The 3 Stooges and Mini Me's

The title says it all!!

Me with my two closest friends in Abu Dhabi ....

And our Mini Me's

Gifts from Canada

Anne (in Canada) and I did a pesonal swap and these are the lovely goodies she sent to me ....

The yarn has already been rewound and is being converted into knee-high socks as I write ....






...and I officially declare myself "The World's Best Worst Photographer!"
I SUCK!!

Cold Turkey!

Words to live by ...

I have had this for a-g-e-s, suddenly today, I had an urge to post it ... don't know why ... maybe somebody, somewhere needs to hear these words .......

Ready or not, some day, it will come to an end.
There will be no more surprises: no more minutes, hours or days.
All things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass on to some else.
Your wealth, fame, and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owed or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, will your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists.
The wins and losses, that once seemed so important, will fade away.
At the end, it won’t matter where you were born or what side of the tracks you lived.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So, what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built…
Not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people knew you, but how many people will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter are not your memories, but the memories that live on in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom, and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstances but of choice.
Are you choosing a life that matters?

I looove my sister ....*

*says lulu through gritted teeth!!

The idea of knitting a little something for my sister for
her upcoming 50th birthday, led to this ...















Which led to THIS !!!!















Which FINALLY led to this ...















Being modelled on dd who is a size 8 ...
Sis is .... um .... NOT a size 8!!















Ahhhh .... sisterly love!! I haz it!!

The Birth ...

The Woman said "I don't know if I am ready for this, I don't know how to".

Some women agreed that it would be very difficult and painful, almost impossible. Others disagreed and said "Take our advice, it will be so easy you will want to make many".

The Husband told her "Just remember, I can't help, you are on your own".

She read many books to get courage, she felt sick – but knew this would pass. She had had so many miscarriages and abortions in the past, would it be ok this time?

Finally it was time, she closed her eyes and knew there was no turning back. She began to panic, her husband reminded her to breathe deeply and concentrate. She laboured for many hours, people stopped by and asked how it was going, but nobody could do it for her.

Finally when the last cord was cut, she leaned back and said "I have done it".

She proudly displayed her creation. Friends and family crowded around to see the new addition – Most agreed that it was an ugly, misshapen thing that only the Woman could love. She told them that even deformed and unattractive things have their place and this one would always be special because it was her first.

With time, the pain and uncertainty subsided and the Woman began to think about making another one, one which she hoped would look exactly like her first …. …. And so, a sock was born! http://s170.photobucket.com/albums/u274/uysbase/?action=view&current=1174214436.pbw

I LOVE Opal sock yarn

I love that the yarn does all the hard work for me ... making it look like I am a "fairisle" wizard. I love that non-knitters think I changed colours every stitch, and sometimes halfway through a stitch!! Suckers!!!

PS : I swear I did not TRY to make the stripes exactly the same ... it just happened that way!

LOVE

LOVE

LOVE!!

I've decided to start exercising ......

Happy Halloween!

More neck socks ....

Version II : Using thin mohair type wool - more for show than actual warmth, but pretty nonetheless















Version III : Made with some kind of thick fun fur wool - it turned out to be very warm and very very very soft

I thought I was sooooo clever ....

I got an SOS from my sister who lives in South Africa ... she was freezing in their "Arctic" winter .... well, it does get pretty cold in Cape Town.

She wanted a scarf, but I went off on a creative spree and designed a round scarf ... which can also be worn as a headscarf when she is outside in the cold and pulled down around her neck when she gets inside!

I AM BRILLIANT!! Or so I thought!

Once I had figured out (read : guessed!) how many stitches and how many rows .... I looked up "cowl" and "neck sock" and "snood" (who the hell made up THAT word?) on some knitting sites and found that many brillianter knitters had beaten me to it! Oh well, I think it turned out pretty well, and my sister loved it! So much so, that I am knitting her a few more variations ...

Precious and the Yak

Precious still loves her yakkie ...

Chemo caps

My stepmother is battling cancer and chemo has claimed her crowning glory (her hair). She has been remarkably positive, using this as her opportunity to break out of her normally dignified and staid pose. She wanted to make her hairlessness an upbeat time to be offbeat!

Of course, needles were immediately whizzing on this side of the world, and these are the results (modelled by DD)

















And now I am going to cross-stitch her a little motivational sampler ....

...

NSFW (not safe for work)

...

NSFK (not safe for kiddies)

...

IFNSAA (in fact, not safe at all!)

...

The most useful thing I have ever knitted ....

A while ago I won a couple of skeins of home-dyed yarn from Qessentia (http://qessentiak.blogspot.com).




She comes from my home country (South Africa) and included wooden carvings of some of the wild animals that roam the streets of Johannesburg.
(No, they don't really roam the streets, but some people still believe they DO!)



The yarn was so beautiful, I decided that it had to make something very special that I would keep forever. Not a hat or a bag or anything as mundane as that ....

I searched the whole world wide web and finally decided on ... A bolster cushion!! I have never knitted one, or had one, or actually even seen one before, but got to work creating one.

Easy really..... knit a rectangle, sew to make a tube, get husband to roll section of foam from baby matress into stiff sausage (!), stuff ... the tube, tie ends.

Don't you think it looks like a giant sweet? That just makes me love it all the more!!

I can use it behind my lower back, shoulders, neck, head and even prop up my tired ankles. OH!!! I am so in love with it!!





Have a go, you won't be sorry!
And thanks again to Qessentia for dyeing such beautiful yarn - and sending it to me!! Jy is 'n ster!

My next knitting project ....

Each one, teach one

In the spirit of passing on my knitting addiction, I taught DD the basics ... and this is what she created :








Methinks the student will soon become the master ....

I KNITTED A YAK!!

Well, no ... not a real yak ... let me 'splain .......

Firstly, it would be worth your while to note that I am um ... er ... rather rotund (read "really fat") with broad shoulders and an even broader butt.

Anyhoo, a family member (who does actually LIKE me!) sent me some yarn and a pattern to knit for myself ...


The yarn is very soft and huggable, BUT it is that hairy, fun fur and is a bright blue just to make matters worse!

After the coughing/laughing/snorting fit, I showed DD who declared "Mom, you would look like a YETI or a YAK in that thing!" - Hence the blog title!

I felt obliged to knit the yarn up, but opted for a throw/afghan, which Precious the Cat immediately decided was her long-lost mamma cat, snuggled into it and claimed it for herself! At least SHE doesn't look like a yak in it!

And so it continues .....

I can hear you all now ... saying ... "OMG, just what is that Lulu knitting NOW???"







Any guesses???








Well, here are the other constituent parts ...














Aw, a teddy for my other friend "J" - couldn't give "K" the *purse* without giving "J" something too .... She wanted a Mr Bean Teddybear. I thought there would be hundreds, nay ... thousands, of patterns to choose from .... WRONG!! N-O-N-E !! So I designed one from pictures I found on the internet. DH offered to stuff it with foam - no such thing as toy stuffing available here! It grew and grew and grew as DH got more and more enthusiastic with his stuffing (*ahem*). Finally it was the size of a five-year old child. So I had to begin again with a smaller version, which I stuffed with the insides of a pillow that I inherited from the Dubai mega pillow fight (but, that's quite another story!!)





A bit more realistic, I think ...

NSFW .... A-G-A-I-N !!

...Or, How the Penis Purse became the Penis Picnic Pack ...

You all remember the Penis Purse, don't you?


W..e..l..l, SOMEBODY'S husband was mightily upset when he saw HIS WIFE knitting it - saying "People will think you modelled that midget thing on me!! OMG"








So SOMEBODY'S WIFE said "Give me the measurements YOU think it should be"
And it turned out like this :
(I am not going to take the bait and say anything about there being place for some liquid refreshment and a bag for your nuts)














As compared to the Penis Purse!




All SOMEBODY'S WIFE can say is : Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha*cough*hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
*wishful thinking*
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

If Thickness was a Sickness - we'd all be dead!

My very sweet knitting pal, Maryannlucy ... you remember her from previous posts, don't you? ... sent me a fab parcel the other day. And inside was a fab, fab, fab bag knitted by her very own self and felted especially for me ('cause I'm "felting-challenged", you know).
This is the bag ...

You will notice that the straps are not quite equal length ...

"Shame" said DH, "maybe she is old and did not notice they were so different" - "She's young and a very talented knitter", I SNORTED!!!

"Shame" said DD, "maybe she ran out of yarn" - "No way, MAL is a perfectionist, she made it like this ON PURPOSE", I INSISTED!!!

Maybe the long strap goes over the shoulder and the short one around your wrist ... well, only if you are a pretzel!

I KNEW THERE WAS A REASON ... I JUST HAD TO FIND OUT WHAT IT WAS ......

"Tummm da rumm dumm" *Cue the best Sherlock Holmes detective-type music

I pulled and poked and pushed ....



Nope,that's not right .....

Nor is that .....

And THEN I found it - the secret tuck .... OMG, is this not the most wonderful, clever, exceptional, unique and just plain fab bag you have ever seen?????I love it I love it I love it I love it I love it I love MARYANNLUCY.

Oh, yes .... did I tell you it is knitted in NORO!

I swear, if she wasn't already married, I would propose to her!!

Blocked - AGAIN

... also known as : You've got something stuck up your butt - oh,it's your head!

Well, they have done it again - these CLEVER clots who control everything we see and do here -
Ravelry is banned again ... it is listed as a "social site" which, of course, means everyone who logs into it is looking for depraved, degrading, disgusting, amoral, immoral kicks!
... Mind you ... there is the beanis pattern ...

*Sigh*

So, until they come to their stupid senses, this blog is my only way of communicating with the outside world ...

All the way from the Arctic ...

Months after it was posted, I finally received a lovely swap parcel from Megera who lives in northern Canada ... this girl sent me PHOTOS of the Northern Lights over her house !! Just how COOL is that??????

Anyway, Precious and I ripped into the parcel and out popped some gorgeous handspun yarn ... a red, then a blue, then a green ... then more yarn - fabulous variegated yarn (I knitted it, that same night, into some slipper socks) ... then more yarn - *faint* sock yarn : 2 balls of grey and 2 balls of denim blue, so soft and squishable ...

And, in between these treasures was a stunning stained glass ornament of the Northern Lights - hung in a window, it is just breathtaking! And a real eskimo mug which is perched on top of the tv so I can admire it constantly. Then there was a packet of teas - such unusual flavours (including Labrador!!) - they have made my whole house smell divine!

Ah, I can just hear you all saying - "what a wonderful package" .... but wait, wait, there's MORE!!

Vogue Knitting Magazine *gasp* and .... Interweave Knits *omg* The issue with the pattern for THE mittens!

Thank you so very much Megera, it was a looong wait, but so very worth it!

Definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK OR KIDS ....

May I present to you ..... a gift made for my friend "K"
(because I can SO see her whipping it out to pay for something at the store)

.....

.....

NOT SAFE FOR WORK !

.....

Gives new meaning to "Shake your money-maker"

.....

Ladies and gentlemen .... the Penis Purse ! Complete with coin "sack" and note roll
And, btw, the more money you've got, the stiffer it gets!

And now for something completely different ....

And ... OH SO APPETISING ...

Been busy ....

A month ?!?!? Has it really been A MONTH since I last posted ...omg, time sure flies when you're having fun!!

I have been having me some fun - with my knitting. I hauled out all the UFO's that have been mocking me for months ... some were frogged with glee, some were neatly repacked back in the cupboard and some were actuallllly turned into FO's!! Have a peek at these :

DD's new "butterfly" jersey - I love this colour on her, and it goes with lots of other colours.















The yarn I bought in Italy recently is slowly becoming a shrug/shawl/jersey - based on Knitty's Convertible, but, as usual, with loads of my own modifications.















At the moment it looks kinda like a crazy coloured butterfly ....