KnittingNatty

Too funny!

Spotted at No-blog-Rachel's blog. This was too good not to share:

What's your new name*?

1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:

A = snickle

b = doombah

c = goober

d = cheesey

e = crusty

f = greasy

g = dumbo

h = farcus

i = dorky

j = doofus

k = funky

l = boobie

m = sleezy

n = sloopy

o = fluffy

p = stinky

q = slimy

r = dorfus

s = snooty

t = tootsie

u = dipsy

v = sneezy

w = liver

x = skippy

y = dinky

z = zippy

2. Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:

A = dippin

b = feather

c = batty

d = burger

e = chicken

f = barfy

g = lizard

h = waffle

i = farkle

j = monkey

k = flippin

l = dippin

m = bubble

n = rhino

o = potty

p = hamster

q = buckle

r = gizzard

s = lickin

t = snickle

u = chuckle

v = pickle

w = hubble

x = dingle

y = gorilla

z = girdle

3 . Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:

a = butt

b = boob

c = face

d = nose

e = hump

f = breath

g = pants

h = shorts

i = lips

j = honker

k = head

l = tush

m = chunks

n = dunkin

o = brains

p = biscuits

q = toes

r = doodle

s = fanny

t = sniffer

u = sprinkles

v = frack

w = squirt

x = humperdinck

y = hiney

z = juice

*From Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants by Dav Pilkey

I am officially Tootsie DippinHiney.Sounds vagely, well, you know.. Who are you?

Do you have a memorable text message?

In an effort to revive this blog's regularity,  I am proposing to branch out at little.

My Dad loves his sport. Loves it. Dad is a big Broncos supporter (football). To the point that when he is overseas, I will text hime the scores so that he doesn't miss out. These days of internet broadcasting etc, it is not so important. There are times however, when he is is in foreign countries with limited access to the internets. At these times, I try to help him out. 

Father's day last year coincided with the playing of a crucial match in the football season. So I texted Dad a message, which was (to my mind at least) humourous due to its brevity:

"Eels 68 Broncos 10. Happy Fathers Day"

What is a memorable text message for you?

It's been so long that even Typepad doesn't remember me

Man, it has been a long long time!

The Hubster has finished up his 4 months of leave from work and has ventured once more into the fray of working life (like looking after kids at home is not work - hehehe, us Mums know better don't we? And now, so does the Hubster, hehehe)

During the awkward silence, Donni sent me a gorgeous narrow scarf to make me feel beautiful - you may have seen it on her blog some time ago. Thank you so very much Donni - it is very much appreciated! Here are some photos:
Me, happily wearing my new scarf:

I am imagining a crisp linen shirt with dark jeans and maybe some big earrings! Time to go out and have me some fun!
And here is a closeup of the scarf pattern:

Thank you so much Donni - I apologise for the lateness of this entry.

I have been knitting however - A cotton jumper for the Hubster for this winter. The back is done:
although the colour is a bit washed out in the pic.

And in my defence of not posting? Some ISP issues due to ongoing torrential tropical rain, but in  the  most part computer fatigue after using one all day at work and a certain ennui caused by lack of time to knit, read blogs or listen to fave podcasts. This situation is slowly being rectified as I come to grips with some newly acquired responsibilities at work! I dont want to stress myself out for a lack of blogging, and hope that my dear readers, although doubtless small in number, will persist in swinging by to visit...

Please leave me a comment if you could be so bothered to let me know that you are still there! Much appreciated. Hugs, Nat   

You make my day!

Thank you to Amanda J and Terri for bequeathing this award on me. I've never been nominated for an award before, so this was a thrill.

I nominate (in no particular order):

1.    Terri - right back at you girlfriend! And for being up for a chat at short notice...
2.    Amanda J - ditto! Although I think our chats are yet to come!
3.    Robbyn - for being a kind sensitive and consistent friend; for encouraging me to aspire to designing my own projects by revealing so much of her creative processes; by demonstrating exemplary manners in the knitblog world; and by showing an uncanny knack for striking up a close rapport with her many regular readers (including moi!)
4.     Donni - for being an inspiration to keep blogging and to knit new and different things; for your fresh approach and endless enthusiasm; for sharing snippets about your kids who are about the same age as mine; for hand dyeing a mature and rich palette of  beautiful yarns for sale - you really have uncovered a  talent there
5.    Bron - for your endless enthusiasm and energy, for encouraging me to start blogging myself in 2004, for your kind and caring remarks; for sharing at the time your personal struggles and feelings in relation to your aging parents
6.     Katt - for being so  positive about other peoples' projects, and  leaving a swale of lovely comments through knitblogland and providing such a positive contribution to our corner of the internet; for being creative in offering hand dyed yarns for sale with gorgeous original names like "pitter" and "patter". Are you up for a meet up one day?
7.    Cindy2paw - for being so  positive about other peoples' projects, and  leaving a swale of lovely comments through knitblogland and providing such a positive contribution to our corner of the internet; and also for being brave enough to share your story, and pictures of your beautiful dogs. I hope that we can meet one day.
8.    Donna - for your refinement, love of amazing yarns, and extraordinary lacework which wins every Easter show award in my book; for always answering my questions and being one of my favourite enablers, hehehe
9.    Sandy, for your kind and gentle nature, for having the guts to undertake "Blog 365", for giving me insights into your world. It might be everyday, but it's never humdrum
10.  Karen, for the cyberhugs you need right now, your loyalty to friends and lovely socks.

There are loads of other blogs I love and new bloggy friendships being formed. Please  consider yourselves hugged, one and all!

Generosity of spirit

Sorry. A word that some politicians could  not use. And then, its a word other politicians do use with astonishing generosity and sincerity. I'm glad the apology to the Stolen generations was not full of legalese.

I'm proud of the leadership shown in our nation today. I had tears in my eyes whilst watching something so momentous; and am so happy to think that maybe we can celebrate the culture and contributions made by Aboriginal people to our modern society. Something not widely known is that I have worked in the social justice field for the vast majority of my working life. May the apology bring healing and closure to those who seek it.

Just in case you missed it, you can always read the whole thing straight from the horse's mouth, Hansard, here.

Migrane

I have loads to tell but for now all I can report is a migrane.

And I left the camera at work all weekend.

More when the fog lifts from my sore bear head.

But for now, a button. Donni asked, and now receives.

The story is here and here. Legendary.

Something is lost, something is found

At the start of the new year, everyone was making new year's resolutions. People, and my relationships with people, are things that I have always valued very highly and put a lot of time into. With children, and now full time work, I have found this value harder and harder to find time for. All of a sudden, December got busy and I did not send out one Christmas card. And a card at Christmas, even with a one page summary of the twelve months of the year, does not seem like enough when we are so removed from family and friends.

So, one of the non-knitting related resolutions was to get in touch with some folks who are dear to me but with whom I have lost contact, and to start an email group, and maybe a flickr account so that family and friends who are so far away from us get to see  pictures regularly of us and the children, they change so quickly.

So I googled an old friend, and I found him on the first click, no less - amazing! I am still in awe of the power of the internet. I sent off the first email hoping that it would not be tossed out automatically as spam, and sat and waited. It seemed like a  long time but in reality it was only a couple of days when I got some lovely photos and a message back. We have sent letters back and forth, and I feel really good about that.

There is a second part to this, however. A man died. He was like a grandfather to me, an Anglican priest before his retirement. A kind man, who looking back, did not say a word to me without his conviction being behind  it. A man you could be confident in not betraying your confidences. He had a beautiful deep voice, I could listen to him read the phone book all day. He baptised me and was present at my wedding. There is other stuff, not for sharing here.

We visited with him and his wife several years ago. He wasn't someone I ever visited out of duty, but out of joy. I sent photos when DS Ian was born and I think I may have sent a photo when DD Caitlyn was born also. I sent a Christmas card in the years that I sent any out at all; and definitely at the end of 2006, with a photo. But there were no visits of recent years, either with the kids or without them. The kids never met him. Somehow, there were always other (elderly) family members to visit.

I went to the funeral alone, feeling that somehow my new years resolution came at least a year too late.

Nat to blog, come in blog - a random post

A lack of blogging does not mean that things have been stagnant around here. My apologies for the blog silence! Sorry to leave you all in suspense like that, not intended ...

I have made curtains for 2 bedrooms, Ian's and the 4th bedroom. Here is DS Ian's room:

The blue compliments the fresh paint put in a couple of months ago by my better half, the Hubster. I found it hard to find a curtain fabric for a boy's room that was not a licenced product, or not completely naive and childish in its theme. Has anyone else had this experience? I mean DS Ian likes Thomas the Tank Engine and all that, but at 5, I have probably missed the boat for that style of curtains ...

I am still waiting on the new curtain rod to be put up in the 4th bedroom by said Hubster, so the pics of the other room will have to come another day. The curtain fabric is a mushroom pink and warm brown tones, and I promise some pics when it is all put together. There is new furniture in there too which really will set it off. I took some before pics so that you can see the difference.

It also seems that the Hubbie is determined to paint some more before he returns to work in March, so our room is next on the cards for fresh paint. It is a big room, and we have chosen something a little more subtle than the shades put in the kids' rooms. He is even talking about the remaining rooms inside the house, so here's hoping this rush of blood to the head lasts!

(I must also confess to talking with reckless abandon about  putting up new curtains in the rest of the house. I have curtain fabric for the kitchen remaining in the cupboard which needs sewing up, and then I need to go back to the curtain shop for more fabric...)

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We had some awesome light the other night, and here are some pictures that I took of the Sky, for Sandy: 

*****

I had hoped to post about a couple of FO's but I have not knit a stitch during the week for the past 2 weeks on the trot. Work  has been very busy - it is much busier that was this time last year that is certainly true. At least there has been a minimal loss of momentum in the Project I am involved with, which is important.

*****

I hope to  finish up Hubbie's socks this afternoon and then get onto finishing Ariann, same as I reported last time. You are not the only one disappointed with the lack of progress in this regard.

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The kids and I made gingerbread men this morning. Baking makes me feel like a good mother and the kids really enjoy it - yes, those blinds in the background are the next to go! Ugh!

Knitting new years resolutions

Last year, I made some new years resolutions:

1,     to buy more Australian wool and to use more Australian designers etc. I did make an effort there for a while, but found myself succumbing again to the lure of some yarns for which there are no equivalents here. So, I'd have to give myself only a partial score on that one. I have, however, bought my share of yarn from Australian indie dyers such as Daphne  Katt, and Donni. Thanks Ladies, for such lovely  yarn!

2.    to get under control the enormous number of WIPS (which, at that time, stood at 10). This was, for me, an unreasonable number of projects to have on the go at any one time. I have been really successful at managing that, and of all the old WIPS at 01/01/2007, only 2 have not been completed. The 2 uncompleted ones were the Cul-de-Sac vest, which I have decided to frog, and not revisit; and the Jo Sharp cabled jumper/ sweater oddity, err, I mean, oddessy which has been cast on since before I was pregnant with DS Ian...

I just have to pick it up and work on it, I mean; dammit, can it be so hard?

3.    to stop buying yarn at a rate faster than I can knit it. Score: Bit of a fail on that one!

The knitting highlight of 2007 would have to be finishing my Icarus shawl. I wore it to my work Christmas party, which turned out to be a really subdued affair, and nobody noticed it. But I loved it, loved wearing it and enjoyed knitting it all the same. I have an FO post planned for tomorrow as it appears that I never put up the pictures on the blog, and I thought that I had... Seems I only got as far as flickr and  Ravelry...

Okay, so onwards and upwards, my resolution for 2008 is to knit consistently throughout the year, and to blog consistently also. I have been back at fulltime work for almost a year now and the blog is still going, much to my amazement. I thought that I would have not been able to keep going at all once returning to work. (I did however miss my 3 year blogiversary in September 2007, however!)

My knitting highlights and goals for the year are

• Pretty as a Peacock shawl - the yarn arrived late last week!
• 3 tanks for me (silk cotton from stash, roundabout leaf tank, Michele)
• 3 sweaters/ cardis for me - finished! (Ariann, thick and thin cardi and sunrise circle)
• 1 sweater for the Hubster - of my own design (yarn purchased already - see 3, above!)
• 1 knitted toy for each of the children -a gingerbread man for DS Ian and an elephant for DD Caitlyn
• 1 sweater for DS Ian, this is a "maybe" as he starts school this year, and may not really need one. If he asks for one though, he will get it!(DD Caitlyn has some cardis etc that I knitted for my neices which will do her nicely for  this Winter coming)
• socks in the meantime - more patterned ones and less plain st st ones
• My dear Mum wants a new woollen hat (earmarked to be the sunflower Tam from Nora G's Knitting Nature), and my Dad wants some new beanies - these are big maybes though!

All in all, this is getting a tad ambitious, do you think?

So what are your highlights from 2007 and what are you planning for 2008? I saw the KAL (or should that have been a frog-a-long?) for clean slate 2008, but there is just no way that was ever going to work for me!

And, in what can only be described as a win for "Knit before Wicket", I have made substantial progress on Ariann:

I ordered an extra 4 balls in a fit of panic, and it appears that I will not need them! Here is the yarn I have left at the moment, housed in a Xmas present from my dear ol' Mum: