Doh!

I've mislaid my diary which had my piece of paper with all my details of the arm warmer I was working on written in it.
Because I last worked on it, about three weeks ago, I don't even remember where exactly I was up to.

I am most annoyed because I am up to the middle pattern section and it was flying along at great speed and I actually thought I would be getting it done and starting my leg warmers by now. It's just driving me mad.

But aside from that I have been keeping some very unsociable hours watching P!nk and Bill Bailey. Made my stomach sore after attempting to do belly rolls, eventually got it, rolled up from the bottom to the top, then top to bottom and back up again, then down. And then I couldn't get it to do anything, must have been a bit of a fluke.
What prompted this was I got a new DVD, arrived from America in a week which surprised me, I wasn't expecting it for at least two the usual time for anything to get here. I've been quite excited about it as it's with Ariellah who I have read loads of good reviews about both the DVD and of her live workshops people have attended. The DVD also has quite an extensive yoga section for both warm up and cool down, and since yoga is about the only sort of physical activity I am actually quite reasonable at I feel I am getting some use out of my DVD if I decide I don't like belly dance after all.

Until now I have been obsessed with Sharon Kihara (if Angela from Bones and Abby from NCIS had a love child it'd so be Sharon). Attempting to blunder along to her DVD, 10 out 0f 10 times my upper abs will work, 9 out of 10 my lower ones won't and I don't have nice floaty graceful arms either. Personally I think I look like some mad person trying to fly, only in slow motion.

I keep debating about baking, I seriously think a chocolate cake is in order. One with chocolate frosting, yum! Or even just Nigella's Totally Chocolate Choc Chip Cookies again. So good!!!
Although something I haven't eaten in forever and I am madly craving Welsh Rarebit!

Much to my excitement I did actually find frozen raw prawns that Nigella always talks about and I am always despondant I can never find in my supermarket. I brought them home and popped them into the freezer, I've always wanted to try the yellow Thai pumpkin and seafood curry she had in Nigella Bites. Although while I have always seen red and green Thai curry pastes, I have yet to strike yellow? But I saw someone on one of the cooking shows making something the other day with yellow paste so there may be hope yet, but it is possible to sub out red or green according to Nigella so I may have to make a green version. There's always green curry paste knocking about as it's in the Curry in a Hurry which is an absolute gem of a curry.

Something else I am loving at the moment is the new TV series Castle, it is exactly what I have been looking for! It's not just another crime show, which Miss Stash suggested it might be. We watch it every week now, I like that it's actually funny and it's not too serious about the writer they need to have solve their crimes for them. Miss Stash finds it has grown on her and she really likes it now. But tonight we find out if we like the new Miss Marple. The last one truly got my goat, Miss Marple is just the harmless fluffy little old lady sitting knitting, remarking how someone reminds her of the butcher's boy or the so and so's nanny. The last Miss Marple wasn't like that at all, she was a bit too forward and they did have a tendency to fiddle with the stories a bit. Some of them they took the artistic license a bit too far I felt.

I'll be watching tonight with bated breath and a vodka cruiser in hand!

Tweet tweet!

No I have not acquired a little birdy, but signed onto the Twitter madness. You can find me there as DarksideKnitter and mostly hear about how much I loathe Economics and my fears for my impending doom as the exam rolls around. It's the day after tomorrow. Eeeep!

Twitter has also allowed me a bit more of a glimpse into the life of Matt Hardy. Long time readers will be familiar with my lust fueled obsession of Mr Hardy. For new readers unfamiliar he's kind of the non-thinking woman's Mr Darcy.
Since I also have a lustful obsession with food I have been following with great enthusiasm what he's been eating, yep he tweets about it, I know where he went and what he ordered. Which I find most intriguing, but mostly because I love hearing about what people are cooking and eating or ordering and eating as the case may be.

But getting back to what I most want to talk about, is this too much information? Is telling us all this merely pouring petrol on an already lit fire? Someone with far more game than I have actually rang the restaurant Matt Hardy tweeted about while he was there and asked to speak to him. While I like having this kind of all knowing all seeing look into his life, well I like this about everybody's life, I am quite nosy I love knowing how other people live.

Well if anybody gets any phone calls that are heavy breathing followed by "So what are you eating tonight?" you'll know who it is. It is I suppose slightly classier than "What kind of underwear are you wearing?".

School's Out!

Well not exactly summer, maybe winter, and technically there is still exams, but I am taking a couple of days to decompress, which are very very badly needed.
I'm just a teeny tiny bit stressed and crabby, but the final assignment went in today so I can breathe a sigh of relief for the time being.

The second arm warmer is knitting up quicker than the first, I think because I have the pattern still etched in my brain. After this those leg warmers are going to fly by! Yeah! Then I can plot what to make next and buy some suitable yarn for it, double yeah!

Having seen the new issue of Family Circle I am in love with a chunky yarn rug, just the sort of thing I need now the weather is getting cooler and I have more evenings free to watch late TV! Or simply re-watch Bill Bailey DVD's. Miss Stash can't get over how often I can quite happily sit through these even though I've seen them a thousand times.
Well what can I say? It makes me laugh everytime, it's never not funny. Which is I think is a really wonderful thing.
And I am also really inspired by the Owl Song, especially as just before seeing it I spied an Owl-omtery someone had made. Very cool! I love owls they are such beautiful birds.

I anticipate to get most of the second armwarmer done tonight, just make myself at home in a comfy chair and get stuck in.

I find myself with just 2 weeks of classes left at school which includes 3 tests and 1 massive project!
Then the joy of study week, the blasted Economics exam would fall on the very first day of the exam period, fortunately not till the afternoon, if it had been 8am I don't think I would have coped at all.

I caught some of Insiders on ABC, and how scary is this, I actually knew what they where on about when they had a chart on screen talking about deficit and GDP. I can't believe I know that! Or that I can actually relate it to something in Real Life. Weird.

Writing a blog post is just another attempt to put off studying for Economics, I really don't like Economics. I'll be glad when it's all over, however I would have liked the exam to be on the very last day giving me a bit more time to revise.

On the other hand Bus Info Systems is shaping up to be my star subject, Distinction on my first assignment and then a High Distinction on my first test! I've got one test and the big project to go (and no exam another reason I love it!) so I'd like to give it more time to keep my good streak going.
I've unofficially decided (as my mind never seems to stay made up)to stay for an extra year and squeeze in a second degree, probably no surprises here, computing. Alas I fear (or should I say know) for a degree in computing at some point there is programming. Yuck.

My life at the moment is a major explosion of recipes and knitting patterns, possibly as I subconsciously seek to occupy myself with things other than school work. We had Curry in a Hurry the other day, every time I eat it I can't wait to eat it again. So nice, I'd also like to do the Irish Cream Tiramisu again.
Since I am kind of in the mood for something sweet, Instant Chocolate Mousse or the Holiday Hot Cake with Eggnog Cream would also be nice. I love steamed puddings haven't had one in years, and I just so happen to have a bottle of Advocaat lurking about in my cupboard. A lot of obscure liqueurs lurk in my cupboards.
There's just something very retro about them all, and cocktails in general and I love that! It's like cookbook's from the 60's and 70's, it's like looking at another world!
Most excellent!

Onwards and upwards! Or maybe that should be downwards?

***EDIT***Had to add the latest photo!



***End Edit!***

After handing in an assignment yesterday lunchtime I was able to go home and get stuck in to my knitting, I had Happy Days in the DVD player and I just knitted merrily away.

This is where I got up to last night by the end of Midsummer Murders...just two pattern repeats to go and then the final rib and casting off! So working down to the hand is perhaps the description I want? Or working up to it?
Mine is the one and only project for the Slinky Arm warmers pattern on the Rav. Which I am disappointed about as I would have loved to have seen other people's of this design. I may have to Google and see what turns up.
As Miss Stash said to me it is kind of an obscure book, roller derby themed knit book is not going to be as wide spread as say a SNB one. (Of which I am still waiting to hear more about the next one!)

Heres a couple of lovely shots of me actually modeling the arm warmer, the first allows you to admire the fab colour changes and the second will hopefully give you a close up of the "clover" pattern!

And does it ever feel good on! Really lovely, I can not stop raving about this yarn! I'm actually wondering (not in this colour though) how it would do for Intolerable Cruelty?

A hasty photo!

I was so enthused I had to take a photo and post it as soon as possible, I am so in love with this pattern. Although I think my hasty slightly average photo skills perhaps do not really do it justice and Ravelry does it less always cutting off the right of my photo's!
You think I would have learned to not put things in the center of the picture and more to the left.
This is Moda Vera Picchio in "Bark", as you can see it goes from green to light grey to what looked like blue last night but this morning in natural light looks like a darker grey? But having completly changed my mind again this is so the colourway I am seeking out again for Ondine.

A photo or two, and just maybe a blog post!

I have finally taken some photos of my knitting that has had most of my devoted attention, the fact that it's finished or almost finished should be the giveaway!

Anyway to start a mug I bought this afternoon in the supermarket I saw it and couldn't resist, it's called according to it's bar code sticker Merlin Cat.


These are my first pair of socks! Long time readers will be familiar with my many single socks and for once I knitted a pair! These where basic tube socks so no heel, and knitted up in no time in a thickish yarn.


This is my current project on the needles, the Easy Access Legwarmers from Knockdown Knits, almost finished the second one. Now all I need is to shop for suitable buttons!

This is the headband from Knockdown Knits in Moda Vera Picchio in the colourway "Fusion" at the time I got it I could only find one ball in this colour way. Katt told me today at the knitting coven that they have more in again in this colour so I'll have to pop in next week and try and get some more to make Ondine with.

And as for the Moda Vera Picchio in "Bark" I bought originally to make Ondine with after I could find no more in Fusion I have decided to use it instead to make a pair of Slinky Arm Socks and a pair of Slinky Leg Socks from Knockdown Knits. (4 projects so far from the book!)

Still to come I need to invest in some more Moda Vera Picchio in "Fusion" so I can finally knit Ondine and some black 4ply to make the Gothic Temptress socks! But not until after the Slinky Socks are done!
It's my new stash policy, only buy yarn for projects I am intending to start right away! Second step is finishing some of my many WIP's, third step is actually finding what's in my stash and trying to find uses for it.
I have managed so far to knit up straight away the last round of yarn I bought for specific projects and am using up some yarn I unearthed from my stash to make gloves for Miss Stash so I feel I have got off to a good start with my new approach.

This has been hard as I was in my local yarn store to buy a set of double points and was quite tempted by some 20ply they had in. I could think of at least 2 projects I wanted to do in this. Although the Patons Kalidascope was seriously tempting as an alternative for Ondine as well.
Alas my queue on Ravelry just gets longer, mostly with arm warmers. I love arm warmers! And a lot are in about 10ply so I'm shopping round for a 10ply yarn with good colour choices to keep me occupied as well.

Could it be?

I have finally got the result for my Economics assignment, 3 out of 5! Yeah!
And it appears much to our delight Miss Stash and I on our group project for Bus Info Sys, we may have a distinction! I told Miss Stash my best work was done under pressure yet she doubted me.

Fortunately most of my bag contents has dried out, my pattern magazine is slightly wibbly from where it got wet and then dried out but that's really neither here nor there. I'm planning to take the hat out to the knitting coven tomorrow, we're having Mexican! OMG yumtastic!
And while the hat is in that fiddly decrease stage, and I do need to think about where the decreases should be, but aside from that it's safe to knit while talking.

Things are going well at the moment, add to it my excitement on discovering an illusion knit pattern is now available as a free Ravelry download! It used to be in a book I am sure of it, but I'm non too fussed what happened with the book because I know have the pattern!
It's a pair of arm warmers with an illusion of an x-ray. Very uber cool! Or at least I think so. I love Illusion knitting, my only piece to date is the Alien Illusion scarf from the first SNB book but I am very keen to knit up the one from Son of SNB as well, something else I think is uber cool, the video here on the US Pole Federation just sums it up even more. One day I aspire to be half as bendy and strong as that!

Miss Stash whipped up Jamie Oliver's Pot-Roast Meatloaf from his last book Ministry of Food. And it was absolutely delicious! Very yummy! I helped supervise the sauce while it was simmering and spooned it around the meatloaf before replacing it in the oven. Just the minor jobs.

I'd like to report about what I have cooked recently which hasn't really been anything remotely interesting, although stay tuned for I am so my mother informs me having a crock-pot day. Miss Stash will bring her little 3.5L one over to our mothers, I'll bring my 6.5L (my 5.5L is already at my mothers) and we will set them up and have a big cooking day.
No idea what we are making yet for our grand cook-up but I am hoping to make at least one batch of chili.

Because I was out yesterday I found myself having to dash home in the rain, I now have my bag and it's entire contents laid out in an effort to dry it, fortunately overnight it has got rather dryer but it included my Sorbet hat I was working on.

Apparently I am the last person in the world to know that there is a new Anticraft up. I need to go away and think what else I could fashion the patterns into for everyday wear.
Never mind hte merkin what I'd really like is a Murloc!

Click click clickety click!

Well still very much on the needles are a number of things but my time is being divided between a beret made with Moda Vera Sorbet for me, a pair of Beer Gloves from Son of SNB in Cleckheaton Tweed for Miss Stash and a garter stitch wrap out of ye olde Caressa 7ply for my mother.

People keep asking about my Vintage Hues scarf I was knitting, it's almost done, but I just need to go back and undo the last pattern repeat and do it again. Those are the four most "active" projects at the moment.

I'm on the search for a suitably priced sub for SWTC Karoke, and I am wondering if the new Kaleidoscope from Cleckheaton will do the trick? It seems to be a similar ply, and colour number 6 on the website seems to be just the colour I'm after for my project! Quick search online reveals a general price of about $5.50 to $5.95 a ball, much better then the Karoke which I found on one Aussie site for $18 a ball!

Which brings me to my next thought, and a question to all my fellow knitters out there, do you as a knitter like getting knitted gifts???

I ask because I was thinking most of my knitting is 95% for me, there is a odd assortment of things left over in the 5% mainly for charity with the odd requested item for my mother (currently a wrap because I keep hearing about how much she needs one sitting up in the evnings) or in an odd twist of fate something for Miss Stash who actually does knit quite a lot for herself as well.

And I think personally giving another knitter something knitted is like giving a crossword fan a book of crosswords that have already been done. I will admit sometimes I have seen things other knitters have knitted and I have just had to have it!

I finished the square! Yesterday afternoon, and am now in a sea of indecision. I would like to make a new pair of socks, then there are the yoga socks I'd like to try and of course I should take my Peacock scarf back to the last garter stitch row and re-do the pattern bit...

Today is Mock Lasagne day in the crock-pot, the recipe comes from the Crockpot-Lovers group on the Ravelry. And I'm hoping if it doesn't get all cold and rainy again this afternoon it may do so tomorrow as I am keen to make the Gingerbread Latte from the Year of Crockpotting.

Ticket's for Pink's Australian tour went on sale last Friday and apparently they only sold 10 over the counter before they ran out due to all the online and phone sales! People had been queuing since 5:30 in the morning to try and buy tickets. You'd be disappointed after all that time. Unfortunately the nearest Pink is getting to me is Melbourne so I wasn't rushing to get a ticket, a trip interstate moves it from a luxury to a dream!
I have had to content myself with Pink - Live at Wembley on DVD, it's the I'm Not Dead tour. That will be the DWC and my new Friday night viewing I think for the next couple of weeks, sometimes we have Cher on her Farewell tour. Which is also pretty exciting, but I may need to get some Madonna to balance it all out.
But tonight is Dirty Dancing night!

What's that smell???

I tried a new experiment in the slow cooker today, my mother had grand plans as I have just recently bought Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food and have been unable to talk about it till now since I was giving Miss Stash a copy for her birthday.

The plan was we'd make the Chicken and Leek Stroganoff from MoF, well it only feeds two so first we were going to multiply it to go round 6 (my grandparents are up visiting hence the mad desire of my mother's to cook something from the new book, or more to the point to get me to cook something from the new book). This plan gets changed into chicken and leek stroganoff in the slow cooker. Only we don't have a recpie for a chicken stroganoff in the slow cooker, so we adapt a beef one.
It tasted alright. Can't say it looked very appealing. But there is a success story here, I made at long last the Totally Chocolate Choc-Chip Cookies from Nigella Express. I've just finished eating one as I type this. OMG! So, so very good! I will be making another batch to pop in the freezer, perfect in a time of crisis, also some chilli. Chilli is always good.

Some things didn't make the baking rotation today like Date Gingerbread and Raspberry Scones. But there still on the ever growing list of things to make.

But the big question is, is it really okay to get high off doing yoga? I understand endorphins get released while doing exercise, but after a session of yoga I feel like I'm floating on air!
Speaking of fun workout's, how do you fancy busting a move with Mr Burlesque?

Note to self practise wearing high heels! Dammit if Mr Burlesque can, surely I can!

It strikes again!

Now I am having technical issues, technology is defying me now! Blah! I brought my knitting to school and have promptly not done any. I have been chatting, investigating services and browsing through the local bookshop, which excitingly also sells normal books.

They even had some cookbooks I have had my eye on for some time. This could be dangerous! Actually I might have to go back and see if they stock any knitting, probably not but worth an excuse to rebrowse.

Miss Stash and I have been discussing the prospect of chilli in the slow cooker, this is a win-win situation. Everybody loves Chilli!!!
The Cheeseburger Soup is a must! I am adding the ingredients to my shopping list for when I next go. If I'm real keen I may take a picture of it to proudly display here on my blog!

OMG! So many good things, so little time!

I know I was talking about using my slow cooker more often, and after working my way through the Year of Crockpotting blog I have more ideas than I know what to do with.
Things on the top of the list are the Cheeseburger Soup and Chai Lattes, things I either like the sound of or like but can't afford to buy all the time. There also things I think I will find myself attempting to eat my way through alone, I fear Cheeseburger Soup would be seen as an affront on gastronomy by those I usually cook for.

There is a whole pile of others I printed out ready to compile shopping lists and plan when to make them, more than I'll mention here at this time.

My square seems to be stuck at 10 1/2 inches??? How does this happen I measured it, 10 1/2 inches, knit some more measure again, 10 1/2 inches????
I have a sneaking suspicion the world is conspiring against me of late, could my knitting be further proof???

Burn For Me!

Blah! No surprises who got themselves sunburnt, teach me to leave the house without my hat. Thinking of it after as I started to feel a bit warm and off on my merry way, was a fraction too late.

I finally am coming to a close to the organisational red tape for my new adventure, wandering from office to office, and needing to confirm who I am, what I'm doing, setting accounts up and getting my timetable sorted has been tedious but not exactly difficult I must admit.
The hard part's obviously still to come, but of my 4 subjects this semester, only three of them require me to sit a final exam!

Joining so many other knitters, I am also knitting a square, well one under way at the moment. It is quite meditative so I may find myself glad of knitting more as I get going into the treacherous land of economics. Blah!

The search is on for slow cooker recipes, I have some tried and true ones I am going to use. But there are a few new ones I'd like to test. While it doesn't seem quite fully like slow cooker weather I'll admit, I know I associate it with more cold weather cooking, but I quite often have time of a morning but not of an afternoon or early evening to whip stuff up for my dinner. Watch this space for my experiments!

Guess Who?

Guess who is starting at University next week???

9/2/2009 Edit - After much confusion and clarfication, it's not next week, next week will require only one day. One day which I am waiting to be notified about. So it will be the week after next!

I'm it!

Mrs DrWho tagged me, so here we go, six quirky but boring things about me! I can only name 6?

Rules
Link to the person who tagged you.
Mention the rules.
Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.
Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that let’s them know they’ve been tagged.

1. Most of my clothing I own is black. I like to think of it as my urban camouflage and wouldn't dream of life without it.

2. I have an unyielding passion for themed food, my house is crammed with cookie cutters, chocolate moulds, fancy cake pans and kitschy ice cube trays (Bailey's bottle shaped ice anyone?)

3. When I grew up I desperately wanted to be an Egyptologist. I blame Agatha Christie entirely for this passion! Alas I fear a wonderful academic career will never be mine and besides I've seen what the helpers on Time Team endure. I'm trying to picture me a) doing that labour and b) doing it happily in a desert under the hot, hot, hot sun. Oh the heat!

4. Two of my fave things to do as a child was dress-up's and "playing ladies", the first involved a box of assorted off cast clothing (my fave piece being a sort of purple embroidered blouse) and the second was my Nana letting me get the fine china out and make afternoon tea to eat off it. These are two things that have carried over into my grown up life that I still love to do.

5. There is no denying it, I am a bag lady. I am always on the look-out for the more slightly unusual looking bags.

6. Matt Hardy lives on my computer desk! Next to a mini beanie pirate, vampire and white tiger.

I'll tag Lady Deathwatch, Spinning Goth, Metal and Knit and Msfortuknit and anyone else who's interested!

12 Days of Christmas Darkside Style

My dream Christmas theme is sandwiched somewhere between Nightmare Before Christmas and a Las Vegas casino. Well actually that's my year round dream decor. Glitz, glamour and above all gaudy with a touch of the sinister thrown in.

I completed my Christmas shopping for the immediate family today, everybody else on my gift list will be sorted out sometime before Christmas Eve or after Boxing Day. The family's presents all came from stores that gift wrapped, yeah one less job for me to do.

I've had a full on cooking binge, with a drinkies night on Friday night. May I say I can recommend highly the Poinsettia from Nigella Christmas (also in the Nigella Christmas Feast in the latest Australian Women's Weekly). Also from Nigella Christmas, the Chilli Cheese Crostini is wonderful with the Mexicana flavoured Dorito's, it's a little bland without anything highly flavoured to dollop it on. And the Peanut Butter Cups are wonderful, but then I am mad about Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and this is as close to home made version as you can get.
I also made the Wasabi Crab Cakes, or Not-Wasabi Crab Cakes, I substituted English mustard for the wasabi as Nigella suggested (no one likes wasabi according to my mother), and lemon juice for the rice wine vinegar. Then instead of frying them, my mother thought we should bake them, they kind of came out dry, and not at all crispy and I really didn't like the flavour the mustard gave them.

I made the Cocktail Sausages from Express, they were an absolute winner, think chipolata's in a honey-soy marinade. One I am not pleased with is the Party Popcorn from Express, the popcorn popped alright and then I tried to make up the buttery spice mix to pour over. I ended up with what reminded me in appearance and smell of curry paste.
Tried remaking it, just mixing the dried spice mix up and shoggiling like mad, but most of it sat at the bottom. Oh well shelved till a future date when I have patience to fiddle with it some.
Also from Express and what I do like is Curry in a Hurry, what I didn't like was the chicken cacciatore.

My new addition to my Christmas decoration line up is a jaunty looking tiger wearing a Santa hat. I like tigers and I like hats. It's win-win. I haven't got my tree out, put none of my cards up, aside from the tiger I am still in two minds as to whether I shall have Christmas at my house or not this year. Tinsel on anything, decorations hung on the tree are all fair game as far as the Daft White Cat is concerned, so too any fresh flowers or potted plants I try to keep.

The only thing safe is the tree itself and the string of lights I have on it. Maybe the DWC likes a minimalist Christmas theme?

Tomorrow we are having another knitting coven meeting, I am in two minds about going, I could go, or I could stay home and start constructing a reasonably sized bunker for the DWC and I to lurk in.
The now infamous scarf, will once again get an outing if I go out. Will it be done by New Year, possibly, if I can make the time to sit long enough to work on it. Fortunately I think my search is over, turned my entire home upside down in search of my "good" black skirt which I adore, asked my mother twice if I'd left it at her house at all, no no no, so searching again through all my clothes, when you own as much black as I do finding a particular piece is like seeking a needle in a haystack. My mother found it at her house.
Then there was the now complete searches for Christmas decorations and for my copy of Forever Summer.

Anyway my final thought on Christmas Twisted Sister Part 1 and Part 2.

The scarf is almost finished, thanks to Lady Deathwatch I have an idea on a shrug to start, it looks simple enough for even me to complete in a timely fashion, i.e. for when the warm weather well and truly starts here in my part of the world.

As most people are aware it's December, yes it's that time of year again. Good will to all mankind and all that other baloney. Bah! Is all I have to say to that. Bah!

However despite saying that, I have been putting the carols on, flicking through my ever growing pile of Christmas magazines and books, it grows every year.
As much as I despise this time of year, as much as I loathe it with every fibre of my being, I can not resist the opportunity for cooking too much food.
Food is just one of my major obsessions, of which I have many, long time readers will be familiar with my others.
New to this year's menus, I tried Christmas Chocolate Biscuits, Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies both from the new Nigella Christmas. And at long last I made the Maple Pepper Pecans from Nigella Express. One minor substitution I swapped out the cayenne for paprika in the pecans to road test them at that level, and I'm really not sure how other people feel about really hot things.
But they've passed my Mother's test, she was sampling them in the kitchen while no one was looking.

There's still a whole plethora of things from Nigella Christmas I'm keen to try and a number of them have made it onto lists, the Cranberry Studded Mincemeat (after the Vanilla Rhubarb mincemeat from Feast was vetoed by my mother, not enough people in the family can eat rhubarb, the fact I like it is beside the point) and Christmas Wreaths look like goers.
But the tried and tested Apricot and Almond White Christmas is back again this year, I love both apricots and almonds, and well I like some White Christmas, it's kind of like fruit cake, it can be hard to find a good one.

A reliable source (my Mother, so always right) informs me Nigella's Express was on the ABC last night! I missed it but with any luck my father has recorded it, we think last night was the first episode. I'm hoping so, I have been eagerly anticipating this series, I have seen little snippets courtesy of You Tube.

Shrugging off my problems

I need some advice, I want to knit up a cardigan for when the warmer weather gets here if at all or better yet a shrug (smaller thing to knit). All my jumpers are a tad warm to be a light cover up.

I'm going to poke through Ravelry, and look through my wrappy/shawly pattern books as I know they have shrugs as well in them. But anything anyone's knitted, not to complex, the quicker the better, and can recommend I am all ears (and eyes).

The Day After The Night Before

"The Shoveler is hammered!"
- The Shoveler, Mystery Men


I was out to a wedding yesterday, an old friend I've known for 28 years. But I guess over the later years I haven't seen as much of am as I used to, which meant I hadn't got a chance to meet his fiance and now wife till the wedding yesterday.

It was a really lovely ceremony, even I a jaded cynic, can not deny that. The dress was gorgeous, the girl in it turned out to be lovely as well! One of the page boys was over excited and rushed off to the front of the church soon as the bridal party arrived with his ring cushion and had to be retrieved and taken back to wait.

Now the important part of any wedding, the reception, a chance to have a drink or three. It was held at the Cataract Bistro, the very modern looking building adjacent to the TRC Hotel. Food was lovely, I had a slow roasted tomato, boccacini and basil tart with onion jam to start, the other popular choice seemed to be the Chicken Salad which Miss Stash had.
I don't care what she says though, my tart was so the best starter on that menu!

Main I had the rolled chicken breast stuffed with Persian feta and sun dried tomato on a Parmesan risotto cake I think it was meant to be. The chicken had been wrapped in bacon, but I disassembled mine cause I really don't like that much bacon looking at me. Blerch!
Other mains included fish (trevalla or trevally? trevalla I think?) which was one of my mother's favourites, and steak which the men at our table all seemed to order....

Dessert was a berry merangue or steamed pudding, the merangue seemed to be the popular choice all round, waitresses were dashing round the room with armfuls of plates with the merangues on them. It was delicious, my one complaint my crispy outside fell off, and when I tried to spoon it up completly disintergrated, so mostly I ate a giant marshmallowy mound topped with berry cream. Yum!

Drank quite a bit of wine during the evening, I was sozzled by the end of the night I will admit, but I had a fantastic time, and better still didn't publicly shame anyone. I was in a warm wine induced fuzz, so I didn't I have the motivation to do or say anything outrageous.
I wasn't allowed to buy a funny weddding card. Oh well, I guess that will still be a surprise, when they open the cards and the one from me isn't a funny one.

Of course there were the obligatory speeches, and they where all a reasonable length and funny. They get my stamp of approval.
The bridal waltz, they'd rehearsed leading up to the wedding, but not in the wedding clothes. So there we are a roomful of people watching the bridal waltz, collective agreement they look lovely and are lovely. Then rip! Yes the groom had stood on the dress, a collective ohhhhhhh!
I spoke to him after the waltz, I and I think everyone else he spoke to after the waltz, heard about the dress incident, he was kind of wound up and telling everybody about it.
Priceless!

Also had the chance to talk to a couple of people I haven't seen in forever, we all went to primary school with the groom. One of them's now married with four kids, the eldest was 8 and the youngest is 8 months. And the two inbetween, 5 and 3, I think. And it occurs to me now, while I asked how old they all where I didn't ask her if they where girls or boys, I know the first one was a girl.

Well I did say this was the day after in my title, well I woke up at 5:30 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep, an hour of my muttering, changing sides of the bed and rearranging the covers, the Daft White Cat had had enough. He left the room.
But he was back 15 mins later, obviously thought up a way to annoy me, charged in, jumped up on the chair by the window and pulled the curtain back flooding the room with light.
I conceded defeat and the bed.

Wide awake and restless on a Sunday morning. Write a blog post, hmmm, hasn't taken long? Now what? Maybe make some breakfast, yes, I'm starving, I haven't eaten since last night.
There's always knitting, I have become a one-project woman, and it has worked, well sort of. I have only one project I'm focusing on, but now I kind of resent it, so progress is just as slow as if I was doing 20 projects. Blah!

I'm wildly excited, do you all know why??? Take a look here!

And I'm not looking here, cause this is just depressing when you check details.

more cat pictures

Preferably without pickle, onion and mustard! Oh and make mine a double one!!!

Triumph at last!!!

The slow cooker quest has ended and also in the same day so has the Polenta quest!

I am now the proud owner of a Breville Banquet Meal Maker (no where near the RRP on the website I might add). Fourth store lucky, the first store I went to (begins with K) wouldn't sell me the one they had as it was their "display" one. Big props to Harvey Norman who after going and looking offered to pack up their one on display for me if I was happy to have it as they had no others left. Damn skippy as Lula would say.
And how cool is this, tucked into my box with my slow cooker was a little box which transpires to be some sort of joint promotion between Breville and McCormick giving you five of the new Slow Cooker recipe base range - Mild Chicken Curry, Tomato & Onion Sausages, Garlic & Herb Lamb Shanks, Mediterranean Chicken and Beef & Red Wine Casserole.

And for my polenta, I finally found it. The Coles located at K-Mart had it in their health food section, the little part where you go to find all the special gluten-free type things and other -free foods. I couldn't believe my luck so nabbed two packets.
Miss Stash informs that while out with Sandra D the other day they popped into that big health food store under the Quadrant car park and they also stock polenta as well as fine polenta.

I finally rented the final installment of Resident Evil, however as much as I liked it and as good as it was, it has left me in suspense. Seriously I hope there is a fourth installment some day, because I personally felt there was a lot of unanswered questions at the end, who made it to Alaska? What was there? Did Alice create a "cure" for the T-Virus in the underground laboratory? If so did it work? Have the evil Umbrella been finally crushed once and for all???
This is all stuff I wish they had answered.

I also rented a quirky Canadian film called Walk All Over Me about a small town girl who runs of to the big city and looks up her ex-babysitter, who now works as a dominatrix. Then Girl meets Boy, Boy turns out to be chased by Bad Man and hired goons because Bad Man thinks Boy stole money from him. Madness ensues as everybody trys to bluff everyone else and find the money first.

What I actually bought for my collection was Who's That Girl? starring Madonna. I love this movie, and I really liked Madonna in it. She was also good in Desperately Seeking Susan. But I really didn't like her in Dick Tracy as Breathless. Although I think her best big screen work ever was when she made Evita.
And apart from her cameo role in one of the recent Bond films I have never seen any of her other work. I really can't offer a full judgment on her acting ability.

The Daft White Cat is currently perched atop my monitor glaring at me and occasionally waving a paw at me. Must be feeding time.

I decided it was time for an update of what I have been cooking lately from Nigella's books.

There was the pancakes from Nigella Bites, whipped them up in the blender in mere seconds. Too easy and very yummy to eat.
The Chili from Feast, next time I'm keeping it all for myself. The Best Chili I have ever eaten! Alas no sign of polenta so I had to forgo the cornbread topping. And I accidentally over limed my guacamole. But otherwise a success. One thing I wasn't happy with the Chili was the cardamom pods, it's all good till you bite into one. Blah!!!
Then there was the Croque Monsieur Bake from Express, I left the mustard out as there is only one mustard eater in my family, if you make this and leave out the mustard - it needs something put back in it's place. I'd like sweet chili sauce, and also to omit the ham because I don't like ham.
It was a simple thing to throw together and then fridge it overnight.

Now I am sure there is something else I have tried recently from them, I don't have them to hand and I can't conjure up an image of anything.
I made the Cheese Risotto from Express a while ago, I loved it, I seriously need to practice my risotto making skills, but I figure since the first attempt was edible it was a success.
High-Speed Hamburgers also from Express are good, as is the Go Get 'Em Smoothie. And not forgetting the Glitzy Chocolate Puddings.

I am now the proud owner of a second slow cooker (crock-pot)! I was on the hunt for a slightly larger one than I already own, it's not worth trying to work out the fraction of difference I'd need to make in recipes to get them to fit my current one.
Alas unable to find what I wanted I ended up coming home with a baby one, a little 1.5L (approx 1 1/2 quarts) one! It is very cute, and I figured the right size to just put whatever is going to be dinner in and leave it till I come home.
Really I see myself using it for stuff I've already made in advance, and just popping it in and leaving it on low so I come home to already heated dinner. Or just when I'm home it'd be enough for soup for me to keep it hot, so I can pop back and have another bowlful.
This is vital in my house, having to wait for stuff to heat or be delivered, means I usually end up eating whatever I can in my fridge.

The big test will come, when I attempt to cook porridge in it! I love porridge and having read about other people making it in slow cookers I am very, very intrigued.

I made a trip into see the BlackSpot, their own brand equivalent stuff is all marked down to special prices, so I went to poke about and look for anything I might want. The Inca equivalent, same quantities of wool, acrylic and alpaca felt nasty where the Inca was lovely to feel and I have a hat started in some Inca somewhere so I know for sure it knits up nice.
I wanted to knit an alpaca project up and I have some but I can't remember what ply it is and think I may have to rejig the pattern slightly because I think it may be a tad finer ply.

Reminds me of a conversation we had at the knitting coven yesterday!

more cat pictures

Which incidentally put a woman with big boobs on the cover of a magazine and you sell more copies, a proved fact in publishing!

It's that time of year, again!

The Unholy Trinity perhaps???

I have two weeks of long blissful freedom before I go back to school and I plan to make the most of it!
Just started 2 nights ago is Vickie Howell's Peacock Scarf in some Vintage Hues. It has turned out really well so far, and I am super pleased with it.

For the first time ever, I saw Stargate Atlantis last night, I was up and roaming about when it started, I have no idea who anyone is or what the hell was going on. But the Man with the Dreads was Tasty!!!

I've treated myself to a new Bratz doll, whenever I'm in a department or toy store I always check for Bratz, I still haven't got my hands on the Wicked Twiins. You know one day I will walk into that aisle and they'll just be there waiting.
Anyway I came out today with a Play Sportz X-treme, I got the X-treme Kick Boxing one. The only other choice was a pile of X-treme Skateboarders. Obviously not as popular.
After showing Miss Stash my new acquisition, she told me she'd seen a Skydiving one in a toy sale catalog. Now that would have been cool to see!

Something that is going on my to buy list, cause it's not yet released is this new book Knock Down Knits: 30 Projects from the Roller Derby Track.
I was trying to explain to Miss Stash about Roller Derby this afternoon, if only I'd known about the book then as well. My mother knew what Roller Derby was, I was so impressed.
Now if someone will just write a book that combines pole dancing and knitting I'll be set....

And just because I love it, here is a clip from the 1950's of womens Roller Derby. It's a classic and dare I say slightly cooler looking than some of the modern clips I've seen.

This is me finishing an assignment for tomorrow. Then I have another test Wednesday. No rest for the wicked. Ever.

I'm debating what to make with some natural black alpaca I received from Karen during the PRGE, 2 years ago now??? I still haven't decided, it's so good, so I want to pick the right project for it. Because otherwise it'll be all gone.

I'm working on an all knit wrap at the moment for my mother (Sandra D), you really can't go wrong with all knit. It's sort of a pale green almost aqua in the old Caressa, back when it was only a 7-ply. It's knitting up lovely, it feels very soft and even though it is slightly fluffy it's not an irritating fluffy.

In between finishing my assignment off, I'm squeezing in Top Gear to see them drive across Botswana, this should be interesting. And hopefully finish off any remaining questions in time for Boston Legal!

I Am Legend!

I passed my test yesterday afternoon, so another one down and another step closer to my end certificate. I am really pleased, as it was getting to the stage where I was ready to throw in the towel. No! No more! My brain is already atrophying!

You live and learn. The day I stop learning is the day I drop dead. Which could be tomorrow, so maybe I don't need to rush the whole learning thing???

With all the Olympic talk going on, I am planning my Olympic KAL challenge, I'm going with socks, a whole pair! I know it's a way off, but with all the media coverage surrounding the upcoming event and all the associated political circus that is on about the Human Rights.
If China weren't the next Olympic host would there be as much controversy? Would as many people be looking and pointing their fingers???

The world is full of very bad things, something at times that seems to slip out of sight, usually because not the entire world is getting press coverage. Let's face it their are fashions or trends of horror in the media, today it's firmly planted on China. Not that long ago it was all about Iraq and Saddam, even Bin Laden has slipped to a mere peripheral on the camera lens.
When it comes to War on Terror - what is your first thought? Iraq? Do you have a vague memory about Afghanistan??? Afghanistan has dropped out of favour, it's perhaps not as controversial as troops in Iraq. Not likely to sell as many papers anymore.

But for those who are up for fighting the good fight, a quick browse of the home pages of Amnesty and their Australian branch show that there's more than just China for us all to glare disapprovingly at and mutter about boycotts.

Do I make you horny??? Do I????

I've been working my way through a stack of Knitty Gritty episodes courtesy of Mrs DrWho. I can not get enough of these shows! They are alas very American for lack of a better description but very useful and loads of fun which more than makes up for it.

I've seen the Yarn Harlot talking about (aboot Terrence!) her sock, the Domiknitrix demonstrating her Snow Devil Hat - hence the horns!
I love Lily Chin's work so was very excited to see 2 episodes of her demonstrating. Most awesome!

Not to mention a host of things I am now not afraid to try, Mobius, steeking, toe-up socks, the Brioche stitch and crochet cast on's. And the math episode for calculating the right size that was invaluable and way unscary.

It was very inspiring and since Thursday night when I started watching I have eat, slept and breathed knitting. Be sure to look for me getting around town in this most fetching hat! Now all I need is a suitable yarn for it.

Note - I was kinda lazy when I wrote this so alot of links will be "linked" later!


more cat pictures

Alright less laziness and more like I was rotting my brain with cats who can't spell - it's just not funny when they can.

Monday Nights are Boston Legal Nights again! Yeah! This a very good thing, however I forgot and missed last week's episode.
And even more exciting when it started we were just coming to an end of a repeat of the previous season on a Saturday night, so for a brief overlap it was two episodes a week!
I really must get the earlier seasons on DVD.

I attended the Northern Ravelry meet-up and met some new knitters, and saw most of the knitting coven for the first time in months!
Since that Saturday I have not looked at my knitting, I've thought about it and taken it out places with me but that is as far as it has got. I am working away on my second "Bratz" Gauntlet can't wait to finish it, I will buy the ribbon after the second one is done and they will truly be complete.
In light of this I've started thinking about the next project, while listing my sock wool on Ravelry, I had the idea to use a particular ball of it for some arm warmers. Hence the search began!
Now these Armwarmers seem the ticket, there should be enough yarn in my ball of Opal to complete them and being a fairly plain pattern it won't matter how variegated the pattern turns out. But I must confess to falling in love with You Snag.
My only concern is how striping the pattern of the yarn is, I don't want to lose the awesome deconstructed look of them with something that will end up looking too busy.

I'm sure I tucked the ball of yarn into my knitting bag to take to the Ravelry meet-up to get some opinions and I presume it's still in there, provided I actually put it in there in the first and didn't just think about it.
The other pick is Arm-egeddon Sleeves, but I'd have to buy yarn as well as beads to make them.

And of course it's that time of year again, Guardian Angel program has started once again. And this year I am finding it hard to muster the enthusiasm for it. Normally by now I've been and got my pattern book and picked out what I will make and usually have got it started. Not so this year, I haven't picked anything let alone started it.
I suppose I will get something underway but I doubt it'll make this year's deadline for hand in.

And in closing something I can muster a bit of enthusiasm for is proper use of pole dancing (no Britney flailing about here), the British Women's Institute had a proper performance!

Yes, Victor, I believe it!!!

It has just been one of those mornings, the kind that would have Victor Meldrew frothing at the mouth.
The kind where the world conspires against you???

I am submitting my final math assignment this morning, well while it's still very close to morning.

Today is also the first day of my holiday and today I am doing the baking I have been meaning to do for the last three weekends. It's just that time of year, when sitting at your computer with your cup of tea wearing a jumper, mittens, scarf and a hat, that you just fancy something with your cup of tea while you cruise Ravelry finding even more things you want to knit.
Can you guess who is refusing to admit it's cold enough to need heating yet??? Heating?? I don't need no stinking heating! Especially if the hydro prices go up, mines all electric.

In answer to the Greenwoman's comment, yes that is the yarn I meant! How delicious is it???

Speaking of Delicious has anyone else seen this months issue??? Lots of tasty things this time around.

Late evening edit!
I have submitted my maths assignment, now we just play the waiting game. I got no knitting done today, I was running late from the word go, so knitting just got pushed to the back burner. Maybe tonight, park myself on the couch and watch some episodes of Rising Damp - an about 1970's(???) British comedy.

Well well well, it's been an interesting day. My afternoon class finished 50mins early when everybody but me had had to dash off early...
We were only about half our usual number to start with, so rapidly losing nearly all the other half kind of brought our lesson to a halt.

In that time I have been working on my afternoon classes assignment and doing some more of my morning classes work.
Oh and now writing a blog post, multi tasking at it's best baby!

You may remember me starting Ysolda's Lace-Up Opera Gloves awhile back? The pattern temporarily had me flumuxed when I had to pick up stitches. What? What stitches? It got sidelined because I got impatient. But thanks to Ravelry, (yes I got my invite look out for me DarksideKnitter) I found a discussion about it and apparently someone else had the same frustration I had. They also took it back and retried it like I did. I feel much better about them now and think they may have to come out again.

I am tempted to buy new yarn, pretty yarn, fantasy yarn! I'm after some Cherry Tree Hill in a colourway called Tropical Storm, it looks lovely but do I really need more 4ply? More socks? No, maybe armwarmers I am good at those, I actually make two.
I site Whitewater Wristwarmers and Funky Punky Armwarmers (aka as the Emily's) as two examples of my capability to knit a second.
And after I finish winding my yarn up I will knit the second of my "Bratz" Gauntlets aka Swinging Gauntlets from Punk Knits.

The first "Bratz" needs the ends put away and some ribbon threaded through but it will be fantastic when it's done.

Anyway links will be provided later, three things I can do on school time, even if class is technically over, but hunting for links when I don't have my bookmarks will have to wait.

I am 7th in line for the new Anticraft book from my library! You know, I wouldn't at all be surprised if I didn't know who the some of those other 6 were...

And to you all I say, Hurry Up With It! It has things in there just begging me to knit them! Speaking of things being begged to knit, Bad Juju from the Anticraft site is made with Lionbrand Woolese which I spied in the latest BlackSpot mailout, I must pop in and see if there are any suitable bad colours.

That'll be on next week's list of things to do, when I'm on holidays, somewhere in between assignments and homework for school.

The Who was amazing, I'm still trying to get over the descriptive "nice" used with the phrase "rock band". But 1970's filming technique aside - that really dated it - would it have been better with all the bells and whistles of a modern tour???
Hmmm, well some things aren't going to be better no matter how much bell or whistle you throw at it.

Prime example Joan Jett's classic I Love Rock n' Roll


Now everybody and their dog has had a turn at doing their version, but this is Britney's version...

Music video or audition for a gentleman's club??? I'll let you be the judge.

I had a day out socialising with "real people" to borrow a phrase from a friend. All study and no play has not just made me dull, it's bored me senseless.

There was a much run debate about whether to organise a night out and get out and have a good time, but realistically given how dark and cold it gets by 5pm at the moment, not even I'm keen to be out and about! So I promptly shelved the idea for later use.

After much discussion I have re-requested an invite from Ravelery, I requested one which we worked pout must have been almost a year ago and heard nothing. But others have requested invites just recently and had invites issues quite quickly. Oh, well if you first don't succeed!

The Who are on TV tonight, a showing of their Isle of Wight concert I am very much looking forward to it.

I have another week of study then holidays! Oh yes! Things I will do? Finally rent Resident Evil 3, and after much discussion this afternoon I must track down Monkey!

Lookie Lookie I Got Hookie!

I'm flahing back to Hook, what a movie that was, it had pirates in it. But really the point is I wanted to show off my new ice block tray today, there was only one of this design left on the shelf and I just couldn't take a chance of going away and thinking about it.

But a far better a photo than I could take is one here on the manufactures website. Look Here!

Hello, My Name is The Daft White Cat!

TDWC had the privelidge of coming out for an outing to my parents house to meet my grandparents while they were here staying, alas he choose to take up residence behind the toilet - don't ask nobody has an answer only theroys about small spaces!

The only time he deemed worthy of coming out and along the hall was to greet my grandfather and give him the full treatment and receive a pat in return before returning to his new residence. He did later venture just outside into the hallway and I managed to snap a few pictures of him.

Upon his return home he settled back into his routine of sleeping, sleeping, sleeping, eating, playing with Mousie (a handknitted blue mouse made by myself!), sleeping and finally sleeping.

It's a hard life staying home all day, I just wish he'd learn to cook or iron. He'd make such a better house mate, he dosen't contribute financially at all either. He is a kept male of the first order!

While I am no Jane Austen fan, I am a huge fan of quizzes and when I saw this while reading through Melinda's blog I had to hop off and have a turn.

Take the Quiz here!

Also thanks to Melinda I am madly in love with these mittens - Daisy Stitch Handwarmers. They look amazing I am so going to have to make myself a pair.

Two new recipes I have tried recently, my Grandparents have been up visiting so we have been having a dinner and lunches and making desserts. The first is Treacle Puds, a very handy stand by. And the other which we had for the first time ever came from my mothers cookbook and she couldn't remember when she'd last made it (if ever) was Raspberry Trifle.
Which was another simple one made with frozen raspberries and was delicious, in future we should make double.

I need to search through my delicious magazines since it was in there I am sure I saw a recipe for Scotch Eggs that were baked as opposed to the quite often method of frying.
Something I am keen to try from Good Taste magazine is an omelette in a bag. It was featured in an outdoorsy-camping menu feature but the prospect intrigues at home on the domestic front as well.

Today I am off to sit a math test, not exactly a fitting way to end the week, I'll have all weekend to worry how I did...

I don't like maths, I like maths with letters even less, I really don't like maths with letters that require working out future values! Blah!!!
But my teachers seem to think I do know it, hence the math test this morning!

To atone for disappointing the Green Woman yesterday I have found the Count! Highly appropiate since I am about to sit down to some math.

I thought it was about time to update my blog, but when it comes to sit down and write something...fizzle...puff of smoke....lingering smell of something burning in the air.
That'll be my brain overheating and catching fire. Far too much to think about at the moment, I actually found myself slumped on the couch watching Home and Away the other night. I don't even like Home and Away!

So I have decided to take a leaf out of Amanda J's blog and her Sesame Street winners.

With no further ado I give you a video blog!



Enjoy mon amis!

Done minus pockets!

Funky Punky Armwarmers done in Woolbale - solid purple no stripes on this pair!

I have knitted up and blocked (read put under a towel and ironed) my first pocket and begun sewing it on, however aside from aesthetic of being all matchy-matchy I am debating if I want a pocket on both arm warmers or just the one???

While I debate about it, after the first pocket is done. I'm throwing Ysolda's Opera Gloves onto the needles and getting them underway in some Angora Supreme which should be lovely against the skin.

Make Mine Mitered!

I popped over to MagKnits to check out some patterns and was thrilled to see a new issue up, and I am so loving these arm warmers with the mitering.

On a particularly high note I have passed my first two tests, you know what this means? I actually know stuff! I have learnt/retained important useful information.

Following up on the 2paw's comment, I love Abby! How can anyone resist! Mind you it is an improvement of the pink hair and snotty attitude in CSI. Get a load of this! Goth Sterotypes! If I had to label myself I'd start with a dash of Perky-Corp hybrid and add in a good measure of rock n' roll.

Now has so become Agatha Christie time, it's just the right weather for a sampling from her huge collection of novels. The little grey cells mon ami! If I remember Poirot always objected to the cold and was usally done up with coats, blankets and mufflers when traveling!

What are pockets for????

Well aside for keeping stuff in on my arm warmers they are a attempt at being trend setter. I tried this in high school with hair sticks it never took off though I don't understand why not??? Hair sticks are immensely cool!

And with winter creeping closer, I figure having a pocket I can stash a bus ticket in means I do not have to juggle purse and umbrella on days when it is wet to get ticket out and hold umbrella or once on the bus fiddle around to put it away all the while either brandishing a wet umbrella or trying to prop it up so it dosen't slide away.

Besides without pockets all you really have is some long stocking stitch tubes, they need help to look more impressive!

I finished the first one while watching Gladiators last night, did anyone else watch??? Ah how cheesy was it? I'm hooked, an hour of valuable knitting time with bad acting to boot.

I've been doing homework and I just couldn't be bothered doing anymore so I thought I know I will go write a blog post and then I can come back and finish it. This will not turn into Bernard on Black Books with his tax....

Which means my plan to sit and knit after it was done has been pushed further back and looms dangerously at not at all tonight Josephine.
Bah! And double bah - why is there always more pink than white marshmallows in a packet I ask you? What is with that????

I decided I should attempt to whip up some fabric arm warmers for my self, Miss Stash thought this was very brave of me since the sewing machine would blow up.
Not, you understand because she doesn't have faith in my sewing skill more she thinks its been so long since the sewing machine has been used.
Oh well I might have to settle for knitting a pair of delicious over the elbow alpaca ones. And there was this Dragon Scale one I saw and quite fancied in something metallic or shiny looking yarn.

Anyway back to the homework. Bah!

Heaven is a pair of purple arm warmers!

Currently underway on the needles is a the first in a pair of arm warmers, they are purple and are knitting up wonderfully. Once there all done they'll just need some pockets added, their in the round so no sewing up yeah! But I will need to sew the pockets on after, boo!

I've ordered some new yarn to re-attack the gauntlets I wasn't entirely satisfied with, I've got a bit extra so I can tweak the pattern some more.

Now I am planning a slightly less than conventional camouflage print for the next pair after that, I was going to go with blue. back and purple. Then changed my mind and decided I'd like to do different shades of purple so they appear to meld more.

It's all purple at the moment, purple, purple and more purple! Makes a nice change from my usual urban camouflage (black, black and more black!)
Now would be the time to go all out, as a student you can get away with a lot more, purple hair? Yeah baby!

Son of Stitch n' Bitch arrived much to my delight! It's full of things I want to knit for myself to wear, the Pin-Up Illusion Scarf will have to be one of the first! But I am loving some of the hats a lot as well....oh decisions decisions!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it Batman???

Here is my new pride and joy! Is it a scream or what? I adore it very much and am looking forward to an outing befitting it.

No surprises which of the Dishcloths got finished first, Skully is going onto the needles after I finish this blog post. You can find Batty here.

Speaking of bats I was very excited to find out about this organisation, Bat Rescue. I'm going to sponser a bat later in the year but will be making a donation before then.

Two of my favourite things are the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Emily the Strange so when given the chance to combine the two I couldn't say no!

And a favourite thing I am regretting saying no to, I love belly dancing. For years I have always been keen to learn and many many years ago I tried to teach myself from a instructional video (for you youngings out there a video was the big thing before DVD's where even thought of. Kind of like a film version of cassette tape. Don't know what a cassette tape is????)

Not only where they running a belly dance class this year through Adult Ed but also a Tribal Style! I like it a lot, no more or less than other styles. I am loathe to use the word traditional here as I have seen to differ this newer style from others because I personally think unless you have your own personal time machie or are good friends with Dr Who and are able to pop back to the time and place where it all began and learn there, anything going today my be in the traditional style but exactly the same as it started after it's traversed the world, blended with other cultures along the way???

Which made me think of knitting, what is traditonal knitting?? Who is a traditonal knitter??? Can we ourselves within our own yarn community's prove that what we do today has never changed one iota since it first was born??? Knitting without knit and purl isn't knitting but it's how people have used these stitches and what they've added that makes what we have today as knitting.
Do we all think that at the birth of knitting someone thought hey I can take some purple yarn and knit a dishcloth? Or better yet take some purple yarn and knit a dishcloth with a bat on it??? Well......

At the first knitting guilds ever organised, a boys only affair do you think they sat around discussing colour choice? Pattern choices? Had they seen the latest Vogue/Jo Sharp/Creative Knitting?? Fondling yarn????
I don't know but I wouldn't have put the yarn fondling past them a bunch men alone with yarn???

Just a quickie!

Mostly because I have nothing exciting to tell anyone, my life has become very dull since becoming a starving student again.

Monday afternoon I had a maths test, I have no idea yet how I went, but I came up with an answer for every question, and that's half as important as actually them being the right answers???
One of my fellow students handed in their test shortly after starting, no not finished in record time because they were a math whiz, but because they decided they couldn't do it so there was no point in trying.

The fact I got enough right on my maths assignment I handed in the other week to actually pass means surely I must know something maths related, fingers crossed it was enough to get me over the finish line on the test.

There was indeed an assignment due yesterday, but I am bolstered that most people hadn't got it finished either and so we can have until Thursday to hand it in. Mines all finished the end sums don't quite add up equally, Miss Stash is getting the job of reviewing it and explaining just where exactly I am going wrong this afternoon.

I was optimistic about getting to town early this morning and fitting in some important errands before going to class alas I just missed the early bus I wanted so popped into my corner store for an iced coffee and a fruit bun. Not quite the treat I had promised myself for making the effort to get to town extra early, no designer coffee today!

Has any one seen the latest Better (than yours!) Homes and Gardens magazine? I always get the Christmas one, and occasionally their Easter one usually if it has some really good chocolate recipes in it.

I started work on some new arm warmers last Monday and they need a bit of tweaking before I will be totally be happy with them.

I have started a dishcloth! It was no good trying to fight it any longer, I have made a start on the Mason Dixon Ballband one, I'm aiming to finish it before I start ones with bats and skulls!

Somewhere in amongst all my notes is a schedule for my classes that list what each lesson is and when assignments are due. I must check and make sure there isn't an assignment due for tomorrow afternoon's class I got a little bogged with the last one because I didn't realise how long it was, this next one is longer!

I bought myself a new bag and was optimistic that it would arrive in time for my outing to the Crustys, alas I went on the Saturday and the bag arrived on the Monday. Look for a photo soon it is an absolute scream! I couldn't resist it.

I went, I saw and they conquered!

I am so excited! I am home after a night out at the Crusty Demons!

The pre-show according to my ticket was due to start at 7pm, if what we got at 7pm was meant to be their idea of a pre-show - it sucked!

While I was sitting in my seat waiting for it to start I noticed a man standing under one of the ramps, I dubbed him "Ramp Man" and then speculated why he was there. It amused me greatly and helped pass the time, is this where naughty Crusty's get sent for punishment? Had he dug a tunnel from the little tents out to under it? Was he attempting to secure himself a good spot to view from? He was wearing normal clothes unlike the crew roaming around who were all in Crusty t-shirts - like most of the crowd were wearing. Which later in the show confused me because it looked like about a dozen members of the audience had wandered into the performing area.

However the pre-show consisted of making up a gross cocktail and getting suckers willing participants from the audience to drink it - the winner got a t-shirt, it was hilarious. However I seemed to have landed a seat in the conservative section of the grand stand because after it was over their was a collective (female) announcement of "How disgusting!".

But moving on, they started on time always a good sign - we got an introduction to who everyone was. One poor guy's bike came out and his bike wouldn't go so he had to get off and wheel it behind one of the screens marking their "pit" area.

Watching them do their tricks individually was pretty cool, but where seeing them live really comes into it's own is during the free for all session where their all out all going at once. There's three ramps so theres usually at least three of them flying at once, sometimes four if two come off the same ramp. Theres so much happening that it is hard to take it all in but it is incredible to watch.

We had to endure two irritating hosts, I think the show would have been better is someone had unplugged their mikes for about 90% of it. Could have done with cranking the music up a notch or two as well.
Crusty Babes, well, what can I say? I've seen the Crusty Babes we're talking muscle tone, and they dance. The ones at our show here mostly seemed to wave their arms around a lot. But after intermission when people had a chance to drink some more beer and they came back in smaller outfits this apparently made it all better.
I wasn't convinced.

Scott Murray who attempted the Double Back Flip for the first time outside the US as all the ads proclaim, and who you may have seen in the news attempted it in Canberra and came off the ramp.
He pulled it off tonight, they interviewed him after and he took his helmet off. I was like OMG it's Ramp Man! Ramp Man! One of the irritating hosts was going on about Scott Murray had been psyching himself up for this. Yes I saw him! I actually saw him!
Of course I didn't actually shout it out loud, although by this stage people in my vicinity thought the Crusty Babes dancing was exciting so I probably could have shouted anything I liked.

The Space Cowboy was their guest in their "Freak" spot, he was on Sideshow at least twice I think I saw him? And then there was the talking skull that announced the upcoming riders and segments! A talking skull!!!!!
How cool is that????????????????

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For your perusal....

A very Merry Nigella Christmas from her Living Kitchen range. Here is a sample of the Christmas gifts Sandra D and I recieved... The tea tin and the tea mug (came as a set of 4) were Sandra D's presents, I'm sure there must have been a mistake, so I am kindly letting her have them on extended loan!
The cake stand is mine, can you believe all my life I have had not one cake stand and in the space of 3 months I was gifted 2! Piled artlessly up on it is the Marshamallow Crispy Squares and Rocky Road Cruunch Bars from Nigella Express which can be seen in the background along with a glass of chardonnay...
Miss Stash received the Salt Pig in Cream, which alas was not here for the photo shoot. It resides with pride of place beside her stove.

Here is what I have been doing for the last 3 weekends, making apricot jam! This picture so does not do it justice, it is a beautiful jewel-like shade of orange and tastes superb. When making a batch last week and letting Miss Stash know was I inundated with offers of help? Told how good it was of me to slave over a hot stove in this hot weather? No all I got from her was - "Will you bring me a jar when it's done?"

We had Linguine with lemon, garlic and thyme mushrooms and it is divine also perfect for this weather the only compnent needing to be cooked was the pasta and lets face it pasta doesn't need to be stood over and stirred, the rest is just marinated for lack of a better word.

Some of the other things I can reccommend as worth trying are her Pea and pesto soup and Curry in a hurry.
Tomorrow is Rapid Ragu - kind of like bolagnaise really but sounds quite delish. I am a huge fan of making my own bolagnaise sauce and usually use the tried (maybe tired?) Leggos one from about 30 years ago.

We had our first knitting coven meet-up for the year last Tuesday it was good to be back and catch up with everyone and where they were at, alas my lunch came in a "trendy" serving size. Noooo!!!! After I've eaten my lunch I want to realise I've eaten it!

It's far to hot, too hot! This is Tasmania! Clearly the weather gods are on holiday and have left a minor god to fill in who has no clue what buttons to push.

My Christmas wasn't bad, it was fairly good. I ate prawns and oysters! Yummo! Presents were good, people understand now about buying off the list.

Surprise, surprise I got Nigella Express! Saves me having to print off all the stuff I want to make off the net now. Goodbye loose pages!
The really good present was Ronnie Woods book! Really good read so far, the other thing I am loving is Velvet Revolver's last album Libertad. It was my Xmas present from the Daft White Cat.
He may be daft and white but he sure knows what his mummy likes!

As for Nigella, New Year's Eve saw me melt, mix and fridge two slices from the latest book, much easier and cooler than baking anything. Marshmallow Crispy Squares and Rocky Road Crunch Bars - the Marshmallow I could eat the whole tin alone if I succumbed, the Rocky Road is incredibly sinful! Even for me, one piece is enough at a time.

Belatedly I got a mezzaluna, it got hidden and forgotten about. It's not as big as Nigella's but it is one of those double bladed ones and it comes with the special board with the dip to make chopping easier. As soon as he saw it my dad wanted to have a go - what is it with parents buying their children toys and then commandeering them for themselves???

Just before Christmas was Terry Pratchett's Hogfather made into a movie, and much to my joy it is available on dvd! It was good, Death was perfect, the wizards weren't as they should have been. A bit too Gandolfy and LOTR. Very disappointing.
But very satisfying spotting all the familiar faces!