Stash busting continues...

and it feels good.
I had not quite a full ball of Shepherd 3ply pink pure baby wool, so I got out the good old and I mean old (vintage) bootees book by Paragon and did the 'Fairyweb' bootees, still had wool left so I started on the 'Lullaby' bootees, when I had finished them I still had a bit of wool left, was pretty sure it wasn't enough for another pair of bootees so I did a pair of 'Pretty Pair' slippers from the same pattern book. I had some wool left but not enough to really do anything else. The 2 pairs of bootees can go towards my knitting for Albion Park Show. Gotta love stash busting especially when it is going towards show knitting. Knitting plan going well at the moment.

I started on a jumper for my grand-daughter, I am still waiting for her parents to measure her, but I don't think they have a tape measure, which I will rectify when we visit in April. I am knitting the 'Lacy Sweater' from the Zoe Mellor 'adorable knits for tots' book. Seeing as I haven't got her measurements I started to knit the 1 - 2 years (she is 20months) as I was doing the border I realised that it seemed as if it was going to be too wide, so I decided to do the 6-12months (yes she is tiny), as I was knitting up the back I wasn't sure if it was going to be long enough, so I am knitting the 6-12months size in width and the 1-2years in the length. I am hoping it will fit. Time will tell in a few weeks when we see her. I am knitting it in the yarn I dyed last year at Knitters Camp (only about 5 weeks to this year's camp). It is a really nice and easy knit. I am not sure that I like the reversed stocking stitch though, it should look better on the front with the flower pattern.


The weeks are just rolling into each other with lightening speed or so it seems for me. I think it is because we plan our lives so far in advance that the days just seem to fly by. Maybe I should give away diary's, list and anything that makes time seem to just fly quickly by.

Another week goes by....

A busy and sad week in the house this week. An uncle of DH was killed in a car accident early hours of Monday morning on his way to work, he had 4 children aged 32 down to 24, they are around our boys ages, he was 61. Life sometimes is so unpredictable. And we always say we should live life to the fullest, but we forget until something like this happens.

The day after I had my 'every other Tuesday knitting group', I love this time of an evening knitting with some really special people. I decided even though it was a sad time that I was going to celebrate and I took along a bottle of champagne, nice champagne by Brown Brothers, Zibibo Rose, just beautiful. They asked what we are celebrating, I said I wish I could tell you I have won lotto, but I haven't yet, I said we are celebrating breathing and being alive. We toasted to breathing, living, friends, good times, bad times, knitting and whatever else life is made up of. It was a good night. We drank it early in the night so we were OK to drive home a couple of hours later.

I organised today (friday) off as DH is off this weekend (3 days), we were going to go for a ride for lunch today, but then he had to work today, Oh well there are other days to ride. We have the funeral tomorrow and then we are going up to stay with #2 son Tim and Abby for the weekend. Tim will finish work around 5pm so we shall be there by the time he gets home.

On the knitting front this week, it has been a bit slow, didn't feel like doing any or anything on Monday, but I did manage to finish last night another pair of 8ply socks for the Aussie Troops in Afghanistan and I have started on a pair of pink bootees, the bootess can go towards the Albion Park Show knitting for 2011 and it is another stash buster. All my knitting of late is stash busting except for the Indian Summer knitting.


Last Saturday I did some sewing, I did the aprons for myself and Aahliyah. I had enough for 3 aprons, I originally was doing 2 for me and 1 for Aahliyah of the leftovers. I decided that I would give one to Kristen, then thought well if I give one to Kristen then I will give one to Abby, so we now all have 1 apron each. I will give Abby hers on the weekend and Kristen and Aahliyah their aprons when we fly up there in 4 weeks.


I took a picture of a Rose from my garden, I have about 25 or so rose bushes they all have a beautiful smell to them, so I do smell the roses each day they are out.

Halley's Comet Hat's

It's friday, and you gotta be happy about that - I am even more happier as I am having the day off work (accrued leave - can have 2 days each month - YAHOO! - and I do try to). DH is at work, next friday he will be home and then every other second friday I will be having off with him till the end of year except for 3, which will be great, we can probably go for a ride and have lunch in some nice places. He gets every 2nd friday, saturday, sunday off. Sometimes my work commitments don't allow the same day off together. I dyed my hair, a bit darker than normal, and wouldn't you know it, while my hair is looking - well you know how it would have been looking, the doorbell rings and it's the postal delivery guy, damn I hate that, but anyway I made his day by having to answer the door and sign for the delivery. He will probably appreciate whoever else he sees today a bit better after seeing me so scary looking.

I found a nice hat/beanie pattern called Halley's Comet Hat on Ravelry, it knits very nice. I have done 2 for the homeless bringing my total to 10. I have about 40 other beanies that 2 other women have knitted as well.

This week I also knit a baby beanie to go with a jumper for a christening. Knitted in Big Baby from stash, gotta love this stash busting.

Just as I though I had a grip on my stash busting, Donyale emailed me and asked if I wanted yarn she is re-homing, and naturally I said yes. The other weekend I called around to her place and collected a big, I mean big plastic stripe bag (you know they type I mean) full of lovely yarns, knitting needles (which some I have made use of this week)which I will be using for more charity knitting throughout the year. Thanks so much.

I made a very big list of what I intend to knit this year, I even put in what dates I would start and finish each item - pretty stupid I know, but I am a head of schedule at the moment. I am going to have a go at putting the list in my side bar. Maybe that will keep me on track.

I have on ongoing project of knitting a blanket with all my left over sock yarn, I have wanted to learn how to do the 'magic square' for sometime now, so searched for a pattern, found one, and have started a blanket. Not to bad, will look better as it grows I am guessing. The bright colour I am knitting now I have been thinking while knitting it that I would have enough to do grand-daughter a pair of socks, and there is some of the same colour in the yarn Donyale gave me, so I am sure I could still use some for the blanket too. I may have a look for a pattern for a 1 - 2 year old size this afternoon.

Bollywood is off the needles

and I am so happy to have finished it. It was a nice knit even if I did stuff it up on the very second row and didn't read the pattern properly (always a problem with me) and have 2 splines on my shawl, but it all worked out well. I did knit an extra 10 pattern repeats than what the pattern said as my plain knitting was a bit longer than intended by not doing the 2 splines, so I was only increasing 4 stitches on the increase row and not 6 stitches. I knit until near the end of the yarn then did the crochet cast off, very pretty.


I did finish another beanie the other night, just for a change of pace. I started the beanie for SNB last saturday as I wasn't sure how I would go knitting a lace pattern while trying to talk, listen, eat etc that we do at SNB, but I did pretty well at it and didn't make any mistakes and didn't need to take the beanie out and knit on it while there.


We will have a christening to go to on Easter Sunday, I found I had a knitted baby jumper just plain knitting in a varigated blue, white yarn, so I am doing a beanie to go with it, I may do some mittens and socks/bootees, but not sure yet.

Then my plan is to get onto knitting something for my grand-daugher, we are flying up to visit them in mid April and would like to have something done for her for winter. I got a pattern book by Zoe Mellor "adorable knits for tots" with some very nice things in it, so will probably do something from that book.

I have tried to contact Just Enough Faith in Sydney so we can organise to drop off the beanies for the homeless so they can give them out on their nightly food van. I haven't heard back and when I googled them, I found some stories of how the owner had been gambling the money (he had used his own money for many years to feed the homeless nightly) he had got from donations, and I don't think they are still going, the website is still there. I will have to look for another charity that will give all the beanies to the homeless in Sydney.