Daylight Savings Monday

Daylight savings has just started here. So the clock says its 6.30am, but my body clock says it's 5.30am and wants to know what the heck is going on. Also, I have a full day of training today. The type of training where you learn how to communicate better with your team. The type of training where if you didn't already know this stuff you would never have gotten the freaking job in the first place. And besides, I communicate very well with my team. When I realised that E had a particular song stuck in her head, I knew just what to do.

Me: Hey, E?
E: Yeah?
Me: Billeeeeee, don't be a heeeroooo.....
E: Screw you, [Peeve]!

See? See how good I am at this?

In other news, I am pleased to announce that the Great Sock Drought of 2006 is over. In a burst of productivity, I have finished a pair of socks. No, actually, that sentence really deserves capital letters. I HAVE FINISHED A PAIR OF SOCKS. Wooooo! Unfortunately, I suspect the camera is still in the car, so I'll have to wait until tonight to take pictures.

Now I have to go choose some sock yarn from my stash. Cause there is NO WAY IN HELL I'm going to this training thingy without a new sock project!

Sky Seraphim

The Sky Seraphim is both finished and blocked, and will be passed on to its recipient today.

I would post more, but I spent the evening with Purplexity last night and I have a massive sugar hangover....

Socks 'n Sleepy Cats

Ooooh, is it tuna?? I bet it's tuna! Can I open my eyes now?

What the - you woke Me up for this?? This isn't tuna!! *directs Fat Fluffy Stare of Death at hapless human*

Mmmmpffff....hey, look at that, sock-shaped tuna.....*snore*

I got home from crafties last night and remembered my promise to post pics of the Sock that Saved Socktober, so I grabbed the Sock, the camera, and tracked down the cats. After the photo session, they were convinced that really tuna was going to be produced at any moment, and followed me around the house Mawowing imperiously until it became clear that I was going to be in front of the computer for a while and there is no tuna here.

Knitting sock again is good. The yarn is beautifully soft and squishy, and the pattern is complicated enough to keep me interested. It has cables. You can't really see from these pics, but the cuff and the heel flap are both cabled. Cause knitting with dpns really isn't tricky enough without adding a cable needle to the mix. Still, in two days I've reached the straight knitting for the foot, so it ain't all bad.

Melbourne knitters take note: Marta's Yarns in Caulfield is closed until further notice - I emailed Patricia asking what was wrong, and Marta is ill - ill enough that they've closed the store for a while to look after her. I don't know the details, but I want to urge all Melbourne knitters to send a supportive email to Marta (you can email through her website) or take the time to put a Get Well Soon card through the mail slot at the shop. Get well soon, Colour Goddess, we miss you!

Good thing for the day: The Return of the Knitting Mojo

Bad thing for the day: Instead of having a shower last night I used the precious time for gusset decreases. As a result I am less than sparkly clean this morning. Fortunately, it's casual dress day at work, so hopefully no one will notice.

Enoch the Adorable

This is Enoch, one of the kittens currently living with Purplexity - he's currently perched on Purplexity. When he's old enough, he's going to go live with Gibbering. So cute!! The grey blur in the background is his mummy Heide, keeping a watchful eye on kittens and possibly also cat treats if we happen to have any.

I got my first sock kit from Pick Up Sticks the other night - why yes, I did join ANOTHER sock club, now that you mention it. It involves a cabled sock and two skeins of delicious Claudia Handpaint sock yarn in Roasted Chilies colourway. Pics tomorrow. Anyhoo, it came with lots of little goodies, and I got all enthusiastic and cast on for the sock straight away. Fingers crossed this means the Great Sock Drought of '06 is over! Seriously, go take a look at Pick Up Sticks - they have gorgeous delicious yarns, and the service is great.

Good thing for the day: Meiko is currently scampering around the house merrrping and chirrping to herself.

Bad thing for the day: What earthly use is a shrink if he refuses to write you a prescription for a kitten???

Boobalicious Monday

Remember ages ago when I posted my brand new Corset of Magnificence? Well, on Saturday night I finally worked up the courage to wear it to a party! And let Dave take a photo for the blog. It was much admir'd. And petted. In fact, I haven't been felt up that much at a party in years! It is a beautiful corset, and by all the gods this thing guarantees correct posture, albeit at the cost of a slight compression of one's internal organs.

Not much happening on the knitting front - I keep starting things, working on them madly for a day or so, then frogging. I think it's a sign that my liking myself project has been slipping somewhat over the last few weeks - I knit for a while, then think What the Hell Was I Thinking This Will Look Like Ass. Sigh. I am working on one thing at the moment, mainly because I'm scared not to - I started a shawl from Knitting Nature (details later... much later). Cast on 730 stitches and join in the round without twisting. I think I was trying to punish myself. But the Knitting Goddess took pity on my mojo-less state and I did it. First try. Right number of stitches, no twisting. So I have to believe the Knitting Goddess has decided that I will knit this shawl, and will smite me if I don't.

Good thing for the day: I posted a picture of myself! Yay me!
Bad thing for the day: Monday Morning Sucketh.

Distraction By Kitten

Look, they've just opened their eyes!!! SO cute!!

Photo lifted directly from Purplexity's blog.

Top Ten Things That Ticked Me Off Today Tuesday

10. Checking out a cute guy on the street. Nice boots, nice jeans, great butt, cool shirt, funky haircut....EEWWWWw he's picking his nose!!

9. In-laws. Can't live with them, can't shoot 'em.

8. Being hung up on at work by some moron who called me back ten minutes later to demand I help him with something else.

7. Not getting pancakes for breakfast, cause Dave's looked really good.

6. Why am I addicted to America's Next Top Model?? WHY???

5. It's not Friday yet.

4. My head hurts.

3. I whine a lot.

2. WHERE THE HELL HAS MY KNITTING MOJO GONE??

1. God help the next person who chuckles condescendingly at work and asks me "So what are you knitting now?" while rolling their eyes.

The Pouncing and the Bouncing

Lulu lying in wait by looking innocent in full view of her victim.

Meiko thinking "Wow, Lulu's looking innocent!" while simultaneously checking out escape routes. Seconds after these photos were taken, there was much pouncing and dashing back and forth. Yep, it's a wild Saturday night in the Peeve household!

This. This is my very first colourwork. A very simple colourwork, but colourwork nonetheless. With two contrasting colours of my Nature Wool and a book of 200 knitted blocks, anything is possible! There was much fiddling and cursing and now there are many many ends to weave in, but I have to say I'm pretty happy with this. The colours work together, the knitting is nice and even even preblocking, and the yarn is nice and soft.

Now I'm gonna go eat rice crackers and dip for dinner. Which, to me, is more evidence that I am in fact an adult than anything I have yet encountered.

Melting

Picture. Yarny goodness. From Yarnivorous. Dunno what I'll make with it yet. Has been too hot to post. 36 degrees Celsius in SPRING??? Sheesh.

The Cuteness So Cute It Hurts

Purplexity has been feeding a stray cat. The stray cat was unhappy. Purplexity took it to the vet who said the stray cat was in labour. Purplexity took the cat home. Purplexity is now the proud grandma of three tiny little day old kittens!!

Go! Immediately! She has blogged excruciating cuteness for all to see!

Bollocks

How did it get to be Monday so soon???

I have no pics of our trip to Warburton, because I left the bollocking camera at home. Which is a tragedy, because from where we were sitting on the riverbank, there was a family of ducks - Mummy and Daddy and four little bundles of fluff - SOOOO CUUUUTE!! If I'd had the camera, I could have captured the truly Cute Overload-worthy moment of four teeny little fluffy duckling bottoms lined up in a row while they were all pecking at the ground for food. Sigh.

The day was glorious, though - we spent a couple of hours on the riverbank, watching ducks, casting on for a 600 stitch project for the FOURTH Bollocking time, and laying in the sun "reading". At least I didn't snore.

Yesterday I spent two hours sitting on my arse on a cold concrete floor with an overheating laptop helping Dave catalogue his wine. That's a lot of wine! But I did earn lots of karma points.

Meiko is now snuggling up on my lap, bringing me the joyous news that it is in fact moulting season, and she can prove it by the amount of silver grey fur she's shedding all over my black work outfit. Dorian has now scrambled up onto the desk and is looking in total bewilderment at Meiko on my lap. He has trouble processing these things sometimes.

I have to go to work now.

This post brought to you by Bollocks Monday.

Koneko

Last week Gibbering gave me a cheer-up present - a little kitten made of kimono fabric with a little bell around its neck and holding an eggplant!! The eggplant is significant because it's my favourite looking vegetable - I wear a lot of purple and I'm kind of shaped like an eggplant!

I'm finally starting to feel a little better - I had a lovely long luxurious lunch with the luscious Wafflehouse yesterday, it was a beautiful day, and I was actually *gasp* optimistic!

Today we're heading up to Warburton outside Melbourne for a nice drive through beautiful country, a relaxing read (possibly nap) by the river and a nice lunch. I'm taking the camera, so I may even get some pictures of the local flock of geese bullying people for food.

Hmm... I was going to be bitingly witty at this point, but the sun is shining, and I have a Dorian snuggled up on my lap, and I'm getting a bit sleepy....

*yawn*

Perspective

Enough of the whinging, I have an important job for you all.

One of my BBFFs (Best Blogger Friends Forever) Rebecca of Bellamoden has just lost her beloved catchen Baba. Baba has been with her a long long time, and she's really hurting right now, so I need you all to head over there and give her some love and hugs.

I'm hoping that if we rack up enough virtual hugs it might amount to a real hug - it's times like these that I hate being so far away from you guys!

In Which the Universe Smacks Me Upside the Head and Says Ha Ha! Fooled You!

I am sick. AGAIN. I have a cold. And am therefore sulking. Elegantly, but sulking nonetheless. So, to distract you, a Monday Meiko Picture!

This is Meiko sunning herself in the catrun yesterday - she must be pretty sleepy, cause normally she'd be chirrping and shoving her face at the wire for a pat. She's watching with detached interest as Dave hauls pots around, messes around with potting mix and generally wears himself out.