Urrkk...

I've been feeling lousy all week - oh the joys of chronic fatigue syndrome. At first on Monday it could just have been a hangover (the result of a convivial Sunday evening with friends and five bottles of wine - among six adults, two of whom barely drank). But I am still feeling like the first stages of flu, only that doesn't go on for four days without developing further.

I went out to The Highway Gallery this morning for the monthly Friends' Morning Tea. It is their fiftheenth anniversary of being run by the committee of management (rather than being a council run gallery) and they are about to run an exhibition of paintings and ceramics by some of the regular exhibitors over the years. One of them, Barbara Better, gave a great talk about how she draws and paints, and passed around her sketchbooks. She does a lot of lovely Australian landscapes. I really envy people who can draw and paint, I can't do it at all!!!

Then we had a KnitFest meeting. KnitFest will be held in June and will be a celebration of all things knitty (and crochet!). I have volunteered to help hang everything, and also to borrow 30 chairs from church and have George drive them over there (in our brand new Toyota Kluger, which had lots of room and of which we are very proud!!).

I actually felt quite well and inspired while I was there - all those artistic vibes and all - but by the time I got home I was ready to collapse and now I feel so exhausted that all I can muster for dinner is McCains pizza and a couple of pieces of cucumber.

I made my first attempt at starting to design something from scratch at the weekend. It did not go well. I spent a couple of reasonably happy hours making a huge Magic Ball of various novelty yarns, then started to crochet a capelet. The idea being to design it on the hoof, so to speak, and to have all the ends hanging free and looking bohemian. Well, the first one got dumped when the shape was displeasing to the eye (read mutant furry thing) - and that's when I made the impirical discovery that you cannot frog a magic ball made from novelty yarns. Much swearing ensued. I started a second attempt with the seond half of the ball. Yesterday after dinner I got the kidlets off to bed, George out the door to a church meeting, then settled down in front of CSI Miami and Without a Trace to work on Mark 2. About halfway through CSI Miami I had thrown it across the room, used several rather unkind words about myself, and vowed never to design a capelet in multiple furry yarns again. I sulked for the rest of the evening, in between playing with Wombat's Gameboy Colour and reading the wonderful Jenny Dowde book Freeform Knitting and Crochet, which cheered me up slightly.

At the gallery meeting today I was cheered and inspired by a friend who showed us some great freeform knitting and crochet and embroidery and beading thingies. My mind worked overtime on the way home and I have now come up with a much better idea for a design which will use something lucsious that I have saved in my stash since last winter. Stay posted...