Christmas Fare

My mother can't cook to save her life. She's never followed a recipe and is about as gourmet as cheese singles. As a result of this, if I wanted something edible for Christmas Dinner since I've become and adult, I've had to do it myself. Dad makes a great show of roasting a turkey to death, but the rest is up to us. I've never had the luxury of arriving at my parent's house and doing nothing except be waited on.

But, as I've mentioned earlier, my sister recently moved to the region. And, for the first time in about seven years, I didn't host Christmas Dinner At My House.

It was the best Christmas in seven years.

Afterwards, the 'children' played with their new toys.


Then we went for a long walk on the beach and inspected the life in the rock pools. These are the things that lasting memories are made of - I almost burst to think how wonderful my children's relationship is with their grandparents, (even if she can't cook) - probably better than mine was with them when they were my actual parents.


After that, I WENT HOME to a relatively clean kitchen.

Thank you KA, it was the best. christmas. ever.

An on that note, we're off to Mystery Bay Primitive Camping ground tomorrow for a week or so, so I'll be back early in the New Year - I'm assuming in the good old Australian way they're ignoring the stupid new law and letting campers in anyway.

I hope you had a wonderfully happy and peaceful Christmas and that you stay safe on the roads during the break.

Coming soon - the finished Ariann, and a self-designed cotton short swing cardigan to show off.
After that it's nothing but the lace until Easter.

Tis the season for eating

I don't much beleive in horoscopes or star signs, but there is at least one Scorpio trait that I have in spades, and that is my loyalty in friendships.

I don't email people much, I hate the telephone and I'm not on facebook. I tell it like it is and will not sugar coat anything. However, if you stick around long enough to see past this, you'll find I'm there for the long haul. Thick and thin.

And so, on Wednesay I went to visit one of my people whose friendship I consider to be silent and strong. We have hardly spoken since she moved from across the road (to greener pastures I might add) but no matter.

She shouted me lunch for my birthday. It was good eating, good talking and good coffee, in a fishbowl of a cup - cafe au lait as opposed to cafe latte.

It was Sharon of The Stripey Tiger (link on right, but she's no time for posting!), and we went into Berry for our lunch. Which is like going to the country, but with good shops. Which is usually the trade-off.

Monster cafe au lait!

Decisions decisions.


Twice cooked lamb and vege stack - it was the haloumi and the mushroom that swayed me in the end.

There were home-grown vegetables in a basket on the doorstep when we got back (that's the SECOND time I've seen that happen to Sharon, and homemade gifts galore.

Next time I'm going to stay the night, for the absence of wine was sorely missed.

The silk road

I love the Australian craft blogs - I think they're the best in the world. I like that they're too cool to be caught dead in starbucks. I like that they have Japanese influences and European influences, I like that they are uncompromising and don't dumb it down. I like that they don't serve it up like McDonald's. I like low-key way they talk about their works, letting it speak for itself. The presence of humour, rare in the really serious craft blogs, is always welcome, always encouraged, and always appreciated. By me anyhow.

Specifically, there's this one incredibly talented, funny and kind of scarily cool Australian crafter whose blog I have liked for a long time. One of the it bloggers, if you will; one named Poppalina.

She's been knitting with a laceweight silk yarn. The pearlescent lustre and colour appealed to me so much I emailed her and asked her from whence it came, for I wanted to buy some for myself.

And so it ensued that this Poppalina ticks ALL the boxes, for her generosity and friendliness has been remarkable. And so it ensued also, that I received a wonderful Christmas treat yesterday.

I have a plan for it. I see a trio of small doily like arrangements, framed, like a plate display. Over our bed possibly.

In the meantime though, it looks just as good on the cone.

What dogs think

Hmmm, Anybody watching?

I'm feeling a little peckish. I wonder if there's any animal products around here?


Jeez, this lamb's a bit tough.

I swear I'm innocent. Look at this face.

FIRE! FIRE! Call the station

An unusual occurrence occurrenced at my house early last Thursday morning.

Lightning struck the electricity transformer box in front of my house.

Shoots of sparks like fireworks shot upwards into the sky. The power pole across the road spewed forth a fountain of sparks fit for an Australian Idol stage.

I rang 000. As did all the neighbours. The firemen came. They waited for the electricity people to come before they could put out the fire.

Good looking firemen everywhere. Twas all v exciting.


Till I was asked to leave the house and not come back until they were finished. Which was after 8 o clock that night.


Result? Lightning 1 - Knitabulous' house 0


Internet cable fried.
Auto garage door fried.
Alarm system fried.
Ducted airconditioning fried.
Playstation fried.
DVD player fried.

Other appliances are OK - but with the storm damage also pretty severe in Western Sydney also we are having trouble getting through to our insurer. So, it may be some time before I am back online on the big computer, the wireless connection is ok.

Not on my watch

I'm in a tea cosy swap on ravelry. I have procrastinated and procrastinated - not really wanting to do it. I considered subcontracting the job, but couldn't find a taker.

Knowing I'd committed myself, and knowing there was no way my partner would miss out, I bit the bullet on Monday. I found a riotous blend of colours in some noro silk garden in the local yarn shop and I cast on.

I didn't have dpn's in the correct size, so I couldn't knit in the round. I thought it might look good felted. So I cast on a few, knit a few, decreased a few and made a little funnel in the top (I fancied it a kind of bedouin look - like a tagine lid shape).

Then I chucked it in a hot wash with a pair of jeans. Nothing. Washed again. Nothing. A third wash. Something, but not very much. "What's up with the non-felting silk garden?" thunk I.

I googled 'felt silk garden' and found out that evidence suggests silk garden won't felt.

Well, not on my watch it won't.* I beat it into submission using violent and extreme measures. You can still see the stitches, but it has shrunk to teapot size and has a soft, felted texture.


Of course now I think it isn't good enough. Do you think it's okay? Be honest with me, I can take it.

Flying feathers

The Pretty as a Peacock knitalong is going really well, I'm so pleased so many people have joined. It's not a simple knit, it's not a quick knit, and you can't buy the pattern as a pdf, so the people that have joined the knitalong have already made a bit of an effort to get hold of the pattern in the first place.

Hopefully that is a good sign that they will actually knit the shawl. I am always disappointed to see knitalongs where there are lots of members but not many finished items. And I too, have been guilty of joining a knitalong and not actually doing the knitting. Twice in fact. The mind is willing but the flesh is weak, as they say.

One thing I have knit though, twice, is the pretty as a peacock shawl.

Here it is on the shawl chair, with the 'obscure latin verse on stone tablet' decorator item I always use as a point of interest.


And here's what it would look like if you were very thin, had no head and were off to a toga party.

Or, on a more human form.


Now to decide what's next ...

Tragic but True

Just happened ....

My car is always parked in the locked garage, with the keys and my handbag in it. (That will explain why I never hear my mobile phone unless I am in the car). The garage is attached to the house via a door/entry/foyer thing which leads to the office area.

A few hours ago, I was clearing out the car of school backpacks, chip packets and junk (and possibly retrieving my purse for an online yarn purchase), the dog jumped in the car and looked up expectantly. I left him in it with the car door open and went back to my Saturday potterings. At some point the dog got out of the car and has been following me around for a while. The car door was still open.

A few minutes ago, I went into the garage and noticed the dog had walked on the hazard light button (which is between the front seats). The car was flashing in the dark garage like a lighthouse. Not thinking, I shut the door.

Oh no. Door is now locked. Dog must have locked the doors as well. Oh no. Keys in ignition, car locked. Handbag in car. Oh no. Alan at shops, keys locked in car, hazard lights on. Battery will go flat, car locked, keys in ignition.

Panic. Heart beats faster. Oh no. Keys locked in car. Battery will go flat. Hazard lights on. Where are spare keys? Look look look.

Find spare keys. Stand in front of car pressing unlock button on spare key. Battery in key flat. What kind of battery goes in a car key? Key not working. Press, press, press. Panic. Panic. Panic. Car locked, keys in ignition, hazard lights flashing, unlock button on spare key not working.

What to do, what to do? Call NRMA? Am I a member of NRMA? Call roadside assist of car manufacturer? Am I a member of roadside assist of car manufacturer?

Suddenly, solution appears. Guess what? Car keys can be used like this.


Genius, I am.