Tuesday, August 29, 2017

sock tales.

my lofty, knitting-a-pair-of-socks-a-month goal is really not being met at the moment. i am SO behind!!

the problems started with this pair...

vanilla socks knit in hand-dyed bendigo woollen mills sock yarn

cast on in the car on the way to wool gathering in may, they languished as i worked on more enticing projects (a cardigan! as yet, unphotographed oops!) and didn't get finished until the start of july!

i then cast on these ones for my mother in law, thinking they would be quick as she was only after a pair of ankle socks...

beginning a pair of vanilla socks again after running out of wool. also pictured, wine.

i got this far before realising there would most definitely not be enough wool...
ever the perfectionist, i started again, this time with contrasting pink toes (yep, that's them above) and to make myself feel better, cast on ANOTHER pair to try and make myself feel better before i ripped out all that work i'd done...

the story so far of a pair of clare devine's skua socks, knit in pink cascade heritage sock

these new ones are coming along nicely, and the little bit of lacework in the panel is quite compelling to knit... but i can't help but feel a little impatient as we're at the end of august and neither my JUNE or JULY socks are completed!
going to knuckle down on them for the next couple of days and see if i can't make good progress on both pairs before the month is through!
and then maybe get started on august's socks too...

wish me luck!

Monday, August 21, 2017

taking stock.

ag basking in the winter sun in bateman's bay breakfast of thick cut bacon, sourdough, poached eggs, hash browns and beetroot relish at coffee collective a basket of delicious and fresh curry ingredients, ginger, chilli and turmeric knitting away on a motel room bed in albury hand-rolled victorian oats with bass dairy milk and plums from our tree the contents of the 'ultimate candle making kit' from crafty candle supplies

now feels like a good time to touch base and take stock. here goes!

Making : progress on my knitting list. slowly.

Cooking : quite a few dinners as to plan. one or two indiscretions. but mostly to plan!

Drinking : water. well trying.

Reading : into some things a little too much. need to lighten up a little!

Trawling : is a word that reminds me of fishing.

Wanting : to get a v-log started i think... it feels like it might be a nice thing to do. but the logistics involved are kind of making me shudder.

Looking : around at toys on the floor. ag sure has mastered pulling EVERYTHING out. thankfully he's starting to learn to put things away again. kind of he he.

Deciding : what to do with the rest of the evening. more blogging, or a bit more knitting?

Wishing : for the usual, more hours in the day... would get a bit more sleep and a bit more knitting done he he.

Enjoying : having an 11 month old. except for the biting. i could do without that.

Waiting : to see what happens tomorrow... some things might be on their way to changing, but then again, maybe not. tomorrow should reveal a little.

Liking : that i got to spend a few hours today with some pals. meeting halfway is a nice place to meet.

Wondering : why my mouse key has just become so unresponsive... you don't realise how much you use something like that until it stops working well.

Loving : having the fire lit every night. so cosy!

Pondering : a capsule wardrobe type thing. reducing, refining and filling in the gaps. less brain power required on the daily sounds like a good thing to me!

Listening : to podcasts in the car. they make solo drives so much easier!

Considering : what needs to be done tomorrow... and what i can get away with not doing to fit in more knitting time!

Buying : groceries. but only once a fortnight. it's kind of wonderful.

Watching : the handmaids tale on sbs on demand. bit late on the bandwagon but thoroughly enjoying it. in a terrified way...

Hoping : i can avoid any game of thrones spoilers until tomorrow.

Marvelling : at the passage of time. how is august nearly done already? didn't winter just begin??

Cringing : at how much darning there is to do... i need to have a darning week i think. no knitting, just duplicate stitch and hole mending!

Needing : to pick up a book from the library.

Questioning : how i've neglected to share so many knitting projects over here lately! lots of things have been coming off the needles (like those socks on my feet in the background up there...) but their stories have yet to be told. i need to get to catching up!

Smelling : the hyacinth bulbs that have popped up. they were gifted to me last year and i replanted them in a pot and promptly forgot about them. such a lovely surprise!

Wearing : pyjama pants. so comfy.

Noticing : the days getting longer. it's wonderful.

Knowing : i need to create a few regularities to my days... yoga, drinking more water, more outside time and heck, even blogging! a little bit every day will no doubt make for a happier me!

Admiring : kate's beautiful socks. maybe some colourwork socks are in my future... definitely something i haven't tackled in my sock adventures this year!

Opening : that box of candle-making goodies! super excited to get busy making some beautiful candles!

Closing : the arms on my glasses, as i take them off for the night. they're filthy (all the time now thanks to baby sausage fingers) and it's easier to see without them!

Feeling : like i need to give my hair a good wash. and by wash, i mean rinse. i've gone off using shampoo as my scalp has been most unhappy when i have used it and would you know, i haven't even missed it! my hair has been happy without it!

Dreaming : about a yarny road trip, a la julie at wool on wheels. wouldn't it be nice?!

Hearing : a possum on the roof, so loud!! cheeky things have been going to town on the mandarin tree, hope they leave some for us.

Celebrating : turning 29 last week. officially in my 30th year and not quite sure what to think about it he he.

Pretending : like my baby won't be one next month. how quickly has this year flown! gollllllly!

Embracing : simplicity. well trying anyway he he.

what have you been up to lately? keen to take stock too?

Monday, August 7, 2017

meal planning monday.

boy has it been a while between drinks when it comes to meal planning monday posts... as in, well over a year, oops he he!
turns out this moving to the country and having a baby caper tends to mess with one's ability to organise meals... well that's not necessarily true, we've been eating just fine, but it does cut into the time you have to find pretty pictures and tappy-type up posts for blogs.

anywho, enough dwelling on the past, time to get to planning!

a snap of the calendar whiteboard on our fridge, filled in with a month of meal plans

as you can see from the picture, rather than work on a weekly schedule, bb and i sat down and nutted out a whole month!
i'm hoping it helps free up brain space and means that we should only have to do one or two grocery shops for the month, which we can then supplement with fresh fruit and vegetables from our local. not to mention, it should help stop our favourite meals from becoming boring.

now i'd best be off to write up some lists, i've got some grocery shopping to get done!

how do you go about meal planning these days?