All About My Cat

November - December

2009-12-10T09:53:46Z

Okay, so it's the 10th of December. Yup, missed the point where I sum up November and aim high for December. Work has been insane, with long hours and stressful days. Yesterday I worked for ten hours and came home so tired and stressed that I virtually twanged like a super-tight guitar string until I collapsed in exhaustion on the couch at 9pm. So it's been a bit hectic.

Better late than never! Here are my November goals:

1-4. Finish six of the 10 things I need to get finished for Christmas
I've done Mum's socks (2), scarf for Jennifer (1), sock for Sam (1) and garter stitch mitt for Paula (1). So that's five done...not too bad.

5. Reduce my list from eight to five active WIPs
I'm down to six. Not bad. But I started and finished two new things, so that makes it even more not so bad.

6. Turn the heel of the second Railway socks and get past the gusset
Completely ignored these socks. Will probably also ignore them in December.

7. Finish Katy's socks
I've finished one. It is officially embarrassing how long these have taken.

My December goals are a bit easier. My No.1 goal is getting through the month with my sanity intact. Seriously, the impact that the business of work is having on my everyday life is unbelievable. I have a high-stress job, and that's usually fine (what's life without a bit of risk and adrenalin?) but for the past week I arrive home in the evening unable to even function on a basic level (ie preparing food and cleaning. On Monday Sam wasn't here for dinner, so I ate a can of corn kernals. It's that bad). That, combined with the shift of the weather into winter (hello, I'm supposed to be in singlet tops and dresses, not huddled under a super-thick doona) accelerates my tendency to hibernate and retreat and just spend time at home. So here I am, at home.

My December goals:

1. Enter January with my sanity intact.

2. Finish Katy's socks and Paula's garter stitch mitts.

3. Take photos of the four FOs I've completed in the last month and blog about them.

4. Do at least four rows of the Railroad Socks. Must finish old FOs!

That's all. It's about all I think I can take. Hopefully, next time I blog I'll be a bit more interesting...

11 Things About my Holiday

2009-12-01T09:33:00Z

I recently went on a beautiful l, wonderful and ridiculously relaxing holiday in Hamilton Island. Here are 11 things I learnt in those too-brief blissful days.

1. The ability to take photos of one's suitcase with matching hats on it does not necessarily mean you are prepared for your holiday

They look organised, right? But for some reason known only to myself I packed fifteen pairs of underwear, ten singlets and T-shirts, three pairs of bathers, three pairs of pyjamas, three pairs of thongs, four knitting projects, two skirts and a sarong but not one single item of long-sleeved clothing. Was I planning on sewing pairs of underwear together to make a shrug if the weather got cold? I'm not entirely sure.

2. I think there may be a condition caused by the inability to stop taking photos of beautiful scenery

Hamilton Island is so freaking beautiful I just couldn't stop myself. Every time you turn around, there's another amazing vista.

Gorgeous!

3. Golf buggies are fun

In Hamilton Island, there's no cars. Everyone rents buggies and drives around like old-people maniacs at 20km/h.

Once I got over the fear of falling out (there was a huge sign on the dashboard saying "Falling Out May Cause Death". Eek!) I actually enjoyed myself. All the locals on the island had itty-bitty double-buggy garages (hehehehe!!). Also, because you could actually hear what everyone one else in their buggies was saying, every driver was super-polite. Buggies could be the solution to road rage! Provided people don't mind getting places really really slowly.

4. It is really worth it getting up to watch the sunrise

And very romantic! Perhaps No.4 should be Sunrise=much smooching.

5. It is impossible to take a bad photo of a beach on Hamilton Island

Trust me - I took a lot of photos. They were all spectacular.

6. When you are on a tropical island, you can drink at any time of the day

And it's all fine.

7. If you leave me alone, I will take a series of photos that amuse me to no end

A ha ha ha ha ha!! I'm so funny.

8. Bites & Burn = Ouchy>

9. Pick a Room with a Great View

At a hotel with a great poolside bar!

10. So much still to share!

Koalas are way cute (and soft. Why no koala wool?).

The tropical sunlight bathes everything in complete gorgeousness.

Knitting is awesome on a beach!

11. Always go on a holiday somewhere where there is an awesome view from your toes

October in Review, November Goals

2009-11-04T10:16:16Z

Blogtoerfest goals:

1. Finish fronts of Central Park Hoodie and start the sleeves
Knit six rows and then retired the hoodie back onto the knitting bookshelf. Really, who needs a thick woollen sweater heading into a Victorian summer?

2. Untangle the September socks and finish the pair
Done!

3. Finish the Baby Bootkins
Frogged, which is done in a sense.

4. Start and finish one Garter Stitch Mitt
Done, except for grafting the stitches together. I would do that, but I have lost my darning needle. Oh, to have 10 of then in a perfect little box so I stopped losing them within a month of buying them! Remember, the last time I bought one it cost me over $100...

5. Get Katy's socks to the stage where she can try them on one last time
Close. Will be done by next week, I hope.

6. Cast on for all Christmas knitting
Done!

7. Turn the heel of the Railroad sock.
Close.

So, all in all not too bad.

The month ahead:

1-4. Finish six of the 10 things I need to get finished for Christmas
That is socks for my mum (2), hat, scarf and mittens for Jennifer (4), socks for Sam (2) and garter stitch mittens for Paula (2). I'm also going to start a shawl for my friend Cara, but I'm not counting it as it is going to be just a gift, not necessarily a Christmas gift, so no deadline pressure.

5. Reduce my list from eight to five active WIPs
I know I can, I know I can, I know I can.

6. Turn the heel of the second Railway socks and get past the gusset
Even though it feels like these socks will never end, they will...providing I spend some time knitting on them!

7. Finish Katy's socks
These are over six months late. Seriously, any later and it's going to start to get embarrassing!

Seven for this month. I know I'm aiming high, especially since I will be away for a week without knitting, unless I can figure out how to smuggle some knitting needles onto a flight with me (a side point: I respect the law. I think it's stupid, but it's illegal for me to knit on aeroplanes in Australia, so I won't. What I object to is that, since I have a cabin-baggage only ticket, I can't transport bamboo or plastic knitting needles or crochet hooks, but I can take metal pens, 15-cm steel stiletto heels and innumerable spike metal earrings and hair pins. Because they're not dangerous. Go figure.). This week one of my friends got knocked up and another one got engaged, so there's some pretty huge knitting that needs to be done in the first three months of next year, as well as a pair of socks for a 30th in February. Eek! Big goals need to be set to get it all done.

Blogtoberfest in Review

2009-11-04T09:26:43Z

Firstly, Blogtoberfest was done without missing a day. Yay me! There was the day I went to bed, totally forgetting to post, the time I was too drunk to blog, the time I couldn't blog because my cat went to sleep on my arm, but despite all of those challenges I made it! And I think I learnt a lot:

Blogtoberfest is a marathon not a sprint Surprisingly, that suited me - I've always been more of a heads-down-bum-up hard worker rather than a razzle-dazzle sparkle kind of lass. That said, there were a few days where I would have sold most of the things I own not to have to turn on and write about my day. There is something to be said for a bit of razzle-dazzle inspiration

The trick to daily blogging is routine Most of the daily bloggers I read tend to blog at the same time every day. I now realise that it's because routine is necessary to getting the blog posts out there. For me, it was just after I got home from work before dinner. Because of that, Sam and I ate later than usual in October.

Blogging takes a long time but that is good, because it does mean that you start to think about things a bit more. I started asking myself "What did I achieve today? What will I achieve tomorrow?". Asking those type of questions actually inspired me to try to do fit a little bit more into every day, even if I didn't write about it.

Regular blogging needs routine and I'm not really a routine kind of person. But again, by bringing the structure of a weekly routine, I began to measure my achievements, and it pushed me to try to do more. I would like to try and keep that up, although I think I might have to start to knit a bit faster! And I will be hampered by the fact that

I have a crap camera. It's hopeless and it takes really bad photos. Fortunately I have a very photogenic family, but still. However, unless I win the lottery (hard to do unless I start buying a ticket) or get a massive promotion and payrise, I think the crappy camera will have to stay.

I have lost the knack to write long and well. And grammatically correct, apparently. I strongly believe that the ability to write well comes from practise, practise and more practise. Yes, to be a great writer requires inherent talent, but everyone can write well if they put their mind to it. I used to enjoy writing and developing my words, but after I left uni I have really neglected that part of my skills set. Blogtoberfest forced me to keep writing, even just a little bit, and that made me remember all of my strongly held opinions on writing!

Life sometimes gets in the way and daily blogging makes no allowances for that. Some days I get up, go to work, go out after work and get home really late. And, since I'm not a diarist-style blogger, life was not a help - it kept me away from my computer, and my knitting, which is what I like to blog about the most. But it's important to have a life, and I'm happy with my decision to put that ahead of computer time.

So, in conclusion, although at times it felt like it was never going to end, Blogtoberfest was a fun achievement which I am really proud of. It got me back into blogging again and yanked previously dormant thoughts out of my head and out into the interwebz. Plus it gave me a chance to start trolling through Lol cats again, which can never be a bad thing! I might not do it again, but I'm glad that I made it through the whole month.

Big hugs all round!

xx

Roadtripping!

2009-11-01T09:05:46Z

Today, in honour of our first free Sunday in approximately 18 years (give or take 17.5 years...I'm exaggerating to make a point. Sue me.), Sam and I decided to take a day trip to somewhere. After a lively and animated discussion that involved whether or not the Living Legends Farm was the right place to go (for the uninitiated, the Living Legends Farm is the place where old racehorses retire to. So a trip to the Living Legends Farm would be a trip to a paddock filled with old horses. "What do they do?" I asked. "Stand there," replied Sam. "What would we do?" I asked. "Watch them stand there, and take photos of them standing," replied Sam. "They're not from the circus - what do you expect them to do, perform trips?" Right.) we democratically decided to go to Mornington.

1 hr and 12 minutes later, we were here (we get ready fast!):

Main Street, Mornington with a pile of brochures and a day to plan.

First on the menu, Dromana Estate Wines:

It was okay - the wine was nice and reasonably priced, the woman who went through the tasting with us was nice, but really, who wants really "nice"? I wasn't disappointed, but I probably wouldn't go there again.

The next place we went to was Stonier Winery:

It's a very modern looking winery from the outside. I loved the vines on the covered walkway as you enter from the carpark:

But not as much as I loved the wine. It was delicious! I could have sat there all afternoon working my way through a glass of each of the different vintages. Like Domain Chandon at the Yarra Valley, this place has been added onto my regular winery rotation. It was awesome.

I had a lovely day! However, I did spend a lot of the day looking like this:

Note to self: next time, map out journey in advance.

Status Update

2009-10-31T13:39:15Z

BLOGTOBERFEST: Done!!

The suspense

2009-10-30T09:13:02Z

Last night I did my tax (grr!), rewarded myself with Mexican and a margarita, came home, painted my nails and went to bed early.

Tonight I came home, made bangers and mash (mmm, yum!) and am about to go out to watch a movie.

Just so the suspense doesn't hang on too long, I will not be reaching by Blogtober goals (except for blogging every day. Yay me!). Oh well.

Tomorrow: a finished object.

BLOGTOBERFEST UPDATE: 30 down, ONE TO GO!!!!!!!!!!

So close to the end...

2009-10-29T10:42:45Z

I did my tax return tonight.

This is exactly what it was like:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Damn you, tax office, and your annoying but free etax software. Damn you!!

But thanks for the $384 refund. Cheers for that.

xx

BLOGTOBERFEST UPDATE: TWO DAYS TO GO!!

Three

2009-10-28T08:05:40Z

Three days left of Blogtoberfest. Three projects remain to complete before the end of the month to reach the blog's monthly goals. Can it be done?

Watch this space.

BLOGTOBERFEST UPDATE: 28 days down, three to go.

FO #6: Lucy's Special Blanket

2009-10-27T07:58:15Z

When Sam saw Lucy, it was love at first sight. She climbed up his shoulder and nuzzled into his neck, all the time purring so hard I thought her throat was going explode. It was seriously the cutest thing ever. Since we got her from an animal shelter, Sam and I had to apply to get Lucy. We did this on the Saturday before a public holiday Monday, so didn't hear back until the Tuesday whether or not we had got her. Sam was on tenterhooks the whole time! So when the shelter called me to let me know that Sam and I had been approved, the very first thing I did was shoot him an email to let him know.

His response: "Yay! So, do you want to get the wool or shall I?"
My response: "Umm, I'm pretty sure our new kitten is not a knitter. What do we need the wool for?"
His response: "You have to knit the new kitty a blanket! Then she'll know how much we love her right from the start."

Awww. Since our new cat was clearly a St Kilda supporter, I decided to right thing to do would be to knit her a blankie out of the leftover wool from Sam's Saints Socks.

I give you Lucy's special blanket:

It was easy to pick the pattern - I've always wanted to make a circular blanket, but I really think square/rectangular shapes are much more practical for everyday purposes. But kitties - they have round bed! And they sleep all curled up! a round blankie is completely perfect!

The pattern is Elizabeth Zimmerman's Pi Shawl from The Knitter's Almanac. It is a brilliant pattern that uses the mathematical theories of Pi to create a flat circular shawl (The ghost of my mathematical training just tapped me on the should and told me that that sentence is mathematically incorrect. I just pointed at my completed Arts degree and told the ghost to get lost. I'm far too lazy to look up the correct wording to use for a blog post about a cat blanket. And, the fact that my shawl is not a flat circle is my fault, not the patterns. I didn't block it as it is a cat blanket and so I didn't want it to be lazy and holey.).

I loved making this blanket so much I was actually sad for the circular knitting part of the blanket to be over.

However, the same cannot be said for the border. That 10-stitch garter stitch border went on forever and every and ever...or it felt like it, at least! But there are two ways I can tell that it's perfect and appreciated.

No.1...

..it's completely covered in cat hair.

No.2...

..as soon as I put the blanket outside, she immediately walked over and sat on it. She didn't ask how it magically happened to move from the bed to outside, but she knew it was hers.

Project Blankie: Success!

Pattern:Elizabeth Zimmermann's Pi Shawl (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 5-ply
Notes/Modifications: I loved making this shawl. It was simple but incredibly effective. I hate working with this yarn - it's creped and feels like it's coated in some sort of plastic. But hopefully it'll wear really well, and Lucy will still have this when she's a fat, old kitty too lazy to chase bugs anymore.

BLOGTOBERFEST UPDATE: 27 days down, four days to go. Four days!!

Sunday Special: One Day Late

2009-10-26T11:09:13Z

This was supposed to be yesterday's post. However, due to massive quantities of wine imbued, I couldn't make it. I'm actually quite impressed that I was able to turn on the computer. In all honesty, I only blogged because I refused to let Blogtoberfest beat me!

Since last week I haven't had much knitting time. However, I have managed to turn the heel on both of Mum's Christmas socks:

Here is the updated chart:

Project Percentage complete (% change since last week)
1. Katy's Socks 65%
2. Central Park Hoodie 60%
3. Mum's Christmas Socks 60% (40%)
4. Alpaca Endpapers 95%
5. Railroad Socks 60% (5%)
6. Jennifer's Scarf 65%
7. Garter Stitch Mitts 10% (10%)

The total percentage change since last week is 55%...not too bad. Total percentage complete is 415%/700%, with an actual completedness percentage of 59%. Pretty good! This week I'm not going out at all (famous last words), so I hope to get a few more things finished off, as in completely taken off the WIP list. If I could get down to five active WIPs by the end of of the month, I'd consider it a job well done.

I have to admit, I am itching to start something new and pretty. There's no lace on that list, but a lot of socks and boring scarf/mitts. But I must finish some of this stuff! We'll see how long I can resist the itch.

Lucy says "You can do it..."

"..just please stop typing so loud and let me sleep! I've had a busy day."

BLOGTOBERFEST UPDATE: 26 days down, five days to go. The end is in sight!

Pissed as, bro.

2009-10-25T10:03:12Z

I have been at a winery today. Cannot blog. Please see below.

That's all till tomorrow, till will be more sober. I hope.

xx

Pooped

2009-10-24T08:54:33Z

I am completely pooped! I had a late night last night, lots of wine, not enough sleep, and then today I spent the whole day in the sun.

Witness, my neck:

Ouch! Time to see if I can track down my summer staple: aloe vera gel.

I think I'll be going to bed very shortly.

Sam decided to help me take a good photo...

..and Lucy decided to help me do yoga.

What a nice little family.

BLOGTOBERFEST UPDATE: 24 days down, seven days to go.

Bookmania

2009-10-23T07:21:20Z

I've bought a few books over the last two weekends. Well, maybe more than a few... What can I say - I've been trying to find some new pants for work and books, unlike pants, don't make you feel fat or remind you how many dress sizes you've gone up since you last had to buy work pants. Books are nice! (unlike pants, which are mean mean mean.)

Anyway, just in case you think the amount of books I bought means that I will no longer be able to afford to buy pants, think again! That whole pile cost me less than AUS$60.

The Rundown

The Evelyn Waugh book was a Penguin classic (cheap!) that was on sale (super-cheap!) and one I've always meant to read - if I could find a cheap copy (tick). Ditto with The Time Traveler's Wife ("Now a Major Motion Picture!") The Meg Cabot, Reginald Hall and Cathy Kelly books were all $2 each at my local op shop. I bought them because I am going on a holiday soon (yay! holiday!) and I needed light reading that I can leave behind when I'm finished, for some other holidaymaker in need of light entertainment to read. The Marian Keyes and Terry Pratchett books I bought because I love both of those authors, and own all their books. As an added incentive, the Marian Keyes' novel was 50% off and the Terry Pratchett came from The Book Depository, so even with an import tax imposed it only cost me $13, over just half price of the equivalent paperback at Borders. Finally, when I was an angst-ridden whiny teenager who probably didn't get enough sun and listened to way too much melancholy music in my room, I loved Anne McCaffrey's fantasy novels. I guess I was drawn to the idea of fantasy as escape from the boredom of my teenage existence (did I mention I was angst-ridden?). When saw a Anne McCaffrey novel for 99 cents at the op shop, I didn't not try very hard to stem the massive surge of nostalgia. I wonder if it'll end up being really trite and badly written, and I'll wish I'd stuck to my teenage memories rather than try to revisit the past?

I know that some people stash books like I stash wool. I have at least 20 projects worth of wool on my shelf which I may or may not ever get around to knitting. Sometimes that weight of expectations weighs me down a bit. But I am not the same as books. I read damn fast, and if I haven't finished all of those books in the next three weeks, I will be very surprised. If only I could knit as fast as I read, then things would really l get done!

BLOGTOBERFEST UPDATE: 23 down, eight to go.

Spring has sprung!

2009-10-22T07:56:59Z

Welcome, new herbs.

Almost there!

2009-10-21T08:13:25Z

21 days down! Over two-thirds of the way there! Seriously, six days ago when I wrote this crappy post, I thought it was all over. But I forged through the ~~boredom~~ test of my character and ability to get things done, and have happily reached the just-over-two-thirds-there point. Yay me! A complete lack of creativity and originality have not stopped me at all.

So, I'm going to take this time to review my goals for the Octoberfest:

1. Finish fronts of Central Park Hoodie and start the sleeves
I've knit six rows this month. Not a huge success. These may be retired from the current rotation of wips and go back on the shelf.

2. Untangle the September socks and finish the pair
Done!

3. Finish the Baby Bootkins
Done! Well, frogged anyway. They're certainly no longer a work-in-progress.

4. Start and finish one Garter Stitch Mitt
Halfway through one - should get this one done without a problem.

5. Get Katy's socks to the stage where she can try them on one last time
Haven't touched them. Very bad.

6. Cast on for all Christmas knitting
Have cast on for four of five Christmas gifts. No problems with this one.

7. Turn the heel of the Railroad sock.
I've knit three rows on this one...I might work on it tonight.

Not too bad. I've either achieved or almost achieved all of my monthly goals. I'm not sure, but I think this might be the first time I've every done that. Yay!

BLOGTOBERFEST UPDATE: 21 days done, 10 days to go. Yippee!!!!

Warning: This day is of interest only to me

2009-10-20T08:27:46Z

The day dawned brightly, as I requested for my perfect day off. I had a delicious bagel breakfast, accompanied by a lovely pot of tea and excellent company. I even bought some bagels for later consumption, something that always makes me happy because I love bagels (mmm...bagels!). I came home, sat outside with my cat, knitting away.

And then...

*cue ominous drumroll*

..disaster struck! I was going to see a movie, but needed some cash so I stopped at an ATM on the way to the movie theater, only to discover that MY EFTPOS CARD WAS MISSING! I immediately started freaking out, 'cause I have a visa debit card that only needs to be signed for, no pin, and my signature is on the back of the card! (is it just me, or does that seem to anyone else a not very secure security method? Even I, who am by no means a criminal mastermind, could copy someone else's signature when it's right in front of me! Anyhoo.) I promptly flip out, and rush home and tear my living room apart trying to find it. I can't find it anywhere, so realise it must have somehow fallen out of my wallet at the bagelry. Then I then remember that I was supposed to be meeting Lisa at the movies, and while I am tearing my hair out at home she's already waiting for me. What a drama! Fortunately Lisa was very understanding. A new card has been ordered, the old one stopped and no transactions were made on that account. Whew!

So, drama averted, but so too were the rest of my day-off plans. So instead of seeing a movie, doing a bit of shopping and generally lazing around I did a bit of cleaning, cast on for my sister's Christmas present mitt, watched a bit of Entourage Season 5, made my lunches for the next three days and, well, generally lazed around.

Days off are the bomb! Oh, to be independently wealthy :)

BLOGTOBERFEST: 20 days down, 11 to go.

The reward for many days of long pursuits

2009-10-19T11:43:45Z

I'm not a huge fan of diarising my life. "Today I had lunch with Angela, then on Saturday I had dumplings with Lisa, and then on Sunday I did breakfast at Gattica with Cara [service terrible!, food very nice] then some shopping in the afternoon at Myer". I mean, I like my life - I'm very content with my friends and my activities and I wouldn't want to change a thing. But I don't think that anyone else (bar Sam, I hope!) thinks that any of that stuff is very interesting. Anyway, I hesitate to post my everyday activities in fear of putting my poor readers to sleep (all 30 of you. Hi readers *waves*! Please don't leave xx). But this, I had to post.

Tomorrow, I have a whole day off. A whole entire day off. A mental rest day. A chance to recuperate, recoup and rest and relax. I'm having brunch. I'm going to see a movie, and then I'm going to lie in my courtyard and read a book from start to finish. And then I'm going to open the bottle of Moet that Sam bought me, eat some grilled marinated chicken and salad and go to bed at 9pm. It will be delish, and I Just Can't Wait.

Day off - bring it on!

BL0GTOBERFEST UPDATE: 19 days down, 12 to go. Woot woot!

WIP Round-up

2009-10-18T08:52:47Z

I'll keep at short and sweet as I can hear roast chicken being carved in the kitchen and I don't want to delay a single delicious mouthful. Mmmm, roast potato!

The main thing I've been working on is Mum's Christmas present (I decided to model these so they don't look, as one commenter suggested, like I'm knitting my mum a bra! Heh.)

I don't know if this makes me look simple, but I am fascinated by the changing colour of the stripes. I keep on knitting to see what colour comes next. Very entertaining! (I am simple...and I'm not ashamed of it. Bring on the pretty colour changes!)

Here's the updated chart:

Project Percentage complete (% change since last week)
1. Katy's Socks 65%
2. Central Park Hoodie 60%
3. Mum's Christmas Socks 20% (15%)
4. Alpaca Endpapers 95% (10%)
5. Railroad socks 55%
6. Jennifer's Scarf 65%
7. September Socks 100% (10%. Done!)
8. Garter Stitch Mitts 0%

Final figure is 295%/700%. That's a total increase of 35% - not bad. Plus the total number of projects has decreased to 7 - woot woot. My total completedness is 42%. I am very happy with how this months is going.

BLOGTOBERFEST UPDATE: 18 days down, 13 to go.

An Ideal Holiday

2009-10-17T09:47:32Z

If I could have a holiday that was not limited by time or money, I would:

- Spend one week completely on my own. I'd watch movies, read books - do, eat and watch anything that I wanted to all the time. I wouldn't set an alarm for a week or have to temper a single one of my desires out of consideration for another person.

- After all the solitary time, I'd be ready for some company. I'd spend a fortnight seeing every single one of my friends. Every day I'd go out for brunch and dinner, and drinks if I felt like it. The really fun people I'd see lots of times. I'd basically go from a people famine to a friend feast, and it would be awesome.

- After having had a friendship fill, I would travel slowly through France, staying at each and every town, city and village for as long as I liked. As this is a fantasy, I would not be lactose intolerant while doing this, and would be able to eat cheese, foie gras and creme brulee to my heart's content without getting sick. Although I would primarily be in France, I would also stop off at nearby countries such as Holland and Spain, because they too are awesome.

- After returning home (probably fat and fluent in French) I would attend some sort of detox/naturalist retreat, and eat excellent but healthy food, be massaged, exercise and do all sort of other magic things to return my to my weight of 10 years ago.

I would then resume normal life, happy, content and perfectly balanced.

* Sigh * If only that fantasy was real.

BLOGTOBERFEST UPDATE: 17 days down, 14 days to go. Inspiration running dry - anyone want to volunteer to guest post or provide me with any ideas? Help!

September Socks Update 2

2009-10-16T07:56:32Z

Here is the latest update of the September sock:

I've just started decreasing for the toe.

Watching me knit this sock is a bit like watching grass grow...you know it's getting bigger but it's hard to see the difference. Yes, this sock is taking me forever to knit! But how about thinking about it from my perspective?

Number of stripe-pattern repeats per sock: 20
Number of rows per stripe patter: 13
Number of stitches per row: 72
Number of stitches per pattern repeat: 936
Number of stitches per sock: 18720

That's a lot of stitches! I have just over one pattern repeat to go - a lazy thousand or so stitches.

Not so slow now, huh? Hopefully it's finished by the end of the weekend, ready for a FO shoot on Monday.

BLOGTOBERFEST UPDATE: 16 days down, 15 days to go. Over half way! Yay!

thought of the day

2009-10-15T10:29:44Z

it's really hard to blog with a cat asleep on your arm.

I wish my camera was in reach so i could take a photo. So cute!

xx

There once was a girl...

2009-10-14T10:32:50Z

Usually I get home from work and become a frenetic whirlwind of activity. I'm finishing off last night's dishes, preparing the night's meal, doing all of the other chores that need to be done that night (kitty-litter cleaning, washing of stuff, gardening, sorting clothes, feeding cats, making lunches, cleaning stuff, lots of other bring things). Then, after doing all that, I eat dinner, pour myself a glass of wine and (wheeeewh...*breathe out*) relax.

Except for tonight. I'm knackered, so I got home, sat on the couch, opened a bottle of wine and called a few friends. That's it. All night. I haven't had my five serves of veggies, but I've had five serves of wine, blueberries and can't I just can't be arsed doing anything else. I did feed the cat, but only after she whinged for quite some time.

That's right - tonight's post is brought to you by being a lazy drunk soft-arse. Hugs all around.

xx

BLOGTOBERFEST: 14 days down, 17 days to go.

PS1. Please forgive all spelling and grammatical errors...drunken blogging :)

PS2. Note from Sam: Blogtoberfest Rocks!!!!!!

So close but so far...

2009-10-13T10:20:38Z

The end is so close I can taste it!

Cop-out Post

2009-10-12T11:34:35Z

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