Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Surprise!

They're finally up and I rather like the jacket, don't know I would wear it though....

What am I on about you ask? New Knitty Surprises of course!

Friday, February 24, 2006

New Knitter On the Block!

How very exciting is this? A new knitter from here in Tasmania! And you know what else is exciting? She made the Alien Illusion scarf as well. And it looks super cool!

Most of you will have no doubt seen the pucture of the very cool Skully kniting tote the very clever Cindy made for me, if not scroll down and admire because it is beautiful! Unfortunatly now it is beautiful and hairy, the Daft White Cat felt the need to drag it all over my bed in the early hours of yesterday morning and jump on it and me. I don't know what came over him, but he got a lecture and now I have to hide Skully when I go to bed. No more can I leave it on my bedside table so I can decide during the night to simply pick up where I left off.
I even had a little re-opening ceremony when I came home with it Tuesday, mostly so I could unwrap it and be excited again and he didn't seem at all interested.
Wretched cat!

In all my excitement the other day I forgot to take a picture of my sock, I am now doing the Dublin Bay after 3 attempts at Sharon's lovely feather and fan socks I failed miserably. I am it appears the Inspector Cleauseu of knitting. Swine sock!

But at least I have not tarnished Team Angstlyvania's good name by being too much of a success.

Until next time, be most excellent to one another!
Suzi.
A bona fide red head and damn proud of it!

Wednesday, February 22, 2006


This my new new precious! This is one of the fabulous Cindy's creations! I've told her she should submit this design to the AntiCraft. Now everyone at SNB has one of these most excellent little bags and they are all very nice but mine is by far the most coolest! And that's not personal bias simply because it's mine or it has a skull & crossbones - it just is sooooo coooool!

This is my mother's new knitting bag compliments of Cindy! Sharon was the first to be gifted with one of these wonderful creations - but for all we know she may use hers to carry her Merlot around in.

Monday, February 20, 2006

The Hat Song!

I do like your hat!
She does like your hat!
I do like your hat!
She does like your hat!
Your hat! Your hat! Your HAAAAAATTTTT!

Now I can't name the tune, but it has men in top hats with canes singing the backing and dancing. You know the one I mean?

Monday, February 06, 2006

Ah Ha!

9/2/06 A quick update I have been answering the questions, I hope you are all reading! Just a few remaining....what will they reveal?

Sharon has asked of me questions, which I will answer.

But not all just yet! And I will be answering them in RANDOM order!

Here's to the questions! I will let you all ponder what NEW and AMAZING things you will find out about me. Exciting or what?

Four Jobs You've Had in Your Life:
1. Student?
2. Sales Assistant
3. Future Possibilitys? Bar Wenching!
4. And possibly more bar wenching? Or owning a yarn store with a bar? Knitting bars became very fashionable in America just recently.

Four Movies You've Watched Over and Over:
1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
2. Showgirls (I read in the Sunday paper the other week a full page article how this now a cult classic!
3. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The original movie before the tv series.)

Four Places You Have Lived:
1. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
2. Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
3.
4.

Four Places You Have Been on Vacation:
1. All over Tasmania (Australia)
2. On mainland Australia I have seen Melbourne and Sydney.
3. Singapore
4. Scotland

Four Websites You Visit Daily:
1. Mine!
2. My e-mail.
3. My fellow SNB'ers - I have to see what they are doing be it planning to take over the world or making hats that make me want to sing! (Cathy, Cindy, Katt and Sharon)
4. Assorted knitting sites - blogs, stores, mags and knit alongs.

Four of Your Favorite Foods:
1. Pizza!
2. Coffee
3. Carrot Cake
4. Chocolate

Four Places You Would Rather Be Right Now:
1.
2.
3.
4.


Four Bloggers You are Tagging:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

So many socks and so little time!

I've been sorting my sock wool out and decided the Opal Lollipop (Turqouises) that I started I will now take back and re-start as the Cable Rib Socks that appeared in the latest Creative Knitting.

That still leaves me two balls of Regia and a sparkly Opal. I am thinking about Jaywalker from MagKnits, Broadripple or Falling Leaves both from Knitty or even the Dublin Bay Socks from Mossy Cottage Knits.

While on decision making for new projects, I wasn't going to, but I am now after noticing Team Angstylvania to take on the Knitting Olympics 2006 challenge.
I notice some very industrious people are using this time to knit more for Dulaan, I think I will how ever concentrate on doing something for myself during this time.

The incredible ankle sock saga has not finished - this is purely out of my own despair to finish the foot part now would put me in the position to pick up all the stitches required for the band and then for the roll top. I have come up with a plan where by I put it aside in favour of working with older socks yet to be knitted up, I feel by the time that they are done it will be cool enough for me to cope with the mammoth task of picking up stitches.

While looking to see what others are knitting I have stumbled upon this most excellent pattern! Pirate Mittens! And available from the same source We Call Them Pirates!

I think that is more than enough excitement for one day, so I shall end here my dear readers.
Until next time,
Suzi.
A bona fide skull loving red head and damn proud of it!




Friday, January 27, 2006

Sock yarn anyone?

With all the heat yesterday I forgot to tell you about an blah American soap about teenagers I watched yesterday morning, see what the heat has reduced me to?

One of the boys wanted to see his girlfriend and her band perfoem at this club but he wasn't old enough so his friend assures him he'll take care of it.
They go to a yarn store and this boy's friend says to the woman behind the counter "Can you hook my friend up with some Regia sock yarn?"
Which is code for can you get my friend a fake id?

Who would have thought it possible that a yarn store could be such a den of inequity! Which makes me wonder what my LYS does to really make money!
They have "knitters"signing on to do "work" for them, perhaps an escort service? Gun running? An illegal terrorist cell? The mind boggles at the possibilities!

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

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Another hot one.....

Too hot!

I have soothed myself with some of Stone's (of the Green Ginger Wine fame) Ginger Beer nicely chilled and Bill Bailey's stage performance Part Troll.

Which I must confess was hilarious! I know him only as Manny from Balck Books so was dubious as to what he would be like on stage. He was an absolute scream! My favourite part was his version of the Hokey Pokey done in German to some techno-house music.

Although his mini film at the end of the show was almost as equally as amusing, he had said earlier in his show how he likes to look at his washing up under water. He does this by going to his fridge and removing all the fruit and veg from the clear vegatable crisper and then putting it into the sink and looking through it - as he mimed this he's looking in it and pointing at things and smoking.

As well as seeing all this in the film from the view point of the bottom of the sink we also saw him getting the munchies!

I'm highly intrigued, why I have I never thought of this? All those times when I've been driven mad by the heat and too hot and mad to want to do anything challenging.

My sock thanks to the ever capable Cindy (again) has progressed on, I think Cindy the pattern has passed all the boogelly bits and looks as though it will be clear knitting up ahead but if the stitches all add up when I get there is yet to be seen.

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

Monday, January 23, 2006

Arrghh!

Alright I think I may have made a blunder, I don't have a lot of time to rectify it tonight, but to all my fellow SNB'ers, I will see you tomorrow. And please disregard the 2005 I meant 2006....

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Ladies, Gentlemen and Spiny Headed Yellow Things!

I have been Missing Without Action for a little while now and I will be back to my usual broadcast very soon. But this is just a quick note, anybody who is waiting to hear from me, I will get to you all very soon!

Until then be excellent to one another!
Suzi.
A bona fide too hot too frazzled and ready to move to the artic redhead.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Breaking NEW!

I think I am a little late reading my e-mail aout the new MagKnits.
But I think I am less late with my e-mail about Southern Cross Knitting - and when they said Mini Issue they meant Mini Issue!

I'm melting! I'm melting!

Well it certainly feels like it, and the puddle of liquid that constantly surrounds me has given me a clue as well.

The very lovely Cindy lent me her new Vogue magazine to have a look at after last weeks SNB meet-up. She also helped me with the sock from the first issue of Yarn magazine, the short ankle sock. I have come to the conclusion from trying to turn the heel that it's no longer just me and an inabiltiy to understand the patten. I think it may be the pattern. In the end all the sock was doing was making me cross so it has gone to one side to be taken to next weeks SNB meet-up to seek answers from those more in the know.

Also a hat I started out of Patons Inca, (lovely stuff to work with I might add!) made to an old Husky pattern has came to a halt after I had to take back the 7th row and take it back and ...... Upu get the picture I'm sure, I lost a few stitches but recaptured them and proceded onto the 8th row and discovered I had indeed lost tow stitches altogether. They've run almost down to the bottom of the hat, I fear I will have to rip the whole hat back (again) so I have put it to one side to take to SNB. Nothing like putting off the inevitable.

Back to Vogue, I was so in love with most of the designs this time around a very good issue that I decided to buy my very own copy and while in doing that tonight I discovered the thrid issue of Vogue's Knit 1 was out!
It has some very nice hat patterns, also a very lovely (but knit on tiny 2.5mm needles - arrgh!) corset top. However the down side - it is Vogue so there is goign to be some absolute clunker and this time around it was a strapless knit dress with argyle pattern. I think the style is very nice, but maybe in a solid colour?

There was also a picture of a knitted faux bear skin rug! This has to be my fave pattern in the magazine, strictly speaking it's only a picture in the magazine you have to log on to Knit 1's website for the pattern to make it.
While logged on you may like to check out the new Knit 1 blog - it has pictures of some of the patterns completed by knitters from out in the real world.

Sharp eyed readers while veiwing the preview of the next Knit 1 magazine due out may spot something very near to my heart!

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

Sunday, January 15, 2006

What else can go wrong?

It has just been one of those weeks, everything that can, has!

This includes some absolute winners in the knitting department. There will be more details, provided my post dosen't get eaten again.

Suzi.

Monday, January 09, 2006

Longing for a Sea Change!

After a wonderful week away where I thought about nothing and did not much more than that aside from some knitting!

I've made it to halfway thorugh the hood on my hooded scarf with pockets - unfortuantly I don't have a picture yet so you will all just have to imagine what it looks like. Which I'm sure will be more excting than what it actually does look like at the moment.

I won't to go back, I got so much knitting done. So much staring at the ocean view done. So much more knitting. So much more staring at the view.........

Then it's back to reality at my house, with the daft white cat and housework I ignored since I was going away. I don't know who's reality this is, it can't be mine, I wouldn't be living in this house and I wouldn't have housewk to do, ever. Unfortunatly for the Daft White Cat I think he will be stuck with me, his Ab Fab mummy, in all realitys.

I'm hoping to get to Knits, Needles and Wool, my local (This shop is for locals! Are you a local?) yarn store and get some bamboo double point needles. I'm dying to knit on a pair, and I thought the ankle socks as featured in the first issue of Yarn would be a good opportunity.
I have some yarn I could use, I found it in the wardrobe. I also found myself and the DWC in there but no doorway to an alternate reality. Highly disappointing.

Tomorrow is my SNb meet-up, which I am organising. No, really I am. Don't you just love holidays? I saw the "Grandma" of our group today and she remembered without me reminding her.

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

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Lang may your lum reek!

I have to thank Cindy for pointing me in the direction of this very fabulous article on New Years Eve - Hogmanay in Scotland.

My father hails from Auld Reekie and has memories of First Footing.
Courtesy of Rampant Scotland :-
"First footing" (that is, the "first foot" in the house after midnight) is still common in Scotland. To ensure good luck for the house, the first foot should be male, dark (believed to be a throwback to the Viking days when blond strangers arriving on your doorstep meant trouble) and should bring symbolic coal, shortbread, salt, black bun and whisky. These days, however, whisky and perhaps shortbread are the only items still prevalent (and available).
According to my father first footing in his young day meant visiting all your friends and neighbours and having a drink and there were people who kept going around for days after the New Year first footing....Talk about chancers!

The reference to someone dark and the old superstition regarding blondes harking back to the Vikings raises a rather interesting point. At one point researches thought the key to red hair lay in a combination of a mixture of dark and light haired parents. Could this explain all those hats touted in tourist shops? A tartan concoction with a fringe of red hair? Could this also explain red heads legendary tempers? Could the Vikings a group of people depicted as war like invaders be the cause behind the rage? But then the early Scots whose roots lie in the Celtic people certainly wern't shy about coming forward, after all the Romans in the end thought life would be easier to deal with the Northaners if they built a wall and kept them out of England.

Another interesting point the article mentioned was the fact that until the 1950's, Christmas was banned in Scotland. It has something to do with the Protesent's seeing it as too "Catholic". My Grandmother who was originaly from England went to live in Scotland after she married my Grandfather and when she first moved up she was shocked that there was no Christmas! I have to admit I find it hard to comprehend when she told the story and since my father has since told it.

Enough food for thought tonight I think, I have a date with the Edinbourgh Tattoo and a piece of shortbread. Which brings one last point I have to raise, watching the Australian Tattoo they talked about why it was called a Tattoo (something I myself have wondered), it stems back to the 1800's and the drum beat that signified to pub land lords they must turn off the beer taps and soldiers to return to their barracks.

Learn something everyday!
Suzi.
A boan fide war like red head and damn perplexed by it.

Happy New Year One and All!

Well dear readers it's offical 2006 has started and so far the world hasn't ended.

If anybody made it to Aurora Stadium tonight I would love to hear about it I didn't make it myself and am very disappointed. Also anybody who's been to the Taste in Hobart, maybe next year for me.

Speaking of next year I'm already making notes to myself, if staying in find someone worth staying in with. Not that the complete season 3 of CSI isn't good enough - that is after all a lot of Grissom. But he's hardly going to see the New Year in with me and a bottle of bubbly. Furthur note to self, start saving now and you may be able to have a magnum of Krug for New Year 2008.

Also I received in my Inbox tonight an e-mail from Spun magazine. The new issue is up at last! Yeah!

Ona final note anybody First Footing tonight, don't forget something black!

Thursday, December 22, 2005


It's his first Christmas and possibly last...we'll have to see how he behaves!

The newest addition to the family and full on time waster.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

So much time, so little to drink!

Or should that be so much to drink and so little time?

Another fabulous afternoon of sampling, today was wines followed by a port and a cognac. I didn't mind the Cognac, the port I could have left as I could have done with most of the white wines. We only tried two reds and only one of them was remotely drinkable. At least I think so.

After all that excitement we had to practice opening wine bottles with the Waiter's Friend. Fool of a thing! is all I shall say on that experience.

This was followed by what was supposed to be non-dairy based mocktails. Inevitably some booze ended up in some of the drinks. Surprise surprise!
While they were few and far between, the non-alcoholic ones that were made mostly seemed to end up down the sink, I'm not talking about the remains of a drink here - were talking nearly full glasses.
I suspect it had a lot to do with people were just making stuff up, I don't think anyone really thought out what they were doing. And as for the Midori and cranberry juuice concoction, I wasn't surprised it ended up down the sink.

I made a good old stand-by the Cinderella Mocktail after flipping through the recipes supplied and not seeing it or anything like it I figured I might be able to pull some credit for something that might be "original"!

But instead of mixing the first ingredients and topping with lemonade I decided to go down the built road. I picked a hurricane glass, my personal fave glass. Added some ice, poured some pineapple juice over it, added some orange juice slightly less than the pine and then what was meant to be a dash of grenadine become more like three and promptly sank to the bottom of the glass - I wasn't expecting that! But it did as it settled make a real cool kind of "blush" at the bottom of the glass. I topped it up with lemonade which made this cool clear layer at the top and the juices sort of intermingled in the middle to make a yellow-orange colour.
Compleatly by accident I ended up with something absolutly fabulous darling!

While out doing some last minute shopping this morning I picked up the latest Simply Knitting and the new Yarn magazine.
I bought Creative Knitting the other day and I am a little annoyed it was wrapped in plastic because I couldn't see what was in it before I bought but having looked at it since it's better than last month's which I didn't buy at all.
Back to SK and Yarn, I was hoping to read them tonight after I got in from class but it looks as though my mother failed to drop them in with the rest of my shopping.

All good things come to those who wait I suppose, at least I have the newsletter from Janet Evanovich to peruse tonight, not quite as exciting or as much reading...

Until next time,
KNIT ON!