AHH factor - high!

Lucky girl me went to see Steely Dan last night. Donald Fagen is still brilliant. The band was hot with lots of brass and the 'Love Choir" was amazing. It took me back to Sun Valley in 77, sitting on the balcony, wrapped in furs, sipping champagne, watching the moon light glitter off the snow on the mountain and Deacon Blues playing on the stereo - Ah, great days! Great memories.

Anyway - thought I would throw in one more feel good photo - I know, everyone sees ducks - but these are the ducks that I see every morning and I love them. They are just so, well, fluffy and cute, and small and sweet. Daddy Duck is very protective and that makes me like this family even more. Aren't we all suckers for little live things. Show me a puppy without a home and I'll show you a new prospective new member of my family!

Have a ducky day! Ciao

Cheer up

Today is a bit of a sad day for a lot of people - me included. It is sad for so many different reasons - but a memory like 9/11 brings up everyone's own sad memories. I've spent a good part of the day trying not to cry at work while people tell me their stories, and ones I have read on my blog friend's blogs. My heart is feeling all of your pains. And I wish there was more I could do than just say that.

But I wanted to show you something that might cheer you up. This was my first knitting venture when I was in my 20's. When I first came to Australia I wanted to send home all kinds of Australiana. My parents and friends seemed to like it all so I found this pattern for a tea cozy (something I had never heard of before!) in a Womens Day type magazine. So I knit it for my mother.

Well, it would fit Hagrid's tea pot but not much else. But my mom, who loves me, keeps everything I send her. So here, have a little laugh and have a little cry - whatever your heart feels like. Ciao

Habu Cork Chenille

I am a lucky girl - and so is my son's girlfriend. I get one long skinny Habu Cork Chenille scarf and so does she. I got two skeins from Tricote in Seattle (I still lay in bed at night with visions of Tricoter in my head - like Christmas!) I started my scarf with 11 cast on stitches, thinking that I might need all of the two skeins for a scarf. After about 30 cm I realized that I would have plenty for a scarf so I thought I would rip and start again - HA! this stuff is sticky, clinging, huggy, grabby, hooky, graspy, grippy and clutchy. So both of us get a long skinny scarf that is all of the above, and cool!

It was a sheer decadence to buy this yarn and I had no idea what it would look like knit up. From a distance it is a bit like those feathery yarns but close up it is very earthy and spectacular! I wish Habu for you all.

Oh, I have two more skeins of a different Habu that I will be knitting up soon - I am going to think a little bit longer about the next project because I am sure that it is just as trickey and sticky!

Ciao

Big brown blobs

Ha! Two sorts of big brown blobs - one I love the other I don't love so much. When in the US, my girlfriends, who are also chocolate lovers, pointed me in the direction of these little treasures. Little tins of truffles. Delicious little truffles. And they are not expensive at all. Unfortunately I don't think we will get them in Australia but they will be on my Christmas and birthday lists from now on.


And when they are finished I can fit in about 4 of the yummy chocolates from KokoBlack - especially the cinnamon chocolates. OK - enough of the first very tempting brown blobs.

Now for the ones I don't like so much.

I am knitting a vest for myself from Bendigo alpaca. It is really nice to knit with - lovely color - tweedy blue grey.

And I have been knitting while watching some DVD's over that last few nights - not really watching while I'm knitting. And when I went back to count stitches I found these brown blobs. I don't really know whether to do anything or not. They don't look so bad on this close up photo - but these are the only ones on the whole back. They look like dirty marks or something - though they are part of the wool.

Has anyone else had this problem with Bendigo wool? In every other way it is a gracious yarn for the price.

Well, I think I need to have some of my first brown blobs while I figure out what do to do with the second brown blobs!!

Corn Sock, Red Vest and Commute

I am working on a pair of socks as a thank you to a friend. These are knit with Maizy - 82% corn fiber and 18% nylon. The yarn knits like cotton and my new Lantern Moon Sox Stix are so nice to knit with. They are silky smooth and look so lovely. This picture is a little dark but it is the closest to the actual colour. I measured my friend's other socks that she likes before I started these. They were a little tricky as she does not have an usually shaped foot. But I think I got there with this one.
I have also never left this long between knitting one sock and starting the other - I think it is a mistake. I can't remember a lot of what I did and I didn't write it all down!!

And my other 'on the needles' project is a Chinese Red Vest - in grey!! I love this yarn and I really like this pattern so far. I love the fact that the pattern is easy - I can knit it and watch DVD's at the same time - a must project to have going. And the knit picks are also a dream to knit with.

I also wanted to show you what my commute looked like coming home tonight! How lovely is this? No traffic - well, a couple of dogs and their walkers. But I just ring my bell and they move over for me. And they all say G'day to me too. I can hear birds singing and kids playing soccer as I ride. Other commuters zoom by me but that is only because I am going at Granny speed - and no one cares. I find myself smiling my whole way home. Such a change from when I used to drive. Plus I don't have to feel guilty about the whole exercise thing.

I can't stop riding until I get where I am going so I get almost an hour of exercise a day - how good is that?

Ding Ding!