I'll have what she's having!

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

Finally for the first time in weeks I made it to the covne meet-up. So exciting to see everybody again. But there was so much to talk about and so little time.
Some valuable knitting time was got in,drank a latte, ate a chocolate brownie which wasn't half bad, actually it was reasonably good.

Finally picked up a copy of the Filati knitting this afternnon after the meeting. It's put out by Lana Grossa and is a sumer edition so has lots of very cute little tops and wraps in it.

I'd like to take htis opportunity to lament the restrctions on becoming Renassionce Woman. While I would like tobe a an all spinning, all dyeing, all knitting and all crocheting. I just ahve the time, more's the pity. I will have to content myself with getting on top of my UFO's and mastering the art of crochet.

There is simply not enough hours in the day or enough money in my budget to indulge all my passions. However having said that I am getting a bit crafty with some fabric and velcro for a special project. That is all I will say for the moment as there is some more work to be done before all can be revealed......

Some discussion at the coven this afternoon has got me thinking. About deed polls and name changes, and how many peole hate their names. Maybe after my advanced wenchng (food as well as beverage service) course is over maybe I oculd reinvent myself? Nothing major, it's not like reinventing the wheel. Or is it??????

If you do change your name can you apply to have all oyur schoola nd educational certificates reissued in your new name? Or do oyu merely have to have accompyning proof with you when being interveiwed to show you are the person who got those results?
Hmmmmmmm....so many questions! And so many other quesitons! And projects and ideas and things to do!

Where will it end? Perhaps when I become Buffy! Buffy Summers! Or better yet Xena, yes I could pictue myself as a Xena.

Until next time,
Suzi (or possibly Buffy or possibly Xena)
A bona fide red head (or maybe blonde or brunette) who has to go and still the mind and do some actually more knitting - socks to finish!

YEAH!

I am so exctied! If I knew what the Friends elbows were I would so be doing it!

With any luck and I can get out of class early as well, I may actaully make the knitting coven meet up tomorrow.

Now if you excuse me I have to go and go "Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo" and wring my hands lots.

Suzi.
Too excited to tell you anything here today!

New clicky link!

http://countyoursocks.blogspot.com/

Just for Ms Stash and anyone else who is interested. How many pairs socks have you knitted yourself?

I Live To Write Again!

>

I did not as I feared, simply write fish all over my order book. Not that this would have been a bad thing as we were serving fish.

Tonight was our first restaurant practical, despite what we all thought we all weren't on these tow nights. I was in Group A and we worked by ourselves tonight. Four of us in total plus our supervising staff, and the kitchen crew of course.

Tomorrow night Groups B, C and D get to work and we all get the night off. They aren't as talented as us, that's why were Group A and get the customers to ourselves.

However I still need to finish off an assignment so I will have to go into school tomorrow after all. BOOO!!!

Then Friday I get to do the oh so thrilling, and much looked forward to breakfast shift. No, really I am looking forward to it, because once it's done it's done. And fortunately there is only one breakfast shift.

The Daft White Cat wasn't too impressed with my knowledge gathering excursion. I heard all about it when I came home, well just after I came home since he was actually sound asleep. Blissfully unaware of me coming in with all my bags of stuff.

I had better check and see what it is I am meant to be doing next week. As I am missing my knitting coven get togethers. Bill and I seem to be still getting on like a house on fire, Ted has been noticeably absent. Which is probably a good thing because he has those pants that the crotch is down around his knees and I just want to go over and grab the back of them and pull up. It irritates me to no end, I have my true grumpy old bag moments then.

Anyway my beloved readers, I am off to bed, the DWC is giving me the eyes and sitting on the desk sending me telepathic requests. Lets go to bed, I want to curl up on the blanket. Lets go to bed I want to sit on your hot water bottle. Lets go to bed I can bury myself under the covers next to your feet.

That last one has me beat, quite frankly at the end of the day I'd rather be far away from my feet. But cats are strange creatures, or at least all mine have been. One of them was a definite foot fetishist, wouldn't get up and sit in your lap, but he adored feet. He had to be as close as possible to them.

Ah well I'm of to bed to get some rest, busy day tomorrow. Actually I'm glad I don't ave to work tomorrow, it gives me plenty of time to do stuff during the day and the opportunity to get early to bed so I can be ready to report for work at 7am.

Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide red head who is not a morning person and is damn cranky because of it.

Good news!

Being laid up with my sore and still swollen ankle - fortunatly not bruised - Ms Stash came to visit me and keep me company. I actually got some more work done on the Sister Sock. Very exciting!

Since then I've logged on to finally look at the new Magknits and Knitty's that are up.

Nothing in Magknits really screamed make me now! The stuff was nice, but not I have to make it! Knitty on the other hand, I mean literally on the hand here, has inspired me and also a number of people I discovered while catching up on Punk Rock Knit Girls.

The Knucks are very cool, and seeing what others have done on the Knucks KAL has really inspired me. I was just looking at the Tiger Paws and Tabby Paws in the Yarn magazine earlier this afternoon thinking I would make some of those. Well I will be making a lot more as it now seems.

Other inspiring patterns I found while catching up on the PRKG was these socks and stockings. The wonderufl DIY Network site for Knitty Gritty, listing all the episodes so you can see hat htey all featured.
However back at Knitty I found these to add to my ever growing list of things to make - Carpathia, Reptilian Lace, Baudelaire, Swell and my two absolute faves from fab factor alone Allete and Lilies (my absolute fave flowers ever!).

I've also found a new web ring I've fallen in love with, The Bad Ass Knitters Webring. Bad ass aside, I am enamoured with their choice of buttons - which despite the name of the ring also cater for spinners and crochters.


To finish off, a little something I know Sharon will appreciate as well! Betty Boop herself x2.

Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head who will answer people's questions, I swear - alot! But it will be done.

So many good things and so few.

I have been so distracted, I have failed to blog about some of the more important knitting things that have happened.

My much coveted Tiger ayrn has long isnce arrived, very exciting! All the way from Germany. Unfortuantly Ms Stash dosen't have her borrowed camera so I can't take a picture of my lovely yarn to show you. However, the wonderful Sharon has a pair knitted up.

On my way home from class today I encountered the rabble that is other people's children, fortunatly their are a number of buses close together so I managed having to avoid traveling with a large number of them.
The hair cuts alone are enough to drive you mad! Being one of the last on the bus, the bus driver took off before I could even sit down and I odn't know what I did but my ankle has been sore ever since.

I met Ms Stash as I was dragging myself home, after deciding not to come and see her now I was all miserable but she espied me so I went to visit her and the Boy.
She was also brave enough to take my sock and shoe off for me, after I complained I had a fat ankle. Apparently it's not just fat, upon looking at it she also thinks there is a bruise coming up.
Now we just wait and see, either I'll wake up tomorow and it'll be fine or I'll wake up and it'll be even more hideous than now.

I guess there will be no excuse to not sit and knit this weekend, now all I need is something to watch. I've been re-watching everything I possess latley as there seems to be nothing but rubbish on tv. Rubbish!
Having re-seen St Trinians and the Train Robbery, I ma more than doubly determined ot find some more of this classic if nonsical series.

Also on the knitting front, I saw a new knit magazine while in the newsagent. Filati? Filata? It was only $9.95 and there looked to be quite a few copies there so I am going to go back next week and pick up a copy as it was full of things I loved. Which is more than I can say for the Creative Knitting which was the same price but no where near the same excitement level.

Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide red head in pain and damn unhappy.

My loyal subjects!

I address you now to let you know I have not forgotton you or our plan to rule the world.

When the day comes and I am supreme ruler your loyalty and patience shall be remembered. However I fear I may have bit off more than I can chew. And I didn't once think those immmortal words "How hard can it be?"

I don't think I am quite cut out to be a food and beverage wench. Bar wenching I could handle, add food to the mix and it gets complicated. You have to know things!
I don't know I can explain menu's to people, or discuss wine choices. To me either it is drinkable or not. Which reminds me I discovered on a foray into a bottleshop that Hardy's produce their Merlot in 10 litre casks. Very pleasing.

Also you will all have to have black coffee's or flat white's, possibly a latte if your lucky or flat cappacino's. I'd advise the black it's going to be the least disappointing.

The Thrilling Adventures of Matt Hardy and Denny Crane are temporarily on hold, Matt needs to think about the meaning of good customer service and can't come out of the corner till he does.
I am his customer and I expect to be serviced promptly and politely regardless of personal meltdowns, hot blondes or crazy cranks, as would any of my customer's.
Do you think they are really interested if I am getting good customer service elsewhere? Or if they are going to get their drink promptly?
Now that is a hard one, can I have some thinking music please Bob?

"At the age of thirty-seven she knew she'd found forever
As she rode along through Paris with the warm wind in her hair ..."

Alright Bob, I'm going to go with the first option! What???? I'm wrong??? Aww!
Wait, there's a booby prize what do I get?
A Matt Hardy action figure? In a skull and cross bones top?!?!?!?! Perhaps not a complete loss then...

Fear not!

As for Bill and Ted, well, I got my own back in class yesterday on Bill. We had a class on communicating on the telephone, yes, they actuually tach you about telephone etiquette and handling.

Well since Bill and Ted and our other group member voted me into being secretary, I was outvoted by threemales as Bill told me. Soemthing in our group discussion, we somehow got onto perky. I made osme crack about how we wern't talking about the kind of sex phone lines Bill rings up...much to great amusement.

Today, today was anew day. Bill and I got along a lot better, I wouldn't say a house on fire, but considerably better, especially since we got assigned to a group together along with the two R's (yes, both girls have the same name).

And the wonderful Che put me onto this, aren't these the coolest lookign oven gloves you've ever seen??

I Spy With My Little Eye...

Did anybody else see Miami CSI last night? I do believe that was a not a Hottie Clicker or something very much like it that boy had.

I had to do a practical for my Advanced bar Wenching aka Food and Beverage Wenching course on Friday night, so my father taped Blackbeard for me, which went well till towards the end were first someoen had chnged the channel while it was recording and then it had stopped recording altoghether after giving me brief hope when someone had turned it back to the right channel.

So no I don't actually know how Blackbeard ended...

I ended up sitting next to Bill and Ted today in class, or more to the point they sat next to me. I had to work with them, I got voted 'secretary' because I was the only girl in the group.
But honestly I look at bill and Ted and I see myself as a prime candidte fro that Grumpy Old Women show. What I could say!

Suzi.
A bona fide cranky red head.

What a day!

We had originally intended to try and organise a lunch at Smokey Joes since I had a rare day of freedom and missed out on last weeks coven meeting. But Smokey Joes was not to be as they don't appear to have opened yet in their new premises. SO I thought plan number two, I would take advantage of cheap tickets at the movies and go see the much advertised Pirates of the Caribbean 2.
Dosen't open till Thursday.

But to my delight I discovered X-Men 3 had not finished but was in it's final days. 10:30 this morning I was not at the cinema. 10:40 Miss Stash and I got to the cinema
And wouldn't you know it? The movie had actually started! No never ending preveiws!
I had planned to take some pictures of Matt's day at the movies to detract form the lack of knitting but that didn't go to plan, you can't take pictures of empty popcorn boxes in empty theatres with blank screens....Poor boy, if only he had relaised it was all a lure on my part to liberate him of his bandana!

So when we got home which was very quickly, something did not agree with me. I'm blaming the cinema popcorn. Matt and his new friend Captain Kirk (so he dosen't look a total Nigel) re-enacted their day's outing. Below is the humourous story. It is very amusing, and you will find it so or you will be shot.
Now that my stomache has settled I think I can safely dash to the corner store for a packet of rice.

"Denny Crane! Beam me up some popcorn Scottie!"

"Dude, I'm THE Matt Hardy! I'm not into sci-fi so I don't know who you are, or what your qouting at me because I didn't see the Lord of the Rings!"

"Denny Crane! What do you mean you don't know who I am? Denny Crane! I wasn't in Lord of the Rings - that was some other old guy! I'm Denny Crane I was in Star Trek you boob!"

All been distracted long enough? Good, Ms Stash when she went shopping was good enough to pick me up the new Simply Knitting with the free circulars. And the circulars turned out to be the size I keep meaning to buy so I can pick up the stitches on my Aran Earwarmer. There may be knitting progress yet.

LOOK!!! ELVIS!!!

Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head trying to distract people from her lack of knitting reports on her kniting blog.

The Coolest Exchange of the Millenium!!

Who haven't I told about this? Probably you my dear blog readers, I have how ever been talking people's ears off about how Che asked me if I'd like to participate in a gift exchange similar to secret pal but more suited to those of us with, ahem, similar asthetic tastes.

It now has it's own blog page, yes it has grown, evolved into it's own being, soon it will take over the world (and rightly so!). The Punk Rock Gift Exchange!
I think you all should take the time to admire and marvel at it! This is truly a revolution in gift exchanges, where would we be without the internet?

My father (who is from Scotland) talks about Anoraks - people who are obsessed with a particular hobby or collecting certain things and how the internet is like a giant anorak allowing Anoraks not only to meet in clubs and classes in their own area but converse and view pictures of what fellow Anoraks are doing on the other side of the world.
To which I say: Bloody Marvelous!!!

And in closing, Matt my little knitting helper has now got a big head and the fact that he has acquired a small number of fans. There'll be no living with him now.

Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head who is going to find out exactly why the rum is gone!

Last week on the Darkside....

We acquired a new knitting bag, and Emily the strange tote. Let me count the ways I love it!















These were the goodies I picked up at he last market we attended. A couple of patterns, 3 pairs of 4mm, a pair of Pony Pearls 3.25, a 4mm circular and for sheer novelty value a 2mm circular. I may use it for socks yet.









The feather and fan sock which is now one repeat away from the heel











And would you believe here we have Matt Hardy, doing some work on the Sister sock.
Johnny Knoxville claimed ina n interview that the Rock not only knitted but made him a pair of socks on set while they were filiming Welcome to the Jungle. Would you believe that?

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's not time to party!

I didin't expect to go back and furthur my bar wenching skills would be so tiring!

Tomorrow I go on a quest to organise my unform I will need to wear out on my practical placement. Told us on Monday what we needed and that we needed it by Wednesday next week. Nothing like plenty of warning, then it turns out the reccommended supplier is closed on Mondays....
By this afternoon I was done, all I wanted was to come home, take my clothes off and have a cup of coffee before embarkign onmy homework, some light reading. I also have to read the entire Barista handbook, fortuantly it's not long. And I have of course already been through it, we start our first coffee class Friday. Oue teacher said it shouldn't tkae more than two weeks if that to read it all. I don;t have much to read up on for tomorrow so I figure I can get it started and finished by Friday.
Get it out the road. Not to mention my other text books all have a chapter on coffee making so I figure I can read all them as well to refresh my memory. I did over the weekend dig out my notes and books from bar wenching last year to brush up my skills.

Tomorrow I odn't have to be at class as it's aunit I've already done and passed, so I figure I'll go in late, after following up on my uniform. But get in early in case anything has to be ordered.
I'm hoping they will do the wine service early and then the cocktail garnishes second, my wine service, opening and doing all that junk is fine. What I would lke to do is re go over the garnishes, my memory is a little blurred about the kinds we made, fairly basic ones I think?
Ah, well it dosen't matter. I have all the books, I will just have to practice at home if they've done it before I get there.
Perhaps I should pack some knitting and go cocoon myself in the cafeteria and wile away the time if there doing the broing wine junk.

RSA which I also did is all in one day, so I guess I will just have a day off! Might have to try and schedule a special SNB meet-up somewhere. Maybe I can convince some of them to come out for lunch? Theres a few places I'd liek to try, Smokey Joes being one of them.

Anyway too much talking, I need to go make coffee and do some reading. And possibly a little knitting. However the sock curse has struck again this time it has stolen my knitting journal and sock pattern folder which I had together. It has made all sock work come to a grinding halt....

Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head and damn proud of it.

For whom the bell tolls....

I have been having a bit of a crisis of conscious. I have not got a lot of knitting done, I've read a fair number of Agatha Christies, spent slightly more time thinking about the very delectable Matt Hardy and generally occupying my time by discovering the most amazing things, like someone thinks I'm cool! That someone else out there wants Metallica to serve them breakfast.

As you can see I have got some more work on the remake of the Feather and Fan Socks, the lovely Sharon's pattern. I had hoped to do one of those Proof of Life photos, holding today's newspaper. But the Sock was having a Diva moment. Apprently it's trailer wasn't big enough, and there was no fresh ORCHIDS! ORCHIDS!

Well I have been wasting several hours watching my new, just arrived Matt Hardy Show Season 1 DVD. I'm not sure I actually like it, but I won't say I don't like it either. To say at times it confuses me would only be honest, how did Matt's brother Jeff get from Moses to cows in under a nano second has me lost. I did contemplate doing what the evil man with the long hair (no idea what his name is off the top my head, Bai Ling was his other half) in The Crow wanted to do with Skank, video tape it and play it back in slow motion. Well it was already on DVD, unfortunately slow mo only did my head in and I had to go lie down.

Matt Hardy, as you know dear readers is very dear to me, very dear, I put him up on the pedestal and super glued the soles of his shoes (didn't work he still got away). Do you know that moment when the perfect vision of loveliness open their mouths and speak and suddenly it's not perfect?
It all started with a discussion about trolls, I thought they were short and scaly but Matt and Jeff between them didn't seem to certain about trolls themselves. When out of Matt Hardy's mouth came the absolute clanger, someone, his cameraman I think said something about trolls in relation to Lord of the Rings. Jeff hadn't seen it, neither had Matt because he's not into sci-fi stuff.

WHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?

No no no no no no no no no no....say it isn't true! Can the greatest obsession of my life not tell sci-fi and fantasy apart? Even I can and I'm not into sci-fi and fantasy (except for Terry Pratchett but that's another post another day when I'm less traumatised).

The lovely Ms Stash has been dying me some wool, I told her something dark and stormy and the results I am sure will be spectacular. There will be some before and after pictures on her blog. Or maybe not, the sock is not the only Diva today, so I will display here the finished dyed wool. Nice isn't it? I like to call it Stormy Sisters.

Anyway I am off to get ready for tonight's viewing, possibly some more Matt, but maybe we'll go for superheros, Wolverine hasn't disappointed me yet. That man is a bad, bad man. I like that. Still to see the third instalment, I will get there, I may even take Ms Stash if she so desires and doesn’t roll her eyes. No, wait that's only when I want her to come to the Rock's movies with me...


The bell tolls for thee......


Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head and damn proud of it.

How Now White Cat?

Edit: Almost forgot about one of the new sites the lovely Ms Fortuknit sent my way. Punk Rock Knit Girls, pink and skulls? Strangely I am not as averse to pink as I once was, I shall balme the person who sits across from me at Knitting Coven who keeps knitting pink socks....

The Daft White Cat finds it incredibly delightful of an evening when the heater goes on, he sees it as his personal luxury to roll around in front of and generally hog the heat by sleeping right on top of it just about.

My knitting mojo hasn't returned, I can only presume it migrated to a warmer clime. I would have liked to have gone with it, but then it didn't invite me.

It's like Denny Crane getting married, my mojo and I are drifting apart. I have become an avid fan of Boston Legal. Denny Crane. And James Spader? Not the James Spader mentioned in the very first episode of the very first season of Buffy????

I'll have to consult the oracle. Cindy!!!

Tomorrow is Knitting Coven and I have no idea what I will be taking along to knit, maybe one of the socks? I am keen to restart teh feather and fan sock. It was all going so well before being struck down by the dreaded sock curse...

Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide red head without her mojo and damn sad about it.

Another day, another dollar not in my pocket.

I think my knitting mojo may be coming back, perhaps it regrows?

Last night I started a hat for the Guardian Angel to Mongolia program. It's a made up stripey beanie made out of Angora Supreme in a pale mauve and a (yech!) pale pink. It is going rather well, I am knitting it in the round to avoid that boogelly job known as sewing up.

Also after my shoulders started to ache I converted back to straight needles and the mystery chunky yarn and started a rib scarf for Dulaan. Originally the mystery yarn must have been in hanks, because some of it still is and some is half wound into an ball and all boogelly. I wound a smallish hank into a ball last night after I knitted up the oddment first and I am nearly out so will have to finish rolling the boogelly hank, why can't people at least finish what they've started before donating it away?

I have taken Cindy's advice and indulged in chocolate and cute wrestling men. I am very soon going to be the owner of the DVD of the first season of the Matt Hardy show.
Yes, he has his own show. How vain can he be thinking people might want to watch a show about him? About right on the money it would seem. Albeit mine comes via ebay as I have been in two minds about ordering it direct from him.
It can hardly disappoint I know since the world has already seen the public melt down followed by the premature mid-life crisis that resulted in the red corvette (ooo yes!) and the overinflated blonde (she left to go model in New York shortly after, actually she was an ex-girlfriend but it all ended when she took up with one of his firends, which incidentlly was what prompted the recent meltdown as the then girlfriend ran off with one of his friends as well. Hmmmmm? Could this be a sign?)

Back on track, I actually secured my copy on ebay, much to my surprise as given the early interest in it I never thought I'd win it. To date it's the first copy to come up since it's release, yes I know the fact that I have been lying in wait all this time for it, implies I need a life. The fact that I would want a reality showesqe dvd of someone else's life is probably indictive of the fact that I clearly need a life of my own.

But if I had one, I wouldn't have time to knit for Mongolia, read other people's blogs and generally keep adding to my list of things I am sooooo going to make!

Actually after all that editing and rearranging of my blog sidebar yesterday I needed another percentage bar for my Dulaan Cloud Hat. I suppose I really should add one for the made-up angora beanie and the mystery yarn scarf.

And because nobody loves me, and I'm all alone and my Matt Hardy DVD is away off getting to me, maybe the end of the week (maybe) I need to fill in time so I have been cruising the net working my way through Google. I love Google, I just think (insert anything at all here), type it in and away I go on my merry way through cyber space reading about (insert whatever topic you picked here), and learning many new and wonderful things.
Today from my educational foray I offer you these two hot links Emily the Strange and The Addams Family. Notice they both include links to further increase your brain knowledge by explaining about other things associated with them. I like Wikipedia almost as much as Google.

Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide redheaded freak and damn proud of it.

Yes, I can knit.

Yes, I could knit. But I awoke this morning with a splitting headache, where is Matt Hardy when you need him? He could have made me cups of tea and occupied the Daft white Cat who felt the need to go MEOW! at me all morning, what he wanted was apparently nothing.
I was as they say, thankful of small mercys as the DWC did not wail or worse scream at me this morning. Although he felt the need to scream at the front door last night, clearly it was doing something very, very wrong.

Mostly I have been looking at what other people have been knitting. And then I found the Department of Craft.
Ah, lots of fun and merging into that wonderful thing known as craftivism.
Then I found Skulls n Bats, how could I not go look with a name like that?

I have located some Angora Supreme in Moon (a relly bright blue), I have four balls so not enough to do the scarf for myself which I really wanted. I am going to do the smaller size for a girl and pack it off to Mongolia.
Consulting the Guardian Angel booklet I think I can scrounge up some stray balls and make a few striped hats. Some industrius people have started a jumper....

I also have some chunky yarn knocking about that I thought probably a ribbed scarf with, I know, I know, I hate rib! But I knitted myself a ribbed scarf in 12-ply in about 3 days. It should be (fingers crossed the curse dosen't strike again) be done in next to no time.

Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head and damn proud of it.

Trials and Tribulations

I am a cursed sock knitter, I started my second Jaywalker with delight. Here I was actually knitting a second sock! But all did not go well, when I discovered I had inadvertently ended up with two too many stitches on each needle.

I put it to one side and finally started my first Feather and fan Sock, which was going absolutely brilliantly, and the pattern was beautiful! But I somehow ended up with way more stitches than I should have had. The curse strikes again.

I am afraid to knit anything now, and so decided to finish my Angora Supreme hooded scarf, it's only been waiting 2 years to be finished. And it is now on the home stretch, I am coming down the other side of tech scarf section. But I only seem to have one needle. Back on hold, also on hold the small sized one I was going to do for Mongolia as Dulaan will go for 2007 after all!

However, I did get a copy of the new Guardian Angel booklet today and figure I may as well attempt to make something by the end of August for them, as they are after all focusing on Mongolia this year!

Then temptation struck, a new MagKnits. I am quite enamored with Rufflette, the Market Bag and the vest.

But the question remains, do I dare knit anything at all? if so what? I fear anything that involves any lace, patterning of any sort and colour changes even if only stripes. Perhaps garter stitch in one colour? Maybe a scarf with no shaping or decreasing required?

Until next time,
Suzi
A scared red headed knitter and not afraid to hide!

It's Sunday, tomorrow then is Manic Monday...

After a lot of work that got accomplished at the market, I was able when I came home in the afternoon to finish knitting the second mitten before tea!

I am very pleased with how they came out, and even more so with how much yarn they used. I have at least half a ball of Patonyle left maybe a little less.

How many of you read the Sunday Tasmanian today? I didn't but my mother pointed out an article of interest to me and you can follow the link here.

Two words, dear readers. ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!
It's getting closer, one day I will open that pole dancing circus in Vegas or maybe I'll just take to the high seas as the all dancing all world ruling pirarte. Do you think it will matter I can't sing? Or act? Sailing on the seven seas I think will at least involve some singing and maybe the need to act brave?

Late last night I cast on my second Jaywalker. Yes, at long last I am managing to do seconds. First eh mitten, and now a sock. Only another two socks to go.

Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide red head and knitter who is completing pairs!

Decisions, decisions!

I'd like to offer up a thnakyou to Cathy for providing me with the corrections fro the Aran Earwarmer, it is now back underway and looking like th picture!

I have a hankering (hank! get it?) to make a project of the decade. ie something lacey and Oh My! So I have compiled a short list of possible candidates. The three catergories are Socks, Shawls/Wraps and finally Scarves.

Falling Leaves
Pomatomus
Straight Laced Socks
Happy Socks
Broadripple

Cobweb
Bloom
Ella
Leaves and Waves
Frilling
Shawl Trifecta - The Frozen Lake is my personal pick.
New Vintage Capelet

Ziggy
Branching Out

This is perhaps only the tip of the iceberg as far as potential patterns go, but I have to start compiling a list somewhere. As much as I'd like to do a wrap or shawl it would probably become a project of the centery and perhaps socks or a scarf would be better suited to a decade.
My dear readers, I'm willing to hear anybody's opinions/experiences with the above patterns or perhaps any other suggestions you can make. I do have a decade so there is plenty of time to choose!

Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head who is making more UFO's as opposed to less and not to proud about it.

I haven't really progressed any furthur on the knit front since yesterday, so far today I have been to a Big Morning Tea and then to lunch with a friend and have only just got home to start rummaging through e-mail and checking in with my SNB KC contempories to see if we are onboard for this weekend for the market.

We are. And I am very excited, I like going to the market, knitting, talking, taling, talkng and of course knitting.

My new bamboo double points, actually have the sizes printed on in tiny print, in the case of the 2mm even tinier print!
Also added to my needle collection are two lovely wooden pairs of 10mm straights and a set of 4 metal double points, size so far unknown. To the needle gauge! Da da da duh da da...I picked them up in an op shop this afternoon, not much else on the knitting front in it apart form some odd metal straights and a number of plastic double point sets in varying colours.

The new Knitty surprises are up, and well, nothing excited me. The baby halter is cute but suited really for another climate altogether different to my own.

You may notice some changes to my blog sidebar, I will be doing a bit of blog maintenance ove rthe next week to make things a little more concise and elimnate a few dead links.

Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head and damn proud of it.

Share and Tell

I am in a very generous mood today so I will share some of my likes and dislikes!

To start with, my long awaited bamboo double point sin sizes 2mm - 10mm arrived today, very thrilling! Then when I logged onto ebay tonight which I have been staying away from to leave feedback I discover that the seller of these nedles has slapped me with an item unpaid. I am far from impressed as I paird for this with Pay Pal and the Item paid column in the My Ebay description had a little symbol which meant my payment was being processed the lat time I was there. It is now showing up as paid and cleared through pay pal on ebay, pay pal indicates that this transaction has been paid and cleared, so I am not impressed.
And to top it off this very wonderful seller is now no longer registered!

I discovered my local Black Spot stocks circulars up to 10mm now, however their double points only go as far as 6mm. I wanted 10mm DP and circs, so I could finally start my knitting with fabric bag kit. Strangely at the time Black Spot were selling these they didn't have the needles suitable for knitting this project in the round as it was designed, namely 10mm.

My Aran earwarmer form the last, not the latest, Creative Knitting has annoyed me to no end. I have a twisty cable, where as the picture shows the design as being like inverted triangles. A twisted cable is not even close. I did see the latest Creative Knitting today, I probably should have picked it up and looked for corrections or an explination.
I also saw the new edition of Simply Knitting, I only picked up the last one yesterday. I am a little late with my knit mag purchasing, as I am as Arthur would say, a little short of the readys....I have become Terry.

Now that I have the Loopa edition of Simply Knitting, I won't be making a Loopa scarf anytime soon even though Cindy made a very nice one. As I need to fit learn to crochet into my schedule somewhere.

I collected my lay-by of two seasons of Charmed yesterday, my mother who was running my errends the day it got put away told me she had been unable to get Season2 and 3 as I had asked so had got me Seson's 3 and 4. When I collected it yesterday I discovered she had in fact got me Seasons 2 and 4.
I am quite pleased as I had wanted Season 2 as I got Season 1 fro Christmas last year. And Season 4 is the first season when Rose McGowan joined the series.

I do like Rose McGowan. There is something very elegant about her, and for a while there on Charmed she got very curvy by American tv show standerd. Where Alyssa Milano seems to have got thinner and thineer every season.....

While browsing Nocturnal Knit Witch I disocvered this Classic Pin-Up quiz and I had to try it.

What Classic Pin-Up Are You?

You're Bettie Page!
Take this quiz!








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| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Bettie Page? How cool! I love Bettie Page! I am thrilled that I got her.

The last two nights I have had Mushrooms on Toast from Nigella's Feast, very yummy! I have to buy more mushrooms and sour cream so I can go again on that stuff. I'm planning on trying the Bacon and Toamto Hash next, but first i have to whip up some soup. Both to eat now and to put in my freezer for later.

I'm off to to some more Charmed and hopefully some more work on my fingerless mitt, I have finished hte thumb so it is onwards and upwards with the hand section now. As it's knitted in the round I don't have to worry about sewing up, so it's partner may get started very soon after I finish it. Although if I could get he second Jaywalker underway I would also be well pleased.

Unitl next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head and damn proud of it.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

Here is my first Jaywalker finished! And thanks to my time and money spent on being a Voguette, I discovered I could use a three needle bind off in place of a graft for the toe. This makes me a very, very happy woman indeed!
I abhorr sewing up and grafting is boogelly, but never again, all my socks (well top down) from now on will be finished with a three needle bind off!

Of course the second one has yet to be started, the only trouble with socks is once I've finished the first one, rather than knit the second matching one, I want to start a new different one.

I was very pleased with the result of how the Hot Sock's knitted up and as you can see my foot model and photographer's (budget restirctions you understand) pet also thought they were lovely and apparently tasty!

The next project on the needles is a pair of fingerless mittens from the now defunct Aussie online knit magazine Southern Cross Knitting.

I am knitting them up out of some Patonyle and if the pattern is to be believed, it will take only one ball to make one pair!

It remains to be seen if this is in fact true or not.

Also just started is the Aran Earwarmer from Creative Knitting Issue 15. The pattern so far has annoyed me, why they must write a note at the start to tell you to slip one and then write pattern instructions that do not include the slip one is beyond me.

i.e Cast on 14 stitches.

Note: The first stitch of every row must be slipped either knit or purwise.

Row 1 (RS): P3, K8, P3

Which if I am not mistaken equals 14. Now I may just be nit picking but a purl is not the same as a slip one purlwise.
How I think they should have written the pattern should have been to omit the Note and simply put the slip stitch in.
i.e Cast on 14
If they must have a note, something sensible like - Note: First stitch should be slipped purl wise or knitwise on appropiate side of work e.g purlwise on right and knit wise on wrong.
Row 1 (RS): Slip 1, P2, K8, P3

My personal opinion anyway.
Also in my personal opinion, this shrug is gorgeous! And it is going on my To Knit List.

I must get back to be a cranky old bag and knitting my mitten and seeing if one ball really does make a pair, unfortunatly on metal needles. Although I hope to get some more bamboo needles soon, I had a bit of a spend up the other week while I was still solvent part of which arrived the other day.

Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide red head and damn cold.

Ah me hearties, I am not hearty!

We had our SnB Knitting Coven yesterday, which was a little too exciting as I had to come home and go to bed I was so tired. And I didn't actually do anything, I was just sitting in my seat, my boogelly cold has given me a sore throat which makes have conversations longer then monosyllables difficult so I didin't even talk as much as I normally do.

I've got a boogelly bug that has made me sad and pathetic. As opposed to being just sad as a fan of Mrs Mac.

But part of the excitment came about with the arrival of some goodies from the Wool Shack that Cindy, Sharon and I went in jointly to order to combat the exorbant postage costs that charge.
I finally have my new K1 magazine with the pirate knitting and an interesting article on useful knitting phrases in foreign languages. I kept trying to recite Italian to my sister, unfortunatly my pronounciation leaves a lot to be desired and she had trouble identifying what I was on about at all. After looking at the article she was able to pronounce them for me and also the Japanese. It is very handy having a tri-lingual fmaily member.

After I had a bit of a lie down and rested my eyes, my mother rests her eyes alot, she is NOT, NOT I repeat asleep, just resting her eyes, I was able to finally have a knit with my new bamboo needles, I have started a Jaywalker sock for me out of some Hot Sock yarn, Four Seasons Print in a black, white and two shades of grey colourway and it is knitting up well. At least I think it looks good, I know looking at pictures socks others have picked don't do anything for me, but then they probably wouldn't like what I pick. It all works out in the end.

We had a new member at our meeting yesterday, Caroline, a very friendly lady. But we got to discussing knitting magazines, Caroline hasn't bought any of the recent offerings and wanted to know what we all bought and what was best.
Cindy and Sharon we're saying how they get Interweave and Vogue regulary, Cathy and Katt who sit at the other end of the table don't get Interweave or Vogue, I get them semi-regular depending on what's in them and how the budget looks however I am a devoted fan of Vogue's Knit 1 magazine which I don't think any one else gets.
Simply Knitting is another popular one, Cindy, Katt and I all get this one. Then there is Creative Knitting, which I nearly always get depending on what's in it but Cathy and Katt get this one regulary, Cindy and Sharon do also get this but I don't think all the time???
Sandra simply looks at mine and finds things for Margaret and I to knit for Christmas presents, Margaret however simply reads mine and frequently asks me to look for patterns in them for something she's planning to knit.

How much help we all were I am not certain, because I think our choices are based upon what we all most like to knit or do knit. Vogue and Interweave don't offer up as much choice for little people things as say Creative Knitting or even Simply Knitting, but they do offer more choice and sometimes a nicer variety of stuff for adults.
I think Vogue is the dividing line in our SNB, all the Vogue knitters sit at one end of the room and the non-Vogue knitters sit at the other.....Not that we're clique or ignore each other, far from it. But then it could be also the eccentrics sit together at one end and the not so eccentric sit at the other away from us?

Well, dear readers that's how I interperet it, but I would love to hear other people's ideas on what the best knitting magazines are.

Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head who's sick and not happy at all.

Early Morning News Break

Cue music!

di di di di dint di di di dint!

Good morning. And welcome to this special early morning edition of the Darkside News. Today we bring you two stories of incredible knitters and their efforts to further the image of knitters.

First to the Sexy Knitters Club - their motto is to prove once and for all that knitting is not just for old ladies in rocking chairs. Quite right to! This is something Sharon is a firm believer in promoting as well.
(Alright so technically that makes three.)

Second we have the International League of Midnight Knitters, created by Two Pointy Sticks. This one comes quite close to home for me as I have been a sleepless in Launceston for far too long and often need something else to occupy myself with during the night hours. So much so I created a project and named it in honour of these hours I worked on it, the Insomniac Scarf. Which I probbaly should have been working on last week while I was up watching Buffy in the middle of the night.
Perfect to knit to is Buffy, with all those pointy sticks!

That's all we have for you today in this morning break. Join us for our next news break, whenever some news happens.

Thankyou and good morning.
Suzi

The quiz is hard? How can this be? I thought I was like an open book, that everybody knew everything at a glance.
Is it possible I have not shared enough?

Anyway, I am going to share some more now. Things I am loving at the moment.

Collecting good looking men - Now this is an ingenious concept. I like it. I like it a lot! Thanks to Ms Fortuknit for this inspiration.

Imaginary husbands - I am toying with the indecision of being Mrs Grissom or perhaps Mrs Angel, but this last one presents two problems as good Angel he's rather house broken but is inclined to slouch, as bad Angel he seems to find good posture and some very nice leather pants. Decisions, decisions! Thankyou Mrs Macgyver!

Drinking wine with friends - Mrs Macgyver is my saving grace, my mother always says to me "You shouldn't drink alone", well apart from the Daft White Cat most nights I only have the people on the tv or my collection of daddy long legs (this fluctuates as the DWC seems to think that they are something to eat).
Now I have a new plan, I shall ring a friend. Preferably also a wine drinking one....Katt will have to become a Merlot swigger with me.

Who is the wonderful Mrs Macgyver and where has she been all this time? She is a friend (possibly) of Cindy's. And the only conclusion I can draw from this is that Cindy seems to keep some strange company, I will have to discuss this with her when I see her at Knitting Coven tomorrow.

Anyway darlings, Patsy and Edie are calling, I do believe it's champers time!
Suzi.

I'm baaaaaaccccckkkkk!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I have returned. It is unsurprisingly, rather dark here on the Darkside.

I have been cxaught by a number of bugs one of which is the quiz, the other is somehting boogelly that has me laid low waiting for Death or Godo, whatever comes first.


There is more to blog about, the conclusion to the yoghurt experiment, what I have been doing that has left me no time to myself. And all manner of other odd things that go on around me weaving the tapestry that is my life.

Suzi.

Documenting an Experiment

For posterity's sake, and as a possibly handy not what to do for anybody else remotely intrested in yogurt making I write these step-by-step instructions.

1. Buy EasiYo maker from op shop - DO NOT be deterred by lack of jar.
2. Assure mother you are not mad and that supermarkets as well as stocking the maker kits, sachets of mixes also carry extra jars you can purchase seperatly.
3. Search two supermarkets and find nothing but kit and sachets.
4. Search a K-Mart and find no EasiYo at all.
5. Get highly annoyed as shops are now making you look like a liar and mother is giving you doubting looks.
6. Assure mother that in your jar collection at home you have just the right size jar, and also point out that before yoghurt makers were invented people had to make yoghurt in jars wrapped up in blankets, so of course it will work.
7. Come home and find just the right sized jar, put it in yogurt maker, reenact a scene from Frankenstein only instead of "It's alive! It's alive!" you shout "It fits! It fits!" before holding the jar triumphantly aloft.
8. The only audience for your stunning reenactment is the Daft White Cat who has not noticed any of this great artistic performance and is now staring at you with the "You stupid woman!" look.
9. Wash jar throughly and zap in microwave so you can honestly tell mother you sterilsed jar. All the while debating why nobody appreciates your true genius.
10. Before CSI, boil kettle, while kettle is boiling make up the powdered milk recipe for yoghurt. Add just boiled water to yogurt maker, place jar with shoogled ingredints into maker, put lid on and go away to watch CSI.
11. After CSI log onto blog and write specific case notes on your experiment so far and google yogurt making for more advice and ideas.
12. Start debating about if you want to make Kurma's panir.....

Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head and dman proud of it.

*****Note: A big thankyou to Cindy for her advice on yogurt making!

Via Con Dios Casa

Welcome! Welcome dear readers to my casa!

There is a lot of domesticity going on today in my humble casa. I am going to be whipping up some muesli later this afternoon (from Nigella's Feast). It's actually very low effort, unlike her recipe for Granola which had almost twice as many ingredients and required a tad more effort.

Nigella writes making her own muesli makes her feel like she is living in the 1960's, throwing pottery and writing political diatribes. Mostly it makes me feel like a long haired leaping hippie and that I might on some level be making something remotly good for me.

I can not stop marveling at the world wide web and all the information you can find, useful and sometimes not so useful. But while poking about one of my new fave haunts trying to locate the post about Granola, which I did find and you can check it out here. It seems a little less effort than Nigella's, so after I have mastered muesli - i.e become a Muesli Master I shall have to move on to become a Granola General.

Anyway what I found on the way to the Granola was Ghetto Cocktails, now I can not pass up anything that offers cocktails. The offering that most captivated my attention was the White Trash Marguerita made with Corona. I am a huge fan of Marguerita's, the tequila aside I just enjoy sucking the salt off the rim of the glass. Yum!

Back to the plans at hand, aside from the muesli, also this afternoon I am going to attempt a batch of crumpets. Yeast cookery dosen't frighten me, I not only enjoy it but find it incredibly easy. Pastry making scares me however, so I always rely on prebought.

Around all this, I have been charged with the job of knitting a cosy for my mother's new mobile phone. Her old one some how died, my father who had the same model may also be in need of a new phone as his hasn't died yet but it's on the way out. I don't think he'll want a cosy some how though. Which suits me fine as I can devote my time to knitting something for me or possibly for the Mongolians.

And guess who's joined the land of Bloggers? Are you brave enough to enter the Stash Alone?????

Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide red head who loves cooking and is damn proud of it.

What a wicked web we crawl when we plan to seek!

It's always exciting I think when someone new leaves you a comment, because then that's someone else's blog to have a look at. And of course the potential of even more new blogs and other exciting sites that they like to visit...

Well I'm very pleased Ms Fortuknit left a comment, because I got to check out her cool blog. Loved it! And thanks to her discovered such gems as Knit It Black - another excellent blog that shall go on my regular read list.
The second find was the most incredible treasure of all, Punk Rock Domestics. I can't believe it's only now I discover this!
It's coolness aside, I include the link for PRD here mainly for if I am MIA for a number of days you'll know why and where to find me.

While cruising PRD, I was poking about he links section to see what else I could find. And I have two words for you! SKULL NEEDLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh and the book looks pretty cool as well.

On the homefront I started to organise the ironing baskets, I've actually managed to elimante a few things form them. Namely towels, so rather than ironing baskets they were more like baskets of washing that didn't get sorted straight away. I've got it all neatly stacked in two baskets waiting for me to get to work on it. I think Friday afternoon will become Ironing day.
Of course the flat stuff like table cloths, tea towels and pillow cases will get done first. Purely because they are so easy, and you can accumalate a pile of nicely ironed items very quickly which makes it look like you have been sooooo domestic.

That's my winning tip, take it, leave it or use it.

Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head who does actually like ironing. Usually.

Lookie! Lookie! Again!

We had SNB today, and after much talking and knitting. Cindy was telling me the new Anti-Craft was up. Yeah!

What particulary interested me was this hat. Also being a bit of a freak about asparagus, I couldn't resist the recipes for it!

Cindy was also telling us about a motorcycle cosy. Motorcycle alone would captivate my attention! Cindy has very helpfully left me a comment with a link to it. I highly reccomend once you've looked and admired, you follow the link to the embroided tattoos.Very cool!

I have given myself a goal and reward. If I can finish something, anything, although preferably one of my UFO's, I will buy myself the yarn needed to make the yoga mat bag from Stitch N' Bitch Nation.

And what is the yoga mat bag for? Well to put a yoga mat in! Yes, I'm hoping to get back into yoga. Still the mind and quiet the soul. I never previously took classes, just practised at home with a video tape (does anybody else remember those days?). With a bit of practice at home, maybe a class, I will have to see what they offer at the gym.

In closing, apparently one of my felow bloggers feared for her mother's safety, what I meant and clearly I didn't make this clear enough wasn't that I was going to beat her mother, but rather I was offering her the tag if she was interested and her mother didn't beat me to offering it to her.
I swear on my buried treasure, I would never have threatened anyone's mother.

Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide red head who's been put in her place.

Lookie! Lookie!

It's a new magknits, and i am very enamoured with the lace wrap.

Fickle Finger of Fate

Moved slowly across the blog land and stopped and pointed at.....ME? Yes, Katt has tagged me to do a meme thingo.

Actually I'm quite excited, as I was actually going to write a post along these lines of what I wanted to acheive goal wise since I am having my Lucy Jordan/Shirley Valentine quarter life crisis. I caught some legal program late the other night, starring good old William Shatner who has aged not all that gracefully - good on him! He plays a lawyer Denny(?) Crane. And he was saying to one of the younger lawyers "It's fun being me, is it fun being you?"


Seven Things To Do Before I Die:
1. Become a pirate!
2. Las Vegas Baby! (As Elvis sang if I only had 24 hours to live, I'd want to live it here!)
3. Own a Harley Davidson.
4. Body Sculpting - we're talking muscle tone not invisible suitcases.
5. Learn to be a pole dancer. (30/4 Added Note: I refer not to getting naked and making fauz love to a pole but rather fully clothed acrobatics that require you to be able to comfortably support your own body weight with one arm.)
6. See the Rolling Stones live in concert before they die, if it's at all possible they could go before me!
7. Meet Matt Hardy.

Seven Things I Cannot Do:
1. Be normal.
And these are more like can't do yet.
2. Drive.
3. Do pilates.
4. Do yoga.
5. Finish knitting projects in a timely fashion.
6. Wear less black.
7.Marry Johnny Depp (alright so this may actually be a never like number one.)

Seven Things That Attract Me To My Man Pirates:
I don't have one, so I am changing it to something I want.
1. Rum. But why is Rum gone?
2. Johnny Depp
3. Keith Richards
4. Treasure!
5. Jolly Roger
6. The hats.
7. Have ship, will travel, adventure!

Seven Books I Love:
1. Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
2. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
3. All Nigella's cookbooks - a must at bedtime
4. Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
5. Bubbles series by Sarah Stromyer
6. Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
7. Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

Seven Things I Say:
1. Excellent!
2. Woman.
3. You daft creature! (This usually follows the sound of something being knocked over.)
4. You're in my way!
5. Boogelly (Thankyou Cindy!)
6. Where is ............? (This is uaually said to the DWC, he never answers)
7. Would you like a bag? (No more! No more! I'm leaving to be a pirate)

Seven Movies I've Loved :
1. Rocky Horror Picture Show
2. Banger Sisters
3. Showgirls
4. Fifth Element
5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
6. Any of the Rock's movies bar Doom (can you believe their trying to flog it with Serenity?)
7. Romancing the Stone

Seven lovely ladies I'm gonna tag: Alright I am going to offer this oppotunity to the following and leave it up to them to decide if they want to take it up.

Metal and Knit (now you've commented there is no escaping me!)
Msfortutknit (aonther new one!
Amanda (it's been awhile!)
Karen (it's also been awhile!)
Roberta (don't know you well, but I'm hoping to!)
That Knitting Chick (another I don't know well yet)
Little Purl (unless her mother beats me)

This is all very optional and I will not be offended and I promise I won't make anybody who doesn't want to pick this tag up walk the plank. Pirates honour.

A Trifecta Tribute

At the age of 37 she realised she'd never ride through Paris in a sports car with the warm wind in her hair.
- Ballad of Lucy Jordan, Marianne Faithfull

I owe a lot to my heros, they inspire to me to do greater things. Today I offer thanks to the Lucy Jordans, the Shirley Valentines and the inimitable Cindy who even in a futuristic dictorial world with uniform clones, would still be an individual and also single-handly organise a revolution to bring down the forces of might!

Courtesy of Cindy I present a portion of the letter of resignation I wish had handed in.

As such, I have decided to become a professional pirate. It has always been a dream of mine to live the life of a swashbuckling corsair, beholden to none and master of all I survey. Once my crew of unabashed rogues is assembled, we shall take to the capacious expanse of the high seas to pursue fortune, fame, and hair-raising adventure.

Our path may not be filled with the porcine comforts and technological marvels that ****** provides, but we shall nonetheless move forward to carve a name for ourselves in the annals of bold insurgency and death-defying derring-do. Once I have a keen blade at my hip and the Jolly Roger is flapping high above me, I believe I will find my true calling.

Please note that I am currently accepting applications for First Officer, if any of you are at all interested in applying. I will provide a full medical and dental plan, which will offer immediate coverage of all maladies other than scurvy and the occasional bout of rickets.

Sincerely

Jolly Suzi Tar

Couldn't have put it better myself. Thankyou ladies! I salute you all.

Suzi.
A bona fide red head pirete and very, very happy about it!

You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

But you can it seems teach an old knitter new tricks, thanks to Little Purl I have now got a very cool Skull and Crossbones cursor as some of you will have noticed!

Another new addition to the blog, everywhere I go I have seen these trackers that people are using for their weight loss.. I don't own a set of scales, so I have no idea how much I weigh and probably am glad of it. However closer investigation reveas that they have an Excersice and Fitness tracker. This is what I need something that will publicly shame me to getting back into the gym.




However in my defense, it may have been late last year since I set foot in the place but I am still able to fit into size 20 stuff - none of this elastic waist either, I'm talking fitted bands.
When I started I was in size 26 and well, they just fitted. I was a heifer no doubt about it.

Anyway I must get off and do some work. I have some cooking to do for tomorrow for a lunch I am going to. Then some cookign for myself for lunch, I bought the tomato and chilli pickle Cindy told us all about and am planningon tryign it out for lunch in a toasted cheese sandwich.

Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide chilli loving red head and dman proud of it.

As Bad As I Wanna Be!

A Diva like you can do what others say can't be done. - Daily Fortune, Bratz.com.

It all started when I saw the Pirate Bratz or as they are more correctly called Bratz Treasures. Then I saw the punk looking ones and I was even furthur enamoured.



Now my fate has finally been sealed, I now own a piece of Bratz merchandise. I am the very proud owner of a Bratz shopping bag. Unfortunatly I don't have a picture so you will have to try select Coles Supermarkets to see it, unless you were at the market with me last Saturday. In which case you will have already participated in the excitement with me.

It's all going to be down hill from here.

But I did find this article and it's the closing in it that makes me smile, very appropiate. But when I was young what I really wanted and never got was a He-Man, you know good old He-Man and the Masters of the Universe! I'm still a little disappointed about that.

Until next time,
Suzi
A bona fide Bratz-lovin red head and damn proud of it.

New Simply Knitting?

I got the new Simply Knitting today, at least I think it's new. It's the one with the stitch markers, I thought we were a month behind but are we in fact two?

Anyway some nice designs, some of the colours did nothing for me. That pink and green number, I don't know if I like it or hate it.

I went op shopping with my fellow SnBer Sandra this afternoon, we picked up two pairs of Clover needles (some sort of wood, maybe bamboo?), a pair of the Casein ones Sandra likes, two pairs of Pony Pearls, a couple of pairs of the old Beehive pearly type needles, an even older pair of 5mm, a crochet hook and what I believe is a cable needle (it's like a really short double point). How much did this full on bounty cost us?

$1.60

I kid you not, that included two pairs of Pony Pearls! These are my fave type of needle to work with but buying them now sees me forking out usually more than $6. They seem to have gone up since I first started buying them, well it was at least 3 years ago. Sandra was very pleased with her Casein ones, 4mm at that as well. There not cheap to buy either now.

However the wool front was disappointing, bags of mixed oddments and nothing under $6. I've got nothing against oddments, my stash is made up of other peope's oddments, scraps and leftovers. Sandra has been having a wonderful time knitting oddments up into hats and scarves ready to send to Mongolia.
Had they put the contents of two bags in one bag and been selling it for $6, I probably would have given it some serious consideration.

The pulse warmer from MagKnits, well my first fair isle and I mucked about changing my technique three times in the space of one design, so it's a little on the tight side. But on the upside I know now what not to do.

Having finished that I was restless to start something else, admitedly I probably shoudl have finished something else. But I wanted new! And exciting! I've started a wrap out of some blue fluffy stuff with a hint of sparkle through it. If it is what the packet says - wool/mohiar/nylon mix I think it is it should be quite nice.

Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide cold redhead and damn unhappy about it.

With all the rain today was perfect weather for knitting. The Dulaan Cloud Hat is a little furthur on, my hot water bottle cover now has a complete front. I need to search the stash for some suitable yarn to make a back for it. I wasn't certain what the yarn I was using was but comparing it to something similar in my stash with it's bands I think what I have used is none other than Cleckheaton Country Naturals 8-ply. I suspected it was a wool blend. I've got the magic touch! I can identify Unidentified Yarn at a mere touch of my fingertips!
It's also a possible this was a lucky break. Certain wools and cerain acrylics have a definate feel so you can tell them instantly.

I discovered tonight while trying to start Zombies Need Not Apply from the new MagKnits that when I printed the pattern I was missing a certain portion from the very far right side of the page. I thought it would be something like the ends of words or maybe a word or two. But in some cases it was the whole part of the sentance! I'm not quite sure how the computer processed it to print it but the layout is the same it's just the instructions have been altered slightly.
However when the pulse warmers get underway it will be a different colour scheme. Instead of black/grey/white, I am going with a black/purple/white. Making it a bit girly without going in for bows.

I have my fellow SnB covener Cindy to thank for directing me to a new site - For The Love of Yarn. I have fallen in love already with the Peace Jacket. It appeals to the tree-hugging hippie in me.

Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide hippie red head and damn proud of it.

Blast from the Past

Well today, dear readers is a slightly better day.

When in doubt, especially in the cold, it's time to dig out the old comforts. A bit of Nigella, Rosella tomato soup, ye olde wrestling (it's from 95 and that's what? 11 years ago? I was a fan then. Now I'm showing my age), then I start to Google to find out what happened to one of the female wrestlers from yesteryear - Bull Nakano. Who it turns out has lost half her weight and become a pro golfer. As you do. As opposed to Alundra Blaze/Medusa who had her implants taken out and became a monster truck driver. As you do.

Anyway back to the point at hand or the picture to the left to be exact. Back from the days when Rock was a form of music and not a wrestler turned actor (not that I'm complaining), when men had big hair and wore make-up and were still men. I give you, Bret Michaels! Lead singer of Poison. Yes, I know now I really am showing my age!


Furthur clues? Let's see Back to the Future movies, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the original Batman movie with Michael Keaton, dig a bit deeper and I offer you the A-Team and the undoubtable Mr T, Short Circuit and Benji! And now for the final nail in my coffin (won't be long I'll be popping off from old age) how can I not mention He-Man, Voltron and Transformers - the first time round as I realise they've come back a number of times.

Not hard to guess what era I am a child from is it now? I count myself fortunate I wasn't a child of the era that had Power Rangers. EWWWWW!

An action and adventure girl I am, preferably with pirates. Speaking of pirates, I still haven't sourced the new Knit 1 locally. I'm thinking of ordering from the Woolshack as I want some bamboo double points, another thing impossible to source locally.

Happy Easter!
Suzi.
A bona fide old and cold red head and not happy about it.

I hate the World!

It has just been one of those weeks, I can not wait for it to be over. I am just about ready to quit my job. Tonight is a full moon but I think the lead up to it also has an effect on people. Anything that can go wrong has, anybody who could possibly have a gripe has, and of course who could forget the vague requests or the requests for the impossible!

All I want to do is a Bernard from Black Books and suddenly decide to close the shop and chase customers out.

Since Sunday I have been hard at work making a cover for my new hottie. Can you believe after all this time and excruciating pain in my shoulders, I am finally just centimeters away from shaping the top? And changing down to smaller needles! Arrghh!

I have finished a mitten for a Toddler out of 12-ply, once I make the other half they will be ready to send away to Mongolia. The pattern calls for you to cast off the mitten and then sew it up. Which annoyed me, so I've decided to put the yarn through the last stitches and then sew it up. Less actual sewing.

Also on the needles currently is a partially finished (or partially deformed?) GLOVE OF DOOM! It is a meglomanic glove who plans to bring the knitting world down by devouring all the nice feeling yarn and leaving only boogelly feeling yarn. Because of this I plan to call it Vince.

Having said that I know Katt is the only one who will get it.

Tonight I am checking my pantry to see what I do and don't have. I am planning on making some Hot Cross Buns this year, only this year I actually will. Im going to use Nigella's recipe because it seems relativly simple - one of the things I love about Nigella's recipes is it's very hard to go wrong. And also because you can make it the night before and put it in the fridge to prove overnight. All you do in the morning is get it out and let it come up to room temp (shouldn't be long in this weather, if it's at all possible the fridge may be warmer), pop them in the oven and before you know it. Fresh Hot Cross Buns!

I'm not normally a huge fan of religious holidays, but I can't resist Easter with all it's Pagen pagentry. The equal-armed (or Equinox) cross, the eggs, rabbits and new chicks. And I suppose what I like about it is it's true to form in that nothing is ever really new new, it's something old coming back as something slightly different.

Until next time,
Suzi,
A bona fide chocaholic redhead and damn proud of it.

Not Happy Jan

I had nearly finsihed writing a post and then all of a sudden. Poof! Gone jsut like that.

Grr Arrghh! I'm now in more of a mood than I was before.

Ahhh, something not new!

We all like to think we're unique until someone tells us were different.
- ?????????????

You Are a Bright Star Soul

Like a shining star, you have no trouble being the center of attention In fact, you often feel a bit hurt when all eyes aren't on you You need to be number one in everything, no matter how trivial And it's this ego that both hurts your confidence and helps you acheive You're dramatic and a powerhouse of pure energy You posess a divine quality or uniqueness that's hard to define A natural performer, it's likely you'll become famous in some circles. Just learn not to take everyone's reaction to you so personally! Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul and Prophet Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

I get weird a lot. I can't possible begin to imagine why?
Suzi.
A redheaded grade B weirdo and damn proud of it.

Do you knit dead people?

Well do you? I mean who knows out there in blogger land what you all are knitting and not letting on about. But i have to thank Margaret for sending me this link.

Dawn of the Knitted Dead, Day of the Knitted Dead and Shaun of the Knitted Dead. I can't help but admire the time and imagination, let alone the skill to knit somethign like this up. I am in awe!

Suzi.
An awed red head and and damn proud of it.

Big Day Out Tomorrow

It all happens tomorrow, my local SNB is having a stall at a new market opening up in home town.

I'm on first thing in the morning as part of the set-up crew. I'm not sure how well this will go as usually I am a bit of a cavewoman first thing in the morning. I have hair that looks like it was last modeled on the Wildman of Borneo and mostly I grunt and growl. The daft white car looks on, thinking ??????? Who knows what. I'm not even certain what goes in that mad catty brain, if anything.
Then I get out of bed.

Usually taming the savage beast first off involves caffeine, sugar or a combination of both. The DWC is content to cavort through the house while trying to trip me up, I swear he's in the coffee before I even get up or he's a morning person rein-CAT-nated. My only gripe here is, if he is indeed in the coffee, why can't he make me one?

However the ever competent Sharon will be there first up to marshall my fellow SNB'er Sandra and myself into line at the market. Later in the morning my fellow cavewoman and SNB'er Katt will arrive after her husband has got her out of her cave and into the car. Usually assisted by a cattle prod and long pole (to push the coffee close without getting too close).

I'm looking forward to Katt's arrival because I am sure we will see much cavewoman hijinks ensue. Wearing of tea cosies upon the head, chasing people with sharp pointy sticks, ensnaring possible husbands with scarves and of course the compulsory celebratory hooting upon finding a caffeine source.

Ahhh, I can see it now. David Attenbourgh presents a documentary on Cavewomen in their chosen habitat.
"Fear not market goers! At the prospect of a sale these Cavewomen can not only be civilised but polite. We will approach now carefully so as not to startle them.....Hello! I am after a knit beanie for my next documentry to filmed somewhere cold."

Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide red headed cavewoman and damn mad about it!

Sock Festival in all it's glory.

Today I attended the 1st Westbury World Sock Festival. I was a bit taken aback to discover that there was a $10 admission - I presume this is based on the St Patrick's Day Festival they run over three days. But had I known in advance I may have thought twice about going.

The socks were varied and interesting, not as many as I expected. I thought it would be a lot bigger with more knit related stalls and displays.

My fellow SNB'ers Cathy and Cindy won prizes for the socks they entered, Katt and Sharon's were also proudly on display. There are some pictures of all the socks over at the SNB website.

Below is some pictures of my sister and my socks getting out and about with other socks. Where will the frivolity end?

I did purchase some lovely Hot Socks wool in a grey/white/black blend. $5.00 for a 50gm ball. However they also had Hot Socks in 100gm balls which they wanted $20 for! I also got to finally see the Sirdar Yo Yo yarn up close, if your not familiar with this it comes in one big ball (about 400gms) supposedly with enough to make a sweater with out joining in lots of little balls. Not a bad idea, if only more yarn companys could come up with ideas like this.

There are no pictures, which I now regret, but there was a Giant pumpkin competion. They were massive! I don't imagine they would all be that nice to eat. As traditionally the very large pumpkins were grown as cattle feed.

Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide red headed sock knitter and damn proud if it!

Margaret's sock (left) and my sock (right) mingling with the other socks at Westbury. Note my fellow SNB'ers Katt and Sharon's socks in the background.

The sock wool Margaret and I bought from a stall at the Westbury Sock Festival.

It's been awhile my friends.

Well, have you ever had one of those days where you wake up and just hate everything? I've been having one of those days all week.

And to top it all off, MSN is now behaving badly on me. Grrr arrghh!

And do you know what happens tomorrow? A local election! Who are these people that make these decisions? It's my right to vote and have a say. Fair enough, we are after all supposedly a democracy. But surely then I should have the right not to vote? All politicians annoy me, I'll be glad when tommorrow is over there will be no advertising bombardment coming from all directions.

It's all too much for me, I must go now, in search of my next sugar fix.

Until next time,
Suzi.
An annoyed bona fide red head.