Are you ready to enter the birds nest? I am!

The needles are out, yarn balled up and ready to go... let the Ravelympics begin!

Tonight I'll be casting on the clapotis for Mrs Toone's yet again! and then all things going well, over the next 16 days I'll also complete a pair of fetching mittens and a grocery bag as well. I've got so many things that I want to knit and so little time! I got some Lion Cotton at the Spotlight sale and love this stole so after the olympic knitting and the WIP culling and in between being a mum, student, housekeeper, cook, cleaner and generally super woman I'll cast on for the stole - *insert insane laughter here!*

Who else is signed up? What are your plans?

Decisions.... decisions....

One of my units for this semester is chronic illness and the main assignment is a creative project which relates a) to my clinical placement area (paediatrics) b) to a particular chronic illness and c) to the 4 principles of chronicity care - diversity, empowerment, mutual relationships and collaborative decision making. I have to present this project to my clinical placement and then write a rationale for it.

I can't make a decision about what I want to do and I have to present my initial ideas at next week's tutorial which is worth 10% of my mark. I either want to do a play pack for diabetes - a teddy/doll with a blood sugar monitor and syringe so that the kids can pretend to take the dolls/teddys glucose levels and practice injecting him with insulin. I'll do a picture book to go with it a well. Or I will do a doll and have a set of lungs drawn/sewn on and relate it to cystic fibrosis. I think I've got a pretend stethoscope around somewhere so it would be about chest physio and listening to chest sounds. Which one do you think I should go with?

To practice I had a few bits of felt laying around the place so Charlotte and I made a doll for practice tonight. Definitely not good sewing but it's really hard to sew neatly when the 2 year old is in charge of the pedal!! I'm just grateful we got a half decent looking doll and I haven't lost any fingers! She didn't want a face on the doll and like I said the sewing is pretty dodgy but she seems to like her.

Oh and on the knitting front I've cast on for Mr Greenjeans in the navy superwash and I'm very much liking how it's coming out. I'll have to put it away tomorrow and start on the Ravelympics list but it was definitely a good choice of yarn and a great match with the pattern.

Off the wagon.... and it's running away!

Do you ever have one of those impulsive moments and do things that you'll later regret? Please, tell me you have and especially tell me them if they involve purchases of yarn. So I had a bit of a stash blow-out yesterday and then came home and tried to work out what was going to be what. I've liked Mr Greenjeans for a long time and I think the superwash 8ply will be perfect but I only bought 10 balls so what did I do? Of course, I went back to Lincraft today.

4 more balls of the superwash, 3 of balmoral tweed in a lovely green (slouchy hat) and 5 balls of Smoothie DK (textured cardigan). Why? Why did I do it! This afternoon I re-arranged the furniture and went through the various stash bags/baskets/boxes/crates and got all the yarn I own together in one spot on the lounge room floor. Honestly, if you see me in a yarn store PLEASE kick my butt and tell me to leave. I can not buy anymore. I'm out of control. Seriously. I think I have a serious problem and I need to get a handle on it so I am ABSOLUTELY not buying ANY yarn for the next 3 months. I've got so many projects with the pattern and yarn ready to go that I really have no excuse to buy anything.

Going through the stash also revealed some long term WIP's that I want to get finished. I've got a clappy, fetching & grocery bag organised for the Ravelympics and after that I want to get these done.
1 - Knitting Needle Bag - knitting of the bag is done but it needs lining put it (I've already bought the fabric - just needs to be cut and sewn in) and straps
2 - A set of fingerless Noro mitts - first one done.
3 - Buttony - Have done one sleeve and am down to the waist of the body. About 8 inches of body and 2nd sleeve to do.
4 - Another clappy for my aunt. Set up rows done.

Then I'll start on the stash. I feel like I could quit uni, sell the kids and knit 24/7 and I still wouldn't get through the ridiculous amounts of yarn I've gathered ! !

Falling off the wagon...

Honestly, I need to start AA meetings but for those of us who just can't resist buying yarn. Lincraft has their yarn at 33% off at the moment so I ducked in for a few things. Of course, it's like ducking into the grocery shop for a few things and you always walk out with a trolley full and my trip to two different Lincraft stores today was no different. I have to say though that one good thing about being single is that I don't have to hide yarn purchases anymore! I didn't really realise how much I had bought until I got home and unpacked the car. I've got a plan for the Bamboozle (clappy scarf) and the pink/red colourway (scarf for mum) but other than that I have no plans for the rest so I'm definitely up for suggestions please!

I have to add that the addition of 5 balls of Balmoral tweed is definitely Helen and Georgie's fault - couldn't pass it up at just $2 a ball! It's a nice denim sort of colour too - now I just have to figure out what to do with it!

Dodging a bullet....

I signed up for the Death by Hat competition over at Woolaholics. Basically the pattern is released to everyone at the same time and you have to knit the said object and send on to 'kill' your victim. The aim is to finish and send the article before you get 'killed' by receiving finished said object. I cast this on yesterday afternoon at about 2pm - knit the rib bands then had a nanna nap. Knit about 2 inches of pattern last night then finished it off today. Hopefully I've avoided being killed.

Pattern - Slouchy Copy Cat Hat

Yarn - Patons Jet in red colourway (can't find the ball band)

Needles - Knitpicks Harmony Interchangeable Set - 4.5 & 5mm

Please be kind. I know I'm not a hat/beanie/slouchy hat wearer - I've got this weird head that just doesn't seem to suit coverings but I do live in hope that one day I'll find a beanie/hat/slouchy that will suit me but the search continues....

Surfs up dude

Izaak has sensory issues that relate to his Autism and as such whenever he seems something that swings/rocks/turns he *has* to have a go. I could see this ending in a trip to the hospital emergency department with a broken limb because the first few attempts were rather wobbly...

Relaxed, refreshed, replenished

We're starting the new week feeling so much better - We ended up taking some time out and packed up the car and headed away for a few days for some much needed R & R. We headed out camping with my biological father, his little boy and my two. It's strange to think that I have a brother who is younger than my own children.

Anyway, we headed up to the Cotter camp ground and got set up. It is a great spot right on the river which I'll definitely be heading back to once the weather warms up so we can swim as well. In the middle of a Canberra winter though it was bloody freezing! I don't think I've ever felt as cold as I did during the night when I honestly thought I'd managed to get frostbite on one of my toes! It was great though and there is a 1.6km walk up to some caves which dad took the boys on. Of course I took loads of photos but these are the best of the little ones...

I almost felt like I was having a sliding doors moment - I was having this great holiday mucking around and running around with the kids having lots of laughs, tickles and spending some great time with them but those quiet moments when they have gone to bed or first thing in the morning when I'm awake before anyone else feels like a totally different break away from the world. The thing that I like the most about camping is the quiet. The silence is just so refreshing when you live in a townhouse in the middle of a city. The other thing is the night sky. Living in town when you look outside at night you can see the stars but there are so many competing sights - house lights, aeroplanes, etc etc. Camping? This is what you see....

Then you wake up in the morning, open the tent door and are faced with this - it's just so serene and relaxing.

We also called into the park on the way home and had a great play. I know that this has been a photo - heavy post but I'm indulging my own proud-mumma moment.