KnittingNatty

Merry Christmas! ...

... to all the gentle folk who read this blog, and come back, consistently, despite the whining, the infrequent posting and most recently, the frogging. I wish for you a safe and happy holiday, one and all.

This is the pic I sent out with our Christmas cards this year:

You know how some, maybe all kids go through a stage of acting up for the camera? Well, here are some of the outtakes (there were plenty to choose from!):

Yes, my kids are sitting in the pantry. Why? Who knows! And yes, I do feed them!

Can you see my daughter just taking it all in?

I love how kids try to get in close to the camera:

And one of me and the kids (self portrait)

See you all mid January 2007!

D-day (as in driving day)

Well, the car is packed; and we are set to go! We are starting our Christmas holiday a little early this year.

I will probably not be able to access the internet much during the weeks that we are away, but goodness knows, I'll be wishing I could!

Check back on/ after Christmas Day and New Years Day for a couple of posts I have prepared for you ahead of time! (And maybe when I get back, I'll have some knitting progress to show you! Ha!)

three more balls of wrongness AKA Christmas is kickin' my butt

The Christmas cards are half done...(oops) ...

are now ready for posting in the morning

... the house was clean whne I finished it yesterday lunchtime ....

...the packing has begun... is well underway

... and the Lace Panel Jumper has been started for the third time. Lynne, counting  the 3 balls I used for the second attempt at guage, that makes 9 balls of wrongness! I have gone down to a 4.00 mm needle from a 5.00 needle and the stitches are finally sitting more tightly in the fabric. I haven't taken a measuring tape to it yet, I will knit a few more centimeters first. What the heck, counting all the frogging, I'd be half way done with this project right now if I hadn't been so stubborn about guage.

DO YOU REALLY WANT A PHOTO? it looks just like my other 2 attempts at a st st back so far... :)

How about a list of my Christmas. knitting instead?

1. Calmer sock #2
2. The Hubster's navy sock #2
3. LPJ
4. Icarus shawl - so much for having it done by Christmas!

5. Jaywalker socks

If I finish all of that over our holiday, then I'll be down to six items in the WIP list and no socks on the needles...

I know I promised photos, but this Christmas is kickin' my butt!

   

Back story

I've gotten no knitting done for the last 2 days - it's been peanut butter sandwiches and endless cleaning up of little messes.

It's been a bit of an "awww crap!" week, nothing serious, just annoying: the Christmas fudge didn't set; the rosellas were too old for jam making and had to be chucked out; I still have not made any Christmas cards, but I have made 2 birthday cards for October just gone.

But, Bron must have know this, because  this week, her Christmas parcel arrived! YAY! There was handcream - always a favourite;

Knitpicks yarn (rubbing hands together...)

and, the kids' favourite, the singing, howling moving Christmas dog!
I must say that Caitlyn was terrified the first time she saaw t singing, but now they are best buddies, and fight over him a bit. I have to stop them taking him into teh bath, and bed, that sort of thing! Its all good, and no, I haven't been driven crazy as yet...

But I'm sure the day is coming! ;) Thanks Bron!

You gotta know when to walk away, know when to run

Firstly, I want to thank everyone for their support and sympathy in relation to my job application and my computer problems. It meant so much to me. You guys just rock! I really appreciate you adding your two cents worth

Okay, so, most importantly, all the data was saved from the computer and no lasting damage done. Yet. I do need to back up my data though... This was a reminder to (a) not mess with what you don't understand and (b) not procrastinate on the things that will cause a lot of heartache if left undone. I will try not to be too hard on myself about it though.

That said, the computer went into the shop Monday morning, and I picked it up  Wednesday afternoon. While the computer was away, my house got cleaned, the kids got extra play time and I even started to read my library book! It was a lesson in how much time I actually use on the computer and some of the triggers to watch out for.

But, back to Sunday. The day dawned sunny and bright, and I decided to just start typing dot points and see how easily it flowed, despite the lack of previous applications on hand. I ended up submitting the application 11 pm Sunday night.

That said, the jury is still out as to whether to let the application stand or not. Childcare is looking really expensive, and whilst I have yet to check out the rebates etc, it may not exactly turn out to be worthwhile until at least one child does not need full time care. Because we are so far from family, we basically have to pay for all the assistance we will need with the children. I do have 2 dear friends who live up here, and whilst I would leave the kids with them in a heartbeat, I don't want to take advantage of them either.

Even if this whole job episode turns out to be a fizzer, it has been a good thing to go through as it as reminded me to look at how I currently spend my time;  I now have a more up to date electronic job application on the Mac; and I have more information about the cost of childcare in returning to work.

There has been knitting, but not much, I have to say. I have scrapped "Gathering Intentions" - it came out wide enough for the Hubster -  and started a new cardigan from Jo Sharp's Knit Issue 2. (A great pattern book, BTW- go have a look if you get the chance.) Pics next time. Thanks again, one and all.