New Year Whatnots

To be honest i don't do New Years Resolutions but i have set up some sort of want list for 2008. When i say want list i mean things i want to either improve or compleate by the end of 2008 or by the end of certain months.

knitting related i want to Destash as my yarn mountain is rather large and finish stuff i've already started. I have lots of chunky stuff to knit up hats for the girls and myself and i'm on a scarf for my fil and one for my mil. Then there are socks. I have 1 childs one which i'm halfway through the second sock but it won't fit any of my two now as i knitted it too tight. I have embossed leaves to finish (actually im on the foot of the second sock so not long). Then there is my anatomically correct toe sock of which i need to do the left foot (it is otp).

Other clothing wise, i have my mirtal which is a job and a half but also a way of inspiring me to loose the weight i need to loose so my destash includes my thickening waistline as well as my growing yarn mountain lol. Georgie will aslo want her green poncho this year so i'd best finish crocheting that up.

There is also the crochet blanket i started in the first place back in july 2005 when i first gave up smoking. That is one thing i want to finish and then give to my nain.

Like i said somewhere near my mirtal i've set myself a whole year to lose at least 21lb and may have a dry january but will have to wait and see on that one lol!! I also want to gut and declutter on room a month and keep it tidy and orgainsed so will need to retrain myself not to just dump stuff where i can. Must learn to put things away which is hard when you've been dumping stuff for 37 years.

think that may be enough wants for 2008 for changes wise apart from Hinckley United playing better and winning some games!

I GOT SQUISHY!!!

i got squishy in my fantastic stocking from Babylonglegs aka Sarah. Lets start from the beginning. We decided (we being me, Miffy, Babylonglegs, Sasha and Sarah M) to do a stock swap this year and i gave to Sasha and Babylonglegs gave to me. Well my stocking was Fantastic

Inside my lovely stocking (nicely modeled by Georgie and Alfie) was this:-

and this

But here's the Squishy!!!!!!!!!!!

isn't it soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo lush. it's actually pinker than the photo but i can't get the photo to come up any pinker lol

THANK YOU SARAH !!!!!

Oh Fudge!!!!!

Well it's that time of year again where lots of things go wrong lol. So far this week i've lost my wallet. Luckly for me i'd taken out my credit card but i've had to cancel my switch cards etc and i've lost my warrent card (cub leader warrent) but no money thank goodness. Then to top it off my home phone isn't working. I don't know if it's the phone or the line as i've got no dial tone. Now it's been playing up anyways but i was hoping to last until after christmas before buying a new phone but think i'll have to sort something out.

As for christmas knits, well i'd had all these wonderful plans and have i done them, have i heck!!! I've done my sisters and her dp's and then i've done a scarf for my mother and i'm doing another scarf for my step dad as stocking fillers.

kids wont' get their scarfs till after new year at this rate but then they dont want them as a christmas present anyways lol.

A good note is that i break up a week today for christmas and it will be the first time since being on maternaty leave, after having Georgina in 2000, that i've not worked christmas. I'm looking forward to it!

right enough waffle for now. Will get round to posting a piccie of all my christmas knits and stuff another day

have fun!

It's a Busy Month!!!!

Well it's November which means Georgie had her birthday last saturday (17th) and AJ's is next tuesday (27th). So we've had a party for Georgie and AJ is going bowling with Uncle M and Jen and the rest of us on 1st Jan (i think lol). Anyways they have both been very very excitable this month so far!

Then at the end of this week sees the start of AJ's carol concerts with school choir. Lots of places for her to be over the next few weeks. Added to that the girls have started Panto rehearsals (but not on the same day as me) so have that every tuesday evening.

AJ and myself have also signed up for Gangshow 2008 so we have rehearsals every sunday (now that i no longer work sundays) and i'm also in the same panto as the girls but my rehearsals are on wed. I have lead role (i'm the wicked queen you know!) but i'm not actually the baddie!

Monday will see me going to visit my lovely foot dr and i can hopefully be discharged then so i can sign back up to go and give a pint of my best red stuff!!!

It also seems be to a month where friends who i've not seen online for ages seem to of reappeared. Nice to have you back Sinead. But then there is aslo a downside to my new job and thats that i'm really missing MiffyRabbit and my other friends. I will get to meet up with Miffy on saturday i hope!!

Now as for my christmas knits i've finished my sister bf's scrapper and her scarf (got a fab necklace for her too) and i'm going to finish my fairy for the christmas tree festival as soon as i get back from work tomorrow (she just needs arms and legs and hair!). Then i just have the odd few things to get or finish for my family for christmas. Hopefully they will be done in time hehe.


Right enough of my drivel have fun and i'll see you all in december if not before.

Paying It Forward

Well i've signed up for babylonglegs paying it forward thing as too like to make things for people just for the fun of it.

It's based of the concept of the movie "Pay it Forward" where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on. (nicked that bit from babylonglegs blog).

Right with me so far then folks.......What i'm going to do is make a gift for the first 3 people that comment to this blog post saying they want to join in. Those who post saying they want to join then have to do exactly the same on their blog (add the pay it forward button and put a post on their blog like this making the same commitment).

My gifts could be made of anything as i sew, knit and crochet so you could get anything and you will receive them with in the next few months.

WOW

is all i can say about the concert i've just been to. I've just got back from a gig at DeMont. Twas a christian rock concert with a band called Delirious? http://www.delirious.co.uk/ is their website. Went with some people from my church including my minister.

My head is still buzzing so i've sat down with a glass of wine and i'm going to relax till around 12.30am and then go to bed.

guess i've added another album to my christmas list.

Happy Days are Here Again

well it's over a week since i blogged last and what a week it's been.

Tuesday saw my last shift at Morrison's. Everyone was fab and none of my work mates wanted me to leave. In fact the only one who we think was happy was B as she hates me because i won't let her bully me. I came home with fluffy pig slippers, fluffy socks, Guinness, a knitting mag and some green and blacks choccie!! Bless them they were really sweet to me.

So then i had the rest of the week off with my girlie's who were on half term with visits from Sarah M, Sasha and Livi with kids in tow on the wed. I like these meet ups as i love having my friends round me.

Saturday was spent helping at mini market at church and then off to Tesco's with Georgie.. We went to the Rioch Arena Tesco's and it took me over 2 hours to do a £60 shop. It is HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday 28th was an important day for me. It was the day i was confirmed and became a member at my church. A very emotional service for me but having Olivia there made it perfect. On Sunday evening the Rev Julie rang me to wish me luck in my new job which i started on Monday. I found that very moving and i started properly at school in the kitchen yesterday. I've worked 2 days now and it's great. Such a small group of people and everyone is so friendly.

I did go into Morrison's last night to take my uniform back and have a leaving interview. This basically was an opportunity for me to put in writing exactly what my department manager has been like for the past 10 months and what i think is wrong within the department. OK so it probably won't make any difference what so ever but if more than one person has the same problems as me then it's already there in black and white on the system. It still gets to me that i lost a friend somewhere around February time when she basically lost the plot with reality and the ability to manage anything. I've been very fortunate that lots of people have prayed for me, to help me through the stress I've had with her but I've actually found myself praying for her, that she can find what she needs within herself to become the calm, rational and genuinely lovely person she used to be rather than the whinging, coniving, lying, nasty little bitch she has become.

Clothnappyness From The Past.

See you can wear a cloth nappy anywhere you want!!!! Mind you just look at them plastic pants, wouldn't it of been nice to have a nice soft wrap then lol but this photo is 36 years old.

I now have a whole disc of piccies kindly transferred from slides to disc by my step dad for me (thanks Pops) but this one just struck me as just right to blog given that i hate despicable nappies with a vengeance.

My hair is still blonde but not without the aid of bleach ;0)

GOODBYE MORRISONS!!!!!!!!

WooHoo and it's good by to Morrisons at 6pm Tuesday 23rd October 2007!

The reason for this is that i had a phone call a couple of weeks ago from a lady who is area manager for local school catering services. Back in June i went for an interview at a local school as a cook supervisor but unfortunately didn't get it. Anyways this lady rang me and asked if I'd be interested in one at the Junior side of the same school.

I went in on Monday to shadow the lady who is leaving and then had an interview with the area manager, unit manager and the deputy headmistress on Wed morning at 9.30am. By 10.30am I'd handed in my notice at Morrisons and was feeling on top of the world.

I've had some major problems at work over the past 10 months all due to one persons attitude and behaviour towards me. Even now she is being very very childish but I'm past giving a shit to be honest.

My new job as cook/general assistant starts after half term (29th October) and is term time only, Monday to Friday during school hours. My girls were well chuffed to say the least as mummy will be at home at the weekend and every evening (ish).

It is a drop in income but it will give me more time to make up my lovely Stuffies and more time at home with the girls and their dad. It also means that as well as drama group panto i'll now be rehearsing for the District Scouting Gang Show with AJ on a Sunday afternoon till next March

Only 7 more hours left to work at Morrisons and then i'm out of there :0)

Found My Mojo

my sewing mojo that is. Some of you my know that i make my own design and brand of cloth nappy called a Stuffie(TM) hence why this blog is called Lottie's knitting and STUFF lol. Anyways i seem to of lost my passion for making my lovely nappies for ages and for the life of me i couldn't understand why.




Then it came to me. When I'm happy in my work outside the home then i tend to want to work at home when i get there and to be honest i currently work for M and hate every sodding minute of it.



I've been trying to get out of there so in June i went to a local school for an interview as a cook supervisor but didn't get the job. HOWEVER i had a phone call (2 weeks ago) from the lady who runs the school catering services in my area asking me if I'd be interested in a lower position at the junior side of the same school. I went in last Monday to meet the staff and see the kitchen etc and I'm actually going in to work there on Monday and wed of this week. I have an interview with the Headmistress of the school on wed at 9.30am so fingers crossed i may be able to leave M sooner rather than later.



This has put me in a very happy and good mood (I've got lots of friends saying extra prayers on wed for me and friends who are not that comfy with prayers are touching lots of wood lol) so my mojo has come back.



So yesterday i cut out and made this lot (bottom left of the cupboard were premade)
This box is full of hemp fleece for soakers and boosters and at the bottom are some floral terry panels for hybrids which i make for Babylonglegs.


this lot are all size 2 terry panels all with a soaker and booster.



This cupboard has the bottom shelf full of finished stuffies. The top shelf is home to my size 3's.

Today I'm going to add some fleece to some of the terry panels in the size 2 basket and finish off some other nappies I've made for babylonglegs.

Christmas Knits

Well i wasn't going to post any of my christmas knits on here in case my sister and mother saw them and therefore would know whats going to be in their christmas box from me. Then i realised that i wasn't really going to give them a link to my blog as i don't think they'd be that interested anyways lol. So here is my current wip for my sisters christmas present. It's a cabled scarf pattern from Knit Today worked in a lurverly cotton yarn. It's my first attempt at cable (i have since done a hat for Miffy) and still has a few rows to go.

Today i have an interview at 11am which i was all prepared for until AJ woke with a headache and tummy pain. After a mad panic I've managed to get the wonderful grandad to have her whilst i go to my interview as I've already had to cancel it once as i had this stupid bug last thursday (see BUM post).

Touch wood everything will run smoothly and when i get home i can do some more knitting before my sanctuary church group tonight. And hopefully AJ will feel better once her calpol has kicked in.

It's The Weekend and i'm normally at work

but, due to my foot opp i find myself not having to go and do a 9 hour shift today or tomorrow. I'm enjoying all this inforced time off work even if my foot is still sore.

Anyways this is my 4th weekend off as 14th to 16th sept was Cubcamp and then i had my opp on the 17th. But this weekend i could actually do something other than lay on the sofa with my foot up.

The morning started with getting up around 9ish and then taking Geo to Clarks to get some new school shoes. £54 later (1 pair of shoes and 1 pair of trainers) we went to church coffee morning and then came home. Since then i've managed to do something to my cd shelves which had warped. Amazing what you can do with a couple of tacks and some string. Tomorrow i'm off to church as per normal for when i'm on my sunday off which makes me hate working sundays with even more passion now. I like church in the morning and then spending time at home with everyone in the afternoon.

i've spent the rest of my time looking on ravelry and on the other forums i lurk on. I'm not used to all this spare time. I get to knit and stuff but it will all change once i'm back at work! Not sure how often i'll blog then lol.

anyways i'm waffling now so off i go to find my knitting and decide which WIP i'm going to pick up today

BUM

well i was going to start taking photos of my stash ready to add to Ravelry today but I've got a nice dose of the trots so have been mostly doing bugger all today! Oh well, I may get some knitting done tonight after i've had a nice hot bath i think.

The dishcloth has grown

well it's grown since this morning. Tis a really easy pattern so i may make more in different colours for christmas presents. The idea is to put a bath bomb in the middle and tie it with ribbon

Links

ok now i've got to figure out how to add links to my mates blogs and websites on the side

WIP started today

i started on this feather and fan dishcloth today. I'm knitting it from Anchor Magicline on 4.5mm pins. The pattern is a freebe which i'll post the link to later

OMG i've set up a Blog

ok i've set this up so i can show people what i create both in Knitting n crochet and my beloved nappies. I'm not known for my organisational skills so they may help me get myself more organised. We can but wait and see