Well, someone beat me to the Peruvian in Mid Indigo Heather. Despite the fact that thanks to Susan, I was considering the Bendigo Aran, I think that perhaps I should take this as a sign that I don’t need to make the Must Have Cardi.
There was 50+ balls when I last looked!!
Anyway, the latest costume is done.

Trust me, although you can’t actually see them in this pic, there are 400+ rhinestones glued onto that costume. All around the neckline, all around the bottom of the bodice, and dotted all over the top layer of the skirt.

The headpiece. I hate headpieces! It always takes me forever to think of something I like. I’m pleased with this one though. It just seemed to take off when I started. I started with one row of beads, thought what if I do another? And another? Luckily, I then thought, “Okay, I’ll stop now”

And I made the choker. First time I’ve made jewellery, and it was fun 🙂 I made matching earrings too.

It will go out in a full circle when she actually has room to turn. Which she does a lot in this dance. Unfortunately, to turn in our tiny house requires extensive furniture rearranging.
So, one costume down, one more to go. For now.
Pass me my knitting! 🙂

Look what was in this mornings mail!

How cute is this? The lovely Janette from STYK sent it to me 🙂 It made my morning!
I think it is only right that I insert a Public Service Announcement here.
There are some Evil Enablers in the world. Watch, and Beware. If you are a lemming like I, and suffer from “Me Too!” syndrome, avoid the internet in it’s entirety. If that is unavoidable, beware of people like Norma and Nathania. 😉
They’re hosting a Knitalong for the “Must Have Cardi”.
Funnily enough, I pulled this pattern out just a few days ago, and was contemplating it. When I first got the pattern, it was too small for me, so I stashed it away in the “If I ever lose weight” category.
Well, I lost weight and now it will fit me.
However, I do not have any suitable yarn in the Stash. And I’m trying to knit up the stash. So I shouldn’t make it. I also have almost finished the ribby (Just the zipper now!), and have 2 more cardigans awaiting me in the stash. How many cardi’s are too many?
But I haven’t done any cables in a while, and none of the planned cardi’s have cables. But worsted yarn is difficult to find in Australia, and I would have to order something from the ‘net. I have no experience with Patons Classic Merino (never released here), and don’t know what would be a good substitute. Cascade 220? Elann Peruvian Wool? (The Mid Indigo Heather is nice).
I’m making myself dizzy with all the to-ing and fro-ing.
I actually laid awake last night thinking about it. I’m a sad, sad case.

Okay, back to knitting 🙂
Or seaming, as the case may be. Ribby is dry, and ready for seaming. Now, I can sew, I usually enjoy sewing, but seaming up my knitted garments just doesn’t seem to fall into that category! I did the front bands last night, so today I hope I can do all the side and sleeve seams, and get started on the collar. Still don’t have a zipper, so that won’t be done today.
I cast on for Em’s cardigan, straight old stockinette crewneck cardigan with a dropped shoulder. Easy peasy.

When I looked at it, I couldn’t believe how much I’d managed 🙂 I said it the other day, but I really like this Nundle wool. Soft, knits up in a nice dense fabric. Recommended gauge is 22sts=4″, but I’m knitting it at 20sts=4″, and I can’t imagine it knit any tighter.
I also need to glue 400 or so rhinestones on Em’s new dance costume. So I’d better stop blogging, huh? 😉

Ribby is reclining on bath towels, blocking as I type 🙂
Perhaps tomorrow she will be dry and I can start finishing her. I’d better do something about finsing a zipper, hadn’t I?
No real knitting news apart from that, but I did cast on for Emily’s cardigan. I’m using the cone of pink wool from Nundle, and Ann Budd’s “Handy Book of Sweater Patterns”. It will just be a basic plain stockinette cardi, simialr to the Everyday Cardi.
So far, the Nundle wool is knitting up beautifully – it’s nice and thick, full of Lanolin and vegetable matter. Nat had told me this, but I had to feel it myself 🙂
Nundle Woolen Mills has a website here.
The mailman didn’t bring me anything knitty today, but look what he did bring me!

A Polar Bear cover for my mobile phone!!
Where would I be without eBay? 😉

Whenever I order or buy yarn for a spcific project, I always buy one more ball than the pattern calls for. I’ve had too many close calls.
Ribby in the 40/41 size calls for 12 balls of Peruvian wool. If you are doing it in 2 colours, the pattern says to get 1/3 in the sleeve colour and 2/3’s in the body colour.
I overordered and got 9 balls of the body colour and 5 of the sleeve colour. And I am very glad I did.

That little bit of yarn is all that remains of the first 4 balls. I did make my sleeves an inch longer than the pattern said, but I still think 4 balls wouldn’t have been enough considering that I haven’t done the neckband yet, and I have 16 more rows on each sleeve.
However I have 2 full and 2 part balls of the main colour. I think that for the 40/41 size, if I made it again I would get 7 balls of the main colour and 5 of the second colour.
But then I wouldn’t have anything to add to the stash afterwards 😉