Happy New Year!

Wow, it's 2009 already.  I can't believe how fast the years have gone.  In some ways it only feels like last year was the beginning of 2000 and everyone was worried about the end of the world as we knew it due to the Y2K bug - wasn't that the scam of the decade - computer companies made millions and then nothing happened.   But that was 9 years ago!  

I was thinking last night how this year (2008) seemed to be the year I really started to feel like an adult.  Up until now, i've still felt a little like I have been almost pretending to be an adult - or at least felt like a really young person doing adult things.  But now, I have become comfortable in the fact that I am in my 30's and well and truly an adult.  I don't even understand teenagers these days - what the hell is wrong with them, especially those emo ones?  

Then I started thinking about how I have been married 13 years (ok, so officially I have only been married 12 years & about 4 months, but Lach and I moved in together on 1st Jan 1996 and agreed on that date that we were married even if we didn't have the paperwork yet) and have a child who this year will be 10 years old.  That means I have been a mother for a decade and a wife for even longer!   Ahgh, scary.    I was a bit freaked out about that, but then I told myself to get over it, enjoy it, be glad I am still married and not a divorcee at 31 like a lot of other people and went to sleep.  

No, I didn't have a big one last night.  I just went over to the in-laws for dinner, watched a bit of TV for a while then went to bed in the air-conditioned room about 10pm.  Bliss.   I'm telling you now, I wish I could have stayed in that room all day.  It is a scorcher here today and so humid I reckon by the end of the day I'll have produced my own weight in sweat.  YUK. 

So, Christmas!   We had a good one.  Very quiet and relaxing really.  The best presents I got were:  A rice cooker (Thanks Dave and Em),  2 nice and cool cotton tank tops that are very stylish (thanks Carol) and the best one of the lot I bought for myself:  A Knitpicks Harmony Wooden Circular Knitting Needle Set - Absolutely awesome.   I have already knitted half a cardigan on them out of the 14micron Superfine Merino I spun up over a year ago.  It has been waiting in my stash until I had both a pattern and some needles to do it justice.  And these needles are just the ticket.  I love, love, love them!  What the picture in the link doesn't show, is they also come with a fantastic needle sizer/gauge measure tool and little label rings to hang on the cables to tell you what size needles you are using on that section.  Fantastic!   They are so wonderful to knit with, I swear my knitting has become a bit faster with them.  

Whoo, I think I'm a bit too hot to type anymore.  I hope everyone had a good Christmas & New years and that your 2009 will be filled with happiness and peace.  Mwahh! 

Photo of Lachlan & I at the wedding

A couple of weeks back, Lachlan & I went to a family wedding.  For the event I borrowed a friend's fantastic pink dress.  (Thank you MissVicki!!) 

Here is one photo.  I'm afraid it doesn't show the dress fully, but hopefully I'll get more photos from my parents soon.  

The Age of Consumerism.

I was just chatting on Ravelry, and one of my friends, Lindsay (aka damephoebe) told us all about a great website that has a fantastic little talk about consumerism and the environment and how our societies and earth are in crisis because of this consumerism.  The site to go to is The Story Of Stuff.  It is really well done, talks plain english and would be great to show kids from about ages 9 and up.  It's good for adults too.  I fully recommend everyone going and having a look at the site.  I know that I can't talk - I am such a consumerist, it's not funny.  But I will try,  and recently I have been trying.  I have been buying more things I need from Op shops rather than buying new, & not buying things I don't really need.  I guess the idea is to at least try to remember where this stuff comes from, where it goes and what the real cost of the product is.  That's the least anyone can do. 

Yay, pressies!

Last week the Craft and Quilt Show was on at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Center, so I worked there  for about 7 hours stretching over Thursday and Saturday for my friend Jane from The Fibre Hut.  For this time of doing what I love (selling fibre, demonstrating and talking about my passion to everyone) I got a free entry into the show as well as a little payment for my time. Whoo hoo!  So see the photo above of the drop spindle set?  That's what I treated myself to with the money (and a little extra out of my pocket).  Sorry the photo isn't very clear as my digital camera is busted so I have to use my mobile phone at the moment.  but aren't they beautiful?? They're so nice to use - weighted really well and not too big - even the biggest one.  Sigh..... :)

The other photo is the contents of a present sent to me by my lovely "Secret Pal" Charmaine in Singapore.  (yes, it was supposed to be a secret, but as I only know one person in Singapore, I know who sent it).  You see, I am part of a group of lovely ladies on Ravelry called the Knutty Knitters Unraveled Group, and we started doing a Secret pal swap, where we were all given a name and address of another person in the group and we had to send them a present anonamously (?spelling?), but as there was so few of us participating and we have all gotten to know each other so well, it was pretty easy to guess who our Pals are.  But aren't the little gifties fantastic?  if you can't tell what they are from the crappy photo - there is some matching writing paper/book marks/and envelopes (which have writing on them that I can't read! lol), some cover-with-fabric buttons and a gorgeous little hand-made bag with my name stitched on the front.   I feel special! Thank you Charmaine!!! :)

First Socks!!

I have finally knitted a pair of socks!  

And yes, all of you that told me they were easy, you were right.   I am so proud of them.  They are a bit loose around the ankle and cuff (The pattern was for a male's foot, & I guess males have larger calfs and ankles), but are great all the same.  A bit warm for the current weather, but I wore them for a while yesterday.  

Bring on the next pair! ;p

Some sad news:  Colleen of SpiffyKnits died over the weekend.  It is sad, but in a way a blessing as she did not suffer for long. Rest In Peace Colleen.

Some good news: I had a meeting with Rory's teacher and one of the Rainbow Room staff members about our Goals for Rory this term and how he is doing on the whole.  And I am very proud to report that he's doing great!!  Academically he is still not to a grade 4 level, but he is attempting to do everything by himself now, without referring to support aids unless he has to. He is also behaving better in general, his meltdowns are far smaller and fewer in number and he is participating in the classroom as much as any other child.  All in all, he is growing to be a very gentle, happy and mature boy.  I'm so proud!   

Sad news.

I can't write much, I need to go to bed as it is very late, but I needed to say that I am a sad tonight.  I am on a few different groups on Ravelry - a site for knitters and crocheters.  One of the groups I belong to is a discussion and support group for people who have had , need or will need in the future, an organ transplant, or have someone they love in that situation.   Tonight I found out that one of our regular members, Colleen of Spiffyknits, is dying of cancer.   She was diagnosed back in August and we have been communicating with her since her diagnosis.  She went into surgery back in August to have 60% of her liver removed (the cancer was thought to only be in her liver) and it was thought that all had gone well.  Although a pretty full-on course of chemo was recommended, it was thought she would recover well.  However, I have just read on the groups message board an update (from one of the other members) that aggressive cancer cells have been found all throughout Colleens' lymph nodes and now chemotherapy is no longer an option as they are so aggressive that the chemo would not work and could possibly accelerate the spread.  Unfortunately, there is nothing left to do but try to  make her more comfortable and for her to spend whatever time she has left with her young children, husband and close family. Her story and donation information can be found Here.    I know that being on such a group as this one, that I will probably have some of my new friends die, but this is the first and so is very hard.   Please, if you can, pray for Colleen and her family or at least send them supportive and loving vibes.  They need all the support they can get.   Will write again later.  Is very late and must try to sleep.  

Love and peace  - remember that everyone is special! 

Look at my pretty blog

Do you like it?  I do!  I noticed that blogger had changed some things and made it easier to update/restructure my page.  So I took the opportunity and wallah! New, prettier blog that is easier to read and finally has links to my favourite blogs too!  See girls, there's your blog right there on the side. :-)    

Today I am grateful for:  the fact that Rory has so much loving family members and friends around him.  On Saturday his Pappa (maternal grandfather) took him out all day to the Railway Workshops Museum to see the circus train.   On Sunday afternoon, he went over to his friend Jayden's house for a long play.   Today he spent all day out at the Science Centre and the Queensland Museum with his Granny (paternal Grandmother).   I am grateful that he is so loved and that he is so well behaved that they really enjoy spending the time with him.  I am grateful that most of the family live so close, so they can be such a huge part of his life, and so he will always have memories of spending time with his grandparents and aunts & uncles.  I am grateful that they are around to be able to take him out and give me a nice break regularly. Especially during the school holidays! 

Knitting update:  Guess What! I finally knitted a sock!!  I have been knitting for about 4 years now, and have been too intimidated to knit socks.  I tried toe up ones a couple of times, but lost the plot before I had even finished the toe.  So this time, I finally got myself a pattern for Top down socks that seemed reasonably easy to understand and Yay!  A sock was born.  It actually looks like a pretty decent sock too. a few little mistakes (design features) but it fits quite well and isn't mutant, so that is great.  I feel like I have finally taken the plunge and feel proud that I got over "the edge" of sock knitting.  After just one sock, I can understand how people get addicted to knitting them.  Am working on the second sock and already  planning the next pair.  I think my family can expect socks for Christmas! 

Love peace & Joy! 

Where did winter go?

We had winter, and now it is summer.  I know that technically it is only early spring, but it feels like summer.  Hot and Humid.  I know it is only going to get hotter.  I am grateful for the few cooler days we have.  I am grateful for the spring storms that are bringing some nice rain in the evenings. But I HATE HOT WEATHER.  can I say that any louder?  If only I had money to be able to move north for the summer.  I mean WAY north. England type north.   Or maybe south to Tassie. I know it can get a bit hot there too, but not for as many days in a row.  

I haven't been very good on this Grateful series, regular posting thing have I?  Well, I've decided that that is just me.  Take it or leave it.  If I write a post, great.  If I don't write one for quite a while,  I either have nothing to say or have been too busy and having a good time. I am not going to apologise or comment on my "slackness" anymore.  I'm not slack.  I am busy. I am a good person even if I don't post on my blog regularly.      God, I am sounding crabby today, aren't I? Its the heat.  But here.  I will say something nice.  an addition to the grateful series.  

This Week I Am Grateful For:  The knitting community.  I never knew there could be such a community in the world that I could be part of.  And it is all around the world.  Through Ravelry I have made friends in America, Germany, Scotland, and England and talked to people from everywhere in between.  Through QSW&FA I have made friends from all around Brisbane and even other parts of QLD and northern NSW.    I have found novels written about a knitting community in New York (The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.) and about murder and Crochet.  I have met so many wonderful people who accept me as I am and do not judge.

I have found a hobby where I can get support and inspiration, both for my knitting and for my general life.  I LOVE IT!   So all you friendly knitters out there.  THANK YOU.   You have made my life so less stressfull.  I know that if I'm feeling down, or having trouble with a pattern or just need someone to laugh with, all I need to do is get on the internet, or go to a local knitters group and there will be someone to cheer me up.  

Ahh, that's better. end the post on a happy note.  I'm cooler now.  there is a lovely breeze flowing into the study where I am.  I am going now to make some lunch for me and my boy and make some phone calls my hubby needs me to make. 

Love peace and joy.  

My Folks

Today I am grateful for my parents.  My mum and dad are just the best.  They do so much for me and my siblings and support us in almost all our decisions.  

Growing up, they were never really "strict" but still kept us in line by letting us know what they expected of us and letting us know what the consequences of our actions could be, and made us think about that.  eg: If we did "A", how would we deal with "B", "C" or "D" consequence?  Did we really want to deal with any of those consequences?  Would it be best just not do "A" in the first place?  If we went ahead and did "A", they supported us (most of the time) in our decision and usually helped us deal with the consequence.  

I think this is a brilliant form of parenting and I now try to do that with my son.  

My Goodness.... Another month has gone!

And once again I have been really slack about posting.  You know what it is?  I spend ALOT of time on ravelry.  some would say too much.  but too much Rav is NEVER enough!!!!! 

So how am I going to fix this problem of being slack?   I  have a plan.  From today, I will start posting about the things in my life that I am grateful for and I will do this at least once a week, but will try to do it nearly every day.  The Grateful Series.  That's what I'll call it.  

Ok, so lets start.   Today I am Grateful for my Twin Sister Libby.    For a lot of our life, Libby and I have had a bit of difficulty getting along very well (at times that could have been construed as quite the understatement).  But now, things are wonderful and I am so grateful for the friendship as well as sisterhood that we are now sharing together.  It is so good to be able to go over there for a cuppa and just be with her.   I am also so grateful to her for being so open to me wanting to be a really involved aunty to little Arun.  I feel really honoured that when she is feeling a little stressed or over tired, she feels she can call me for help.  So thank you Lib, for being a wonderful sister. 

Whoo hoo - New baby!

My sister Libby had her baby last night at about 10:25pm!  It is a little boy they have named Arun.  The spelling is different from the usual Aaron, as he is actually named after the place in England where Ron (her husband) proposed - Arundle.  (Although, I don't think his full name is Arundle, just Arun.)  I like that it is spelt differently as this will make it easier for Rory to remember how to spell his cousins name.  It is spelt pretty much the way it sounds.  

Apparently Arun came out sucking his thumb and weighs 7.5 pounds or 3.4kg in the metric system.  

I am so happy for Lib and Ron, they got to have their home birth the way they wanted it, without any need to go into the hospital.  I'm really proud of Lib for sticking to her principles and doing it her way.  Mind you, she always has been a bit stubborn and done things the way she wants to and not the way convention or our culture usually states it the "right way".   But it usually works out well for her and proves that the "normal" way of doing things is not always the best way.  

So congratulations Libby & Ron!  I can't wait to come and chat and see the new bundle of joy in the family.   Oh, I am soooo excited!!!! 

Love peace and joy.

The Baby is coming!!!!

I am so excited this morning.  My twin sister is pregnant, and her waters broke about 6:30 this morning - so she won't be preggers for too much longer!  I can't wait until I see the little one, even though that will probably still be a couple of days away yet.  

I have been knitting a fair bit for this baby over the last couple of weeks - been so busy knitting, I haven't had time to blog.  I have so far given Libby 2 cardigans for the baby, have knitted a little beret that hasn't gone to her yet and I am working on an orange jumper and some little knitted socks to match the beret & one of the cardies. 

Last weekend (not the one that has just passed) was the annual QSW&FA camp at Mapleton in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.  Oh, I had a wonderful time!! So relaxing, just spinning, knitting, chatting, eating and sleeping for nearly 3 days.  utter bliss.   At the camp I finally started spinning up some of my blended Alpaca, angora rabbit and cashmere fibre.  It is so soft , but sooo dirty from the alpaca!  I got my first skein finished about wednesday and knitted up a small tension/ sample swatch - It is so soft and drapey.  It will be really nice I think.  

Anyway, gotta push my child off to school.  With all the phone calls this morning about Libby, Rory has taken his time getting ready because I haven't had my whip out to him like usual!  (whip of words..... not a literal whip..... just in case anyone reading this thinks I abuse my son!) 

Love peace and joy

Cool stuff

Yesterday I went into Craft Ideas at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, just to have a look.  And Wow!  they have really increased their yarn items.  They have heaps more yarn than they did a few months ago and a really good range.  It's still pretty much what you would find in one of the chain stores, but hey, I'll always try to support an LYS rather than a chain store for my commercial yarn needs.  They also had a heap of lovely NZ mohair hanks that you can't buy in the chain stores.  Yum!  

While there I saw some items that were on display, already knitted up.  One of the hats I really liked and I asked if they had the pattern for it for sale.  The lady led me to a pattern book from Cleckheaton called "Handknits to Wrap and Adorn".   OMG, I had to buy it.  It has some really great little patterns in it.  

I have already started on another hat I found in it using leftover woolbale found in my stash (the hat I liked in the shop will have to wait until I can buy some more yarn - I only had enough to buy the book).   The hat I am working on will naturally be felted after knitting (I am using Woolbale after all).  I am doing it in Black and red.  I think it will look great.   

In this book, there are also some great patterns that I could use for the Knitting Olympics.  The problem will be deciding which one to use!  I will bring it tomorrow night to spinners so those of you who come to that can have a little look. 

Talking of spinners, Last Wednesday night, I picked up a bag of alpaca fleece quite cheap.  It even had a photo of the alpaca the fleece came from.  It is from a cute little guy called Kenny. Awww.  Tomorrow night I am hoping to pick up some cashmere too, then I plan to blend the alpaca, my leftover angora rabbit and the cashmere.  It should make a beautiful yarn once spun up.  There should be enough alpaca to make a Jumper, so I'm really excited.  

Love peace and joy.

Alpacas and bunnys

Today I have been blending some alpaca and angora rabbit hair together and spinning it.  It looks quite nice.  I've used some hand carders I borrowed from QSW&FA to blend the two shades of alpaca (caramel and brown) and the white bunny. Tonight I plan to spin up some of the white silk I have in my stash, which I will ply with the alpaca and bunny mix.  It should be a lovely yarn.  God knows what I will make out of it, it won't be much.   I am trying to make some of my fibre stash into some yarn stash.  Show the Hubby that I am trying to use my stash, not buy more. The problem is though, that the fibres in my stash aren't in large amounts, so whatever I spin has to either be blended together or just make small hanks to use in something later on.   

It's been nice to get back to some spinning after all the knitting...... which reminds me.....

I'VE FINISHED THE COTTON TOP!!!!!    

And it looks lovely.  now I just need to block it.  I finished knitting and sewing up on Monday night and sewed in the ends while I was waiting at the dentists yesterday.   My seaming skills leave a little to be desired, so the joins / seams aren't very well done, but they'll do.  The more items I knit, the more sewing I'll probably have to do and so hopefully my sewing and seaming skills will improve.  Mind you, my next large project I want to do is a seamless jumper - so maybe I won't be seaming for a while! 

I would have written about the top last night, because it is really exciting, but I was in no mood to be excited last night.  That wait at the dentists? was an emergency trip because I have a bloody big hole in my tooth and although I was booked in later this month for a root canal treatment, it got too sore...... or so I thought. 

 I went to the dentist, and she decided to do the first stage of the root canal job then and there.  OOOOWWWW!  So last night I was nursing a sore mouth.  It doesn't help that my jaw is mildly dislocated as well, and having it open for over an hour was not a good thing.  

 While the dentist was doing the treatment, she said "boy, this is a really bad tooth.  The canals are really tiny.  I think you'll have to go to a specialist for the rest of the treatment, and even then, i'm not sure this is going to work."    So after she had finished and the side of my mouth was still heading south, we had a little discussion.   I am not going to continue with the treatment.  The next appointment I have that was going to be the second stage of the root canal job, will now be a tooth extraction.  Yes, the little blighter is coming out.  It just seemed the most sensible option - not to mention the least expensive.  Not really looking forward to that, but the tooth really isn't worth saving.    Poor hubby.  the day I get the tooth removed is his birthday.  More sore and sorry Jenny then.   Today it hasn't been too bad though.  The actual tooth is pretty ok today, but my jaw is objecting.  Just sticking to soft foods.  

Anyway, enough about my oral defects.   I finished the top and am spinning some lovely fibre.  Ahhh, the healing properties of fibre are so often underestimated in our society.  Looking forward to going to spinners tonight.  Yeay!  I hope most of the crowd is there, but tonight is State of Origin football, being held at the stadium only a few blocks or so away from where we meet.  This might deter many from venturing out this evening. But not me!    

Go Queensland! 

Domestic Goddess..... Well maybe not quite

Today I am feeling rather "domestic goddess" like.  Yesterday I made my second batch of jam ever (the first being a tiny amount monday week ago).  I made apple and lillypilly jam - the lillypillies coming from my own garden - whoo hoo!  It was again a small batch - about half a jar worth or so, but it worked out beautifully - not too hard and not too runny.  Very proud of myself.  

On Monday I made some more Chocolate Slice - and this time I remembered the sugar.  Again, it worked out great!   

Today I am finally getting some washing done (it has been pouring with rain the last couple of days - which has been great but not good for getting clothes dried), I'm tidying up the house and I think I will attempt to make some Apricot Balls with Sweetened condensed Skim milk.  I wonder if the skim will be too thin to hold them together?  I hope not as I can't eat the full fat stuff. 

So why all the sudden domestics? I don't know.  Just feel like it.  Am I becoming an old fart? Have I officially crossed that line? Well, I can either think of myself as an old ditty in the kitchen or I can think of myself as a Nigella Lawson type - domestic goddess, queen of making house work, cooking and craft sensual.  Even though I don't like that woman and don't think of her as that sexy or sensual, its a nice idea.  I think I'll take the Nigella over the old fart anyday. 

Rory is home from school today too, so I am being mum as well.  He was looking very tired and burst into tears at the slightest thing this morning, so I decided to listen to my instinct and keep him home.  Last time I didn't there was hell to pay at school and I was rung up to bring him home.  I didn't want that to happen today.  I'm glad I did as within half an hour of deciding to keep him home, his eyes got red and itchy, glazed and he started sniffing a lot. So, lots of resting today for Rory.   

Oh, I have finished one wrist warmer - quite a crappy job done of it too.  But as I said in my last post, it is just more for technique sake and using up the yarn.  The Purla seems to be fine on my wrist so I am working on the second warmer now.  Hopefully it will look a bit better.  I'm going to blame the yarn for the mess - I know I have a lot of trouble keeping my tension right, especially on DPN's, but really, I can't be THAT bad can I?....... don't answer that. 

Right, now to those apricot balls and anything else I decide to whip up.

Love peace and joy 

Problems with Purla

So I've started to knit my first pair of wrist warmers out of a Panda brand yarn called "purla".  I bought this yarn from Kmart for really cheap - it's Acrylic, alpaca and polyester or something.  It was so soft and lovely looking I just had to buy it - even if it is mainly synthetic, I figured the fact that it had some alpaca in it made up for the fake stuff.  I thought maybe I would make both wrist warmers and a matching scarf.  

 Problem is, I didn't do the "neck test."  This is where you gently hold the yarn against your neck under your chin to see how soft it really is.  It wasn't until yesterday when Joey saw me working on it that she told me that was the nasty stuff she had tried to make a scarf out of.  I held it to my neck and .... AAAGGHHH!!!  it is so deceptive.  lovely and soft to touch with your hands but when you hold it to your neck it's like rubbing a prickly pear fruit there.  Ouch!  

So I guess I won't be making a matching scarf with it.  It seems to be ok on the soft inside of my wrists though, so I will persevere with it and once the first wrist warmer is a certain size, I will put it on and wear it for a while and see how we go.   

The other small problem is that this yarn is not spun tightly - which helps it to be soft- however when working with DPN's this means that it has a tendency to split a lot while I am trying to knit it.   But again, I shall persevere as it really is pretty and as I am just trying something new, so it is best to use something in my stash that I probably won't be using for anything else.  

So, if using purla - great - just don't knit anything you might want to put around or near your neck!  

Love peace and joy

Busy weekend

This weekend's very busy.  and I've already had quite a busy week, so i am pretty tired now, but no matter. 

 On Wednesday I went to bunnings, kmart and crazy clarkes with my friend fran to pick up some stuff for her daughters birthday and some things for Rory's demonstration at school.  He did a talk on Friday about how to make a terracotta pot snail.  Apparently, he did really well, so that is good.   On Wednesday at crazy clarkes, I also picked up a very small mini sewing machine for $25.  It only sews straight, doesn't do anything fancy (not even zigzags etc), but it is all I need at the moment - just to mend clothes and make small bags and things.  Very handy.  it is even portable because it is so small that if you don't have a power point you can run it on 4 AA batteries!   It's great 'cause all this time i've not had a sewing machine and i've really been thinking lately that I just needed a simple one.  This is perfect.  

On Thursday I went and visited my Grandmother.  I love going and visiting her and spending a number of hours with her, but she lives over the other side of town and so I don't visit very often.  But we had a lovely time with a lot of laughs and so that was a good day. 

On Friday I went to bowling as usual and then on the way home dropped into crazy clarkes again - this time I managed to pick up a toasted sandwich maker (like the old Jaffle ones) for only $10!!! Fantastic!  I also popped into a st vinnies and got some steak knives for only $0.30 each.  Bargain week this week!  

Last night we started to help my sister and her husband move into a house close by to here so that was very exciting.  We weren't going to start until this morning, but they popped around last night so we decided to help out then too.  We will continue with that this afternoon as we are all pretty tired this morning.   Libby is due to give birth in a couple of months so it is great that she will be living close by so I can watch the baby for her a lot.  The baby was actually moving around in her a lot last night so I got to feel it kick and stuff.  it was so cool. Yeay, babies!  

Tomorrow we have the QSW&FA Open Day, so I will be busy there from about 8am.   Looking forward to it though, it's always fun and there is so much fibre and lovely things to look at.  I will be looking after the Jam & Cake stall (located near the entrance to the hall) so if you want to come and say hi and buy something yummy, please do so!  

Love peace and joy

Sorting Stash & dying

When I told hubby I had gotten onto Ravelry - he just rolled his eyes, but now I think he will be pleased.  You see, for the past 6 months or more (ok, it might be 12), the area in our house allocated for my stuff and stash has been a VERY big mess.  we're talking you couldn't see the floor AT ALL.  But now that I am on Ravelry, I want to list at least most of my stash and my projects.  But for me to do that, I need to sort out my stash,  and to sort out my stash I need to tidy up my area.   Today I started doing that - and have actually managed to put a fairly large dint in the mess as well as take notes and photos of a fair amount of my stuff.  So this afternoon when Lach comes home and goes to collapse in front of the TV, he will look at the other end of the room and actually see some floor!  Maybe I might even get a smile from him about it, but I doubt it.  I'll probably just get an "It's about time!!"    I hope to start listing my stash items onto Ravelry tomorrow morning. 

 I found during my sorting that I have an awful lot of Crap, but I also found some stuff I didn't realise I had - like, can you believe it - 2 and a half balls of Biggen Design Yarn!!!! Whoo hoo!! That saves me over 19 bucks right there.   I was planning to get at least 4 or 5 more balls, but now I should only have to get 2 or maybe 3.   

I was hoping to finish knitting the sleeves for my top by Wednesday night but that is not going to happen now as I have not even picked up my needles since last Wednesday night.  You see, the next major project I have planned is a jumper made out of the superfine merino I spun last year. It was white though, so this past week I have been dying it.  

 I first dyed it purple (violet), but as my dye pot sprung a leak and all kinds of other things went wrong with the dying process, it didn't quite turn out the dark purple I wanted it to.  it just turned a lightish purple - kind of mottled.   That was not what I was wanting.  But then I saw that I still had a couple of pots of pink dye in amongst my stash, so I thought "Why not?"   I found another pot I could use, fired up the portable gas stove and overdyed the purple wool with the pink dye.  It has come out a great colour!  Still more purple than pink, but quite close to fushia.  My favorite colour.  

With all this dying and heating and washing though, the strands in the skeins had started to felt together.   So for the rest of the past week I have been patiently pulling the strands apart and re-skeining.   This has taken ages and I'm not finished yet.  Thanks Pam for the loan of the better niddy-noddy and swift!   It has made things a little easier - certainly better than trying to use the backs of chairs like I was doing!  

Right - the boys will be home in the next hour, so I better get back to the washing, tidying and sorting.  

Love peace and joy

I'M ON RAVELRY!!!

I'm finally on Ravelry!  Most of you who read this have been encouraging me for ages, so you can stop hassling now!  For those who don't know about Ravelry, it is an online networking site / community for knitters and crocheters or even general fibre artists of all kinds really.  It's really cool.  I have been hesitant in the past about joining due to a couple of reasons: 

1) It will cause me to spend too much more time on the internet talking and reading about knitting. 

2) I'm not sure whether my broadband plan will cope with the photos, downloads etc if I'm visiting Ravelry, Facebook, this blog, other friends blogs, youtube etc.   (but those same lovely friends who have been encouraging me tell me it should be fine - otherwise i should spend more time at the library on their computers, which brings me back once again to my first reason.)

3) It could increase my stash  - due to all the things I see that I want to do, or buy etc. 

4) It could increase the time I spend on knitting - which is too much already! 

But...... the -aholic in me, and all my addicted friends finally won the day and I got myself onto the Ravelry invite list.   It's funny, most people go to groups like AA to give up on their addictions.  The group I go to, we all help each other become more addicted!  But, at least unlike many other addictions, this one is life giving rather than life taking.  So thank you everyone for finally convincing me!  it really is a fantastic site.   So I think I will go back to it now.......

Oh, BTW, if you are on Ravelry and want to look me up, my handle is:  Sanityisyarn    (i missed out on knitaholic because I waited so long.  but this handle at least relates to this blog too. ) 

Love peace and joy, and I might see you in the knitting world! 

The ties that bind

In light of mothers day coming up on Sunday, Here are some of my thoughts on one aspect of mothering I call:  

The Cutting of the Invisible Umbilical Cords.  

I have this theory:  Every mother and her child have many umbilical cords connecting them.    (I know it might not be a very original idea, but hey, this one is mine.)

Only one umbilical cord is visible and of course that is cut just after the moment of birth and signifies the first separation between the mother and her child.   From then on, the child must breath and live independently.  But at this stage, there are still lots and lots of other invisible cords and the child cannot survive without the help of its mother.  (ok, so some children do have to, but often the adult who becomes responsible for that child, suddenly also attains these invisible cords of love.)  The child in question still has to be fed, clothed, carried, cleaned etc.  This connects the mother to her child in a very special way.  

As the child grows more independent, these cords are cut.  Sometimes the cords are cut only one at a time, other times there seems to be times when quite a few are cut all at once.  At each moment a cord is cut, the mother feels the loss.  Sometimes only on a vague level, but often quite profoundly.  Usually, the cutting of the cord corresponds with times of joy and achievement and so is  often overlooked and the mother can't quite understand why she is feeling a bit sad and lost when she is supposed to be happy.  The times of the cutting often happen at a "first" time or a beginning, but often beginnings signal the end of something too.  

Let me give you some examplesof recognised moments: 

1) The first walking steps - signifies the beginning of the child being able to move about on their own, without being carried by an adult.  But it is also beginning of the end of the "baby" stage.  

2) The first day of school (primary or high school) 

These times are well known as both happy and sad times for the mother and understood as such.   But what about all the other cords?  When are they cut?  

These are the "little" moments.  The times when the child does something for the first time, but it almost goes unrecognised - not unrecognised by the mother always, but often by others. 

We had one of these smaller events happen just yesterday (hence all the navel gazing today.)  

Yesterday, Rory asked if he could go to the park nearby with one of his friends - Without an adult.  And for the first time - I said yes.   For many people this might not seem like such a big deal - especially since the park is really only yelling distance away he is nearly 9 years  old.  Many of us were younger than that even when we started hanging out with our mates, going for bike rides, exploring the bush or whatever.  He needs to start doing this, it is a part of him growing up independent and adjusted, but for me, it was a big thing.  I felt it profoundly.  

At first, I couldn't understand why it felt like such a big deal.  He was only going for a short time, it was only a short walk away and it was a safe area.  Rory's a pretty smart boy, he'll work out what to do if he needs help - he'll come straight home.  And I'll certainly hear him if he starts yelling and even if he starts crying - mothers can recognise their childs cry from miles away (well nearly).   

Then I realised - a cord had been cut.   It was a first, but it was also the beginning of an end.  The end of a time that he has supervised "playdates" and the beginning of "hanging out with his mates".  The end of his early childhood years.   The end of his reliance on me to organise him his fun.       All these things I am excited about.  I am happy for him and for me.  I've got him independent enough to feel comfortable doing this.  He is growing and is relatively normal. I can be free again to be me and not so much Mummy.   Hang on........ Not so much Mummy?!?  am I ready for that yet?  I thought I was.   But.... I want to be mummy.  This means he's growing up.  He'll be a teenager before we know it.  I know he'll always need me, and love me - but he won't need me in the same way.   A cord has been cut.  He is becoming his own person.  I know this is a very good thing.  But it is a little painful at the same time.  

The cords are cut as the child grows.  Cords continue to be cut even in the childs adult years - When the child starts and finishes uni, the first job, the first car,  the first serious partner, gets married and has children of their own.  Finally, not many cords are left.  The child is fully independent from the mother.  But there will always be at least one very strong umbilical cord left - the cord of a mother's love for her child and the child's love for their mother.  This cord will continue to be connected even after the death of the mother or child.  It can never be broken.   When the other cords are cut, acknowledge the pain, celebrate the achievement but always remember the one cord that lasts forever.  

So, here's to all the Mums out there - those whose first umbilical cord has been cut, right through to those who only have one left.  Let us celebrate our children's independence, but also acknowledge each others grief  and loss of that connection to our children.  Let us support each other and let each other know that it is ok to feel a little sad at these very happy times.  

Yours in Love, peace and joy

Jenny