Autumn.....waiting for cool weather

It is 4 weeks into autumn and after the last week of heavy rain, today the sun is shining, it will be another 4 weeks before it starts to cool enough to start thinking about getting warmer clothes out. I can't wait for autumn colour to start coming through.

I have finished listing all my stash on Ravelry, When I first joined I didn't see the sense in doing that, but now I have, I wished I had done it earlier. I love the fact that I don't have to go searching through many tubs of yarn when I want to knit something, I now just have to look in my stash on Ravelry and I can look at what projects other people have done as well.

I am still knitting my cardigan (Peasy pattern) it is a slow knit being all stocking stitch now. I have made a couple of pairs of felted slippers, a couple more dishcloths and I am currently knitting a drop stitch scarf in Knit Picks Precious in Pearl colourway. It looks really nice, I am loving the way the colours are knitting up.

 These two dishcloths were apart of creative knitting new stitch knitalong over 4 weeks

 this dishcloth is on the  12 months of Dishcloth forum on Ravelry, this is the March cloth for St. Patricks Day.

 These are knit with Bendigo Woollen Mills Murano wool. They felt well.

 These were made to a size in between child and Women's for my grand daughter, I used Cleckheaton California, it felted so well that they ended up the same size as the original child's size which would fit a toddler. So now I need to see if I can get another ball to make them a bit larger again to fit her.

Loving the way this is turning out.

dishcloth knitalong

I am in the knitalong for a dishcloth a month on Ravelry. I have finished the February dishcloth. It is a very pretty pattern. My grand daughter got a pre-loved wooden dolls cradle this week, it had a piece of foam uncovered for the mattress, so I made a cover, a pillow and slip and a sheet. I thought the dishcloth pattern would make a nice blanket for the doll cradle, so with two strands of 8ply pure wool I knit the same pattern instructions using same amount of stitches, knitting the repeats once more, it fit the cradle perfectly and my grand daughter loves it.

February is going to be "finish projects already started" to get them out of the way. Today I am back knitting the baby jacket I started around new year.

Ooops!

I missed blogging in January. My plan was to blog at least once a month....I need to take back control of things I love to do after a shitty 2013.
It seems like many are facebooking instead of blogging....I miss blogging and keeping up with my blogging friends.
I have joined the dishcloth a month knitalong on Ravelry. I have finished the first one ...January theme was a Cupaccino dishcloth.
Today 1 February I am off to KITGO a knitting group I started that is Knitting In The Great Outdoors. Today we will be meeting in a park at Shellharbour near the ocean swimming pool. It is a hot summer day so a swim will most likely happen while there.
My current knitting on the needles is a beanie by Jarrod Flood, Koolhaas, I am knitting it in Wendy Traditional Aran..
My goal this year is to keep knitting from my stash, I know I need to buy yarn for one thing this year so I will see how I go with my stash busting.
My other knitting for January is a 3 piece baby set it is currently waiting to be sewn together and finished.

 

I am back home after a lovely day knitting with great knitting friends, it was so nice with the sea breeze.

 

 

Tonight I finished Koolhaas beanie. Yah, my first item for next years show is finished.

 



and now it is October

were is this year going? I was planning on blogging more and we can all see how that went......it didnt.
I havent done much knitting, some felted slippers which I sold at the old fire station , a scarf for my aunty's 70th birthday on 1st September. I have knit a sample size of felted slipper for my grand daughter to see what size to make her, I need to sew them up and wash them to felt.

A woman I work with has just had a premmie baby son and I have knit him a tiny beanie with another one on the needles.

i have been a bit down lately with a pain down the right side of my neck and right arm whenever I would sit, this was excruciating pain which lasted over 8 weeks, with many different treatments which only gave temporary relief until I would sit. I havent had the pain for about a week now, so I am hoping it wont re-occur.
I bought a second hand pine low TV unit from Vinnies charity store, it was a bargain at $135. I will have to take some photos. I just took one with this tablet, now to work out how to publish it in my blog.

Nearly Tax Time and the middle of the year

where has all the time gone.....I will be thinking about Christmas very soon.

I have been so busy knitting for a sale at the Old Fire Station Community Arts Centre in Kiama with another sale coming up in a couple of weeks, I have been forgetting to take photos.

DH and I have been busy painting the inside of our home now that we are along in the house again. It is so quiet, we miss our family but they are enjoying being out in their own place and we are enjoying being home along again.

I have turned my son and daughter inlaws room into a guest bedroom, well in the process, the painting is done and the bed nearly put back together. My grand-daughters room is now my craft room...yahoo a craft room all to myself. I have started to move all my craft things from the study to the new room, a big job and a great way to remember exactly what I do have.

I have finished two projects for my grand-daughter, one I didn't get photos of, the black swing type cardigan, no buttons, what a bonus. Over the weekend while she was having a sleep over with us I finished her thick (20ply) very colourful top it is a sleeveless top with a hood with the side seams done up with two large buttons on each side and 3 large buttons on the front from halfway up to the top, very cosy and warm.

So back to the felted slippers for the Old Fire Station in a couple of weeks.....winter has really hit here, not that it is as cold as where a lot of you are from, but for us here on the coast when it gets down to tops of 12 Celsius, we really think it is cold. I had to get the gas heater out on Sunday to warm the house, not too bad going to not have to turn it on till now, even though most of my friends think I was mad, but it you haven't got warm clothes on in the house then the heater is not going on to warm you up in shorts and t-shirts, that is just a waste of gas and money.

We are in the middle of some very heavy rain and wind which has been going for the past couple of days and will be calming during the next day or so, don't mind the rain, I don't like the wind.

C. R. & K Daisy Designs Fairy Meadow - Annual Knitters Retreat

Its that time of the year! C.R. & K Daisy Designs Knitters Retreat ….everyone is welcome!

Date: Friday 3rd May to Sunday 5th May!
Venue: Mt Keira Scout Camp
Cost: $180.00…this includes food accommodation and classes! (BYO)
Theme for Saturday night: Spooky

Classes for Saturday: Tunisan crochet, exhaust dyeing and two coloured crochet.

Special guest presenter Claire Sullivan!

All stock sold during the weekend will be discounted by 30%!!!!

Contact Rae on 42854531 or email: raeheaton@hotmail.com

February has been and gone

How fast is this year going, it is already March. My knitting has been busy, messy and enjoyable.

I had my felted slippers at work and was asked to make two more pairs. I was very happy that people thought they were so nice. I was fortunate that I had already decided to make more pairs mainly for selling at the Old Fire Station in June and had purchased more of the Murano yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

I knit both pairs fairly quickly and then put them in the wash, here was my first brain fade, I put them in with a full load of washing and obviously not hot enough water, so back into the washing machine with 2 pairs of jeans and up the temperature of the water, they came out a bit better, but something was terribly wrong with them, they weren't all nice and soft and colourful, there were a bit rough and dull. So back into the wash again, they did shrink a bit better, but still a bit rough. So back to the knitting of another 2 pairs, this time I put them through the wash twice with two pairs of jeans, beautiful. So those two pairs sold.

I knit the February Dish Cloth (Ravelry) which was in true Valentine's Day pattern, I knit mine in a white/pink Peaches N Creme cotton, I love knitting this cotton, we don't have anything like it here in Australia, I did manage to buy some last year while in America, and in hindsight should have bought a lot more of it. I have tried knitting two 4ply strands of cotton, I have knit 8ply cotton and it isn't as thick when knit up as the Peaches N Creme. I may try two 8ply cotton together and see if it comes out closer to what I want it to be.

I finished another Patons Heirloom pattern in Mauve Bendigo 4ply Luxury, and both the mauve set and the pink set are now with the beautiful twins.

I knit a silk cowl for myself, I bought the Habu Silk in Santa Barbara at the Loop N Leaf shop, it is a beautiful shop, I also bought some lovely Alpaca while there and the Brooklyn Tweed yarn needed for a beanie pattern of his.

March is starting off very busy, yesterday was a funeral of my great aunt aged 97, the last of my grandmothers generation of her family, now it is my Mum's generation of the McEwan clan with the eldest being 82 years of age. It was really nice catching up with that side of the family, a pity it seems to be at funerals these days that we do catch up. My aunty Grace wanted to out live her father, my great grand father who died at 93 years of age, when I was a teenager. I have some great memories of both my great grand parents on my mothers, mother side. The McEwans came out from Scotland around 1880 to Joadja (southern highlands of NSW) where my great grand father was born. When he married my great grand mother (from Mauritius), they lived in Wollongong until their deaths.

I have my youngest son's wedding on Tuesday then my husband and I are going on a road trip to Craigie and Delegate to see where his great great grandparents and family are buried. Then going to drive down through the snowy mountains, through Thredbo to Khancoban, each winter when we went skiing I always wanted to see what was past Thredbo. Then from there to Corryong VIC, where the Man from Snowy River is buried, from there we will head to Albury then onto The Rock to visit with friends before returning home.

January Knitting....still some to come

January has been a busy month all around. I have had 3 family birthdays, my wedding anniversary, some holidays from work (only 12 days before and after Christmas through to the New Year). Going back to work during Summer holidays is hard, especially since we have been having some very hot weather.

The past three weeks we have had some terrible bush fires across the country and some very close to where I live. We haven't had much rain and the ground is very dry with most of the grass being a very dry brown now, which makes bush fires extremely dangerous. Now since Saturday night we are having heavy rain with some parts of the east coast of Queensland flooding and now heading down the coast into NSW and expected to hit Sydney tonight, I am 2 hours south of Sydney on the coast. I live between the Mountains and the Sea as many would say. The ocean is a 5 minute drive to the east and the moutains a 5 minute drive to the west, a very beautiful place.

On Australia Day (26 January) we not only celebrated that day, my family also celebrated my parents birthdays (Mum 23 January (75 years) and Dad 29 January (76 years). We had a BBQ, with my eldest son and his wife cooking Surf and Turf, very nice, one of my nieces made a White Chocolate Mud Cake and decorated it beautifully. We talked about when my sister and I where growing up, we laughed so much my stomach hurt. I love having family get togethers. The weekend before we were down the south coast at Moruya with my husbands fathers family staying on a cousins property, playing cricket, feeding the horses, chooks etc, we had so much fun.

Having fun is very addictive, I can't wait for more great weekends with family, friends or even staying home pottering around the yard with my grand-daughter.

My January knitting has been hectic too, I am on a mission this year to knit more of my stash, which seems to grow more than shrink. I think I have enough yarn to do everything I need to, but having said that, I showed my sister my felted slippers and now she wants some for all her family.

I did finish some WIP's, not old WIP's but WIP's none the less. I finished my short sleeve cardigan with Celtic style cables up the front, I really can't wait for cooler weather to wear it. It won second place in Albion Park Agricultural Show the other week. I finished one of the two baby sets I am doing for a friends newly born grand daughters, and I am now on the second one.

I have been a part of a knitalong on Ravelry, the Mystery Sock knitalong, I am loving this, I get a bit more of the pattern each week, and the best thing is that I get to do other knitting while I wait for the next part of the pattern. The last part of the pattern is due on Tuesday 29 January which will finish them off with the toe.

I have knit a pair of fetching fingerless gloves which I gifted to a cousin's wife the other weekend as part of a "pay it forward" thing on facebook. I finished my grand-daughters lacey shrug and she has worn it so that is even better.

Earlier in the month I knit two pairs of booties in old pattern styles, these will go to Knit4Charities in the next couple of weeks. Last night I knit a wash cloth in hot pink for myself to use as a face washer, it is part of a Ravelry knitalong, dishcloth a month. Today I will get back to the baby set, I am up to the sleeves on that, then the yoke is knitted in one piece with the fronts, back and sleeves. It is a very old pattern which is in the new Patons pattern book Heirloom Collection, it doesn't have a name for the pattern it is Style 3 in the book. I had the same set when I was a baby, then I used it to dress up my dolls. I change the bonnet and knit it as a beanie instead. Not many...if any...people use bonnets these days, they all like beanies.

It is a nice rainy day, not too hot and not too cold, which is very nice after the heat we have been having.

Happy New Year

2013 has started out very busy with knitting. I was way behind in what I wanted to knit for the local argricultural shows held in January. I couldn't make up my mind last week if I would enter, I had some things nearly knitted and some just needed sewing together. I decided last weekend that if I finished knitting the short sleeve cardigan that I would enter, so I knit and I knit and then knit some more and finally got it finished and sew together, it is a winter short sleeve cardigan/vest type thing. I love it, it turned out really nice.

Other knitting for my local Albion Park Show to be held this weekend 12 & 13 January are a pink 4ply wool 3 piece baby set, 2 pairs of booties which I knit a couple of vintage pattern booties, a lace shrug/cardigan which is for my grand-daugher, a cotton summer top, a cotton swing dress which are also for my grand-daughter. I wasn't going to put the last two items in, but as I have been a bit slow on the knitting I decided to, to make up numbers.

 

 

Today has been the hotest day here in many many years, with "Catastrophic fire" warnings for the area I live and other places in NSW with very hot temperatures and high winds, it has not been  a good day for bush fires. Luckily we didn't have any in my immediate area, but not far away have been some huge bush fires. It is really good now as the RFS (Rural Fire Service) send out sms messages to most people with mobile phones warning them of the dangers in their area. It is still very hot and is not going to be a comfortable night sleeping in this heat, a southerly wind is due early hours of the morning which should cool things down.

 

Photos will have to come later as I don't seem to be able to select any to upload. Not sure what is going on with it.

tis the night before christmas eve

it is still hot and humid.....it is raining outside after an electrical storm and I am hoping that it cools things down for the rest of the night.

I have put the christmas gifts in the calico bags some of which are over 25 years old, I made them for my boys, nieces, friends boys and they are put to good use every year for gifts that fit, lollies etc.  and the newer ones are 4 years old and were made when my grandaughter was born and one for each of my two daughter inlaws.

I havent put Ruby's stocking out this year as sadly Ruby was put to rest on 1 December, she had a short but very dignified battle with brain tumors, then tumors in her liver and stomach. We miss her very much. She was only 9 years old. I have told DH and boys that we are not having any more animals, Ruby was the firsht dog I ever got attached too, it is like losing a very loving family member, well I guess that is exactly what she was....a very loving family member.

On the knitting front I am knitting a 3 piece baby set for the local shows in January 2013. With a list of things I would like to knit for the shows and only 3 weeks to knit them....Have a very Merry Christmas.... I am going back to knitting for a while before I go to bed.

Picture of Ruby and grandaughter Aahliyah

One week at a time

The time seems to be just flying by.....I do seem to get a few things done, but not as fast as I would like.....I guess there are no magic wands around to help out.

I am working on another crochet rug that my MIL was doing before she died. I have finished two of them and decided to finish another square she had started for my FIL as he said that my MIL was going to make him one to replace his old one which has just about fallen to pieces. I will get this done and give it to him for Christmas.

I did finish the cotton top I was doing it came up pretty nice, probably a bit big in the armhole area, but seeing as it is a summer top will let a lot of cool in.

I have all my Christmas shopping done....well all done in my head, I just need to make the time to go and physically do the shopping. I will have to look at some recipes and sought out what to have on Christmas Day and get that shopping done too....I would love to be all done except for the food items you can't get until the last minute before December arrives, so I can sit back and knit and relax....oh yeah....and work. I am just having the days off which work will be closed over the Christmas and New Year break, 11 days off will be great.

I have had a very nice day so far, I walked to the supermarket (Woolworths) with my grand-daughter and on the way back we stopped off at the park and played on the equipment. I even had a go on the swing, she reckons she swung higher than me....not sure that was correct, but she was going high for a 4 year old.

Below is the crochet rug my MIL started for my grand-daughter and I have finished. My FIL will give it to her for Christmas and the cotton top I made.

Now off to sit and crochet some more.

Getting things in order

I am still trying to organise my life so I can fit in all the things I love to do, I am getting so far behind in everything.

I have decided that I won't be madly knitting each month for the monthly handmade markets in Albion Park anymore, I have enjoyed attending the markets, but I have to knit so much (not a bad thing you maybe thinking) and nothing else seems to be getting done. The garden is getting to be a real mess, and I don't seem to be enjoying my knitting as much.

I love to knit, but I love to knit what I want to, not what I think others will buy. I have put photos up on my knitting facebook page - Annie Knits  http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.167469400061014.39474.100003938645170&type=1#!/annie.knits and will see how this goes with selling my knitting. That will take the pressue off me as far as having to keep up knitting each month for the markets.

I have made a list - yes I am big, HUGE on lists. Anyway I have made a list of knitting I would like to do over the next couple of months, mainly knitting for the Albion Park Show, which I may also enter some of the items in the Dapto and Kiama Shows. The three shows run over consecutive weekends.

I have been knitting a Cotton Swing Dress which I trialled in making it as a size 4 years, just about got it right, not that anyone would really know, just have to tweek the pattern a bit. The pattern I have is only in a size 2 years.

I am currently knitting a cotton top in size 4, it is in the Let's Get Knitting magazine using Panda Cotton 8ply, it is looking pretty good, photos to come after I finish it, I have planned to finish it today, but first I have to remove myself from this chair and computer and go vacuum and wash all the floors, hose out the pergola area and then maybe I will sit down and knit - gotta love the weekends.

At Crossroads

I haven't been blogging, but I have been knitting. I started knitting for a monthly market which has been going well. It does take up so much of my time, I am still working full time, so knitting is for evenings and weekends.

As it is getting into summer here, I am really noticing that the time I have been spending on knitting for the markets has me neglecting all other aspects of my life.

I know we knitters don't usally worry about the housework so much, but there comes a time when it really needs doing, and I am missing going out and doing some gardening and the poor garden really looks neglected with some really healthy looking weeds taking over.

So here I am contemplating how my life should be going. With the recent death of my mother-inlaw a couple of weeks ago, I am starting to think a bit about what I really want to be doing with my time away from work, unfortunately I still have to work full time.

I am thinking of not doing the markets and maybe trying other avenue's of selling my knitting eg. etsy or the Australian online markets "madeit".

I am going to make a list of things I really need or would like to do at home with my spare time and see if I can juggle things a bit better.

To start with I am now knitting a winter top for myself for next year, which I probably will put in Albion Park Show in January, and a beanie with Brooklyn Tweed yarn and pattern I picked up while in USA recently. I love the USA, I have a savings plan in place so we can get back there in 4 years time - Route 66 Santa Monica Pier to Chicago here we come along with some eastern states in Autumn. Big trip so alot of saving is going to be happening around my place.

Here's to life......just do it!

Coastal Crafts Handmade Markets (CCHM) - Albion Park

I have been very busy knitting for the next CCHM on 28 July at Centenary Hall, Albion Park. As I will be in America my Mum is going to do the stall for me. Good on ya Mum, you are the best.

My mum liked my fingerless gloves I had on the other day, so I have knit her a pair which I will give to her this week when I visit Mum and Dad before my holiday, and take the last of the knitted items for the markets to her.

I also this week did another beanie for my grand-daughter as she saw me knitting them last week and asked for one the same.

I am really looking forward to returing to America for a holiday and it will be summer there, added bonus to get away from cold weather this winter for a few weeks. I am not going to where I really wanted to go on this trip which was the east coast in autumn, but we are visiting some favourite places from last trip and will be going to Sturgis Bike Week while in South Dakota, the main reason for the trip. I have my Knit Picks wish list already to go so I can get it delivered to a motel while there, only 6 more sleeps.

Knitting below is what I have been doing the past few weeks for the CCHM stall and the last photo is a pair of Fetching fingerless gloves for my Mum in grey acrylic, wool, alpaca blend with an extra cable row (I like them a bit longer on the fingers).

A new Knitting Adventure

A new markets have started in my home town of Albion Park, NSW Australia, they are the Coastal Crafts Handmade Markets (CCHM). The first markets were held on 16 June and with 32 stalls was a great day.

They are held in Centennary Hall which is great as weather will not affect the markets at all, and the first was a very wet and cold day.

I will be in USA for the second markets on 28 July, and I am going to see if my Mum will look after my stall for me, otherwise I have talked with another knitting friend who is going to try and get a stall with her machine knitting husband and if they do, she will look after my stall if needed.

I did really well on the first stall, it was hard to know what to knit for it, so I had a good mix of baby, kids and adult items along with some cotton dish cloths. The dish cloths sold out which really amazed me.

I am knitting away madly again so I have some more nice items for the stall in July.

I went to Wangaratta on the long weekend while visiting friends at The Rock, NSW. We had a great time, well I had a great time at the Woollen Mills, walked out with such a large bag of wool. We then went to Beechworth and another visit to The Ardent Alpaca with another nice purchase of alpaca yarn for a scarf for me. It is knitting up so beautiful and soft.

I knitted a pair of fingerless gloves for a friends son who is at Uni at Bathurst, very cold winters there, and I have also finished a pair of Fetching for a woman at work, and a very nice purple cotton and bamboo swing dress in size 2 for a knitting friend and she also bought the pink bamboo and cotton swing dress for her friend with twin girls.