In Praise of Garter Stitch

Garter stitch must be the easiest and most basic form of knitting but it really can look quite beautiful and is wonderful to knit when reading or watching TV as it needs little concentration. Here are a few examples of how I've used it...this is a stack of scarves made using 3 strands of some very fine yarn that Paul gave me. The scarves went to Rhonda's Community Centre for needy people...

This large 'ball' of coarse string was also in the box of yarn that Paul gave me....I suppose it was used for macramé at one stage and I've never quite known what to do with it. Yesterday I got out my 10mm needles and cast on 30stitches to see how it would knit....it's a bit twisty but is quickly knitting up and there'll be enough to make a shopping bag....

Caleb's Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket is all garter stitch too...with some brilliant corner shaping this garment is knit in one piece! As you knit this pattern you can never be sure just which part you're working on...that Mrs Zimmerman was a genius.

Here you can see a Pebble's Vest(free pattern at Knitty,com) which uses garter stitch as a decorative feature at the top and bottom...

The ever-useful cotton washcloth, not sure why the right-hand side looks so uneven..always slip the first stitch of each row to get a neat edge...

The vintage slipper pattern uses mainly garter stitch...

And now? The ugliest thing I have ever made...ever. A large ball of green acrylic with 2 odd neutral balls of wool, 40stitches and big needles....it's about 5ft x 2ft. Despite it's lack of charm it is much loved and used(indoors only)...it's loose texture means it makes a warm scarf and if I'm really cold I wear it as a shawl and use a biro as a shawl pin! Twitch also enjoys it's warmth as you will see below...

Baby-wearing my rabbit on a cool evening!

Yesterday I also sewed a nice piece of fabric to a rather thin hand-towel to freshen it up and add some colour...Joe said it looks like a baby wrap but I like it! My sewing was rather slap-dash!

What's on your needles or hook just now? My 10St Blanket is coming along slowly but surely....it's like a snail as it goes round and round....

We're having a showery day today with lots of bright sunshine in between. I've put the laundry on the clothes airer under the patio...Twitch seems to think it's there for him to play under! It's actually quite disconcerting to be followed everywhere by a rabbit...he is quite small and so very quiet on his feet that he often gets bumped as I walk....my favourite times are when he runs into this spare room and into the wardrobe...then back out again like greased lightening! Looks innocent enough doesn't he?

We have some lamb cutlets and curry sauce from the freezer to make for dinner tonight, with brown rice and broccoli I think!
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend,
Love from Sue
xox

Some Winter Colour

It may be Winter now but in Western Australia there are still many colourful plants and flowers to see. We have very few deciduous trees so even on the coldest days the streets are green and vibrant.
A very pretty morning sky...

Ripe habenero chillies...these are ferocious!

a raindrop dotted lemon waiting to be picked...

Hibiscus blossom dances in the breeze...

 This one poses quietly...

An aubergine or eggplant flower, this one will come to nothing as soon it will be too cold and dark for fruiting..

the first of many nasturtium flowers, Twitch loves the leaves...

and toasty new slippers for a young friend

Hope my photos brought a little brightness to your day, stay warm.
I can hear thunder at the moment and we've had such a lot of rain overnight; it's a good day for colourful soup for lunch, don't you think?
Joe is teaching chess at school at lunchtime and (crazy)Mum and Barb are out playing golf!!

Bye bye
Love from Sue
xx

The Gardens at Burswood...

are really delightful. Again on Sunday I went to the casino with Mum and our friends, for $10 we are driven there and back(50mins each way), have an all you can eat multi-course meal and $3 worth of vouchers to use at the machines etc.
This month it's the British Menu at the carvery so we had steak and kidney pie, bangers and mash as well as all the usual soups/roast meats and vegetables, salads, desserts, unlimited soft drinks and hot cuppas...beautiful food too.
I wandered off outside after lunch with my little camera and took a few not-bad pics. The casino is across the Swan River from Perth City and surrounded by landscaped gardens. Around the gardens are several large bronze statues of ordinary people from long ago as well as something called the Swan Shell which is a platform and shelter for you hold your wedding on...it's free of charge too. This is the casino itself, it's a rather striking building set on the riverbank....

This lake is between the river and casino, there are usually hundreds of waterfowl on here, can you see the two sleepy pelicans just beyond the ducks?

The West Australian emblem, the black swan...

I snuck up on the pelicans...this one is yawning lol

These white roses adorn the side of the Burswood Tourist Bureau building...

and provide nectar for the local bees....

I walked over to the fabulous Swan Fountain....

This is the view back toward the Swan Lake...the manicured hedges are a real feature of the gardens...

It's quite cool and very wet here this morning. Twitch has been in and out getting wet and then coming inside to groom himself ready for his next excursion! He just came in wet through, Joe put him on our bed to dry him and knocked the curtain rail down in doing so. We had to climb on the bed and step-ladder to re-hang everything. Both 'boys' are banned from playing in there now!

Happy Birthday to my dear cousin Kath in the UK.....hope you have a wonderful day with lots and lots of cake!

and I hope all of you Down Under are keeping warm and dry where-ever you might be,
Love from Sue
xox

Mandy Makes Soap

After much procrastinating I finally nipped down to Secret Harbour to Mandy and Paul's lovely home to show Mandy just how easy it easy to make soap at home. We used Rhonda's up-dated recipe of

1000gms olive oil
250 gm block of Copha
178gms caustic soda and 450 mls of water that Mandy had boiled and set aside to cool down.

Once the oils were warmed to 50C and the caustic water had cooled down to 50C Mandy mixed them together and began beating them...they soon came to 'trace' ie looking like a thick custard so she poured them into one of Deb's molds that we'd lined with baking paper...

Mandy couldn't believe how very easy it is!

The following day she sliced up the block and set it aside to cure for the next 6 weeks....she is already planning her next batch!

The pleasure of this morning's work gave me the impetus to organise to travel up to Bassendean tomorrow to show 2 more friends how to make soap....Mandy is coming too, Lara and Gaynor will be our hosts and have promised a wonderful lunch and lots of tea and chat.......will let you know how we get on.

Gaynor is also opening up her home in July for a Perth Get-together of Down to Earth members which will be wonderful, details are at the forum if you are interested,

Hoorooo
Love from Sue
xx

Back Again

I've been sort of overwhelmed here at home, mostly by my concerns about others I must admit. Still deep in thought about Auntie Joan now that Uncle Bob has been buried, our next-door neighbour's nephew(18) was accidently shot dead 8 days ago, Dad has been unwell, our little home is on the market and then perhaps most distressing of all can be found here http://pearlzjourney.blogspot.com.au/

So rather than blog with a heavy heart I stayed silent....Mum 'complained' yesterday and said she missed reading it so here at least of some of the photos I took in Fremantle 2 weeks ago.....Gordie paid for Ma and Pa, Joe and I to go out for a huge Fish and Chip lunch at Kailis's Restaurant in the Fishing Boat Harbour...it was really good, we also had tea, icecream and cakes!

Some of the local fishing boats, isn't the sky a brilliant blue?

Joe snapped re-arranging his shirt and trousers after his biiiiiggg lunch....

Mum waiting for a fishy for her supper....the vertical posts have the names of many of the local fishermen through the time the harbour has been in use. The area is also adorned with wonderful bronze sculptures such as the fisherman with the basket on his shoulder and the large snapper in his hand.....

I thought this fisherman was the image of Dad...

We wandered into Cicerello's Chippy too, they have a huge salt-water aquarium there and here is some sort of basking shark...

The beautiful Bather's Beach nearby....still looks very inviting despite the fact that it is almost Winter..in the background you can see the domed roof of the new Maritime Museum on Victoria Quay in the main harbour..

This is the Perth "Eye in The Sky" which has been moved to the Esplanade Park in Fremantle..

It was really good to get out and shake off our cares and cobwebs...thanks to Gordie and Kris
xox

Hope you enjoyed coming along,
Bye bye for now,
Love, Sue
xx

Some Rabbity Fun

I've snapped Twitch a thousand times and want to share how he spends some of his time....

How rabbits spend their evenings...

How rabbits spend their afternoons...

And How rabbits spend their mornings ...ie getting into all sorts of mischief and mayhem!

How rabbits relax after a busy morning...

and how he was when he first came to stay...

Love this boy and he brings such joy to our days.

A Walk on Tern Island

What do you do when you are feeling very sad? I head out to the beach, especially in Winter when we have clear days like this week. In the afternoon the 'breeze' off the Indian Ocean is very strong and kite surfers make the most of this shallow bay that has formed between Tern Island and the main beach...12 years ago Tern Island was indeed an island, a large sandbar that kept growing until finally it has turned into a spit. It is a sanctuary for birds...

You can see Penguin Island in the background, there is a Fairy Penguin Conservation Centre on that island as well as the pelican breeding area...

I was delighted to find this pile of seaweed mimicking the shape of the small island on the horizon.....one of the local fishing boats is on the left, Warnbro Sound is rich in crayfish, crabs and all manner of fish...

The seaweeds are quite beautiful...

and these twisted and worn roots look like old rope....

Looking back toward the foreshore at Safety Bay....

hehe I look like I'm on stilts.....

...and perhaps I should have read these notices before I went a-walking...

Hope you enjoyed our little walk, it certainly cleared my head and showed me how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful place.

My poor Dad is having his last 8 teeth removed today, I could cry thinking about that but he said "Don't you worry about it!" Hopefully having full dentures will be easier for him now. I have to go to Mandurah for my 3 monthly venesection this morning...what fun!

Bye bye for now,
Love Sue