SP9 December Parcel Contents

My SP9 Pal Sue has certainly spoilt me and I thank her so much for her generosity. After her being sprung leaving the package at the front door, I was eager to see what was in the box. I contained myself, and opened the box on Christmas morning.

Inside the box each item was individually wrapped. It was so exciting, I felt like a little kid opening Santa's presents. ('Cause I have been a good girl this year ..... I really have!!)

... and this is what was inside the parcels. A beautiful pair of handkitted sox, made from Knit Picks yarn. They are so lovely on my tooties!! ..... bring on winter !!!

There were 2 balls of Crystal Palace Yarns (Aran Print 100% wool) in a beautifyul mulberry/pale blue colour; two balls of Sugar and Cream Cotton (red/green/blue/dark cream in colour and the other one in greens/blue and mauve colourings; a face washer and Christmas talc..... yes there was even more ...... a lovely cream dishcloth/facecloth (it is far too nice to use on dishes!) AND a delicious Glace Christmas Fruit cake (yummo!). There was a lovely handmade Christmas card with all of this ..... I wonder if Sue made it? Thankyou Sue for my goodies, you really are a generous SP9 Pal.

The Last Saturday Sky for 2006

Today is the last day of 2006. Hasn't the time just flown by? As we get older, the years seem to slip away so quickly.

I sincerely hope that 2006 will be a much happier year world-wide ..... no wars, no droughts or floods, no hunger, no povety ..... who am I trying to kid!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOURS ..........

My SP9 Pal was SPRUNG !!!!

Last month, my SP9 Pal who lives in Dandenong delivered my exchange parcel ...... today she did the same thing ...... except this time Sue was SPRUNG!!!

I was walking through the loungeroom when I saw someone walking up to the front door ..... and oh boy, was she looking guilty! I realised that it was Sue my SP9 Pal delivering my December parcel. Would I let her get away with it, or would I say something ....... oh well IT IS a secret exchange, and secrets are made to be broken.! So I called out "SPRUNG" and invited Sue for a cuppa. We chatted for about 2 hours, as though we have known one another for years but haven't seen one another for a long time.

Ern took the photo of us .... (the 2 guilty SP9 pals who have been sprung)........ Sorry Sue, I should have had your parcel in my hands ...... instead it is under my Christmas tree.

Merry Christmas Eve ...... hope everyone has a lovely Christmas Day .......

A Xmas Saturday Sky

Happy festive season to everyone who reads my blog ...... and even to those who don't read it !!!

After weeks of abnormally high temperatures for this time of the year, it is quite cool today. We even had some rain last night, which was a welcomed relief. The rain has brought some relief for the terrible bushfires that are still burning in our country.

I have 4 metres of mulch to spread ..... today looks as though it is going to be a good day to do it. It has to be done because we still have months of hot weather to come.

My Christmas shopping has been done ..... food, presents, presents and presents ...... is there anything else?

A lovely thing happened during the week. I set up a webcam on my mum's computer but it wouldn't work. My sister Lyndy fixed it and there we were having a lovely time on the computer seeing one another. Whilst this was going on, I had a parcel delivered. It was my Christmas present from my sister ..... so I was able to open it (only the envelope ..... not the contents) and she was able to see me doing this. I felt she was actually in the room with me. What a wonderful invention.

Spin to Knit a Saturday Sky

4 metres of Euc mulch (!!) has been delivered and is now ready for us to spread on the garden. Euc mulch is finely ground eucalyptus. It has a beautiful smell when it is wet ..... and that is the reason why we got it. We are in drought conditions and can only water the garden every second day. We would just love to have some rain.

The terrible bush fires are still burning - 42 homes have been razed to the ground. I do feel so sorry for them - the week before Christmas. As can be seen in this photo the sky in Melbourne is blue ........ no smoke haze ...... still be have our home !!!

Spin to Knit Exchange
This morning I received the details of my Pal in the first-ever Spin to Knit Handspun Secret Pals Swap organized by Interweave Press. Her name is Elizabeth and lives in the USA. I thoroughly enjoy these swaps .....

The Malawi Project

This photo of jumpers was taken from the web www.aids.net.au For more information go to this site and follow the link to "The Malawi Project" then Knitting for African AIDS Orphans.

The Members of the Handweavers and Spinners Guild of Vic have rallied and have been busily knitting these jumpers. Even my mum has knitted quite a few.

The jumper pattern is very easy and the one size will fit different age groups, as there is quite a bit of give in the pattern.

Here is the pattern for the Aids BabyJumpers :-

Knitted all in one - double knit wool is ideal (8ply)
Size 5mm needles (tight knitters)
Size 4.5mm needles (loose knitters)

Cast 44 stitches
Work 18 rows in K2, P2 rib
Work 30 rows stocking stitch
Cast on 12 stitches at beginning of next 2 rows,
at same time change to K2, P2 (for sleeve)
Rib 22 more rows
Next row: Rib 21, cast off 26 stitches, Rib 21
Next row: Rib 21, cast on 26 stitches, Rib 21
Work 22 rows in K2 P2 rib
Cast off 12 stitches at beginning of the next two rows
Work 30 rows stocking stitch
Work 18 rows K2 P2 rib
Cast off

Please stick to pattern ‑ This has proven to work well.

Stripes and bright colours are fine.

A big thank you from the tiny babies of Africa.

Saturday Sky

What a hot day it was today ... and so appressive! It has been an extremely busy week for me and I am looking forward to Sunday to just sit and do nothing. This photo was taken from my sister's house in Wangaratta.

Last Saturday, Sunday and Monday I went into the Guild for the Certificate Spinning Assessements. The students' work was mindboggling ..... and this is their first year. The assessing was time consuming but well worthwhile just to see their achievements. I am very proud of them.

On Tuesday I went to Wangaratta to visit my mum. My sister and her family also live there. I was there until Friday lunch when I came home. There are terrible bush fires around them and in other parts of Victoria. The smoke was so thick, it actually looked like a pea souper fog. The next few days will be quite a worry for the fire-fighters. We desperately need the rain - not the 39-41C days with the north winds.

Today (an extremely hot Saturday) it was on the 7.30 bus/train/tram into the Guild for the last meeting of the year. The Certificate Weaving students graduated from their 2 year course. These students produced such beautiful work. I don't weave, but I certainly appreciate the work that they put into their pieces.

Saturday Sky

This is the dome of Flinders Street Railway Station in Melbourne. Isn't it just beautiful? The photo was taken at 8.45am on my way the Handweavers and Spinners Guild.

Today the 2006 Certificate Spinning Course students handed in their work. The assessments began later in the morning of flax and cotton. What stunning work!! Some of the students have only been spinning for 1 year. Of course, as the Teaching Convenor I must say that our Tutors were excellent ...... and of course the students were brilliant!! I am very proud of all the students and what they have achieved this year.

They have another year to complete the Course. Judging by the standard of the work here today, at the end of 2007 the students will all have exceptional talents in a wide field of spinning techniques.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I go in again for the assessing of worsted, woollen, silk and other protein fibres. It will be a long and rewarding day, but one that will not be rushed. The students deserve our time and attention to their folios and samples.

A Hat or two ......

These are two hats that I have just finished knitting for the homeless at St Mary's House of Welcome in Melbourne. I do quite a few hats and scarves over the year for them and also for a women's refuge that I support.

The blue hat was knitted in 2ply handspun, using white merino tops and then dyed. This hat has a garter stitch border at the bottom.

The multi coloured hat was knitted in 1 ply handspun merino tops which had been randomly dyed. Note the slant in the body of the hat ....... this is because I knitted the hat before I washed the handspun single .... this is called an "energised single". This hat was knitted on a circular needle and has a turned up brim.

Saturday Sky

State Elections today ....... this photo shows the entrance to the polling booth. Voting is compulsory for everyone over 18 years. Ern and I walked to the polling booth and voted for ??????? We were there about 10am and the school was having a sausage sizzle ...... yummy .... (well, you have to support the local primary school) !! From there we walked down to the bakery and had a relaxing coffee/hot chocolate.

Two girlfriends called in this afternoon. It was a complete surprise. I haven't seen them for perhaps over a year. It was lovely to catch up on their families, their jobs and their latest crafts.....

November SP 9 Gift to Canada

It took 13 days by airmail for my SP9 parcel to reach Canada ...... it must have gone by seagull!! (at least it didn't go inside a floating bottle ..... cause then, it would have taken forever !!!

My SP9 pal said that she likes knitting baby things ...... so I included a few balls of baby wool. Mind you, I didn't send a baby pattern book.

I send Jenn this lovely sock book. It has some lovely patterns in it. The Knitscene Magazine had some wonderful patterns, and I thought she would really appreciate them ...... this magazine caters for the younger/trendy person.

These gifts went inside a knitted and felted bag. I used some of my handspun wool to make the bag.

Jenn thanked me by email and I hope she really did like her November parcel.

Saturday Sky

This photo was taken at 9.30am from Flinders Street Station and shows St Paul's Cathedral to the left and Federation Square to the right.

I took this photo on my way to the Handweavers and Spinners Guild of Vic November meeting. It was an extremely hectic day. In the morning the Guild held a Christmas workshop. I demonstrated a Christmas tree made from beer bottle tops covered with material and glued together. Ciara demonstrated a beaded angel. It was beautiful.

Immediately after the workshop, I held the Teacher's Committee Meeting. This was then followed by the Summerschool tutors saying something about their topic and showing some samples. I am the tutor for Creative Carding and Spinning and also one of the tutors for a Spinning Weekend, where I will be teaching Colour Carding.

Was there time for lunch ....... NO Way !! The meeting was about to start but no Minute Secretary ...... so I said that I would do it ......

Then it was a SLOW and long trip home by public transport. Buses were replacing the trains and this added at least 35 minutes to the trip, apart from the time waiting for the missed connecting bus/train.

I WAS SO GLAD TO GET HOME .......

Anyone for a scone or two ??

Scones are the easiest thing to make. Always remember to have the dough moist. If the mixture is too dry add more moisture.

The recipe I use all the time is just so simple:-

3 cups Self Raising Flour
300 ml container of cream
300 ml milk (full or skim)
2 tsp sugar

Mix altogether, lightly knead on a floured bench. Cut out with a cutter or a knife. Bake at 210C for about 12 minutes.

If you want to make savoury scones, omit the sugar and add some bacon, cheese, parsley to the mixture. In fact you can add anything to the mixture, dates, sultanas - anything you fancy.

Now sit down, relax and enjoy your lovely risen scones.

Saturday Sky

LEST WE FORGET

In Australia today we commemorate Remembrance Day.

At 11am on 11 November we pause to remember the sacrifice of those men and women who served their country, have died or suffered in wars and conflicts.

From 1916 to 1918, some 265,000 Australians served on the Western Front in France and Belgium. More than 46,000 were to lose their lives in devastating battles at places such as Pozières, Fromelles, Bullecourt, Messines, Passchendaele, Amiens and Ypres - a greater loss of life than in any other Australian campaign or conflict of the 20th century.

To commemorate the 90th anniversary of the battles of 1916, in which more than 10,000 Australians lost their lives and a further 30,000 were wounded, the Department of Veterans' Affairs has released its 2006 Remembrance Day poster, featuring an image of the unveiling of a memorial to fallen members of the 1st Australian Division on the battlefield at Pozières.The division captured Pozières on 23 July 1916 and Charles Bean, Australia's official wartime historian, later wrote that Pozières Ridge outside the village marked 'a site more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth'.

*************************************************

Ern went to Croydon to commemorate Remembrance Day. This is the first time in 21 years that I have not accompanied him. No matter where we are, we still have one minute's silence to remember.

I went into the Handweavers and Spinners Guild for the last class of the 2006 Certificate Spinning Class. We all brought something for a shared lunch ...... maybe some of the girls could give me a lesson in cooking !!! There was such a varied array of food, from health foods to luscous home made sponge with cream and strawberries..... yum yum

I actually baked last night - I made a batch of scones.

Birthday Flowers

What is the best thing to do with a bunch of flowers once they have outlived their vase ???

Use them for dyeing ....... (colouring !!) of course ...

Kate gave me these flowers for my birthday. They were truely lovely.

When they had died and dried I "stuck" them in the enamel pot with a "bit" of alum and some water to cover. I placed the staples of fleece in with the foliage, which was a bad move as pieces of foliage stuck to the fleece. However, the colour turned out very pretty.

Current Knitting ....

I am a member of the Aussie Knitters Yahoo group. They are having a freeform KAL, starting with a basic leaf shape. Of course, I can never stick to the pattern and have altered the shapes ...... but then it is freeform knitting!!

I plan to make a bag with the shapes. I have seen beautiful vests made with freeform knitting/crochet, but I think a vest would make me look twice the size !!!

I should have the basic bag finished soon.......
who am I trying to kid ???????

November SP9 Gift

I want the whole world to know that I have sent my SP9 her November gift today.

How long will it take ??? ....... approx 10 days by air mail.

What's inside the parcel ???? ...... not telling.

Will Jenn like it ????? ........ I hope so.

November SP9 Gift

Recently my SP9 Pal emailed me saying that I should keep watch on the letterbox over the weekend ......

......... considering that we don't have weekend mail deliveries, I guessed that it was going to be delivered by her or an accomplice!

My mum went back to Wangaratta and after arriving home from seeing her off on the train, there was my gift ...... AT THE FRONT DOOR !!!

I was so excited, I could hardly contain myself from ripping off the paper. Inside the beautiful blue paper was a complete surprise. There was a lovely scarf in her own design. In an email later that night, Sue said that so far she haven't given it a name: maybe she should call it the "Vivienne Scarf". The scarf was knitted in Rowan Summer Tweed, 70% silk, 30% cotton - it is just so soft and warm.

Apart from the lovely card and the heart confetti inside the card, there was a container of homemade caramel tarts. They WERE delicious ..... Ern and I ate them !!

Thankyou Sue, my lovely SP9 Pal for the thoughtful gift.

Saturday Sky

My brother Darryl plays Pennant Lawn Bowls for Box Hill RSL and today they were playing the Ringwood Bowls Club. Ern, Mum and I went and saw him playing. He played quite a good game. How lawn bowls has changed ..... years ago it was played mainly by the elderly. Now the players are all ages, some being extremely young.

As can be seen by the colour of the sky it was a rather dismal day. It was cold and it looked as though it was going to rain.

Mum's Visit to Melbourne

This is my Mother (in the mauve jacket) taken at Southbank in Melbourne ..... and the other person is me!!! The buildings behind us are the main buildings of Melbourne and the river is our beautiful Yarra River. Well, I think it is beautiful. Some people say that the Yarra River flows upside down ....... just because it is brown !!!!

Saturday Sky

They say if you live in Melbourne you will experience 4 seasons in one day. Well I thought today was going to be one of those days.

Last week we had a record 30C degree day. Today Melbourne's top temp was only 14.6C, with winds from the Antartica. Snow even fell on the nearby hills. We are experiencing drought conditions, but last night Melbourne had some lovely rain. However, it did not fall where it is needed the most.

This Saturday morning sky was taken at 7.45am. A short time later the sky was cloudy. Tonight we are in the loungeroom with the heater on. It's a cold night !

Flax Spinning Class

No ....... these are not witches hats on broomsticks, although some of the students came in through the door to class on their brooms !!!

Today, the students of the 2006 Certificate Spinning class learnt how to dress their distaff (in this case, their broom taped to the side of their chair. On top of the distaff they placed a cone of cardboard and wrapped their flax onto the cone. They spun the flax dry and also wet.

Most of the students have never spun flax and they all managed extremely well and produced a very fine yarn.

48 THINGS YOU CARE LESS ABOUT

1. FIRST NAME? Vivien

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? - nope

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? – can’t remember

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? – nope

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCHMEAT? - salami

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? – yep

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? - only online

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? - yep

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? - Definitely No, No way!!!!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL? – Cocoa pops

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? - yep

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? – sort of !

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR? - macadamia

14. SHOE SIZE? - 9-10

5. RED OR PINK? - red

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? - my weight

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? – my dad

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? – sure thing!

19. WHAT COLOUR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? - Navy blue pants, navy & white short sleeve shirt and brown (!) Rebock shoes

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? – cable TV (Diagnosis Murder)

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE? - blue

23. FAVOURITE SMELL? – fresh roses

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? - my mum, wishing her a happy birthday

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? – if they are friendly !

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? - I have never met her as she is my SP9. I think I would like her as our answers are nearly the same !!!

27. FAVOURITE DRINK? – mango cordial (certainly not diet/light cordial!)

28. FAVOURITE SPORT? – I don’t play sport but I enjoy watching golf, rugby and cricket on TV

29. EYE COLOR? - blue

30. HAT SIZE? - large

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? - nope!

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? - Happy endings – I hate sad endings!

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? - winter

36. HUGS OR KISSES? - hugs

37. FAVOURITE DESSERT? – lemon merangue pie

38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? – don’t know

39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? – don’t know

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? – Colour in Spinning by Deb Menz

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? – nothing…. It is just dull blue (how boring!!)

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? – Star Trek on Cable TV

43. FAVOURITE SOUNDS? – my husband breathing in the morning! (then I know he is still in the land of the living!!)

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? - Beatles

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Disneyland in California and England

46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? - I'm a good listener

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? - Mooroopna hospital near Shepparton Australia

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? - I stole it from Jenn, my SP9 participant’s blog

Happy Birthday Mum

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Mum. I hope she many more happy ones to come.

I LOVE YOU MUM (kiss kiss)

Saturday Sky

Saturday 21 October 2006 - Caulfield Cup Day. It was a fairly cool day.

This day 12 years ago, my Dad passed away, the day before my Mum's Birthday. I find it hard to believe how fast the time goes. Sometimes I feel that he is still with us. We all miss him very much, but we have wonderful memories of him.

We had our Handweavers and Spinners Guild Meeting today. Chrissy Lauritz from Fibre Fusion gave a wonderful felting demonstration. Her designs are unique and inspiring.

Secret Pal 9 (SP9)

The 15th October saw the beginning the Secret Pal 9 exchange. This is an international exchange. We exchange a knitting related parcel in November, December and January. I am looking forward to participating in this exchange. I asked if I could exchange with someone overseas. I have been lucky enough to exchange (or should I say spoil) Jenn in Montreal Canada.

Sue from Melbourne will be sending me my parcel. In fact, Sue has relatives in my nearby suburbs..... we are the same age and our favourite film is Brigadoon. Jenn from Canada is a 21 student and is probably saying "Brigadoon??? when did they make that film?????"

Brigadoon is such a magical musical ....... The moral of this film is, if you believe in something..... stick to it !!!

A Generous Friend

A while back, I was in the Guild and we were talking about dishcloths/washclothes. One lady (Catherine M) said that she had a bag of cotton yarn and that I was welcome to it. She gave it to me the other day. Thankyou Catherine for your very kind generosity. It is very much appreciated ..... now I have to think what I am going to use it for???

SATURDAY SKY

14 October 2006 saw the sky over our house overcast although it was warm (15C). By the end of the day the sky was blue with some cloud and it was a little cooler. Melbourne had a top temperature of 23C.

So what did I do inbetween 9am and 5pm????

Ellen picked me up at 9am and we went into the Spinners Guild ..... the Certificate Spinning students were spinning cotton. We weren't teaching, but we wanted to go in and see how they managed their silk homework.

The class only goes until 12.30pm ..... so why did I get home around 4.30pm ..... dunno! I guess it was because we talked, and talked ...... and yes ..... you guessed it..... we talked !!

SATURDAY SKY

Photo taken outside our house at 9am Saturday 7 October 2006. A beautiful clear blue sky.

SECRET PAL 9

1. What is/are your favourite yarn/s to knit with? What fibres do you absolutely *not* like?
I don’t have a favourite yarn. I like unusual yarns to knit with. Acrylics are probably the one yarn I don’t like, although there are some very interesting acrylic yarns around, whilst there are some that absolutely shout out “I’m an acrylic!!”

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
My needles are stored upright in two large jars (one for smaller size needles and the other for the larger size needles. My hooks are stored in a pencil case.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting since I was about 8 years old. My mother taught me to knit. I consider myself an intermediate knitter….. although I absolutely love the lacy patterns, I find it difficult to concentrate ….maybe I am just a lazy knitter. My crochet skills are basic!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No except 25 hours in a day!!

5. What's your favourite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
I don’t burn candles or use bath products (I love a shower, but due to water shortages, showers aren’t that long). I suppose my favourite scent would be roses.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favourite candy?
DO I HAVE A SWEET TOOTH ????? Doesn’t everyone !!! I live in Australia, and we call candy “sweets, lollies, confectionary, chocolates”. I have been dieting for 14 weeks now …..oh it is going to be difficult at Christmas time.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Yes I do spin, and thoroughly enjoy it. I enjoy dyeing (colouring) either with natural dyes or commercial dyes. I have tried nearly every other craft, but spinning is my passion (although I am not an expert).

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I must admit, I don’t listen to a lot of music, eg CDs. The radio station that we listen too plays a lot of older type music…..from the 1950s to the 80s. Now that is dating me! But yes, my computer does take a CD.

9. What's your favorite colour(s)? Any colours you just can't stand?
I suppose my favourite colours are blue and purple. I don’t like straight orange.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have a husband called Ern and a lovely 2 year old Border Collie/Kelpie X called Chloe.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I wear scarves, hats and gloves.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Presently I like to knit scarves, beanies and the occasional jumper (with no intricate work).

13. What are you knitting right now?
I am currently knitting some handspun wool and silk scarves.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
OF COURSE….. handmade gifts come from the heart and I always appreciate the work and thought that has gone into the making of such a gift.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I use straight needles for a small amount of stitches and circular needles for a LOT of stitches…..

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes I own both

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Ummmmmmm ……years
18. What is your favourite holiday?Last year I went to Disneyland (California) with my sister and her daughter. We had a wonderful time. In the past, I have always enjoyed travelling around Australia.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Ummmmm………..dust ……… I hate housework and much prefer to do something else, like craftwork. Seriously though, I don’t collect anything now.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?I am waiting for the new book “Spin to Knit” to be launched in Australia. I don’t have any knitting magazine subs.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? None at the moment

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
No ….. earlier this year I knitted one sock (half a pair) and framed it!!!
Length of my foot is a dainty 10.5 inches.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) 22 September

Silk Scarves

I was an assistant tutor for silk spinning. Ellen was the tutor. These are my scarves that I spun and knitted for the display/sample table for the 3rd class.

From the left:
. Blue wool and sari silk handcarded together;
. Two black alpaca scarves. I handcarded throwsters and sari silk with the alpaca.
.Underneath the black scarves is a blue wool scarf plied with grey reeled silk.
. The fawn scarf is alpaca and wool blended together with white throwsters silk.

The 1st class was spinning silk caps. We began the lesson with the students knitting straight from the silk cap. That way, they got the feel of the cap.....then they spun it.....

The 2nd class was spinning Bombyx and Tussah silk.

The 3rd class was spinning "waste silk". This is a wonderful session, as it includes throwsters (white and dyed), noils, pulled silk waste, reeled silk, recycled sari silk and whatever else we can think of. I even shredded an old silk scarf and carded the silk with some wool fibre.

Wool and Sari Silk Scarf

This is my latest handspun scarf..... I cut up some recycled sari silk and handcarded it with blue wool. The sari silk makes a lovely addition to any fibre when spinning.

Cards from Family

These are my Birthday cards from family members.
The rose is from my wonderful husband Ern.
The balloons from my brother John.
The pussy-cats from Mum...and the reason ??? Heredity !!!
The presents are from Kate and Michael.
........ AND Snow white is from Lyndy, Anna, Kudri and Cam..... although the envelope was addressed to Princess Rita!!

Ern's Birthday Card

This is my Birthday card from Ern. The words say it all..........

Thankyou Card from New York

I had been out all day on the 21st September. As I came through the front gate, I thought "Wouldn't it be great if I received my parcel from Chrissy tomorrow (Friday)....... my birthday!" As I walked into the kitchen, there in the centre of the table, in pride of place was my gift from New York. I was so excited.

Chrissy had sent me a beautiful pair of fingerless mittens. She hasn't been knitting very long, and it is indeed a credit to her. The mittens are so soft and beautifully knitted. There was also a copy of Knits Magazine and a lovely thankyou card.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the One Skein Secret Pal Exchange and I am sure that Chrissy from New York and Julia from Colorado will continue emailing each other in the future.

A Curly Whirley or two........

These Curly Whirlies have been knitted in handspun wool. The white one has been handspun with Australian Merino wool. The multi-coloured one was handspun with Australian Corriedale wool.

The pattern that I use is:
Using large needles......
Cast on 150 stitches and knit 1 row.
Next row - Increase in every stitch (300 sts)and knit 1 row.
Next row - Increase in every stitch (600 sts) and knit 1 row.
Cast off

Aussie Knitters KAL

Aussie Knitters Yahoo Group is only a new Group.....at the moment there are only 64 members. Over the last week they conducted a dishcloth KAL.....only giving a few lines of the pattern each day. For their first activity, I think the pattern was a great idea, with the map of Australia and the initials A.K. (Aussie Knitters). I used Heirloom cotton and size 4mm needles.

A Mighty Oak .......

I knitted another Oak Leaf washcloth in Heirloom cotton and on size 4mm needles. The pattern shows up much better when the cloth is firmer.

Doggie Washcloth

This doggie washcloth was knitted on 4mm needles and 4ply cotton.....
knitted this in one day....very easy to do. There are just so many patterns on the internet for washcloths. The oak leaf and this one are my first washcloths that I have knitted.

After Day 7

Here is the finished washcloth.....the photo doesn't show the oak leave to its full advantage. No wonder I couldn't guess what the pattern was going to be.....I didn't turn it on its corner. In hindsight, I should not have used size 4.5mm needles with Gem cotton...it was too loose.

After Day 5 on the Needles

This is my Dishcloth KAL after Day 5. I have looked at it.....turned it around......looked at it sideways and backwards.....and I still can't work out what the picture on the dishcloth is going to be. Oh well, a few more days will reveal all.............

Monthly Dishcloth (KAL)

A “KAL” is a knit-a-long. On the 1st of each month, Members are advised of about 7 lines of a dishcloth pattern. This continues for about 7 days. After 7 days, I’ll have a dishcloth to use or pass along to someone special.

This photo shows the first 7 rows

HandSpun Tussah Silk Spiral Bag

This is my Spiral Bag with a "twist".

I used my handspun Tussah silk to knit this bag. However, I didn't put the tabs on the top.....that seemed like hard work! Instead, I put eyelets in and threaded a crochet cord through them..

...what else did I do to alter the pattern? Oh yes, I picked up the stitches to knit the base of the bag.

The bag will be part of a handspun silk class next weekend.

This is me spinning on my front porch.

OSSP EXCHANGE GIFT

This photo shows my gift to Julia in Colorado.

The bag was felted after it was knitted with handspun/hand dyed wool and commercial "feathers". The pattern is based on the little clutch bag in the "One Skein" book by Leigh Radford. It was knitted larger (and longer) than in the book, and I added more stitches for the handle.

I also included some handmade buttons made from the Australian Hakia bush and a copy of the Australian publication Creative Knitting magazine.

The daffadils in the photo were on the front of a carry bag which I brought in Maldon.

POSSUM FIBRE TO NEW YORK

I sent Chrissey in NY some possum/merino blend sliver. The possum fibre comes from New Zealand and the merino is Australian. I also sent her the Creative Knitting magazine which is an Australian publication. This edition has a few easy scarf patterns.

SECOND SKEIN TO COLORADO

I sent Julia in Colorado this lovely ball of mohair and wool in shades of blues/mauves/turquoises.
Included in her parcel was some wool and silk sliver in the same colourings. This was from First Editions in Euroa.

Disneyland Experience - 2006

As I said....."We went....We saw.....We remember!!"

But then I forgot to save Disneyland photobook site:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/share_skin?work_id=1061020&type=link

Disneyland Experience - 2006

It is 12 months since Lyndy, Anna and myself went to Disneyland. I have made my first online photobook . This was a practice piece.....

As I said....."We went....We saw.....We remember!!"