Amazon splurge

To reward myself for saving so much money, I went on an Amazon shopping splurge. I spent up big, but not quite $580.62!

Some of the books on the way:

• Favorite Socks
• Last-Minute Knitted Gifts
• Harmony Guide: Lace & Eyelets
• Vogue Knitting The Ultimate Sock Book
• Ocean Breezes: Knitted Scarves Inspired by the Sea
• New Pathways for Sock Knitters
• One-Skein Wonders
• The Knitter's Book of Yarn

I get it now!

I'm a bit of a clueless blogger! Have just received a gentle reminder that I've been tagged by Donna (Cinderella's Stash) months ago for an award. I was very touched by the award but didn't get that you actually had to do the same to three more bloggers :P

So here it is..



In turn, I would like to pass on the award on to three lovely Perth ladies:
Helen (Knitting in Perth)
Ann (1morerow)
Sasha (Knit Nutt)

In other news, I have been AWOL online for a while now (you only have to look at the sparseness of blog posts to deduce that!), but am slowly coming out of my "hibernation". I just wish that I had more time to keep up with blogs and podcasts and forums, but it just doesn't work out that way. Miss M is keeping me busy (and sometimes tearing my hair out as I'm chasing her from aisle to aisle in the shopping centre -- suddenly holding hands just ain't cool anymore). Anyway, that's why there hasn't been a yarn stocking in ages. I've got quite the stockpile building up, and am planning on holding what I'd like to call a "yarn banquet" after the Easter holidays. More details in the newsletter!

I'm also happy to announce that Jolly Jumbuck yarn is available in the US, from a fabulous new store called Yarny Goodness. Pam searches out the coolest indie dyers and crafters, go take a look. I've just sent off a shipment of yarn so they will be appearing in the store soon.

Also, I have a new helper! Her name is Alice, and she is so very very helpful to the business. She's an electric skein winder from Ball and Skein :-D I love Alice! Might share a pic in a future post.

What's going on

How sad is this blog?!? Very. The thought crossed my mind to take it off altogether, but that would have entailed some sort of effort... *smirk*

Anyway, sorry for the long stretch of silence. I'm dealing with some personal health issues at the moment; the light is at the end of the tunnel but for now I'm barely keeping things afloat. Haven't been on forums for weeks!

Business is good; there are so many things I need to do but have put off. First priority is to deal with the current orders, so many plans in the head but the lack of time or strength to deal with them. Family coming first.

Still haven't smoked a fag since 1/1/08 -- many times when I've been sorely tempted but thankfully not given in.

To better times ahead... they will come back soon!

PS -- the one thing keeping me sane are the knitting groups -- words can't really express what an impact they're having on my mental stability! Thanks guys, you know who you are.

Knitting is like playing Hearts

I'm reading this book by Stephen King (usually not my favourite author, but this one's not too supernatural and is really good) at the moment, called "Hearts in Atlantis". I think there's a movie of the same name out there somewhere, but can't be sure. Anyway if there is I'd love to see it.

Side note: For some plane reading, I took SK's "Four After Midnight" to Malaysia. It's a book of four short novels. I had just finished "Secret Window, Secret Garden" and was onto the next one, when I noticed Roy was watching a movie on the hotel cable network. It's called "Secret Window" and has Johnny Depp as the lead character. Turns out it was based on that very same story! The ending was a little different though... but what a coinkidink! (coincidence -- we at the S/JJ household like to make up silly words)

Anyway, back to "Hearts in Atlantis". The book is a series of five related stories over a 40 year time frame, and the title story of the same name tells of a guy in college who gets addicted to playing Hearts (a card game) in the Vietnam War era -- when flunking out of college could mean being drafted to the war. He just couldn't stop playing Hearts, and nor could the rest of his dorm floor. More than half of them end up dropping out. He knew it was consuming him and all that, but just couldn't stop staying up late and cutting classes and failing exams.

Well, my point is that right now, knitting is like playing Hearts. I just can't stop doing it! There are *so* many other things I should be doing. And late nights, hey I'm a bit of a nightowl anyway but last night was shocking. I just had to finish my Pomatomus socks, and at 4am Roy wakes up and tells me what time it was. I was flabbergasted, where did the night go?!

Must stop knitting, must stop knitting, must stop knitting (so I type as in my mind I am itching to cast on the next pair of socks).

My nasty, dirty little secret

I have a dirty little secret... a few months after I stopped breastfeeding, I took up smoking again. At first it was a social thing (which started, of all places, at a mummy dinner where another mum who had continually smoked all through her pregnancies offered me one), then it became a way to get some time-out on the back porch, and soon enough the horrible addiction had taken hold again. Yeah I was pretty disappointed at myself as it took so much effort to quit the last time, a few weeks before I got pregnant with Matilda.

I had my last cigarette at midnight on New Year's Eve. The few days after that in KL was pretty bad as everyone and their dog smokes, and cig's are cheap as chips.

Well, I will never call myself a non-smoker. I'm an ex-smoker. Like a recovering alcoholic will always be an alcoholic, you know? It would be so easy to be a smoker again, but it's dealing with one craving at a time. Nicotine lozenges help a lot too. When I'm thinking I can't bear it anymore, I just want one (but with me it's not just one, as soon as I have one I think "what the heck I've already fallen off the wagon I'll just have another, and another and another..."), sucking a lozenge gets me over the hump and pretty soon I'm fine again. That, and lots and lots of water. Try to avoid the food distraction too!

The thing is too, I have never been heavier and more unhealthy. I weigh more now that I weighed even when 9 months pregnant! I can't do any exercise when I'm smoking, I just get so puffed out. Most people say they gain weight when they quit smoking, but for me in the past it's been the other way around! I have more energy to exercise (swim laps) and all round am a healthier person. Roy has agreed to do bedtime duties so that I can start going to the pool again in the evenings.

The "smoke-free" ticker is based on a conservative 10 cig's a day and $15/pack. Amazing how it all adds up isn't it! Methinks the money saved should be diverted to a yarn stash fund... or better still Matilda's ejumication fund ;)

Wish me luck :)

Sock it to me

May I introduce, our latest batch of sock yarns:

Stained Glass Solids

on Fleece Artist Sea Wool.
The colour and shiny yarn combo is fantastic... just like spun gold. I thought about calling this one "Rumplestilskin" but "Coolgardie" (a gold mining town in WA) seemed more fitting.

on Fleece Artist Casbah.
... oh the drape!
Also available on Hercules.

on Fleece Artist Somoko.
Just like your favourite pair of blue jeans!

on Casbah.
A base of raspberry pink is topped with blues, resulting in a vivid violet semi-solid yarn.

on Hercules
Rich, earthy shades of brown topped with dark dirt.

on Hercules.
Fizzy, fun semi-solid with a base of peachy yellow and layered with delicious raspberry.


Variegated
on Hercules.
It's lime, it's violet. Could it be "L & V"? Colourway inspired by my indie yarn swap partner.

on Hercules.
Have you ever seen or tasted blue corn? Red corn? It's yummy! Try it in corn chips :)
(my dear footy-mad partner wanted to call this one "Brisbane Lions"... no way jose!)

on Hercules.
Rich, sophisticated jewel tones of teals, fuschia and purple.

on Hercules.
Go on, have a fling of this colourway.
Candy floss pink, pastel limes and lemon, with sherbet orange.

on Hercules.
Dyed in short colour repeats for a mottled effect with reduced pooling.

on Hercules.
Rich, saturated hues of teal, marine and purple with the occasional white cap.

on Hercules.
Not a terribly imaginative name, but there is no other way to describe this colourway.
Dark mints, delicious chocs, and swirls of creamy french vanilla.

on Hercules.
Imagine a trek in the shadowy forest... many shades and hues of green merge with browns in an organic manner. Dyed to give a mottled effect when knit.


on Hercules.
Glittering rubies, sapphires and emeralds.
on Hercules.
Zingy chartreuse and lime, surrounded by cool aqua and accents of purple.

on Hercules (slight seconds)
One of our most popular colourways translated into sock yarn.
Bright, clear colours of the rainbow accented in with the darkest deepest black, placed randomly along the rainbow spectrum.


........................................

Now for the cryptic bit:
"gnineve yadirF no pu dekaens eb lliw nraY"
@ JollyJumbuck.net!

(if that's too cryptic for you, you could always just sign up to the JJ mailing list!)

Walking Matilda

Mummy got her Christmas wish early this year... December 10th!

All I want for Christmas is for Tilda to walk
For Tilda to walk
See my daughter walk?!

M has been so very very close to taking independent steps for a long time now. She loves to walk with us holding her hand, but thus far when we let go she sits down. Well, a stunning breakthrough happened on Monday night. She let go, walked to Roy (3 or 4 steps). Then back to me. Then back to Roy. Then back to me. The best thing is she repeated it! It brought tears to my eyes as we've been waiting for this for so very long! Just one and a bit months shy of her 2nd birthday :)

I love you sugarplum! You are such a clever little monkey *smooooooch*