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Monday, July 26, 2010

Edgestitch Foot - Sewing Reference

A great blogpost by badskirt for using an edgestitch foot on your sewing machine.

Worth a look if you are curious about this specialised sewing feature.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Farewell Fur Friend

This weekend our white ball of fur Alabaster (usually called Alley or Alley-Cat) spent her last days with us after her health went downhill quite quickly in the last few days. She will be missed.





We have left her to rest in a stunning white pot with a sun-loving tree (just like her) called Cherish surrounded by white flowers.

Her love of laps, pats, a good rub under the chin, snuggles as well as sleeping in boxes will be well remembered. As will her insistence on being fed at 4:00am. Her penchant for removing books from bookcases to either get us to feed her or create a place to crawl into was laughted over today.

Alley was with T before we met and connects us with O's entire family. all of whom came for final visits and spent most of Sunday afternoon with us saying final goodbyes and remembering her impact on all our lives.

The first night I went to T's she climbed onto the couch sitting between us and placed her paw on Tal's knee to let me know who owned this particular human. Eventually she becamse just as likely to sit on my knee (especially when I was knitting) and this I will truly miss. In the last few years this has been a bit of a morning ritual (even managing a version of this when I would spin). I think I will even miss her managing to sneak into the bedroom in the wee hours of the morning and pawing at my hair until I rolled over and created a little crook in my arm for her to sleep in.

Farewell Alley your 14 and a half years will be cherished and your eight for me personally will be lovingly remembered

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Woollen Mills


On the left 4 balls of luxury 4 ply and 5 balls of Melody (cashmere, Wool, microfibre) from Bendigo Woollen Mills
On the right the Wangaratta Mills collection.

I may have bought some wool on the weekend!

Shopping and the Sheep and Wool Show





From the top left undyed silk merino fingering weight, silk-polworth fingering weight
Enough Wool Top for a jumper for T, polworth top dyed (blue, purple and pink)
Ewe Give Me The Knits Fibre (Polworth Silk), Wooldancer Fibre, undyed fingering weight merino (300g)
Fibre Fusion Merino Top (Sooooo soft), Alpacas - just because - NO I didn't buy them.

We also made a trip out to the mill. My camera is playing up. I also bought some lace aplaca silk in purple.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Bendigo - the Journey

When discussing the possibility of travelling to Bendigo to the Wool and Sheep Show with my mother the topic of driving down came up.

When my mother first moved to Sydney she would throw four children under ten in the car (a rather unreliable white Torana) and drive us all to her mother's place in Ballarat for the weekend. This was way before the road was any good. I have memories of breakdowns along the Hume Highway and driving from Tarcutta to Gundagai with a smashed windscreen freezing in the back seat. Most of the memories are good.

As our lives in Sydney settled we still made 3 or 4 trips a year to Ballarat, Geelong, Melbourne and surrounds to visit family from both sides each year. During this time I saw much of the NSW and Victorian countryside. I learned to appreciate many things such as old buildings and despise others such as cemeteries.

Last thursday we set out bright and early (around 5:15 am to drive from South-Western Sydney to Bendigo). On our journey we made a few stops.

Gundagai - and revisited the Dog on the Tuckerbox (a childhood favourite).

My mother showed me the Australian Truck Drivers memorial at Tarcutta where many friends and colleagues of my uncle are remembered (my uncle introduced my mother). The memorial is incredibly moving naming the drivers and passengers who lost their lives in accidents on our highways. Fresh flowers were abundant.



As we headed out of Tarcutta we were astonished to notice the water level in the creek as we crossed the bridge heading out of town. So astonished we stopped to capture some pictures.



From Tarcutta we headed south again stopping at the Holbrook bakery (a family favourite) that appears to have changed hands and the vanilla slice was not what we remembered. Holbrook is famous for its bakery and the H.M.A.S Otway (a submarine in the park along the highway.

Again, we headed south this time stopping at Albury to check out a few shops whilst we took a break. I may have purchased these shoes at Rivers (yes 2 pairs) which I adore.



From Albury we headed to Wangaratta to check out the Woollen Mills (I have yet to photograph the bounty). Lots of Pure Wool 4 ply in Grey, Aqua and a deeper Blue-Green. I may have also picked up some Patonyle 4 ply in Red (6x50g balls) and 3 100g balls in Grey, Beige and Navy. Ridiculous amounts of wool for a humble price.

From Wangarrata we headed to Banalla then across to Shepparton and onto Ballarat.
My mother recalled a trip to Elmore from her youth (50 years ago) which we laughed about.
We got a lot of talking time (Which we don't do normally)

We arrived in Bendigo just before 5pm in time to head off and meet drk, bells, randomknits and knitabulous for drinks, some chat and eventually dinner before crashing in a heap and requiring sleep. We left them heading off down a Bendigo Laneway in search of coffee and dessert (Honestly, that is the story they told us)

More of my travels to Bendigo shortly.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Bendigo Bound

Tonight I start the first (very short) part of the trip to Bendigo.
I am off to stay at my Mum's house near to the M5 and easier access to the south-western exit from Sydney

I am sharing the weekend with some amazing knitters Bells (who celebrated her birthday yesterday), Drk and Yarna as well as my Mum and my aunt.

I am contemplating projects to take and have settled on socks (yet to be cast on) and a shawl (also yet to be cast on - and a hat (as a just in case)

I am really excited like a little kid.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

FO Finally

I have been doing some knitting of late.

Susie Hoodie
From: More Big Girl Knits
Yarn: Cascade 220 Purple Jewel Heathers.
Size: 1X
Started: 22 May
Completed: 2 July
I had to go down a needle size to get Guage.



95-17 Bolero Drops
Yarn: Knitabulous Super Twist Merino in Acid Test
Size - 2nd Smallest
Knit as written. No changes or alterations.
(The picture on the right gives the true colour)



Finally I finished some knitting. Check these out

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Knitting Weekend

This weekend was all about knitting.

Firstly I finally finished the Hoodie (my film festival project) a few weeks late. It looks fantastic and is currently blocking.
I want to put hooks of some sort on the inside to hold it together at the centre.


Yesterday I cast on the Bolero cardigan for O in Knitabulous Super Twist Merino Acid Test Colourway. It is very very YELLOW.

The knit is very quick and I have finished the back and one and half front pieces.
I had lots of time to knit with another delightful Sunday afternoon knitting get-together this time at LynS place.
Thanks Lyn I had a great time.