exhaustion

following 12 hours of removalists in the house, having a small dog connected to a belt loop via his lead, lots of "this is going; this is staying", and "loom is spelt L-O-O-M not L-U-M-E" finally all my possessions (bar the knitting projects and yarn I just can't part with, my laptop, camera and effects, ipods, some toiletries and a few clean changes of clothes... oh, and Grey's DVDs for Lucy Loo) are sitting in a shipping container and will be somewhere between Sydney and geelong until next Monday.

I have too much stuff. Way too much. I dread having to unpack the crap. (I am so glad I had professional removalists organised for me - no way would I get everything down to geelong by myself)

And I said good-bye to Tuffers this evening. He is going to an ANZAC day Dawn service tomorrow so is staying at a more convenient friends place in the city and I won't see him again before I leave town. I am looking forward to starting afresh back home, but I will miss this life a little.

The highlight of the day - my second rockin' sock club package showing up this morning. oh so pretty... need another skein so I can make the knee-highs.

Good night all!

i heart -

*$$ (starbucks-get it?) ! and Tuffers.... I forgot to mention that he got me this cute little bear-ista as an 'after-thought' xmas present. The traveller mug I picked up in Canberra for a steal just after new year - even though it is obviously xmas themed, I think I will use it all year round because it suits a recently converted sock maniac like myself. (and its the hidden short size, which means smaller, cheaper coffees when I use it at *$$ - even though not advertised on the menu board you can order the short at any time if you want a smaller coffee - it may just take the partners a while to find the right size cup)

And speaking of *$$ in Canberra, it appears I will not be a regular at the s&b's down that way. Due to a last minute change with Tuffers' work, the move has been postponed at least 12
months. However, I will try to make it to a session or too - just to meet a few of the bloggers I check in with on a regular basis.

And at the risk of sounding redundant - more markers on ETSY - including twins to my 'i heart 2 knit' markers I chatted about here. That will be the last addition for about a week - I am awaiting a bulk delivery of findings to make some more.

Merry Christmas (or whatever you celebrate)

From Ginge, Tuffers and Pierre.
(pic courtesy of my dad)


I am about to head home to Geelong to spend xmas with my family (via Canberra and Lucy-lou's) so I may not blog for a couple of days, but I promise to be back to show off the great new toys Tuffer's gave me for xmas, and the socks I gave him :)

i love borders....

The post in which we understate the return of my digital camera and photo-posting abilities..

One of the best promos I have ever signed up for is the Borders Books email list - this week (or rather, this weekend, fri and mon inclusive) you got a whopping 40% off when you purchased four books, and 40% one dvd or cd....

I recieved the email yesterday morning (a little late seeing as the promotion had been running for two days already) and made a mad dash after work to the Bondi store in order to score a book for Tuffer's xmas present....

You see, Tuffers didn't want any old book - no, he wanted a very expensive cookbook...

...which I purchased today after standing half an hour in the checkout queue. The book is The Cook's Companion by Stephanie Alexander and has a RRP of $125.

I was a bit sneaky with my purchase - you only get the discount if you are buying full price items, so even though there were a couple of this Tome (and given that this is a very heavy book, Tome is really the only word for it) with a sale price of $99.95, I grabbed one without a sale sticker and with the 40% off it came back down to $75 - the better deal by far.

Of course, Tuffers knew I was going to chase after this Tome so I gave it too him as an early present when I got home. Also, he will be heading across the country to spend xmas with his family in Perth, and it would be riddulus if he packed this mammoth there and back again. The other upside is he was so inspired that he cooked a yummy kangaroo and cous-cous meal for me tonight :)

So of course - what other books did I buy? A fantasy novel in the series I am currently reading... and two volumes to add to my kniterature library...

...yes, I finally got a copy of Zimmermania to add to my own shelf!

Also, on a whim I grabbed Knit 2 together - had a flick through and am rather interested. A kniterature review will follow in the future.

All up the books cost me just under $140 - not bad considering two were hardcovers. I like to think that I paid full price for Tuffers book, $15 for my novel and got the kniterature for free.

Just as the visa was being process, I noticed behind the checkout, season two of House was no long on sale. So I grabbed that at 40% off too.

On top of all this, Borders is having another promo that for every $75 you spend you get a $10 voucher to use in January. I received one voucher with my book purchase, but the DVD purchase was put through seperately, so even though I spent over $150 in one visit, I only got one $10 printout. When I brought this up, they did a manual override to print out another voucher, and ended up giving me another 2! So there you have it - that's why I love Borders. I have $30 to put towards my next Borders visit. I am thinking Kaffe Fassett's Stitch Library to add to my kniterature.- its expensive at $75, but with $30 off it would almost be worth it...

And while I am on the topic of kniterature - I want to send a message to all publishers and bookstores, somewhat in line with Brenda Dayne's knitters manifesto.

*WARNING : RANT STARTING*

I am an accomplished and experienced knitter. I am sick of books that exploit the fact that knitting is fashionable and someone would take it up just look cool or because a celebrately got paparazzi'ed with the pointy sticks...

I DO NOT want "Learn to knit books". I DO NOT want "Basic knits for beginners". I DO NOT want patterns for needles larger than 7mm. I DO NOT want "groovy knits for cool girls". I DO NOT want "easy projects cos knitting is cool".

I DO WANT books that contain challenging patterns. I DO WANT to learn complicated techniques. I DO WANT to learn more than one way to cast on and cast off, increase, decrease and complete colour work. I DO WANT to learn more about the history and traditions of the craft. I DO WANT to be able to get these books locally (not through internet or mail order!) I DO WANT all the knitting books to be on the shelf labelled knitting...

*RANT OVER*

sorry - I just got so gosh-danged sick of all the 'knittin for idiots' books I had to paw through in order to find something with a little more than garter and stockinette stitch in it.


In other news - I stopped off at Starbucks for a Gingerbread Latte (it doesn't feel like xmas without them) and saw the BEST bear-ista ever. Little green aprons with Australia embroidered on them! For those of you who don't know, I was a Starbucks partner (employee is such a tacky word!) when they first opened in Melbourne, and was thoroughly brainwashed by the company. (It has gone from being my second-place to being my third place (TM)) I didn't buy one of these cuties, but dang-it, am wishing I had now. Next time I drop by for a caffiene fix I am sure there won't be any of these left. (sorry for the tacky picture, I didn't have my flash on)

Show continued...

Now.. there may not have been any sheep in the wool pavillion, but there were plenty in the animal nursery / petting area. It was very tempting to take this little inquisitive lamb home with me, but I don't think it would have liked the roadtrip back up to Sydney... and then there is the problem of convincing our landlord to let us keep him...
Finally, we stopped by the blacksmith demonstration hut, and I fell in love with this lucky wine rack. See the miniture horseshoes that hold the neck of the wine bottles? If Tuffers was here with me I am sure he would have had a tough time walking away empty handed, especially if he saw the chandellier inspired wine rack hanging from the awning. Unfortunately the photo I took of that wasn't too good, but it was the same sort of idea as this one - horse shoes and all :)

Momma and Poppa Tuff's visit

One of the good things about having such a great boyfriend is he is keen to spoil those he loves. This is particularly true when his parents fly across the country for a week's holiday - We get to play tourist and have a bit of fun ourselves.

Momma Tuff arrived a day or so before Poppa Tuff, so we had a quiet day or two before things ramped up.

We managed to do a luncheon harbour cruise (from Darling Harbour to the heads and back) with a fantastic seafood buffet, delicious fresh fruit, yummy cakes and a bit of local knowledge on the side.

The evening saw us trekking across to Fox Studios / the Entertainment quarter where these giant blue and yellow big tops were. Those of you familiar with recent pop icons would know that this means the circus is in town, and which circus? The circus of the sun, or in another language "Cirque du Soleil!"

Tuffers, keen for an excuse to see the show himself, bought tickets for us all. Having only seen DVDs and TV specials featuring this acrobatic theatre troupe, it was a dream come true to see them in the flesh. The costumes, the music, the performers, the singers - it was almost sensory overload.
Trying to cram more activity into the week we headed down to Canberra to spend a little time with Tuffer's sister, Lucy-Lou, and her family. Mostly, the time was spend doting on Dilby (L-L's son and the first Tuff Grand-child) and enjoying the mini-family reunion, but we did manage to get out an about to Floriade, Canberra's big bulb and tulip festival. Rather than put up my tacky pictures of flowers I am sure you can find some better photos if you do a google search.
However, a highlight of the day was this electric organ. With it pumping out happy tunes I felt like a 5 year old a birthday party. We requested a couple of songs (the muppet and monty-python themes). L-L and I both gave a gold coin to keep it travelling around the country (making us organ donors) and Poppa Tuff came home with a CD or two of music.

Momma and Poppa Tuff went home the next day - and hence we have had another week flash by

Bugger Blogger...

I just wrote a huge post about the week I had with my parents and blogger ate it... evil blogger, evil blogger....

First of all - perhaps this should have gone in the zoo post, but my mummy bought me this cool mobile phone charm. I have a thing for giraffes and aparently this was just too good to pass up.. I agree
The first full day (Thursday) with my parents went well, we headed down to the famous (or sometimes infamous) Bondi Beach, where I tried out my new, cute haircut (it is somewhere between Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Temple - I kept telling the stylist 'shorter, shorter') Due to the hot (spring) weather the back of my neck turned red (and not the sexy auburn red my new hair is, but that terrible bright fire-engine red - bah sunburn).

On Sunday we did Sydney's other famous beach - Manly. We caught the extremely crowded ferry across, tripped the markets and walked the foreshore, before taking shelter (in the pub) from the sand whipped up by the gale force winds. I'd never done the Manly Ferry before, so I tried to get prime position outside towards the bow (pointy bit of the boat for you non-nautical types). It was rather crowded, so I didn't quite get uninterupted sea-breezes, but the new hair got a distinctively different style due to the blustery day...
Most days started with brekky at the new outdoor setting - it got lots of use, and Pierre got to explore new territory in the front yard. Tuffers cooked us a fantastic BBQ the night before my parents left - my current favourite food is BBQ-ed corn-on-the-cob (it reminds me of 4th of July, not that I had this delicacy while in America, but it does none-the-less)

Monday was a rather quite day - Dad took Pierre for a long walk, while Mum and I enjoyed the peace and quiet (Tuffers had to fly across the country for work again). I have finished my
ISE project - well, almost - it needs a little blocking :) No pictures because I want to keep it a surprise until my pal gets it in the mail. I started my Simple knitted bodice with the silk. I really like 'working from the top' but the rows were getting rather long and time consuming before I took the sleeves out. I am getting rather annoyed working with the 'rock star' beaded yarn, but love working with the straight silk. I frogged a few rows last night, and discovered that beaded yarns are incredibly difficult to pull out... however I love the effect and really want to finish this top..

Unfortunately, with my parents being here I forgot all about SOCK WARS... I better get started or else I will just be sending a ball of yarn to my assasin... And I need to remember to keep them out of reach of the pup - he has turned into quite a sock thief of late, so I can image that hand knitted socks would just be nirvana to him...

Oh - and my addi-turbos arrived in the mail on Monday. Looks like work can continue with the cable jet sweater.. So many projects so little time....

Sydney - sorry for the thunderstorm...

Okay - so the forecast for this weekend may be fine and 28, but that may change..

Inspired by the recent fine weather, Tuffers and I went shopping. On Sunday a brand-spankin' new BBQ was purchased (stainless steel, four burner plus extra for wok, hood with window etc etc)... and some outdoor furniture was browsed. Due to the fact that Myer couldn't order the set we were about to buy in for another month (this after we spent 45min in the store waiting for them to get their act together) I was given the order to drive out to the supacentre and find something stylish, sturdy and solid wood (Tuffers was out of town, so I got to shop but he provided the credit card...) I found a great 7pce setting, with additional umbrella and stand for half-price at Knott's Pine. Both purchases are being delivered tomorrow...

Now, why the forecast may change.. In line with washing your car, and going camping, I am fairly certain that purchasing brand-spakin' new outdoor furniture and BBQ means the weather will turn drizzly and wet therefore ruining any enjoyment in said activity. Throw in on top of that, my parents are visiting from Melbourne, and you can see why I have my doubts about the weather this weekend. Especially as we are planning to do Taronga Zoo, the Blue Mountains, the Manly ferry and markets, and the Bondi coastal walk. Alas - I have an umbrella, and we are all aclimatised to 'four seasons in one day', so I think we will survive and enjoy our outings regardless. Apoligies to the rest of Sydney if they don't...

In other news, I got my delivery from Sarah's yarns today. Tucked inside the yankee bag was some Jagerspun colour cards thrown in for free. Before you say "not more green" - I have to mention that I was really keen on Morroccan Blue, but didn't want to pay through the nose at some other retailer when such a great sale was on a Sarah's. So it was either olive, burnt olive or atmosphere. Being a red-head I had to go for the green over the silver. (aside: I have just booked in for a hair appointment tomorrow, and am considering going short [marilyn monroe-esque] and darker [auburn towards downright brunette] so that may become a moot point, although I think olive will still suit a brunette me better). I love the tilli tomas bag that came with the yarn (but is this what $US39 a skein gets you? A gimmicky carry bag?) The skeins look really teeny tiny and I am not sure I will get a simple knitted bodice out of it all, but perhaps they have mystical properties akin to a Mary Poppins bag or the Magic Pudding. But yes, the yarns feel divine and I love the beads in rock star. I now need to finish my ISE scarf so I can start swatching with my 4.5mm needles.

Update on the scarf - am up to the last ball of yarn. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have cast-off and be up to blocking...

The cable jet top is on hold - I am waiting for my addi turbo circulars (I ordered ages ago) to show up. I am sick of knitting on the bright green plastic straight things... Addi's - hurry up puhlease....

I go to rio!

Only one thing to say - Hugh Jackman is wasted as a screen actor!

He was amazing - completely amazing. He worked the audience, ad-libbed, made prank calls and got a country lad to dance in front of 10,000 people. He was completely Peter Allen, and didn't once break character. Although the show skipped over a lot of detail from his life (it a musical, not a documentary) it still told the story. There was at least 3 standing ovations, one after 'I still call Australia home' (with kiddies singing in the bleachers it felt better than the qantas ad) half way through the second act. And I think even Tuffers admitted to having a little bit of 'dust' in his eyes during 'Tenterfield Saddler'.

Of course - it was so fantastic I had to take home a couple of mementos - A DVD doco of Peter's life, and the Broadway soundtrack of the show. It seems that there are a couple of songs different from the show we saw.

Of course - that's not all we got up to on the weekend. Another wonderfully sunny weekend - we spent most of saturday morning loitering over brunch at the Lane Cove mall, where Pierre made another canine friend, this time a Siberian Husky called Latte.
Finally - I promised a photo of my mail drop on Thursday - and here it is, a loverly package of Dale of Norway goods from Yarn Barn. Lucky, lucky me, another project awaiting in the wind.

Who's a spoiled GF?

ME!

Last night Tuffers anounced as a complete surprize, that he had tickets to see Ben Folds and the Sydney Symphony at the Opera House. We started off the night with a romantic dinner at Guillaume - though expensive, the food was delish, they served us before the show started, we had a table with bridge views, and best of all, you got to experience the architecture of the opera house from inside.

Ben Folds was amazing - he is so awkward and nerdy when walking on and off the stage, but once he has that piano the plays so gracefully, and so energetically (he stands up to bang out some of the numbers). I have been a fan since high school, and I love all of his music, but the highlight for me was 'Stephen's last night in town' with the full 80 piece orchestra. I felt like my whole life I had only heard the shadow of the song, and finally I was hearing the real thing.

Following the show we went to Lenin for cocktails. Though nowhere near as funky as the Gin Palace (lets face it, the Gin Palace IS, while everything else is just imitation), once you accept that you are in Sydney, the fact that it is a little too try hard is easy to excuse (yes, I am a victorian by birth :)

It was quite possibly the most romantic date Tuffers and I have been on since we moved in together. I'm so lucky to have such a great man.

Stitch'n'Bitch



Keen to find the S'nBs operating around Sydney, this morning I ventured out to Gordon to find Rubi and Lana. I have been meaning to find this LYS since reading about it in the August Notebook: magazine - and I have to say I am sorry I didn't find it earlier. There was a lot of yarn in stock I have only seen on the internet - Lorna Lace, Dale of Norway, OnLine... and Lantern Moon and Addi Turbo needles... oh my!
As well as all that, the display was fantastic (see left). I want a lifesize soft toy sheep just like I saw in the shop! I did make a small stash enhancement purchase, but it was difficult not to buy half the shop. I really needed to pace myself. At least I don't feel guilty as the S'n'B-ers get a 10% discount.

The s'n'b was small, but well worth the trip. It was great to meet Pamela - as with most Sydney knitters I had been following her blog. There was one other friendly knitter there, who was also knitting in Jet (she had great taste). Manager Paula was loverly as well - I recognised her from the notebook: article, and she was incredibly helpful and knowledgable to all who entered her realm.

As for progess on jet jumper #2 - see for yourself. I am nearly up to the armhole shaping!

This afternoon I sat down to attempt a little spinning. I still need a little 'user' troubleshooting, but got a little further than I did last time. Not so many kinks and knots! Was a wonderful way to spend a rainy afternoon (and the because the weather was playing the game this weekend I got to wear my green jet jumper)