Random Act of Kindness (RAK)

Hi Peeps :) I think you should draw a giraffe! I'm going to....

World Wide Knit in Public Day 2009

Saturday 14th June was International World Wide Knit in Public Day. The Ravelry Rocketeers met at Ringwood and then some of us headed into the city to meet with other knitting groups. We spent a couple of hours cosily ensconced in Feddish (nice locale but the food was average) at Fed Square having some lunch and well knitting in public.

I caught the train home and did some futher knitting in public, doing some jaywalker socks for my Mum which illicited some sidelong glances and some outright questions. I find that the generation of people who knitted themselves are more likely to be surprised to see anyone knitting socks than they are impressed or pleased. I guess when it was a neccessity perhaps it wasn't considered such a pleasure as I take it to be. I'm sure that they didn't have access to the deliciously scrumptious Colinette Jitterbug sockyarn that I do :)

My First Spin with the Healesville Spinners and Weavers

Meagan and I went to the Healesville Spinners and Weavers meeting on Saturday 6th of June and it was fantastic. There is a lot of talent, skill and knowledge in the group and they have been meeting for a very long time in the same hall. I look forward to going back next month. As Char says pics or it didn't happen... me spinning zomg...

Just a Quickie!

Hi Knitizens, Friends and Family :) It's the Queen's birthday long weekend and as an atheist republican I'ld just like to say God Bless the Queen for being born so we can have a long weekend.

So here is my new wheel! Bee-you-ti-ful!



Below I've added piccies of the plate that I painted with Matt on my birthday morning also with the mugs that Matty painted. We had so much fun and I love eating off my new crockery it just makes me so happy. I'm doing a theme called "Life is" and my next plates are going to be "Life is nuts" with squirrels on it and "Life is a hoot" with an owl painted on it which I got from my friend Andrea who is mental about owls like me :) I can't wait to go back to Robert Gordon and do more.

Lisa It's Your Birthday... Happy Birthday Lissssssssaaaaa

... the title of this post is a Simpson reference if you don't get why I'm calling myself Lisa...

Had an awesome B'day weekend. Gem came down with her new chica Tarsh we saw the new Star Trek (Freaking AWESOME), went shopping, had dinner at Cafe Zum Zum (delicious), checked out the new Morris and Sons where Matt brought me enough purple wool for jumper (see photo below of Matt carrying piles of yarn) and a whole set of different sized sock needles so I can knit socks to my hearts content.

Matt and I also did did paint your own at Robert Gordon Pottery and I'm really looking forward to getting my plate back. It's got a bird on it and it says 'life is tweet' (credit to Rita who suggested it instead of sweet since the bird is singing and strangely appropriate because I'm twittering now (find me as Katinspace there my tweeps :))). We went to The Carlton on Bourke St and then Matt and I were ready to hang up our old people shoes and I suggested that I'ld like to dance and maybe we could check out Club Retro which we did and it was SO much fun. Following are pictures of me getting progressively drunk and sweaty :)

Flying Away on a Wing and a Prayer

Hey Hey... I'm back! So I took a whirlwind tour to the U.S. for work and had a whole lot of fun as well. I wrote the following write up on www.ravelry.com and I'm copying it here with pics for everyone :)

Tuesday - We went up Jefferson Expansion Memorial first thing, it was awesome! and scary! It's really high and you ride this teeny tiny boxcar thing to the top there were a few decent sized females and this guy who was riding his motorcycle along the blues highway (he was English and played harmonica). I travelled with Jenny from my work :) see picture below and met the very charming Alonzo outside the memorial who

Then I took the light rail out to Shrewsbury which was too far and went back two stations and talked to a bus driver and caught a bus to the Kirkwood Knittery. Susie and Brooke were funny and friendly and helped me pick some lovely yarn for my FLS which I plan to cast on after I finish my first jumper for Matt. I went over to Hampton Park Village and brought some obscenely sexy and beautiful coloured underwear and then went back to my hotel and rushed over to the ball game, we saw the Cardinals play the Phillies.

It was faster than I expected and had that live event ambience that makes going to any sporting event really fun. We don’t do baseball in Australia except at an amateur level but I think Australians could really get into it if they gave it a go. We’re so passionate about footy (AFL look it up, kinda like rugby but different) and cricket that there isn’t much room for other sports (although Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer and Basketball are all up there as well).

I didn’t see any squirrels on Tuesday.

Wednesday - We had a little sleep in until 9 because the shops don’t open early which I really needed because the Jet lag was killing by then :) and then went back to Hampton Village because I wanted to show the lady that I was traveling with the great clothes, we shopped at JC Pennys, Fashion Bug and Lane Bryant and then we went to the St Louis Galleria and brought some more AMAZING clothes in Macys and Torrid :), the shops for chunky monkeys are BRILLIANT in the U.S.

Then I wasn’t sure if I would get a chance but I caught a cab out to the knit night at Knitorious which was absolutely fabulous. Everyone was really nice and welcoming and although I was a world away I felt right at home because knitting gave us a common language (well that and English :). Thanks to the lovely Sandy who drove me to Ted Drewes to try the St Louis famed frozen custard concretes and sundaes. We brought back take out the for group and there was much deliciousness. It was great to meet you all, Deborah (and Larry), Chris, Fi, Becky, Kara, Mindy, Rach, Jenn and to anyone that I forgot your name I’m sorry. Then some of us went out to a diner and everyone was awesome enough to order all the specialties of the US that I had never tried before waffles, grits, toasted ravioli, I had the biscuits with gravy and lets not forget the novelty burgers on mini pretzels :) So much fun!

I saw rabbits outside knitorious but no squirrels booo.

Thursday - was conference day. It started at 7 with a keynote speech from the CEO of Harley Davidson who rode in on his bike, very cool. Then different speakers, some were very inspiring I particularly loved Ari Weinzweig who was one of the founders of the Zingerman Community of Companies, his open and honest delivery and his obvious commitment to the people who work for him and the community that supports him moved me to tears.

We met up with Steve who used to be the CEO of Stellar in Australia but for the last two years he's been over in the U.S. heading up the Stellar Global. He took Jenny and I out to dinner so we drove around for awhile and finally we went to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse or is that Ruth Chris’ Steakhouse, food was fab and conversation was sparkling so it was nice.

Checked at lunch for squirrels in the park but no luck.

Friday - First up 7am conference breakfast and then we were inaugurated into the hall of fame for The Great Game of Business and that was pretty cool. I went up on stage with the Steve and Jenny and his speech was great, it made me cry. More conference sessions including one led by a couple who invent toys on creativity and that was really fun. Then a keynote speech by a guy called Joseph Michelli who was really very funny and a consummate speaking professional. He talked about key learnings from his three main published books and had this great way of communicating by using analogies from his family life. Then I headed off to the plane.

I watched out for squirrels on the way to the airport on the sides of the roads but again no luck.

I brought so much delicious yarn and I've uploaded the photos to www.flickr.com/yarnpawn

Thanks once again to all the nice people that I met and to all the great knitters for your help and hospitality during my first short visit to the US. To those of you I met and those I didn’t please know you’re always welcome to sleep on my couch and I would be honoured to have you come to visit Australia and show you the knitting world over here but I'll be back some day I hope because I want to see those damn squirrels in real life :)

ZOMG AMERICA HERE I COME!!!!!!

So I'm at the airport and the lovely lady at the check-in gave me access to the Qantas Club lounge which means that I've got some delicious vegemite toast and access to free coffee, internets and booze! Seeing as it's 948am and I'm about to hop on a 14 hr flight however I've decided to forgo the booze :) Wish me luck I hate flying! and next time I'll be blogging you from the USofA.