WInter is here....

Boy is it cold today, it started yesterday afternoon with wind, rain and cold. It is sunny today but still windy and cold. I dipped out of a ride today, but will meet up with DH and others for BBQ lunch for the HOG Anniversary today.

Last week I knitted a Mohair Scarf in a Feathers and Fan pattern, it took 3 balls of Crucci Babysoft Mohair.

I also got the baby shawl out and did a couple of rows, at this early stage it has 260 stitches on the needles.

Yesterday I started doing a couple of handtowels for a friend while at Knitters Guild. I bought two handtowels which will give me four when the tops are knitted, so a couple for the friend and a couple for the knitting sale.

Baby Socks....so cute

The baby socks are so cute, they look a bit long and pointy toed, but they are probably for about a 6 month old not newborn. I may try another pair but make them shorter in the foot and a bit wider across the toe. Instead of going down to 4 stitches then graft toe, I might try 6 stitches across the toe.

I started a mohair scarf last night after finishing the second baby sock. I have to do some knitting for the Kiama Knitters Guild exhibition and sale on 18 -20 July in the Old Fire Station Gallery in Kiama.

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers around the world, I hope you had a great day.....I did. I got some new bright pink tweetie bird pyjama's and some bright pink Betty Boo slippers. Just the thing for the Knitters Retreat "Nearly Christmas in July" at Mt Keira the end of July. This is being organised by CR&K Daisy Designs at Fairy Meadow. Just $120 for the Friday night through to Sunday afternoon, all meals included. We do some workshops, eat, knit, some drink, chat the whole time, eat, knit, eat, drink, knit.....well you get the idea. It is a great weekend, and being winter it is great to sit by the fire place while doing all of the knitting, chatting etc etc.

See I have been knitting.....

I am off work with a tooth infection, the side of my face looks like I swallowed a football. I am on strong antibiotics for the next week and a half and then off to the dentist....YUK.

Anyway yesterday I was feeling a bit better and decided to sew up the two "Heather" pattern baby matinee jackets I have been knitting. The first one is size 6months and is going to Ireland with friends for their new baby grand-daughter. The second one is for my grand-daughter so I did her a size Newborn as it will be pretty cold when she is due in August. They both need buttons which I will try to remember to buy on the weekend.

See the two together for size difference.

Pattern: Heather (Patons Pattern)
Yarn: Patons Big Baby 4ply
Colour: 3909
Needles: Sizes 3.25mm & 2.75mm
They both took 2 balls and a bit of a 3rd ball.

I am going to try out Rae's baby sock pattern (from CR&K Daisy Design in Daisy Street, Fairy Meadow - Phone: 02 4285 4531) with the left over yarn. I may cast on for them this afternoon as I want to get back to the baby shawl I am knitting. So a baby sock and shawl will be good knitting for anytime, socks for when I can't concentrate so much and the shawl for when all my brain matter is working (well I hope that kicks in for a while to come).

4 more days then the auction for our house. I hope it goes well, so I hope everyone will cross everything and pray for a buyer and good price for our home. Boy this is so stressful, you would think it would get easier the more you do this, but going to auction is new for us and as it gets closer, more stressful. All the hope, anxiety and whatever other feelings we can muster, good or bad seem to be coming out in leaps and bounds. I will be glad to have it sell either before or at the auction - for a good price that we both can be happy with. We have been looking at other homes that will be less stressful (mortgage will be less), and another new start in a another home. Looks good to me right now.

Autumn Colours......love them

I am up to the last sleeve on the "Heather" baby jacket, and then the collar. I am a bit behind with it as I didn't pick my knitting up all week. Today I had an accrued leave day from work and did manage to finish the first sleeve.

We went for a ride for breakfast yesterday with friends to the southern highlands and had breakfast at Berrima. It was a bit on the cold side up there, I rugged up so I was warm, but back down the mountain and it was a bit warm. Couldn't wait to ge off the bike and out of the clothes.

I seem to have so much I need to knit but can't seem to get 'my groove' with it. A bit tired I think from trying to keep the house so damn clean and perfect for the open houses on Saturdays, that it wears me out. Need to just relax about it and knit instead I think.

This is what has been keeping me occupied lately!

http://www.domain.com.au/Public/PropertyDetails.aspx?adid=2007076939#

This is my home and we are selling at auction.....sad...happy.....depends on which day it is.

Favourite baby pattern

I have been knitting my favourite baby pattern, "Heather" for a friends granddaughter due to be born any time now in Ireland. The grandparents are going over in May to visit their daughter, son-inlaw, grandson and new granddaughter. It is in Patons "Big Baby" in a beautiful pink variegated colour, pinks, mauves, white. I am hoping to have enough to make my granddaughter a small one also as August when she is due will be winter and cold.

I haven't done anymore on the baby shawl, after I get this baby jacket done, then maybe a pair of socks with just the cuff started done, then I might get onto the second heather pattern jacket.

Seal hunt in Canada

The other day when I went back to the 'homepage' on my computer which is http://www.ninemsn.com.au/ it has a picture of a beautiful baby seal. But the story didn't seem so beautiful, apparently it is baby seal clubbing time in Canada. Doesn't that make you sick to think about it. But what kind of people or men go out and club these little things to death, then go home, kiss the wife as nothing has happened. Are they really 'killers' in disguise???

When you think about some of the awful things we do to animials, some justify it as 'we have to eat', and I know how some in the world think about how the aussies 'mulesing the sheep' to keep the blowflys away from them, how awful that seems, but sometimes we have to do unhumane things to be humane. The same could be said about the clubbing of baby seals. Do you really want to wear that seal fur coat or those Prada shoes?

Could these people go out and club their own babies, then skin them, sometimes alive. Well you would have to wonder.

If you feel strongly about this issue of killing baby seals you can go to the websites below and see what they do with the skins.

Do we ever think that the cow, pig or sheep that is sent off to be killed just so we can eat meat is a nice way for them to die, and you know I really think they know what is going to happen to them. You just have to look at them in the trucks or even if lucky enough look into there eyes, and you will see that they do know their outcome. (no I am not vegetarian - I like to eat all types of meat/seafood etc). How would we feel if that was us - we would shit ourselves.

But hey, the kill must be fun, as these people just keep on returning each year to club these baby seals. Maybe we should campaign them to knit instead, that might not work as do we really think these men would feel like men if they were knitting instead of clubbing seals.

Which ever way we look at it, we justify it by saying we do it do survive, and we are carnivores after all.

I shall get off my soap box now and I am going to check out the websites below and see what they say.

'Please visit Canadian Seal Hunt to learn about how companies like Costco sell seal oil capsules. Also learn about these companies who manufacture products from dead baby seals: Prada, Pajar, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Birger Christensen, Versace, and Vogue Furriers. Also learn about why you should boycott these sea food restaurants Red Lobster, & Long John's Silvers.'

Is there a reason why these baby seals have to be killed, are they a pest in the ice area????

I will have to look into this more and decide then, but at the moment I am feeling pretty disgusted about what is happening.