Bendigo spoils

Yesterday the lovely Jo and I roadtripped it up to Bendigo for the annual Sheep and Wool Show. The weather cooperated and was cold but not rainy so we could drive and traipse around the show without fearing for our lives on the highway or getting soggy at the show.

As per last year, I was hardpressed to not try and kidnap an alpaca but I resisted the urge and instead we focused our efforts on stocking up on yarn (and some lovely soaps). So herewith the booty obtained:



Pear Tree Yarn's Supersoft 8 ply merino. Possibly destined for a small shawl of some sort. If I stop petting it.



Bamboo/Wool/Nylon sock yarn from Mosley Park. The colourway is called overcast and as we were driving back towards Melbourne in the late afternoon we decided it was well named as the sun just starting to set overcast sky was indeed these shades of pale blue and silver and sand-with-hint-of-pink.

Then of course, I had to raid Melissa's stall as she is my favourite yarn purveyor. All attempts at self control go out the window at this point.



4 ply premium Merino Sock yarn (Loch Ness) Maybe socks. Maybe a shawl.



3ply Merino sock yarn. (Sooty). Mostly likely a scarf or shawl.



Handpainted Kollage Fantastic (10 ply merino). Not quite sure yet. (Mid-Blues)



More Premium Merino Sock yarn in what I have decided is the world's most impossible colour to photograph. It's more emeraldy than this and a semi-solid I guess. Beautiful in reality.

And then there was this that batted its eyelashes at me and refused to be left behind.



Namaste Laguna in Peacock.

Then, of course, after forcibly dragging ourselves away from the show, there was the Mill to be visited on the way home.



Melody in the Sapphire colorway. This ball has friends but they didn't all want to be photographed.

To finish, the obligatory cute alpaca shot!

Idle hands

Needed something to keep the hands busy while I mentally wrestled my last few chapters of plot into some semblance of working order (and while watching telly last night!)



Star Crossed Slouchy beret (pattern available from Ravelry) in the Dream In Color that arrived this week (yeah, yeah, resistance is futile, I know). Lovely soft yarn and my favourite shades of sea blues and greens. Very speedy knit (like six hours maybe?). Plus hey, I commited cables! Very easy cables but still, cables!

It will look a bit better after blocking but Mr. Wolf wanted to model it for you anyway. Must remember to throw some bigger needle projects in amongst all the teeny tiny sock needle knitting! Nice to see something grow so fast. And it can keep my head from freezing while waiting for the train!

Socked again

Yay, another pair done. Next up, a pair for Dad (men have big feet!)



Pattern is Spring Forward from Knitty 2008, yarn is Stranded in Oz premium merino.

Stashing

This week has been good for the arrivals of lovely new yarn. None of which I'm allowed to play with right now as I am trying to finish revisions and other things on the needles. Will see how long that resolve lasts.

But I can take pictures!

First, June's instalment from the Stranded In Oz One Hank Happiness Yarn Club...gorgeous icy blue semi solid wool/lyocell yarn. Destined to be the cute beanie you can see here. Which will require me figuring out the whole i-cord thing but I'm sure I can do it.



Next, Kollage Fantastic (lovely 100% Merino worsted?)



No plans yet...shall have to pick something and then acquire more! Gorgeous colour.

Third, Dream In Color Classy in Blue Lagoon from The Loopy Ewe to become a Star Crossed Beret (aka Mel learns to cable). It's definitely hat weather this winter.



And last but not least, some lovely merino DK weight for me to attempt some Cat Bordhi New Pathways socks. Also from Stranded In Oz. This having a hand dyer in the family is kind of awesome!



And hmm, am noticing a distinct color theme in my acquisitions which will surprise no-one who knows me and my love for blues and greens (I'm sure if I looked at all my stash right now there'd be about 90% these sorts of shades and combos) but think I shall have to be radical when I go to Bendigo and branch out!

Socked

One UFO now finished! Inspired by the sudden cold snap in Melbourne which is making wool socks seem very appealing.



These are your basic toe-up sock based on Silver's Sock Class sock. The yarn is Elann Sock It To Me fingering weight. They need to be blocked (waiting for the Loopy Ewe to have my size back in stock...sock blockers being hard to come by in Oz) and I need to learn to take better notes on what I'm doing in case of long pauses between one sock and another lol I think the heels are different sizes and one cuff seems longer even though I think I counted the rows right. And they're possibly a bit big (didn't quite figure out the negative ease bit right perhaps). Oh well, it's just me wearing them and I don't care! They shall keep the tootsies warm.

Now have to finish my Spring Forward toe ups. Then I think a pair for my Dad will be next on the needles. Tossing up whether to do something simple or try something more adventurous....

All thumbs

Wow, I have been neglecting this blog...though really it's probably not that much of a coincidence that the last post was around the time of my book sale.

Anyhoo, it's getting chillier by the day here in Oz, so have been hauling out the knitting again with the good intention of finishing off various UFO's so I could, you know, actually wear them this winter.

Instead I got distracted by the absolutely luscious merino/silk blend yarn that was the latest installment of my sil's yarn club and have been knitting away at a pair of gloves of the fingerless variety. Now, I started sock knitting, as I have mentioned before, on circular needles (first two but these days, I magic loop) so have never wrestled with dpn's but tonight...look...I made a thumb. On dpn's. Go me. Must admit it wasn't my favourite knitting experience ever (not helped by the fact that I possibly needed short DPNs cos I misplaced the ones that were meant for the project) but it was only for a few rounds and I did it. *is unreasonably proud of self*



Even managed to pick up stitches etc to carry on with the hand but now have to call it a night because tomorrow there is diving into revisions and I need some sleep. Plus I need to not knit too much because I end up with sore hands. Boo to whiny appendages!

*Yarn is Stranded In Oz silk/merino blend in Woodland Creatures.

Way over the rainbow

This is the first yarn from my clever sil Melissa's yarn club.

Hopefully I'll get time to knit over the next few months in between writing madly!



You can still join the yarn club and get your hands on this pretty and the accompanying pattern! Head on over to Stranded In Oz.