Shhh...My Secret Pal 5

I have been contacted by the person who is my secret pal, I am so excited, the only thing is having to wait to the end to get to know about the person, it is going to be so much fun. I have been reading the blog of the person who I am going to be secret pal to and trying to get to know about them, when her secret pal 5 questions are posted I will know abit more about her.

Wollongong Stitch N Bitch

What a great afternoon at Wollongong Stitch N Bitch, I met "The Stripey Tiger", and "Pick up Sticks". Six knitters from the Kiama Knitters Guild attended, and we sat around knitting, chatting (Bitching) and eating and drinking hot chocolate, coffee etc. I was amazed at the wonderful knitting that people are doing, it really inspires you to do more and be more adventurous with knitting. I have finished my hat in black feathers with the Ostrich trim, and I am now knitting fingerless gloves for our goddaughters sister for her 11th birthday to go with the hat, I also got her some kiddies knitting needles and some 8ply wool to get her started in knitting. She has been learning with her grandmother, and she has been enjoying it, so I will give her a helping hand and hopefully she will become a great happy knitter too.

Secret Pal 5

I have recieved notification of who my Secret Pal 5 is, I have sent them an email to let them know I am out here, and I have also been reading about them on their blogspot. I am so excited, I can't wait to work out what to send first.

Secret Pal 5 - Questionnaire

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

I will knit with any type of yarn.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I have purchased a second hand Ashcroft Spinning Wheel, but have not learned how to spin yet. I can do basic crochet.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

No

4. How long have you been knitting?

Since probably about 4 years old, my Mum taught me.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

Lavender or Vanilla.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Aahh, Chocolate.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

Knitting at the moment, I would love to try beading and make myself some row markers, I can also sew.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I think my DVD will. I love INXS, Rob Thomas, Matchbox 20, Suzi Quatro, Rock and Roll, Eminem (from listening to my son play it constantly), depends on my mood. Most things loud.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

I love blues, mauves, into Greens at the moment, it depends on my mood, year etc.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I have a husband, 2 young adult boys (1 still at home), and a beautiful American Staffy, Ruby (nearly 2 years old).

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

To have a happy, LONG life, I always think I would love to be self sufficient, knit all day and just be happy pottering around a very large block of land and cosy house, with some chooks, alpacas, vege patch etc.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

Usually pure Wool, don't really have any favourites, as long as I have a nice pattern to knit it with.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Not sure...gee I am easy.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

Hats in Feathers with Boa Trim.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Baby clothes, clothes for our goddaughter and her sister and brother.

17. What are you knitting right now?

A jumper for Ruby our dog, and Bedsocks for Berrima Jail (womens prison) as part of the Knitters Guild of NSW Kiama Branch Charity Knitting.

18. What do you think about ponchos?

Love Ponchos, I am trying to find a girls pattern for Size 8 - 12 years old.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

I mainly knit with straight needles, but I am slowly trying and enjoy using circular needles.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I seem to break plastic halfway through a row, so Aluminium (metal), I do have some wooden needles and they are great.

21. Are you a sock knitter?

I am going to be. It is one of my goals for the year to knit socks

22. How did you learn to knit?

My Mum taught me.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

About a year old, I have misplaced the pattern.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

American Staffy's.

25. What is your favorite holiday?

Anywhere relaxing, we use to snow ski every Winter, now we mostly go away on any weekend we can on the motorbikes. I would love to get to Tasmania within the next twelve months. Canada, Italy and Ireland really appeal to me. I will have to put them on my bigger wish list.

26. Is there anything that you collect?

I try not to, I am trying to have less clutter. I have collected anything Cocoa Cola, Harley Davidson, and Jim Beam for our Games Room.


27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

Creative Magazine (Australia), just about to subscribe to Interweave Magazine (America)


28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Stitch N Bitch by Debbie Stoller and Stitch N Bitch Nation; Start Small Finish Big; The Color Purple; At Knit's End - Meditations for Women who Knit to Much by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.

It's Friday.........Ya gotta be happy about that!

Thank goodness it's friday, two days off, thank goodness for weekends.
Last night Ruby wore her new blue jumper I knitted for the first time, when I saw her this morning she was down the back yard, minus the jumper (I thought if she has ripped it I will kill her - not really), I went down and here it was in a nice pile in her kennel, I don't know how she got it off, but it wasn't harmed at all. Oh well I will try again tonight.

I got some really nice wool yesterday of a girl who works casual here, she sells jewellery and now wool, it is Fiddlesticks Vogue, a really chunky then really thin yarn in blue, mauve and green, I don't have any idea on what to do with it, but I have the urge to phone her and get more balls (I only got 2 balls).
Fiddlesticks Vogue Wool 

Also I have finished 2 pairs of woollen bedsocks for the Knitting Guilds Charity Knitting for Berrima Jail (womens prison on Southern Highlands), it is a really old jail (over 100 years) and it would be extrememly cold in winter and because of OH&S they aren't allowed electric blankets.


Bedsocks  

Bedsocks 

Tomorrow I hope to get to the Wollongong Stitch N Bitch for the first time, I don't know what DH's plans are but I think I will try to make it.

I have now started on a hat in Feathers yarn in the cream, pink and mauve colours for our goddaughters older sister, she asked me if I could knit it for her as she has a scarf in the same colours, her birthday is in June so I will make it for that, I would also like to knit her some gloves with the feathers on the bands and in a cream yarn, I will see how I go. Just trying to finish one thing at a time.

Knitting Sale

We had a great week at the exhibition and sale, we all did pretty well with selling our knitting. The weather was really terrible the first 3 days but the weekend really turned the good Autumn weather on. I sat out the front of the gallery knitting away, while watching the world go by. We had some really good comments on our work. I guess we will be busy thinking up new ideas for items to sell next year. And I forgot to take my camera and get photos. Donni came down on Sunday to visit, and met up with some other Wollongong Stitch N Bitch's from our Knitters group. I will have to try to make it to Wollongong this weekend.

Knitters Guild Kiama Branch

All my talk of knitting for our May Exhibition and Sale and I didn't say when or where it will be....silly me.

Kiama Knitters Guild May Exhibition and Sale
Venue: Old Fire Station Community Arts Centre, Terralong Street, Kiama
Dates: Wednesday 18 - Sunday 22 May 2005
Times: 10am - 4pm Daily

Hope to see you there.

Knitting Happens

Lunchtime used to run around and get some buttons for another baby jumper for the sale, will sew them on tonight, then hopefully all done and ready for setting up tomorrow.

These are some photos of the items I have knitted to sell at the Annual Exhibition and Sale this week.

I just have to remember how to post the pictures. Anyway here goes nothing.......

The top picture shows some hats and scarf in Feathers and Boa Trim, the middle picture shows a Pareo Wrap in Purple, hats, scarf and baby items and the bottom picture shows the Baby items.


Hats and Scarf for May Sale 

Items for May Sale 

Sale items 


My husband and a couple of our friends went to see the Textile exhibition at the Old Court House in Wollongong on Saturday afternoon, it was amazing, the work, the colours, it was just great. I bought 200g of handspun, hand dyed yarn in bright pink/blue/mauve, it is just beautiful, I am going to make a childs cardigan or jumper, I will be busy searching my patterns for something suitable.

After the exhibition we went up the road to a cafe overlooking north beach in Wollongong and had afternoon tea, yum "White Hot Chocolate", hit the spot perfectly, there is a first time for everything....even at my age.

The Countdown is on

A week to go until the Knitters Group May sale and exhibition. I am still madly knitting, I have finished 4 feather hats with Boa trim and 1 with a matching scarf, 2 baby cardigans, 1 modern and 1 traditional pattern, a couple of different yarn scarfs, and I am trying to finish another baby jumper. I just bought some nice 8ply Antique Brown wool of ebay, so when that arrives I would like to knit my Dad a vest for when he plays golf, (getting a head start on Christmas presents). My socks are still on the agenda, they may come before the vest.

Knitter possessed

I am a knitter possessed these last few weeks, every spare minute I have I am knitting.

We went away for the Anzac Long Weekend out west to friends, how relaxing, wine, food, and knitting of course. I knitted a dark brown feathers yarn scarf for my friends daughter, I didn't like the colour until I knitted it, it looked great.

I got more dark brown feathers yarn to knit a scarf and hat to sell at our knitting groups exhibition in May, I put a lighter brown Boa yarn on the hat brim and each end of the scarf, they look wonderful. I then made two more hats, brown with lighter trim and black with a black and white trim. Boy I wish I was a hat person (they don't look very good on me).

I finished the lacy scarf for my mum for mothers day.

I am trying to finish off a dark blue baby jumper for the exhibition along with numerous other ideas I have, running out of time. I was off work sick last week, so not much got done.

All the kids will be home for dinner tomorrow night (two sons and their girlfriends), so we will probably play snooker after dinner, I will have to try to get some knitting in aswell. My husband is being neglected worse than ever now I have the knitting bug so bad, he should be used to it, as I have been knitting most nights for over 20 years now, all our friends are used to me sitting around talking and knitting.