Busy time all around

Time is just passing way too fast. I can't believe it is December next week. DH turns 50 tomorrow...WOW...I will be sleeping with a 50 year old......now that is hard to believe. I guess it shouldn't be as I am only a year younger. Don't feel it though, I thought at 50 we would be so old, not have much mobility, and be wrinkly. Glad I was wrong. I won't add the grey hair as we both have lots of grey hair, thank goodness for hair colour.

I have finished the hot pink cotton and bamboo top for me to wear to DIL's party Saturday week. I also knitted a shrug for grand-daughter in the same yarn, pretty nice.

Over the October long weekend while in Beechworth Victoria, I visited a lovely shop - The Ardent Alpaca, so lovely, it was a freezing cold spring day, they had the wood fire going, beautiful and cosy. The have alpaca clothing, blankets and knitted clothes and knitting items. I bought a Keyhole Scarf kit with a lovely handmade wooden button. I knitted the scarf on the weekend, finishing on Tuesday night at "every other tuesday night knitting". It is Oro Inca Alpaca yarn from Peru 70% Alpaca 30% Silk, it is sooooo soft.

I am now knitting for Kiama Show at the end of January 2009, I have started with Shepherd 4ply Baby pure wool in a lovely Mauve or Lilac colour not too light and not too dark. I thought the pattern went up to size 1 as I am going to knit things that will fit grand-daughter next winter when she is 9 mths - 12 mths old, but unfortunately the pattern I chose only goes to size 6 mths. Not all lost as our cousin's wife has just had her 4th child - a girl, so she will be 6 mths next winter, so after the show I can gift it to her.

I have decided that next year (2009) is going to be my "Lace" knitting year and "Learn to Spin" year. As most countries have a "Year" of something, those 2 are going to be my own personal "Year" of things to do. That will use a lot of my stash up. Yeah I know....my goal of using all my stash by the end of 2007, then became use my stash by end of 2008, will hopefully be the end of my stash by the end of 2009. I would love to have just enough yarn for 3 projects at any one time. I like to finish things before I start another thing. Hey that's me.

SNB this saturday, with secret santa, I have to wrap my secret santa gift to take, make a birthday cake "Cherry Ripe Chocolate Mud Cake" for DH birthday. #1 Son and DIL are shopping today for the birthday food, heaps of fresh seafood, and they have kicked me out of the kitchen tomorrow afternoon while they prepare the food for dinner tomorrow night. Yahoo, gotta love them, that way I am free for SNB. I get to have a great afternoon knitting, chatting, etc then come home to an already prepared birthday meal. We will ring #2 Son and DIL in WA after dinner so DH and all of us here can speak with them.

Pictures of the finished items may get to here over the weekend, not sure though, plan to get the christmas decorations out on Sunday and sorted ready to go and pick out a tree, cut it down and get it home to decorate the following friday.

Two new Knitting books

I had ordered some time ago from Amazon.com two books by Nancy Bush. Knitting on the Road which I had been wanting to get for a couple of years now and just kept forgetting about it. That was until I read about Knitted Lace of Estonia.

I checked out the price at Amazon.com and decided to buy it, it had to be put on order as it hadn't been released at the time. To make it worthwhile postage wise I ordered another book by Nancy Bush Knitting on the Road.

They arrived on Friday. The lace knitting and the stories that go with the lace are really lovely. One day I will knit some things from this beautiful book. Just have to get through a few other knitting projects first. And as I ordered them before the almighty aussie dollar dropped so low, it was really good buying.

Wow what is with blogger tonight, not that I am complaining, but after a few weeks of having to wait forever for pictures to upload, these two uploaded in about 3 seconds.

Quick Knits

I have knitted 2 pairs of Fetching fingerless gloves over the weekend. One for me and one for a work colleague. I love Heirloom yarns and the Cashmerino is really nice to knit and looks great when knitted.

I have made progress on the pink top for me, I am doing the armholes of the back, it is a nice and easy knit. I need it finished by 6 December for a party with a hot pink colour theme.

Addi Clicks

Yahoo! My LYS - CR&K Daisy Designs at Fairy Meadow have ordered a few sets of Addi Clicks. I have a set on order along with some other knitters who are pretty impressed by them. I can't wait until they arrive.

I ducked into my LYS yesterday morning to get a couple balls of merino cashmere for a pair of fetching to make for a work colleague who has a new job in a much colder town to where we are now. I got two balls of the Heirloom Cashmerino, love it, it is just great to knit. I made the pair on Saturday arvo and night, then realised that one is about 1 or 2 rows bigger than the other, so what to do, knit another set one bigger than the other, so I did, and I am about 1/2 way through, only one smaller one to go. I will finish them tonight. Pretty good 2 pairs of fetching from 2 balls of cashmerino. Beautiful.

I have covered the 100g challenge with my local knitters guild for November. I bought 2 balls of Anchor Magicline No3. which are 5og each and from 2 balls made a lovely string back. I think string bags will be making a come back as more places around here are going plastic bag free. My local Council which is where I work wants our municipality to go plastic bag free, it will be intereting to see how they go about it and how long it takes to become plastic bag free. Intereting concept. Good idea too.