Update, Competition & Hello.......

Hi......it feels like an age since I was last here.  My social media posts have been few and far between as I move into my last week of Tram Driver training with an on board trainer before my last exam next week.  My days have really just been a complete blur of study and concentration on another level, tiredness that I never contemplated.....all brought on by mental fatigue......I don't think I've ever slept so well in my life and let me tell you sleep becomes the most important thing ever!

I've also learnt that eating well and exercise are paramount in a job that requires 100% focus at all times......hopefully that focus may roll over in to my procrastination of all things wooly and stop me jumping from one WIP to another!!.......Somehow I don't think it will.

I continue to knit my way through the last half dozen hat orders.  My days off like today are dedicated to knitting all day to get these completed.....I figure at the moment the housework can wait.....as long as I have a clean uniform for work, that's the main thing.

I've had a few queries already about releasing more patterns.....the answer is yes.  I have a baby blanket or two in the planning for the next patterns.  I just wanted a little break from the hats for now.....fingers crossed the blanket patterns will be completed by mid July.....and then I'll start working on my next hat pattern.

I still continue to be amazed at how well my patterns have been received.  Norwegians, Danes, Swedes and the French continue to knit my patterns at an amazing rate, and looking at so many of your little knitted d&m hats on Ravelry and blogs, makes me smile.

So that leads me to a KEATON competition that I promised......I am quite happy to knit 2 completed KEATON beanies for 2 lucky winners in colours and size of their choice from the colours I have in stock.

Keaton comes in 5 sizes so you are not limited to kids sizes if you win. You may want a beanie for yourself.  You can also have the choice of having it with a pom pom or without.  I'll happily send the completed beanies anywhere in the world.....as the competition is open to everyone.

All you have to do to enter is to either join my blog, like my Facebook page and do one other thing and that is to like one of the great photographers Facebook pages that have assisted me with Keaton photographs amongst others Sarah Brown Photography  and Lamb loves Fox

Going To The Show......

Its been many years since I've been to the Royal Melbourne Show.  Originally an agricultural show, but over the years commercialism has taken over and now it's more about the rides and the show bags, and less about the animals, farm produce and craft.  Every time I go back to the show, I still get that nostalgia hit from memories of traipsing around the showgrounds with Mum, my sister and my brother during the September school holidays around 40 years ago.

My aim is to always spend most of the time looking at the awards for knitting, crochet, sewing and all the other craft and hobby competitions.....I'm going to be honest and say I sometimes wonder what the judges look at when awarding prizes for wool and fabric based competitions.  Some of the decisions rendered me speechless, and not always in a good way, but who am I to judge, the amount of work on all pieces is really priceless and unfortunately prize less in a lot of cases.

I also love looking at the awards for baking....cakes, scones, slices, biscuits then the making of preserves and sauces, always a lot of fun.....and then the cake decorating, it's all there to be viewed.  

No trip to the show in my mind isn't complete without a visit to the Country Women's Association as well as a look at the animals, my favourite bit of the show.  The dog competitions, with shades of "Best in Show", the absolute precision cutting of sheep fleece for judging.....the absolute boredom on the faces of most of the cattle, and the swishing tale of a rag tail cat, who was just getting a bit fed up with the constant petting.  The overfed, lambs and goats wandering around the nursery animal shed, all these things along with the colour and the spectacle of the show, make it an enjoyable day......but I will say,  I'm done for at least another 5 or so years!!

 


Enjoy,

A Hat Before A Pattern.....

I always like to share the dover & madden love, and this Christmas it ain't going to be any different.....I have 5 little items to giveaway to end the year off, 4 hats and 1 pair of booties and all in time before the release of my first "Knit Your Own" hat pattern.

I never ask of anything in return for entering one of my giveaways, but this time I think you need to send some Christmas love back to me, so all I ask in exchange for two entries in this competition is that you do  two of the following for your entry to be valid and then you're in.

1.Join my blog, over on the side of my page, it's easy to do.
2 Jump over to Facebook and like my page here
3. Share my blog or my giveaway post on your blog or your facebook page.

Once that's done, all you need to do is leave a comment under this post stating which 2 items that you would like using the numbers and names of the hats or booties and both entries will go into the draw for those items....Should you win, they will be knitted in your colour choice.  Australian winner(s) should have their hat or booties by Christmas (based on yarn availability), International winners I can't guarantee a Christmas delivery, but I'll do my best....remember I just knit the hats, it's up to your postal system to get them to you in time.  Fingers crossed.

Here are the items names and numbers

1 - HATCH, Patterned pixie hat with ties, or chin strap sized for a newborn through to 36 months
2 - DOTTIE, Earflap hats with ties and coloured knitted dots, 3 months through up to 36 months
3 - PURDEY, Bonnet style patterned hat with ties, 3 months through to 30 months
4 - CLOVER, Chevron patterned earflap hat, 3 months through to 48 months
5 - BOOTIES, Newborn to 6 months or 6 months through to 12 months.


I think that is it, the competition will stay open till Sunday 9th December, and I'll draw the winners using random.org at 8pm EST time and they will be announced here, a little after closing off the competition.


** Change....I won't be using random.org I've decided....each draw will be done from a hat....well probably a pyrex dish more than likely**


Best of luck, Vicki x