Friday Funny

I love French comedy...

...and there are more where this came from, too!

Granma's Christmas Pudding

Here we are at Christmas Eve in the Land Downunder and I have just stirred up the Christmas pudding. From Granma's recipe - the grandmother who is my great grandmother who died when I was about 8. I have posted the recipe for her wonderfully yummy pudding' each Christmas - you can find it at this link (or by searching "Christmas pudding" in the little window in the top LH corner here: http://banaghaisge.blogspot.com/2009/12/granmas-christmas-pudding.html So may you each and all have a very happy and safe Christmas time with those whom you love best! I'll be back soon!!

Making Christmas cards...

I made all my cards this year. Mostly the different tree shapes cut from paint chips and glued to cards bought pre-folded from the $2 shop. Great fun. Some of them were multiple tree shapes cut from hand dyed handmade paper and glued to one side of centre-opening cards. They weren't as much fun nor as effective as the paint chip trees. The trees were decorated with sequins, diamonds (Real? As if), buttons, glitter, or hologram stars stuck on with tiny foam sticky things to make them a tad 3D. Here are a few pics...

Feeling More Betterer!!!

I can't believe it is only two weeks since I had surgery!!
I am not only so much skinnier but am also feeling quite lively. Much more lively!!!

I got back into my size 11 jeans yesterday (that is about size 7 or 8 for Americans), and had to hitch them at times (yippee!!!).  For the first time in SIX MONTHS!!!

I know the actual surgery will take a bit of getting over - one and a half hours of anaesthetic is enough for anyone I reckon. And my belly is a bit tender still: there are three little sore patches that are still swollen inside, but only a bit. And getting less each day.

AND - I can take big deep breaths and that already makes a difference, I reckon.

Did I mention there was 3000mll of fluid in that thing? And that is what they managed to catch and measure so possibly it was more cos there wasn't much room to put a bucket in there at the time.

I have been making - and posting - Christmas cards. Will add a photo tomorrow, got to dash to catch the post now.

Nicky Epstein

I have been reading a wonderful blog based in the book "Knitting On Top Of The World", called - appropriately enough - Knitting On Top Of The World Knitathon.

Lovely knitting, Mary has set out to reproduce every garment in the book. A HUGE feat given that I reckon Nicky Epstein had more than a few test knitteres running  up all the patterns in her book...
Have a look at Mary's site - she has created lovely garments.
And last month she had a give-away, a copy of the book signed by Nicky Epstein, the genius knitter-designer herself!!!

AND I WON THE BOOK!!!!!!



Here it is, snuggled on my couch with some of my knitting - the Sock Yarn Blanket, socks, Bare Bear's clothes. the jumper for The Sweetheart, some other doll clothes, and the tiny fine knitted bedspread for the doll's house bed (with tiny dollies in bed, too).

It is chockers with wonderful patterns based on different techniques from 50 or so countries. Everything from those tiny islands north of Scotland that make Skye - and the Mallee - look like Gardens of Eden! to South America, Japan, Middle East - all over. And everything from socks for feet to hats (and jumpers) for heads and all areas in between. Fabulous!!!!
Now to save up for some of the wools - the garments are all knitted with yarns that I should have to mortgage my house to be able to afford!!!

By the way - the koala in the photo was given to my by my Mum's Uncle Shig. Uncle Shig (Cedric) Bayliss was a tanner, saddler and whip maker in Tumut from the 1920s to his death in the 1970s (or maybe 80s - will have to check the Family Tree).
He would go out in summer and shoot kangaroos and feral cats, and then spend winter tanning them and doing his leatherwork. He is in The Stockman's Hall of Fame for his talents.
He made a stockwhip that was 60' long. At the handle end it was as thick as an arm. He used to walk out along the road dragging it behind him to be able to crack it. When he got too old to be able to crack it he took it up the back to the woodheap and chopped it up.

And the teddy - Bare Bear - was also given to me when I was born. He used to have fur but when I was three I dropped him in the copper when Mum was doing the washing and all his fur fell out. And that is why he is Bare Bear...

"Knitting On Top Of the World" is available from all good book shops - in Oz if I am not buying in person from Stoneman's Bookroom in Castlemaine I use The Nile which is another Aussie on-line bookshop. With free postage, too.                                          

Laughin'...

I disabled predictive text on my mobile as it took far longer to try to find a word than actually just spelling it out...
Probably just as well when these sorts of typos are taken into consideration:

http://damnyouautocorrect.com/13603/the-25-funniest-autocorrects-of-dyacs-first-year/

I found these last week when I was still afraid to breath deeply as my surgery site felt like it was going to rear up and kill me. I laughed till I cried. But in a good way.

Book Sculpture

"Amazement", was my first reaction. And to be honest - my 2nd, 3rd ... last reaction!! http://blogs.babble.com/strollerderby/2011/12/05/magical-paper-sculptures-from-the-library-phantom-photos/ How wonderful to have a secret artist flitting around the city. Lucky, lucky Edinburgh!!

Lots of Laughin' Out Loud

You probably will laugh at these two sites.
I just discovered this one - a great parody of Anthropologie (which is an American website full of very exxy MUST-HAVE stuff - just about every home decor related blog in America has some cheap rip-off of Anthropologie items to the extent that I was starting to feel sorry for Anthropologie and their copyright...):

Check out Anthroparodie and "YES, it seems that the items on this site are actual truly ruly Anthropologie 'treasures'"...

This necklace that looks like a string of sausages that have been gutted is one example. Or even a string of guts that have yet to be made into sausages.                              

AND ONLY $198....

The other site that always give me a lot to laugh at is by a patient person who trawls through Etsy looking for creations that really do belong on Regretsy.                      

There are some scary bloody ugly things on Etsy that have found their way to Regretsy, too!                                                                                                                      

Sunday Singing!

I should start a Sunday Singing habit....

So here is the first (of many) - it is Bobby McFerrin teaching a huge audience to sing a pentatonic scale. People who thought they couldnt sing...

Thank you Kate for first finding this for me!

It is very sweet and lovely. Time to get back to choir stuff now that I can again take deep breaths, methinks!

Just see if that doesn't make yoou smile!

Update:

I am gettin' better - I can now do ab crunches without gasping.
Almost...

It is amazing how much work tummy muscles do. You can't sit up without the, or pull yourself up the bed, or roll over in bed even. Even putting arms in the air uses tummy muscles.

But I am almost brand shiny new. Almost like a shop-bought one.

Hooray!!!! (Now to make Christmas cards. And POST them off)

The Blanket in the last post...

I have also been knitting the Sock Yarn Blanket that is in the background of the socks photo below. More about the blankie can be found HERE: I hope that works - I am a bit post-op tired and emotional! BUT, I am quite flat-bellied after the large cyst on my liver was removed yest a.m. via three neat little keyholes (rather than the larger and far less comfortable open cut mining they suspected they may have to use!) Ooroo - I am up for another snooze... Try this for the link to original post about the Sock Yarn Blanket. And if this doesn't work have search for "blanket" in the little window at top LH corner: http://banaghaisge.blogspot.com/2011/07/knitting.html Another snooze...zzzzzzz

Housewarming socks

These are the socks I made for S2 for a Housewarming present. He and his wife just bought their first ever home. I have a feeling it will probably be their last ever home, too. It sounds fabulous - 30+ fruit trees, and a chook palace, other shed, a well (with lots of water in it!), a paddock, lots of vege gardens - all on a couple of acres on the outskirts of Wodonga.

When I grow up...

 When I grow up I want to sleep in real linen sheets, and pillowslips, and even a doona cover. Maybe linen curtains, too...



I found these somewhere whilst I was wandering the highways and byways of the web.


The company is http://roughlinen.com/ and how wonderful do these sheets look?
I even like the idea of the bedhead made from bits of the chook yard...

More socks

 These were made for my Tall Fiddling Friend Andrew Clermont.
He is REALLY tall and has REALLY long feet to match. And these fitted perfectly!

The green is some lovely spotted silk, the brown cashmere. Bit luxury, actually.

This was the first pair I made, they are top-down, and I made a little mistake on one when I was joining up the heel. That is OK though cos Andrew says he will know which one to put on first...

And nicely styled with a yummy breakfast goog...

PS Go and find his music, he plays all over the world, and if you don't like folk stuff, then he also has country, bluegrass, soul, blues, Indian et al in his repertoire