I'm a Ravelry Gal

I can't believe it, I was invited to join Ravelry and now I can spend many an hour whiling away the time loooking at other people's knitting! Actually I think it is very good. I've only just joined so its new. I don't have a Flickr account but I am thinking I will get one and the other thing I will need to invest in is a better camera. I've had the old Olympus for a while now and I need to upgrade. So tomorrow my boss is out at a meeting all day, I have finished all my current projects so I might sneek a peek in between times.

I am amazed at the number of people who are the most brilliant knitters. Some of the work they do is extraordinary. I am way too lazy to do complicated multi colour patters and besides I make all mine up but some those knitters out there are unbelieveable.

So I'm going to give Ravelry my best shot.

Things To Do

The pink frilly number drove me nuts and I've had to leave it. I've trawled all my books and magazines and the internet for new ideas but haven't come up with much so I've decided to get rid of all my cotton stash (which is big) and do loads of these.

I do like a frill!

I think they look good and I made a lovely one for my friend Linda and apparently she has had loads of comments so I think I shall carry on.

I've been busy at work with various things great place the kids are brilliant and I'm currently doing what I enjoy most which is helping with college applications and work experience. The students that need help with this are always a laugh and they appreciate someone helping them instead of preaching/teaching!

My own two lovely lads have had exams the past two week, seemed to go alright. We are also currently in the middle of organising an 18th Birthday Party for them so that should be interesting. They want to mark it in some way but preferably with their mates.

Has anyone else read this book. I got it from the library but its not my usual thing. I like to think I'm a bit highbrow and slightly more literary than this kind of book but I thought it might be a quickie read. I'll give it a try in between other stuff.

Back to Normal - if that's possible

I love having the house decorated for Christmas, we put up lots of stuff and it always looks pretty but today I was glad to take it all down and put it away and have the house cleaned and and back to normal ready for going to work and the boys going back to school tomorrow. We had a lovely holiday but it can't go on forever. The boys have exams this week for which little or no preparation has been done but I could talk myself hoarse about that one. They will do what they do and no amount of nagging from me will make any difference so I can do no more.

On Friday I went to stay overnight with my friend Linda at her lovely cottage we had a lovely girlie evening and then yesterday we had a day at Whittlebury Hall. (If I could work out how to do a link I would but not feeling clever enough and have just spent the last 5 minutes trying to edit!!) Thoroughly enjoyed it. Had a massage and a fantastic facial played in the spa and went home feeling pampered. Thank you Linda for a lovely treat.

Nothing woolly today I wanted to finish off my Ken Follett novel and start a new book - The Gathering which won the Booker I think, anyway it looks promising. Have also resolved to try and read as much as I knit but I guess there isn't enough time to do both equally. I will try.

So house tidy, stash sorted, a few ends tied up and back to my desk tomorrow. For the next two terms I will be very busy which is great, I am so lucky to enjoy my job as much as I do.

Tidy Stash

It took a little while but I tidied yesterday. Must get a better camera these pics don't do it justice! Oh and the wicker baskets piled up on each other are also tidy and full! So bring it on 2008 - my needles will be on fire.

Work In Progress

A quiet afternoon and Patrick Swayze in King Solomon's Mines produced this.

So I have managed to keep to my resolution and have blogged for two days in a row! Went to bed early last night with a great book I've been trying to finish called Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett but managed to get two frills on this little honey. Today I plan to tidy up and get rid of some stuff and continue with the above.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all you poor people who read this blog and hope upon hope that I have put something new on it. Well guess what New Year's res is to keep it up to date. I can't believe that I last put anything on here in August. Well time flies as they say. I have been busy, college has started for me on Wednesday nights and my job as always is busy. I have knitted and crocheted like a dervish to make enough goodies for the Craft Fairs I have been at. Hooray I have made money this year. Not tons but enough to justify the stash. And as ever I loved being around those crafting folk they are always a pleasure to be with. No more Craft Fairs until after March because I sold so much I have barely anything left.

Can't say that's a great picture but everything in it has been sold!

So what else has been happening. The boy G has kept himself busy and as ever he has been a huge help whilst I am busy with work and stuff. God love him. Here he is just about to open his new apron!!!! While Buster thinks it might be something for him.

Here is Buster with one of his new toys.

Christmas was quiet and peaceful. Ever since we lived in Vancouver and we always had Christmas with no visitors to speak of, the boys prefer that its just the four of us (and doggy boy) and since my parents are getting older and don't want to travel we went up to them after Boxing Day. So it was an enjoyable time but quite relaxed and laid back.

Here's what I got from G. Don't you just love it. He knew I wanted one of these! I love him. The monkey's name is Billy when I tidy up the house after the decorations are removed I've got just the spot for him.

The boys are slumbering upstairs, G has just made me a bacon buttie to help me over writing this drivel. And I intend to get a little project on the go this afternoon. My mother always says that what you do on New Years Day you do for the rest of the year, so I am perfectly happy that I shall be here with my lovely family, a few balls of yarn and a little doggie sitting at my feet.

Happy New Year to everyone and I absolutely promise to be a better blogger for 2008. God Bless.

Back From Vacance

Almost finished all the laundry we came back with and the piles that the boys had left for my return, never were they so glad to see us, limited food menu and having to walk to everywhere!!!. Had a great time (see pics) weather was a bit mixed so we didn't do a lot of beaching it. Lovely place on the Vendee coast very French seaside resort and stayed in a lovely traditional French house courtesy of own friends Sandra and Graham. Ate like there was going to be rationing and should really look like a stick of bread but relaxed and rested.

I took an entire bag full of projects and never even opened it. Don't know why but it was more relaxing to read and doze in between bouts of eating. So it all came back and the stash has got no smaller. I was a very good girl and didn't buy anything new at all even though every town had a wool shop. Did buy a book though with great crochet projects - just have to try and work out the instructions. Got to admit our French is really bad, we got better as the time went on but thank goodness for all those lovely French people who were happy to either speak to us in English or make do with Bonjour and Merci!!!

Back to reality with a bump though. The lads did not do great in their exams and so there will be massive amounts of re sits and hard work. Anyway right now one is getting ready to go to Magaluf and the other is at the Reading Festival so we will have to hit the ground running in September. I think they know what they have to do but I will have to crack the whip. I will be Mrs popular again for the next 9 months!

Its great having time off 6 weeks holiday is wonderful but you become so out of the routine of work I dread going back. Still, got to get it together and start the new term with a positive attitude. I loved France, and there were lots of of properties for sale and apparently quite a few English people have retired in the area, but when I thought about it my dreams of whiling away my time knitting, crocheting, reading and lazing around are just that - dreams. I am not ready yet to do nothing with my time except hobbies. I think that's why I didn't knit while we were away I need structure to my days.

Got the new Rowan mag and boy oh boy is it boring. The pictures are dark you can't see what anything looks like and quite frankly some of the projects made the 7 stone model look chunky! I was quite disappointed I don't think there's one thing in there I wil bother with. Next project I have decided (when I finish off the two bags I have for the stall) is a granny square blanket thingy in retro colours all done in cotton, of which I have an enormous stash . Watch this space.