unmasking), about the stuff ups, about the horrors. It just gobsmacks me. More here , here and here . Now it isn't my place to lay blame, but it does seem to me that the poor and anyone else who couldn't evacuate NO for whatever reason have been abandoned. Who seem to be the poorest? I reckon you can guess. Who wants to lay bets that Halliburton will get a lot of the contracts ...

G'day all! I finally have a FO to report! This is the problem of being a butterfly and liking a range of things. But yes, I have a pair of rainbow lorikeet thockth completed. See the heels are different cos I started on a different part of the round. I reckon they are very nifty, though I must get that last bit of the fit right. If I tire of wearing these socks, then I reckon they will have a second life as some sort of really bright critters with an elephant mouth: As I was home on Thursday and in need of some distraction, I mixed up some of my new Landscapes dyes and did a small batch of fleece to see what the colours look like. I didn't use enough dye but we have marine, wattle and tomato. All pretty good names for these colours I reckon. Next I have to play with the colours and dilute them down, see what happens and then start mixing them in different amounts. Oh if only I had another gazillion hours a week to do all the things I want to do! Traffic in Melbourne had a ...

Half of a finished object? G'day all! Yes, indeedy that is the afterthough heel grafted shut, the ends tidied up and the sock on my foot! Hooray! The first sock, actually the second sock knitted, is done. It might be a trifle long in the foot but it's not behaving too badly at this stage. Stayed at home today cos I bent over in a wrong way last night and something really started hurting in my left butt-tock (think Forrest Gump). It hurt lots. Eventually got it to settle today and crawled off to the chiro anyway, who said I had managed to get one of my hamstring tendons hooked on the edge of my greater trochanter (which is the bumpy bit on the top of the femur if I am not mistaken but I often am mistaken, so please correct me if I am wrong). Because I could walk sorta ok but sitting down hurt like being stabbed (or like when I had shingles), I got lots of upright things done. Pity that Nathan was not in a talky mood - he tells me how much he would like me to stay home with...