New year,new projects, new ideas

Visitors have gone, the house is back to its Darby & Joan status, the tree & trimmings away & Christmas is done & dusted for another year.

DH prior to Xmas kept on commenting on the itouch every time it came on as an ad on TV- I thought he was dropping a huge hint as he had extolled its virtues after seeing a mate use it one day. So, from a lack of knowing what else to buy him I purchased him one & stuck it under the tree.

Christmas day arrives & DH is handing out all the parcels & he hands me one & says "if you don't like it, I'll have it". Moments before this DS no2 had mentioned reading an article that a lot of couples buy the other the gift that they really want......I thought I hardly want some electronic gadget & pack of 5 undies.......

I opened his gift & you can imagine my surprise when I found......an itouch....hmmmm....right, this is, um, just what I wanted.....no, I don't think so. DH is already saying how wonderful it is & how I can use it. Truth be told I'm flat out using the laptop most of the time.....but he was excited.....& I'm thinking this is going to be hilarious when he finds wrapped up in his undies the exact same present for him!

I must say he showed much more excitement than I did when he found his & mine has been returned as I knew I wouldn't use it...bit like all the gadgetry on this laptop that he said "I couldn't be without!"- we won't even go back there!

Now after using his itouch for the past few weeks it has just rekindled his total dislike for anything apple & my guess is it won't get used that much either- but thankfully we only have one in the house!

I am still waiting for something for Xmas.

I did get 2 really neat gifts...one from the kids who bought me a set of DPN from knitpicks- their harmony ones- I had bought the interchangeables last year & love them, so now I have all the DPN's as well!

Also a surprise gift- I won a competition. I never win an argument, let alone a competition! Its a hank of yarn a month for 12 months from the yarn cafe -this is much more useful than an itouch any day! Now why couldn't DH buy a gift certificate for something like this!? I was much more excited about this than the itouch as well! DH just didn't get my excitement, but then no one who doesn't knit, would either.

I was also given a bottle of Baileys- I love a Baileys every once in a while & had none so this will go down very nicely!

It was wonderful having a little one in the house for Christmas- they had so much more to it all by their sheer delight in it all & the excitement over a pack of pencils & the fact that half the carrot & cookie was missing. 4 year olds are a delight- especially when they aren't calling you Mum!LOL

Have been knitting the past few weeks-started a scarf in alpaca & have progressed quite nicely but I seem to rip more than I knit most of the time. AND I'm not sure why. It's a super easy 9 stitch repeat pattern- done over 4 rows & both pattern rows are essentially the same only one start knit3 & the other knit 2, but I keep messing it up & have to keep pulling it out....my friend who was staying at the time I started it said she's have tossed it the second time I made a mistake-one thing I do do is persevere.

last night I started a bow tie scarf- a one ball project & thought it would be perfect for the gorgeous jelly dyed yarn I got in the Xmas stocking swap-but there wasn't quite enough yarn- so much for one ball.....I have ripped this back to the beginning & will try again on larger needles-its such a quick little project & I love the idea of making something from 1 ball of yarn.

On the sewing front- all the towels I made for Xmas for gifts & for others to give as gifts were received very well & it has given me an order to do 8 towels for someone else. I've done 2 of them already but am waiting for final approval on the designs of the other 6.

Also did a gorgeous towel for a workmates new grandson who arrived through the week-Charlie-this may well be my new baby towel for 2009.

This weekend I've been test sewing designs for a friend- can't wait to share with you, but I have to wait until the set of designs go up for sale......not even a sneak peak at this stage!

This year when I return to the USA have been asked to demonstrate a class at a local sewing store. I taught a handbag class last year- it can't have been all bad if they have asked me back again!

While looking in the post Xmas sales I came across the most stunning bath towels with the most jaw dropping price- $69 for a guest towel & $89 for the bath mat- $139 for a bath towel! After a (very) close inspection I came home & had a go at my own idea on this theme & have decided if the store thinks this will be well attended then this will be my class (no, not how to rip off designer labels for a fraction of the cost!).....more on this later as it progresses into something you can follow. How do they justify these prices & more to the point who pays them?Someone must as they wouldn't stock them otherwise.

After 2 days relief from the stinking,hot weather we now look like we are back to stinking ,hot again- at least I managed 2 decent nights sleep in the week- this is how summer is! Hopefully it won't be too bad tonight & maybe my cough may give up so I don't bark all night either!

More next time....happy crafting

Oz-tralien