You only get an "oo" with Bamboo!!

I took the wise advice from Eunny about knitting lace with wooden needles and bought myself my first pair of Bamboos. *Ooohhhh, look at me*

I love them so much. You sold me Eunny!!

I think River is coming along ok, however, I feel like I'm tugging on the stitches the whole time. I don't think I'm dainty enough for lace knitting. I hope I'm dainty enough to wear it.

I've also been doing a fair bit of sewing in the last couple of days. Sewing name labels into the Bubela's school uniform. He starts next week! The summer holiday is almost over... that's right, my four year summer holiday is about to end. Yep, the l.o.n.g weekend is over. Back to work for me. My start date is looking like the last week of September, enough time to let the Bubela settle into school, and enough time for me to get my brain ticking again. Wardrobe! Need a wardrobe! *smiles*

Riveralong

With the fabulous news of the births of the twin boys, I can put the peach Debbie Bliss cardigan on the backburner for a while and start River.

I cast on this morning, got to row 4, dropped a stitch... argh. Like looking for a needle in a haystack. Had to rip the whole thing out and start again. My second attempts in knitting are far more successful, so I'm not that peeved. A couple of the guys over at Jody's Riveralong have already finished.

This is my first lace project, so its going to be a challenge all the way. Here is the lace cast on using 7mm Addi Turbos.

Twins have entered the world...

A little early, but healthy and well. Nathan and Joshua, born this evening. BOYS. Did I not say that she was having boys. *grinning because my prediction was correct* The nose thing, remember the nose thing. Always a winner.

We won the fourth test in the Ashes??

Means nothing to me either, but check out this fella. I took a slight interest in the game today once I spotted him, Shane Warne, plays for Australia. Cute!

We're having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave..

They've gone. The Griswold's have left the building.
Let me introduce you to the family, be warned... MIL bottom right corner, Hubby top left corner. Where's my mum?
Here is me and my sister, look alike? Some say yes, others no...
The Hubby and my dad slogging over a hot bbq. They loved it, let me tell you... being served cold beers throughout.
I have warned you, Here is BIL Kramer. He has been here two days now and no Kramer-isms. Check out that monstrosity at the end of his legs, those orange things what are they? When in Rome do as the Romans, oh no, not in his case.
And, thats my South African BIL.
Last, but by no means least, its the Bubela.
They loved my apple and plum crumble, cooked with the fruit picked from my parents garden. I made a huge dish, and it all went. I love to see people eating, and enjoying.

Family gathering and feasting

The WHOLE family are coming over this afternoon for a bbq. Thank god the weather is great, its a shvitz out there.



Pictures to follow later in the day. Right now, I'm off to blend the lemons and garlic to put on top of the salmon.

Pretty in Peach

Simply Gorgeous. Isn't that kid just gorgeous. I'm knitting this ribbon edged cardigan in baby cashmerino peach, although it does look a bit orange in this photo.
Yep, making two of those.

Twin Debbie Bliss Cable and Moss Stitch Jackets

Here is the Debbie Bliss Cable and Moss Stitch Jacket taken from the Baby Knits Book.
Yarn:Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in Pale Blue
Knit up for age 0-3 months as [potential] gifts for a friend expecting twins (sex unknown).

I like to play safe so, I'm casting on Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino in Peach for a really pretty ribbon edged cardigan (I'll post photos tomorrow). Its a nice and easy pattern, no calculations on this one, just plain old fashioned pattern following.

BIL from Israel has arrived for a few days. Its going to be one crazy weekend! How can I describe him to you.... Kramer from Seinfield.

Progress report on the Debbie Bliss C&MS Jacket

Progress so far is looking good with the Debbie Bliss C&MS jacket #1 and I have even cast on for #2. *patting myself on the back*

The math for the downsizing was complicated because I had to make sure the cables were centralised so, I knit up the regular size first, and worked the math out around that. I'm knitting it to a 18" chest (0-3 months) which looks far better than the 6-12 month size which was large enough to fit the Bubela!

Mum to the tots is resting up in hospital, so I am thinking of you dearly... and knitting very quickly.

And,here is River.
It needs no introduction and I don't need to tell you how gorgeous this is, it speaks totally for itself. SavannahChik is kindly hosting a RiverAlong which I am joining. *Cheesy smile*

Re-sizing issues. Pull up a chair and put the kettle on, where are the biscuits?

I was intending to knit two jackets at the same time. So here you see completed the back of #1, although from this picture you can't actually see the detail of the jacket. Its Moss stitch at the top and stocking stitch at the bottom, with the cable ribbing.

I am in the process of knitting #2 and have come to the conclusion that I think I'll have to frog and re-start, *big sigh*. After knitting #1, I thought it looked rather large for the stated 6-12 months size (even though its dead on the stated measurements) and being as its for newborns (especially a twin) this would look ridiculously big. My thoughts were confirmed by Terri, thank you.

Only now, I've got to do the math for re-sizing.

Blooming Beautiful

There is something about a pregnant woman's nose. Or, more specifically a woman carrying a boy and the state of her nose.

About 5 months into my sister's pregnancy with her son Ben, I caught sight of her face and chuckled and teased her. She didn't look like herself, her nose had spread. She looked gorgeous, but sister's being sisters I had to tease her like crazy. However, she was what you call blooming... blooming big nose.

Years later when I was pregnant with the Bubela the same curse had struck me. I was mortified. I call it a curse because when your 20lbs or so heavier all you want is for your face to look good, or at least the same as it did before pregnancy. You know, nose in tact. Many times I was told I was blooming... is this blooming? Its blooming ridiculous.

I met a friend yesterday at a bbq. She is pregnant with identical twins, such a mitzvah. She is blooming beautiful. Her nose too has spread, but she looks so cute with it. Her bump is tidy and up front, she was glowing all night and I still cannot get over how radient she looked. She does not know what the sex is, however my prediction (based on the nose-spreading thing) is that she is having identical twin boys. I shall reveal all in October.
In the meantime, I am knitting this cable and moss stitch jacket by Debbie Bliss in Cashmerino Aran in pale blue, times two.

I like to play safe, so I shall be knitting it in pink too, unless you can convince me that my prediction might be right, based on your pregnancies and the nose thingy.



*Edited to add a big thank you to the host and hostess of the bbq, it was scrummy*

Its a small, small, world!

Some are terrible with names, some are terrible with faces, some have difficulty putting names to faces. I, on the other hand, seem to have a memory for names and faces however, anything else that gets stored in that memory box up there, I dont know how to retrieve.

A couple of years ago I picked the Bubela up from the creche in the gym after a workout and whilst I was talking or busy doing something, I could hear behind me someone saying how lovely the Bubela was, "such a good boy". Kvelling, I stopped and turned around, it was Aunty Linda chatting to her friend. I had not seen her since my wedding, so it was lovely to bump into her and introduce her to the Bubela. She was about to go into the gym with her friend and have a leisurely work-out on the bikes. We kissed goodbyes, as probably wouldn't see eachother until the next bar-mitzvah or wedding.

So, today I'm lounging around on the sofa watching MTV Cribs, greasy hair pulled back and not a trace of make-up. With the Bubela out this weekend at his Grandparents and the Hubby outside gardening I had no reason to be doing anything other than lazying around. The doorbell rings. Who in gods earth could that possibly be.

Hubby was in the front garden, I could see him from the window, what's he doing ringing the bell. I peel myself off the sofa and open the door to Aunty Linda. How does she know where I live? What's she doing here? She had come to visit her friend who had recently moved in next door and seen Hubby gardening and recognised him.

You know, I thought I'd recognised my new neighbour when I met her. She was Aunty Linda's gym friend. Small world.

The Bubela starring in his very own Toy Story

The Bubela received a huge goodie bag from Daddy yesterday, full of Toy Story and other Disney goodies. And... Buzz Lightyear and Woody outfits!! Now, that's just how to make a 3 year old's day, just look at that face.


I've nothing on the needles at the moment. I know, its unbelievable isn't it? That should be a good enough reason to finish some of those that are on the back burner, but... I'm looking for an excuse not to.

I'm actually waiting for my addi turbos sizes 6mm and 7mm to arrive so I can get started on this cabled cardigan, what a gorgeous peice. Its Debbie Bliss from her Cashmere Collection. I'll be knitting it in a burgandy colour, a real rich colour for the autumn.

Look who's eating Organic

Yesterday morning the Hubby, Bubela and I took a lovely walk through the local Farmers Market. The smell of the burgers from the burger bar was mouthwatering, the look of the vegetables were inviting and the delights of the home-baked cakes were teasing. I settled for home-made Hot Mango chutney and Sweet Pepper and Cucumber relish from one of the stalls, whilst the Bubela and Hubby bit into their sausage sandwiches. Even if I never use the chutneys, they look very pretty in my kitchen. We also came home with a Lilo and Stitch dvd for the Bubela which wasn't home-made!

Day 1 of the GI diet was... dieting. I started with a luxurious porridge this morning with honey, saltanas, banana and flaked almonds. It kept me going until 3pm, and I didn't even think about a biscuit! I made the flapjacks too, they taste as nice as they look.

Ingredients
100g porridge oats
5 tbs of clear honey
4 tbs of crunchy peanut butter
1 tbs of stoneground flour
50g of saltanas

1. Over a low light, mix together the honey and peanut butter until smooth.
2. Mix in the other ingredients in over the low light
3. Press down into a greased loaf tin and bake for 15 mins on high.
4. Leave to completely cool before taking out of tin.
5. Cut and serve.

Here's Amber. No, I'm not all that enthusiastic.
This is probably going to be my first knit that I do not wear. I'm not in love with her at all. It's unflattering, it piles like crazy and it looks shabby. Bits of orange keep turning up everywhere.








...and to put a smile back on your face, here is my neice at her 4th birthday party.

That bookshelf, it's more of a library!

Rebecca 30 arrived today. What a delight that was. I ordered it from GetKnitted and it came the next day, how's that for service? Not only a great service but, you get a 10% discount if your a Rowanette. What more can one ask for. Rebecca 30 is full of really cute tops and wraps, but the patterns read slightly complicated. There are a couple that I'd like to tackle, but not before those I already have in line.

Also, tucked away in the post was the new book I ordered, The GI Diet. Its full of easy and tasty recipes, I hope it doesn't get dusty on my bookshelf!

Watch out for Amber's preview in the next couple of days. I'm not very excited about it, but I'll talk to you about that once you see it.

Hubby and I are out tonight for Thai. Guilty? No. I'll start that diet tomorrow!!

Rowan 38

Rowan 38 has finally arrived. Worth the wait? Oh yeah!

I had read some reviews that this was very "urban", "ultra modern", "who would wear such a thing" "what's that?" and, after reviewing it on-line at Rowan was still unsure what to make of it myself. However, now that its in my hands to feel and fondle up close, I LOVE IT!!

First and upmost, I love the photography, as I always do with Rowan and I love its book-like feel as opposed to flimsy magazine-like feel.

Now the patterns... well, I just love 'em. Spencer (which is unclear in this photo) they are really beautiful gloves tarnished with buttons, a real definate for me. I love Abigail , its also a must. And, I want a Duchess and Pandora too. So, I had better get cracking on with my other projects in line.

Amber is almost finished, I just need to play around with the top left front which doesn't match the width of the right. And, I know the right front is correct, as I knit it twice. I frogged because the length didn't match the back. Oh, this is such a disaster and I'm not even sure if I'm going to wear it! I'm keeping with it though, I say with longing eyes at R38!

On other news, Cocky Little S**t called yesterday to see if I could go in and train on their computer systems. I was upfront and honest (because I don't like to lie) and told him I had another job interview. He appreciated my honesty and still invited me in, so I'll be going tomorrow. The other interview was today and I really enjoyed it, its more up my street and where my background lies. Secretly praying...