Salt Peanuts Cardigan

I finished the back of the cardigan, I am worried about running out of yarn. I used 3 balls on the back. It is 'the homeground collection' of dye free alpaca 8ply in Camel colour - dyelot 14543. I will have to try and chase some up. I got it from Donni so when I see her next I will have to remember to ask her if she can get more.

For Just Jussi, I wore the socks she gifted me, and now that she is back in NZ, she couldn't be with us girls from Wollongong SNB for the Knitting Retreat, so I wore the socks she gave me so we would know she was with us in spirit. I was still working on the blanket which I sat up (outside in the cold) with Ailsa until I finished it on Friday night (saturday morning 1am). Photo of socks taken by Tianne.

I ordered two books from Amazon not even two weeks ago and they arrived yesterday, #2son collected them from the Post Office today. The first book is Lace Style, it has so many beautiful lace designs to knit, and the second book is Artic Lace, which has the history of the Artic area, about the people and the knitting, it is going to be a great read along with some wonderful patterns.

CR & K Daisy Designs Knitting Retreat

Our LYS held it's first Knitting Retreat over the weekend at Mt Keira Scout Camp. It was wonderful, arrive Friday afternoon, make bed, get settled in, dinner at 6pm, knitting until around midnight, then Ailsa and I sat outside in the a bit too cold for doing that weather, and knitted until around 1am. I wanted to finish #2 son's blanket and I did. (Picture of The Lodge).

Saturday up early to a big cooked breakfast, and up to the lodge for more knitting and workshops. I cast on for Salt Peanuts from Interweave Knits Spring 2004 magazine. It said to knit with 6.5mm needles and as I never have a problem with tension I did just that. I am using an Alpaca yarn, which is not the recommended yarn, and I knitted away for most of the day, I got up to where I should have just finished decreasing for back shaping and knit straight until 29cm, I was already at 33cm and had only just finished the decreases, so how was I going to increase too far past the mark, well

the only thing to do is rip it all back to nothing, so I did.

(Picture inside the Lodge by the fireplace)

After swatching, about 3 times, I settled on size 4.5mm needles which I had to borrow off Tianne, thanks so much. So I got back to where I was on Saturday afternoon by the time I left to go home after lunch on Sunday, I knitted a bit more tonight and I have done the armhole decreases and now I am on the straight 25cm bit of the armhole. I just hope I have enough yarn, it takes 15 balls of 66m where my yarn is 100m and 10 balls. Hope it works out. (Picture looking from lodge to our Chalet's Kitchen and Dining Room). More about camp and pictures of knitting in my next post.

Hi Ho the Merry O, a camping we shall go

Well not really camping, but going to the Boy Scout Camp for a Knitting Retreat this weekend, actually starting on Friday afternoon.....yahoo.

CR& K Daisy Designs in Fairy Meadow are organising a weekend knitting retreat, massage included. 35 knitters are going to have a great time, knitting, doing some workshops on dyeing yarn, knitting lace, knitting socks on circular needles and felting along with great meals and conversation. Some of us are taking our spinning wheels, I do hope to learn a bit this weekend on how to spin, it will be my second attempt. I have packed 2 new projects in pure Aussie wool a cardigan for myself and a child's aran jumper, and will take #2 son's knitted blanket to finish first before I start either of the other knitting, the blanket it about 6 foot tall now, I have to stand on a chair and hold it so I can see how long it is without dragging too much on the ground.

I have tomorrow off work, so up after a bit of a sleep in, do some washing, go to Curves, then home and vacuum through the house, pack my bags, maybe check to see I have enough varied knitting projects and stuff for the workshops, dust down the spinning wheel, pack the car, then by around 2.45pm head off to up the mountain to the camp. It is about 35 minute drive from home.

Exhibition Failure but the knitting was great

Some of us girls from Kiama Knitters Guild set up at the Annual Dapto Art & Craft Exhibition with high hopes of selling alot of our knitting. How wrong could we be, I sold nothing, as did some others, and others sold only a few of their items. We did have 2 days of great knitting, chatting and watching the people go by at the exhibition. Tianne took some pictures of a couple of things I hadn't got photos of before so I could put them here.

A full length picture of the Christening Gown. I am going to sell it, after speaking with some other knitters I have put a price of $120au on it.

It is so lovely and fine, it was a pleasure to knit. I would love to do a baby shawl, but not in the near future.

Another item I have just finished is a pink baby cardigan and matching hat which is from Lion Brand Baby Yarn sent to me in a swap with a lovely person from New Jersey. I have been told we can buy some Lion Brand yarn from Spotlight stores here in Australia.

The blue bootees are knitting in 3ply pure wool baby yarn, made in Australia. The colour is a bit dirty looking, but you did get that impression with older style pure wool as it wasn't the vibrant colours of today, this yarn was a good buy of ebay a few years back, and is finally all knitted. Yahoo, less stash with all of this knitting.

While at the exhibition I did knit another pink hat the same as with the cardigan, then starting on some pure wool bedsocks for the girls in Berrima Women's Prison, it is an ongoing project for the Kiama Knitters Guild, I finished that pair last Sunday night, and I have nearly finished a second pair I started last night, and that will be the end of that colour 8ply pure wool. I think I will then continue on #2 son's knitted blanket until I finish it. I am going to just enjoy knitting for a while and not worry about things to sell, most will be charity knitting for colder parts of this world.

Talking of great ebay buys, last week I purchased 10 balls each of Cleckheaton Country in a brown fleck and a tan fleck, they will look great in Aran jumpers which I am thinking of doing for the Guardian Pharmacy for World Vision, last year the knitting was sent to Mongolia, so pure wool will be great for where ever it may end up for their next winter at the end of this year.

I guess I have been doing a great job of stash busting, so I guess 20 more balls won't make much of a difference in my room and they will be going to some very needy and cold people with love.