Happy New Year 2007!

I have finally found the time to post the picture of the Tide Cardigan. I absolutely love the edging on this cardigan and Isabelle loves wearing it, so that explains the slightly crumpled look.
Yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton in a dusty pink color. I think I used about 6 balls.
Size: 3 to 4 years, but I added about an extra 12 rows to length on the body, and about 6 extra rows on the sleeves too. I also stitched on some little heart buttons in the same color.
I finished the back some time ago, but it only took me a day to knit the sleeves, and another day to knit the two fronts so I could have finished it in a week if I had of made the effort, but I am so glad it is done. I also finished a Seamans Cap for Paul on the weekend too, but the photo of it will have to wait until next year.
Yesterday was 28 degrees, and actually a really nice day so my friend and I took our kids down to Geelong to have a swim and a play. At Geelong Waterfront they actually have a pool at the edge of the beach where littlies can go swimming. The water was still cold but they stayed in the water for quite a while shivering when they hopped out. This picture is of Isabelle and Jesse standing in front of the lifeguards. They have all different sorts of poles painted into different people, along the waterfront. They also had a giant ferris wheel on the edge of the beach yesterday too, and lots of people hopping on. There is also a train ride that goes along the path in this picture from one edge of the beach to the other. After Geelong we drove to Queenscliff which is probably about 20 minutes away, where the kids went seashell collecting and made some sandcastles. Since it is the holiday period there were lots of people everywhere, and we went and had a look along the shops in the main road, and bought the kids some of the curly seashells to add to their collection. After Queenscliffe, we drove to Port Arlington where they sell mussels off the boats. I bought Dad a 5 kilo box for about $20, and then since the tide was out we were able to find some larger shells for the kids to take home. Isabelle and Jesse loved taking the shells home and by the time we arrived home, they were quite tired. It is quite nice to spend time looking around the different parts of the coast, and it is only an hour and a half's drive from our house, so not too bad travel time wise. Today though is gray and overcast, and it finally rained through the night, thank goodness. We are now on Stage 3 water restrictions which means the bare minimal of watering your garden, and I dont want my plants to die so I will be saving as much as I can to do that. I am buying some buckets to put in the bottom of the shower so the water from that can water the plants. Our washing machine water already waters the grass, so it is still nice and green. Well this is the last day of the year, and I cannot believe that it is has gone by so fast. Isabelle will be starting school and Lachlan will be in Year 8. I will be seeking a part time job too, so we shall see how I go with that. I would like to thank you all for visiting my blogs, for making some wonderful wonderful friendships from people over the other side of the world, for sharing gifts and pressies, very loved by all of us, and for the wonderful comments that you have given me too. I too have enjoyed reading all of your blogs as well and discovering new and wonderful things to make also. My family wishes you and your family a bright and prosperous New Year, and good health, and of course lots of crafting time too. See you all next year! Love Sue xxxooo

I Know its not New Year yet

but I have still been reading blogs and I have had a little helper lately. Coco just loves to sit on the computer desk now and keep me company. If she sees something moves on the screen she is ready to pounce on it. Bella sometimes comes along too, just for cuddles though.
So I thought that rather than waiting until 2007, I thought I would show you all the wonderful Christmas pressies that Karyn sent to me. We did a swap and she outdid herself, really, and she even made something for Isabelle too, but she wont let me take any photos this morning as she has been redesigning her face with her play makeup, and well let's just say it is a bit overdone.

First of all we have some beautiful patterns that she sent to me, and I love the blue raglan jumper, very nice, and the lace cardigan is just gorgeous. I havent mastered lace yet, so we shall see about that one. She also gave me some little knit note cards with tiny envelopes, just so cute, and some Knit It pencils too, which will be great for note taking. I also received two lovely balls of Sugar N Cream so now I will be able to knit it up into some lovely washcloths, or maybe a hand towel like the pattern on the ball band. Karyn also put some Cascade 220 Quatro, and it is the most beautiful blue with purple and green flecks through it. I have no idea what I will make with it, (any suggestions would be helpful) so a big thank you Karyn. She also gave Lachlan a California t-shirt, and even though it is too big at the moment, he is wearing it and wont take it off. I think I will have to sneak into his room tonight to put it into the washing machine. I think this was one of the best presents that I received for Christmas, and it is just so nice to get a lovely thought of pressie, and I had fun putting together some gifts for Noelle and Karyn too. I hope they arrive soon, fingers crossed. I also received my Interweave Knits mag this morning, so I have had a glance through it. I have been sick since Christmas Day, and yesterday after a quick visit to the doctors I was diagnosed with bronchitis, so bed rest for me, even though I really dont think a few hours in bed is bed rest. I am taking antibiotics so hopefully will feel better by the weekend. I will try and post Isabelle in her pressie from Karyn, and I also finished the Tide Cardigan on Boxing Day too, so another FO was completed for 2006. By the way if you wish to keep reading I have been tagged by Christina for the 6 weird things about me. If you dont want to know anything else about me, you can stop reading. For those who would like to see my little weird habits, then continue on.

1. I rub my feet together every night before going to sleep. I have done this since I was very young, and still do it to relax. If Isabelle is in bed with me though she tells me to stop and says it is annoying.
2. I cannot eat any of my child's leftovers, cannot even lick their icecreams. I just cannot eat other people's food that is on their plate, or if Isabelle's icecream is dripping I use a serviette. I know it is not about the germs, I just do not like it. No worries though, Paul usually eats everybody's leftovers off their plates!
3. I organize my ironing. I know, very strange but for me it makes it easier. I put Isabelle's, Lachlans, Paul's and my clothes into piles, the children's go into one basket, and ours into the other. When I iron I have to finish one of the baskets, unless something else is urgent. That way I know how much I need to iron later on. Paul's and mine sits there longer than the kids though, as it takes some time to iron all the clothes.
4. I only eat my lasagna. I am not being a food snob, or maybe I am. I cannot eat any other lasagna, as I have to know what is in it, so I only eat the one I make. I know very weird, and please dont feel insulted if I meet you and I dont eat your lasagna.
5. Heights, - well even if we drive up a high mountain and I am in the car, I cannot drive the car, Paul has too. I even feel sick and overwhelmed which usually results in a panic attack, so sitting in the back seat behind the driver is a much better option and I dont have to look over the edge. My height fear is very overwhelming for me, and sometimes I wish that I could just get over it, but I suppose people deal with fears, or just do it day by day. I will one day travel to the end of The Great Ocean Road. I have made it 3 times to Apollo Bay so next time will have to be the whole way.
6. Last but not least, I hate mess. I have to have things organized or in their place. Sometimes I dont worry about it, like when Isabelle or Lachlan's friends are over, but I do clean up straight after they leave. I think this stems from the fact that my mother never kept a clean house, it just did not worry her and now it seems as though there are not any kids at home that she does keep it tidier. I think I drive people insane with my house cleanliness, but it is not like I get down on my hands and knees and scrub the floors with a toothbrush or anything. As for my knitting things though, they seem to reside in their own little places, on the shelf, on the couch, next to the couch on the floor, ho ho hum hum.

Ooh I nearly forgot the last photo, it is a present that my sister made for me for Christmas. Isnt it just gorgeous, and it is nearly half the size of the bed. I just absolutely love it, and she is so clever at her quilting. It now sits in pride of place on my bed. Tomorrow I will hopefully have some pictures of Isabelle in her pressie and of the Tide Cardigan, less makeup of course. Hope you all have a wonderful wonderful day!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas, and we hope you all have a wonderful New Year too! Enjoy your holidays, and keep safe and healthy!!!

These are the newest additions to our family. The kitten on the left is Coco, who is a gift for Lachlan's birthday next month, and Bella is on the right who is Isabelle's early Christmas present. The kids both chose their names on their own, no help from me (unless the choice was really bad), but I think they chose them appropriately. We actually contacted a woman who had 5 cats, and all of them had had kittens, so she was in desperate need to find them a home, so we chose 2 instead of 1. They are actually sisters so they play well together and chase each other other all day, and now they have started purring. Bella was actually a bit constipated when we got her, but she is over the worst, and I think trying to fend for themselves amongst 20 kittens was a bit much because they were absolutely starving when we got them. I immediately bathed them when we got home because they looked a bit dirty and unclean, the poor babies. Coco is just a hyper kitten, but loves a good cuddle and will let you know by the loud purrs how much she likes it. Bella is so tiny, but she can defend herself when they are both wrestling each other. The kids are happy, and we have not forgotten Ruby. I printed out photos of Ruby for them, and they have their photos in a large frame in their bedrooms to remember her by. I feel as though we have saved these kittens and given them a better life, as they are so different in just a few days of being with us. I will have some FO's for you after the holidays when I return, and I should be back after New Year's Day. I am going to try and take the kids to the beach on New Year's Day if it is not too hot, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I shall see you next year and please keep safe on the roads!

Gorgeous Presents!

Here are the gorgeous swap pressies that Manda sent to me last week. Isnt she so talented. Isabelle loves her cushion, and the cat is just gorgeous. I was not expecting the cat, so it was a lovely surprise and made me feel so much better after yesterday's events. I think I will have to call her Minty as she is made out of a gorgeous green
color with little Christmas trees and Santas. Thank you so much Manda, we love what you made us. I have also finished the pressie for Bella too, and I love the colors that Manda chose too. I really hope that it fits. I knit it out of Zara Merino wool which is just so soft to touch and gorgeous colors too. I hope that Manda likes it when she gets it.
I also finished up the other teacher's scarf and Isabelle gifted them on Friday. They loved them thankfully. We had their Christmas party Wednesday in the park, and apart from the smokey air it was quite nice. I would also like to say thank you to everyone who sent heartfelt wishes to us for the loss of Ruby. Poor Daisy is miserable too, so she has been inside with us sleeping in Lachlan's beanbag at night for comfort too. I hope that you all have a lovely week leading up to Christmas, and if I dont speak to you before then I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year too!

RIP Ruby Girl!

Our beloved Ruby passed away this morning. I was the one driving the car and she must have been up in the tyre part of it. I am very very upset and I really do not know what to say apart from the fact that it is so hard to try and save a little kitten and there is nothing you can do for it. I absolutely loved Ruby more than any other cat that we have had. I think she was our little sign of hope that things were getting better for us, and now I feel like I have taken her life much too soon. Hopefully after a little while our family will feel a bit better, but now for the moment we are just sitting quietly and thinking about her. We are going to make a little garden for her where we buried her, so I am going to take the children to find a nice stone to paint her name onto and put it above her grave. Blogging will resume when my eyes are no longer red, puffy or teary.

Almond Bunny

We had some lovely surprises this morning from our parcel guy. He bought my books, Toys to Knit and Knit 2 Together. We also received the Almond Bunny from Hop Skip Jump. Isabelle got to choose which bunny she would like, and she picked the pink one over the green one, and both were adorable. I loved the cats too, just gorgeous. I think the bunny will be sleeping with Isabelle tonight. The Knit 2 Together book has so many gorgeous patterns in it, I just want to make so many.
Some of the patterns that I like in the book are the Rowena cardigan, the Linen Kilt, the House Slippers, the Gym Slip Dress, the Witches Britches, Doctor's Bag, Pimlico Shrug, and the Ponsonby Suit. I think they would take me all about 2 years to knit up though, but it is a fantastic book, I just love it, and the little stories they both tell are great too. One of those books you could sit and read for a while whilst having your coffee. The Toys to Knit book has some lovely toys in it too, which is great for present giving. Now all I have to do is wait for my Christmas present to arrive from the Wool Shack which I ordered last night. Any guesses, well I will tell you anyway, I got a Royal Ball Winder. Now all those skeins will
be wound into little cupcakes of wool. I cant wait for it to arrive, but I will have to sit it under the tree and wait until Christmas Day to open it. Well while I am waiting I can try and finish up the right front of the gray and red cardigan, and hopefully finish it soon. Happy knitting everyone!

Sprucing Up For Christmas

I have been trying to get ready for Christmas. The tree is up, most of the presents are wrapped, and I only have to buy one for my MIL now, but Paul can do that since he knows what food she likes, as we are going to make a hamper for her. I have been receiving postcards as part of my swap too, and they are so cute. The Christmas tree one is from Beate who lives in Germany, and the little reindeer one is from Natalie who lives in the UK. It is so nice to receive mail from the other side of the world, and who probably have a white christmas. We had a very hot day on Sunday for Paul's grandmother's dinner, where it got to 42 degrees. I am only good in about 24 degrees, so anything hotter than that and I start to swelter and end up with a headache. Thankfully by the time we got there the cool change came in and it went down to about 27 degrees. We got to see the newest additions to the family, and there are now two more due next year, by twin sisters who just had the latest newest additions. They were so adorable, it makes you want more, but then I remember the sleepless nights, and dirty nappies and I change my mind. So finally, here is the brave moment for me, since I hate having my picture taken I thought I would take one since I just had my hair cut and colored. I had not colored it for about 6 months so I thought it was badly needed. I need a haircut every 6 weeks as my hair grows so fast, so here is a picture of me. I really dont know how people take photos of themselves in the mirror, I took lots which were all horrible and this is the best I could do, and it still doesnt look any good. I think I need Isabelle or Lachlan to take it next time. I still have been knitting too, the red and gray cardigan is knitting up just gorgeous so hopefully I will be able to finish it soon. We have a Christmas Party for Isabelle's kindergarten tomorrow at a big park so hopefully after that I can knit some more. Happy knitting everybody!

Appliqued t-shirts

I have been doing a tiny bit of sewing for some more Christmas presents. I bought some little t-shirts, drew out some of my own shapes and blanket stitched around the edges. 3 pressies all done, so that is about all I need to finish off. Bella's cardigan has one sleeve completed too, and now I am about to start the next one. Our family has been struck by a tummy bug at the moment, headaches, queasiness (which is the part I hate most due to driving), and running to the toilet all day. Paul is the only one who has not got it yet, so maybe being at work all day is a good thing. I am hoping that we all feel better by Sunday as we are having lunch at Paul's grandmother's for Christmas with all of the relatives. A few new ones too which should be rather cute. I hope that you all have a nice weekend too, and I shall see you next week. Oh and my mum's tests came back all clear which is good, so I feel much better.

150th post

Gee I didnt realise I talked so much but I guess I do. 150 posts! It just seems like I started this blog a little while ago, so time just flies by so quickly.
First up I finally finished up the scarf for Isabelle's teacher, which is from one of the Jo Sharp books, which I think was the Gathering book. Must re-check that. I used 3 balls of merino wool and it is nice and soft. I am so glad it is finally finished though so that I can finish up some other things. I just need to finish up the purple scarf for her other teacher now, so that will be all done.
Now onto the postcard swap, I received another postcard yesterday from Nikki who really does make lovely things. She is so creative, so thank you Nikki for making me one. I have put it with the other two, so now 7 more to go. It is quite exciting going to the mailbox to find something other than bills in there.

We also went to Isabelle's concert tonight and they were all so gorgeous. They all sang and danced for about 10 songs, and they were all in rhythm too. Paul's mum and my sister and my aunt came too. Mum could not make it as she has been having some health problems for the past week so I will keep her company tomorrow whilst Isabelle is at kindergarten. I think I will miss the kindergarten year, the teachers are fantastic, and the other children and the parents are so nice. Here is Isabelle posing with her kinder certificate. She is so proud. She also had her first 2 hours of school this morning too, and found out her grade teacher and the other children in her class. I think she will settle in really well, as for me well I dont know about that. Maybe some part time work will be needed to curb the boredom, even though I could knit all day but we do need someone to speak to occasionally too. Well the weather has finally cooled down a little bit here, it was 34 degrees today which was hot, and I must make the lunches for tomorrow before heading off to bed (of course after a bit of knitting).

Ballet Wrap Cardigan

Blogging on a Sunday! Paul is working, Lachlan is at his grandparents and Isabelle is outside bouncing on the trampoline, so I thought I would post whilst I have a spare minute. I have been wrapping up Christmas presents all morning, so they are ready to put under the tree tonight once we have it set up and decorated. Isabelle is so excited, and she helped mum put hers up on Friday night, so its like a double celebration for her. So onto the knitting content, this is a little wrap cardigan that I am making for Bella. It is the Sweeten pattern from Rowan Babies, in the 2 to 3 years size, and is coming out very nicely. The colors seem to look washed out in the photo no matter what I tried, so please imagine them a nicer darker color than what is pictured. I do hope that Manda likes what I have done so far, as I started yesterday and just got past the armholes. I hope to finish the back today, fingers crossed. It is knitting up rather quickly so maybe I can post it off before Christmas time. I am using Zara merino which is so soft and I love this yarn because it keeps its shape and the colors are always really nice too. Oh by the way thank you for all the wonderful comments on the kid's knits that I completed. I assure you that they are greatly appreciated by me, and I love all of them, so thank you all very much. Must get back to the knitting now before Paul takes the tree out of the roof to be put up. Happy Knitting!