2018 has dawned

Another year has started and is half way through the first month of January. Time doesn't stand still for anyone.

Christmas was so nice and relaxing spent with family and especially with the 3 grand kids it was a fun and very tiring day. I must be getting older.

Last year when I decided what I would knit for my local show, I always think I can knit more in a short time that what I actually can. My fingers and hands ache a lot quicker these days, so I put the needles down a bit more than what I would like to. I also made another mistake by thinking a good plan would be to knit everything firstly and then sew it all up at the end. Big mistake, it wasn't too bad, my hands did ache a bit, but I find I have to be in the right frame of mind to sew knitting up, otherwise I don't care how it is done as long as it gets done. I did have to step away a few times so I would do a good job of it. The one thing I really wanted to knit for this year's show was an Aran jumper for my grandson. It is time consuming and needs full concentration at all times, needless to say it won't be making it to the show and as I am doing it for him for this winter it won't be shown at all. I will have to really dig deep and make a larger size for him for next year and show it before giving to him.

I am back on my mission of knitting my stash, how many years has it been, I must be up to the 5th year now. I have bought some really, really, really nice yarns over the past couple of years, all to be knit for me, well mainly me. I did get some lovely Alpaca and knit flap beanies for the twins for winter just gone and they will fit them this winter as well. But I have to be strong and knit this ridiculous amount of stash down to something a bit more manageable and then when I see nice yarns I can buy them and knit them pretty much straight away, well that is my plan.

I am also going to learn to spin, I have wanted to learn for so long now. I have joined a local spinners and weavers group which two of my good knitting friends are in, so I will be able to get some fantastic advice from them as well. Now to just get my confidence up to actually go to the group and learn. I will take my friends offer and get her to show me before I take the wheel to the group.

I have started to read a bit more too. I am loving doing a few different things each day, beside working full time still. Oh retirement is in my dreams most days. Soon, very soon.....I hope and will keep dreaming.

After the show next week, I will post photos of my knitting I have been doing lately.

Decluttering and stash busting

I am in need of decluttering my home and stash busting at the same time.  Over the past few weeks, I have been knitting up a storm and my fingers are really letting me know that they are working overtime.



I have crochet (not very well I might add) 3 cotton teatowel tops, my old hand towels are so worn they are nearly thread and where in need of being thrown out. I knit a beanie for myself for next winter in the Bousta Beanie KAL.



 I knit a Adagio Beanie from a kit I purchased at the Celebration of Wool in Canberra a couple of months ago.



I knit something I have been wanting to knit since 2007 when I purchased the Elizabeth Zimmerman Workshop book, the Baby Surprise Garter Stitch Jacket. I haven't got a clue what to knit next, I do have a long list, but unsure as to what to start.




I am also going to learn to spin. I have had a spinning wheel for about 15 years and I have joined a local spinners and weavers group, I haven't had a lesson yet, I want to try and give it a go myself first so I feel a bit more confident when going to spinners group.

I really need to stop buying more yarn and knit more of what I have first, I have some beautiful and unusual yarns. I did get all the big plastic containers with my stash in out of the wardrobe and at the moment are piled high on the floor, at least I can see in the containers and hopefully get some inspiration to knit more of it. That is what I love about Ravelry, I have all my stash listed and look there to see what I have and a pattern suitable for it.


So much to do and so little time......

October 2016 to July 2017

Despite all my efforts to try to blog more, I find myself getting further behind with it. Where is the time going, it is flying by so quick. Too much to do and so little getting done.

I try to plan my knitting, it sometimes goes to plan, but as you all know, that can go out the window in a blink of an eye. Always something comes up, a new pattern, new yarn, someone to knit for, and so it goes.

Still trying to declutter the home, getting a bit further with that now. I have a deadline of September ready for Spring. Not sure I will make that deadline, but I will keep on trying with a bit at a time.

Knitting has also been busy, I am having so much fun knitting for the twins, there parents appreciate my knitting for them. I also have a new baby great niece, so knitting for her has been fun too.

The weather is getting colder now, even though it looks nice and sunny outside, it is getting colder each day as we make our way through the middle of winter.

On my needles at the moment is a cardigan for a 4 year old "eyelet cardigan" it is in the Patons Pattern Book 1105 - Mod Knits in Big Baby. I won the book and 2 balls of Big Baby 4ply acrylic on the Australian Country Spinners facebook page. I don't usually knit garments in acrylic, I must say this is very nice and soft to knit with. I will knit another one for Bailee for next winter in pure wool.

What else is on the needles, I have a few projects going at once, not my usual thing, but have a couple of birthday's to knit for. I have the Emerald City Beanie in Bendigo Luxury 8ply for my nieces finance's birthday and some Bendigo Alpaca fingerless mittens for my nieces birthday.

I am going to learn to spin, it has been something I have wanted to do for a very long time. I will be having a lesson on Monday, I am a bit nervous as on my last attempt some time ago, I seem to hold onto the fleece too tight and my hands get a bit sweaty. I need to just relax and go with the flow of what I am being taught.

October 2016

Wow! This year is going by at an expediential rate. A year that has had some ups and some very low downs. As spring has sprung I am going to move forward as best I can, with the ones I love and doing the things I love. I will have to do things I don't like for a while, like de cluttering this damn house. It is out of control. Testament to the year we have had I guess.

Knitting is starting to come back at a faster pace than it has been all year. I finished the blanket I was knitting for Aahliyah for her bed here for when she visits. I did get the yarn, needles and pattern out for the Seasons Beanie by Jarod Flood, I bought the wool on a trip to America back in 2012 from a beautiful yarn and tea store in Santa Barbara. I couldn't start it, my head isn't in the right head space. Damn, I like to kept to my list of knitting to do, but at the moment I have moved forward to others things to knit.

Today I have another Mermaid Tail blanket on the needles, this one is for my baby grand daughter Bailee, getting ahead for next winter, I will do her twin brother Levi's next. As they will be 1 year old next Autumn I am knitting the 2-3 year size, that way they will get a few winters out of them.

Photos of some of my latest knitting. Beanies and mittens for Bailee and Levi. Shawl for me, it is the Mother's Day 2016 Knitalong by J.L Fleckenstein (I Live on a Farm). A cotton hand towel and the blanket for Aahliyah's bed here at Gran and Pops house.

The twins have arrived

My twin grand babies have arrived. They are nearly 2 weeks old now. They will be coming home this week and I am so excited. I got to cuddle them on Mother's Day for the first time. I have been busy knitting more for them.

I joined JL Fleckenstein's 2016 Mother's Day Shawl KAL on Ravelry. I am knitting this in Zauberball in Creme Chocolate colourway. It is looking pretty good, I am really liking how the colour changes are going.

Winter is coming and the weather is starting to cool now with the nights a bit cooler which is so comfortable sleeping. Not that I seem to be sleeping much, I have been up way to late knitting of a night, even through the week when I have to get up early for work. I need to stop this bad habit and go to bed a lot earlier. I get so wrapped up in my knitting and once I am past the first time of feeling tired and then all of a sudden it is "lights on" and I am wide awake and knitting along nicely.

Some of my knitting the last couple of weeks has been a feathers yarn beanie for a lady at works mothers who has cancer and had brain surgery, this type of beanie is soft and comfortable to lay on after head surgery. A nice pair of Cable Fingerless Mittens, I only got a photo while knitting them and not when they were finished. A Mock Cable jumper for my new grandson and a matching beanie I made up the pattern so it matches the jumper. I finished the pink and the blue matinee jackets for my grandson and granddaughter, Oh how I am loving that their parents want me to knit, I am in "Gran" knitting heaven. What else, what else have I been knitting, time goes by so quick I forget what I have knit. At the moment with 2 projects on the needles, the first being the shawl KAL and an adult beanie in Cleckheaton California, this will be a nice chunky beanie in black, grey and white colours.

And it is now April in 2016....

The time is just going so fast, so much to do, so much happening.

I have been busy knitting two baby shawls for the twin grandchildren due in May. I decided on the EZ 100th Anniversary PI Shawls, one the Camping design and the other the Hearts design.

I am extremely pleased with myself. They are just beautiful. The Camping shawl won 1st prize at the Albion Park Agricultural Show in January this year. I didn't have time to finish the Hearts shawl for any of the local shows this year, I am sure it would have been a winner too.

I have to knit some Mothers Day appropriate items for the Tuesday Night Knitters Group as we are in the Old Fire Station Community Arts Centre in Kiama for a week including the the Sunday of Mothers Day. I have started with some hot pink ladies felt slippers.

I have seen the Mermaid Tail blankets around on Facebook and decided to knit my grand daughter one. I was lucky when I went to the Reject Shop to see if they had some cheap acrylic and they had just got in a 12ply multi colour which was perfect for what I wanted. These would be lovely in pure wool, but for a child and having to be washed who knows how and her two dogs may damage it, acrylic was the best choice.

Now back to baby knitting for the twins, a small baby jacket each, same pattern, one in Blue in Patons Emotion 4ply a beautiful Merino and Cashmere yarn and the other will be in Pink, not sure of the yarn yet I will have to check out my stash on Ravelry. I will put photos up when I have finished them.

Well that hasn't been going well for me now has it....

This year I thought I would blog more often than in the last few years. Today I checked and I haven't posted since June. Very slack of me.

I guess life is getting in the way, I seem to be busier than ever, even though I am trying to be a bit more laid back......well that hasn't been working well for me at all.

Even my Annie Knits facebook page has been suffering.

At the moment I have trying to declutter my home, it truly needs it. Besides way too much yarn and knitting books, which will always be a part of my clutter, I have way too much of everything else.

I recently bought (like last week) a book by Mari Kondo - The life changing magic of tidying up. I have nearly finished reading it within a few days of it arriving. Great hints in there, some are pretty damn scary, but I am going to give it a go....well the yarn and knitting books may not become apart of this tidying up. But you never know. If it doesn't 'spark joy' the criteria for keeping things, then some may go.

I have some exciting news......but wont' tell just yet! But I am sure you will guess when you see photo's of my current knitting.

I am so excited as here in Australia we have a hot Christmas and I have longed for a white christmas in America for so long and it is in my future plans (just not sure which year it will be), there is a Sydney Santa Spectacular being organised for most of December including after Christmas, I have bought 2 tickets, one for me and one for my grand daughter. There will be ice skating, a toboggan slope and a winter wonderland with snow along with Santa Claus, craft and side alley rides. I am going to start knitting us both some fingerless mittens with a flap on it, as it will be cold for most of it, we will need to take a change of clothes as I am sure we are going to get a bit damp from the snow and then it will be warm when on the rides etc. I can't wait to see Aahliyah's face when she sees snow for the first time. (she is 7).

With my exciting news, comes the reality that my local agricultural show knitting for January 2016 won't be much. If I can get what I am working on now done, then I may have something to show, but this is way more exciting than any knitting I can do for the show.

Oh its Winter

We are 3 weeks into winter and we have had some really cold days and some really nice days for winter.I have been getting some good use of my fingerless mittens and scarfs already.  I will need some  more scarfs soon as all the ones I have are a few years old now. I knit Bella a blue wool dog jumper, she doesn't seem to like it, she just keeps tying to bite it ender the neck and chat.

I have been involed in a week at kiama Community Arts Centre with the Kniiters Guild for the annual exhibition and sale. I sold over half of what I had and have been madly knitting more things as I will be in the centre again next week with the tuesday night knitters. iam saving the money made for a trip to kandos in july to visit friends who own the Convent & Chapel yarn store in Rylstone NSW. I cant wait to go back to the store, it has some fantastic yarns and knitting accessories.

I ordered some Knit Picks from America, I am so glad they ship to Australia now. I had to get some wool to knit some felted slippers in Rooster (football club) colours of red, white and blue for a friend. As they ship for free if you spent $60AUD, I had to get some Diadem DK it is Baby Alpaca and Mulberry Silk, it is the softest yarn I have ever felt.
 

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2015 and it is nearly half way over

My plan when I posted last time was to keep up to date and blog often. Well we can see how that turned out.

I have been knitting heaps, I do keep a list on Ravelry. I find ravelry so good, being able to list my stash and link that to my projects is great. I don't have to look through all my boxes of stash, I just have to go to ravelry and I can see all of my stash. I can then choose patterns to match my stash and then knit.

I will be invoked with an exhibition and sale of my knitting over the June long weekend with the Knitter's Guild in the  Kiama Old Fire Station Community Arts Centre. I have a few things already knit, I hope to sell enough to help my stash enhancement when I have a knitting weekend away to Kandos in July. Even though I am on nearly in the 2nd year of a yarn diet, I have always wanted to knit with Shetland Lace and it is sold at a yarn store in Rylstone of which one of the two lovely owners is where we will be staying in Kandos at the old convent for a few days.

I have been knitting felted slippers, fingerless mittens and baby ugg booties and other items to sell to fund my few days away and buy some beautiful yarn.

Another year nearly over....

Where has the time gone.......I swear it was only April the other week.

I have been busy doing sometimes absolutely nothing. It was going to be the restart year. Get on with life and move forward from a lot of shit that happens in life....well 12 months on and I did try, not very successful at times, but I have survived.

So here I am mid December with a week and a bit to go before 16 days off work, including weekends and public holidays. I can't wait. I have written so many lists of what I want to do and then get a bit realistic and write another list that is more manageable of me getting the things listed done.

Then I think, well school holidays and as I am off the week before and after Christmas, I will take Aahliyah to Sydney Aquarium. She deserves a nice treat as she did so well in her first year at school (Kindergarten). Then the big decision (which I still haven't made yet) will we go before Christmas (maybe less crowds) or shall we go before the New Year......decisions, decisions. Well I am going to leave that decision for now and think about it some more later.

I have been on my yarn diet for about 6 months now, I have fallen of the wagon twice, once to Bendigo Woollen Mills and another time to my local yarn store that closed down (can't knock back a bargain).

I am busy knitting, ripping back, knitting, ripping back, knitting, ripping back....damn I am persistent...a 3 piece baby set for the shows in January 2015. I decided to do a very old pattern that my mother inlaw had her friend knit for my first baby. It was beautiful, not practical even for back in 1980, but never the less it was beautiful. He was a January baby so it was way to hot for him to wear, I remember putting the set on him in the hospital to take him home.....off came the bonnet as it looked silly, then when in the car off came the jacket as it was way too hot, he did make it home in the booties. Another time he did wear it, it kept getting caught on rings and bracelets that anyone who nursed him had on. I still have it somewhere packed away. I will try and remember to find it and maybe take a photo of both when I have finished the one I am knitting. Photos will come when it is all finished....no spoiler alerts as it is for the shows.

I will update my lists here on what to knit etc and see how well I keep sticking to it. I have listed all my stash on ravelry so I can just go there and look for yarn and a pattern on what to knit next.

I have enjoyed a knitalong on Ravelry, 12 months of Dish Cloths. I am all finished with them and I have some really nice dish cloths, some will be hard to use as they are so nice.

Have a very Merry Christmas and New Year and an even better year to come in 2015.

I have been knitting.....honest

I have been knitting, I have been so busy like most people these days, time just gets away so fast.

I have knit so many pairs of felted slippers and still have so much of the yarn still left. I have knit headbands, beanies, fingerless gloves for my grand daughter, both for everyday use and also in school colours for her to wear to school.

She loves the fingerless gloves, although she will wear them for the walk to school, but takes them off at the school gate. She is only in Kindergarten and the peer pressure of fitting in is very well alive.

I will have to get photos of my knitting here soon.

Bendigo Woollen Mills have brought back their lovely Alpaca yarn, only for a short time unfortunately, so today, I put in an order so I can have some in my ever growing stash. It seems to multiple faster than I can knit. Another reason my stash is growing is the fact that my most favourite local yarn store will be closing in September this year. Damn it. But they are wonderful women who I knit with at least 5 times a month so I will still get to hang out with them at KITGO (Knitting in the Great Outdoors) that I started, Wollongong Stitch N Bitch, Kiama Knitters Guild and every second Tuesday night which now will be at a new venue and not at their lovely shop C.R. & K Daisy Designs.

Daisy Designs has a sale on called "end of the row" sale. So I have been making the most of that.

But all good things must come to an end......and I now realise I have enough yarn to last more than my life time, so I will need to cut back.   I will see how that goes.

Happy Easter Weekend

I have been off work recuperating from an operation, and have been making the most of my time knitting.

I finally finished my Peasy cardigan, not sure if I can call it that as I messed up the pattern, so the yoke is nothing like it should be. I need to buy some buttons and then it will be complete. In will get photos.

I have completed 2 cotton dishcloths for friend and a pair of fingerless mittens for my grand daughter.

I have also finished 4 pairs of felted slippers in various sizes. I am trying to get the size correct to fit my grand daughter.

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.