Meet the new family member

Meet my new pet wolf Varg. He wont bite or hurt you so feel free to feed him or have a play and pat.

A Change of Seasons and pace

I have finally found the light at the end of the orders tunnel is still on and well shining brighter all the time. The baby blanket number 1 is right on the end and the first baby set will steam along quickly as I get to start the second set and blanket. I still have till say August at the latest to get them done but at this stage getting very good.

I have also got a lovely email to say that a much awaited arrival of a lovely little boy Keenan Daniel Dodds arrive at a healthy 7 pound 6 oz on 8th May in London and well he's a cutie.Im sure he will be a future footballer like his uncles and may even be a Gorilla down the track.



I have also set that during the World Cup soccer I am going to set aside time for knitting for the Guardian Angel program as the knitting event to accompany the games is focused on either knitting for a charity or ebay auctioning items to donate the money to. I will get into this to allow more items to go to this years focus of Mongolia. The local chemist that is part of it had 20 boxes ready last Monday to go off for World Vision to distribute. They have a little pattern book that you may like to knit from and also tells you more about the work that is distributed. I even got a nice little pin for the first donation of goods. This doesnt take anything other than a bit of knitting time and a stash reduction especially on the odds and ends.



Gee I dunno if this will be the scene at Darling Harbour but wool buying on the ration coupons must have been a different experience to today where we can get our wool online in the supermarkets or what I love mail order form good quality mills.

At present I have 2 pairs of scoks with both the first socks completed and in the fun of it all i had a funny reaction to the first sock. I was holding it up to show the friend who was sitting beside me when i was completing the toe ect and she said "has someone lost a sock and gone home with a cold foot" So with the winter about to arrive and the beautiful cold wet weather and hopefully it stays just a while and even may show some snow on the southern highlands.

I should really finish the cardigan for me it only need the bands and well sewing up as well. So as I sit back relax and sew I have Judas Preist- Painkiller playing and I have to say tonight its Leather Rebel I play again


Hero of the night
Blood and thunder
Rushing through me
Till the dawn of light
The sky is turning red


Like a renegade
All alone I walk through fire
Till I crash and blaze
I'm living on the edge

Start a chain reaction
Sears the neon light
Stealing all the action
Always takes the fight

Leather Rebel... Lightning in the dark
Leather Rebel... With a burning heart

Stay tuned for more finished objects

We Are The Youth Gone Wld

Well what a busy day. I have been and had morning tea at Robertson while dropping off an order and getting the instructions for the next. The of course we cannot forget about SnB and then the music is all done despite the fact some didnt hand in folders and the need for new ones as the old ones are now full.

Tomorrow poses an equally busy day as it is Red Shield Appeal and I have a BBQ to cook and also a small stint of playing in the band. So it will be my valued knitting time taken away from me. I normally would be a driver and sit and knit while the collectors collect moving slowly about the streets they are collecting in. This year we have less collectors but changed the focus to having a Commmunity Fun Day at our church.

Yes so as it all unfolds I am a fully uniformed Salvation Army Soldier who plays 2nd Cornet in the band and loves Food, Knitting and yes Ailsa, Heavy Metal. It seems an odd combination but the love of playing in the band really has for the fact I crave the fast pace of Marches although we dont get to play them as much as I would like. I simply cannot live without my crisp and tight drumming of the metal music and well as my taste really vaires across from Hair metal, Black metal and some that would be borderline heavy rock.

Todays mood has been back on the school disco days of listening to Skid Row and their song Youth Gone Wild. I guess these lyrics can really get it going,

Since I was born they couldn't hold me down
Another misfit kid, another burned-out town

Never played by the rules I never really cared
My nasty reputation takes me everywhere

I look and see it's not only me
So many others have stood where I stand
We are the young so raise your hands

They call us problem child
We spend our lives on trial
We walk an endless mile
We are the youth gone wild
We stand and we won't fall
We're the one and one for all
The writing's on the wall
We are the youth gone wild

Boss screamin' in my ear about who I'm supposed to be
Getcha a 3-piece Wall Street smile and son you'll look just like me

I said "Hey man, there's something that you oughta know.
I tell ya Park Avenue leads to Skid Row."

It was always played and hear us all yell "Skid Row" sticks in my mind. I had a metal group of friends back then and we all did cross stitch and learned to spin and dye wool as well as many other country crafts in our sewing class. The machines were not the best so we did everything but use them. I can hardly sew despite 4 years of class. I know about how a fabric is made or what natural products mak ok dyes if you boil them for a good while without mordant.

But despite the sane dressing heavy metal freak I still want to have some of the posters I had on my wall from years ago of barely clad Metal bands and well some are just a real treat for the eyes.


Gee dont the boys from Warrant make good pin ups.

Life goes on while your miles away.....

Well I am progressing really nicely at the moment. I have arranged the next drop off for one of the alpaca farms for this weekend and there is continuing work again with them. I have made an ok grasp at the baby sets and I have already had confirmed that one is a little boy. So this weekend despite the fact there is a big bag of music to file in my boot for the band as another 20 pieces of music for each instrument in the band has arrived. So after snb I guess it will need to be tackled before resuming the baby knitting.

I am over halfway on the first blanket and can see it quickly finishing before I realise it. The first baby jacket has been started and they really dont take to long when it is the old faithful pattern. I can see in the next 2 weeks that this will done and the second one started. I have 2 pairs of socks going for some work knitting as it is portable and having 2 different ones amuses my friends. I get the "I like the other pair better" comment especially if there is self patterning and plain pairs both being done.


What a different quiz Im not sure if I think its right. I dont even know who this woman is.



I guess some may find differing comments to this one. Go on have your 2 bobs worth.

Well despite the fact I am getting better at knitting socks at work while the others all come ask me questions and talk to me at the same time I have turned the heel on both and no I have not attacked anyone with the needles at this stage. But it will be nice to have a few pairs of socks to sell soon. I have a very rare night shift next week for a one night only friday night and after a nice dinner at Hogs Breath which happens to be across from our work I will do a 1015pm till 7 am shift. I have knitting that can be done and well there will others around me working on their knitting and a few games of cards to be had in between the calls. I am not mad im just preserving a leisurely day of knitting before I go to work.

Must resume the knittng cos the fairies wont finish it for me. As I sit and knit this old and a bit daggy song keeps wanting to be played from Warrant- Heaven the section keeps coming to me as I knit...

Heaven isn't too far away
Closer to it every day
No matter what your friends might say

How I love the way you move
And the sparkle in your eyes
There's a color deep inside them
Like a blue suburban sky

When I come home late at night
And your in bed asleep
I wrap my arms around you
So I can feel you breathe

The only thing I come home to is my pillow and my knitting. thats all I get to put my arms around but I guess one can dream.

Do I have too, I dont want too

Well I had to go back to work today. I really could have kept doing what i have been doing quite fine but unfortuantly it was back to earn money. I did get a good lot of knitting done and even managed to ge the new and just arrived Guardian Angel pattern books.

I walked into work today much to alot others delight that I was back as some just rely on the fact Im always there at work stock standard day in day out. If I have a sickie everyone nearly passes out. Last time I took one well didnt everyone panic. It was weird to go back and have everyone make a fuss about you being back and you only left for 7 days. Gee what if i want more than a week off oh dear the managers will probably plead me to think again.

Well im knitting socks at work and baby gear at home. They are both progressing well but have to get stuck right into the baby stuff now and see the other endof atleast one of the 2 sets and blankets. So its Stitch n Bitch this week so Ill geta big lot done then.

No More ...NO More the May sale is no more....

Well today was the final day of the may sale. There will be no sale next year so we can try to restock better for the next one. I didnt walk out with much stuff at the end. I gave my 3 beanies to Annie to give to Just Enough Faith and then the pair of bootees and the baby beanies will go to the Guardian Angel program with some bootees from Annie also. I also have some scarves to give to the Salvos for the homeless from Annie as well. Not to bad I walked out with some washers and 3 photos as well as one pair of bed socks that I had put out late today.

So it is all over for a while. I have travelled over 300km in the past week and gone through 3/4 of a 40 L tank of fuel. There has probably been a few over the top meals as well there has been subway, red rooster, cafe breakfast, ice cream,expensive caesar salad and nachos in the past week. I did get some nice sales of some of the goods I had done and well it will help in the shopping at Darling Harbour.

I have even picked up an order and will try to get the wool tomorrow before I go back to work. I have to have a relax but knuckle down day as the last few days have caught up on me. I am ow worn out and tired as I do most Sundays. I dont know if it is just to be like that or if playing in the band does it to me.

Well I guess I should get back to the knitting and see if some nice progress on the baby sets can be done. They are perfect tv knitting. Tomorrow will be a knuckle and focus back on the orders day.

And now the end is near .......

Tomorrow the curtain on this years May sale and exhibition will be the final curtain. I have been having too much fun this week laughing, joking and just having a good time. I really dont want to go back to work on Tuesday. I have heard some good jokes this week and some funny stories but best of all there was no work of a normal kind. There was no need for my work mug either so I got to reincarnate my favorite mug "Frank".

Well again it was a busy Saturday and plenty of people passed thru and some mad some purchases. It did give us a good dropping of rain but if tomorrow can be fine to draw the markets it will help us try to sell out of the goods we have left. I never got last nights attempt at making the bed socks finished I was just too tired. So tonight we have a pair ready to sew and then finish the remains of mums pair she was knitting.

It seems easy this time to knit the second one then I put it down cos I was interupted and well accidently went backwards instead of forwards. So a slight wrong turn and now back on track just 2 rows before the end. But it is back on track and nearly done then its just 3/4 of the other one to go.

This year we have discussed alot of things over the week while we have been gathered and we have also been very productive. Quite a few knee rugs have been put together and some will be completed very soon. It is just a shame the bag does not seem to much lower as everyone who has been keeping the squares has brought the bags in to add to the bag. I hope to complete the blanket I was so close to finishing today tomorrow and then there will be a few needing a quick run around with an edge.

I guess tomorrow that the show wont be over till some lovely person with bulging wallet arrives to buy up big and take a few over flowing bags of our goods home with them. I am wishing for the impossible but one can hope that it happens and if it does I think we will all sit back with a nice drink and relax. Wouldn't it make a knitters world so much better to have money for items rather than take them home for storage again.

Well tomorrow is a new day and I hope it is a good one. If all goes well I should have a happy day and return home to relax one more day before going back to work.

The Night closes around for another all night session

Holidays day 4

Well it has been a busy day and I did feel that I started it in the best way for me. I have spent time with my "office" friends over the past few days but, enjoyed more than anything touching base with my mate again. It is good to have quality time with your mates especially one who can help make a day so much better without knowing it.

Yes again I have been getting more sales at the May Sale and as the Wollongong Stitch and Bitch exhibition is about to start we have had word that the newest member of the Stripey Tiger cub variety has arrived. We certainly welcome Bronte with much love and best wishes to her and all the family. It is funny that she made the grand entrance before the exhibtion she shall be remembered for that I'm sure.

Well on our sale front I am doing quite well I feel with the sales and as I have ran out of Bed Socks I'm trying to burn the midnight oil to produce a couple more pairs. Not that I dont already do this with some orders but this time its worse. I can see the potential sale of them over the weekend so if I can run up a pair I will. It is an easy pattern from the patons classic bed sock pattern that has been in woolcraft books and other present pattern books.

It seems odd that I only do some items in the eleventh hour and the go like hotcakes. So I will endevour to try to get atleast one pair out asap for the potential customer. If they do get to the sale and sell tomorrow I will be happy but not attempt to complete more for the final day. We have the thought that if over the weekend we do sell out of stock we are doing not only real well but some lucky people dont have to take stuff home. Wouldn't that be a total sucess, selling out of all stock at hand.

It looks like after the beautiful sunset I saw tonight I may still see the sunrise.It is just one of those knitters things you spend all your time and then at the eleventh hour your still dragging the chain. So It is time to go back to the socks and try to get a bit of a catnap as well.

Another one bites the dust.......

Holidays day 3

Well I couldnt resist the 25%off wool sale at Kmart so I just detoured on my way to Kiama to pick up just a few more balls for the knee rug squares that our wonderful Rose knits for us. I even got a lovely selection of veregated balls that will create some interest for us to put together. I even sat myself in a corner and got stuck into the sewing from my potluck bag. So at this stage I have sewed up one knee rug and started another and the bag is not seeming to get any smaller. I play put my hand in and rummage and hope I get a good choice.

My mind needed isolation and distraction today and the poor rug has some pattern variation in it as some squares accidently had the sewing on the wrong side. Tomorrow I will be able to focus fairly well as the thoughts that troubled me today are all worked out and going smooth at this stage. Tomorrow I hope to conquer more of the pile.

It is even better as I am listening to the only radio show I listen to each week on Vox FM - The Skaravan, my mate AJ who plays a ska / reggae show has put a reggae version of Stairway to Heaven on. I only resort to listening to the radio for football or important radio news as cds are my preference. I dont really like the style of music that is played on the show but as my mate is on from 10pm to midnight each thursday night I have a listen. You can get more information at www.skaravan.com. There you can listen to the show on your computer and hear what is happening around the Wollongong area.

I really am making progress as I have got a bit more stuck into the knitting after a day of sewing squares it is a nice break and hope to soon finish at least the first estonian lullaby blanket and get through the first baby jacket. Tomorrow is a new day and I feel that these words from Nothin but a good time from Poison really tops my day off.

I'm always workin', slavin' every day
Gotta get a break from that same old same old
I need a chance just to get away
If you could hear me think this is what I'd say

Don't need nothin' but a good time
How can I resist
Ain't lookin for nothin' but a good time
And it don't get better than this

I really dont want to go back to work but I guess I will have to as the sale really didnt earn a proper wage to keep me going for the rest of the year. I will have to work harder for the next one we have.

But wait theres more......

Holidays Day 2

I have again spent a full day at the sale and well did quite well today the sales were pleaseing to me as something I made sometime ago and really felt it wasnt me sold to someone who it really suited. I also sold a few items that had been into the shows and done wel but again I had no use for them in my life. It sems a shame not to enter a show in a class as you dont think it will be useful. I try to enter a class for the want of having a go at something different. Then after a show I try to find all my items the best homes I can. I dont know what I will have left at the end of Sunday as things I didnt think would go have sold first

.

I had a strange but lovely looking package arrive last week and finally (yes Annie I did it ) I ate the lovely wrapped and packaged chocolate bar that arrived in the post. But it was nice in its little box and I really just liked looking at it.

The day has been very productive for the our Knitting Guilds ever increasing pile of knitted squares to make knee rugs with for the Mental Health ward at our local hospital. I have taken to the task of sewing up some rugs while I sit there in between serving. Today almost a whole rug was put together so tomorrow I hope to sort more squares for some rugs to keep me going this week. If I can reduce the large bag of squares to something alot less I can see a few happy faces. Mind you I dont mind sewing them together but I dont do the edge around the outside.

Gee the way things are selling I'm worried there wont be much left soon and Sunday is the craft markets so it maybe a bit bare or just a display of our charity items by then. I guess as long as we have a good number of people sell out of their stock it will be nice. It will help put money in the hot pockets for our trip to Darling Harbour in June.

Well I guess it depend on what tomorrow is like as to how it all pans out for the weekend.

Follow thbe Cow and see the sale

Well holidays day 1

Get up finish bed socks for sale and proceed to Piccadilly Crafters and do the shop consignment money. Try to find items there suitable that can go to May Sale at Kiama. Tag them all and proceed along to Kiama for set up.

Arrive at Kiama without eating the Red Rooster purchased for lunch and unpack the items I have for display arrange them slightly as others bring theirs as well. Oh dear we put stuff out and Annie brings out camera, quick move out of camera range. Keep fiddling with arrangements for a while.

Oh people want to wander in and were not even really open till tomorrow. Gee people are ready to buy quick where is the docket book and the float. Im being nice today it is ok Ill serve them and let them shop the early bird catches the worm. Gee in a few hours we set up and well we have sold over $120 worth of stuff cant believe it and thats not mentioning the raffle tickets. We have lovely bottles of wine and a bottle of port as well as some lovely rugs.

So tomorrow what will we sell then or how busy will we be. Will I sell all of my goods before the end of Sunday or will some suspect items do not say "BUY ME!!!! TAKE ME HOME!!!!" to our customers. Before anyone asks no there are no cock socks on the sale this year. I didn't get enough time to do them i still only have the 2 I made last year.

So it is back to the knitting list and try to conquer a good chunk off it this week see how it goes.



As I will have to go and see if a certain Swans Book is at the Antique shop in the terrace houses I have to go past the Sweets shop so I will pop in for a supply of Pontifract cakes the favorite of all the licquorice treats the english have made it soft and in bite size coins. Gary Rhodes once melted them to make a syrup mix through ice cream. They wont last long enough for that though. But, my little shopping trip may proove to make more than just me happy im sure.

It has been a different and tiring day for me the challenges tomorrow brings will be what to pass time with and where to have lunch at. Stay tuned for more in the sale week.

Just a spoonful of sugar....

Well despite using a long wait at the doctors for my flu shot as excellent knitting time on the Estonian Lullaby blanket I then needed to go to Kiama to pick up some nice ashdene bone china mugs for mothers day. As normal I had to go to the Sweets shop and look what I got the essentials for knitting to keep you stamina up....




1. Army Navy sweets I just have to have them sure enough if it can keep the forces going then it will work for me. English sweets are some of my favorites

2 Galaxy Minstrels need the chocolate fix and in the absense of military issue chocolate I will have some of these instead. These are also English and are like a choc Button but slightly crispy centre.

On the knitting front going very well on the blanket due to extremely late arriving docotor and then the amount of time to wait for him to deal with the patient before me as I was 2nd in line and dr was an hour late in arriving. Beanie is done and now just a few ends to finish up and baby beanies and bootees done scarves coming along well now as well.

So let time not waste away its back to the needles.

NOT HAPPY JAN

I have been sidetracked with the absence of a beanie and thinking towards the May sale next week it is wise to have one handy. So we selected the 2 balls oc cleckheaton country silk we brought at daisy designs last week to make it using the Knitpicks Eleventh hour beanie pattern. No problems I had it whipped up in no time but then .....

Finished off tried it on and felt its and old man with the short beanie rolled right up. I showed a few friends at work and they response was with laughter and comments like where are going to rob. I was even called the Wharfies wife. Mind you I thought it was the old man going fishing or John Howard in A Mans Gotta Do. So were selling the beanie that comes with the face to match it after our lovely work. Back to start again. So we are using the wool from Wool Addiction that I got to make a scarf and matching beanie and hopefully this weekend can proove fruitfull on the knitting front. Hopefully come Wednesday morning there is something to keep me warm finished. Our sale always seems to attract freezing cold weather with a nice amount of rain. I intend on being prepared as getting sick while on holidays is not right.

Mind you I do tend to have the not happy Jan look at anytime a camera is shoved in my face as the pic reveals. I am sitting backin MY CHAIR, no one dares sit there if I'm around even our jack russell Boss wont let any unknown other use it if I'm home he will growl you down. Put a camera facing me it might happen as well dont interupt my knitting and dont take any while I eat.

Ok how well do you think you can go ..
http://www.quizyourfriends.com/quizpage.php?quizname=060511093244-146237&&
have a go and see how you can try and work me out.

You may even learn a thing or so about me.

well this beanie wont finish itself with out my assistance so it is off to knit again.

If only I could just be whisked away

I was looking at this most beautiful scene and I had the vision of a nice picnic there and sitting back with my knitting some nice company and enjoying the splendour of it all. There may even be some metal music playing while I sit sipping a Chivas Regal or so.

Why can't I just be whisked off and enjoy this for maybe a few hours. It would be wonderful and maybe a good lot of the knitting from the current list would get done if the scene can be paused for long enough. I could sit, knit, sip,chat and well eat some of those wonderful cheeses from King Island. The will more of my other favorite dishes to eat. It would be heaven.

So away from dreamland and back to real life. Thanks so much to my mate Steve for allowing this to be used and if you want to see more of his work go over here
http://stephen-wx.deviantart.com/ there is truely some lovely work to see there and dont be frightened to ask about his work.

On the real knitting front I have made progress there is a pair of bootees ready to be sewn just a few more beanies are to be worked and the knee rug for the knitters guild has been put together and all the ends are neatened just needs a edge. Amazing how good Big Brother can be for this knitting list I have despite the fact that I forgot there is a naked porcelain doll awaiting an outfit here as well.

So it is nearly item priority 1 done going well on 2 and the baby sets so there is progress already and I could still find time to shop get the new Knit1 mag and Simply Knitting sit at Gloria jeans enjoy a morning irish nut creme and spinach and ricotta roll. Despite the fact there was a screaming kid near by I was happy with my reading material.

Off to get more knitting done.

I Cant belive its not......

On Thursday night the totally unthinkable happened. At work my headset died after 5 and a half years of constant service and then I come home to have my laptop die on me as well with similar service under my command. I totally freaked trying to think what was my third item but recently a pair of needles broke into at least 6 pieces each as I accidently moved the wrong way and broke them with the knitty branching out commenced on them.

So with total freak out over and new model of laptop in hand Im back to my comfort zone despite the wonderful check in that was happening in my computers absence. NOw it is just resetting all my favorite things to get back to real life again but with a new computer and no floppy disk drive I cant just send some files from one to the other.

It is funny I spent 2 nights trying to resurrect a dinosaur instead of getting into the knitting (bad girl I am I'm norty send the drill sergant round). I have left behind a few files that wont be back and will start afresh and up todate now hoping the savings will soon allow a camera in my posession.

Well as I was so stressed out over this i had to have a early flying visit to the new LYS and have retail therapy. I loved the yarns there sooo much they were real yarn not garbage. If only I won lotto I would be in heaven. So as I await the download and hopefully get back to normal it is off to knit while its quiet.

How to attack the enemy line

I guess the workload needs a military plan of attack there is so much work to be done. I have been mentally prioritising what order they need to be. There are orders for not only the farms but a big order of baby gear and a scarf almost finished and then a topsy turvey doll to be done.

So I guess it may have to go in this priority

1 Get the baby beanies and bootees done as they are due for the end of the month.
2 work on the scarves for the other farm as these are very long overdue
3 Get the 2 baby sets and blankets done
4 topsy turvey doll that Aunty Nana will knit for Maygan
5 maybe by then I may have been able to get a digital camera and have pics of some stuff

So currently there is alot of planned projects on huge delay until this can ease. I have been able to begin doing branching out in loveley alpaca and silk for the scarves and have a mile of Broomstick scarves to get through as well. I really will have to get stuck in this weekend and well looking forward to holidays in just under 2 weeks and it will be a knuckle down time to get things moved up the list.

What sort of person takes holidays for a knitting event or even worse takes them to attend a agriculture show. I am going to sit again at the exhibition and keep watch each day as a security type figure. But it will be lovely for my workplace as they loose their evening service coordinator and have no breaks back up. I am not worried about that it is my holidays they approved and thats all that matters.

Enough ranting and raving for now as there is work to be done and dreams to be had. If only the dreams would come true. Then it would be easier and the knitting fairy will have sorted some of it out. But the Prisoner dvds are going to get a work out this week to help me knit. One thing i use to get me through is being locked in with the Wentworth Girls.

What a busy beaver I will be

As I work for 2 lovely and not so local alpaca farms I quite often get the calls of "Is it alright to get this done by then or is that too soon?" Well such a call came again as there was a dramatic occurance for the smaller of the 2 farms. There was a stall on Easter Saturday and I had completed a partial order for it. They all sold out.....so back to knit more now I had just finished the first order quantities and this comes along.

I have a big list of orders to do so the next few weekends will be sitting watching DVDs and getting on with it. I have to complete some of these by the end of the month. Lucky I have holidays for the week from May 16th because of our Knitters Guild has their annual exhibition at Kiama in the Old Fire Station. So my evenings will be put to good use for then. The orders have been so thick like the Amazon Rainforest that I hardly got anything made for our exhibition and there is nothing for the Wollongong SnB exhibition which happens to be the same weekend as the knitters have.

So promo time

Kiama Knitters Guild
17 - 21 May 10am - 4pm Old Fire Station Kiama.

You cant miss the cow and sunday is also market day for the crafters.

Wollongong Snb

The Old Courthouse Wollongong see there blog for details.

If you come for one make it a full day and come for both.


So I guess as it is now a thick jungle of orders I will go rest and start tomorrow with a flurry of knitting again to help get the orders out on time.