thank you thank you so much

Oh how much do I love knitters

Oh I am most spoilt

I didn't make it to Bendigo show this year but I had some dear friends off and they really came through with a delicious sample of what was on offer, I am determined not to be moving house next year and making the trek south of the border.

Jeannie Mathews' form spin me up

Denyse - thank you for the lovely hand spun and hand dyed yarn

wooldancer's bush hues

Jody thank you for the deliciously dyed plait of to be spun yarn

bendigo luxury 4ply

Donna and Ailsa  thank you for fulfilling my plaintive tweet when you were at Bendigo Wool Mills

Zauberball

Tarndwarncoort 4ply Polwarth

and Kylie thank you so much for the extremely thoughtful birthday present, I immediately want to cast on socks and I am debating either a shawl or not sure for the Polwarth, mmmmmmm

name that yarn

If you want your own skein of Knitabulous go over and think up a name for this wonderful colour

ends

I just have to sew in the ends - I am not sure what possessed me to block this before the ends were all sewn in.  But it happened.

This is Ene's Scarf by Nancy Bush out of Scarf Style

Knitted from Knitabulous' last installment of the Indian Summer Club a merino lace-weight in the most gorgeous stormy blue.

I loved knitting this for the second time - as you may have read in my last post.  The wool is slightly variegated in the diameter and gets thin and thicker as it goes along.  It has washed and blocked to a gorgeous drape.

Now I am at a loss as to what to knit next.......

Progress so far or how I bought more wool

Another pair of socks blocked and stashed in the sock drawer ready for winter - this is my personal sock club 2010 #3 - and I have now cast on #4.  

These ones are waving lace socks from Interweave Favorite Socks in Jitterbug - colour way Monet's Garden.  I loved knitting this pattern and especially seeing how the colour way unfolded.  I am officially a 2.25mm magic loop convert.

I did buy some more wollmeise - and how good is that pink!!!!  Thanks Donna - a girl cannot have too much pink.

As I sit here writing this I am waiting for my Viften to soak and then pink out to block.  What next you ask - English Breakfast Tea I say - Tea Leaves in Madelinetosh yarn - thanks to a destash on Ravelry (ok I am an addict).  This colour way is Venetian - and again I am embracing my girly side.  swatch done - not measured though.

I have cheekily called this "Popping the Cherry" my first wollemiese knit.  I have been eyeing off the Wast Side Shawl since knitting Aeslight by the same designer.  This is knit from the edge first - so 42 diddles later.......

I have now cast off the sleeves you see below for my Viften - and I have 10grams left of the yarn  - phew.  I did have a mild panic yesterday thinking I was going to run out of yarn.  As you can see I have made the short sleeved version and I am waving the knitted pieces over water at the moment ready to block, dry and then sew up.  This is what the pattern says to do so I am following the pattern.  I am so glad to have finished this I was getting over the garter stitch......

But I love the effect.

Under pants on the outside - finally remembered what an acronym stood for.

Thanks Lara love the logo.  Now what to do with this.....

Wool and kittens

here my dear readers is the sum total haul from my recent trip south - at least 3 packets of yarn has been re-homed or rehoused.

Now for some finished items here are the first in the wonderful and very talented Knitabulous' yarn club - Shantaram knit in soft sock(yum yum) - I knit on 2.5mm DPNS for the first sock and changed to my stock standard two circulars for the second.  I can't count and I managed to make an extra repeat on the leg before stating the heel - thanks to Knitra for helping me count and read patterns - as you will see this tip did not stick.

Here is my knitting nemisis - for nearly 2 years this my Frost Cardigan(or fractal nightmare)  has languished in my fear of running out of wool.  Well can you guess how much yarn is left?  ONE whole BALL!!!! duh.  Anyway one more front edge and some ends to sew in and a (ahem) block and she will be ready for entry into the show! Phew.

My second 1/2 pair of socks for 2010 and already I have broken my own promise - one for Sock Victim one for me. S.V. has won twice already.  It was the lure of cotton and the heat that has done it.  I am about to cast on #2 and this is my go everywhere knitting at the moment.

Finally the project in which missfee is reminded not for the first time - to READ the pattern.  Unless you want to get to row 70 and realise you have miss the second half of the pattern instructions for the shaping on the previous 50 rows.  A glass of beer and the rip happened last night - I am already gaining ground - but only up to row 28 at the moment.  I draped it for you to see the effect.  Currently - and we know how off I am with yarn estimates, I am going for the short sleeve version of Viften.  I am loving this pattern and just wished I could knit faster.....

Finally here ar the kittens to say hi.  Tom says I am a meanie for not letting him eat all of the time - he has lost weight under instruction from the Vet.  Po says thanks for guarding me whilst I eat so I do eat and Tom doesn't steal my dinner - as I had lost weight.

I am dreaming of lots of other knits and feel a bit stalled by the bigger projects - I am itching to knit a shawl or 10.......

Confessions of a yarn addict

here are the finished socks for sock victim, as I put them on the sock blockers I found a dropped stitch.

in all my excitement of knitting them I dropped I stitch!!! Oh well I can just pick it up and sew it in.

I am warming you up here with photos of finished items - to lessen the upcoming flash of yarn. Here is my last triangle blocking - and it has been worn so much it needs another block.

I am not one for flashing my stash - unless in large indistinguishable bags so the real effect of damage done is not obvious, guilty as charged.

But the last week I scored some pretty special yarn and Sock Victim went into a yarn shop (Wool Addiction) on Saturday and chose his own for a change. So I thought some photos were in order.

Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn

Then some Filatura di Crosa Mazime Print both are destined to be socks for the Sock Victim

But best til last. Some Rohrspatz Wollmeise from a destash on Ravelry in Herzblut. This is possibly going to be a summer top. But first I am going to drool, sniff, snuggle and sleep with it.

I hope that wasn't too much information

and any suggestions for the said top would be most appreciated I am overcome with wool fumes at the moment and can't think straight

ROAD TRIP

We took our new Waffles on a road trip today

Heading south for a birthday lunch at a great pub with some fantastic company

Of course we stopped by for souvenirs and that would be sock yarn

I only have one photo of the birthday girl with Bells and Georgie in the background, there is no photo of this famous knitter to be had here as I was having too much fun chatting, eating, drinking and knitting to get out the camera!!!

Here is the small bag I made KMS with the pair inside. I should of made a pair of pair bags!!! Instead I put some yarn inside.

Yarn Neutral

I am not

As you may of heard we had a stash reallocation - and I am hoping it is the first of many

It was so much fun gathering, swapping, nabbing(sorry everyone but standing by the suitcase at that exact moment had distinct advantages)

There was yarn

food

and great company indeed

sunshine

and someone did bring some feathers -although around a bottle as a cape so perhaps that doesn't count

oh how I adore knitters

Thank - you

My very own yarn fairy sent this to me this week

Stash clear out

Check out what is going out of the stash - can't knit it so someone else should