a woman on the edge

Just letting you all know i am still here on the planet! I haven’t posted anything on my blog for so so so long… and this is due to a number of things.

Firstly, we are currently engaged in seeking custody of my hubby’s two young children. Which as you can imagine is a long emotional process. One which will not really be finalized until September this year.

The other major change is that i have started full time work! Having not worked full time for over 11 years….this is quite a big culture shock and i am still finding my way and establishing some sort of rythmn and routine.

Hence, i am currently at work ~ posting on my

Filed under: Ramblings from the Edge on May 24th, 2009 | No Comments »

Can you imagine my excitement to go to the post office today and collect a large mysteriously familiar box which looks like it has been travelling very far!

I was pretty sure i knew who had arrived to visit, however Miss Meg was heading straight up to her Dad’s to spend the weekend and i promised i wouldn’t open the box until she returned on Sunday ~ what was i thinking? It was torment looking at the box for two nights and a day and a half.  Sitting there, tempting me….

I gently shook it, smelt it, read the labels on it and generally obsessed over it until Meg’s return on Sunday.

But return she did and how excited were we??

We opened the box…. and what can i say but WOW! How can so much fit into such a small box?

There was chocolate, tea, biscuits, tea, Sir Earl, tea, Little Earl, tea, postcards, tea, wool, tea, fibre, tea, tea accessories, tea, more chocolate, tea, crocheted items, tea, knitted items, tea, the journal, tea, tea, tea, tea, tea and did i mention TEA?

So many varieties, some of which i have never heard of. We sampled and tasted..being chocoholics, we devoured every morsel…LOL (Lucky we have a great Chocolate Shop here in town!!)

Sir Earl was lucky to be taken in by Miss Meg, who offered to share her bed while he stayed with us.

He has had a busy time with us.

He has spent a day with me at work. He has excellent interpersonal skills and quickly made himself at home and friends with all the staff!

He went along to Meg’s school on two occasions. Once as a guest for Show and Tell and the second time to pass on his knitting skills with the Thursday afternoon knitting group! A number of the children want to make their own SIR EARL now!

Thursday afternoon, Sir Earl joined my hubby and I at our local Chocolate Shop. He met Di the proprietor who convinced him to leave the tea on this occasion.

So we enjoyed coffee and chocolates, along with a bit of banana bread. Notice the knitting in the back-ground. Patrons at the chocolate shop enjoy a little communal knitting while they enjoy their coffee and chocolates ~ Sir Earl was impressed.

While our backs were turned, Sir Earl went on a little exploration of his own…. seems he is a CHOCOHOLIC too!

Friday my Hubby took Sir Earl for a visit to First Edition Fibres and Yarns. He loved looking at all the colours and picked up a couple of things to add to his box of goodies…??

Then Friday night Sir Earl accompanied my hubby and i on a dinner date and we were poised for a ‘romantic’ picture with wine and fine food, when the batteries went flat so you will just have to imagine that one.

Sir Earl has also enjoyed some music experience while visiting…Hubby is a drummer so he went along for a bit of a rehearsal on the drums. He even tried out his own singing ability…who would have known such a great voice could come out of one so small.

Well, Sir Earls time with us is drawing to an end. We are preparing for his departure this coming Tuesday after we re-stock and pack him safely for the next leg of his amazing travels. We have really enjoyed having him and look forward to seeing where he arrives next!

Filed under: Travelling T Adventures of Sir Earl Grey on May 15th, 2009 | 2 Comments »

This is what i am currently spinning…some lovely merino hand-dyed from The Bird and The Fish… called Apple Blossom.

Thats enough blogging for today…am off to knit and spin

Filed under: Spin-star on April 14th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Well this has been a month of swapping. Not only have i been busy sending out swaps but receiving the most amazing packages to my door also.

Today, my Favourite Colours Swap parcel arrived from the lovely Lushorama (Ravlink) and let me say, because now i can, I WAS SPEECHLESS!

First look at the gorgeous colourful wrapping paper. Miss Meg is going to have fun with this, so i unwrapped very carefully

I sat as i opened the beautifully wrapped parcels dumbfounded by all the beautiful things contained in my package. Here is a group pic!

And now in detail.

First there was some lovely stationary. A journal, page marker post-its (very needed) and a funky bright pink clock and pen holder. Just what i need next to my computer!

Then there was fuel to feed my chocolate addiction; organic mint and orange chocolate…and this amazing white chocolate with blue sugar crystals ~ I have never seen anything like this…

And some of my very favourites; chai tea ~ yum! Have already treated myself to a cup of this today yummy soap all the way from WA and Nag Champa incense… which is the only insence i burn in my home (how did you know Lushorama??)

And then there was the yarn; a group shot of Malabrigo Lace in the most exotic velvet grapes colourway (have been wanting to have a go at fine lace knitting), Malabrigo Chunky undyed for me to play with. Now i know what all the fuss is about MMmmmmalabrigo!!  Sugar and Cream cotton in lovely earthy shades, cascade cotton in two different colours a solid and a multi and some bright crazy sock yarn and stitch markers too!

And for the Grand Finale the most amazing beautiful Forest Canopy Shawl. Lushorama found this in my queue on Rav. I have been wanting to knit myself one for ages, so I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It will be so treasured. Am going to wear this tomorrow (even if it is hot!!)

and a close up…

I have been so spoiled…. thankyou Lushorama…x

Filed under: Swaps & Fun on April 14th, 2009 | 3 Comments »

Just a quick post to share some of my latest projects I have been working on;

A crocheted yellow face cloth

A modified (ran out of yarn) Dragonfly Fire Cowl

both for Cleverchook in the Yellow Swap on Rav

First a funky striped wine cozy for LollyAnne’s birthday on Rav.

Some very bright crocheted face cloths

A knitted Dragonfly Fire Cowl in yarn I dyed in Lushoramas four top favourite colours; lime green, fushia, orange and purple!

Both for Lushorama who was my partner in the Fav Colour Swap on Rav.

And another Dragonfly Fire Cowl (Can you tell i love this pattern??) knitted in my own hand spun yarn for my dear friend Karen who gave birth to a beautiful baby girl early in April. This was a special Mumma’s birth gift.

More projects on the needles to finish and share pics of soon

Filed under: Crochet Newbie, Knitting Projects, Words on paper on April 13th, 2009 | No Comments »

Okay a couple more completed skeins of handspun to share some pictures of. Both these are from Ixchel Fibres...

The first is my lovely gift from Jill (see earlier post) this is baby camel and bunny fibre… I single spun this and have navajo plyed it …. it is presently hanging to dry after a wash and then the knitting begins

The next one is Angorino fibre a blend of 5% angora bunny and 95% merino. This colourway is called “Lady and the Unicorn” and it is simply devine. Also navajo plyed.

and a close up

Filed under: Spin-star on April 13th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Saw this on a Ravelry forum and had to share it here on my blog.

We seasoned knitters and crocheters already know how good these creative arts are for us…but good to see others catching on

Filed under: Bits and Pieces, Ramblings from the Edge on April 10th, 2009 | No Comments »

Look what arrived in the post for me today!!

A gorgeous fibrey Easter parcel from my friend Jill (Ridgestitch on Rav) my friend from our NEVYL group. A gift “just because” I am going through a bit of a hard time right now. There is some delicious Ixchel baby camel & bunny fibre from , some bunny silk tops, a lovely handmade card and three yummy easter eggs!

Jill was trying to keep this secret parcel a mystery delivery but Charly from Ixchel left a little message saying it was a gift from Jill

Peoples kindness and generosity amazes me. Thankyou so much Jill, I feel so very greatful to have wonderful friends like you.

Here is a close up of the scrumptious fibre…. my favourite colours too

I am going to start spinning this up straight away, so i can show you when we meet up in Wangaratta on April 18th. Already have in mind what to knit with it once it is spun up too

Update:

Spinning in progress….

Filed under: NEVYL's, Ramblings from the Edge on April 9th, 2009 | No Comments »

Finally, a chance to post about something sunshiny happy

During my emotional ordeal last week, there was a ray of sunshine that came. My Yellow Swap parcel arrive from the lovely Shmoopie (Ravlink). How spoilt was I!!!

This is what greeted me when i opened the bag

Lots of yellow bundles…but see that gorgeous looking item on the left? It’s a hand sewn project bag with a funky handle system where one handle is longer than the other. You pop the long handle throug the smaller one to close the bag and ensure the contents stay put!! Just ingenious. I love love love the little bag and it is already being put to good use.

Here is everthing all wrapped up ~ so many parcels and yummy hand dyed fibre for me to spin

And then after removing all that yellow packaging ~ viola!

My parcel contained:

• cadbury desserts chocolate (to satisfy the chocoholic in me)
• a sunflower notepad
• a yellow peeler (already used for making my pumpkin soup!)
• a yellow highlighter to attach to my keys (this will be so handy)
• travel pack tissues (always needed; one in my spinning box and one in my knitting bag)
• chamomile tea (very very needed at present)
• some “HeartEase ~ johnny jump up” seeds to plant in my garden
• stitch markers made by shmoopie herself
• merino fibre to spin in scrumptious golden yellow colours hand-dyed by shmoopie herself
• some scrum-didli-umptious malabrigo which i have been dyeing to try
• some super soft sugar & cream, another yarn I have also been dyeing to try

Shmoopie you have truly spoilt me, and stalked me exceptionally well. Thank you so much for everything I love it all so so much and hope you were spoilt by your swap partner too!

And just because i love it so much…a close up of the hand-dyed fibre and the gorgeous hand sewn project bag

Filed under: NEVYL's, Swaps & Fun on April 7th, 2009 | 3 Comments »

Well, I haven’t posted on my blog for some time now….actually I think it will be close to one month.

The last month has been a whirlwind of emotions; despair, frustration, fear, love, confusion and many, many, many tears.

Although i cannot share specific details here due to legal reasons, let us just say that it involves the health and well-being of my husbands two children and our immediate need to provide them with a safe environment to live in.

They have been living with us for the past month, happy but full of uncertainty about the future. The past nearly two weeks have involved two and a half hour trips each way to attend Court hearings to determine what will happen for the children at least for the interim period.

We now know the children are returning to their Mother’s care for the interim period. This is not the outcome we wanted, but it is what is going to happen. They were supposed to return yesterday after school but their Mother did not organise to meet us as determined by the Court and hence they ended up staying with us again last night.

So another night of anguish and “limbo” for the children and now today is the day they are to return and we are still waiting to here from Mum to organise a time.

I am on here to let my friends know what is going on and why i have been so “absent” of late. I hope to find a way back to some sort of “normal” again soon…although this is all going to take quite some time as there are still more Court dates and a final hearing in September.

Thankyou to all my friends for their kind wishes and messages of support and understanding, you just don’t know how much your thoughts mean to me at a time like this.

“sometimes i am greatful not to know what is around the corner in life”

Filed under: Ramblings from the Edge on April 4th, 2009 | 1 Comment »