Kiama Show.....not happy Jan!

I put a 4ply Pink pure wool baby dress in Kiama Show which got first place. I did a 3 piece baby set (matinee jacket, bootees, bonnet) old fashioned I know but that is what the category is, it didn't get anything. It was the same pattern as the dress. As I was looking at the knitting yesterday, people were commenting on how beautiful the dress and set was.

Now for the bitch.....yeah I do it well.....and it isn't sour grapes either.

There were a couple of 3 piece sets, so I would imagine I won't be the only unhappy knitter, what came 2nd was an acrylic cardigan a headband and bootees, of which the cardigan pattern and the bootee pattern were different. I know this person from Guild. She also won the category "any other item knitted not already mentioned" which opens it up to a huge amount of different items. Well this same person won with a pair of bright yellow bed socks again acrylic yarn and to me looked machine knitted (which this person does) with multi coloured WAIT FOR IT.....'Ostrich' yarn around the top now this won first place in this huge category.......WTF were the judges thinking......who TF were the judges this year. I reckon the people who entered in these other categories and SHIT items won a few categories this year....and yes this is my opinion.....but a lot of you know my knitting too....so you know I will be fair in what I say. Now to decide whether or not I will re-join Kiama Show next year or even knit for it in 2011. That I will decide soon. As usually I would be pissed off enough to have already said I will not enter Kiama Show again....and I am true to my word.....so I will just ponder the thought for a while.

Anyway.....enough of the bitch in me.

I am off to SNB in Wollongong in a few minutes via my very very favourtie yarn store - CR&K Daisy Design in Fairy Meadow (Daisy Street), to see if they have some 3.75 addi circulars, I am now knitting the 8ply socks for our Aussie troops in Afghanistan (it gets freezing over there - I was shocked when I learnt that) and need a second pair. At the moment I am using a 3.5 and a 3.75 which there isn't much difference, the only thing is one is attached to a 1 metre length and is a bit of a pain while knitting.

I also have started to knit my left over sock yarn and I am doing it while learning the magic square to make a rug. I am not going to match squares with colours I am just going to knit until the yarn is all gone then join the next colour.

Stash busting is well under way.

I will add pictures of my show entries when I get them back tomorrow.

Show Prizes

I put 4 items in the Albion Park Show this weekend and did pretty well. I was a bit apprehensive about putting knitting in for the first time, as I felt that you had to be a long term show goer to win anything, anyway I knitted my fingers to the bones the past couple of weeks since after Christmas and started and finished a jumper for myself in Shadow Tweed, I started and finished a pair of bootees in 4ply pure wool, I started and finished a tea cosy which I totally love, I had already knitted a 3 piece baby set and I stitched it together last week.

Results were Bootees and Tea Cosy - 1st Place - $5 each; Jumper and 3 piece Baby Set - 2nd place - $3 each = $16 in total. Won't make me rich - Yet! but I do like having the certificate with 1st and 2nd written on them.

Pictures taken of my knitting while on exhibition (they are behind a cage surround so it is a bit hard to get good photos).

Show Item complete in 13 days

I have completed the jumper for myself knit for either Albion Park Show or Kiama Show. If I can pick my items up on the Monday after Albion Park Show then I will enter this jumper and other items, if not, then they will be entered in Kiama Show.

Started: Monday 28 December 2009
Finished: Sunday 10 January 2010
Patons Pattern Book "Shadow Tweed" Book 1263
Pattern: No. 13 (lucky number) Cable Yoke Sweater
Yarn: Shadow Tweed - 56% wool, 40% acrylic, 4% viscose - 133m
Colour: 6911
Needles: Addi Turbo Clicks size 7mm (pattern said 6.50mm but I didn't have any)
Amount of Yarn: 7 balls (as stated in pattern)



It was a quick knit as it is probably a 10 or 12 ply yarn, it will be a very warm jumper as it was terribly hot while knitting and having it rest on my lap. I guess you have to expect that knitting it in summer.

Wow, that went fast!

The second package for the Indian Summer Yarn Club by Knitabulous has arrived. I was laying in bed (8.30am)trying to convince myself I should get up, when I heard a car pull into the driveway, I got up and had a look, a white van was there, so I went to the front door (whick is glass)(in my pj's), it was a delivery woman from Australia Post.

I got back inside, opened the parcel and it was another lovely surprise from Knitabulous.

I must go back and tell you about the first package as I didn't blog about it. It has some really lovely green shades of yarn, some tiny bamboo needles (like toothpicks) which I am capable of breaking easily (must find another great idea for them instead of knitting), a lovely sock pattern called "Shantaram" by Knitabulous. a "Knitabulous" lip balm and some Chiradelli (spelling) chocolate, I love that chocolate, I had a fair few pieces in San Francisco last year, would love to go back there and not just for the chocolate.

This new package has another great colour yarn in purple/mauve colours....beautiful....some very nice petite stitch markers, a pin cushion, a tealight candle - smells really nice, and a "Choo Choo Bar", I love choo choo bars, they are hard to come by, they actually stopped making them some time ago, but obviously they are back in production....yahooo.....black tongue here I come....I will have to eat that sometime today.



The only regret with the Yarn Club is TIME.....I don't have enough at the moment.....yes I am still on holidays.....but with knitting for the Kiama Show heavily underway.....time is of the essence....I will have to plan to start both these in February.

Welcome 2010....

Happy New Year...........here is to be best year ever!

I stayed up and watched the fireworks in Sydney on TV last night, I did have a couple of micro sleeps while the fireworks were going on.

I am going to be more organised and busy this year with what I have planned on the knitting front.

For the last time....I AM going to knit through my stash in 2010. I know I have been saying this for the past 2 years, well this is the year.

I finished 11 cotton bags for gifts for Christmas, the last one being finished the day before Christmas Eve....ya me!


I have gotten back to show knitting. I decided that I would enter Albion Park Show this year seeing as we moved here early 2009. I joined the show society, got the details and while knitting away on a baby dress read the categories for the knitting section....guess what....no baby dress mentioned. Put that away and start on a jumper for myself which there is a category for Women's Jumper/Cardigan. I am doing it in Patons Shadow Tweed which I bought from my favourite LYS, CR&K Daisy Designs at Fairy Meadow (Daisy Street)at the last "every other tuesday night knitting group". I bought it with some of my winnings for Charity Knitting. I have enough for 2 jumpers/cardigans for myself. It is knitting up very nicely and very quickly, it must be about a 10ply.


I have finished the 3 piece baby set, just have to block...yes I will have to block it (I don't block anything if I can help it). I am half finished a baby dress which now can go in Kiama Show.


While knitting away like a mad woman for the both shows, I read even further on the rules of Albion Park Show, you have to collect your items between 1pm - 3pm on the Sunday of the show, apparently the pavilion closes at noon on the sunday....go figure. Anyway on that Sunday my Aunty has organised a family day at her place as her son and his family are visiting from USA and he would like his girls to meet up with family as they have been living in USA for the past 4 years and it will probably be another 5 years before they come back again. So I think the thought of knitting for Albion Park show will have to wait until 2011....bugger. I still have my entry tickets so I will go and check it all out on the Saturday and see what type of knitting people are putting in. They even have a "feathers" yarn category, now that shouldn't be hard to win as how can you tell mistakes etc in that yarn.

I will finish my jumper, then get back to the baby dress, and by entering Kiama Show only then I can enter more items as I have more time to knit.
I still have to get started on my socks from "Knitabulous" knitting kit as the next one will be arriving very soon.

Then back to charity knitting starting with some 8ply socks for our troops in Afghanistan, then some beanies for "Just Enough Faith" in Sydney in time for our winter.

Tomorrow I have our very first Knitting In The Great Outdoors (KITGO) at Jamberoo from 10am, I am so looking forward to it, the weather says showers but they have a covered area, so I am going Rain, Hail or Shine. And Marti I wish you could join us too, it would be great to meet up with fellow "Tribe" members. You never know one day....dreams do come true you know.
Here is my rocking chair where I sat and knit yesterday (getting too hot in lounge chair)