Happy Valentine's Day

The last of our Peaches I'm going to miss them in our morning porridge!


Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! Or as it's known in our house - Happy Fluffy Puff Day!
( The recipe was on an earlier blog). It's been such a lovely day today. We had some
special friends and my sister over for lunch.


Shared a vaguely Lebanese style lunch and
of course the Fluffy Puffs. It was good to take time out of the busy week and spend it relaxing
with my beloveds.

Chocolate Gugelhupf or Yeast cake for Valetine's Day

Classes have started and we're all happily busy with phone lessons (German, Biology, Chemistry and English) and attendance classes in Catering and Programming. I've learnt how to make a simple (and utterly useless) calculator and make a form that tells me my name. LOL ( Good for when my old-timers ailments start) But I've really enjoyed it. Probably cos it's in the morning and I think best then. (After lunch I usually need my Nana Nap)


OOh and I spent my birthday money too. I finally got the Knit-picks interchangeable needles - the Harmony Wood. Got MnM the steel ones last year and they were lovely but I preferred the wood. We can always share them now as both sets are interchangeable with each other.

There was a down side. I have to order the folder separately , which I didn't know and also the smallest needles (3.5) aren't screwing all the way down. I checked MnM's set and her largest needle has the same problem, only more so. I rang the Button Bar where we bought them and a lovely young woman ( Helena) said she had the same problem and just to try and push whatever is blocking it into the needle (with a tapestry needle) and if it doesn't work to bring them back. So I'll try that later and see how I go.

She also encouraged me to try the

Magic Loop

method for circular knitting and it works a treat. I've started the sleeve on a fairly long cable and its just so cool!! No dpns , no losing needles etc.

Today I'm grateful for easy, tasty recipes that don't take forever so I can spend time with everyone. And automatic front- loading washing machines. They clean my clothes gently, use less water and water my garden.
Valetine's Day is for all who love - Does that mean my chookies are my valentines 'cos they sure love me in the mornings when they're fed, in the evenings when they're put to bed and when they leave little presents on the paving when they escape. : )

huggs Little Ma

Squeezing Stuff in!!

Hi All
Hasn't this first month of 2008 gone by so fast!!!
We've been keeping busy with lots of craft and cooking. Our two favourite things to do. This is a "Sour Cream Choc Cake." I got the recipe from a book called "CRAVE a passion for chocolate"by Maureen McKeon. It has lots of pics, mmmmm. This book is one I will be putting on my xmas wish list, which is growing all the time.

This week we discoved a great way of drying the baby beanies I've made.

It's a small dessert bowl on top of a glass. It is a great way to help keep its shape.
A while ago Little Ma spun some Camel down and Tussah Silk. So while the Aussie Open was on this year I made a capelet and Little Ma made a shawl from it. Both of us wanted to try a stitch called 'Solomon's knot." We both started to crochet freestyle.



On the Capelet we chose a button that was made out of coconut. We both fell in love with it as soon as we saw it.
Until next time MnM :)


Hi I was just feeling crappy 'cos the Angel was getting on my nerves ( Instructions are yuk and the fiddly stuff makes me feel like I'm getting no-where) the Ice Queen cowl needs concentration which I've been lacking in the hot weather( air con is not working and the fan is just not enough . Why did I get rid of the pool - silly, silly me ) and I needed something interesting yet easy. My crocheted vest is boring me as well - possibly cos' it's the third time the bodice down has been worked. So I've started a kid's jumper with a round fair Isle Pattern around the shoulders. I feel so much better even doing the rib. Guess I just needed to knit SOMETHING!! I'm using some beautiful soft handspun wool from a lady (Irene Paine) who has passed away. I know her daughter-in-law, Beverley Paine, who passed on the wool to me. I wish I could have met her and told her how lovely her spinning was and how much I am appreciating knitting with it.
I'm going to go and knit some more . i think I'm ready to do the stocking stitch part - I can't believe I'm so excited to start that part. LOL


Oh , and what I'm grateful for today is being able to borrow books from the library. Less clutter at home and cheaper! Always a plus. I can check out books and decide if I really really need to have that one at home.
Huggs Little Ma

Knitting Bags

Hey
Another hot day. Anything over 40 celsius and I stop listening. I get it . It's hot.
I've just read an article (Knitters Winter 1997)
about cellular automaton knitting and the snakeskin rule where you knit the stitch according to what is on the row below.

ie Look at the 3 stitches in the row below - directly and on either side. If its got exactly 1 B, Knit a B. If it has 0,2,3 of B, Knit an A. (A and B can be colours or knit & purl or lace stitches) anyway I'm trying it out but I think I made a mistake 'cos it ain't workin'. Actually I think , no, I know I need glasses for knitting.

I don't feel like concentrating today. So I thought I'd organise our knitting bags. Favourite ones are the embroidered one and the rhinstoney ones and the Airline giveaway ones ( they come with handy little goodies like hand cream) and ... and ... any bag really. We've even used the plastic shopping bags . Each has a different project. I'd like to hang them up somewhere to make it easy to grab and run. Love to know what everyone's knitting bags are like!

At

Chris Knits

blog there's a "blessings' at the bottom . I like that idea! I read somewhere you should think of 3 things you're grateful for before you go to sleep even if it's that you're still breathing LOL
So what am I grateful for? apart from all the obvious - I love being able to watch video/dvds- whenever. Weren't around when I was little. Heck I remember the intro of colour TV! and Itunes. I even got that song 'Convoy" - I loved that growing up!! The boss, kids and I were in stitches trying to sing along . Found an old tape that I had made up as a teenager and it was songs taped from the radio - what a hoot. It was pretty crappy but hey it worked. Yep even though I could kick technology sometimes . Today I love it!

Short Huggs (as its hot) Little Ma

Best Blogs

The best blog I write usually happens - in the shower , while washing dishes, in the garden but never at the computer! The older I get the harder it seems to keep thoughts in my head. LOL and I'm planning to do a programming course this year. Is this wise?
The Boss wants me to do web design - I don't really want to. So that was my compromise. Let's hope it pays off. I need more knitting time not computing time. Just reading a book called

Internet Forensic

Easy intro into internet/email scams.

I get the Daily Knitting (see new button) emails but there's a folder full of the ones I haven't had a chance to look at. I love the gallery photos of the same pattern worn by different people. It made me realise that it's not my knitting that's the problem but my sizing. So that's my next thing to do - measure and think about the sizing before I knit the next garment.
ATM I'm knitting a Tree Top Angel ( bit late or a lot early) but the stitches kept slipping off the steel dpns so I'm using some toothpicks. It works well until they split or roughen up, but they're cheap to change.



They're arms (in case you couldn't tell : ) The right one was done on the steel and is knobbly , the left on the toothpicks and is much smoother.

I'm having words with the pattern too. There are bits that just don't add up. Drives me crazy!!
I've come across a quite a few patterns that either are wrong or talk about the pattern but don't actually write it out. I've got 2 theories, Either I'm not advanced enough or it's a conspiracy so you can't reproduce their design. 1 in particular, an Adelusian pattern book. There were a couple patterns in there that just didn't work - drove me nuts. I thought it was me till I took it to an expert. Luckily I got that at the library. It makes me wary of buying pattern books.
Happy New Year ,
huggs Little Ma (Oh and that's official now - Apart from the little creatures, I am the shortest in the house - but I'm the widest too . Does that make up for any height deficiency?

A few finished projects.

Hi everyone!!!!
Where has this year gone?
Thought it would be nice to post some pictures of stuff we've made this year. MnM

















Hi All
Don't you just love getting rid of UFO's. It helps when there's a deadline. All 4 things were presents so had to be finished.
Sewing ends in while on the way to the 'receiver ' is not unheard of . Thank goodness for gift bags otherwise I'd have to schlep along sticky tape, scissors , ribbons etc. Though my dear family are very used to their gifts being a tad late. I think they're more surprised if its on time.
hugggs Little Ma
PS Love this shawl. Pattern was from Knitty.com. Can be worn as a shawl , poncho or hat (would you believe it) but the mohair I used was not so good. Lesson for me - not all gifted wool is good. :/