Oh, and another thing ....

Now this really is the tragic loss of an international conservationist.


What's the bet she won't be offered a state funeral, or have a telecast memorial service for which there are tickets? I wonder if CNN crawled all over it like ants on a carcass?

I hate the shallowness of the media, and the way society eats it up like swine.

People....people who need people....are the luckiest people....

You can knit or you can blog. No time for both...

Pictorially here's what the hap at chez Daly.

Poolside wildlife - the first summer bluetongue lizard. I love these lizards.



Beautiful cards from Jade





Rox, what's this little bag of treats for?

Why thank you!

Donni, how did you know? I'm so lucky to have a friend like you.



Husband took our daughter to Bunnings and came back with a lion instead. Good trade.


Today is stitch and bitch. I'm going to see some more of my people. I can feel my brain relaxing already ...

What project will I take? Will I have tea or coffee or a cocktail? What cake to choose?

It's a hard life.

I was right

That's the fire I can see over the hill, making the sky a strange yellow.

Crikey, it's only September.

Oh no not you again

They predicted it. The temperature is around 33 degrees (it's one o' clock on a Sunday), there is a very strong and very hot wind blowing the curtains around, the air is as dry as a sao in a stoned mouth.

I live on the side of a mountain (ish) covered in trees.

And guess what?


I can smell smoke.......

I've been struck down with the mother of all flus. Two consecutive days off work, a DOCTOR'S NOTE! (and I hate going to the doctor), a full week of blur. On Wednesday I was too sick to get the kids to school.

Still, now up to row 197 of peacock feathers. Another dishcloth. Plans to start Knitty's Reid cardigan for the girl. Comments galore on strangers blogs - most of them will think me mad in my flu induced stupor heaven knows what I've said!

And, I cast on for a new project. In the haze of bone-ache and brain fog, something called to me. I was unable to resist. You're not going to believe it, I must be some masochistic wretch. I cast on for this shawl/tablecloth. (ps: the script to this picture says this was easy to knit. My ass it is. At least for me.)

And, finally, with a twist of luck only reserved for the lucky like me, the country I'm going to holiday in in three weeks has been taken over by a military coup. Naturally.


Shannon, even though customs got the teabag the card and sentiment were dearly cherished. Seriously, this was a lovely gesture. Even my cold hearted mother found it sweet. Friends yet strangers. Viva la internet.

Steve Irwin (again)

I watched Steve Irwin's memorial service yesterday. Cried my eyes out. How could you not, it was such an emotional extravaganza.

The way they used the back of the ute instead of a stage. His simple, modest father fighting back tears. His wife Terry, tears streaming down her face from behind her sunglasses as she hugged her children. The staff of Australia Zoo standing there in line with the animals wrapped around them in a line. Packing up the ute that final time. John Williamson singing "true blue'. Even Russell Crowe shed a tear (but I'm still glad you didn't date him Jussi). David Weinham (be still my beating heart) and his poetry reading - 'the crocodiles are crying'.

You'd have to have no heart not to find that moving.

But the blue wiggle in costume? WTF was that all about?

Oh, and Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz were his best friends. Sure they were. Had a lot in common, those three.

And then out trots his daughter Bindi and mechanically delivers a fully rehearsed, professionally written eulogy in a sing-song voice - like a trained monkey - in full make-up I might add. I swear she didn't even understand what she was saying. It was weird and fake and smacked of exploitation.

And although they went on and on about how genuine he was, the theatrical performance circus-Disney style spoke otherwise.

I wonder if it was printed on the handout at the ticket booth that day?

'Follow the crocodile paws painted on the pathways for a great fun-filled day. Catch the lion show at 11am. Don't forget to stop at our delicious aussie style cantina for a barbie lunch before heading off to farewell the famous philanthropic nature loving family man conservationist Steve Irwin at our centre stage at 2pm. Have a nice day!)


The saccharine tributes from famous strangers, the Bindi thing - they all seemed to me just wrong, wrong, wrong.

They looked right on the surface but they felt wrong, like there was some dodgy carnival sideshow operator was behind he scenes, counting his money and smoking a cigar.

And, that I guess is how I always felt about the man himself. He looked okay on the surface, but I wasn't sure if it was genuine.

But we'll never know now will we?

Death by Peacock Feathers

I'm dying a slow death by peacock feathers shawl knitting.

I'm up to the last chart before the edging, which you would think would be on the home stretch. But you would be mistaken.

Up to row 177 of 249 - with 354 stitches on the needle. Every second row is two stitches longer, and there'll be 510 stitches at the end (a few extras go into the bottom point for that lovely flair).

Taking me just under 10 minutes to complete each row. Purling back is coma-inducing.

If I made a mistake now there's NO WAY I'd even contemplate tinking back to the problem, I'd just plod on. And on. And on.

I want to finish this before I go on holiday - which means three rows a night.

Three measly rows? Piece of cake.....(if only)

Sick of Blogger

I need help. Can anyone tell me why my sidebar in Internet Explorer is WAY WAY down there on the right hand side?

What do I need to do to fix it?

Anybody?

(The first person to comment JFGI may win a prize. Then again, I may just swear at them instead)

Everybody else is doing it, why can't I?

Have you noticed the dishcloth fixation on the blogs lately?

Even the autumn (I can not say fall - sounds weird to me) knitty has a pattern.

I don't know if I'll ever use them, but I don't mind making them.

The Sweet One


The Pretty One


The strangely constructed one - (done in short row wedges)


The useful one



The one hour one


With a matching spiral scrubbie

Peacock feathers - drats

So there I was, barrelling ahead on my peacock feathers. Going great guns - or so I thought.

I looked back at the work - uh oh. Big problem. An errant yarnover or something.




I tried to fix it but that was taking longer than the alternative, scary thought that may have been.

Oh well, it's only knitting.


Rip rip woodchip.

Took me three hours to get it back on track - but it's better now. I took it back to the last correct 'eye' row.

If there's a moral to this story, I'll be stuffed if I know what it is......

If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all

But where's the fun in that?

From the knitlist this week:

I am looking for a pattern for a wrap....something to just throw across
shoulders....not necessarily a full shawl or a full sweater.....possibly
with pockets.

Anybody have any ideas if there is even a pattern out there?

- UMM. Surely the time it took you to post this shit to the list you could have googled and scrolled through a hundred patterns? Or did you just have to see your name in lights on that list? Nine thousand people read this message, and eight thousand of them snorted. You idiot.

Does anybody know where the biggest yarn shop is?? I'm thinking
somewhere in the New England area (yes I'm referring to ones in the
states but overseas would work well too).

Living in FL, our yarn shops arent that big. There is a *nice*
selection but it seems as some of you up north and out west have some
NICE yarn shops. What do you all think??


I think you should shut up. Why do you need to know? Who cares?


I want to knit a shawl using Schaefer yarns pima cotton. My LYS had a
completed model which I would like to duplicate. Problem is their did
not use a pattern. They told me to cast on 40 sts, knit 1 increase
and increase at end of row. Repeat this row.

Problem, I followed the instructions using a knit into the front and
back of the stitch for the increase. I am not happy with the results
as it makes a tight edge down the side of the shawl. I am looking for
advice for increasing which prevents a tight edge on a shawl which has
a lot of stretch or is loose. Hope that make sense.

- Um. Why not do a little swatch trying another type of increase? No, better still, why not post this drivel to the biggest online knitting list? I'm sure someone will do the thinking for your, after all that's what they're there for. To cater to your whims. It's all about you.

And stranger things happen - is it just me or do some of these lion brand patterns look more than half decent?
the half moon shawl, the baby hoodie, the cabled bag, the circular blanket

Steve Irwin - the Crocodile Hunter

I was watching tv in a hotel room in Stoke-on Trent in about 1997 - it was in the wee small hours. There was this Australian clown on the tv saying things like 'crikey - he's big' and wrestling a crocodile. I thought it was a comedy sketch, but it didn't end after the nominal 2 minutes.

I realised this guy was serious, and that I was watching foreign cable tv. How come as an Australian I had never heard of him? What's more, why was he acting like such a tool? He was internationally famous and practically unknown in his own country. Such is the fate of many an Australian celebrity. We hate them until you love them.

Why it came as a suprise that he was killed by a wild animal is anybody's guess.

RIP Steve Irwin. Your family will miss you terribly.

EDITED TO ADD:

Of course the Discovery Channel have the whole thing on video.

I wonder how long it will take for the power of the greenback to win over the Discovery Channel's respect for the family or human decency?

Super Glue

Bonds instantly to anything it touches. Anything EXCEPT the stupid thing you want it to bond. Fingers bonded, table bonded, tablecloth bonded. Did the cable stick back into the broken circular needle?

Not on your nelly.

Stupid el cheapo Spotlight circulars.

Lazy Saturday Afternoon

See? TWO Beaudelaire. Love them.



NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION

Necessity forced me to use the sewing machine this week.




Five straightish lines. I made a knitting pattern holder.

Take one sheet of craft magnet (I got mine on ebay but I'm sure you could get it at other craft shops). Cover it in fabric and sew it on. Don't bother to match thread and bobbin colour (I only have one reel of cotton in the house anyway).

Take one strip of craft magnet strip and cover in fabric. Sew it on too.

Use it to hold knitting patterns and mark your place.

THE TRAGEDY

I only put those two above items in to hide the disaster which lies ahead. Remember I said I was going to dye the Mystery Stole red and that it was going to be blocked and beautiful.

Well, two out of three ain't bad.




It's dayglo orange. I'm not joking, they could use it as a beacon to do night roadworks.



At least my bed looks good. The cleaner came.


END ON A HIGH NOTE AT LEAST


May I present to you the progress on Peacock Feathers. I cannot tell you how wonderful the knitpicks options needle is for knitting lace.



Thassalfornow. iluvsyouseall.