Cool stuff

Yesterday I went into Craft Ideas at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, just to have a look.  And Wow!  they have really increased their yarn items.  They have heaps more yarn than they did a few months ago and a really good range.  It's still pretty much what you would find in one of the chain stores, but hey, I'll always try to support an LYS rather than a chain store for my commercial yarn needs.  They also had a heap of lovely NZ mohair hanks that you can't buy in the chain stores.  Yum!  

While there I saw some items that were on display, already knitted up.  One of the hats I really liked and I asked if they had the pattern for it for sale.  The lady led me to a pattern book from Cleckheaton called "Handknits to Wrap and Adorn".   OMG, I had to buy it.  It has some really great little patterns in it.  

I have already started on another hat I found in it using leftover woolbale found in my stash (the hat I liked in the shop will have to wait until I can buy some more yarn - I only had enough to buy the book).   The hat I am working on will naturally be felted after knitting (I am using Woolbale after all).  I am doing it in Black and red.  I think it will look great.   

In this book, there are also some great patterns that I could use for the Knitting Olympics.  The problem will be deciding which one to use!  I will bring it tomorrow night to spinners so those of you who come to that can have a little look. 

Talking of spinners, Last Wednesday night, I picked up a bag of alpaca fleece quite cheap.  It even had a photo of the alpaca the fleece came from.  It is from a cute little guy called Kenny. Awww.  Tomorrow night I am hoping to pick up some cashmere too, then I plan to blend the alpaca, my leftover angora rabbit and the cashmere.  It should make a beautiful yarn once spun up.  There should be enough alpaca to make a Jumper, so I'm really excited.  

Love peace and joy.

Alpacas and bunnys

Today I have been blending some alpaca and angora rabbit hair together and spinning it.  It looks quite nice.  I've used some hand carders I borrowed from QSW&FA to blend the two shades of alpaca (caramel and brown) and the white bunny. Tonight I plan to spin up some of the white silk I have in my stash, which I will ply with the alpaca and bunny mix.  It should be a lovely yarn.  God knows what I will make out of it, it won't be much.   I am trying to make some of my fibre stash into some yarn stash.  Show the Hubby that I am trying to use my stash, not buy more. The problem is though, that the fibres in my stash aren't in large amounts, so whatever I spin has to either be blended together or just make small hanks to use in something later on.   

It's been nice to get back to some spinning after all the knitting...... which reminds me.....

I'VE FINISHED THE COTTON TOP!!!!!    

And it looks lovely.  now I just need to block it.  I finished knitting and sewing up on Monday night and sewed in the ends while I was waiting at the dentists yesterday.   My seaming skills leave a little to be desired, so the joins / seams aren't very well done, but they'll do.  The more items I knit, the more sewing I'll probably have to do and so hopefully my sewing and seaming skills will improve.  Mind you, my next large project I want to do is a seamless jumper - so maybe I won't be seaming for a while! 

I would have written about the top last night, because it is really exciting, but I was in no mood to be excited last night.  That wait at the dentists? was an emergency trip because I have a bloody big hole in my tooth and although I was booked in later this month for a root canal treatment, it got too sore...... or so I thought. 

 I went to the dentist, and she decided to do the first stage of the root canal job then and there.  OOOOWWWW!  So last night I was nursing a sore mouth.  It doesn't help that my jaw is mildly dislocated as well, and having it open for over an hour was not a good thing.  

 While the dentist was doing the treatment, she said "boy, this is a really bad tooth.  The canals are really tiny.  I think you'll have to go to a specialist for the rest of the treatment, and even then, i'm not sure this is going to work."    So after she had finished and the side of my mouth was still heading south, we had a little discussion.   I am not going to continue with the treatment.  The next appointment I have that was going to be the second stage of the root canal job, will now be a tooth extraction.  Yes, the little blighter is coming out.  It just seemed the most sensible option - not to mention the least expensive.  Not really looking forward to that, but the tooth really isn't worth saving.    Poor hubby.  the day I get the tooth removed is his birthday.  More sore and sorry Jenny then.   Today it hasn't been too bad though.  The actual tooth is pretty ok today, but my jaw is objecting.  Just sticking to soft foods.  

Anyway, enough about my oral defects.   I finished the top and am spinning some lovely fibre.  Ahhh, the healing properties of fibre are so often underestimated in our society.  Looking forward to going to spinners tonight.  Yeay!  I hope most of the crowd is there, but tonight is State of Origin football, being held at the stadium only a few blocks or so away from where we meet.  This might deter many from venturing out this evening. But not me!    

Go Queensland! 

Domestic Goddess..... Well maybe not quite

Today I am feeling rather "domestic goddess" like.  Yesterday I made my second batch of jam ever (the first being a tiny amount monday week ago).  I made apple and lillypilly jam - the lillypillies coming from my own garden - whoo hoo!  It was again a small batch - about half a jar worth or so, but it worked out beautifully - not too hard and not too runny.  Very proud of myself.  

On Monday I made some more Chocolate Slice - and this time I remembered the sugar.  Again, it worked out great!   

Today I am finally getting some washing done (it has been pouring with rain the last couple of days - which has been great but not good for getting clothes dried), I'm tidying up the house and I think I will attempt to make some Apricot Balls with Sweetened condensed Skim milk.  I wonder if the skim will be too thin to hold them together?  I hope not as I can't eat the full fat stuff. 

So why all the sudden domestics? I don't know.  Just feel like it.  Am I becoming an old fart? Have I officially crossed that line? Well, I can either think of myself as an old ditty in the kitchen or I can think of myself as a Nigella Lawson type - domestic goddess, queen of making house work, cooking and craft sensual.  Even though I don't like that woman and don't think of her as that sexy or sensual, its a nice idea.  I think I'll take the Nigella over the old fart anyday. 

Rory is home from school today too, so I am being mum as well.  He was looking very tired and burst into tears at the slightest thing this morning, so I decided to listen to my instinct and keep him home.  Last time I didn't there was hell to pay at school and I was rung up to bring him home.  I didn't want that to happen today.  I'm glad I did as within half an hour of deciding to keep him home, his eyes got red and itchy, glazed and he started sniffing a lot. So, lots of resting today for Rory.   

Oh, I have finished one wrist warmer - quite a crappy job done of it too.  But as I said in my last post, it is just more for technique sake and using up the yarn.  The Purla seems to be fine on my wrist so I am working on the second warmer now.  Hopefully it will look a bit better.  I'm going to blame the yarn for the mess - I know I have a lot of trouble keeping my tension right, especially on DPN's, but really, I can't be THAT bad can I?....... don't answer that. 

Right, now to those apricot balls and anything else I decide to whip up.

Love peace and joy