Well I haven't had a chance to block the last sleeve of my sweater yet. The table is taken up with Son's train set. He got another engine on Sunday. Daughter is watching over things while Son is at school.



This is Henry, and he is bigger and runs on a "c" battery, so for half of Sunday Son was asking for a K battery!
Plenty of time for my sweater, as it is warming up in NZ now. Going to be dry all week I think. Sportsday tomorrow at Son's school, so that will be fun to go and watch after school. Must remember the video camera in case Son wins more races. I saw him win one on Friday and he was well ahead of the others, so it would be cool to get that on tape. Of course we tell him to do his best, and he knows that is good enough even he doesn't win any races.

Trellis is coming along fine, I've kitchen stitched/kitchener stitched the fronts to the backs, and have seed stitched half of the collar.



It's not looking too bad, though a little small perhaps. If so, it will go in the baby box that Sister is building up at the moment as one of her girls is due in March and the other is trying for a baby.

Have finally seen the Taggart episode The Dead Man's Chest, that Billy Boyd was in, in 94 I think. Only the bits with Billy in though, so it doesn't make too much sense. Man he was a great actor back then too!

Still listening to James Blunt, he's on the MP3 player also for night time when I can't sleep.

Relaxing...Or Trying To

So this weekend is a long weekend due to Labour day today. We're trying to relax before the busy week coming up. Last night I finished the sleeve on my sweater that I started on Friday morning at the library. Didn't take me long as I did about an hour at the library while listening to James Blunt on the headphones. Funny though, when the songs would stop and start I could hear my needles click clacking away. I almost thought a librarian would come and ask me to leave or stop knitting, but they didn't. Yay! I was in the Young Adult section where they have a sofa, so I was really comfortable.

Last night The Fellowship Of The Ring was on. I was only able to stay up for about two thirds of it though as I was so tired. It's a great film, and I want to own it on DVD one day, New Zealand's beautiful country is captured well on it. So while I watched that, I finished off the sleeve and saddle shoulder. I was too tired to block it out though, as that takes alot of time and pins.

Son and Daughter had haircuts on Saturday. Daughter really just had the tiniest trim and fringe cut, as she didn't want to miss out on sitting in the chair. Son had more than an inch off all over and had the front and sides layered to try to keep his curls out of his face. Looks quite good.
This is me blow-drying his hair last night after his bath...



he does have a face, it just got washed out by the flash.
Before I dried it, Son was busy watching TV so I was able to do this...


It's amazing what you can get away with while he's focussed on something. Two french braids do look quite adorable if I don't say so myself!

Starting Over

Okay, so maybe I jumped in too fast. I've realised that because I didn't wash the yarn from the first sleeve it's really kinky to knit with, and I think I'm knitting tighter than I normally do. I then stopped what I was doing and washed one of the balls of yarn from the first sleeve and it's come out nice and straight. Not really-really straight but better than the kinky tight yarn it was previously. So I'm going to undo all 37 rows of the first/second sleeve and wash the yarn. That'll teach me for enjoying knitting so much I just dive in the deep end.

I can't remember if I posted this site. It's the Boyd Oh Boyd site with heaps of stuff on Billy Boyd.

Yesterday Daughter had her immunisations, and so today she has a nice temperature. So I'm home with her, we've already watched Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Daughter just loves the movie.



The other item I've got on the needles - Trellis - is going well, I've just started the second sleeve. I've finished the back, and both fronts and the first sleeve. It shouldn't take too long to do, as I try to do some every day.

First Sleeve Second Time

Started the second sleeve, though it's really the first sleeve being re-knitted. I'm just past the cuff. I tacked the actual second sleeve into the sweater the night before last, and it felt much better than the first. A little longer with a bit more ease in the forearm area.
Listening to Eurythmics - Saved The World Today.
Eminem - Mockingbird.
Yesterday I played Back To Bedlam by James Blunt all day over and over 'cause it was just me pretty much all day doing housework and some paperwork. Son was at school all day, and Daughter was at kindy till half past twelve. I'm just about down pat with all the lyrics and even when I'm not listening to the songs I can hear them in my head.

Going to try to get Son a haircut today 'cause he's being mistaken for a girl already, and I told myself ages ago that if that happened, I'd get his hair cut.

Walk Each Day

I'm blocking the second sleeve on the table at the moment, pinned it out last night.



My stitch got taken out yesterday, didn't even feel it. The nurse in the cath lab said I would have to put pressure on the wound as the stitch is pulled out as it has to pass through the scar tissure from when they put the Reveal in. Thank goodness they were wrong. Here's a link to the after photo, it's not too yucky, after all there are still steri strips across it. I just leave them on until they fall off by themselves.

I'm wearing my skates right now to try to get used to them as they are still feeling fairly stiff. I got them a while ago, and they are Roces brand with 76mm wheels on them. My other skates are Rollerblade brand with much smaller Fat Boy wheels on them. Son has been using them though, so it's a good plan that I get the Roces ready to go skating in. Healthy Body Healthy Mind!



Hubby got a car for work, but is already thinking of selling it. It's a Nissan Cefiro like this one

such a comfortable car to ride in, but is a bit heavy on the fuel and not great for working in.

Trains

Yes, I managed to get Son a train set for his birthday - a Thomas one too.
He played with it all day and all the next and then I had to charge the batteries. He's had so much fun trying all different ways to lay the tracks down.



...and we got to a train show the weekend before, where Son just went nuts going from table to table loving every bit.







Son and Daughter also had fun yesterday in the sun after two days of rain. Son is using my Inline Skates and getting really good at gliding and pushing.




Today of course it's pouring with rain again and Daughter started morning kindy today. Son has his last Meningicoccal jabs this morning too.

I have attached the sleeve to the rest of the sweater and found that I needed to make adjustments for length and a little width at the cuff end. Already knit up the second sleeve and have yet to block it and attach it to the sweater to see how it fits. If it's a good fit, then I'll pull the other sleeve undone and reknit the first on the same as the second.
I've started the left front of Trellis too. It's going fast because it's small.

Lots Going On

We've been busy lately. First the car crunching episode where some woman pulled out in front of Hubby and did this...



then the insurance company wrote the car off as the repairs exceeded the worth of the car. Which is a real shame as it was really worth repairing and was a great car. It will go up for tender at the local auction and someone else can buy and then repair it. Hubby is sorting out another car at the moment - so we are carless.

Then today I went to hospital and got this taken out...



which has been in my chest for two years. All I can smell now is Betadine. Not unpleasant but a strange odour. This is why...



I had the Reveal in to try to figure out why I am having chest pain, but the monitor did not pick up any odd beats or anything out of the ordinary. I can tell you it was alot of fun riding home in the bumpy bus holding on to my breast like it was a precious baby - lucky it was dark by then but I didn't really care that a few people saw me doing it as it really didn't feel nice having my breast lurching up and down against the fresh wound. I'm just saying that's all.

While I was waiting my turn in the hospital I listened to James Blunt and some Eminem, quite nice really with the hustle and bustle going on all around me.

I have finished blocking my sweater front and back and first sleeve, so now when my arm and shoulder stop hurting I'll attempt to attach them to each other. The back of Daughter's Trellis has been blocked too, and I need to block the sleeve I finished last night - but we need the table tomorrow. I could do it elsewhere anyway as it is tiny compared to my big pieces. Photos will come, I'm going to crash carefully into bed and try not to move the big bandage covering the wound. Stitches come out in a week and by then I'll be able to remove the stinky Betadine dressing.

Drying Out

The front of the sweater that is. It's still damp on the table, another day should do it. Meanwhile I've finished the back of Trellis from Knitty



and have moved onto a sleeve.



These will need a good blocking when they're finished too, though they won't take up as much room as my sweater is.

I'm going to take nice hot bath while Hubby and the kids are out with relatives hooning on the motorbike. I'm not feeling so good today, I think I overdid it yesterday, so time to relax while I have the chance for it.

Making Progress

So I'm blocking the front of my sweater now, as the sleeve has dried nice and flat for seaming.



Daughter's Trellis is coming along quickly and looks really good too..



This is more like the real colour here... these stitch patterns are so much fun to do, and look really impressive...



and a close up of the pattern stitch..



I threaded some yarn of a different colour through where I am counting the rows up the upper back part of the cardigan, after the armhole shaping. I have about 8 rows to go before I bind off for the neck and do the shoulder shaping. Looking forward to it.

Son's turning six in the next week and I'm still trying to get my hands on a special Thomas the Tank Engine set I saw a while ago. No shop seems to have it any longer, and so I may have to settle on some other train set. I'm trying to escape this morning to go and have another look.