Community Award for Charity Knitting

In my previous post I wrote about the Clr. Robert East Community Award that my work gives to an employee from outdoor staff and indoor staff.

After having last monday as an accrued leave day, I return to work Tuesday morning, dressed very casually, no stockings, sandals on feet, no earings as one had broken while ripping off my helmet on the sunday at the scene of a quadruple fatality and I had forgotten to replace it, my makeup ran out and I was nearly going to go to work as me, no makeup, but luckily I managed to shake enough out of the bottle to make myself a bit decent looking. Only to be told on arriving at work that I had to go to the Council meeting that night. Shit.

I knew it was because I was nominated for the award, what I didn't know was that I was the recipient of the award. Another thing that really made my heart sing was the fact that even though my family are always making jokes about my knitting and how much time I spend knitting, they were really proud of me for being given this award. And it was great that my family are all at home at the moment to share it with them.

I was so proud to recieve an award for community work and I was even more touched that I had won it for my knitting I do for different charities, here in Australia and overseas. And to top that off, I also received a cheque for $200, I thought seeing as DH isn't working at the moment it came at a great time for Christmas, but he and the boys told me to spend it on myself. I might save it and get some nice yarns (as if I need any) and knit myself a nice cardigan/jumper or something for next winter. I will add that to my very very long list of things to knit.

I love my knitting and do some every day, usually at night, I continually knit every chance I get. As for my charity knitting, I haven't been doing as much as I usually do, so I have been feeling a bit guilty, but I do have ideas to start on as soon as I get my Christmas knitting done and some show knitting done which usually goes to charity then anyway.

I even knitted yesterday even though in the sun it was over 50 and in the shade 40 odd. Last night at 11pm it was still 32, thank goodness for air con and swimming pools, of which both got a very good workout yesterday, can't say the same for me, but I did do some gardening in the morning early till about 10am, I am slowly getting the front garden to a more me type of garden, then into the pool for a quick dip and cool off.....over 1 1/2 hours later I dragged myself out of the pool, I did try a few times to get out, but it was way too hot as I approached the top stair, so I just got back in. Once dry I went to the local garden nursery to get some more lettuce and strawberry seedlings to plant.

By 5pm I had to water the garden as a few things were starting to head south, all is good today. The thing I have noticed is that in the heat my Roses that are just really nice buds, burst open and nearly start losing petals as if a week old in a matter of a day. I quickly cut some nice buds for inside so I can enjoy them a while longer.

Christmas knitting...

Is a go!
I have been doing my Christmas knitting, I have completed 3 cotton carry bags with another one on the needles. I have a lot to go. And did you see my Christmas Tree on the bottom right hand corner, well be sitting down when you do have a look at it, because it says 42 days to Christmas. Now that is scary.


I have made up a sheet with a list of what I want to knit for charities in 2010, and what I would like to knit for Kiama and Albion Park Shows in 2011 as well as personal knitting. The list is quite long. I have made up a sheet so I can do a stocktake of all my stash, that way I can match it up with things on my list and as it has been a goal for the last 2 years to knit all my stash, hopefully it will become a reality in 2010.

My work has an Award which is given to an indoor staff member and an outdoor staff member each year for volunteer/charity work. This year I have been nominated for the Robert East Award. Robert East was a Councillor at my work when he died of Cancer about 3 years ago, he did a lot of volunteer work in our community and outside our community. I am so happy to be nominated for my knitting I do for charity, which most of you know I love doing so much and is probably the majority of the knitting I do.

Some of the girls I knit with had been knitting some "Gorilla Knitting" for Viva La Gong Festival held last weekend in Wollongong. Here is some pieces around the tree. Most of it was displayed on the light posts in the mall. It all looked very affective. It will be displayed for about a month, then taken down and made into blankets for charity.

A busy life

Things are really busy around here, not photos of knitting... yes I have been knitting. I am knitting some string shopping bags for Christmas Gifts.

I am going to try to mostly do a homemade Christmas Gift for family and friends this year, and probably only buy something for my own children their partners and our grand-child.

As DH is still out of work it is more of a need to do this than a want, although I must say it is something I think about doing every Christmas, but never actually get around to it.

I have made a list of people and a list of gifts, so hopefully it will all come together. I also want to go through my stash and stocktake a list of everything, then try to use what I have for the gifts. Although I don't know how much of the same colour cotton I have that I need for all the string bags. Another item to go with the bags will be dishclothes, then some homemade biscuits, slices and maybe mini Christmas cakes, time will tell.

I hope to get some pictures of knitting done soon, but a very special thing is happening on Wednesday and that will take up a fair bit of my time, my youngest son and his fiance are coming home for a while, in between jobs. We haven't seen them for 2 years coming this Christmas, they have been working in WA for 2 1/2 years. The next job is in NSW about a 5 hour drive, so that will be a good thing, just a long weekend trip to visit them, I can make some long weekends regularly out of my accrued leave time banked up. Everyone is so excited, our eldest son is excited as he can't wait to introduce his daughter to his brother, and he is going to pick them up from the airport. Wish I could be there to see them together, but I will be at work and will have to wait until I get home (I am going to finish a bit early and get home as quick as I can).

Wow....nearly two months without a post

Boy have I been slack....read very busy since my holiday. I haven't had time to post or read my favourite blogs. I have to get more time in the day.....not sure how I will manage that, but I will try. Sometimes other things are more important......like have #1 son, dil and grand-daughter move back in with us, so in between going to work and home things to do, I spend most of my time enjoying my grand-daugher while she is living with us. She is 15months now and a real little monkey, can climb like no-bodies business. Loves being outside and loves the pool. I can see barb wire on the pool fence and maybe even electrification of the pool fence to keep this little one on the right side of the fence. It is adorable when she comes walking into me of a night while I am sitting in my lounge chair trying to knit or read and she has a book in tow and says 'up', so up she climbs as I try to finish the paragraph or row and quickly get the knitting or book out of the way as she is already perched up on my lap ready to read to her.

I have been knitting this last week doing some gorilla knitting for the Viva La Gong which is on very soon in Wollongong. The knitting is going to be stitched onto the light poles in Wollongong Mall for the festivities. And you never know where else they may turn up.

What else have I knit, the old brain isn't working so good at 10.30pm, time I was in bed as it is another work day tomorrow. I keep waiting for the call from the Lotteries Office to say we have won millions of dollars........still waiting and dreaming.

DH still hasn't found work. Getting a bit stressed about that. Growing vegetables so it won't be too bad, how many ways can you eat strawberry's, tomatoes, broccoli, rhubarb, potatoes, capsicum, zucchini, cucumber and chilli's......let me count the ways. I would love a couple of chooks, that way we will get our protein each day with fresh eggs, but DH hasn't been convinced we should have chooks. Even tried to bribe him with the grand-daughter would love to have some chooks.

Just remembered what I have been knitting, just need to sew it together and get some buttons, ribbon etc to finish off. I am knitting a 3 piece baby set for Kiama Show in January 2010, and have started on a baby dress for same show. I am still decided if I will knit for Albion Park Show which is early January. I have a list of things I would like to knit, but time is creeping (steam rolling) up on me.
Pictures will be coming after I sew all the bits together.

Knitting Again

I have picked up the needles since getting home from our holiday, wow 5 weeks without knitting, I didn't even go into a yarn store while in USA. We were busy taking in all the wonderful places we were visiting. I didn't even get time to do a holiday blog which I though I would be able to do.

I am knitting a scarf in a boucle type yarn, it will be for a charity. I need to get back into charity knitting and get my stash down to about 2 projects in the house at a time, well that is my goal and I have been trying to do that for nearly 2 years now, and only buying yarn to knit things for my grand-daughter.

On friday night I decided I needed something nice to knit at Wollongong Stitch N Bitch on Saturday, so I got our the Patons Serenity Bamboo and Cotton in a very nice light pink. Bought at my very favourite yarn store CR&K Daisy Designs at Fairy Meadow, I bought it at camp in April. I wanted to knit my grand-daughter something with it and I had a look on Ravelry on Friday for a pattern of a dress to knit, I found a lovely one knit top down, no seams, now that has to be a good thing it is called "Violet Dress Pattern".

I started it on Friday night and finished it this morning (Sunday), gotta be happy about that. A very easy quick knit and so soft in the Bamboo Cotton mix. I didn't make it a long as it says my grand-daughter is only 13months old, it finished the increase rows then did the border and cast off.



I tried it her this morning and it looks great, I just have to sew in the ends and I am going to crochet an edge around the armholes, which isn't in the pattern but I think it will look more finished.

I'm back home

I have been travelling in the USA for 5 weeks. What a great time we had.

I will catch up with my knitting and blogging soon.

Patons Heirloom Patterns

I love the old baby patterns, I do have this pattern in a very old Patons book. Patons have now bought out a lovely pattern book of Heirloom Patterns and the cardigan I have knitted for my grand-daughter is the same as I had when a baby and I did knit for my boys - in blue naturally.


I knitted this one in Shepherd 4ply pure wool in a beautiful soft pinkfrom my very favourite LYS - CR&K Daisy Desings at Fairy Meadow. It looks lovely on grand-daughter. I knitted the 12 months size. That is a good thing with the new Heirloom book is that the sizes for all the patterns are from newborn to 12months, which is great for the one's I really want to knit now she is coming up 12months.

This blue jacket will probably go to Guardian Pharmacy for charity. I have noticed that the guardian pharmacy are not sending our knitted items overseas to Mongolia anymore, but are distributing the items to Australian charities. I am now knitting some small baby beanies for my charity knitting, this will be good for my stash busting efforts, which are still going. I got this acrylic yarn from a shop in Kiama which was closing down a few years back I might add, it has another owner now.

I am still trying to read the blogs I have listed along with new ones, I mainly lurk without commenting, not that I don't won't to comment, just that sometimes I don't have the time to spend commenting, but I am there.