mum i need a costume for tomorrow

Well it wasn't that bad, I had a few days notice that I had to make a lizard costume for a play. Not just any lizard, a blue tongue lizard.

So I headed into the shed and last night pulled out some olive chenille and made pants, a shirt (forget buttons I needed quick velcro action), a head piece and webbed mittens. Add a few eyes and a blue tongue to the head piece and Zgal become a blue tongue lizard.

Just in case the audience can't see the blue chenille, she is sucking on a blueberry lollipop to turn her own tongue blue for tonight's performance.

too busy

Too many things, not enough hours. Extra training, negotiations are about to start again, MRIs are booked in, material has been cut out by patient partner, wool has been hidden, one-handed spinning has been achieved.
Sleep is desperately needed.

How do I know I need sleep. Just look at the sentences above. Disjointed, stupid and over the top. I hate reading writing like that, but unfortunately that seems to be the way my brain is firing.

To make it clearer I've been spending hours doing more occupational health and safety training as per the workcover act of, forgotten whoops. I've been looking at our upcoming wage negotiations, which means constant trips around the place, phone hook ups, google groups, complaining staff and miffed off misers.

The fella has been patiently cutting out material for the winter range and for the youngest who has had one of those growth spurts that leaves all his long pants hovering between knees and ankles. I'm also late in getting the winter stock ready for the stall. Summer it is all chenille, winter means cords and barkcloth and heavy linens, screen prints and vintage patch pockets. Regular customers have been asking and while there is already a pile sewn, the fellow needs to cut out more for me.

The one-handed spinning is due to a new addition to the house, a Wee Peggy made by John Rappard not Ashford. It's a sweet creature of the nicest disposition. I can spin that wheel with my left arm and I've master drawing out roving and fleece, the latter with less consistency, with one hand, using my right to only steady things. So my gimpy arm has been overcome again, it has once again been defeated by determination and another outgoing of funds. The MRI is to assess the full damage of said gimpy arm but after another specialist's opinion I'm up the creek so to speak and expect to be reduced in stature before the year is out by the removal of a disc.

Pic above is deep deep purple roving waiting to be plyed.

banglerama

We are drowning in vintage knitting needle bangles here thanks to the constant requests from a certain young lady to make more.

We have so many. Even if we were a house of centipedes we would still have some sitting on the bench unworn.

So it's time to share the bounty.

Miss Zgal has decided that we must have a competition to give some away and she is going to start selling them too.

Her idea was a limbo competition, but after explaining the issue of getting everyone to the same location at the same time would be a nightmare and would cut into her pocket money account, she decided on a different theme.

She wants you to think of a name for her new store. Yes the enterprising dear is going to sell her bangles at a craft market but she realises she needs a name. As I've already appropriated Zephyrama for the clothing business we run, she needs one for her own 'stuff'.

So you friends and lurkers you have a month to leave a comment with your ideas for Miss Zgal's new business venture. She will sit down and read all the names and pick three finalists and a winner. I'll then contact you for a postal addie and she will handpick a bangle and send it your way.

b'day gal

There is a birthday in the house. And she's excited cause she is seven on the seventh.
And as usual the princess in the middle has been spoilt. Wrapped up ready to be opened after cake tonight is some Meccano. She already has her new DS Lite on charge and will no doubt be opening more presents from T (uncle) and grandparents tonight.

And then there is the bowling party on Saturday. Spoilt, yes, is there anything I can do to tame her Dad, no.

You may notice a lone top front tooth in this pic, well she managed to wiggle it so much that she lost it the day before.

"Guess what Mummy, I'm a song, it's All I Want For Christmas Is My"

you can sing the rest.

As for knitting, almost finished the daycare jumper for the fella and the Jet cardi I have been knitting in secret for the Zgal will be finished for the party. Hopefully.

study in brown

As I spent most of the past few days in trains and at conferences I decided some mindless knitting was in order.
I'd already cast on and had done the 3k2p rib for this jumper for Jar, so I took this with me.
It almost disappears into the unpolished floor boards, it's a mix of earthy browns, with the occasional flash of yellow or red.
This is my standard, oversized pattern for Jar, done in the round, divide for front and back, short row shoulders and a three needle bind off. The sleeves are knit from the top down, firstly because I'm worried about running out of yarn, and secondly I want to finish these just after the elbow.
You see the Jar has a habit of getting sleeves wet, then off comes his jumper at daycare.
The yarn is an old Sirdar candytwist which is 57% wool, 38% courtelle and 5% nylon and fingers crossed no one will be felting this one.
I picked up five 50gm balls from an opshop and it's knitted into a nice fabric on 4mm needles, tight enough not to catch on anything but loose enough to be soft, well as soft as the courtelle can be.
I'm doing both sleeves at the same time with two balls, one the last full ball, the other a half ball and the way it is knitting I'll cuff it at the end of the partial ball and use the rest of the other ball for the crew neck.
Fingers, or needles crossed, I'll finish the sleeves tonight and knock over the neck and seam in the sleeves tomorrow night at knitting.

My trip to the big smoke wasn't just knitting or work, I did manage to head to the Town Hall pub in Newtown. Once again I've discovered another part of my history has been gentrified. No longer can you hose out the pub, there is carpet and it looks and smells clean.

red shoe day

I've always had a shoe problem.
Not as bad as Rose Red, but a problem still.

For years it was suede pointy shoes, ohhh big silver buckles like the flat points I was married in. And there is my 20 year, whoops, make that almost 30, fascination with Docs. Purple, cherry, black, patent, boots, shoes, I have them all.
And then there were the heels.

But now with a gimpy neck and arm, if I wear bad shoes I end up with a massive head ache.
So about two years ago the search was on. I tried them all. I spent a fortune on different 'sensible' shoes to no avail.

Until I went here and discovered clown shoes.
I have brown suede, black suede, oil coloured and red parchment ones. The kids even have sandals. I love them, I wear them everywhere. In kitchens, in the garden, at home, at work. With or without handknitted socks. I've plunged into thigh high flood waters to get a child home safely and my shoes have survived.

And last week I got some new ones.
Pretty lolly red ones and deep red with a black floral swirl pattern. Oh oh, I love my new red shoes.

Next, purple and berry coloured ones.

Sorry about the photo, totally crap, new camera for my birthday?
And now the time for decisions has come, which colour will I wear tomorrow as I'm heading down to the BIG SMOKE.
Which means a meet up with some lovely Rav girls, including Bex who tipped me off about the gothic snb, the wonderful Spiraling, Webgoddess, Tango-lovin Miss Fee and I'm not sure how many others.

And Spiraling has hinted at Thai for dinner.

Oh I love how my baby-eating work that takes me to Sydney.