Me: I am going to try my hand in spinning my own yarn soon.
Nad: What does that mean?
Me: It means that I’m very clever.
Nad: Can you slow down?
Me: Huh? Why?
Nad: So that I can get a job first and then I can buy you sheep.
Me: *ROFL*
He thinks that spinning my own yarn =Â Need to rear sheep!!!!!!!!!!!!
Weather here’s weird. It scorches you at 40 degrees and then *BAM!!!!* It’s now 18 degrees. Better reach for my woolies. (Sniggers.) Ooh ooh… is it cold enough to wear WOOLIES yet?
I was sitting there wondering why my WIPs have been progressing really well these few weeks when I realised that it’s because Nad has been using the computer for his work most of the time! He’s now studying full time in a course which dumps A LOT OF assignments/ essays/ reports/ novels on him to write and they have due dates so close together that many people have dropped out of his course.
But it’s good. Less computer time for me = more knitting time. It works out well!
In answer to the earlier question, 4. I have 4 jobs.
- In the morning, I wake up and I fuss with the baby. Wash her buttocks and feed her, talk to her, play with her. (1 – Mum)
- Then I send the husband to school. (2 – Wife)
- Then I come back and amuse the baby again. Simultaneously, I check the online store I now own (www.yarnandkisses.com) for any orders and pack them accordingly. (3 – Online Store Owner)
- Then, I bathe and pack the baby into the car and off we go to fetch the husband and I start work at the same university, at the Veterinary Hospital immediately. (4 – Animal Welfare Worker)
- Then, the husband fetches me from work and twice a week, I work at a pizza joint near our home. (5 – Pizza Maker)
So that’s actually 5 jobs but ‘wife’ and ‘mum’ can actually roll into 1 job so I hold 4 jobs.
It’s tough and some days I do feel like collapsing in a sorry pile and shut down my system completely. Whoever said that “Life isn’t a bed of roses” is wrong. Because it is. It is soft and sweet smelling but it also has thorns. So Life IS a bed of roses. Sometimes it’s soft, sometimes it’s thorny.
But I have God. He is always there with us and helping me pull through the most difficult times.
Many people do not understand me – why I act this way and why I think this way. It doesn’t matter because that person doesn’t know what I’ve been through and what I am going through. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. So what strangers/ acquaintances think of me doesn’t really bother me much. I may feel slightly indignant at the point when negative comments are passed about me but that feeling fades really quickly. Because in the end, I still have my loving family and friends with me. Most importantly, when every single person in my life can fail me, God and Jesus never fails me. I only have to call on His name and He will be there.
I have another SnB session tomorrow with my SnB sibs (Soaking In Bathtub?) again because Shazzy is moving away soon 
 So us sibs (Shitting In Bathroom?) will be meeting every week now instead of every fortnight until she leaves for Koorda. We’ll be very sad when she leaves. Sigh.
I look forward to the end of the year when I can say goodbye to most of the jobs I’m holding now. (Unfortunately – or was it ‘fortunately’? -, I’m going to be a mom for life…..) because NAD WILL BE GRADUATING AND HE CAN FINAAAALLLYYYY WIN THE BREAD!!! 8 more monthsssssssssssss……….. I can’t wait.
And I also cannot wait to offload the baby sitting on my lap now. Her head curiously stinks of vomit. I wonder why because she didn’t vomit!
ps: I’m craving for the oven toasted ribs that my workplace serves.
Alright… now to document all the goodies I have received for the past few weeks. (And also a couple of WIPs)
As you may have noticed, I have given up on editing my photos to insert the Inoriz.com as well as the stupid gray border around them. It takes way too long and the main reason for my lack of blog posts is because I hate editing pictures (lazy) and so I have decided not to make myself miserable and in turn, you all can enjoy more photos and more blog posts. Hows that sound? Good? Just make sure you don’t steal any photos of mine without permission coz I will so hunt you down and release my martial-arts-in-sleep practicing daughter on you. (See previous post.) And I have 2 ferocious dogs. And a super cat. I can pwn you in a second. I mean it.
So…… where to start? Where to start??? Okay I shall show you…….. A package from my lovely SnB (Snitch and Bitch Stitch and Bitch) sib. (Okay gals… what does sib stand for? Sibling? A horse??? Self-Injurious Behavior???? WHAT?)
She is the Lushy Lisa and she gave us all this package in a chinese takeaway box (not featured):
- A skein of lovely Alpaca Silk which we all have to make something out of it in secret and show it when we are ALL done. So far, only Sasha has managed to finish hers. I have yet to think of what to make. Something that wears close to the skin as it’s one of the softest yarn I’ve ever fondled. I don’t wear hats or scarves so much so those won’t do.
- A piece of very nice lemony-lime smelling soap. I don’t use soap as my skin gets very dry. Nad uses soap but no way I’m going to give that to him!!! I think I shall use it as a stash scenter. I.e put it together with my stash to make them smell good.
- Lip Balm from The Woolshack.
- Lovely stitch markers.
- And, my SnB sibs (again, what’s sibs?) are so going to eat me up.. BUT I CAN’T FIND THE BUTTON! Lisa also gave us all a cute orange button that says “I knit, therefore I rock” and it has to be worn to every SnB session. I PLACED IT ON THE TABLE! IT WAS THERE! BUT NOW IT ISN’T!!!!!! I will find it. I will!
This photo is pinched from Sasha’s blog.
From left: Sasha, Lisa, Me (I’m wearing the headband that Salihan knitted for me! Whee!) and Shazzy.
Speaking of which, SOMEONE has to update her blog more often, eh? I don’t know who… but SOMEONE with the last post titled “sheesh tis been a long time…sp pics abound.” Hmm I wonder who that is?
Moving on…
I got RAK’ed (Random Acts of Kindness) from Ravelry. A very lovely lady Helen (knit1drop1) send me these from The Woolshack.
I had a hard time guessing what that little sheep was. I thought it was a scenter (because I asked for scenters) but it didn’t have a smell. So I asked on Ravelry and Helen herself told me to pull its tail. VOILA! It’s a sheepie measuring tape! The tape is like poo coming out from its butt!!! Wheeeeeeee! Incidentally, as I pulled the tape out from the sheep’s butt for the first time, Sunshine was doing a poop in her diapers while sitting on me and watching me pull the tape out. I love poo. Don’t you?
I love the book. I’m halfway through it now and I can relate to most of it! Cracks me up. I read a few pages in bed before I sleep almost every night.
Then, Sasha and Scoot, came by one day to give us this:
They also installed it for us and made sure it was running perfectly before leaving us to enjoy it. HOW SWEET CAN PEOPLE BE TO US?? HUH???
I’ve christened him George Simpson (he’s a Simpson). I don’t know why George. But he looks like a Georgie. Hehhee.
Sasha grew up with him and she couldn’t bear to part with him even after they got a spanking new front loading washer with digital flashing flashy lights emitting cool sounds which made it look like a spaceship. So Georgie was given to us. The people who still did laundry by hand.
I love Georgie. He’s very hardworking.
Then, I got this from Shazzy:
A sock tote!!!!!!!! How lovely! I’ve been wanting to sew one for myself but I have been *cough*lazy*cough*. She sewed 4. One for each of us SnB sibs (Spanking In Bed?). The outer fabric was the same for each of the 4 totes but the inner fabric and the zips were of different colors. We had to fight for our favorite color. Sasha almost made it away with MINE. BLUE. MINE. STAY AWAY FROM ALL THE BLUE IN FUTURE OK. I WARN YOU, SIBS! (Slipped In Bathroom?)
Then, Lisa gave me this very technical book on knitting socks two at a time on two circular needles.
It’s really technical. I shall digest it when I want to get stressed. Nevertheless, it’s a good book to have in handy.
Then, I bought this for myself as a reward for being a great wife and mom. (HA HA HA HA HA HA)
Knitpicks Harmony Set!!! From Knitting Inspirations. Helen is such a dear. She’s a very generous and helpful lady.
This is my first set of interchangeable needles and I am loving it. “Switch to larger/ smaller needles and knit……..” in patterns no longer daunt me. (Ha ha…pfft… as if it used to daunt me… ha ha.) I’m saving up to get the nickel plated ones!
The 4.5mm needles are missing from the set because I’m using them to knit Lulu’s eyelet skirt!
The stockinette stitch (7 x 10rows = 70 rows) is coming along very nicely. *Grits teeth while typing the last sentence.* There are, well, some days when I feel like flinging the whole damn thing into the wall. But yeah… coming.. along.. nicely…..
Then, I completed the back piece for Sunshine’s Aran Sweater. And started on the front piece. Hope I can finish this by winter. Shouldn’t be a problem.
Bonus picture of baby Alpaca staring lovingly in your eyes.
OFF TO KNIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So…. I am apparently finished with the body of a bag that took me lightyears to knit.
The pattern had called for a thicker yarn but I used an 8 ply yarn instead BUT I DID NOT USE A LARGER SIZE NEEDLE TO compensate THE DIFFERENCE.
I paid for the mistake. Endless stockinette stitches and the bag never seemed to grow. Row after row after row of pure torture.
But I did it. It’s done. It has FOed my needles and is history. I just need to knit a flower to affix on it and send it to its recipient.
Before felting:
Approx 20 inches wide across.
I used my hands (and frigging hot and soapy water) to felt it at first because I was afraid that felting it in the machine might be a disaster and the deadline for the swap is just next week. Luckily I did that. Because. There. Be. Holes. Where. I. Joined. The. Colors.
I sewed the holes up and continued to felt it by hand but I got really really tired and it’ll probably take me… uhh.. I duno… TEN YEARS to felt the monster by hand? So I chucked it in the machine and stood by it to check every 1 minute. It was all good.
Blocking it after felting over a bucket
After felting:
Approx 16 inches wide across
Name of project: Bag Swap French Market Bag.
Yarn: Woolbale in Dark and Light Purple
Needles: Pony DPNs 4.5mm. Addi Turbo 4.5mm.
Cast on date: 13 Jan ’08
Cast off date: 14 Mar ‘o8
Learned: NEXT TIME, USE A LARGER NEEDLE IF YOU SUBSTITUTED A THINNER YARN, YOU DUMBASS! Also first time felting in the washer. Feels gooooood.
Modifications: Modifications to the handles from here.
Mistakes: CHANGE THE FFFFFFFFFFFF…… NEEDLES TO A LARGER SIZE!!!!!!!!
That having said…… I’m glad it turned out well. Before felting, it just looked like every cat and her kittens could fit into it. After felting, it looked more like a proper bag. Nad said it looked so much better after it was felted. I just need to work on the flower to go on it. That wouldn’t take too long, right?
A bonus picture of Sunshine practicing martial arts in her sleep. “HAIII YAAAAAAAAAaa!!!!!!!!”
