I’m still here!
The knitting is going slowly – I’m up to the sleeves of the Cotton Ease Jacket, and they are boring. Boring, endless expanses of stockinette, boring to knit, boring to blog about.
And I’ve been sidetracked by the tutu. It is flattened, and now I am up to the decorating bit. See this?

I am cutting out individual flowers, then embroidering them a little with gold thread, gluing on rhinestones, and sewing on beads, to glitz up each one.

The colour is more accurate in the top picture.
Then, I have to sew each flower onto the top plate of the tutu.
It is seriously eating up my knitting time.
Went to Stitch n Bitch on Saturday, and as usual, had a great time. Did a lot more talking than knitting, as per usual.
Today, I was in the Penrith area, and I popped into The Wool Inn.
Despite promising myself that I was only going to look, more yarn jumped off the shelf and just begged to be taken home. I got a couple of balls of something to make something for the baby of someone who reads this blog, so I’m not telling what yet. Hi Sharon!
I also bought this.

I need more laceweight like I need a hole in the head, but it’s so pretty. It’s Kaalund Yarns Classic Two in Magnolia. It’s a pure wool laceweight, 356m. I’m thinking a Feather and Fan shawl with some beads.
The house inspection went very well. Twinkie behaved as if she lives in her hutch in the yard, and all rabbit hair evidence was vaccuumed up. The girlie from the Real estate even mentioned that we are long overdue new paint and carpets!

Drumroll, please.

The shawl is blocked, and I can finally say it is finished.
The finished measurements are 115cm (45″) square. It’s in fingering weight yarn on 3.5mm needles, and used 1400 metres (1530 yards) of yarn.
I do intend to eventually make the pattern available, just as soon as I work out how to write an understandable pattern and how to use the knitting font to make charts.
A few days ago, Ailsa made a post about why she blogs, and today the Yarn Harlot made her blogiversary post, and she also mentioned the virtues of blogging (and knitting) friends. Isn’t it funny how one thing will get you thinking, then all of a sudden, whatever you were thinking about is everywhere?
Anyway, today I received a belated Christmas gift from Jill, who was my first real online knitting friend, and this really topped off my thinking.


Glass knitting needles. (Sorry for the crappy pictures) Aren’t they gorgeous? I will probably not use them, I’d be terrified of breaking them (and also of cutting my knitting if I did break them!) They will be displayed somewhere prominently, but I love them.
I don’t have a great many “real” friends. Emily started a new school last year, and as it’s High school, all I do is pick her up, I don’t have much to do with the other parents. As for dancing, the bitchiness and competiton and bad mouthing doesn’t interest me. I used to listen to it, and believe it and let it get me down, now I just avoid them.
None of my friends are knitters. The only people I know in so-called real life who knit make novelty scarves and not much else. To each his own, but for a long time I wondered where the other people who like to knit garments and use wool and alpaca and order copious amounts of yarn from the internet were. For a long time I didn’t knit, I have no local yarn store, and the crap that was available didn’t interest me.
Three years or so ago, I started knitting again and looked for knitting on the internet. Yarn! Tools! Patterns! Accessories!
Knitters!
No-one I know in real life would ever think to give me glass knitting needles. (No offence, DH!) DH is happy to buy me knitting related gifts, but I have to point out what I would like bought for me. Mind you, I would be exactly the same if I wanted to buy him a computer game.
It is such a pleasure to know people now with whom I can discuss yarn and patterns and gorgeous knitting accessories. People who understand my obsession with yarn, and don’t ask “Why?” when I’m knitting a sock. People who don’t look at me like I’m insane when I buy another knitting book or order yet more yarn from the internet. It’s truly a pleasure to go to Stitch and Bitch and spend an afternoon with knitters.
On the whole, the vast majority of people I have met (both online and in the flesh) through this blog have been wonderful people, who I’m glad to call friends.
And who can admire glass knitting needles without asking why.
Okay, I’m over the sappy shit now 🙂

We had a busy weekend. DH’s family live in Queensland, about 1300km (800 miles) away from us, but his mum had a flying visit to Sydney on the weekend, so we took her to Bondi Beach.

Don’t we have beautiful beaches? It was hot, and the beach was pretty busy. These pictures were taken not long after we arrived, and more people came as the day went on. DH’s Mum was amazed at how many people were there, but I’ve seen it busier.

I spent most of the day telling Em to put on her sunscreen, and of course, I’m the one who came home with a sunburn. Em likes the beach, and we really should go more often.

After the beach, we went for an Italian dinner. I took my sock knitting with me, but I didn’t do any at the beach because the wind kept blowing sand at us, and I didn’t want a sock full of sand.
I got some knitting done over the weekend, though.
I finished the bag.

It’s smaller than I expected, but it’s cute. Even on the 8mm needles, I used less than one ball of Lambs Pride Bulky. Now I need to get some handles and lining to finish it off.
And the final tally on the hat was 85% in favour of knitting it, 15% said not to.
The colours I have are stash yarns, but the blue is brighter than the picture on the pattern. I started it last night, after I finished the bag.

The baby shawl is finally blocking as we speak, pics tomorrow.
And finally, for Sandy, a picture of a speeding cloud!

Nice way to end the weekend 🙂

So, I have a bit of a thing for old fashioned baby patterns. I pick them up on eBay from time to time, and recently I picked up this one.

So I thought I’d knit this little hat to send off with the shawl. It’s in a 3 month size, which is about right, considering when winter and everything will hit, and the age of the baby.

I have the yarn here, and I’m ready to cast on. But now I’m a little worried that it’s too old fashioned. Seeing as I knit a shawl, should I knit something a bit more modern to send off with it? I like old fashioned baby things, but I know that some people like more modern things. And I don’t think this is too old fashioned. But as usual, I’m stuck in a welter of indecision.
So we’re going to have our first ever Random Knts poll. You don’t even have to comment, just click and vote.
Should I knit this baby hat, or go for something a little more modern? Vote now!

Thank you all for saying such nice things about the baby shawl. Still no sign of the sun in Sydney, so it hasn’t been blocked yet. I was hoping to give it to DH’s mum (who is having a flying visit this weekend) to take back, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
I started my bag. Chunky cables after fingering weight lace feels funny 🙂
However, I didn’t do a swatch. It calls for an 8mm needle. Somehow, I don’t have an 8mm circ, but I figure that I always knit loose and have to go down a needle size anyway, so I just cast on with a 7mm.

Guess what? My gauge is off, I need an 8mm needle.
I don’t knit with a lot of chunky yarns, so I don’t often use larger needles. But I went ahead and ordered an 8mm Addi from STYK. As it’s a bag, the gauge isn’t important really, however, I’m nearly half way through and I hadn’t even used half a ball of the Lambs Pride Bulky, and the bag is on the very small side. So I figured I’d prefer it a little larger anyway, so I’ll wait until the new needle comes.
So what do I start now?
I’m sure I’ll think of something!