Happy New Year

Happy New Year All ... been playing with spirograph both the old fashioned way and computerised

Knitting Kombi Beanie

Not much knitting and little crochet

Merry Christmas to all just in case I have another big break from blogging. I think this is the only thing I've knitted since the last blog. A case of necessity. My husband has volunteered to be Santa at the Childcare my daughter works at, they could only afford a cheap K mart outfit and he wasn't at all happy with the beard, so I made using this pattern out of  Mohair Boucle yarn, only change was to add to the moustache.

The Baby Bomber Jacket I started in october is progressing painfully slow (get bored with crochet and keep returning to my Candy Crush Addiction) , managed to get the back and fronts finished and start a sleeve this week.

Has a lovely week in Tassie with Mum mid November, her Christmas present to me. She was doing a weekend of dog judging near Launceston and wanted to stay longer and go to Hobart to visit my Aunt & Uncle. So we ended up doing some travelling around up north hadn't been much outside Hobart before and I really did fall in love after seeing the north. I now understand why my Dad's heart never really left there after they left about 50 years ago. Seriously considering taking his ashes back there. The weather once we reached Hobart wasn't too favourable , but it's always nice to catch up with my Aunt and Uncle. I like to hear my Mum and her sister's recollections of childhood in wartime England and talk of my Grandparents who I never got to met.

I was pretty depressed about work , applied for a position a few months back and got the word back only made it to the bottom of the merit list and there were no positions in the end anyway, thanks to the new govt.
If they want to save money in the public service, stop having recruitment processes for non existent jobs.

Picking up now and not long to Christmas break. Doing things a bit tough as hubby going out on his own permanently, has work but quite often not well enough to put in a full-time effort. Major sinus issues with give him debilitating headaches and fatigued most of the time. Hoping  a CPAP machine for sleep apnoea and some thyroid medication for hashimotos will make a big improvement. There's been no point trying to find full-time employment.

MY husband's mother has made major progress, though will never walk again. Now in fulltime rehab. My niece has finally had her brain operation and was instantly out of the pain she'd been in for over 12 months. Pain from the operation but at least that responded to painkillers. So hoping she will recover quickly and be able to eat normal food again eventually , she had found a very restrictive diet was all she got manage with her condition.  My brother and her seem to be moving forward well after passing of her mother and this will help heaps, they decided to buy a bigger  house together with her partner as he will be away a lot overseas with work, so they will have each other for company.

Going to put try and put in major effort to get the Bomber Jacket finished so can go back to some knitting. Mum bought some expensive Alpaca yarn in Tassie so will have to knit cardigan for her. I was going to crochet Baby college jackets as well but thinking will have to convert pattern to knitting to get through them.

Spoke too soon

Trail of Blossoms Scarf

Police Box Slouch Hat

Scarf in Moda Vera Catalina 

Baby Aviator Hats

Oh Boy Oh Boy the Owl

So this is the crochet and knitting I've completed to since last post.

But things have been anything but normal. My MIL got a staph infection some how in her blood went into her spinal cord. long story very short she spent about 9 weeks in ICU and is now a paraplegic just started undertaking intense rehab. Then in my brother's wife died suddenly of a heart attack, both diabetes sufferers. Hubby's job didn't last as they couldn't afford to pay him. He has some work to complete from home so some income is still there, and he will have to do some work for the people he just left as they still have the work to be done, just probably under his ABN.

Weather here has been hot and windy everything getting bone dry , we were within 10 klms  of 3 bush fires the other week, we haven't been able to burn off as was too wet then too windy and now too hot and windy. Not a good way to head into a long hot summer.

Just applied for a job in another area , applied 2 years ago got on the merit list and have been getting emails to see if still interested but all amounted to naught, so back where I started,  who knows , not holding my breathe.

Back to Normal

Haven't worked OT for two weeks now, so can actually think about knitting. Have completed a drop stitch scarf for Mum with the Alpaca yarn I was trying to knit Flurries with, finally got the pattern right and realised in just wasn't going to look anything with the colour way. So went back to basics. I think I cast on this yarn about 20 times in the end and it stood up very well . Maybe going back to Tassie in November so will try and pick up some more.

DH is working again and getting paid well, may not be that long term but hopefully will get us debt free accept for the mortgage by Christmas.

Having visitors in the next few days which meant the craft room needed tidying, so could be slept in. Picked up some clever cube shelves from Bunnings for the stash all over the floor got a 1.5 x 1.5m , which has 16 cube shelves. You can then get solid drawers or cloth drawers , dividers and so on. got 8 cloth drawers quite sturdy very adequate for yarn. Would have left it open , but our new adopted cat likes to run off with balls of yarn like she's carrying a kitten, it's quite funny really. She doesn't do to much damage to the yarn fortunately, but better not to happen at all. Can fit in another so will get one soon to store the stash hiding in blanket box and cupboard in the lounge room. At just on $200 including drawers I thought it was good value

Same Dyelot?????

These were to be a gift , but turned out so different even though marked as same dyelot and of course it's discontinued. Started off the same put so put the first one away as did not want our new cat to run off with it. Took the other to work and continued on my merry way although had a bit of a niggling feeling , didn't get the first out till finished the second and wall-ah. This was a second pair , first was a different colour but same sort of variegation , they turned out nearly identical , no solid striping at all . Glad I wasn't making a jumper.So gift wasn't sent , looks like some frogging and a beanie are on the cards. Finally got back to flurries and had success with pattern , only to find I had to go up 2 needle sizes to get a lacy effect and then decide the pattern was totally lost in the variegated yarn , so more frogging and another pattern to find for the yarn so Mum gets her promised scarf. Think my knitting is reflecting my overall mood , still working heaps and really over it. Hopefully DH gets a positive outcome to an interview with an agency this week, thinking a 3 day week sounds good.

Working Working

Finally a complete day off after working 16 straight. We don't get OT that often and wasn't going to do it until I got the Electricity bill about $200 more than expected. Then DH got put off last week so back to it tomorrow . Had been trying to do some fingerless gloves with the cover so look like mittens but made one and couldn't really make sense of how to stitch it together nicely, so have gone for a simple mitten, birthdays coming up for a few people in a few weeks , made one in a day (and worked) so think I'll stick with this.

Where's The Time

Since daylight savings finished seem to have no time. Did crochet a star blanket to go with the teddy and jumper and delivered to the baby shower.

Working on a knee high pair of socks just in breaks at work, so slow. In Moda Vera Noir but nice purples.

Been working a design for a ballet wrap, but hard to stay motivated as want to make a proper pattern. So have even been swatching (pic proof). Been looking for a good edge that doesn't roll. Thought I'd do an I-
Cord but when looking out a pattern found another which will do the trick. Know how I'm doing the ties. Just need the work amounts of stitches with yarn and gauge I'm using, hopefully the decrease edging will be ok.

Borrowed these book from the library. Think I will ask for the Custom Knits 2 and it's prequel for my birthday. They're about making and converting patterns to top down and seamless,  just how I like things. Was hoping to do the wrap this way but it's not to be. Will be one piece though.

Was working on a crocheted toddler owl hat , but did not realise did not have white and black in same yarn for eyes , a cotton acrylic blend, might cheat and use acrylic.