Noding, knitting and other things that start with "n" sounds

Typical that not a week has passed and I've already broken the "daily blogging" resolution. Oh well if at first you can't succeed then pretend otherwise.

New things that I have learnt over the last few days.
1. Melbourne is GMT 10hrs
2. I require an average of 6-7hr sleep a night.
3. Continental or European Knitting
4. Noding is really cool!

Gene told me about a site called Everything2 after I mentioned that I'd been linking like crazy in one of my blogs last week and it's fantastic! (A little like the nutella I'm eating right now, but much more interesting). My current understanding of it is that it's a website where people write (about whatever they choose to write about) and then proceed to link every few words (interesting words, places, names, titles, whatever they decide) to another website or indeed another node! The idea being that you link to other interesting sites while also writing your piece! People also keep journals online there too. Sounds really wonderful to me. I'd love to give it a shot for real one day.

Maybe I'll node about European/Continental knitting! (Haha... a subtle segueway attempt there if every I saw one fail). Mum has been telling me about the European knitting method for quite some time now. It's apparently a more efficient way to knit as there is less movement from the hands. So having heard that my knitting could be more efficient (fast knitting means more random stuff that Sarah can create.. socks & scarves may yet take over the world... Mwah ha ha ha!) I set out to find a website that could teach me this wonderous method of knitting.

The method of knitting that many of us learn is the English or "throwing" method where the yarn (if you're right-handed) is held in your right hand and you "throw" it around the needle to make your new loop. With the European or "picking" style the yarn is held in the left hand and is controlled by the left index finger. This means that you barely have to move your hands at all as the yarn is pretty much on the right side to make the loop. I found that it pretty much makes the loop for you anyhow! The only website I found online is Tom Farrell's Guide to Knitting which is illustrated. It's a better description of the knitting technique than I've given really. So now I'm learning the new knitting technique and it's fun but it feels so uncoordinated at the moment!

The weekend just gone was really good. It was lovely to see the family again, although a little awkward when they brought up the subject of work (haven't broken the news yet). My little cousins are really not so little anymore. Natalie's maybe 30cm shorter than me and Nadia's not too much smaller. Then again I've always been short so I really can't complain. Besides, I think I like being small most days. Learn to accept so they say. My cousins were all in high spirits and the look on my aunt's face when she saw her brother from Perth and her sister from Canberra standing in her shop was priceless. They'd all given her a call earlier in the day to wish her happy birthday and confirm that their presents/cards had been received before turning up at her shop at lunch time. Aaron & Judy, my cousins, prepared a slide show with many family photos that had been taken of my aunt. They made sure to get a photo of all the family members who were at the dinner (just to share the embarrassment of terrible fashion choices and poses). I was a fashion offender. I had this purple coat that was slightly padded that I loved beyond all belief. I even convinced my parents that this was the right coat to wear on the trip to New Zealand (where the photos were taken). Honestly it was not pretty. Not on anyone... but hey, I was warm then. Even if I did look a little like the love child of Violet Beauregarde and the Michellan man. We're set to have another big family party in December for my grandma (or Ma-Ma as I call her as she's my Dad's mother) for her 80th birthday. This will undoubtedly be a big one. I'm expecting more family to be flying in. If I've been given several months notice, then this is going to be huge!

Well it's now almost 1.5 hours since I started writing this blog and I've been getting rather side-tracked while doing so but I think it's time for me to disappear back to the real world for a bit. Only a fleeting visit I'm sure.