Twisted Yarns

Bunt - mania

2012-02-12T18:15:00.000-08:00

LynS started it. She made some beautiful, fabric bunting for the Secret Santa at the Knitters' Afternoon Tea in December. She also knitted a lovely baby cardi featuring bunting in the yoke.

So when we started to think about what might go into the Knitters Guild part of the "Fabulous Fibres" feature display at the Royal Easter Show, knitted bunting seemed like a winner. What we hadn't anticipated was how addictive knitting garter stitch triangles might be.

I'm on my eighth "bunt" not bored with it yet, and am planning different ways of varying the design

Wine-ding down in Mclaren Vale

2012-01-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day was not too demanding at all. A leisurely breakfast then off to lunch with the out-laws at a "Winery resort". Lunch was the usual buffet style with plenty of different food choices. It might have been better to limit the quantity and focus on the quality but it was reasonable. And in the evening I was able to speak to William on his first Christmas Day!

On Boxing Day we all met up again to explore the McLaren Vale. I prefer smaller, less well known wineries and we had a bit of an itinerary in mind. First stop was Foggo Wines where we were met by a rather tubby beagle. The cellar door was eventually opened - the beagle didn't have the keys. A quick taste of some pretty good wines (a couple of bottles might have been purchased) and then on to Hugh Hamilton Wines where we were greeted by a black sheep. You've got to love a winery with a sheep theme!

Some great wines here - I was very taken by "Floozy" - a Sangiovese Rose - and not just for the name! The views from the Cellar Door were stunning.

After lunch and a few more tastings - including an amazing Hazelnut Liqueur - we arrived at Wirra Wirra. The owner of the B&B where we were staying worked here and had offered to give us a guided tour.

The entrance to the winery itself is surrounded by an impressive fence made from massive threaded redgum stumps.

Inside the Cellar Door is a small art gallery and a huge, carved cricket ball. More about that here.

The tour started with R ringing the Angelus Bell. This is usually rung at the start and end of each vintage. The wine making process was explained to us and we were shown the barrels of fermenting wonderfulness. These barrels are emptied every few months, the sediment washed out and the wine replaced.

Of course, there is a lot more to it than that and the tour included some of the history of the winery buildings. By the end of the tour, were just about wined out so it was time to find a spot for a nice cup of tea.

So this is Christmas

2011-12-22T18:53:00.000-08:00

And what have I done?

Well, as it turns out, not very much. I haven't had to do any Christmasgrocery shopping as we will be heading over to Adelaide tomorrow to spend Christmas with R's family. Never mind the madness of travelling on Christmas Eve, at least I won't be queuing up for seafood or whatever. Christmas lunch will be at a winery in the McLaren Vale and someone else is organising Christmas night.

I did some present shopping when I was in the UK and rest has mostly been done via Amazon or similar. I only knit one gift this year - a cowl for my personal trainer who is going to New York straight after Christmas.

Christmas decorations? No, none of those Chez Yarna. I made one for the Morris & Sons Christmas Afternoon Tea swap but that was it.

So I am feeling not very stressed about the impending festive season but not very enthused about it either. Perhaps I do secretly enjoy rushing around preparing for the holiday?

So Merry Christmas everyone - may you and yours have a peaceful, safe and happy time.

Another month gone

2011-11-30T21:54:00.000-08:00

And I don't seem to have much to show for it!

I did go to Lancefield in Victoria with a fantastic group of nine other knitters. Fortunately they were all much better at recording the event than I was! It was a great weekend - and A Very Good Idea.

I have also been to Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane for work and, in the case of Canberra, some pleasure although a migraine somewhat spoilt the trip to Poachers Pantry.

Knitting wise - I finally finished Nanner socks. Knitting has been difficult this month due to a flare up of the hand problem. Possibly too much knitting at the beginning of the month.

There has been some destashing but also some yarn acquisition - two skeins of laceweight and a skein of 100% from Wollmeise.

Finally - a William update. Here he is on holiday in the Maldives - lucky little chap!

Watching William

2011-10-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

The trip back to the UK to visit my family and to meet William has been and gone! It seemed like I was back at the airport just a few hours after arriving.

Of course, William is gorgeous! I was a bit concerned beforehand that he wouldn't take to me but those fears proved groundless. He was enchanting and I spent a good bit of the time I was there just watching him.

He started crawling a few days after I arrived and was soon able to get around at a fair lick.

He was inordinately pleased with himself for becoming mobile and, like most babies, made a beeline for the things he wasn't supposed to have.

Top End Tales

2011-10-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few weeks. September passed in a whirl as i whizzed from one end of the country to another, pausing long enough to add to the stash! Which was crazy really, considering I am off on my big trip tomorrow!

I had trips to Canberra and Melbourne and then almost a week away in Darwin. We arrived on Sunday afternoon so were able to relax for a few hours at the Mindil Beach Market. To be honest, there wasn't much at the market that appealed but the setting is just amazing. On the edges of the market family groups gathered to picnic and play games. It was obviously a regular event for many people and they were much better equipped for the event that we were.

We grabbed some food from the myriad of stalls and headed over the dunes to the beach. We paddled :

And then watched the sun go down.

A welcome time of relaxation and reflection before what was to be a very busy week!

August round up

2011-09-12T00:52:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few weeks so this is a delayed review of August. I've racked up a few more frequent flyer points and there are a couple of trips before the big one back to the UK.

The ankle is taking a bit longer to heal than I (or my physio) would like and I now have a very intricate ankle brace to wear when walking / standing /exercising for a long time.

On the yarn acquisition front, August was very restrained. Just one skein in and that was the Fibrewebs / Buttontree Lane club. The yarn and project bag arrived last week.

The yarn out statistics are, however, stunning! Leftover red yarn was donated to RoseRed for the insane Bee Keeper Quilt project. Approximately 20 balls of yarn was donated to the new knitting group at work to knit beanies for the Benjamin Andrew Footpath Library. And some destashing - two skeins of Wollmeise found a new home. And there were a few finished objects. The main one being the Stripe Study Shawl.

I know it is an asymmetric shawl but I'm still not convinced that the shorter "wing" is quite right.

And then there were the Fox Faces Socks

And a number of squares for Wrap With Love and a couple of beanies for the aforementioned work project.

S.A.B.L.E.

2011-08-13T23:12:00.000-07:00

Most knitters know what this acronym stands for - Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy. I thought I was firmly in that camp until yesterday. I had a physio appointment (my ankle is coming along nicely, thanks. Not up to the City to Surf but improving). Alison (my physio) was admiring my socks and then told me about a home visit she made last week.

Her patient was a 108 year old lady who is cared for by her 84 year old daughter. Mum loves to knit and spends all her days making trauma teddies. It's what keeps her going. We had a discussion about the benefits of knitting but I reckon if I can still be knitting at 108 then I will get through the stash.

Happy days!

Happy face!

2011-08-12T01:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a bit of a gloomy old week. The UK is revolting, the financial world is collapsing around us and it's raining in Sydney. So how about this to end the week?

It cheers me up no end!

Too good to be true

2011-08-09T00:45:00.000-07:00

I had a brief flurry of excitement as I thought about last month. Gosh, I said to myself. I don't believe I bought any yarn last month! I didn't recall any squishy packages arriving at my desk. I couldn't remember any yarn purchasing expeditions and, in any case, I've been a bit restricted by the sprained ankle.

Yes, I've finished a few objects but any new projects have been started using stash yarn. Has the yarn diet finally taken??

Then I remembered. Old Bus Depot Markets in Canberra had their Fibre Day in the middle of July. And yes, I did purchase some yarn from Fibrewebs and some project bags from Buttontreelane.

Oh well - perhaps this month will be better.

Little boy blue

2011-06-29T00:50:00.001-07:00

How's this for a sad face?

Of course, he doesn't realise what a lucky little boy he is. His grandma's lovely knitting friends have made him a beautiful blanket. I've lost another camera so the best I can do is photos from my Blackberry which really don't do justice to the blanket.

I'm not sure exactly who contributed to the blanket - I was not feeling the best when I was given it - but I am overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness it represents. The care and love with which the squares were knitted and sewn together is amazing and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I am going to the UK in October to meet William and I know that his parents will be as blown away as I am.

I haven't disappeared

2011-06-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

I've been busy. Work type busy. There hasn't been much time for knitting or meeting with knitting friends as we have been putting in crazy hours.

The organisation I work for had been located in this building for almost 20 years.

Over the last two weeks we relocated to this building.

It's an amazing, stunning building - very innovative with an atrium through the centre of the building. The logistics of prising 800 people out of their comfort zone and into a new environment have been considerable and the transition has been long and painful. But now we're in and I can start to relax. And I get my weekends back!

Not much knitting chez Yarna

2011-04-18T02:12:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to knit for a few weeks because of hand pain and now I find that I am suffering from unfinish-itis. I have started a number of projects but not been happy with them so they've been frogged. I'm not sure whether is better than having a lot of half-finished projects laying around but it certainly leads to less clutter.

So here is a finished object that I had a slight involvement in. Well - I did donate some of his genes!

A weekend away

2011-02-27T23:08:00.000-08:00

In all the excitement of William's arrival I didn't get around to posting about our weekend on the Bellarine Peninsula.

We stayed at a B&B in Wallington where the hostess was a little perplexed at our arrival. Despite having paid a deposit in December there was no booking for us. It eventually transpired that she had us booked in for another weekend. And was fully booked that weekend. Fortunately she was able to find somewhere else for another guest and we had somewhere to sleep.

The next day was cold, wet and blustery. We drove to Queenscliff for coffee and then on to Point Lonsdale to explore. Despite the weather it was a very pleasant drive around. I really liked the feel of the area and we spent a few hours poking around book shops. We went to the JAck rabbit Vineyard for lunch. Good food, great wine and a stunnung view across the bay of the from Geelong, the You Yangs to Melbourne.

That evening we returned to Barwon Heads for dinner. Barwon Heads is where Seachange was filmed and we had dinner at a restaurant attached to the Shack

The next day it was back to Melbourne for work and then home to Sydney. A great weekend though and a beautiful part of the world.

At last!

2011-02-22T18:09:00.000-08:00

And here he is. My grandson. Welcome to John William Inigo (to be known as William). He was born 22 February at 10.12 am weighing in at 6lb 8oz (in the old money. Not sure what the metric equivalent is).

The other good looking male in the picture is my son and the very proud father.

I feel proud, emotional and very, very humble.

What do non-knitters do?

2011-02-16T18:57:00.000-08:00

I've had a few aches in my thumb for a while now. I put it down to getting older and ignored it. On Monday afternoon though it got significantly worse and I could hardly move my hand at all. I went to see my physio the next day. A lovely man who was very pleased to see me. Hardly surprising as I have made a significant contribution to his retirement fund over the last six months.

It turns out that I have some sort of (unspecified) problem which may or may not be connected with previous tennis elbow / neck and shoulder problems. The immediate course of action is to rest the hand which means NO KNITTING for two weeks. I stamped my foot and pouted. Doesn't he realise I have a grandson arriving in three weeks? A grandson who will be sans handknitted (by me) garments? OK so he won't remember that, but I will. As my son and daughter in law live on the other side of the world this is the only way that I can feel even slightly involved with the Great Event and so I am feeling sort of bereft.

And of course the other problem is what do I do instead? How do you watch television without knitting? How do you pass bus and plane trips? What DO non-knitters do?

A Special Day

2011-01-30T23:04:00.000-08:00

Just after Christmas I had morning tea with a very special person. I first met this lovely young lady eighteen years ago when she was just one day old. Her birth had occurred somewhat unexpectedly 12 weeks early and in Tamworth. She was airlifted to the neo natal intensive care unit in the then King George VI hospital.

Over the next ten weeks or so we visited her regularly and watched as she progressed through the various levels of care. We read to her, held her and took her home for a few days. What we didn't know until much later was that sometime in those early days she suffered a brain haemorrhage which left her with a degree of cerebral palsy and quite a few ohysical problems.

At the end of this time, her birth mother signed the papers allowing a lovely couple who were unable to have their own children to adopt her. During the following years and thanks to the generosity of her parents, we saw this family from time to time and received regular photos and updates. We watched as she welcomed her sister to the family and cried as we heard of the many setbacks she endured due to her disability. Her parents have supported her, loved her unconditionally and encouraged her to overcome her physical problems. We can never know what anguish their positive and optimistic demeanours may have hidden.

But now she is eighteen and she can choose what contact she wishes to have with us, her birth family. So today, for the first time in eighteen years I can say directly to my beloved granddaughter "Happy Birthday sweetheart"

Not the New Year blog

2011-01-23T22:33:00.000-08:00

I had planned to do a round up of the old year, looking forward to the New Year sort of post but it didn't happen. Mainly because the round up would have looked a little dismal. I didn't knit as much as I thought - I was convinced that I had managed 9 out of the 10 shawls in 2010 but the photographic evidence didn't support this.

I had declared some aspirations at the start of 2010 (I don't do resolutions or even goals). I did manage to lose 10 kilos. Sadly it was the same few kilos that went and came back with monotonous regularity throughout the year. I did end the year lighter than I started it but that was due to stomach "issues".

I didn't manage the 10 shawls and I didn't knit from stash much. Overall, my stash increased. But as addictions go it's pretty harmless.

So what about 2011? This year is supposed to be knit from stash year but I have already fallen off that wagon a few times. Well, what is a person to do when confronted by Kidsilk Haze at 20% off? And the Wollmeise was a comfort buy when I was feeling depressed after seeing my daughter off at the airport.

This year I am going to knit what pleases me and feel no guilt at frogging things that don't quite work out. I will try to knit from stash. I will try to avoid those websites that are so enticing because I know that my willpower is non-existent. Most of all, I will find joy in my knitting, in my yarn and pattern purchases and especially in my knitting friends. Which is, after all, the main thing.

November roundup - late, as usual

2010-12-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

So another month has come and gone. I was quite convinced that December was another six weeks away at least but no, here it is with all the attendant festive hoo-ha.

There has been knitting in November - another Damson, Feast for your Feet socks finished and sundry other projects started and, in some cases, finished. I can't show you because I still haven't replaced the lost camera. There has also been quite a lot of yarn acquisition. Well, if I'm going on a strict yarn diet next year then I need to be prepared. I can't show the yarn in because I still haven't replaced etc. etc. But there has been Wollmeise and some Knitabulous yarn.

I though you might like to see my brother's house. He lives not very many miles outside of London. This was the scene he woke to last week.

The cars are indeed Porsches. He lives next door to a Porsche dealer

How to get a flight to run on time

2010-12-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month I took six flights in six days. Every flight - bar one - had problems including flight and baggage delays. One flight departure was delayed two hours! However, the last flight was problem free. We left on time with a minimum of hassle and arrived at the Sydney terminal over five minutes early!

I'm sure that it was purely coincidental that the airline CEO was on board.....

October Roundup

2010-10-28T19:25:00.001-07:00

It's been a bit of an up and down month. Healthwise - definitely down. After an episode of excruciating tummy spasms it seems I have diverticulitis. I also managed to sprain my ankle which has been a nuisance and interfered with the physio I was having for my knee (same leg). I am now seeing a dietitian, and have a referral to a gastroenterologist. I am a bit grumpy about the diet I will now have to follow even though I am grateful that it is a very manageable condition and it could have been a whole lot worse!

Work has been challenging. We are very busy preparing to move offices and three of my team were terminated for breaching just about every policy you can think of. Great timing!

Last weekend we flew to Adelaide for a wedding. The wedding was held at Currency Creek. It was a very pretty venue, the bride looked lovely and everyone had a great time but there was just a bit too much Celine Dion for my liking. I can't show you photos because the next day I lost my camera.

On the knitting front there have been some finished objects (photos on the aforementioned lost camera) and some yarn acquisition. So not a lot out and quite lot in. I will update when I either get a new camera or resuscitate my old camera.

Busted!

2010-10-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

In the interests of complete disclosure, there was actually more yarn purchased than admitted to earlier. I have owned up to them on my stash page in Ravelry but here is more from last month:

And whilst I am thinking about designating 2011 knit from stash year, this obviously excludes any purchases that might be anticipated on an overseas trip and any yarn that might be required to knit things for my grandson-in-the-making.

Ins and outs

2010-10-01T20:48:00.001-07:00

So - last month there were two finished projects - Damson in Knitabulous Fifty - fifty.

And Los Monos Locos (Crazy Monkeys) in Fyberspates Dream sock yarn:

There was some yarn purchased. This from Posh yarns - a silk wool blend for a summer top:

And a final shipment from the very excellent Needlefood:

Sadly, Michelle is taking a break from dyeing yarn so I had to grab some before she shut up shop. There may have been other yarn purchased. I have been updating my stash on Ravelry with a view to (possibly) declaring 2011 knit from stash year.

In the meantime, I am of the view that it would be criminal not to take advantage of the strong Aussie dollar - we'll never have it so good again!

Knitting Foibles

2010-09-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

I will admit to having a few little foibles - but there is usually a reason for them. I prefer to sit on the left side of a bus, for example. But that is because I usually knit on the bus and prefer not to have my right arm hard up against the side of the bus. And I don't like buying shoes that have been on display in the shop but this is because so few shops insist that people wear those sock things to try on shoes. Call me fussy but I don't fancy buying shoes that have been worn - however briefly - by someone else's bare feet. Particularly in summer.

I'm not sure that my knitting foibles are based on any sort of reason, though. I get quite stressed if I have to put a project down having just completed a right side row. Why is this? I don't know - I just prefer to finish on a wrong side row.

I don't like knitting projects that don't use up a complete skein. Now this is clearly ridiculous but I find myself avoiding knitting items that use less than one skein.

I have a not inconsiderable stash of yarn but am reluctant to use some of it. Again, why? Why am I saving any yarn? Am I waiting for the perfect project to appear? It's all getting a little out of hand so I am going to make a concerted effort to knit from my stash and to base my project selection on the suitability of the yarn, rather than the amount of it.

A Disorganised Knitter

2010-09-27T00:12:00.000-07:00

My working life occasionally involves developing and putting in place information management taxonomies. So you would think that I would be good at organising, sorting and classifying. Somehow, when it comes to my home life, all these skills depart and I seem to live in a perpetual muddle. I can't even describe it as organised chaos!

My stash is a good example. Although I do try to store similar yarns together, I don't really have a firm idea of what I have or where it is. So I have decided to really use the organisational tools available in Ravelry and to document my stash. This is a somewhat scary and daunting proposition. It will mean that I will have to confront the size of the stash (or yarn collection according to Randomknits ). I am working through my stashes - the home one and the office one - and photographing, uploading and sorting. I may surface eventually!

Pipe down

2010-09-01T15:02:00.000-07:00

Some of our knitting group have recently moved house. Last week, we were talking about the trials and tribulations of moving and how we inevitably lose stuff in the process. I have moved house many times and have lost things that were dear to me. However, one thing seems to survive. And this is it:

It's a boatswain's pipe sometimes called a bosun's whistle or call. These pipes can be traced as far back as the Crusades and were used to pass commands to a ship's crew as they could be heard over the sound of the sea. Nowadays, they are generally used on ceremonial occasions.

I found this one almost 50 years ago on Eastbourne beach. Many of you will know how stony English beaches are so it is miraculous to find anything. This has stayed with me through house moves across four countries, three continents and two hemispheres. I haven't consciously treated it any differently to any other possesion but it is the one thing that has remained with me through all that time and the only remnant of my childhood.

It might seem fanciful but I wonder if this little artifact has had a deeper influence on my life. I was married for almost forty years to a master mariner and my present partner is ex-RAN. As the songs says - all the nice girls love a sailor!

Things knitterly

2010-08-18T20:34:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday Liz Gemmell was the guest speaker at the Inner City Guild meeting. In the afternoon she conducted a workshop for us. It was an amazing day and Liz was incredibly generous with sharing her knowledge. I think we all felt inspired!

I shall certainly be more diligent about swatching and will try charting out patterns before I start knitting. I realise that this is why so few - well, none really - of my knitted garments work out the way I would like. It absolutely makes more sense to spend time doing the maths rather than waste many hours knitting a garment that I am not happy with and will never wear!

Two items that have turned out well are

the Vintage Lady scarf. This is the Lacy Kerchief Scarf in my favourite yarn - Knitabulous Fifty Fifty.

And

Many Yards of Heaven. This is 195 Yards of Heaven in Rowan Silky Wool. I bought four skeins in John Lewis in London but needed a fifth to get the size shawl I wanted. To cut a long story short I eventually got the yarn from Webs and amazingly it was the same dye lot!

From my office window

2010-08-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

This is what I see.

It's very distracting.

The weekend just gone:

2010-08-09T00:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't
- do the City to Surf, my knee was too sore
- buy any yarn

I did
- start and finish another swatch for the Guild workshop next weekend
- do some ironing
- make some lentil soup (yum)
- go to the movies (A Special Relationship which was excellent! Brilliant performances.)

On balance, a good weekend!

Remembering Bessie

2010-08-03T22:27:00.000-07:00

I am over in Perth for a few days for work. It was an eventful flight with a mid-air medical emergency necessitating a faster trip than normal and paramedics to greet the plane. Hopefully the young woman involved is OK and that all is well with her pregnancy.

From the office I am using I have an amazing view.

My camera (and my photographic skills) don't do it justice. From the office window, I can clearly see the War Memorial and grounds of Kings Park. My grandmother (Bessie Rosina) was a very practical, sensible woman not given to displays of emotion. She was the eldest of twelve children and had a hard life in her early years growing up in the East End of London. She and my grandfather came to Perth on a cruise following his retirement. Bessie was so impressed by the view from Kings Park that it moved her to tears.

So I always think of her when I see this place. I won't get time to make a trip to the park but for some reason, I always feel a bit closer to her here.

Back from Bendi

2010-07-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

So last weekend was the Australian Wool and Sheep Show at Bendigo. Bells, DrK and Randomknits have already blogged about the weekend and about their travels in country Victoria.

I flew to Melbourne on Friday afternoon and drove out to Bendigo to the house I was sharing with DrK, Bells, Jody and her mum and aunt. Friday evening we went to the Ravelry event at the Bendigo Bowling Club. So many knitters and so many amazing knitting garments! It was great fun pattern spotting and quite made up for inadequate catering.

On Saturday, I headed off to the Bendigo Showgrounds in some fear and trepidation that there would be nothing left after the hordes had descended the previous day. Of course there was plenty to look at, pore over and eventually purchase. So much lovely yarn but I was fairly restrained. Despite the cool day everyone was in great spirits and the general atmosphere was upbeat and cheerful.

I have never actually seen a sheep sheared before so I greatly enjoyed the sheep shearing competition. I love watching sheepdog trials and spent some time watching the dogs put through their paces. By that time I was really cold - despite the Cranford mitts etc - so made my way back to the house to warm up and catch up with the election news. I cast on the Lacy Kerchief Scarf as a reward for not buying too much at the show.

On Sunday I packed my bags and got ready to head back to Melbourne and home to Sydney. I had a bit of spare time so set off for Bendigo Pottery. I bought a teapot and a plain but lovely salad bowl for me and a vase which is a Christmas present.

Here is the yarn I bought at the Show in the salad bowl

It was a good weekend but I feel that I missed out on a lot by not spending more time there. I've been to Daylesford a couple of time before and know that there is so much else to discover in this part of the world. Sadly, I didn't get to the Bendigo Mills as I ran out of time on Saturday so the famous backroom is still a mystery to me.

And I think that I would have enjoyed it all a lot more had I had a travelling companion. Next time I'll be better organised and plan to stay for longer.

Dreaming of Bendigo

2010-07-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone who left comments about my last post. I think I was probably being a bit precious about it so your words helped me put it into context.

I slept well last night - apart from a bad dream where I arrived at Bendigo with an empty suitcase as I had forgotten my knitting! My suitcase is now packed - possibly overpacked as I am worried about being cold. And this is the knitting that's going with me:

Lacy Kerchief Scarf

The yarn is Knitabulous Fifty-fifty - one of my favourite yarns. I wound the skein last night and I just love the colour. It's called Vintage Lady.

Swirled scrolls scarf

It's Lush Yarn Cashmere in Lava. This the yarn used for the hat fail - here:

Quincy

Was intended to keep my head warm in Bendigo but unlikely to be finished in time.

Crazy Monkey Socks

One down - one to go! The Fyberspates yarn is lovely to work with.

That should keep me busy! Am off to the airport shortly.

There's a theme here...

2010-07-13T00:28:00.000-07:00

You know how you have those days (or weeks, or months) when nothing goes right? I think I had one of them last week.

Months ago, I volunteered (along with some others) to do the morning tea for the Inner City Guild meeting. We were all fired up and rashly promised a Christmas in July theme. Well, life got in the way and people had other things to do and as the day grew closer it didn't seem such a good idea.

My cooking plans were somewhat interrupted by a work trip to Canberra but I was still determined to stick to the theme. The sausage rolls worked out well. Then I realised that most of my kitchen equipment still resides in the now-vacated (by me, that is) marital home so I didn't have the necessary pans and pastry cutters to make mince pies. Fail # 1. So I made Christmas Cookies. The star shape was vaguely festive but the icing was exceedingly dodgy. Fail #2. (They tasted great though).

It was now late Friday evening and I had to get to the dentist for 9 am the next morning. My dentist is the other side of Sydney so it wasn't going to be a quick trip. Raced over there, tried to find some festive decorations and then raced back to make the mulled wine. Smelled great but I forgot to take the slow cooker to keep it warm. Fail # 3.

The Guild meeting was brilliant - the new location is fabulous and it was the usual lively and informative meeting. I happily knitted away at a hat in softest cashmere to keep me warm in Bendigo. I finished it later that day. Fail # 4. It's far too small. Kind of ironic that the Guild topic was tension squares.......

A most excellent weekend!

2010-06-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening we went to the Drama Theatre at the Sydney Opera House to see Waiting for Godot . It is a great production with an excellent cast.

Saturday we were up early for the drive to Coffs Harbour. Great knitting time for me with the occasional stop for food and comfort breaks. We stayed at an amazing B & B just outside Coffs - Santa Fe has (unsurprisingly) a Mexican theme. We had a lovely, very comfortable room with a deck and spa. As we were the only guests that weekend we had the run of the guest lounge. Our host, Sharon, provided us with a wonderful breakfast each morning - lovely!

Breakfast was the culinary highlight of each day. A very ordinary soup in Dorrigo for lunch on Sunday - the hail drove us to take shelter in the nearest cafe we could find. And dinner that evening was an experience! Being winter and a Sunday evening, not much was open. We tried to eat here but were turned away by the surly owner despite the many empty tables because he and his wife were the only staff on duty. We later found out that he has reputation for being extremely unpleasant and that the food is equally as bad. The Indian restaurant that we ended up at was not much better. I do object to paying for curry consisting of the meat being tossed into a not very nice sauce and gluggy rice.

After inspecting R's property on Monday morning we headed back to Sydney. Again, I got a lot of knitting done and finished the 10 in 2010 shawlette (dreadful name) I had been working on. Just needs to be blocked.

Also on the knitting front the final shipment from the Knitabulous Black Japan club arrived. A stunning grey fifty- fifty called Samurai Sword.

And another piece of good news - I finally located the pattern for the cardigan I almost completed last year and also found the piece that I was working on. Hurrah!

Crafty capers (and some yarn acquisition)

2010-06-21T19:03:00.001-07:00

So there have been a number of crafty events over the last few weeks. First up was the Guild meeting and an excellent talk on blocking by the very talented Randomknits. I know Donna was nervous but she did a brilliant job. After that we adjourned to the Abraham Mott Hall in the Rocks for WWKIP. A lovely afternoon of knitting, socialising and perhaps a bottle or two of bubbles. Sally did a fantastic job of organising the event despite being laid up in hospital with a broken hip. It was great to see her up and about (albeit still on crutches) and I know that all 92 of us had a great afternoon.

The following week the Craft show rolled into town. We went on Saturday so that R's mum (visiting from Adelaide) could see the quilts - some of which were amazing! I was fairly restrained in the yarn acquisition department as I only bought a couple of balls from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

The next day I was back at the Craft show helping out on the Guild stand. We weren't very busy so it was a relaxed few hours knitting.

A couple of ideas for projects had been percolating overnight so two cones of Habu and some more Bendigo yarn (which was reduced even further!) fell into my basket.

And yes - for once I do have projects in mind for this yarn!

Have you noticed?

2010-06-09T18:09:00.001-07:00

How young emergency service workers are these days? I was pondering this last week as I was standing in the street in my nightie in Darwin at 4 a.m. As I evacuated the hotel with the other guests I was thinking that were my daughter there she would have been excited that there would be firies to look at once we got outside. And there were - but they were all so young a couple of them looked as though they might have been on work experience.

The week in Darwin went downhill after that as I succumbed to the stomach bug that is going round. So no nice snaps of the bay or Mindil beach market as I spent the time in the office or in the hotel room. Or more specifically in the bathroom in each of those places.

Oh well - at least I lost 2.5 kilos!

At last - some finished objects!

2010-05-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

I didn't think that May had been any more productive than any other month but I do seem to have found time to finish some projects.

First up was the Green Leaves socks. The pattern was great but I stumbled over sewing up the toes. I don't find Kitchener stitch very intuitive - perhaps I need more practice?

Next was Clothilde. A very satisfying knit and - even better - used stashed yarn. Lush yarns merino / silk which is a lovely yarn to knit with.

Also finished - and blocked - is Alix's prayer shawl. Another satisfying knit and one which I think I would like to do again in a larger size and in heavier weight yarn. This also used some stashed yarn (Knitabulous merino sock) which had been knitted and frogged a couple of times.

There has been some stash acquisition. Some has been owned up to but there might have been a skein or two in addition to that acquired in Canberra. I start out with all good intentions of confessing my yarn acquisitions and even go so far as to photograph them but somehow never quite get around to publicly admitting to them. Yes - I am clearly in denial!

Canberra Capers

2010-05-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

I flew down to Canberra on Friday evening to spend the weekend with R and, of course, to go to the very excellent Old Bus Depot Markets. This weekend was the Celebration of Wool.

We met up with some of the Sydney contingent on Saturday evening for dinner in Kingston. I wish I had got a photo of the sign in the restaurant forbidding us from standing on the tables, but I would have had to stand on a table to get it.....

Sunday was crisp and clear (at least in Kingston).

We had arranged to meet at 9.30 and here we are -

well, Margarita, Gemma, Catherine and me at any rate:

Randomknits had already tweeted that she and Knitabulous were by the mulled wine so we followed our noses

Pretty, pretty yarn! The stall looked great - very professional and really stood out amongst the others. I can't resist Ailsa's Fifty Fifty and so the aptly named "Vintage Lady" - a delicate pink -was purchased.

On the upper level, I came across another fantastic looking stall - Buttontree Lane and Fibrewebs.

I fell in love with the elephant print sack bags so one came home with me.

And some buttons from the button stall

There was so much lovely yarn and I looked, and fondled

but actually didn't buy much else.

I got a skein of Polwarth wool and
another of Polwarth wool & Silk from Tarndwarncoort . And some silk from Glenora which I forgot to photograph.

I trailed around after Margarita for a while and ran into a good friend which was an unexpected bonus. I caught up with Margarita and Tia before heading out to Lambert Vineyards for lunch and then the flight home to Sydney.

So I am feeling pretty good about the amount of yarn acquisition - I certainly came in well under budget. It was great to be amongst so many knitters and fibre enthusiasts. It was an inspiring morning seeing so many lovely projects on display on the stalls and on people at the markets. One advantage of the cooler Canberra climate is that it is perfect for shawls, scarves, cowls, mittens and hats!

A big weekend

2010-05-09T23:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a great weekend but I am shattered!

Friday was a blur of activity as I repacked my suitcase after three days in Brisbane, fitted in a gym session, got my hair cut and headed off to the airport to fly to Melbourne. R flew down from Canberra and we met up for the trip to St Kilda. Friday evening we had dinner with his eldest son and his partner. Although we've been together for a while now, I hadn't met any of his children before now so this was fairly momentous and a little daunting for me. We had a lovely evening at Cicciolina. which was their choice but, serendipitously, one of my favourite restaurants.

On Saturday we had breakfast in St Kilda then caught the tram into the City for some shopping. In the evening it was the reason for our visit - the 60th birthday party of an ex-Navy colleague of R's. Several of his class mates and their partners were there and it was the first time I'd met any of them so again, a little daunting!

On Sunday we drove out to Croydon North to visit more long term friends of R. They have just moved there from Canberra and have taken on an enormous project to restore a beautiful but somewhat dilapidated early 1900's house and the Edna_Walling designed garden. I half expected to see Kevin_McCloud shaking his head over the folly of trying to restore such a property!

I've started so I'll finish.......one day

2010-05-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't really felt very inspired by my knitting recently. I know that I am a resistant completer but I really do have too many projects sitting around waiting to be finished and perhaps this is impacting my ability to get excited and inspired by new projects. I seem to have the attention span of a gnat and am suffering from an inability to commit to a new project.

Skulking in the pending basket are:

The Falling Leaves socks which are finished apart from one toe that needs to be Kitchener stitched.

The two halves of All a Flutter need to be grafted together - but where are they?

A Saroyan needing to be blocked and;

Alix's Prayer Shawl - also needing blocking.

On the positive side, I did complete Lucy's Jacket - another Phazelia's Mitred Jacket.

I know that I just need to be disciplined and get on with it but instead I dither and delay and spent far too much time and money acquiring yet more yarn. Yarn that I hope will inspire me.....

Surely not!

2010-04-28T01:50:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure when or how it happened but at some point in the last few months I seem to have crossed an invisible line. At first I thought it was a random happening but it now occurs on a regular basis. Somehow, I have become a person for whom people relinguish their seats on buses.

Now I don't wish to sound ungrateful and I am very pleased that there are so many well brought up people around but it is a little unnerving. How can the energetic, youthful person that I am inside look as though I need to sit down?

Postcard from New Zealand

2010-03-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time in New Zealand, although it seems a long time ago now. But with limited access to the internet and limited time, I didn't manage to blog about the trip. So here is the potted version.

We flew into Wellington at the start of the trip. After picking up the car and grabbing a late lunch we headed for Karori. Just as we got there, a massive storm blew up and the temperature plummeted. Welcome to Windy Wellington indeed! My cousin's three children were pleased to see me and we had a lovely evening catching up on all the news. Actually - not sure whether the children were more interested in me or my iPhone but I was happy to see them again. The next day we visited Te_Papa , found a yarn shop for me and a tackle shop for R. And the weather improved although it was a still a little chilly. The youngest asked me to teach him to knit. I don't think he quite grasped it but he smiled his devastating smile at me and said that he was "finding it very relaxing"!

We then headed off to Martinborough. What a great little town - we loved it.

Fabulous wineries, good food and very friendly people. We visited a couple of wineries and Olivo where we bought some amazing olive oil. A wander through the Wairarapa and on to my aunt in Taupo.

My aunt is my mother's youngest sister and we were always very close when I was growing up. This visit there were no shocking family revelations and we had a good time catching up. I really like Taupo althought I'm not sure I would want to live there. We went to the Orakei Korako geothermal park and then for a spin (literally) on the Huka_Falls Jetboat.

After a detour via Tauranga we headed up to Whangapareo, just north of Auckland. Here we were looked after in fine style by an ex-Navy colleague of R's. They went fishing early Saturday morning and caught a few snapper which we had for supper. Our hosts prepared them in lemon juice with chopped onion, tomato and coconut milk - delicious!

On Sunday it was back to Auckland to have coffee with my other kiwi cousin, then on to the airport and home. And yes - there was some yarn acquisition!

Knitters in knots

2010-03-11T12:03:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday saw us (as the erstwhile self-styled magic president would say) at the AGM of the NSW Knitters Guild. Now you wouldn't think that something as genteel as knitting would generate such heated debate and engender such deeply felt emotions. I guess that when you get a group of people together for whatever purpose, then divudes can open and the original common purpose get forgotten.

We were told not to talk about the AGM so I can't tell you about the grossly improper behaviours that occurred. Nor can I comment on the travesty of the "election" of the office bearers. I have since heard that there were even more improprieties during the nomination process than we understood. It seems that the President herself opened the nomination papers and, upon seeing who had nomonated for what position, then persuaded other people to also nominate for those positions. The Returning Officer was not allowed to fulfil her role of impartially overseeing the process and the Executive Committee later voted on the validity of the nominations despite the fact that there was a clear conflict of interest.

At the end of this debacle, we have a new committee and a new president who is committed to ensuring fair, equitable and accountable governance. It is a shame that they weren't permitted to go through the proper election process as I know that they would have got massive support from the ordinary members. The people who, after all, supposed to be what the Guild is all about.

The young ones

2010-02-22T19:54:00.000-08:00

When I was chronologically a young one, I wanted to be like my aunt, Carol. Carol was (and still is) ten years older than me and was more like an older sister to me. So when she became a fan of Cliff Richard, so did I. I suspect that due to the fickleness of teenagers, Carol moved on but I didn't. Whilst I am not a dyed in the wool, avid Cliff groupie, I have remained a constant fan (much to the amusement and indulgence of my family). So when it was announced that Sir Cliff AND the Shadows were going to perform at the Hunter Valley, I knew I had to get tickets.

So last Friday afternoon we headed north to the Hunter Valley. The place where we stayed was nothing special but this was the view from the verandah.

On Friday night we had excellent tapas at Tatler. After a lazy start to Saturday we hit the wineries! I like to go to the smaller wineries - the ones that only sell from the cellar door rather than the big conglomerates. It seemed from our guidebook that Audrey_Wilkinson had won a lot of prizes so we decided to start there. As we drove up to the cellar door a magnificent view unfolded before us:

The wine was pretty good, too. Next up was an old favouite Tamburlaine where we got some bargain red, some Framboise and some white. After lunch we headed to Capercaille which I felt was a little disappointing.

After getting changed, it was time to head off to the concert at Hope Estate. It was a great night. Cliff always puts on a good show and this was no different. I had forgotten what a great musician Hank Marvin was and it was wonderful to hear some of the Shadows old hits. And for somewhat aged young ones - they looked and sounded pretty good!

Ups and downs

2010-02-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

It's been an eventful and somewhat stressful few weeks. I was going to blog about the debacle of the Knitters_Guild elections but I think that all that should be said has been. I know that the incoming Executive will be much more open, visible and accountable and that the harassment and bullying that has characterised the organisation will become a thing of the past.

Workwise we had a tumultuous week last week with fourteen partners resigning from the firm on the same day. Again, much has been written about this and whilst it does not affect me directly, it has unsettled everyone.

Healthwise I have had an unpleasant gum infection which my dentist attributes to stress. The medication was strong and knocked me around a bit last week.

Thank goodness for my knitting! The Green Leaves socks are progressing nicely,

Cherry_Basket is finished

and I have started a Featherweight Cardigan.

There has been some yarn acquisition - the last instalments of the Lush yarn Sock Club and the wonderful Knitabulous yarn club. Oh - and a skein of Lush 50/50 silk and merino happened to fall into my virtual shopping basket.

A Capital Weekend

2010-01-31T17:35:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday evening, instead of going to the M&S knitting group, I flew to Canberra. It was wonderful to get away from the packing boxes for the weekend.

Friday was the man's birthday and we went to the excellent Ottoman for dinner. The restaurant is somewhat curiously located in Barton, surrounded by office buildings. We had a lovely evening and the service and food were of the usual high standard. We had a selection of Turkish dishes - all delicious - and left feeling well and truly sated.

On Saturday morning we headed to the National Gallery for the Masterpieces_from_Paris exhibition. This comprises 112 masterpieces from the Musee d'Orsay in Paris which, I believe, is undergoing extensive renovation. The highlight for me, rather predictably, was Van Gogh's Starry Night. I've seen it before but was again enthralled by the depth of colour and luminescence of the painting.

After that, we headed for the Canberra Centre and a bit of shopping before going to see Bran Nue Dae. I enjoyed the movie but can see that it might have been better as a stage show.

Later we walked around the lake before heading out to dinner in Manuka.

On Sunday we had a leisurely but not very nice breakfast- in Manuka again - before spending an hour or so at the Bus_Depot_Markets in Kingston. Then on to the Pialligo_Estate for lunch - an excellent Duck breast salad for me - and a glass or two of Pinot Grigio. The weather was perfect - warm but with none of the Sydney humidity.

And then it was time to get on the plane back to Sydney. After the stresses of the last few weeks it was the perfect weekend - no humidity, warm days, good food and wine and a some relaxing diversions.

Stash relocation

2010-01-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

So Saturday (hottest day for 6 or 7 years) was the day of the move. The removalists were great and nearly everything got relocated without too much drama. The new place has more living space but the bedrooms are smaller with fewer cupboards. This necessitated a trip to Ikea to buy a wardrobe. (Note to self: do not go to Ikea on a drizzly Sunday. Everybody has the same idea. It is not much fun for you or the hundreds of wailing infants!)

The knitting books are in here somewhere:

And part of the stash is in here........

.....somewhere!

Trials and tribulations

2010-01-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

I'm generally fairly sanguine about my lot in life. I think that I have had a blessed life so far and regularly thank whichever force has decreed that I should be so fortunate (apart from the bunions, of course). However, the last few months has severely tested my (possibly) complacent view of the world.

Having spent most weekends looking for somewhere to live and submitting to quite intrusive examination to determine whether we were fit to live in some overpriced hovel, we finally had an application accepted and were all set to move out to the 'burbs. Although this meant an extended commute to work I was prepared to do it in order to live in a nice, new townhouse with plenty of space. The day before we were due to sign the lease it all fell through because the potential landlord hadn't settled the purchase. And settlement was going to be delayed at least four weeks and we have to be out of our current place at the end of the month. So the trawling of the websites, fruitless attempts to contact real estate agents and turning up with dozens of other hopefuls at the few places that were halfway decent began again. In desperation.

Fortunately the application we submitted on Saturday was approved and this weekend we move into a townhouse in the same suburb. Not as large as the other one but much closer to the City and easier to get home to after Thursday evening knitting group.

In with the new....

2010-01-08T21:41:00.000-08:00

It's taken me a while to get around to tallying up the knitting output for 2009. This was partly due to me feeling hat my productivity was pathetic in comparison to others. We were talking about this at knitting group and I came to realise that it doesn't matter. I enjoyed most of the projects I embarked on during the year. Those that were less than satisfactory have been frogged and will become new, more enjoyable ones this year. So here it is - what I finished last year.

As for New Year's Resolutions - I never keep them so would be setting myself up for failure if I made any. And goals are far too specific for me. I have decided that I will have aspirations this year. I shall aspire to knit from my stash (packing up for the house move made me realise how much I had accumulated), to finish more projects this year and to not buy yarn unless I have a specific project in mind. My other aspirations include getting fit, losing weight (10 kilos in 2010) and staying in contact with friends and family.

Bobb's Christmas

2009-12-30T23:56:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've all been wondering about Bobb's Christmas presents. I took three packages out to him on Boxing Day.

He loves opening presents...

And was feeling very pleased with himself!

Yarn Confession

2009-12-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

So here it is - time to admit to yarn acquisition in November. I think I've remembered everything and I may have doubled up one or two from October's haul (she says, hopefully).

First up is the "forgotten" yarn from Knitabulous. A glorious fifty-fifty called Citrus Punch. Next is the November shipment from Needlefood - Picnic in the Rain. On the right are two skeins from Angels & Elephants - Holly Berry and Damson Delight.

Then there is Poison from Yarn Lust, Wine Tasting from Sundara Yarns and another Needlefood - Lupin. The final three skeins are all from Posh Yarns - Miranda 4 ply in Holly Golightly, Elinor in Angel Eyes and a gorgeous Alpaca / Silk blend in Sanctuary. I don't think I've missed anything but I do seem to have a few more skeins than this lurking in my home stash and my secret office stash.

Off the needles last month was Rosered in Malabrigo Silky Yarn but that was all! So November was definitely a Yarn Positive month.

It Itches

2009-12-07T18:32:00.000-08:00

Sadly not a reference to Frankin Habit's book of the same name. I have not been feeling 100% for some time and felt vaguely unwell at the excellent M&S Christmas High Tea. On Sunday morning I woke up itching from a rash on my trunk. Dr Google confirmed my suspicions that it was shingles and my real life doctor seconded that opinion. Which explains the burning back pain of earlier in the week and general malaise. So now I'm on aggressive anti-viral medication which I'm hoping will fix the shingles and also my knitting doldrums.

I am assured that barring physical contact with the rash I am not contagious so all my fellow tea party-goers should not be concerned.

I am using my ailment as a valid excuse to defer the stash total confession.

Current works in progress include Flutter Scarf using Posh yarn Beatrice. It's a lovely yarn and a soothing pattern to knit.

South of the Border

2009-12-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm working in our Melbourne office for a few days. The people in our office are very friendly and it is always a pleasure to come here. And the office is in a stunning building. Here is the foyer all dressed up for Christmas

I only had time for a quick dash to Clegs where I bought some organic cotton to make washcloths for Christmas gifts.

You will have noticed a deafening silence on the Yarn Neutral status this month. I haven't actually tallied it up but I fear that the input has far outweighed the output. This is partly due to the persistent knitting doldrums and also to some forgotten yarn arriving. I shall bite the bullet and record the month's totals when I get home.

Knitting Doldrums

2009-11-26T22:11:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to find the right word to describe how I feel about my knitting at the moment. I haven't lost my knitting mojo but I seem unable to get enthused about any of my current projetcs. I keep starting things and then frogging them. I have knitted the back, a sleeve and half the left front of Pebbles and am seriously thinking of unravelling it all. Rosered suggested starting a new project every day for a week as a cure (it worked for her).

In the meantime - a finished Christmas present:

I'm quite pleased with this - it's for my daughter-in-law. My family in the UK are all getting hats this Christmas. I still have to knit two so I hope that the feeling of ennui soon passes!

Relocation, relocation!

2009-11-11T20:31:00.000-08:00

We found out last week that the whoever owns our unit has defaulted on the mortgage and the lender wants vacant possession - understandably! There is some question as to who actually owns the unit as there are several names on the court document - none of whom are the landlord. Since it all sounds distinctly dodgy, we decided to start looking around.

Can I tell you how depressing this is? There is not much out there and what is available in our area is pretty grim. At one of the inspections another lady was muttering about the need for a good dose of Domestos and I have to agree with her. The one bright spot in an otherwise disheartening day was this jacaranda.

Sadly, not even the proximity of this lovely tree could compensate for the dire state of the inside of the unit! I was extraordinarily fed up and grumpy by the end of the day. The thought of relocating the stash - let alone anything else - is quite overwhelming!

On the knitting front there are a few items off the needles - hoorah!

The socks that were started in July in Knitabulous Ultimate sock yarn in Chrome:

And the Trinity Shawl made from the one of the Lush Yarns Pink Ribbon Day special yarns.

This was a very satisfying knit. It knitted up quickly and the yarn - a fifty / fifty blend of silk & merino was beautiful to work with.

Grumpy in WA

2009-11-04T17:50:00.001-08:00

The flight over yesterday was not too bad. I watched (and cried over) Mao's Last Dancer and experimented with the dreaded crochet hook. Boteh still eludes me but I did manage to produce this:

Not sure what I'll do with it but it did pass the time.

I eventually left the office at 6.30 WA time. Since I had left home at 6.15 am (Sydmey time) it had been a long day and I was tired. The hotel I was staying at was a 3.5 km drive away and when I got there it was serviced apartments. No room service. My room was configured for disabled patrons so nothing was at my height. I was tired, grumpy and not happy with the room. There was nowhere else so I agreed to stay.

I thought I'd get out my knitting to calm me down. I wanted to just bring carry on bags to save time at the airport so had taken off my metal Knitpick tips and brought two new, security friendly wooden tips. The screw connection on one tip was faulty so it wouldn't tighten up and I COULDN'T KNIT!!!! This was the final straw!

Fortunately there was a Vintage Cellars right opposite the hotel and an IGA down the road. I got bubbles from one, superglue and some food from the other. I got back to my apartment and filled a glass with the bubbles, stuck the Knitpicks tip on with the superglue, and banged the food in the microwave. Calm descended......

Mid-week weekend update

2009-11-03T12:33:00.000-08:00

We are now halfway through the week and I haven't had a chance to talk about the busy weekend just gone. A trip to the hairdresser - always a high point for me because my hair grows so quickly - meant that I had a couple of hours to work on the RoseRed for my daughter-in-law. Great progress was made but I fear I am running out of yarn (an all too familiar occurrence, I'm afraid) and also that it is too small! I've managed to find another skein of the yarn so once that has arrived I will re-knit it using 4.5 mm needles and compare the sizes.

On Sunday we did the cliff walk from Bondi to Tamarama and back. It was a beautiful day and the walk is currently enlivened by sculptures. This did mean that there were a lot of people around in addition to the usual joggers and walkers but we got a good workout and enjoyed the sculptures.

As RoseRed is stalled, I got out one of the purchases from Lush_Yarns and started the Trinity Shawlette (which I have re-christened the Trinity Small Shawl).

It's a great pattern and quite versatile and the yarn is lovely to work with.

October Tally

2009-10-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

So, another month draws to a close and it's time to reconcile the yarn ledger.

Off the needles:
- 1 skein Needlefood Sock yarn Lollipop (Diagonal Lace Socks )
- 1 skein Knitabulous merino sock Hyacinth (Travellling Woman sort of off the needles)
- 1 skein Knitabulous Fifty - Fifty (Springtime Bandit)

Out (as a result of the inaugural stash reallocation) is a total of 45 skeins of yarn. I was going to itemise it all here but hey, that would be incredibly boring.

So that's all good news! Now the not-so-good news:

This is most of the inward yarn. There are one or two (OK, make that five) additional skeins that arrived courtesy of the Stash Reallocation, the first shipment of the Needlefood sock club and the Lush Yarns store update. Oh yes - and 10 balls of Morris and Sons Paddington - what can you do when there's a sale on?

However, I reckon I am still Yarn Neutral. Now I really must get on with knitting this wonderful haul!

Spring! Sprung!!

2009-10-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days, I've felt that Spring is finally here. Daylight Savings has helped but the weather is also better and things just feel a bit more optimistic and full of possibilities. Of course, I was brought up with Spring happening at the other end of the year. I loved seeing the primroses and snowdrops appear but my favourite wild flowers were bluebells.

I bought a large bunch at the Orange Grove Markets the other day. When I was a child, you were still allowed to pick them and the woods near our home were carpeted in the most amazing blue blooms. I think that's why I like jacaranda trees so much - they remind me of my childhood.

I also finished and blocked Springtime Bandit - and didn't run out of yarn this time.

What a great pattern - I loved knitting it and the Knitabulous Fifty-fifty yarn was wonderful to knit with.

Of course, Spring means spring cleaning. So we had the inaugural Stash re-allocation last Saturday. It was a great afternoon with lots of lovely yarn to drool over, bubbles to drink, yummy food and knitting time with good friends. I have already been outed by Rosered as the owner of the suitcase (it was a small cabin bag, people) full of yarn. I did manage to come away Yarn Neutral from that exercise but can't guarantee that I will maintain that status for the rest of the month particularly as Morris_and_Sons have a big sale on.

Long Weekend

2009-10-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we (in NSW) had a public holiday on the Monday. On Saturday afternoon, we (R & I) drove to Canberra as he has finally conceded that driving a bus is not the best use of his abilities and he is returning to his previous public service job whilst waiting for a transfer to Sydney.

On Sunday morning we had breakfast and then headed to the Old-Bus-Depot-Markets in Kingston. We had a lovely time browsing the stalls and bought some delicious cheese and bread, some fruit, handmade cards and vintage buttons:

Then we set off for Hall and lunch at the_Poacher's_Pantry. I had heard a lot about this place when I worked in Canberra but had never managed to get there so it was a real treat. Sadly, I forgot my camera so don't have any photos to remind me of the lovely lunch we enjoyed

On Monday we went to the Canberra Centre - a little retail therapy and a movie. Then a walk around the lake (to work off some of the indulgences of the day before) managing to get back before the rainstorm rolled in.

On the knitting front, I finished some Cranford fingerless mittens for a work colleague who had admired the pair I made for my daughter

and cast on Springtime_Bandit.

I'm using Knitabulous Fifty - Fifty and love how it's knitting up.

Yarn neutral stash

2009-09-30T23:15:00.001-07:00

Did I mention I was on a strict yarn diet? As anyone with any experience of dieting knows, a reduction in size results when the output exceeds the input. If the input exceeds the output then the size increases. Should the input equal the output then the status quo is maintained or, as I like to think of it, we have a neutral position. So my personal yarn trading scheme means that so long as the output is equal to (or greater than) the input then I have a yarn neutral stash.

Input last month (after my return from overseas because obviously, holiday stash doesn't count):

1 skein Knitabulous Silken thread "Little Boy Blue

1 skein Lush yarn lace weight "Cider"

Output:

1 skein Knitabulous merino sock yarn (Travelling woman - now stalled)

2 part balls Grignasco Baby merino (Cranford mitts)

1 skein Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Winterberry (destashed)

1 skein Knittery 8 ply DK: Silk Merino Mountain Berry (destashed)

1 skein Liberty D Quixote Persephone (destashed)

4 balls Rowan Kid Silk Night Thunder (destashed)

With the first phase of the stash reallocation project scheduled for later this month, I am hopeful of maintaining a yarn neutral status - because I can resist everything except temptation!

Oops! I did it again......

2009-09-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

Ran out of yarn, that is.

You will have observed that there has been a dearth of knitting activity since I got back from my trip. I decided that the Knitabulous Merino sock yarn that had been trying to become Boteh was, in fact, wanting to be a (ravlink) Travelling-Woman shawl. So I cast it on and all was going well. Until I came to cast off and, forty stitches short of the end of the row, I've run out of yarn.

I'm not sure that I'm all that enamoured of the shape as it seems rather shallow and wide, although I guess that blocking would improve it. I have a few options:

See if anyone has a few metres of the yarn to spare

Throw myself on Ailsa's mercy

Add a border in a contrasting colour (this has some appeal)

Frog it

If I were to knit this again I would increase the plain section and possibly knit it in a simple lacy stitch. And I think that it is probably better knit in a silkier yarn although it does show off the colours of this yarn quite beautifully.

Bobb's present

2009-09-23T00:14:00.000-07:00

Whenever I go to the UK I visit Harrods. I can't stand the shop but it does have an excellent Pet Department and we always bring back a present (or two) for Bobb. Bobb is a Kelpie / Ridgeback cross with a smattering of German Shepherd. We got him from the RSPCA eleven years ago and he is a highly intelligent, much loved member of the family.

So last Saturday I took him some of his presents (the rest are being saved for Christmas so I can't mention them here).

It's from Sniffany's, of course.

He finally found the squeaky bit.

More yarn

2009-09-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

I have to confess that there was some yarn acquisition on my recent trip in addition to that mentioned earlier. And here it is:

I paid a visit to the LYS close to where my daughter lives. Avicraft is tucked away in a row of shops some distance from the main town centre. The shops are generally individually owned and not the major shopping chains which gives the area a more local feel. I had a lovely time chatting to Sharon and browsing through the yarns. I bought some Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk DK which was on sale and hard to resist. It will be a cardi for my daughter.

During the many shopping trips in the quest for the Mother of the Groom outfit, I found myself in various branches of JohnLewis. John Lewis is a great department store and I love the way the floors are set out. Each store has a good haberdashery - don't you love that word? - department with a wide range of Rowan, Noro, Debbie Bliss and Aracaunia yarns. There were probably others but they were the ones I noticed most. I bought some Rowan Silky Tweed and some Wendy Happy bamboo blend sock wool.

I also succumbed to the Posh yarn online sale frenzy and scored (from left to right) some Esme merino sock yarn, Diana silk & merino lace weight and Miranda alpaca, silk and cashmere cobweb laceweight.

And now I am on a strict yarn diet but relishing planning projects to utilise all this yarn!

The Wedding

2009-09-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

Here I am with my partner Rob ready to go to the wedding

With my son the Groom!

It was a lovely day. The ceremony was beautiful. I cried as the bride walked down the aisle. She looked stunningly beautiful but my son's face was so full of love, happiness and pride that I was just moved to tears. The first hymn was Praise My Soul the King of Heaven which was my father's favourite - I could hardly sing the first verse!

The church looked amazing! The flowers were stunning and so plentiful that I'm sure that there can't have been a spare bloom in the South of England.

And here are the happy couple at the reception.

Today's the day!

2009-09-05T03:02:00.000-07:00

The wedding party had a lovely meal at the Ivy restuarant last night to kick off the nuptials. Today the sun is shining, I finally have all the components of my outfit and we are about to go and get dressed up for the ceremony.

We are staying at NumberSixteen - which calls itself a temple to sophistication! I may never leave!

At last - some yarn shopping

2009-08-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

I took myself off to London for the day last week. It takes about 20 minutes on the train which was full of family groups heading up to the big smoke. There were many adults standing and not one child (or parent of a child) offered up their seat. I know I sound like a grumpy old woman but that would not have happened when I (or my children) were young.

Having checked out several stores in an unsuccessful quest for shoes for the wedding I decided that it was time to go yarn shopping! So it was a quick trip on the Tube to Islington and Loop. I had a lovely browse there and was very taken with some Wagtails yarn. Which is, of course, from Queensland so I didn't think it made sense to buy some on this occasion. But definitely a future purchase. So what did I buy? Left to right is Jitterbug from Colinette, sumptuous Malabrigo Silky Merino and Alchemy merino.

Next I got on a bus heading for Waterloo and iKnit. All was going well and I was having a lovely chat to the lady next to me about sock knitting when the bus ground to a halt and it was clear that we weren't going any further. The road ahead was cordoned off by police and other emergency services because of a suspicious package. The traffic was at a complete standstill and buildings were about to be evacuated so I headed off to walk across Waterloo Bridge. I guess this is an everyday occurence in London - everyone just shrugged, got off the buses and out of taxis and continued their journeys on foot. I wonder how Sydneysiders would react?

I finally got to iKnit and had a lovely time browsing and chatting to the shop assistant who was very friendly and interested in the sock that she could see poking out of my bag.

The haul here included two skeins of Manos Silk blend and some seriously lovely Cherry Tree Hill Suri semi solid. Also some square DPNs.

On the knitting front there has been little progress. The sock that was the subject of discussion at iKnit has been frogged for the fourth time. I can't quite work out what I want to knit and am somewhat hampered by the fact that all my needles are back in Sydney.

The wedding is next Saturday and so next week will be busy with final preparations, meeting the bride's parents, and then the big day itself.

Greek tragedy and fine dining

2009-08-24T04:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had a break from shopping for outfits for the wedding and all the attendant events. I just have to get shoes and a bag which is just as well as I am completely over it! I have not done much knitting since I got here and next to no yarn trawling.

The weather has been glorious and far too nice to be stuck inside shopping centres. I usually manage to get my morning walk in before it gets too warm. My normal route takes me past several places that have strong memories for me - the house where my family lived for many years and which my children always thought of as "home" because it was the one constant in their lives; the church where I was married and so on.

I was very indulged on Sunday. My son and almost daughter in law took me to the National Theatre to see Helen Mirren in Phedre. I love going to the theatre and to see a play so well acted by a superb cast was such a treat! After the play we went to the Wolsely for supper. This used to be a car showroom (hence the name) and is in a beautiful Grade II listed building. It is bizarre to think that such an incredible building was originally designed to showcase cars and I can't help feeling that it is much better suited to its current purpose.

A load off my mind

2009-08-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Having trawled through frock shops on both sides of the world, done battle with the moronic mothers of idiot children (another story) and diced with death with maniac continental lorry drivers, I am elated to report that I have finally purchased the all important outfit!

This has been a fairly stressful period as each time I have spoken to the bride the stakes have been raised. So not only have I had to buy an outfit for the wedding but also one for two events in the week running up to the Big Day.

Of course, you want to see what the mother of the groom outfit looks like:

This is, of course, the catalogue image from the Jacques Vert website but, apart from the shoes is what I will be wearing in a little over two weeks time.

In Beautiful, Boring, Bijou Bromley

2009-08-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

A phrase coined by a good friend of ours from Korea - who used to live here so is entitled to describe it thus.

My brother met me at Heathrow yesterday morning and drove me here - to the town where I grew up and where my daughter now lives. It is always strange to come back here where things are so familiar and yet so changed.

The second leg of my trip to London was very pleasant as I was moved into the First Class cabin. Thirteen hours of being gratuitously fawned over made the journey much easier! I slept thanks to having a comfortable bed with doona and did actually get to do some more work on Boteh. Not sure that it will ever become a FO though.

Today was my daughter's birthday. We had a late night last night, a late start today and a long session at the pub this evening. Tomorrow my son, his fiancee and my brother are coming for a birthday barbecue. And no doubt The Wedding will be the main topic of conversation!

En route

2009-08-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

A short break in Singapore. Not much progress on Boteh on the first part of the journey. Since I only ever crochet on long haul flights perhaps that is not surprising. My crochet did occasion some comments (and maybe some envy?) from my travelling neighbours - all positive I have to say.

I plan to break out the DPNs on the next leg (the longest and most tedious part of the journey) but also hope to get a few hours sleep.

At the airport

2009-08-11T22:55:00.000-07:00

I've checked in, done battle with Duty Free, given up on the Tax Refund queue and am now enjoying the hospitality of the First Class lounge. Am on the second glass of Veuve as it happens. I'm not flying First Class unfortunately but have got an upgrade to Business so it should be a relatively comfortable flight.

The bamboo crochet hook and DPNs got through security so I'm all set for this leg at least.

Dipping my toe in the water

2009-08-10T00:57:00.000-07:00

I have come to blogging a bit late. I think this is because I am by nature a very private person and I do feel somewhat self conscious here. However, I am inspired by the brave and generous way in which so many of my knitting friends share their thoughts about life and about the craft that we all love, so here I am dipping my toe in the water and seeing what happens. Also, as many (many) people know, I am about to take off to the UK for my son's wedding, so a blog seemed like a good way of sharing that experience.

So I have been very preoccupied with preparing for my trip, and searching without success for the perfect outfit. I have now resigned myself to intensive shopping as soon as I get there. With any luck that will be sorted soon after arrival and I can then focus on the serious business of yarn acquisition!

I am taking along a couple of projects. This has also been a major decision process and nearly as stressful as the fruitless search for a Mother of the Groom outfit. I am going to attempt Boteh (a crochet scarf) on the flight over as bamboo crochet hooks don't seem to be nearly as confronting as knitting needles. I have some Knitabulous yarn in Hyacinth for that. And I may get around to some more socks - Needlefood Lollipop is destined for that project.

In the meantime, an almost finished project: a jacket for my work colleagues soon-to-be-born baby boy.

Pattern: Phazelia's Mitred Jacket (Rav link)

Yarn: Grignasco Strong Print Sock Yarn