Final Countdown

Sad but true, I do have that song in my head at the moment! We are in countdown mode, the kind of countdown mode that will after the weekend turn into the dreaded Countdown Mania. We leave for Germany in just 5 days and I am seriously worried that my to-do list will be incomplete when we leave!! My husband has been away for the last 2 weeks, which were busier than normal and as soon as he got home I went straight to my office and I have been a squirrell ever since.

The new Caress yarns are now instock at The Yarn Cafe and coming any day to Tangled Yarns, and if you haven't tried Caress before you are seriously in for a treat. So soft and dreamy! Caress now comes in a true laceweight at 800m per skein and a 4ply/fingering weight, which is my new favourite. I have a couple of skeins ready to take with me! I plan to make Gaenor by Corrina Ferguson in Merlot and Herbivore by Stephen West in one of my new colourways for Summer (coming very soon).

The shop will remain open while I am away and I will still be doing all the admin, there just might be a little more delay in response time ;) My lovely friend Tracy will be sending your orders out - and don't forget the competition is still on until a couple of days before Christmas!

I have also been trying to find time to sort of my projects to take with me - which is SO difficult. How much to take?? How much will I potentially buy while I'm there? (Lots, if I have my way!) We will be away for 7 weeks and I'm figuring on a project a week .... plus a couple extra LOL. 4 projects are 100g skeins, and I decided against taking the Cascade I had put aside for my Mr Greenjeans (I'm sure I can find some yarn there LOL). Still, that means I am taking about 1kg of yarn ..... does that sound nuts?? 1kg is me being VERY restrained!

On the actual knitting front I finished my Simple Yet Effective Shawl by Laura Chau as part of Kelly's Knit-a-long at Tangled Yarns, and I am so pleased with the result! It was a rocky start, I was really unhappy with the way the colours striped in the beginning - olive, purple and an orangey brown was not appealing to me - but I am so glad I persevered. I think I got a good ball of Noro, and I was lucky that the colours sort of striped in a good order (except the first part). I also used 3.5mm needles and probably should have gone up a couple of sizes. After blocking it looks even better and it is the perfect shawlette size. I have another ball of Noro to take with me!

I have also cast on Pasha by Jane Richmond in a last ditch attempt to get another project finished before we go. It's knitting up quick so hopefully I might be able to wear it in a matter of days (when we will experience a drop of at least 30 degrees).

FO Catch Up

I have neglected to post about a few finished projects, so here they are in all their glory :)

This is Jules modelling his new Milo vest by Georgie Hallam in one of my gradients in Four Bags Full Merino. Really happy with this!!

Two hats for me for our up-coming sudden demise into winter-land: above is Star Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson in Whisper 10ply. This whipped up real quick on 6mm needles. Below is the Sidewinder Hat by Amy Klimt - totally cool hat!! Those cables are awesome :) Very happy about wearing this one!!

And a little something for Sienna, this gorgeous hat aptly named Molly by Alana Dakos. It was a really quick knit once the brim was done, and the lace is so beautiful I keep picking it up and gazing at it! It was actually quite nerve-wracking as I was so sure I would run out of the teal yarn but by some miracle I managed to finish with about 50cm left!! I have visions of a green one for me :)

Yesterday I Dyed

Dyed yarn, of course! I've a full 2 lines of yarn drying - or trying to dry amidst spells of heavy rain. I just love these colours and I always have fun dyeing new yarn bases the first time - so fascinating to see how a fibre mix will take the dye.

This is how we go...

......to the post office :)

When both kids are at home there is usually great discussion about what transport we should take to the post office. We live in the same block as the PO, so there isn't far to go. That's pretty lucky seeing as the little red wagon is popular, and happens to be QUITE loud - the whole village knows when we are on our way! (On this particular day S was dressed as a Snow Leopard - in a red wagon LOL!)

The WoolRoom

On a recent trip to visit family we stopped in at The Wool Room in Uralla. The shop is mostly garments, but they do have a large set of shelves full of skeins, mostly hand dyed. I scored some possum merino and a wooden wrap slide, not to mention some incredible handmade buttons!! I am most impressed with the buttons and often return to thoughts of what to knit next that could feature a button or two!

Dye Sessions

I've been indulging in quite a few dye sessions ahead of our trip overseas, so the shop is well stocked before we go. I have been working with some new yarn bases and some new dye techniques and I've been having a blast! Some of the yarn is up already, including some Organic Cotton and Tencel blend in 4ply. I'm itching to knit with this yarn, it feels so light and silky.I'm loving how the colours are bright but soft at the same time, no gaudiness with this yarn! There will be more instock soon.

Yarn Passions

I have been quite busy these past months dyeing large dyelots for one of my newer stockists: YarnPassions in Taiwan. Anita has a beautiful selection of yarns and very good taste in my opinion! If you are in her part of the world, don't hesistate to email or comment on her blog!

I have also been experimenting with some new yarn bases and techniques - so stay tuned!

Weekend Knits

A few projects off the needles this weekend ....

Jumping Sun by Suvi Simola on Australian Organic Wool 8ply in Vibe by evoke hand dyed yarns.

I have finally cast off on Sienna's tunic dress and after plodding along on it for so long I am so releived that she likes it. She was wearing it within minutes of casting off and named it the 'Storm the Lightning Fairy Dress'. If you're a parent with a child out there addicted to the Rainbow Magic Fairies, then you know who I am talking about! It was a good knit while the kids are playing with all that stockinette. I'm not sure I like the hip shaping and the short rows on the neck could have been written better - I altered them a little, otherwise I would have had areas of stockinette in amongst garter stitch. But overall I am happy with it and so is the girl, which is the most important thing!

Curly Purly Soaker by Marnie Ann Joyce

Jules was in desperate need for a new soaker so I knit a Curly Purly with Cestari and thoroughly enjoyed it, having never used the pattern or yarn before :) It's only the second soaker I have knit him, poor kid in hand-me-downs, and here I am finally knitting him some when he's almost starting to toilet train - typical!

And last, but by no means least, Clemence by Katya Frankel who has an awesomely cool sounding name in my opinion :) Knitting this cowl was pure bliss: Silk merino yarn (hand dyed by Dyelicious) in beautiful browns + lace = perfection! This one's definitely in the suitcase for Germany :)

The countdown begins

I realised a couple of weeks ago that we had a bit more than 10 weeks until we leave the country. We're going to Germany to visit friends and family and it will be winter - hence the mild anxiety. 10 weeks and too many WIPs and lots of knits that *need* to be knitted. There was only one thing to do to calm myself down - knit quick!

Handspun Ribbed Hat by Vintage

'Charcoal' Gradient on Shetland Chunky by Evoke hand dyed yarns

I went for a surfer look, down low on the brow with no fold-over.

Thick yarn and big needles sure do the trick :)

I made the hats for the kids up as I went along. I added short rows to J's so that point of the hat was at the back rather than at the top. This whole thing took less than an hour. The kids hats are knit with some great Handspun yarn from a local Fibre Artist - Kerry Heinzel - and I am so happy with how they turned out.

This is Sienna's one - this hat is SO thick and warm!

And the best thing is: she likes it!

I do knit....

I really do knit, it's just sporadic and usually while the kids are in the bath (this sure makes for interesting knitting) or in the car. Things are hectic at the moment, so the stress relief I get from knitting has been lovely!

Chinese Waves Dishloth by Margaret K.K. Radcliffe

I couldn't resist trying some Debbie Bliss Eco Cotton from Tangled Yarns.... and I've always wanted to knit this dishcloth. It was a brilliant knit: quick, fun and the yarn is fantastic!

Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf by Karen Baumer

I started this scarf an embarrassing 14 months ago... where does the time go?? This was my car knitting for a long time, but after the move I realised that I had better get cracking with my WIPs. There were simply too many around the place and too many other projects to cast on! I added a couple of buttons, one skein of yarn wasn't enough for a long scarf. I'm really happy with how it has turned out and the yarn (Merino Slub from evoke hand dyed yarns - now discontinued) created a beautiful soft rustic fabric :) I can see I will get alot of wear out of this, and it will definately be coming O/S with us for Christmas!