Top Ten Reasons Why Being Bitten on the BUTT by a WASP is a BAD THING

10. Within seconds I knew I was going to be irresistably drawn to blog the whole thing. Let the sniggering commence.

9. The idea that I should check my UNDERWEAR for wasps before I put it on in the morning is scary on so many levels.

8. Dave keeps offering to suck the venom out.

7. My butt hurts.

6. I am outraged that my butt is damaged. I like my butt. I use it a LOT.

5. I wanted to squish the butt-biting wasp, but was foiled by Dave, who captured it and put it outside where it is now free to MENACE OTHER BUTTS.

4. Dave keeps offering to put pressure on the affected area.

3. It turns out that there IS something that more yarn can't fix.

2. OW. And OW.

1. This is where you come in, dear readers. Submit a Number One reason why Being Bitten on the BUTT by a Wasp is a BAD THING. The winner will get a prize!

More Books & a Project Spectrum Pic

These pics are for the Knit Wit, who shares my love of beautiful old books. The above is the front cover of an 1899 copy of Peg Woffington by Charles Reade, illustrated by Hugh Thomson. Another ebay bargain - I don't know what the butterflies have to do with the story, but they are pretty!

This fellow is the original Captain Hook on the spine of a 1911 copy of Peter and Wendy, by JM Barrie. Another ebay find!

And the cover of the above book - soooo pretty!

And finally, my favourite flowers, which fit beautifully with this month's Project Spectrum: violets. They smell gorgeous. Dave bought them for me this morning, cause he knows how much I love them!

I am feeling somewhat better today - I took a drowsy antihistamene before I went to bed last night, and slept for around eleven hours.

On the knitting front, momentous happenings are afoot. I am on the point of frogging every single work-in-progress I have, and sticking to one project at a time. I have so many projects on the go that I am finding it overwhelming, and I don't want to work on any of them. Knitting should be a pleasure, not an obligation!

What do you guys think?

Books

A couple of recent ebay finds for ya: The Pink Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang - the 1908 edition. I was very happy to find this - I didn't even know there was a Pink Fairy Book! Of course, I won't be collecting the original 1880s editions until that lottery win comes through, but a girl's gotta dream, and this is a darn good second prize. Ain't it beautiful??

And this I found in a city bookstore: they've reprinted all three Nurse Matilda books!! In their original formats, ribbons and all!!!! I absolutely adored these books when I was a kid, and they're still hilarious as an adult.

Wooo. This hectic post brought to you by Too Much Chocolate, Cold & Flu Tablets, and Concrete Sinuses.

Bendigo Sheep & Wool Part Two: The Loot

Okay, this wasn't loot, it was just funny - the cardboard cutout of Thermastrap man, and the annoyed stallholder. Apparently we weren't taking the magic of Thermastrap seriously.....

From Wendy Dennis - Some charcoal handspun hand dyed corriedale fingering weight, some purple 8ply (DK) , and some purple/grey 8ply. I have no idea what I will do with any of these yet, beyond gloating.

From the famous Bendigo Woollen Mills - 12 balls of grey pure wool 2ply. Yum. And only $2AUD a ball!

I cannot for the life of me remember the producer of this yarn - it is hand dyed, and I bought it purely because the colours were soso pretty - purples, greys and yellows.

Bendigo Woollen Mills again - around 800g of cream coloured alpaca for nefarious dyeing experiments. Mwahahaha.

600g of charcoal coloured 8ply from the Woollen Mills - I'm planning a vest with this!

600g Bendigo Woollen Mills 5ply (sportweight?) in a heathery purple - vest again!

And last but oh in no way least - luscious luscious goodness from Firbreworks - alas, they have no website yet. Oooooh, the colours these people produce! The skein on the left is 100g of greens in 3ply, the centre skein is 200g of blacks/teals fingering weight, and the skein on the right is 200g of blues and greens.... these were NOT cheap but boyohboy were they worth it! I bought the centre skein as soon as I spotted it, then forced myself to walk away and think about the rest of it. I was back less than five minutes later for the other two. The lovely ladies at the stall laughed understandingly. Or pityingly. Perhaps both.

I also bought two knitting books, but photos will have to wait, as my camera battery is sulking.

Yaaaarrrrnnnnnn!

Bendigo Sheep & Wool Part One

Alpacas in all their chocolatey goodness!

A creamy alpaca with an attitude problem.

These two were more than happy to pose for the camera.

And so was this one -Yarnivorous with only part(!) of her day's haul.

That's all for now, folks - I will photograph my loot and post it tomorrow, cause I am waaay tired!

All. Hail. The. Hypno-Monkey.

He has his eye on you!
All hail the HypnoMonkey!

Gibbering made me a sock monkey! All Hail the HypnoMonkey!

And Purplexity and I have started a long-overdue knitting movement: Sock Threatening. Check out the button on my sidebar! It links to Purplexity's post on the Perils and Morals of Sock Threatening. It's the new Yoga.

I am working my way through the gusset on the Pomatomus Sock - it's trying to confuse me, but if doesn't start to behave I will Threaten it. Hah!

And I have updated my bloglinks. Yay me!

Good thing for the day: HypnoMonkey!
Bad thing for the day: There is no Bad Thing, only HypnoMonkey!

Hippo Redux

The new Hippo Toe Sock. The last one was pretty, but it just wasn't working out - I was only a pattern repeat in when I started worrying about running out of yarn, and then I made a mistake which even Purplexity and Yarnivorous were powerless to rectify, then I realised that going down two needle sizes from what the pattern recommended was going to make the sock (surprise, surprise!) way too small. So, I frogged and went stash diving. Now I'm using Lorna's Laces in Purple Iris, and going back up to the recommneded needle size means that I can use my funky purple sock needles. So very Project Spectrum-esque! Now I'm almost finished the heel flap and feeling much happier about the whole project.

But wait... what is the Hippo Toe resting on?? Hmmm.........

Friday night I had a great time - I went to Gibbering's house and we ate takeaway and crafted and were incredibly fortunate in two regards. Firstly, we caught the Australian Premiere of Paris Hilton's video clip. Wooo. Much hilarity ensued. Then - Lithuanian Honey Wrestling. No, I'm not kidding. This is a real show in Lithuania. And we watched it. It was strangely compelling. The contestants (who, obviously, competed in bikinis) had names like Sly Chameleon, Country Bouncer, and Dark Blonde, and they wrestled in a wading pool about six feet across which was filled with honey. It turns out that enough honey makes a light-coloured bikini go transparent! You learn something every day.

Good thing for the day: Lithuanian Honey Wrestling. That it even exists is enough to restore my faith in the world.
Bad thing for the day: It's Monday morning. You do the math!

Hippo Toe

Finally! A picture of my progress on the Hippo Toe (or Pomatomus) sock. Purplexity and I are having a knitalong. Purplexity has been pointing out with increasing firmness that it is difficult to have a knitalong when only one person has gotten off her arse and actually started the sock. So! Only half way through the pattern repeat, but I am enjoying knitting it. You may also be able to spot one of my new fingernails in there. The yarn is Artyarns Ultramerino, and I'm using my dependable 2.25mm needles rather than the 2.75mm the pattern calls for.

Thank you for all your commiserating comments on the loathesome lurking of the Depression Monster. It has been variously suggested that a) my Depression Monster should go out with other people's Depression Monsters for coffee and leave us alone for a while (this is a good plan because they could bring us back muffins); b) that I commission my friend Gibbering to draw a picture of the Depression Monster so that I can throw darts at it; and c) from my evil-twin-in-Minneapolis-otherwise-known-as-Chris: knit a Depression Monster, shove some catnip in it and give it to the cats to destroy. All fine, fine suggestions!

I worked out mightily on Monday morning, despite the fact that I forgot my towel and was stinky for the rest of the day. Last night (Tuesday night for those of you in a different timezone) I was happily coerced into going to the gym with Wafflehouse (yes I will update my favourite bloglist at some point!) for a good workout. If you'd told me even a year ago that I would ever be able to just walk into a very crowded gym and unconcernedly go for it, I would have laughed. Bitterly. But it was really good! And today at lunchtime I worked out with E at work, which was also really good. So, gym three days in a row means my mood is slowly starting to lift, although I think I will give myself a day off from exercise tomorrow....owww.......

It's barely 9pm and I can't keep my eyes open.....

Good thing for the day: Warm cats.
Bad thing for the day: I went back to Marta's and she's already sold out of the yarn I started my shawl with. That'll teach me not to buy the whole skein as soon as I set eyes on it! I plan to take what I've knitted into the shop with me, and maybe try and find something similar but a little darker for the bottom edge.

Shameless

Ooooooh!

Aaaaah!

I know I promised you pictures of ebay loot. I may even have promised pictures of my project from Big Girl Knits. It's hard to say. Shaddup. Anyhoo, I went to Marta's on Saturday morning cause I hadn't been in two weeks and I needed my fix, and I found the above gorgeousness. It is Marta's famous hand dyed twoply, held doubled, and I'm using it to make another Seraphim shawl. I am swooningly in love with this yarn and this project. I have knit nothing else since I got it - A day and a half later, I am already up to over 200 stitches on the needles. I care not for any other project! For I have Yet Another One True Love!

This is just obscenely pretty. I LOVE it. I love watching the colours wind in and out of each other, it's magic. We went to see Pirates of the Caribbean 2 today, and Johnny Depp and only Johnny Depp could have driven this shawl out of my mind for that long. Mmmm... wet salty Johnny Depp.....

Woah, sorry, I just vagued out for a moment there!

Bad thing for the day: Stupid Depression Monster.
Good thing for the day: I'm going to the gym for a serious workout first thing tomorrow morning. Let's see how the Depression Monster likes that!

Crafties!

Last night at Crafties, Purplexity achieved a long held dream and took delivery of her very first Lorna's Laces. Of course, I had to order a skein or two just to keep her company.... I wanted some solidish coloured sock yarn for a couple of complicated sock patterns I have my eye on (has anyone seen the new Knitty?? Woah. Sock heaven.) and for which heavily handpainted yarn Just Wouldn't Do. Photos courtesy of Purplexity - I was far too lazy.

And Purplexity's other contribution to my Blog O' Inertia - this is Dorian, holding court smack bang in the middle of a gaggle of knitters, crocheters, soft toy makers, and other assorted riffraff. Notice he is disdaining the hot chip in front of him, because he knows darn well that A has bbq chicken in that other container. Dorian used to be too scared to emerge during Crafties, but the discovery that one of our number regularly brings meat-based dinners AND is a sucker for a big grey cat has brought him magically out of his shell.

Good thing for the day: Yarrrrrn.
Bad thing for the day: Ebay. Curse its rotten multilayered glory.

Pretty Little Things

Black Olive self-striping

Dragonfly

Both of these are from Sunshine Yarns - part of my 'If I buy myself enough random stuff I might cheer up!' phase of the last couple of weeks. I know, I know, it doesn't really work like that, but if it involves sock yarn, honestly, who am I to argue??

I have many more things to display to you, my vaguely curious audience. I got my copy of Big Girl Knits from Amazon, and a large order of dark red aran weight yarn to make a particular jacket from said book. So Yummy.

I initiated the hapless Purplexity into the joys of online yarn ordering, and blatantly enabled her to purchase her very first skeins of Lorna's Laces. Little does she know the steep slippery slope of being hooked on the Good Stuff. Bwaahahaha. Of course, it made sense for me to order a skein or two while I was at it.....

I'm feeling the pressure of having too many projects on the go at the moment, so last night I did the sensible thing and cast on for another one. Sigh.

Good thing for the day: I am at home taking a much needed flex day. I slept in a bit and am now engaged in defending my breakfast from various cats.
Bad thing for the day: Eh. It's early yet, give it time!

SP8 & Project Spectrum!

I received these goodies last week, but was too tired/lazy to take photos. Now all shall be revealed! The above is a postcard from my SP8 ( in Sweden!!) - isn't it adorable??

This is the card for the lovely lady who was commissioned by my SP8 to make me this:

Yellow polka dot lining.... for

A handmade sock bag! And right on the mark for Project Spectrum! Thankyou Secret Pal!!!

My posts have been a bit...sporadic... lately - I've been going another couple of rounds with the Depression Monster, and I tend to be a bit reclusive when that's going on. As you can see from my last post, however, things are most definitely looking up - and that's more than partly due to you guys. Starting my blog was one of the best things I have ever done!

Good thing for the day: I had a Girlie day yesterday and got my hair cut and coloured, my eyelashes and eyebrows tinted ( I am naturally a very light blonde and most of the time you can't tell I have eyelashes or eyebrows), and my nails done.
Bad thing for the day: Learning to type all over again because all of a sudden I have fingernails. Which, I have to add, the cats LOVE.