The Right Royal GP's

Knitting update first today I think. 2nd Pink scarf is done and just about to give it to the owner. I had to give the first one earlier as it needed to be used for the snow. I will move on to the third rather soon.Baby blanket is just 6 patterns away from the edging being put on. Baby has 6 weeks and hope to get it out asap before the 9th September as I know a baby shower for the mum is on that day.
Then I'll take a quick interlude and make 2 pairs of bootees for Bulli Show and see what else I can rusttle up for the entries. Photos I will pick up tomorrow.

Ok whats with the boots you say. Apart from someone may just get the idea what I mean by this I actually just picked up a new pair (no this is one older one newer) on Ebay for 99 cents. The one on the left is my older pair and I have loved everymoment I have worn them. The right hand side is the newer bargain. These actually are my main shoes apart from slippers. Since I got the first ones last year I have had improved stability on my feet and actually manage a small jog that I previously couldnt get without finding the ground quickly.
Yes I keep up the military shine to them and well have the saying that I'll give you the right royal GP. ( boot up the bum for those who dont know)
Feet set for another day at work. Now a certain someone might get the royal treatment if they dont behave.

I have also thought about the new year. Yes I am planning ahead. I will only be doing the 2 farms knitting to allow for some me time knitting. I hope to be able to do the few of the projects I had picked to do a while back. Well back and slave to the grind to get the blanket done.

Get the camera quick

For a wonderful Sunday afternoon the 2 Metal's both Metal Stormchase (Steve) and Metal and Knit (me) set off for a bit of camera work and just a relax to help the knitting in the coming week. We have wandered far a around and about taking in some of the natural beauty and photographic opportunities we have within about a 30 minute drive from our homes.

First a wander down to Gerroa where I chose not to take any pics but if you check Steve's sites he has got more pics than me. Then wander up to Saddleback Mountain. As I mostly shoot film very little was done with the digital. With our respective "Babies" (cameras) in tow we viewed and photographed some nice coastline of the Illawarra.

On our way back down from Saddleback we saw something moving on the road. I at first thought it might be a small Wombat but it turned out to be an Echidna crossing the road. We stopped and whilst in the car I said quick get the camera and take a photo. Steve proceeded out of the car to assist the little fella across the road. Trying to pick up the fella to relocate him he retreated to the defence of balling up and staying put.

Better coaxing with an old towel to guide him off the road. Even 2 young guys stopped as they had never seen a real Echidna before. Mind you all the pics were taken throught the windscreen of the car as I stayed in the car. So safe relocation preformed much to the amusement of passing motorists.

We then wandered throught the Kiama seeing the not working today Blowhole and the Little Blowhole. The must do trip to the Lolly shop. Wandered around the Jameroo area to the pub for a quite drink out the front. I must admit it was nice to sit back and relax looking over the changing shades of green over the hills as the afternoon closed in. Before we knew it the afternoon was over and time for home. There was no knitting on this trip as I was the driver.

I have although completed half of the baby blanket and just now done the front bask of the jumper my mother is knitting for me. Not really a knitting Sunday this week. So I guess it is in respect for my knitting orders tonight Steve is stormchasing by himself. All I did was stick my head out and yes its going great out there.

Death by Chocolate

Ok Lets start the day with Stitch and Bitch despite the beautiful conditions outside there was some nasty looking cloud hanging off shore. So we have a vessel probably with grain or something from the Inner Harbour of Wollongong.
Also the view from across from the Novotel where we meet for Stitch and Bitch over towards Flagstaff Hill and the Lighthouses of Wollongong yes there are 2 the smaller one is the Old Lighthouse and the larger one on the hill is the Current one in use.


Tonight was also a Fundraiser Murder Mystery Party at the church where the Youth Group (Im just out of the age range) hosted us for a wonderful dinner and the murder mystery where Billky Bonka has been murdered. It was hard to know who was the actual person but the surprise came at the end when we found who done it. I wont give away the secrets to "Death By Chocolate" just in case you may attend one. It was a beautiful Dinner of either beef with Dianne sauce or Chicken stuffed with spinach and cheese sauce. Of course it was served with vegetables and then the desert was more than I could manage. Yes Metal I was conquered again. There was a profitterol and a bigh chunk of chocolate cheesecake and chocolate ice cream all as your desert. Followed by after dinner mints and tea or coffee. All of this for a small charge of $15 I must say I was impressed. But I just couldnt finish all of the desert.So count was 3/4 of the cheesecake and half of a profitterol and the ice cream followed by 2 after dinner mints.

On the Knitting front the crochet blanket is going well and hopefully wil be done soon. Nearly finished the 2nd pink scarf and the second green bed sock. Maybe soon Ill be organised again instead of swamped.

The Struggle Within

I am getting there I think. Ok checklist

Baby Blanket got a bit more than on the weekend will more intensely on this during the week fair bit to go. Must crochet while reading to get it done.

Bed Socks ok we have one of the Green pair and yes its khaki green. I find it a bit drab to work with but when they are done its light pink and navy blue and then royal blue with navy blue. These will be finished soon after the baby blanket.

I got new fancy teas from the Tea Centre. I now have Earl Grey, Daintree, Dinner Mint, Caramel and finally Cream which is caramel and vanilla pieces together in black tea. Afternoon teas will be a treat for a while till I run out as well.

Im just finding it takes alot more effort than usual this week to get working on my orders. I really am struggling to get more done on the bed socks. I hope that the new teas and maybe a packet of those new Cadbury Chocolate Snaps or as we call them choc pringles, will help me alon this week. Must finish the row before bed. As you see the sheep pjs make another visit. Funny how we are all finding them now.

Lazing on a Sunday afternoon

A lazy Sunday afternoon well maybe not. I sat back knitted and created the bootees for the new Baby set centred around the old jacket pattern from patons called Beauty. I now am concentrating on the crochet blanket to complete the order. When creating the hat and bootees it was easy to add the lace panel into both of them from a basic pattern for each that I can do plain or incorporate a bit of pattern in to.

I also found some more yummy tea today. I love these Tea wands its as good as a pot of tea into a cup. I have also needed to take some retail therapy for my tea habit as the local Tea'se Me tea emporium has not been open when I was able to go. I dont know what I did before internet shopping I can get some of my finer treats sent to me instead.

I started this a while back and well when the orders are a bit further out of the way they will be finished. They are the mosaic socks from the last issue of Yarn magazine. It is a easy pattern to work with but if you do knit them you need the correction to the pattern first.

So we now have the plan of attack form the rest of the orders and will work on the blanket at home as it is past the wherever I may roam stage and do the scarves and bed socks at work and as my wherever I may roam knits. The definition of a wherever I may roam knit is one that is not too bulky and not to complex. I also have the camera bag knits which tend to be socks as they slip into the backpack nicely.

Off to crochet up a storm ( I wish there was one though) and get through the orders like the august winds.

This weeks sky report brought to you by Boss

A nice view ove Warilla beach towards Windang Island.

The Saturday sky as I went to do my tax. Some iconic aussie things her Tooheys, VB and well seagulls.

Boss approves these and when you say Harki and Peri its a time to sit till I take a picture.

Well where do we start what a busy week it has been. The weather has been just a bit too nice and its been an effort to actually go to work as a sit and knit in the nice weather has me tempted but the word Bonus hangs over my head. If you take one sick day you loose a fair sized proportion of it and as I have 12 months plus perfect I also get scaled back 3 months and have to regain those over the months.

I have been very good and finished some items and made good progress on others too.

I have done the Beauty jacket and got the beanie to match just have to sit and do the bootees and hope the lace panel fits also. The Baby blanket moved along nicely while at Knitters Guild today and unfortuantley someone was not allowed out to play.

I have also finished the book I was reading and have moved to the 2nd in the series. It already has me in again.

For the non knitter who I know read this as well. I was fortunate not to get an injury from my own falls but from a nice gentleman of advanced years ramming me with his walker in the life we now have a bruised leg thanks to some charming man. He obviously doesn't beleive in sharing the lift with someone else on his way to his own business. If he was a nice man who possibly was a war vetran going to vetrans affairs I would have said hello and thanked him for his past service to Australia. Often they are nice will say hello and ask what floor vets affairs is. I like to see the smile thay get when I say that. I wonder why I am frightened of being attacked going into work in the daylight and thing like this happen. I do work in the same building as Centrelink, Family Law court and Tennancy Tribunal. There can be some nasty clients and I have been close to a few handbag snatches during the daylight going into work and once lost a lovely jumper saving my bag from one they got my jumper and they never dumped it within cooee either.

Enough of a rant time for getting back to the knitting.

In honour

I have a new scoop purchase and addition to the bears. I got Bokkie the South African Springboks mascot. Iwas lucky to snap hime up through a friend on ebay. I have learnt that watching the end of an auction can add knitting time as you refresh the page.

This new knitting mystery series has got me hooked and sometimes I cannot drag myself off to bed from it, and I have the second book read and waiting to get onto. If you liked Died in the Wool you will like these as well. I must admit I am now the if its not knitting I dont think I'll read it attitude. I did read The Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood earlier in the year but since knitting has been the key. Yes before you ask these are my pj's and I know I hate pink but the sheep knits.

As I sat there knitting away and progressing very well at the moment a almost human Jack Russell sat looking at me awaiting to see his daily look at his internet paw pals. He was begging to pose again for the camera. I think he loves the spotlight and well sits on my lap to read the blogs.

Tomorrow marks the 40th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. It is time we remembered what our Diggers did during the Vietnam War and see that the are recognised properly. I will be watching the special on the History Channel and have viewed various others in the past few weeks whilst knitting. I must admit I watch probably too much on this channel.

I just have to sew up a bit more and then the secons baby set is complete. I hope to have that out this week and then get stuck into the blanket this weekend as Knitters Guild is a Show and Tell and social day. I can see alot of laughter happening as normal.

And the game goes on

Again a warm installment for Saturday Sky. A welcome thing for the playing of a washed out round of football before the semi finals next week. I got to alot more of the games last year when my eldest nephew played Under 15's and they won the Grand Final. This year in the Under 16's it has been alot tougher and well I have got to so few games due to other commitments. Actually I should say due to knitting commitments.

I have completed the neck of Mums jumper and she did bring it along in case she needed it to football but I had to tell her that after knitting the neck till 1am I didnt finish the ends. I promptly did this when I got home this afternoon.

I was left with the dog to fend for myself for dinner so there is an excuse to get Chinese take away. So how do you safely get it home with just yourself in the car and a car park of speed humps? I strapped it into the seat belt on the passengers seat. Much safer than rolling over on the floor.

Here is the dinner. I go to a lovely place Chefs Delight which is a short drive away and they give you a tub of steamed rice with most meals where noodles are not involved. I'm not a big fan of fried rice so this array makes me happy. Even the wonton soup comes as soup broth and wontons seperate.

I have been going well on the last items of the baby set. Just have to settle down and finish them and then devote the next week to the crochet blanket and we have anothe one from the list. Im getting there slowly I may be able to have some toys made by the time christmas comes.

It takes the cake

A bit of cake for desert,

the desert from the 6th Annual Awards night dinner for my workplace. Our centre is 6 years young and in december I too will join the "been here 6 years!" club. They had a few of the little Mud cakes left over and put them out for the taking. Not really keen on mud cake actually I hate it to the ends but when you have worked to pay for it why not. I did not go to awards night this year as I felt I had other priorities to attend to.



This "Stressed " monkey has been making a daily appearence near me at work and well hes so cute I had to grab a pic. When I took the pic I was no where near stressed but maybe a few hours can change this. I have had a weird night of work and well wont go back till Monday so I'll get on with the knitting.

I have the baby set getting ready to roll off into the finishing stages and well did a few bits on the blanket as well. Right now its a red V neck needing me as well for Mum. I have her working on a new jumper for me though. So maybe tomorrow there will be items done and ready to move along the list.

Mail Call - All to the Mess Tent

Today we got mail and not just for me with an added extra for Boss but he was included in the address. It made our house so nice that Cindy had helped Harki and Peri put together a package for us. There were schmackos for boss, some yummy tea and lollies for me as well as a cute card.

This is how excited Boss is about seeing his friends Harki and Peri.

Boss sat for a portrait for them.

Boss also has to use his manners to get a treat.

As for knitting plugging away on the baby set and really have not touched the blanket. Ill have to get stuck in this week as time is drawing closer. Have the back and the sleeves then the beanie and bootees but this should hopefully get running along quickly and then complete the blanket. I have one bedsock going ok with a good amount of rib done but they are next in the line.

Another Winter sky

Another installment and well just for a slight contrast 2 shots and just over an hour apart. I needed to get a few things at the shops so took a photo as I hopped out of the car and as the weather closed over again when I hopped back in.

Tonight we have a nice treat scones with rum and rasin marmalade and cream. The scones are a quick mix with lemonade cream and flour. nice light and well an excuse to add heaps of marmalade on something.

Bandaid approach

It has been a mad race to the finish line to get the final items completed and posted today. Out of 2 lovely skeins of alpaca 2ply that were used double for most of the pieces to create these. So we managed to get 1 baby set crochet and a beanie and bootee set.














Here is the sey complete with the beanie done and ready to go. Excuse the towel but I had to protect it all from anything that may have been on the coffee table.














Ok the Bandaid can fix many things. I had the rear wiper on the car and the little plastic clip was weather beaten and well to stop it falling off I used whatever was in my handbag to fix it with. I have a few things that can fix up things in both the knitting bag and the handbag and well tough bandaids work well. I have since replaced it.

It has even been an exciting week as on Sunday night I got some good news from a friend. Those who know me outside of the blog world will know what I mean. I was over excited for a few days till I got to talk to my mate again and yes girls "he's home". Not well at the moment but hes home again and I'm over the moon at that.