Bathroom progress

There is progress in the bathroom! The gib is all on, bath installed, first coat of plaster went on on Friday, second coat this morning. Yesterday, friends helped me take all the building waste to the tip… it’s good to see the grass again.

I tried to be a good greenie and get the metal waste recycled, but the scrap metal merchants a) pay mere cents per kilo for steel, and b) don’t pick up under less than 2 tonnes. So it all went to the tip.

The local refuse station is a fun place. You get to be wantonly destructive by doing such things as hiffing your old loo in a wide arc to smash into a million satisfying little pieces of porcelain. Cool!

And the old steel bath is now destined to be a herb garden. Now that’s recycling!

A top for Holly

Update: the finished top

One of the ladies in my Creative Fibre group (fortnightly on Wednesday evenings if you’re interested) brought along some of the knitted tops she’s made from a pattern that’s been doing the rounds for a charity knit project. It’s for the “fish and chips babies” in Africa, so-called because sometimes the only thing available to take the babies home in is newspaper.

It’s a super-easy pattern that’s knitting up quickly — yay for 8ply! Here’s the pattern, and I’ll post a picture of the finished top, which should be in the next few days (I hope):

Cap Sleeve Baby Jumper (Knitted all in one)

8 Ply Yarn
Size 5mm needles (tight knitters)
Size 4.5mm needles (loose knitters)

Cast on 44 stitches
Work 18 Rows in K2, P2 rib
Work 30 Rows stocking stitch (1 row plain, 1 row purl)
Cast on 12 stitches at beginning of next 2 rows and at the same time change to K2,P2 (for sleeve)
Rib 22 more rows.
Next row: Rib 21, cast off 26 stitches, rib 21
Next row: Rib 21, cast on 26 stitches, rib 21
Work 22 rows in K2, P2 rib
Cast off 12 stiches at beginning of next 2 rows
Work 30 rows stocking stitch
Work 18 rows, K2, P2 rib
Cast off

For my niece’s top, I cast on 64 stitches, knitted rib for 3″, stocking stitch for 9″, neck rib for 4.5″. This is large enough for a 2-3 yr old.

New Loo!

I have a new loo! It is a rather flash loo, even though it was half the price of every other model on the market. Be that as it may, I am not afraid. Said loo works, and that’s good enough for me.

I’m not cheap, I’m a smart shopper.

Duck Feet

THUMP!

That’s what I heard coming from my sunroom. Going to investigate, this is what I saw tromping around on the roof:

The feet of one of the neighbourhood ducks. He was giving the cabbage tree a bit of a grooming…

Charity knit – finished

I can’t believe it took me TWO WHOLE WEEKS to knit this teeny tiny baby wrap. Ridiculous. And I’m NOT doing it again. At least, not in 4ply.

I think I’ll stick to beanies. Or booties. Surely they couldn’t take me more than a week?

Note to self: Must remember it’s for charity

Bathroom Renovations

I have ripped out my bathroom.

Well, not me — my builder. Cleverly, I neglected to take ‘before’ photos, so all anyone is ever going to see of my once-horrendous bathroom is this:

You’re looking at where the old bath and its hideous sliding doors were. The wooden surround on the bath was rotten and moulding and completely disgusting. I was afraid when everything got ripped out that there’d be rotten framing – but no! Lucky me!

The shower is in and working and I love it 99%. The remaining 1% is because the pressure’s not quite strong enough, and the mixer is very sensitive. Both of which I can live with.

Having fully gotten into the swing of renovating my own home, I have spent up large (but prudently) on a new bath, vanity, toilet, matching mixers for bath and basin, standard waste for the bath, and a pop-up one for the basin. Before this week, I had no idea what a “waste” was. After shelling out over $100 for a shower waste, I am now fully informed. Fortunately, the other two were a mere smidgeon of that cost.

The sparky came this morning to install the new heat lamp/light/fan fixture, although he’s screwed the switchplate hard against the framing, rather than leaving it hanging so the Gib can be installed. Hopefully my clever builder will know what to do. Without electrocuting himself of course. I’m skeered of switches n stuff. Comes from having zapped myself on them far too many times…

Installing the vanity will be the last thing to do before the decoration phase. It won’t be arriving until Wednesday/Thursday. Buggerdamnblast — means I have to get the plumber and builder back. Again. I’ve learned a lot with this reno, like — purchase EVERYTHING before you start. What a gumby. Anyway, I’ll be better prepared when it’s time to do the kitchen. Which will probably be about a year away at the rate I’m chewing through the budget! Still, it’s been cheaper than the $10,000-$20,000+ quotes I got last year. Bit unfortunate, really. Particularly as I’ve finally settled on a layout that will work. Oh well, I’ll just have to make an effort to curb my spending (giggle) and save more (guffaw) to see if I can make a little dent in what’s been spent on this project. Preferably before I retire or die of old age – whichever comes first.

ROCKIN’ videos!

A friend recently told me about an amazing video she’d seen of people breaking out into dance in a public train station, starting with a few and more and more people joining in. Sounded great, so I had a hunt around on YouTube and found it, along with a couple of others, including one of an amazing choir (Perpetuum Jazzile from Slovenia) who simulated a storm with their hands, before breaking out into Toto’s Africa. Awesome!

Check the VodPod box at left for the videos. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

Memed!

It’s been ages since I did a meme, so I thought I’d tag myself from over here.

What is your obsession?
Procrastinating. I’m world class.

What is your weirdest obsession?
Straightening things that really don’t need straightening. I like to think I’m more Virgo rising than borderline OCD.

What are you wearing today?
Clothes. Thank God.

What’s for dinner?
Something that merely requires zapping.

What did you eat for your last meal?
Chicken and mustard pie, with New York cheesecake as an after.

What was the last thing you bought?
Wait for it… a shiny black PSP. It’s ok, you can go be jealous now.

What are you listening to right now?
I’m on a musical hiatus after a metal immersion.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Does my bed count? I’m sure I could do a little nana nap for an hour.

What language do you want to learn?
Spanish. I blame Antonio.

What do you love most about where you currently live?
The peace and quiet, and seeing the Waitakere Ranges every day.

What is your favourite colour?
It changes whenever I see a colour I like.

What is your favourite piece of clothing in your wardrobe?
My tatty purple polar fleece. Am still in the process of wearing it to death.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Getting divorced.

Describe your personal style?
Style? Me? None at all.

If you had $100, what would you spend it on?
I’d dither so long that it would devalue to $20.00. Procrastinator Extraordinaire, remember?

What are you going to do after this?
Sort my paperwork… unless I get distracted and start procrastinating. There’s all that stuff that needs knitting, you see…

What are your favourite films?
Always subject to change, but a fave-of-the-moment is Mamma Mia. Hilarious!

What inspires you?
Amazing people.

What are your favourite books?
The Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. I visit there at least once a year.

Do you collect anything?
Only until it’s time to throw everything out.

What makes you follow a blog?
Mostly if I know them personally, or the writing’s top class and witty.

What’s the most enjoyable thing you did today?
Knitting. Only I haven’t done any today. Yet.

What new skill would you like to learn?
Nuno felting.

And now you know. More than you wanted. Neat, huh?

World Wide Knit In Public Day

This year I went along to a WWKIP event that was being held at the Atrium Cafe in the Auckland War Memorial Museum. I was expecting just a few ladies from the Knit Rangers, so it was a pleasant surprise to walk in and see the place pretty much taken over by knitters! There they were – over 40 women of all ages and walks of life, thoroughly enjoying themselves, knitting and chatting away over coffee and munchies. It was a thoroughly pleasant way to while away the afternoon. I just wish I’d got my act together earlier so I could spend some quality time wandering through the museum, but perhaps another day.

As Jasmine, Sarah and I were leaving, I caught a few shots of the memorial stones along one side of the museum. It occurred to me that these memorials are over every window, denoting battles major and minor from (presumably) the First World War on. It was a poignant counter-note to an afternoon that couldn’t have been further from armed conflict if it tried…

Do you know what this one for Beaudignies memorialises? A ‘minor’ engagement at the River Selle in France, during the First World War. So many battles…

Lest we forget…

Exploring my inner metal

I’ve always loved hard rock. Even better – heavy metal. Ha. And you thought you knew me…

Lately, for various reasons, I’m immersing myself once more in heavy metal. Bands like Metallica, Rob Zombie and Disturbed. Disturbed is a glorious band I stumbled across wending my way through iTunes looking for Black Sabbath stuff. David Draiman’s incredible vocals really do it for me. Their latest album, Indestructible is now part of my collection and being thrashed. 10000 Fists will soon be mine, I’m sure. I’ve also been gifted with Metallica’s Death Magnetic – fabulous album, but it’s Unforgiven III that gets me all choked up if I start listening too closely. It’s a haunting, lyrical song, beautifully executed.

Limp Bizkit’s Behind Blue Eyes is another one that gets me right there too. If ever there was a song that put its finger on the pulse of my life, it’s that one. I know it The Who’s original, but I completely adore Fred Durst’s rendition.

Heavy metal. Home again. Bring it.