Shazzas Knits

Beret Blocking Process at Shazzas

2011-12-23T07:58:00.004+11:00

My Berets all go through a very important process before they are deemed ready to sell to the public. The knitting process is only the first step and really is just a floppy hat with very little shape to it. Once it is off the needles it gets a bath in warm water with baby shampoo added to it, I use Johnson's Baby Shampoo because if it is good enough for babies it is good enough for my hats. I let the hat soak for about 20 minutes so that the fibres are nice and relaxed, hey it is a bath after all, I rinse in more warm water and gently squeeze the excess water out. It is wrapped in a dry towel and left for about half an hour and then it is ready to block on my very special hat blocking board made for me by my a friends father. I used to use my mothers pavlova plate as it was the perfect measurement, 31cms (12 inches) in diameter, but as the plate has very special memories for me it was too much of a family heirloom to risk breaking.

The beret is then stretched over the blocking board and you will see how the lace pattern opens up beautifully as the wet fibres are stretched into shape, this then all sits for about 12 - 24 hours in a warm place to dry completely. The beret is carefully removed and any ends sewn in, I never sew them in first as they need to mould and settle into their righful place and any that are sewn in too tightly may cause pulling.

There you have it, a nicely shaped beret ready to wear, definately worth the extra effort of blocking.

A Crocheted Scarf

2011-09-16T08:06:00.004+10:00

Found this great 1970's pattern for a scarf, changed it around a bit to give it that modern vintage look that is so in fashion right now! I made it in Bendigo Rustic 12ply Berry.

I have discovered Pinterest it is an amazing visual site where you can have pin boards and pin images that you find on the internet and search what other people are finding, love it! Oh and if you would like to see what I pin you can check out my pin board.

oh well till next time,
happy knitting

Babies Hats and More Tea Cosies

2011-09-08T08:06:00.002+10:00

I made these tea cosies for a friend and love how the simple flower works so well. All made with Bendigo Classic 8 ply of course, what great colours!

Baby aviator hats, must have item for your little ones, made to order in sizes 0 through to 24 months in Bendigo Luxury 8 ply which is gorgeously soft against babies skin and best of all, machine washable.

I will be having a stall at The Branch Handmade market which will be held Friday, September 30 · 6:30pm - 9:30pm at The Branch Christian Church Innocent Street, Kings Meadows Launceston behind the bowling alley. I will have the little watermelon hats plus a lot more handknitted goodies for sale, come along and say hi if you are in the area.

New Tea Cosies

2011-08-08T08:14:00.003+10:00

Someone recently commented to me 'that nothing beats a handknitted tea cosy for keeping your tea warm but they are oh so daggy'! Well this sent me on a quest to create a handknitted tea cosy that would look good in the most modern of kitchen. While I had an idea in mind it wasn't until I was browsing Loani Priors Really Wild for Tea Cosies that I saw a base shape similar to what I had in mind. So not wanting to tread on copyright toes, emailed the lovely Loani and asked if I could use the shape of her Short Black with Two. She granted me permission and so with a few simple changes to get the look I was after my new modern knit tea cosy range was born, thank you Loani!

I unveiled them at a local market on the weekend and sold one, received an order for another so I was very pleased and relieved as it is always like sharing a bit of your soul when you put your work out there to the public.

Finally but certainly not least, a pair of fingerless mitts made from the gorgeously soft Filatura di crosa Zara, while a bit expensive it is well worth it as the stitch definition is amazing and comes in a great colour range, they are available made to order.

till next time, happy knitting!

Winter Time Slipper Time

2011-07-30T11:40:00.002+10:00

I have been working on this slipper for a while now, it is the old Patons Knick Knacks one which uses 14 ply wool knitted on size 4mm needles. As 14 ply isn't readily available anymore I use 2 strands of 8 ply doubled and also knit the front part in the round to eliminate the bulky seam. They are a fun knit and great for using up those extra couple of balls of yarn that we all seem to have lying around.

Cold Weather

2011-06-23T05:36:00.004+10:00

It has been very cold here in Tasmania, not to mention the rain, so that has meant a lot of staying indoors which to a knitter means........lots of knitting. On top of the usual orders for customers are some new hat designs.

I have taken my trusty aviator hat shape and given it a winter makeover, complete with fair isle snowflake pattern and a pom pom and made from Bendigo Classic 8 ply. The idea came to me as I was browsing a vintage Villawool knitting pattern and found some ski hats, apparently every skier would not be without one! Well I thought I had better add one to the range, there will be more colours added as I sit by the fire this winter, ahhhhhh a knitter has got to love winter.

Found this pattern in an old Patons pattern book and thought it was destined for a Shazzas Knits makeover, I discovered Cleckheaton Perfect Day a gorgeously soft alpaca/wool mix in natural colours and knew that it was the perfect yarn for the Cossack Hat. It would suit anyone and can be dressed up or down, I can imagine a cigar smoking Clint Eastwood in his younger days wearing it but it is also very Dr Zhivago-ish.

Last but certainly not least, you may recall I bought a lot of Bendigo Rustic ochre yellow with the view to knit myself a jumper, well when it arrived it was not really the shade I had in mind so I have been looking for another use for it. I think these fingerless gloves work well with the yarn, the colour is more suited for smaller objects.

Well that is about it for now, all the above items are available for purchase in both my Etsy and Madeit shops.

till next time,
happy knitting.

Owls Off To A New Home

2011-05-23T12:49:00.003+10:00

Some of these little guys are heading off to Oatlands Handmade, Rowena is doing a great job sourcing local arts and crafts which she sells from her lovely store in Oatlands.

Mini Tea Cosies

2011-05-10T10:52:00.002+10:00

I have two teapots, a 4 - 6 cup and a 1 - 2 cup for my tea just for me moments! After a special request from a customer to make a ladybug and koala tea cosy to fit her 1 cup pot I got to work and reworked the pattern and I am very happy with the results. They certainly look cuter and fit my 1 - 2 cup pot perfectly. I will work on getting a mini owl next, but for now these are available made to order through my Etsy Shop.

Nothing Like a Good Shiraz

2011-04-30T06:32:00.003+10:00

As you know I am quite partial to a nice drop of red, and while making this little guy I couldn't help but be reminded of different red wines as the shades are such vivid burgundy reds. So he was named Zippy Shiraz, unfortunately he is a one off as Cleckheaton no longer produce this yarn, Country Prints.

I found this photo quite some time ago and it was saved with the idea of one day making him, here in Australia and also the UK as kids most of us had some form of golliwog or golly doll, that they are now refered as. They were featured in books and as in this photo, even made into tea cosies, one of the first complete knit items I made was a golly doll in garter stitch, he was all decked out in a little blue sailors outfit.

I did a search on Ravelry to find if there were other golly dolls and even found a golly doll group but I also had my childhood image of this little guy shattered. To many in the US his image is perceived to be a racial slur against the African Americans. This lead me to good old Wikipedia to do some research and found this article, who knew that this childhood toy is met with such heated debate and hatred, I certainly didn't.

So I shelved the idea of ever making a golly doll in any form, until I found an illustration of tea cosies, beautiful artwork which included you guessed it, the tea cosy pictured! He was sitting there amongst his flowery cousins and the arwork is just so beautiful I decided that maybe the Golly will be back on my agenda, with not a racial overtone or slur in sight, just a memory of childhood and a time of innocence that sadly is a time that will never be again. You can view the artwork on Wild For Tea Cosies blog.

Did everyone watch the royal wedding last night? I did, it was a moment in history that I just had to be a part of and mainly to see that dress! Wow it was a beautiful design and one that I am sure every bride to be will be wanting to imitiate. Simple and elegant is how she looked and all the pomp and ceremony aside, who doesn't love a good wedding. Lets hope the media leave them be and they are able to live happily ever after.

Easter Cupcakes

2011-04-21T14:46:00.003+10:00

Found this recipe in The Real Living Magazine and knew they had to be the Easter treat this year! Disgustingly sweet but oh so yummy!

They look lovely displayed on my 3 tier cake stand made by Tea Jennys using upcycled vintage plates.

When Old Is Made New Again

2011-04-19T19:12:00.004+10:00

Found this old desk at Goods in Remission Invermay and knew that it had to become my new sewing table, at the moment whenever the urge to sew strikes I need to transport all items to the dining room table which obviously is not very practical or enjoyable!

It did have some bookends built in on the top but I removed those, sanded down the lovely pine to remove stickers and grafiti, previous owner was obviously a student. Stained it a nice rich maple colour and added a cutting board. This serves two purposes, covers the marks left by the bookends which no amount of sanding would remove and also makes it an all purpose craft table as well as a sewing table.

Very happy little camper I am. Stay tuned there is an old vintage chair being made over to match. Till next time happy knitting and of course sewing!

Vodka and Vanilla?

2011-04-08T14:10:00.003+10:00

After being introduced to the amazing thermomix I just had to learn more about this clever little machine and discovered this forum. There was a discussion about making your own vanilla extract using vanilla beans and vodka, so vodka and 12 vanilla beans purchased and I now have a vanilla infused vodka in my kitchen cupboard. Now this process doesn't happen overnight in fact it will be 6 months before my vanilla extract will be ready for use! I also have to remember to shake the bottle daily so have placed it next to my dish washing liquid, so I will see it and hopefully remember to do this.

Did I buy the thermomix after all that, well no as it does have a very expensive little price tag which is why I am doing my homework well and truly before I purchase so any comments negative and/or positive, I would love to hear them.

Winter Evenings

2011-03-31T12:32:00.004+11:00

I'm afraid to say the days are drawing in and the evenings getting colder which of course means one thing, winter! A season that many dread, but the knitter absolutely loves, well this knitter does. I mean there is nothing better than the wood fire glowing, knitting in hand and a nice drop of Irish Cream Whisky. Now in the past I have always made my own but this year I have discovered a wonderful Tasmanian made Whisky Cream Liqueur produced in Burnie at Hellyers Road Distillery. It is absolutely delicious and as they home deliver, two bottles made their way to Shazzas this week!

Ahhhhh knitting and whisky cream liqueur, life doesn't get much better than this.

I have also been working on another hat, this one is full of lovely cables which I adore knitting and made with a very soft luxurious pure wool, this is a must have for anyone who loves to wear a slouchy beret and is available at Etsy and Madeit.

Oh and here is my recipe for Irish Cream, till next time, happy knitting!

IRISH CREAM
1 small tin condensed milk
1 small carton of thickened cream (300ml)
1 cup good quality whisky
1/4 teaspoon of coconut essence (my friend prefers peppermint so either will do)
3 tablespoons of chocolate topping
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of instant coffee

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor, bottle and store in the fridge.

Retro Food Mill

2011-03-25T14:40:00.005+11:00

Asked my mother in law if she still had her food mill, sure enough she did! It had been retired after many years of making Dutch apple sauce and the workings were a bit rusty but a soak in brown vinegar together with a lot of scrubbing with the steel wool and the results are amazing, 'Mouli' is like new again.

and what better way to be put to use but making tomato sauce and relish with lovely tomatoes from the garden.

More Fruity Hats

2011-03-09T10:40:00.003+11:00

Freshly picked Fruity Hats made from gorgeously soft Bendigo Luxury 8ply in traditional pastel baby shades, now I am not usually fond of pastel baby colours and would much prefer bright, but I am very happy with these.

Available in pink, blue, mint and yellow and made to order in sizes prem through to 2 years from Etsy and Madeit.

After our Torchwool get together the other night and seeing a very retro scarf hat or scoodie as they are referred to now, time to revisit another pattern and have cast on the winter warmers scarf hat in Oatmeal.

till next time, happy knitting!

Berets for Winter

2011-03-04T21:12:00.007+11:00

I know that it sounds way too early to be talking winter, but here in Tassie at the moment it is f r e e z i n g!!!! So I have finally got some new hat designs out of my head and onto the needles ready for autumn/winter.

My love of feather and fan stitch finally found its way into this slouchy beret.

Crocheting granny squares, ahhhhh my favourite thing to do while sitting by the fire, so obviously this too has evolved into a beret.

These will be the staple hats at Shazzas Knits this year together with the diamond star beret.

Oh well at least the cold weather is great for knitting and crocheting so until next time, happy knitting!

Ponytail Beanies

2010-09-20T09:52:00.005+10:00

If you like to wear a ponytail in winter but find your ears getting a bit cold then my Ponytail Beanie could be just what you are looking for. I made this one in a gorgeous Autumn shade of rust and embellished it with a crocheted flower with a plaid fabric covered button in the centre.

I have enjoyed making the Crocheted Owl Tea Cosies so much that I have now added a Koala to the range. He even has some gum leaves and gum nuts embellished on him in case he gets hungry!

Farewell Muse Hats

2010-09-03T09:16:00.003+10:00

This was my first hat design and they have been a great little item but I have retired them to that retro craft room in the sky, but never fear the free pattern is still available I just wont be making them anymore for sale, I have six left in my shop.

Still playing around with my new camera, check out this arty shot of one of my toddler hats brown and pink a classic combination.

Very pleased to see that Bendigo Woollen Mills are once again producing Rustic in yellow ochre. After seeing Felicity Kendall in The Good Life wearing a gorgeous yellow cabled polo neck jumper, I just knew I had to make one!

till next time,
happy knitting (and crocheting).

Owl Tea Cosies

2010-08-15T13:10:00.003+10:00

It all started with this little guy, I have to admit that I have become obsessed with crocheting owl tea cosies! Not sure where the original pattern comes from but this version was made available in a 1985 issue of New Idea. So if anyone has any info on the original pattern, please leave a comment in the comments section as I would love to know the origin of this gorgeous pattern.

About Time

2010-07-20T07:46:00.003+10:00

I have been doing lots of knitting and crocheting, yes I have discovered that I love crocheting almost as much as knitting! Made this gorgeous shawl for a customer.

I have designed a new hat for my Etsy shop very happy with how it turned out.

Civic Homespun Market

2009-12-18T09:11:00.003+11:00

Tomorrow will be the last market for 2009, the last chance to come along and pick up a lovely handmade Christmas present. I would have loved to have a few new items for the stall but unfortunately or fortunately I guess, I have been very busy with custom orders in my Etsy Shop. I will however have some crocheted berets:

suitable to wear all year round.

As well as fruity baby hats:

gorgeous shower gifts!

tea cosies:

and my usual range of hats and knitted accessories. So pop along and say hi, you can read about who else will be there on the Civic Homespun Markets blog.

Proud Mummy

2009-10-20T08:55:00.004+11:00

As a mother I have always encouraged my children to be creative and use their gifts and talents, with my boys this has definately been sport but with Janelle she has been creating since she was little and used to blow people away with her little drawings and neat colouring in as pre-schooler. She can do most crafts but sewing is her passion and my house is being over run with fabrics and sewing notions which is fast overtaking my knitting stash, I kid you not!

Well of course as a student she is always looking for a bit of extra income so I suggested that she open an Etsy shop and start selling her items, she has been very busy creating and so I thought I would share some of them with you.

vintage fabric bunting

ipod cover

Adorable little hair ties

Her shop is called janellish.

I have been creating a few new items too, Sringtime Bandit shawl for the BWM op shop karma swap on Ravelry

and fingerless arm warmers for a customer

Until next time,
happy knitting.

Just A Few....

2009-08-26T10:07:00.003+10:00

The trouble with slackness in blogging there are many projects to catch up on and add so here are just a few of them.

Midwest Moonlight Scarf, made from Cleckheaton Country 8 ply, this was made for a swap on Ravelry.

Gail aka as Nightsongs, made from some merino 4 ply from the Knittery, which I gave to my mother in law for her birthday, someday I will make another one for me.

04 Cabled Beret a Debbie Bliss pattern, made from BWM Luxury 10 ply, this one also was given in a swap on Ravelry.

Last but definately not least, Janelles Luxury Wrap Vest made from 4 ply BWM Luxury, she loves it and wears it all the time, yay I'm a happy knitting mum!

Am I Mad??!

2009-06-10T10:36:00.003+10:00

Cutting into perfectly good knitting? My very first attempt at steeking and I must admit that it wasn't as daunting as I thought it would be, it was actually a lot of fun. And after picking up the stitches to knit around the edges it gives a much neater finish as there are no loose edge stitches which quite often become a bit distorted. The pattern is Colorwork Wrap Vest and I am using Bendigo Luxury 4ply in colours #355 Cork Brown and #343 Stone. I am up to the finishing off and so should have it finished by the end of the week, which is just as well as Janelle is just itching to wear it! But there is still 115 cms (45 inches) of I-cord to be knitted on 2.75 needles so that will be a bit tedious I suspect.

I have finally finished the Log Cabin Blanket and I love it so much that I have cast on the moderne log cabin blanket, plus it gives me an easy garter stitch project to have on the go.

Till next time, happy knitting.

Cupcake Hat Pattern

2009-05-12T08:45:00.002+10:00

I have my first pattern for sale, the cupcake hat pattern is now available for purchase from Ravelry and Etsy it uses 8ply (DK, sportweight) and is in sizes prem through to 18 months.

A special big thank you to the test knitters on Ravelry.

Oh Dear.....

2009-03-13T08:58:00.003+11:00

I think it is about time I blogged about some knitting, any knitting really!! I have been working on plenty of items but haven't actually got around to posting any of them here so here goes:

These were a request for a customer and have little embellishments that obviously have significant meaning, I used a Drops pattern but changed it to a short length glove and added a faux fur trim. I had to rewrite the fingers section though as it would never have worked as the fingers would have been far too small. I used 4mm dpns and Bendigo Woollen Mills Mystique 8ply, a gorgeously soft yarn.

These are a matching set of hat and gloves which are currently for sale in my Etsy shop.

And last but definately not least I made the Jacques Cousteau Hat for Janelles boyfriend for his birthday, this would have to be my all time favourite mens beanie pattern. Very tedious with all that rib on 3.5mm needles but well worth the effort, I used totem 8ply which is so soft and still a favourite of mine after all these years. Yes it was the first wool I ever knit with as my mum used to knit with it all the time and I got her leftover scraps.

I have just about finished another Mason Dixon log cabin quilt, so hopefully will have some photos of it finished soon. Until then happy knitting.

Twist and Shout KAL

2008-09-16T09:33:00.003+10:00

Occasionally a pattern comes along that I just fall for and MUST knit and this one is definately a must knit! I have even joined a knitalong on Ravelry even though we are heading into summer and I am busy working on shop orders and also making a jacket for the summer holidays for wearing at night while outside sipping on the red stuff!

But all that being said I am looking forward to knitting Twist and Shout, but the dilemma is which yarn to use? I have narrowed it down to two choices, Jo Sharp silkroad aran and Patons Jet. But I am having doubts about the Jo Sharp, I have heard that it pills terribly so if anyone has any info on this yarn I would love your advice please.

I have been knitting heaps so I will finish off with some items that were made for my Etsy shop.

Firstly a pair of squirrel mittens complete with acorn trims, this was a design I worked out for a lovely girl in Sweden and she has since let me know that they are being well worn and getting lots of comments.

A blue denim cloche hat, a new idea I had which I must say was inspired by crocheted hats.

Oh well that is about it for now, please leave any comments or recommendations as to which yarn to use for Twist and Shout, I really would appreciate some advice, till next time,

happy knitting!

Somewhere Over The Rainbow continued....

2008-08-01T07:54:00.005+10:00

Katts gorgeous rainbow wool has become:

I am so pleased with how it worked out, I am ordering some more from her, this hat just had to have corkscrew curls which are so cute even though they are a pain in the backside to make. This is available for purchase in my shop as well as the following toddler flapper style hat to fit a 6 - 12 month old baby. This one was made from good old
Bendigo Wool.

Oh well that is about all for now, currently working on Opal socks and another aviator hat so hopefully have some completed pics soon. Till then, happy knitting.

Self Destruct!

2008-07-24T07:20:00.003+10:00

Fifteen years ago we painted the living area of our house so to say that is was beginning to look a bit tired and dated is a bit of an understatement! Cream walls with pastel green trims looked great and even quite modern then but they were screaming out for a makeover. So the dining and lounge room now has a nice bright contrast wall of capsicum red, more of a dark burgundy really, and the remaining walls have been covered in self destruct. I kid you not, that is the name of the paint which is nothing more than a milky coffee colour but self destruct sums up the mess we are living in at the moment as the photo below will testify.

So there hasn't been a lot of knitting time sadly but I have managed to churn out a new design for a cupcake hat. I made two versions, firstly the blue one with a cherry on top.

and secondly a more feminine version with a handknit flower on top.

Both hats are available for purchase in my Etsy shop and OzeBaby.

I also made a pair of mens socks for a customer, she is a knitter who sells her knitwear so I was slightly nervous about making these but she was extremely happy with them and said that she will be back for more so that was a relief! I have finally got around to writing up the pattern for my mens socks which up until now have been a lot of scribbles and notes in my journal, the pattern can be found here.

Oh well till next time,
happy knitting.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

2008-07-09T09:39:00.002+10:00

I have been in a rainbow mood lately, knitting a few pairs of these little baby pants, this pair are now on their way to the UK!

I ~~pestered~~ asked my dear knitting friend Katt to dye me some rainow wool.

The colours just have to be seen in person to fully appreciate how bright and beautifully dyed this yummy wool is. This is going to be a toddler hat complete with corkscrew curls which will end up for sale. I am itching to cast on but I have to complete a few orders first, hopefully by the weekend I can start.

I have been busy sourcing a couple of Australian websites to sell my knitted goodies on and have settled on OzeBaby and Made It. I really wanted to offer my Australian customers a local option, I still have my Etsy shop but I don't think that the majority of people in this country know about it and are put off sometimes that it is a US site with listings in US currency etc.

So that is what I have been up to lately, and of course dreaming of rainbows!

Till next time, happy knitting.

Tasmanian Crafters on Flickr

2008-06-27T20:04:00.003+10:00

Are you in Tasmania, love crafting and on Flickr? Then there is a Group on Flickr that you can join. Started by Black Eyed Susie she would love to see crafty Taswegians join and share our photos and crafts.

Aviator Hat

2008-06-17T16:43:00.002+10:00

I have finished the Aviator Hat for Janelles friends birthday, I hope she likes it! I love this pattern and have made it many times, I used Heirloom merino wool for this one and it is so soft.

I also made some Carnaby Street Berets, the first one is in the lovely soft Patons Jet, which would have to be my favourite Australian wool at the moment.

The second one is made from good old dependable Bendigo Classic in practical black.

I have also joined the Malabrigo craze that seems to be sweeping this country and bought myself Tuareg
which hopefully will become these loafers. I discovered both the wool and the pattern on Ravelry.

Till next time, happy knitting.

Revisiting Swinging 60's London

2008-05-31T12:22:00.003+10:00

My latest hat was inspired by a lovely old vintage 1960's crochet pattern, I tried to re-create the same look with knitting and Carnaby Street Cap is the end result. I used Patons Jet which I absolutely adore, so soft and the colours are wonderful. It is available for purchase from my Etsy shop and I will be adding some more over the next few weeks and of course I will always take special orders if you have a particular colour favourite.

Now onto another matter, Bendigo Woollen Mills Camille, am I the only person totally disappointed by the lack of fashionable winter colours in this range? Judging by discussions on Ravelry, I certainly am not. Anyone who was a knitter in the 1980's would remember these colours and yes they were the height of fashion then, but certainly not now! I sold off my 1980's stash complete with my batwinged, boat necked patterns many years ago and I do not wish to visit that era again, thank you. A quick walk through the citys shopping malls will show you that greys, blacks, browns are the staple winter colour but not one of these appeared in this range sadly. *off soapbox now*

till next time,
happy knitting.

A New Project Bag

2008-05-27T21:49:00.002+10:00

You may remember a previous post about this bag and how I just had to have one too, well here is my version of the Yurt Bag.

Here is the knitted base before felting

after felting

the knitted top piece which is left as is

I used Cleckheaton Vintage Hues #1269 and loved how it felted and the colours of it worked well with the sampler stitches used for the top of the bag. This is definately my new take everywhere WIP bag, it is the perfect size for needles and yarn. I have been inspired with the Vintage Hues felting properties to make some felted hats so stay tuned.

till next time, happy knitting.

I Am a Yarn Snob

2008-05-13T08:20:00.006+10:00

Yes you read right, I am a bona fide dyed in the wool yarn snob! I'm not one that has to knit with the most expensive wools or import the top of the range wools but you guessed it, I love wool. I have always avoided acrylics and nylons but below you will see that all that changed this last couple of weeks.

They were all orders and you guessed it they didn't want them in wool, so I have been knitting my way through acrylic and nylon for the past couple of weeks much to the amusement of my fellow knitting coven members who also know of my love of wool. I was especially nervous about the kitty hat as the customer sent me the ears that she resurrected off a previously much loved hat and wanted them added to my aviator hat, I don't think I have ever been so scared of what a persons reaction to my knitting would be as I was this time. Fortunately she loved it, phew!!

Some of the northern members of the Tassie Knitters group at Ravelry met up on the weekend for some coffee, knitting and lots of chat, it was so cool to meet everybody and one person in particular Susie M had the most amazing bag in which she kept her knitting in, I came away inspired to make my very own Yurt Bag. She is such a talented artist as a trip to her blog will show you and I am sure inspire you too.

I NEED TO FIND THESE TWO LADIES
Can anybody remember the knitting online store Ozyarn (not to be confused with Ozeyarn, which is still alive and well)?? I am on a quest to find the two ladies who were behind this website, Jennifer and Judith. They had a lovely pattern for an alpaca earflap hat which I have incorporated the use of their fair isle graphs into my own version of this hat. Now as I sell my knitwear I would love to be able to sell this hat too but as it is their graphs I have used I really need to get in touch with them to get their permission first as it is most likely copyrighted. If anybody can let me know if they are still knitting or blogging somewhere that would be great or maybe you know them personally I would love to get in touch with them.

That is about all for now till next time, happy knitting.

The Latest Knits

2008-04-21T08:31:00.004+10:00

Well lack of posting on the blog means one thing, lots of knitting being created. I have been getting quite a few orders at Shazzas Knits which has certainly been keeping me busy. I have started my new job as co-ordinator of the uniform shop at my kids school which like anything new is taking time to learn the ropes. Janelle is also in the process of getting braces on her teeth, at the moment she has an expander fitted to allow room for her teeth to fit when the braces go on next month. I have included some of the latest completed knitting projects, they were all a lot of fun to knit especially Janelles slippers which I have had to coax from her feet to take the photo. The pattern was from an old Patons Nic Nacks book full of lovely 'grandma knits' as I call them but the slippers were given a Shazzas makeover using Patons Inca and I added a shell crochet border, just had to use this new learnt skill somewhere!

Flapper Style Hat for a baby:

Grape Purl Beret:

Two Kids Aviator Hats:

Janelles Slippers:

That's about it till next time, happy knitting.

I Have Crossed Over......

2008-03-07T09:42:00.002+11:00

Yes learning to crochet, after all these years! I tried last year but gave up but this year I have promised myself a scarf and so far so good, I think it is coming along okay for a beginner. I am finding the first round the hardest for some reason and once I get into the secound round it is easier, but when compared to my memories of my early knitting attempts it is much easier and as yet I haven't hurled it across the living room! I am using the Patons Learn To Crochet and the scarf is made from Patons Inca on a nice big 8mm crochet hook so it grows quickly!

Another scarf, this one is in my Etsy shop and was inspired by a big bowl of freshly picked raspberries topped with fresh cream, yum! I have started another one which will be coffee latte, after my favourite day time beverage, hmmmm note to self must make a merlot one.

I have lots of WIPS at the moment which I will reveal over the next few weeks, all going well, oh well till next time, happy knitting.

Cupcake Fingerless Mitts

2008-02-25T10:20:00.004+11:00

I have finished Janelles Cupcake Fingerless Mitts which have been so much fun to knit that I will be dipping back into the frosting mixture again for sure. Karen is such a lovely person and her patterns are full of great tips and tutorials, I am going to be making a pair of her handpainted gloves I just need to search the stash for the right wool.

I hurriedly finished them last night so that Janelle could take them on her school camp this week, so hopefully they will come back in one piece so that I can take a photo of her wearing them as they look much better being worn. You can really let yourself go with the embroidery of these and colour combinations which is what I love, no two pairs would be the same. Janelle only wanted strawberries on hers which did make life a bit easy for me as embroidery is not one of my strong points.

I have picked up the bush shirt again and will concentrate on that for the time being, my Etsy shop is well stocked and all of the orders completed so now a bit of 'me' knitting time. I am basing the shirt loosely on this old Patons knitting pattern and hopefully it will be like a big old shirt, but warm, to wear over tops in winter.

I can also reveal the dishcloth that I made for a lovely knitter in the ACT in the dishcloth and soap swap on Ravelry, she has received it so it isn't a secret anymore.

Oh well that is about all for now so till next time, happy knitting.

Hi Ho Hi Ho It's Off To School They Go

2008-02-09T07:45:00.000+11:00

Yes there is a big grin on Shazzas face at the moment as I have my house back, not to mention the peace and quiet. No seriously it has not been bad at all, I remember last year I was ready to throttle them by the end of the holidays but another year older and they seem to be able to get along better.

I have taken on the job of co ordinating the schools uniform shop, I have done it before in their previous school but it was on a much smaller scale. So this past week has been extremely hectic, I even had to miss the knitting coven which didn't impress me much as we were meeting at the cock and bull which is an old English style pub.

Look at Polly, doesn't she look cool in her sunnies and bucket hat! Ready for a day at the beach or shopping with friends.

Another Purl Beret, this one in Tuscan Red from Bendigo Woollen Mills, just the thing to wear when sipping your own glass or red.

Both hats have been added to My Etsy shop which has been keeping me busy, I am currently working on four orders. They always seem to come in batches, Murphy's Law I guess.

Oh well till next time, happy knitting

A New Hat For 2008

2008-01-31T07:23:00.000+11:00

A new hat design for 2008, a head hugging cabled cap. I have only made two so far and the cream one sold within half an hour of listing it in my shop. I used the deliciously soft Patons Jet which is my favourite yarn right now.

I just received my order of Rowan All Seasons Cotton from the lovely Jannette so I could make another bucket style hat. This one is a pink/lilac which doesn't photograph well as it is much brighter than the photo. I am currently working on a lime green one also.

Taking part in a dishcloth/soap swap on Ravelry and have finished the dishcloth, I used the pattern from the September issue of Creative Knitting, which is a fantastic pattern and made with my favourite Sugar 'n Cream cotton. Will post pics after the swap is complete, don't want to give too much away just yet and spoil the surprise!

The kids are back at school next week already, boy it has gone quickly this year, I can remember last year wishing for the holidays to end but that isn't the case this year. They are getting older and don't seem to fight as much which helps.

I've been on a pattern shopping spree having found cupcake fingerless mitts and baby moc-a-socs, aren't they both the most adorable patterns? Janelle has already put her order in for some fingerless gloves.

Oh well till next time, happy knitting.

Oh No It's The Bucket Hat!

2008-01-11T09:10:00.000+11:00

I should name this hat Hyacinth in honour of the bucket woman. This has been a design in progress for many months and finally I think I have got it right, I hope!

I have used Rowan all seasons cotton in a lovely aqua shade called Jazz. This one has been added to my Etsy shop.

I also am yet to blog about my lovely presents from the lovely Cindy, she was my secret Santa and made me the most gorgeous pair of socks and a box bag.

I have been eyeing off these box bags for months now and nearly bought one off Etsy recently, sure glad that I didn't. Luckily for the green lady that my favourite colours are turquoise and greens so she could happily make things in her favourite colour ;)

till next time, happy knitting.

Ponytail Beanie

2008-01-04T20:28:00.000+11:00

This is Shazzas version of the Bead and Opal Wool Queens ponytail beanie. Made from Bendigo Colonial in a lovely shade called woodrose and a cream coloured knitted flower added for interest.

I have also been kept busy with requests for fingerless gloves, this pair in practical black for men, I used Bendigo colonial 8ply. The pattern is a no frills traditional one that I have used for years from an old socks and gloves book which I have adapted over the years. I am currently working on another pair made from Bendigo Rustic in midnight tweed.

I have also joined in all the fun of Ravelry, I am currently getting my head around the whole site and one can only wonder how I am going to get the time to post there, lol! I was pleasantly surprised to find some of my patterns there already.

Just arrived back home from Coles Bay all relaxed and ready to tackle the busyness of life again. I have to confess that not a lot of knitting was done, I read books mostly and walked. Oh well till next time, happy knitting.

It's Holiday Time

2007-12-27T16:55:00.001+11:00

So I will be eating, drinking, reading and knitting of course! As well as my other favourite thing to do, playing my autoharp.

So whatever you are doing, enjoy yourself and have fun and stay safe this holidays.

Alpaca Is So Soft

2007-12-15T19:01:00.000+11:00

Good old fashioned fingerless gloves and made from the deliciously soft Bendigo Alpaca they are a ladies size as modeled by Janelle, no she didn't drink the red wine that was mine used for display purposes only.

A lovely icy blue purl beret made in Bendigo Rustic bluestone.

A newsboy cap also made in Bendigo Rustic. All are available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.

The Knitting Coven has had its Christmas break up party and lovely gifts exchanged, I was spoilt by the lovely Cindy a material box bag and some gorgeous socks made by Cindy. I will get some photos posted next time. I was secret santa to Katt and made her a pair of Dashing armwarmers in a very feminine dark purple, yes I knitted purple, just for Katt. I forgot to take a photo would you believe it, hopefully she will blog about them so I can link to it. A great time was had by all, lots of yummy food consumed, I swear I have put on kilos already and the fat man in the red suit hasn't even arrived yet!

Oh well that is about all for now till next time, happy knitting.

Not Another Hat!!

2007-11-12T15:20:00.000+11:00

That is how I feel sometimes when I come here to blog, it is all about hats! Don't get me wrong, I love my hats and I am very proud of them and all, I just fear that my blog is becoming all about hats and nothing else.

Well today I can actually post about something else, gloves. You may remember how last time I mentioned that I was working on a glove pattern, well here is a photo of the first pair.

These were made from a lovely soft yarn called Boutique from Bendigo Woollen Mills it consists of 65% Wool, 25% Bluefaced Leicester Wool and 10% Mohair in coffee brown. I used 4mm needles which resulted in a looser fitting glove however I decided to drop down to a size 3mm and use Bendigo Rustic and this resulted in a tighter fitting glove. I also added a cabled lace pattern in the centre of the glove to add a bit of interest. Did I enjoy making them? Well put it this way, I wouldn't like to be making them everyday, the fingers are a bit of a pain in the bum and they are quite time consuming. I can see why 99% of gloves available for sale at Etsy are fingerless, they are much quicker and easier to make. At least these are knit in the round, even the fingers so there are no seams to sew.

The brown ones are available for sale in my shop but the second pair are on their way to the US, apparently it is getting a little bit chilly in some parts of the world right now.

Of course there have been hats made and these two are the latest, the first one is a customer order for an aviator hat with thicker tassles than my usual and a pom pom.

There have also been quite a few orders for different coloured flapper hats and this is one of the latest ones which I love. The customer chose the colours and it really was a great choice.

Till next time, happy knitting.

Three New Hats

2007-10-29T14:48:00.000+11:00

Oh dear I just looked at the date of my last post and was shocked into posting about something, anything! Of course there have been lots of hat making, I would love to show you something different but I will have to save that for next time.

First up we have a brown aviator hat made from good old Bendigo Colonial 8ply.

Next we have what I call a chunky ski beanie made from Patons Inca.

Last but definately not least is my favourite hat, the Muse hat made from Bendigo Classic 12ply.

It appears that the rest of the world is cooling down so I have been getting a lot of orders at my shop which explains the lack of posting here, currently working on some black fingerless mens gloves. I have been asked to make some gloves with fingers so I am working on a pattern for funky but traditional gloves. It seems that fingerless gloves and mitts are very popular and no one is making the traditional glove anymore, with all those fingers I can easily see why! So hopefully they work out okay, I am knitting them in the round because I hate the thought of sewing all those seams.

I have also been approached about a possible wholesale opportunity with an Australian on line business, she is one of my customers and they are after handknitted longies, shorties and soakers for the cloth nappy community. Apparently the benefits of these soakers which are treated with lanolin are much more effective than the plastic pilchers in keeping baby dry and obviously much better for our planet. I haven't made a decision yet as we are still in early stages of discussions but it is exciting just the same as well as a little scary.
I probably would have to find a knitter who wanted to earn some extra $$$ to help me if I decide to do this as I am kept busy enough at the moment without taking on too much extra.

Hopefully it wont be as long between posts next time but until then, happy knitting.

Skulls Anyone?

2007-09-26T09:07:00.000+10:00

Yes you heard right, skulls. I never thought that I would knit anything with skulls but here they are adorning a pair of fingerless gloves. Suzi will be so proud of me!
September seems black, well in my knitting anyway. The poncho is finished and ready to make its way to Hamburg in Germany, how cool is that. As a Beatles fan Hamburg is a well known town in their musical history.

Made from Bendigo Mystique 16 ply which is wool, mohair and alpaca and oh so soft and lovely but because it is a 16 ply it has plenty of body to it. I enjoyed knitting it so much that I might just make another to add to my shop.

A big week this week, I turned another year older on Monday and the weather was grey and of course it rained. Summed up my mood really, not so much about turning 41 but the fact that my footy team got absolutely annihilated on the weekend in a preliminary final. We were one game away from a spot in this Saturdays grand final, oh well for this weekend only GO THE CATS!!

The Bendigo Neon has arrived and so I am working on a pattern to use with this great wool. It is by no means soft, it is almost a bit scratchy but I have been swatching with it and it knits up well.

Oh well till next time, happy knitting.

Scarf-Hat

2007-09-18T09:19:00.000+10:00

A lovely lady in the US asked me to make one of my aviator hats for her grand daughter but she wanted a scarf instead of the normal earflaps. So the scarf-hat was born, knitted in beautifully soft Heirloom merino magic in a bright lollipop pink shade.

Yet another version of my Aviator Hat, this one in Iris Blue Classic from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

Speaking of Bendigo Woollen Mills, you gotta check this out, Neon in fabulous variegated colours. I am going to go and add to the stash, this stuff looks awesome!

The kids are into the second week of holidays here in Tasmania so it is very busy, not to mention noisy. I at least have my knitting group today to give me some 'me time', can't wait. I also have two other orders to work on as well, a pair of fingerless gloves complete with skulls and a black poncho. I also have just designed and made a great pair of fingerless mitts which I hope to add to my Etsy shop. I have only made this sample pair yet but I am very happy with the end result, they were made from Bendigo Rustic Pacifica in 12 ply.

That is all for now I am off to check out that Neon!! Till next time, happy knitting.

Shhhhh! It Is a Secret

2007-09-03T09:32:00.000+10:00

Yes underneath is the WIP of the secret santa present that we have each year at the knitting coven. The person and item will have to remain top secret until after our Christmas breakup party. Wow it sounds terrible talking about Christmas already but I do like to be organised and I thought that at least by starting early it will be finished well before time, fingers crossed.

THE UNVEILING OF THE AVIATOR HAT #2

You may remember that I made quite a few aviator hats last year in fair isle pattern. I sold a couple of them in my Etsy shop but since then there has been quite a lot of hoohah as to commercial patterns being used to make our wares, and since they were based on a Patons pattern I thought it best to ditch them. I have used a basic earflap hat shape and made it interesting by using variegated coloured wool. They are suitable for both males and females as Polly and Mr Polly are modelling beautifully for you all to see. I just wish that the Cleckheaton Country Prints was available here in Launceston to buy but I have had to source it online, it is such a lovely soft wool to knit with I am suprised that it isn't more popular.

I love the pooling on the crown of the raspberry/green one, it reminds me of the gods eyes (not sure what their correct name is, Cindy might know) we used to make as kids, you know the ones with the icecream sticks and brightly coloured yarns.

Till next time, happy knitting.

Creating Not Blogging!

2007-08-15T11:53:00.000+10:00

Yes unfortunately when I fall off the face of the earth it means one thing that I am busy with my needles and wool! I have been filling up Shazzas Knits Etsy shop with lots of goodies so to save on picture load here, if you want to check out the latest head on over there and take a peek.

There has been plenty of personal knitting also, firstly there is a Panta for my SIL, she saw mine and wanted one for herself so finally here it is.

Next we have a Muse Hat that I made to wear to the football to watch my beloved North Melbourne play, in their colours of course.

I also discovered a new book and yummy wool put out by the people at
Cleckheaton. Yes their Vintage Hues range has got me in quite a spin and I am loving everything in this book and the wool is just so beautiful with its subtle colour changes. I feel like I am revisiting the 1980's working in entrelac as it was quite dominant in jumpers and vests back then. I clearly remember making Mr Brickie a vest in blue, black and grey entrelac. Anyway this is the starting of my Vintage Hues jacket which you may be surprised to see has a bit of maroon which is surely a purple shade but it is a colour I can live with as it is not the purple that I dislike with a passion, hehe!

So as you can see I have been having a lot of fun with my needles and what better way to spend the cold winter days and nights, till next time happy knitting.

And The Winner Is..............

2007-07-07T12:54:00.000+10:00

Larjmarj! I mean how could I go past 'Polly Styrina'. Now I know that you have made a couple of Muse hats so maybe you would like a newsgirl cap, but if you would like another Muse hat then that is ok too, I will be in touch to discuss the details. A big thankyou to everyone who entered, of course if you really would like one of my Muse Hats they are of course available for purchase in my Etsy store

Now you all know that I have a huge dislike for the colour purple but look at what I made this week.

Just because I wouldn't wear it doesn't mean that out there somewhere is a lover of purple who would love to add it to their wardrobe.

I also made another Newsgirl Cap, this one in a winter grey colour. I should call it Tasmania because it is exactly what our sky looks like at the moment, which is all a bit sad. The other hat is a Flapper hat which is a customer order which is about to be making its way over to the US.

So that is about it for now, till next time happy knitting.

A Competition At Shazzas Knits

2007-06-30T01:58:00.000+10:00

My dear friend Mary has been waiting patiently for me to finish these for her, they would keep getting put to the bottom of the 'must do' pile, but finally I cast off and gave them to her on Monday. She loves them because she is a purple and red girl, which is why when I saw this Opal colourway I immediately thought of her. The pattern is my good ol' faithful sock pattern, I still feel a plain pattern for self striping sock wool works best.

Another of my patterns, which happens to be my favourite is Muse Hat, I make and sell these over at my Etsy Shop. This was one of the first hats that I started selling there and I was surprised that they didn't sell as well as the other styles available. I had a rethink and decided to reshoot the photos and this time I positioned the hat slightly different on the *styro head, since doing so the Muse hats have been flying out of Shazzas house and into homes all over the country and world. How exciting!!

*I must give her a name a la Cindy's bare naked lady, so I have decided to hold a blog competition. Below are some pictures of as yet unnamed styro modelling the latest Muse Hat, suggest a name for her and the most original name that I like, will win! Win what you ask? Your very own Muse Hat, knitted by me in your choice of colour. I know that most readers of knitting blogs are in fact knitters and would probably like more wool, needles or even a pattern but I thought that for once wouldn't it be nice to have something handknit especially for you to wear, that was made lovingly by someone else. Even if you don't wear hats you can always put it away as a present for that hard to buy for person, so leave your answer in the comments or if you wish to stay anonymous, email me (email addy in my profile section) and next Saturday I will announce the winner. In the event of more than one person selecting the winning name I shall do a draw to determine the winner.

Leah, you asked me a question in my last posts comments about wool shops in Launceston, well unfortunately they are very light on. We have one specialty shop, Knits, Needles and Wool which is in Tattlers Arcade in the city centre and then of course there is Spotlight in Cimitere Street, which is everywhere anyway so not really special. I'm afraid that is it as far as knitting and/or wool stores here in Launceston, other than Waverly which you already know about, sad but true. I love Knits, Needles and Wool and it is where I do all my shopping except of course for my favourite online store in the world. Fellow Launcestonians if you know of any others please could you mention it in the comments so that Leah can read it there.

Till next time, happy knitting and good luck with the naming of the styro head.

More Baby Pants

2007-06-23T08:53:00.000+10:00

Thanks for all the lovely feedback I received for the baby pants. I forgot to mention in the last post which wool I used, it was Bendigo Classic which of course is now available to everyone as they have finally joined cyberspace. I received a few emails asking if I was going to sell the baby pants in my Etsy shop. If you are interested in the rainbow pants I have listed them as a custom made and will take orders for them, as there is a fair bit of knitting involved I thought that this would be easier than making a pair up in each size. I have just added these so that I could have an example of a plain pair.

If you look closely you will notice that the flower is knitted, not crocheted as it appears to be. I have just bought Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments which is already starting to get that well used look.

It seems that I am not the only one who has a little business venture going on at the moment. My good friend Rachel has started Tall Grass Yarns and has some beautiful colours on offer and some very clever names she has chosen too!

Oh well that is about all for now, till next happy knitting.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

2007-06-15T09:56:00.001+10:00

These little baby pants or longies make me think of that song, I wonder why? I had to fiddle around with an old baby leggings pattern to get the stripes measuring the same, the waistband to have a drawsting and I changed the narrow leg to a bootleg style. A lovely lady who bought one of my hats asked me to make these for her daughter, complete with the embroidered ladybug beetle on the leg. Janelle was giving me her, always honest, opinion of these while they were being made but even she admitted that they were very cute when finished! I swear that girl is my harshest critic but I do value her opinion as she is very artistic and knows what does and doesn't work.

Another Newsgirl Cap, this one made from
Patons Jet, I love the way the variegated Jet works with my caps and being wool and alpaca, very soft. I will be making some from Bendigo Alpaca soon. I am working on some new patterns too, so stay tuned!

The school holidays are almost over, phew! This second week has been a bit trying as they have all been sick, I suppose it is best to get the bugs over and done with before the second term begins. This is always a long, cold term with plenty of colds and flu's doing the rounds. Oh well till next time, happy knitting.

Introducing Blokey Beanie

2007-06-11T14:58:00.000+10:00

I am able to unveil Blokey Beanie, the handsome thing that he is! I wanted a beanie that was masculine but a little different from the black fishermen ribbed that is quite common for mens beanies. Blokey is a skullcap fit in a twisted k1 p1 rib and made from 100% pure wool, but not any old wool, this is some of Katts hand dyed wool, which she is selling in her Etsy shop.

I only have this one in my Etsy shop at the moment but I do hope to make another shortly so that he won't be too lonely, but then again he is surrounded by all those gorgeous women! I still have to finish the baby pants and just when I thought there was light at the end of the knitting tunnel, I received two more orders. A newsgirl cap in green and a Panta headband, haven't made one of those for a while.

On an entirely different note, yesterday I received an email from a lovely lady just south of Newcastle. Now for those outside of Australia you may or may not have heard but there have been terrible storms in NSW which have caused havoc especially in Newcastle. This lady asked for my
shazzas sock pattern and had a couple of questions about sock knitting as she is wanting to give sock knitting a go. She mentioned how their area has been declared a natural disaster area and we can only begin to imagine how that would feel, but in this time of turmoil she was going to knit socks. This got me thinking how even in times of wild storms, which are causing so much devastation, knitting can bring a little peace and serenity to our lives. I will end this post with my thoughts and prayers to everyone in this country suffering from the effects of the storms but especially to a special knitter out there who hopefully is safe and knitting socks.

I'm Dreaming Hats And Socks

2007-06-03T15:13:00.000+10:00

Well that is how it seems here at Shazzas Knits at the moment. I have finished the 8ply socks that were an order, they are an old Patons Totem pattern knitted on 3mm needles giving them a nice firm fabric.

Now check out the awesome sock blockers that they are displayed on. Now obviously these are mens socks and the blockers are womens but look, they have 'Shazza' indented into them making them uniquely mine! Now I got them from a lovely lady Helen who is a blogger whose blog can be found here

So that is the sock dreaming part of this post, now for the hat dreaming. I have been busy making hats for my Etsy shop because they have been selling quite well. I am chuffed but at the same time there is always a little bit of 'oh what if they hate them?' each time I pack them up and mail them out. The photo below is of one of my newest ones which I love, it is made from Bendigo Rustic pacifica which is a beautiful opal blue colour.

There are many more but way too many to post here and besides anyone visiting my blog would curse me for all the photos.

So now you can maybe understand why I have hats and socks whirling around in my head at night. I am working on some mens hats made from some yummy camo wool hand dyed by Katt who is about to open her own Etsy store, aren't you Katt?? Head on over to her blog and ~~demand~~ ask her to ;) So hopefully I will have them to show you next time. Till then, happy knitting.

Oh Boy!

2007-05-10T12:18:00.000+10:00

Life has been hectic to say the least around here, everything seems to happen at once. I was all ready to start my new jacket and in fact had cast on the stitches when within two days I received orders for three pairs of socks and one baby hat. I have finished the baby hat.

Isn't he so cute, he is my new little model for baby hats, I found him in Spotlight. Getting back to the hat it is knitted in 8ply merino wool and from the good old faithful 1970's Winter Warmers pattern book but I did make some adjustments as the person wanted it to have earflaps and the original pattern had some moss stitch above the ears which to me looked a bit strange.

The first of the socks in Opal using Shazzas Sock Pattern and you may notice that I am not using my old faithful bamboo dpns, this is because in my quest to find the perfect sock needles I discovered these which are available through Donni. The verdict? I love them and will be ordering some more in the not too distant future as they don't hurt my hands or wrists at all.

This is the first pair of two for a lady who wants them for her husband but thankfully she wanted thick socks, so these are from an old 1950's Patons knitting book of socks and they are 8ply but knitted on 3mm needles which gives them a lovely smooth, thick texture and are quite quick to knit also. I am waiting on some grey from Bendigo Woollen Mills as I didn't have any grey in my stash, what a good excuse to buy some more yummy wool from my favourite woollen mill. I sold four items from my Etsy Shop within a couple of days which gave me some spending money.

Oh well I must go and finish these socks, till next time,happy knitting.

Australias Best Kept Yarn Secret

2007-05-02T08:57:00.000+10:00

Is now out there for the rest of the world to know about. What am I talking about?

BENDIGO WOOLLEN MILLS!

Not Just Any Old Scarf

2007-04-22T12:14:00.000+10:00

My 6 year old nephew came up to me last week and asked me if I could knit him a scarf. He told me the three colours he wanted in it and I am sure he was probably expecting a typical tri-colour striped scarf but of course I wanted to come up with something a little different. I decided to knit it sideways and instead of adding a normal fringe I chose i-cords instead which added a little something extra to the plain garter stitch. What do you think?

Now Janelle has put an order in for one but hers is to be much longer and in brown and blue tones to match her favourite pair of shoes, oh joy! No seriously I love it when my children ask me to make something for them as these days they like the store bought things and mums creations aren't as cool anymore.

Hopefully I can get it made before my new yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills turns up for my new project. You may remember that I made this a couple of winters back in a green shade. Well I love it so much that I am going to make it in redcurrant from Bendy, a rustic red colour. I really am in awe of Joan McGowan-Michael and her designs, there is a great article in the latest Interweave Knits about her. Oh well I am off now to cast on for Janelles scarf, till next time happy knitting.

Slow Progress

2007-04-14T18:27:00.000+10:00

Yes that would be me sewing a few more sections of Lizard Ridge together. The temperature is dropping and it will only be a matter of time before ol' Shazza is laying back on the couch sipping a merlot and want the warmth of a nice blanky to wrap around her. So I am trying to get it finished before I get to that point. Please tell me if I ever get the urge to make this or anything like it in the future just how much I hate sewing up knitting, I would rather be knitting. To top it all off it has to have a crochet edge around it as well and there are lots of annoying little ends to be sewn in also! But I am motivated, really I am, watch this space for developments.

Speaking of knitting, I have finished another Newsgirl Cap and this is now for sale over at My Shop. I hope to add a few more over the next few weeks so keep checking to see what is available.

The kids are back to school on Monday after having their Easter break so normal programming will resume, as in I can get near the computer occasionally without a screaming match and the house will no longer resemble a war zone. Well that is the plan anyway. Till next time, happy knitting.

Great Customer Service

2007-04-04T13:36:00.000+10:00

I consider it a knitting bloggers duty to give credit when a manufacturer or store gives great customer service and I had just such an experience this week. You see it all started with this:

Oh dear these just weren't any old needle either they were my casein needles which to me are of equal quality to my old faithful tortoiseshells. These needles are made from a natural dairy product, the name casein is defined as protein of milk, the basis of cheese and if you put these little babies in your mouth there is a sour milk taste!

Anyhow these needles come with a lifetime guarantee, just like Tupperware, they break they replace. So I sent off my sad little needle and yesterday I received these in the mail.

So a huge big thanks to Swallow Needle Company and if anyone else is in the look out for some nice needles I can highly recommend this companys products and their service.

Now onto my knitting projects, well there have been many new hats and things since I last posted and if I post a picture of everything today you will curse me for all the photos so I will show a couple of them and if you want to check them all out they are all over at my Etsy shop.

The first one is my girly take on the newsboy cap which I call a Newsgirl Cap and the second is a simple headband which has been in my head for a while and I finally got around to making one up and seeing if it worked, I think it turned out ok. Not much else to report other than busy getting ready for Easter and if I don't get back here before then I wish everyone who reads this a very happy and blessed Easter, God bless xx

I Hate Purple

2007-03-14T10:02:00.000+11:00

So why on earth have I knitted this? Just because I don't like it doesn't mean that someone else wont. I have been knitting lots of hats lately filling up
My Etsy Shop for winter. Yes I know that I shouldn't mention that dreadful word yet as it does seem far away. I have been getting quite a few orders from family and friends so that has been keeping me busy also which explains my absence from blogland.

Not much else to report other than Lizard Ridge is still staring at me from the knitting basket waiting patiently to be sewn, there is a reason why I have never made blankets with squares before!

I am going away this weekend with my GEMS girls so I wont be doing a great deal of knitting or autoharp playing either for that matter. I am addicted to this instrument and probably driving everyone around here mad with it. I have already got my eye on one of these which would be great to own but at the moment it is only a dream. I think a lot of hats would have to be sold before I could afford one and even if I could getting it here would cost an arm and a leg also.

Oh well that is about all for now till next time,
happy knitting.

Doesn't Time Fly

2007-02-23T08:32:00.000+11:00

When you are having fun as the old saying goes. Am I having fun? Well I have been knitting a little bit, when the hot weather permits. We are heading into our 9th straight day of hot weather with the weekend looking like it will be even hotter which is slightly unusual for Tasmania. Last night we had a thunder storm and some rain which bought a bit of cool relief overnight. So what have I been knitting?

Dishcloths, yes in this heat knitting is proving a bit difficult so something small and cotton works best. I am also hoping to educate my fellow Aussie friends about the benefits of using handknitted dishcloths because I was unaware of these little gems until only recently and now I wouldn't use anything else. I have in the past used Enjo cloths but find them expensive and my knitted ones work just as well if not better.

I have also been knitting my February/March contribution for Project Spectrum. One sock is finished and the other will be started over the weekend.

I am using Opal Rodeo in blue, black and white colours which are the three colour options for Project Spectrum, which I happened to have in my stash and the pattern is out of an old 1950's pattern book which I picked up off ebay. In the second pic you can see the pattern which has a wavy cable effect but in reality is just K4, P2 for 6 rounds and then K1 *P2, K4 for 6 rounds. I have some plain coloured Opal which will look lovely in this pattern and it doesn't even take a lot of concentration to do, perfect for me!

Oh well that is about all for now, I must now go and do some dreaded housework before getting ready to go to a friends shack tonight for a girly night out which should be a lot of fun. Till next time, happy knitting.

Sick Computer Now Fixed

2007-02-15T10:38:00.000+11:00

Yes you may have been wondering where I have been all this time and I can now say that I am back. The computer just siezed up one morning and had to go and be fixed and would you believe it that when I got it back home it lasted a few hours before it died again! So off it went again and now fingers crossed and a few parts later it is okay now, thankfully it was still under warranty. Meanwhile we were using the old bomby computer which was way too slow to do anything but check emails as for browsing any sites with pictures, forget it.

I have been having trouble with carpal tunnel which has prevented a lot of knitting being and done, ironic isn't it that it flares up when I didn't have my computer and the kids returned to school which normally would have meant a lot of knitting time. As for the sewing up of Lizard Ridge that is coming along slowly, I think if it was winter I would be more motivated to finish it. I have finished a couple of hats for my etsy shop another flapper hat and a brimmed beanie. There is a beret too but I haven't got around to taking any pics yet so stay tuned for that and the progress of my first item for Project Spectrum.

So there you have it and now I must go and get ready as I am going out to lunch with a friend and then over the next few days I will be catching up with everyones blogs. Till then, happy knitting.

The Good News Is .....

2007-01-24T14:10:00.000+11:00

That I have finished all 24 squares, yippee!

The bad news is that they now have to be blocked, ends sewed in and of course all sewn together. Wish me luck because the part I hate most about knitting is finishing, but I keep telling myself that the end result will be worth it. This has taken me longer to knit than I had planned, it is just that our weather down here in Launceston has been a killer. Sure our temperatures don't get to the high 30's and even 40's, like some parts of Australia but the low 30's here are not pleasant at all, the humidity saps every bit of energy out of you and knitting becomes near impossible. Well that is my excuse anyway because I know some of the knitting coven have still been managing to churn out plenty of FO's.

I am off to the ironing board, yes I am going to block these little babies into submission with a steam iron and damp tea towel and then sew *sigh* till next time, happy knitting.

Project Spectrum

2007-01-16T09:15:00.000+11:00

After all the fun some of my fellow knitting group members had last year with
Project Spectrum I have decided to join this time around. I figure that I can always knit socks or hats in any of the colours if it isn't a colour I would normally choose to use.

If you head on over to
Shazzas Patterns you will notice that it has been given a face lift thanks to the very talented Michelle thanks Michelle I now have matching blogs. Speaking of blogs I am now with the new Blogger and it seems to be a lot more user friendly than the old version.

Two squares left to do and the knitting part of Lizard Ridge will be finished then the dreaded sewing up and the crochet edge is all that will be left, the end is in sight.

Till next time, happy knitting.

I Am Still Here

2007-01-11T08:39:00.000+11:00

Yes it has definately been quite some time since I have blogged! I get so snowed under before Christmas and of course after when the kids and Mr Brickie are on holidays. I have to compete with four others for the computer which is near impossible let me tell you. We have also had a lovely time away at Coles Bay which was so relaxing even if the weather was a bit cold.

Did I finish Lizard Ridge before Christmas? I have to admit that I didn't but I only have 4 squares left to do. I have been working on hats and of course learning how to play the autoharp. I practice for around an hour a day so that also eats into my knitting and blogging time. It sure is fun and I had forgotten how much fun playing it is, I had to start from scratch but it soon all came back to me and besides it is a very easy instrument to play.

I don't really have any FO's to show except for one 1920's style flapper hat that has sold at my Etsy shop.

and these cute little guys that were left over from the car boot sale that I sold some things at.

They are also listed over at Etsy. So there you have it really the holiday life of Sharon, Ashley is hovering around me as I write this looking to see when I will be off so he can go and battle Pokemon. Mr Brickie is back to work on Monday so a little bit more of a routine will be back into our household. Till next time, happy knitting.

Secret Santa Project Revealed

2006-12-13T12:46:00.000+11:00

Yesterday was our knitting groups Christmas breakup and a great time was had by all. It was also time to give out our Secret Santa presents. So I can now reveal the project that I had to be secretive about, remember the box. Well I can now reveal that this was the project hiding inside.

The Mason Dixon log cabin afghan was what took up a great deal of my time, I enjoyed every minute of this project and I even would like to make another one someday. This one is now residing at Ms Stashs and there will be a certain cat who will love it too I am sure.

So who was spoiling me this year? The lovely and very talented Cathy. She made the most gorgeous scarf, in my favourite colour. It is made with a technique called broomstick crochet, it will get a lot of wear when our cold weather returns next winter. Also she included some yummy coffee from Hudsons and she even thought of Rocky and included a couple of toys for him to play with, thankyou so much Cathy.

I have four squares left to do for the lizard ridge afghan and I am also making a couple of hats for my etsy shop. My children finish school tomorrow so that will mean a lot more noise but at least all the running around involved with school and school activites will finish for a couple of months. So till next time,
happy knitting.

Fifteen Down, Nine To Go

2006-12-04T15:16:00.000+11:00

Fifteen squares of the Lizard Ridge Afghan completed and nine more to go. I am really going to get stuck into them over the next few days as I would love to have this finished by Christmas!! Nothing like putting a deadline on your knitting is there. I must say that I love knitting these squares even if the thought of sewing them all together is a bit daunting. I am seriously considering making version 2 of this pattern but instead of using Noro I would simply choose two contrasting colours of 12 ply. Noro is a lovely wool but I have been somewhat disappointed with the over use of a certain colour, which I have whinged about several times now so wont go on about it anymore but I think the evidence is clear in the above photo.

Took part in a car boot sale over the weekend, the spot cost me $5 and I sold some stash, just bits and pieces of yarn left over from previous projects. Also some pieces of Tupperware from my days as a demonstrator and would you believe that I came home $206 richer, yippee. Will this be spent on more wool you ask? Normally that would be a yes but no not even something that is knit related, an autoharp is going to be heading my way. I learnt to play one in high school, not very well I must admit, but they are not too difficult to play and it has been on my to do list for quite a few years now. The old saying of never being too old to learn or something like that, so wish me luck and I will keep you posted on my musical frustrations.

Brimmed Cap Pattern

2006-11-27T17:26:00.000+11:00

The Brimmed Cap Pattern is now available here. I will try and get the flapper hat pattern written up over the next few days.

Oh and I sold my first item over at my Etsy shop so I am a happy little camper :)

I've Crossed Over To The Dark Side

2006-11-24T13:00:00.000+11:00

I've picked up the hook that is, check out the granny squares below:

what do you think? It took a while to get the centre bit working okay and if you look extra closely on some you will see exactly what I mean. I was forgetting to work a chain after each treble, see I even know the lingo ;) But never fear knitting is my one and only love and I will never stray too far from it, I just like to try new things every now and then.

I managed to get another brimmed cap made for my GEMS girls this one is made from Bendigo Rustic in wineberry colour, a beautiful girly colour and I hope to be adding a few of these over at Shazzas Knits Etsy shop in the not too distant future.

I have been asked about the pattern for this and the 1920's flapper hat and if I was going to sell them. Now I have been giving this a lot of thought and asked a few people for advice on this and really when I thought back to when I first started blogging and sharing my patterns, I got such a buzz out of exactly that, sharing my patterns. I think I am more into selling my finished items rather than my patterns, I mean these ones are only hats after all said and done. If I had come up with some fancy nancy jacket or jumper maybe, but a hat? No way, so I hope to get at least one if not both hat patterns written up over the weekend, I will keep you posted.

A friend of mine asked me if I could make her son a couple of hackey sacks and of course I said yes before I thought about all the other knitting I had on the needles already. Well anyway at least they are a quick knit and here they are before they are to spend a life of being kicked around! I made these ones inside out as I liked the way they looked but you can do either way really.

I am currently working on the 12th square of lizard ridge KAL and you know me, can't help myself I needed some mindless tv knitting so started another project! You may remember that my aunt sent me some Patons Inca and I have been wondering what to make with it and as there wasn't enough for a jacket or a jumper I decided on a garter stitch throw. I will post progress pics of both that and lizard ridge next time, until then, happy knitting.

2nd Hat and Mitten Set

2006-11-13T10:55:00.000+11:00

I finished the 2nd hat and mitten set for The Soaring Eagles Project over the weekend, this is the same as the first set just slightly larger and a different colourway. I do hope they bring some joy to the little girls who will be receiving them. I will be sending them with a prayer that their Christmas will be a happy and bright one.

Another finished tea cosy, this one will be added to my growing list of items for sale in my etsy shop. This weekend the etsy site is getting a new look site and our shops will all be getting a makeover too so that is pretty exciting.

I am now working on more squares for Lightning Ridge KAL I am still getting slightly annoyed with all the purple that seems to be in just about every colour so far! I beleive there is some worker at Noro who has a fetish for purple and insists that it must be included in each ball, has anyone else found this to be the case? I am going to go and write a post about it over on the KAL website.

Last picture, but definately not least is some yummy hand dyed yarn made by one of my fellow knitting coven members, Katt isn't it just soooo pretty. The one on the left is 8ply self striping and will of course be made into Thuja socks have I ever mentioned how much I love that pattern? The pretty watermelon one is a 4ply sock yarn and will be made into Shazzas Socks eventually. Yes I do have a lot of sock yarn and definately, repeat definately do not need anymore! Oops I just remembered I ordered some Opal off Caroline, another member of the knitting coven who happens to be a supplier of Opal sock yarn, what hope have I got?

Till next time, happy knitting ;)

Went To The Big Smoke

2006-11-09T07:12:00.000+11:00

Went to Hobart, Tasmanias capital city, for the weekend with Mr Brickie and the kids and a great time was had by all. Lots of sight seeing, eating and a bit of shopping thrown in as well, one of the best shops I found was Tasmanian Wool Suppliers in Moonah. I walked inside and just went WOW, it was huge, compared to our poky little LYS. I bought a couple of patterns but the biggest find was some chocolate brown aran pure wool at $4 a ball, both 10ply and chocolate brown are extremely hard to find here. Needless to say 12 balls are now residing at Shazzas residence.

I did get time to do some knitting in the car as Hobart is a 2 hour drive from Launceston. This is my latest hat design, just a simple peaked cap which has been in my mind for a while.

It took a bit of tweaking before I got the sizing right but I think it is okay now. This one is a prize for one of the girls in my GEMS group, we have an auction at the end of the year in which they spend points they have earnt over the year and there are heaps of girly things to choose from.

Another Muse Hat this time for one of Janelles friends, the colours are shades of red and orange her favourite colours, I hope she likes it.

First Ever Mittens

2006-10-30T10:29:00.000+11:00

The first set completed for The Soaring Eagles Project. In all my knitting years I have never made mittens before, they were quick and easy even if they did prompt my youngest to ask, "Mum, why are you knitting a doodle?" Oh dear, I did quickly explain what they were and showed him a picture of what they were to become!!! As we are using acrylics for these items I had to go and source a soft acrylic and found Patons Feathersoft 8ply 55% nylon and 45% acrylic. Yes I am a bona-fide, dyed in the wool YARN SNOB and so the idea of knitting with man made fibres freaked me a little, I also get achy wrist joints and horrible harsh synthetic fibres aggravates this. But I have to admit that this one was okay, imagine baby yarn but in 8 ply and you have Feathersoft. I have one more set to make and that one will be the same but in a different colourway.

I have tweaked the 1920s Flapper Hats and below are the two sizes and colour versions I have come up with. They are both listed over at my etsy shop.

I was browsing in a local op shop on Thursday and picked the following up for $4, a bargain, especially the pink which is 12ply cotton and rare as hens teeth here in Australia. The other catches fire when lit with a match, luckily I decided to do this over the kitchen sink, so I think that must be acrylic and after my confession above about my dislike of this stuff, this may find its way to someone elses stash. It does have a nice soft feel to it though, so maybe I will knit a tension square and see how I feel after that.

Oh well that is about it for now, till next time happy knitting.

Rachel, You're The Best!!

2006-10-26T19:15:00.000+11:00

Australia Post deliver parcels to my door almost daily, most of it is for Mr Brickies work and the occasional knit related purchase for me. Today however, this one was for me and as soon as I saw this package I knew exactly what it was and who had sent it.

I wonder what the poor postie thought when I snatched it out of his hands and squealed, excitedly. My dish cloths have arrived and more, much more, Sugar n Cream, yippee! Look postcards from the other side of the world all the way from Oklahoma, oh wow I am one excited little chickadee let me tell you. Rachel you are the best and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your lovely present and also for organising the swap in the first place, all of us have had such a lot of fun participating and now you are busy co-ordinating The Soaring Eagles Project.

So thank you so much Rachel for your lovely dish cloths, which are way too pretty to use, the sugar n cream which here in Australia is unavailable, making it such a luxury and the lovely postcards giving me a bit of insight into your part of the world. Oklahoma always made me think of the musical but now it makes me think of you, my dear friend xx

Etsy Shop Now Open

2006-10-24T12:48:00.000+11:00

Finally got around to listing some items, hope to add some more soon but at the moment I am busy with a few other things, mainly The Soaring Eagles Project which now has some great buttons thanks to the wonderfully talented Lara and Cassa if you have a bit of spare knitting time head on over and check it out.

Sneaky Peak

2006-10-19T21:57:00.000+11:00

If you have been wondering why Shazza has been a little quiet lately, these hats might explain a bit. All this and the boring chores of keeping house for 5 people plus helping Mr Brickie with the running of our business doesn't leave much time for hours on the computer. I am not complaining, far from it, I just hope you will forgive me if I am behind visiting your blogs or replying to you.

This is my latest hat I have worked on, she is to be known as 1920's Flapper Hat. I love the fashion from that era and wanted to make a hat that represented the style of the time. This is made from some cotton that I had in my stash as she is just a sample for sizing and I have found that she could be a bit smaller so I will make a few adjustments and the 'real ones' will be made of wool as it holds it shape better.

This is Chunky Ski Beanie made with two contrasting 8ply wools knitted together which creates a lovely thick, warm hat.

This of course is one of my favourites the Muse Hat made from Patons Jet which is a lovely soft yarn of 70% wool and 30% alpaca.

Last but definately not least is another version of the Aviator Hat I made a while back. This is made out of 100% machine washable 8ply wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills. I do wish they would have an online store, um maybe not!!! Some of these will end up in my etsy shop which is empty at the moment and probably will be until next week when I finally get time to work on it. Speaking of etsy shops, one of my favourite bloggers Larj Marj has opened her own etsy shop now I knew she did lovely knitting but I didn't know that she also makes lovely jewelery. I love the cheeky name too ;)

Thanks for your kind, encouraging comments and emails about my neighbours well being. He is as we all knew he would be, his usual positive self and extremely optomistic about his future which is just simply amazing. I wish everybody had this guys positive outlook on life, the world would be a much better place.

I am going away with my GEMS girls group this weekend so that will be full on and not much time for knitting, unfortunately. It will be coming with me as it is a bus trip down and back and I may get to do a little bit at night, I hope.

Another knitting project that some members of my knitting group are getting involved in is the soaring eagles project organised by Rachel head on over and read all about it and see if you too can help make these childrens Christmas a little brighter this year. Rachel is also asking for some clever person to design a button for the blog so if you can help in this let either me or Rachel know, that would be fantastic, thankyou.

Till next time, happy knitting.

P is for Polly and Patience

2006-10-13T11:14:00.000+11:00

Now I don't know if it is the same overseas but here in Australia our major pattern producers quite often use a star rating for their patterns, 1 for beginners through to 4 or 5 which means that there will be lace with shaping and or complicated fair isle etc. Some of these even come with a P so while they may be a 2 star rating which means easy if you see a P next to the stars it means that "an additional degree of patience is required for a quality finish" (their words not mine). Well this tea cosy is a 2 star pattern with a P and oh boy did I need patience to finish it. It was a slow tedious knit but well worth it in the end.

It is made of mostly garter stitch fair isle but the difference with this was that the threads at the back had to be pulled tightly as you worked, creating a quilt like fabric that insulates your tea pot keeping your brew nice and hot.

Will I be making more of these? Well that ~~was~~ is the plan because for a while now I have been toying with the idea of having my own Etsy shop to sell my knitting, not that I want to make money out of it but to reimburse my yarn buying habit would be good. My friends are often asking me for socks and hats so I thought that maybe others might like my handknits also. Oh well I can give it a go and see if it works or not, I have set up the shop but as yet there is nothing for sale as I have to get a few pieces together. It will be mainly hats, socks and the Polly tea cosies, I must be a sucker for punishment but I do like the quilting effect of the cosy so I will persevere. I am going to make different coloured ones and will offer to make any colour choice that my potential customers may have, so wish me luck and if I am absent from blogland it is because I am busy knitting.

I have knitted Crafty Bernies square (see previous post) and look how it turned out. There was a lot of red which didn't really show up when looking at the ball of Noro, I have noticed with this yarn what you see is definately not what you get! I mean look there is even purple in this square as well, I am convinced that the people at Noro do not have my taste in colour I mean why else would they keep putting purple in their wool. You would think that a ball of wool that had dark green and deep scarlet red would not have purple in it but it did. Seven squares down and seventeen to go just as well that I enjoy knitting this.

Last but definately not least these dish cloths plus a couple of extra bits and pieces are winging their way to the USA and should be arriving there soon, I hope. I do hope that the person I am sending them too likes them. I chose neutral colours as she didn't have a colour preference and figured these will go with any colour scheme. We have been having great discussions at our knitting group wondering do you guys really use them? Knitted dish cloths are practically unheard of here and we think they are way too pretty to use.

Till next time, happy knitting and have a great weekend.

My Ipod Nano Has A Cover

2006-10-06T16:35:00.000+11:00

This is what Mr Brickie and the kids gave me for my birthday and once I finally worked out how to use it, yes I am a tad slow with these things in fact I am as thick as those bricks that Mr Brickie lays. Well anyway, I love my ipod nano and I wanted to make a cover for it as the one that came with it wasn't very practical. I found a great pattern for one at Designedly Kristi's blog and it is a great pattern, made out of leftover 4ply sock yarn. Check out her site it is well worth a visit, she is a very talented young woman.

A while back I won a competiton over at Crafty Bernie's and yesterday my prize arrived in the mail, some Noro Kureyon and a lovely hand crafted card by Bernie herself. The Kureyon is just the thing for someone in the middle of knitting Lizard Ridge. Thank you so much Bernie and this square of the afghan will be known as Bernies square. She did say that I might be tempted to use it for something else but I am loving this pattern so much and the colours in this wool are just beautiful that I wasn't the least bit tempted.

The following photos are of the square on the needles at the moment and the squares that I have made so far. This is an easy knit but be warned, don't make a mistake because if you do and have to unpick the row that follows the wrapped and turned stitches forget it. The only solution is to rip back to the last stocking stitch row worked, I tried to unpick stitch by stitch but was left with gaping holes in my work, at least the rows only have 43 stitches.

My final thoughts today are with our next door neighbour and his family, he was involved in a car accident this week and received terrible injuries. This has really affected me because I have never met anyone like him before in my life, he is a young husband and father who has this amazing zest for life and this personality that puts a smile on your face no matter what mood you happen to be in. It is going to be a long road ahead for him but I know that if anyone can cope with all this it will be my neighbour, our friend xx

Central Park Hoodie

2006-09-30T18:24:00.000+10:00

Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy 40th birthday, I really appreciated your kind words and yes I am still very young. In my mind I am still a very young girl, I just don't linger too long over mirrors these days because they tell me different he he!!

Cental Park Hoodie is finished and I loved every minute of knitting it, a great pattern and yarn. I did have one drama with the finishing which was due to my wanting toggles instead of buttons or as the pattern was left open. I made toggle closures but was not at all happy with the finished result, I still wanted the rustic look of the toggles so opted for them to be decorational only.

When you have a birthday obviously a lot of friends and family don't know what to give as a present so they opt for money, cool I say because as every knitter knows that means money to spend on YARN!! So I bought some Noro Kureyon so that I could start the Lizard Ridge Afghan. and be a part of the Leapin' Lizards KAL

Here are my first two squares for the afghan, I love this pattern even if at first I stuffed up big time and was reading the pattern all wrong and was wondering why I wasn't getting the lovely wavy colour patterns that everybody else was getting. A strong cup of coffee and a trip to the frog pond and I was back on track. I have been knitting what seems like all my life and yet I still can get so enthused about a pattern sometimes that I dive in and cast on without really reading the pattern properly and I cock up big time. When will I ever learn? Probably never but hey I have fun just the same. I chose colours that had the shades of pink, green or green/blue in them which with Kureyon can include many colours in the one ball, even my favourite of all favourites, purple. Oh I do love this colour blah!!

Today was the AFL Grand Final and the West Coast Eagles won a thriller against the Sydney Swans by just one point, boy am I glad that I don't follow these teams or else my nerves would have been a goner. A fun day was had in front of the tv just the same with red wine and cheer a plenty, thankfully this day only happens once a year. Next year I hope my team do a little better than this year.

Life Begins At 40

2006-09-22T13:14:00.000+10:00

The knitted pieces for Central Park Hoodie are finished and all that needs to be done now is my favourite chore, the sewing up of the seams. Instead of picking up the stitches seperately for the left and right fronts, I picked them up in one go so that there wouldn't be a join in the ribbing. So all going well it should be finished over the weekend.

Look away now Mrs Doctor Who because I know how much you love knitted dishcloths and I know you will desperately be wanting one. Here is the third and final dishcloth for the Dishcloth Swap. So they will be making their way to their new home on the other side of the world in the next few days.

I have also joined another knitalong, this time the Leapin' Lizards KAL working on the Lizard Ridge Afghan. I have ordered some Noro Kureyon and it should be arriving early next week so I can make a start.

Oh and on Sunday I will no longer be 30 something but I will be turning 40, don't quite know how I feel about it because the scary thing is it only seems like yesterday I was turning 30 and I still only feel as though I am 18, oh well.

Till next time, happy knitting.

What A Great Find

2006-09-16T16:24:00.000+10:00

Now many of you know that I collect tortoiseshell knitting needles, but I also collect something else knit related, vintage knitting patterns. I find these wonderful old patterns in op shops and of course buy the occasional one from ebay. The great thing about these lovely old patterns is that you never quite know what gems lie beneath the front cover.

As was the case with this beauty, that I bought off ebay for 99 cents, the postage was more than the book itself. When you buy from op shops you have the advantage of being able to see what the book or leaflet contains but when you purchase from ebay quite often the only clue to the contents is the title and what is pictured on the front cover.

This one, titled Socks and Mittens Fashions in Wool styled by Hilde, promised some socks and mittens and the seller had mentioned that it was published in 1953 in the US.

So imagine my surprise when this 23 page booklet turned up and it contained 24 patterns for some of the most amazing vintage socks, mittens and a couple of other surprises as well.

These lovely old bed socks and knee caps amongst them, these pages contain knitting history from a time when women would not only knit these items out of love for their family but as a necessity in a post war decade.

I have only included a few of the pictures here, to save this entire post being full of photos but it was so difficult to pick just a few as they are all worthy to be displayed. The socks are just magnificent examples of vintage sock knitting and have the same rich textures and great designs that you can find in Nancy Bush's Vintage Sock Knitting book, so yes I was very happy with my $3.00 purchase this week.

I will finish this post off with the sleeves to the Central Park Hoodie, which I am knitting together on a circular needle, as I have this problem of cabled sleeves never quite being exactly the same. I have found however if I knit them at the same time, with the exact same shaping they have to match. Well that is the plan anyway ;)

Central Park Hoodie

2006-09-13T15:05:00.000+10:00

Central Park Hoodie now has a back and two fronts and the sleeves are started, I am going to be knitting them both at the same time so that they will be identical.

This pattern is such a great knit and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has so far been put off attempting cables as the pattern is easily remembered and simple to do yet still look so affective.

The knew Knitty is up and I have a huge desire to make Lizard Ridge

I just love the colours which of course is created by using the gorgeous yarn, Noro Kureyon. The unfortunate part is the cost but I think if I spoil myself with a couple of balls at a time it wont seem such an extravagance, right?

I am having trouble with my wrist again, just when we all thought here in Launceston that spring had arrived and winter was behind us, the mornings have been icy cold and frosty again. I have had to bring out the magnetic wrist support again so that I can continue knitting without pain.

It is also school holidays here in Tasmania for the next two weeks which I have to admit means a bit of an easier time for me. Yeah sure the kids are home all day but there are no lunches to be made, parent help and other school activities to go to, or sport that the kids need taking to or picked up from. So all in all I get a lot more knitting done as well and I can stay up a bit later at night knowing that the circus of getting children off to school in the mornings wont be there for a couple of weeks, ahhhh!

Till next time, happy knitting.

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

2006-09-06T14:01:00.000+10:00

Why the good, the bad and the ugly? I have always thought it to be right up there as one of the all time great movie titles and of course it was a pretty good movie in its day but today it refers to my knitting ~~mis~~adventures.

Firstly this is definately in the good category, I love everything about this knit, the pattern, the yarn, everything. It is The Central Park Hoodie which I am knitting in Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran. I love the colour except for the purple fleck, which I don't like at all. You see as a colour, purple would rate as my least favourite, even in miniscule amounts such as in this yarn but everything else more than makes up for it.

The bad part are these dishcloths, not that there is anything wrong with them but look on the cream one, that edging is crochet. Crochet!! Me crochet, I can't crochet but after reading through Debbie Stollers Happy Hooker I managed this trim and next I am going to make a monkey ipod cover, stay tuned. Bad?? well if you are experienced at crochet you might think that it is bad, but as for me I reckon not bad, even if I do say so myself. No honestly I am just stoked to finally be able to produce something that resembles crochet even if it is just an edge.

These dish cloths are two of three I am knitting for a very special woman in the US (that is all I will say for now) as part of the dishcloth exchange I am taking part in. I am still pondering on which pattern to use for #3.

Then there is the ugly, these fingerless gloves have been given this demeaning title not for their looks but that they don't fit!! The reason I am knitting the silly things in the first place is because a friend of mine mentioned that her son wanted a pair of black fingerless gloves. You know how it goes and before I gave any thought to all the knitting and crafting projects on the to do list the following words came gushing out of my mouth "oh I will make him some"!!

Now normally this would not have been a problem as I have made dozens of these things over the years and they are a quick knit but in the past I have always made them out of 8ply on 4mm needles using the same old faithful pattern. But this time I thought that as they were for a 15 year old boy that 5ply on 3.75 would be a bit more masculine, so I found a pattern in the stash and off I went.

After a couple of days the knitting was finished and I sewed one up, thought that I would try it on and see what the finished mitt looked like. *insert scream* it is too small! Now I am not known for having slender, feminine fingers so after hyper ventilating I calmed down and asked Janelle my 14 year old to try them on *insert even louder scream* they were too small even for her. They actually fit my, small for his age, 9 year old perfectly. Oh well go find the good old faithful 8ply pattern and start again and I hope the friends son isn't in too much hurry for them, it is now spring after all.

So there you have it the good, the bad and the ugly. Knitting does not always go according to plan just as our lives don't always go the way we think they will and with that sentiment I will end this post with thoughts of someone who I am sure thought that they had many more crocodiles to wrestle, RIP Steve Irwin.

Sugar 'n Cream Is Yummy

2006-08-29T11:08:00.000+10:00

I finally managed to track down some Sugar 'n Cream to try as I especially wanted to see what the fuss was all about. After knitting with the cottons in Australia I have to admit that I am impressed, it is thicker than the ones available here and really easy to knit. I am practicing dish cloths as I have never knit dish cloths before and I am trying different patterns to see what I like and what I will eventually send to the person I am swapping with in the dish cloth exchange.

I wont be sending any of these as I figure in the US you can easily get hold of this yummy cotton so I am going to knit the ones I am sending out of this which I will be getting from Cindy tonight when the knitting coven gather together to celebrate the second birthday of our knitting group.

A big thanks to everyone for your kind get well wishes, I have really been knocked for six this past couple of weeks, it was really appreciated. I am starting to feel a lot better now but have been taking things rather easy which of course has meant very little blogging and even reading my favourite blogs has been minimal.

Janelle turned 14 on Saturday so once again a very busy weekend in this household, first of all we watched the boys play their last game of soccer for the year and then it was home for a quick change and headed off to the football to watch North Melbourne play which is the team that Janelle and I follow, and they were actually playing a game in Launceston. I must say though that this year has not been a good year and Saturday turned out to be no different with our team once again losing. Janelle didn't seem to mind that much though as the thrill of seeing her team play live meant much more to her than whether they won or lost.

*edited note*
sorry I forgot to mention the dish cloth patterns especially the middle one which is the garterlac which can be found over at Daves Blog which if you haven't visited is well worth a look.

Where Do I Start?

2006-08-21T12:59:00.000+10:00

I haven't blogged for over a week, shock horror, what has happened to me?? Well I did have plans to post before this but not only have I been extremely busy but I have picked up some virus which has knocked me for six. Started with a headache that lasted till Saturday off and on complete with dizzyness and Sunday morning I woke up in the early hours with a runny nose and sore throat. Today I am having a day home resting as I hope to feel better tomorrow as it is the knitting coven, anyway I have lots to tell so maybe grab a coffee or even something stronger depending on the time of the day and read on.

Early last week I dropped into the local op shop and found these very 'busy' patterned Jag denim jeans, they definately are not something that I would wear but I thought that they would make a fabulous jean bag. They are cut out and pinned ready to sew but I need to have a clear head for sewing as it doesn't come as easily to me as knitting.

I picked this up from my bookstore on Friday, I had ordered it in as learning to crochet is on my to do list and I thought that if anyone could teach me the very talented Ms Stoller could. So far I have just read through the instructions and compared to other learn to crochet books she talks to the absolute beginner with clear and precise pictures and baby step directions, so I just may get the hang of it this time around. Oh yes I have tried before but found that I could never quite grasp what the other learn to books were getting at and Debbie even mentions this in her book saying that most learn tos' assume that the reader has a bit of crocheting knowledge. I can make a chain and I crocheted an edge around a hat once with single crochet stitches, well I think that is what they were called anyway. So yes I am definately an absolute beginner.

On the knitting front I have been working on the Betty Boop Jacket, not as much as I would like though as I seem to have so many other projects on my growing to do list that the poor dear is languishing in the bottom of my knitting basket. That she is all stocking stitch from here on in doesn't help either but the above photo is a progress pic of the left front.

I am waiting for the cotton to arrive that Cindy and I have ordered together so that I can start my dishcloths for the dishcloth exchange some of us are taking part in. I need to get these finished before September 1st as that is when I can cast on for The Central Park Hoodie Knitalong each day I walk past my yarn and get very itchy fingers, I am really looking forward to starting this. The secret santa project that I mentioned in the previous post is what I have been knitting this past week and I am on the home stretch now and should be casting off in the next couple of days. It is a great knit and I hope the person I am spoiling likes it as much as I have enjoyed knitting it.

As mentioned at the beginning I have been extremely busy this last week and didn't even have the weekend to rest up as on Saturday we had our annual outing with the GEMS girls group I am involved in. This year we went to Tasmazia which is an amazing place just out of Sheffield, 1 1/4 hours drive from Launceston. There are mazes to explore and get lost in and a miniature village with the wonderful name of Lower Crackpot and a pancake parlour with a huge choice of pancakes both sweet and savoury and other yummy eats. Got back home at about 5 o'clock, exhausted but had to welcome a new family member. Meet Phil the galah, who happens to be a girl but my sister named him Phil before she realised this.

An old boyfriend of my sisters gave Phil to her and when she got married and moved out of home Phil stayed behind at my dads place. Well on Saturday my dad moved into a unit, he has lived in the same house for the past 29 years but since losing mum and my sister moving out he decided that it was way too big for him now and that it was time to make a new start, so we have now adopted Phil, or should that be Phillipa?

It would have been great if on Sunday I could have stayed in bed all day as that is how I felt but instead we had a family reunion to attend in Oatlands, which is over an hours drive South from Launceston. My maiden name was Housego which is quite an unusual and not very common name and this reunion was to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of John Housego, the first Housego to settle in Tasmania. He and his wife had three children, a daughter and two sons, my dad is a descendant of one of the sons. A great day was had catching up with relatives I hadn't seen in years and of course learning a bit about my heritage which was fascinating.

Ain't No Patti Boyd

2006-08-09T21:07:00.000+10:00

Well here is the 1960's Cabled Jumper finished and in my best modelling pose thanks to Cindy who organised the photo shoot yesterday at The Knitting Coven. It is such a warm snuggly jumper and I am very pleased with the finished result, which for me is something unique as I am quite a perfectionist when it comes to my knitting.

This photo shows the detail of the cables, centre rib panel and collar. I was left with very little wool so there is nearly a kilo of wool in the jumper making it quite heavy and definately for cold winter days only.

What is inside this box? A special knitting project for somebody in my knitting group. Each year we do secret santa for a person in our group, we draw a name out of a hat and we give that person a gift at our Christmas get together. This can be anything from chocolates to a handmade gift. At the moment all I can say is that this knit is extremely addictive and I am enjoying knitting it very much, sorry but you will have to wait till the end of the year for all to be revealed.

Better Late Than Never

2006-08-03T09:45:00.000+10:00

Look what finally arrived from Germany after 10 weeks, the Opal Acapulco range, it was sent by boat which usually takes up to 6 weeks so I was beginning to think that it was lost. I bought it off ebay from Melanie who always pops a couple of lollies inside the parcel, yum. I wasn't in a hurry for this wool as sock knitting around here doesn't get in full swing until Summer when it is too hot to knit anything else. I have been doing plenty of sock stash enhancing in readiness for Summer, so much so that I am now officially on a sock yarn diet, only sock yarn mind, I would never ever put myself on a total yarn diet that is much too restrictive!!

The title of this post is called better late than never for two reasons, the sock yarn and showing off these lovely little stitch markers with my initials on them. Aren't they cute, they were made for me by the lovely Caroline one of the newest members of our knitting group. What a lovely kind thing to do, thankyou Caroline.

Now speaking of kindness, I received an email from the lovely Jessica asking if it was me who collected tortoiseshell knitting needles as she remembered reading it on someones blog. Well yes that would be me who collects tortoiseshell knitting needles so after this was established she told me how she had picked some odds up at an op shop and that if I wanted them she would send them to me. The fun part of collecting these lovely old needles is never knowing where you will find a mate for an odd needle waiting in my collection, so of course I was very interested.

So in the package I received yesterday were not only the prized tortoiseshell needles but some lovely Belgian chocolate which just so happens to be my favourite but also some Jelly Bellys which my children love, so I shared. I managed to pair up 5 needles which was fantastic, so thankyou
Jessica your kindness was truly appreciated and although you asked for nothing in return keep an eye out next week as there will be a little something in the mail for you as I believe that such a kind gesture should not go unrewarded.

Last night I finished the collar of the 1960's Cabled Jumper, which I decided not to make as long as the pattern said as it was going to be too big for my liking and there was a fair chance I might run out of wool. So today I started sewing all the pieces together so hopefully next time I will have a FO to show.

Why Are Some People So Grumpy?

2006-07-31T11:25:00.000+10:00

I have been know to have a short fuse at times, my temper has sometimes got the better of me but usually I have just cause for these outbursts. Such as the time I was backing out of my drive and some woman came flying around the corner at such a high speed that she nearly collected me and then yelled out the car window and called me all the swear words she could think of. Or the time that I caught some woman fossicking in my garage and then she had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to sell her the childs swing she found in there!! However on the weekend an incident happened at our knitting covens stall that would have pushed the most placid persons buttons. As I turned up late and missed the whole thing, I will direct you to Suzi's eye witness account of what happened. I kind of wish that I had been there earlier, but then again maybe not!!

The 60's Cabled Jumper is nearing completion, front, back and sleeves are done and dusted only the collar to go. There is 179 stitches and 50 rows of rib for the collar so that should keep me busy for a while. I did have a tension (guage) problem with the sleeves. After the increases the pattern said work straight until work measures 17 inches, well the sleeve already measured 17 1/2 inches. Yet the stitch tension of 8 1/2 stitches over 2 inches was spot on, weird!!

I am also taking part in a dishcloth swap, so if anyone is interested you can find all the details here. Should be a lot of fun, I just have to find some decent cotton to knit them in.

The Quo

2006-07-27T12:15:00.000+10:00

This is totally non knitting related but I have to share my other obsession with everyone, my love of music. Why you may be asking?? Well I have long been a huge Status Quo fan and have all their albums on vinyl, of course, I have seen them live and Rick Parfitt has even touched my hand. It was even Mr Brickies resemblance to Rick Parfitt that first attracted me to him some 23 years ago, I hope he doesn't read this as he will be mortified to know that it wasn't his charming personality that won me over!!

Well anyway, my two favourite albums of Status Quo are Quo (1974) and Blue For You (1976).

I was searching ebay the other day and found this cd which had both albums on it. It is now mine, all mine and I can now listen to my two favourite Quo albums without the annoying scratches that you get with vinyl and I don't have to keep changing the record over.

They may be old men now but in their day they knew how to play music, normal knitting blogging will resume later, I have some loud music to go listen to.

B4 Bag

2006-07-24T13:43:00.000+10:00

After 2 1/2 hours of agitating in the washing machine, this is the end result.

Does 2 1/2 hours seem unusually long? As this was my first felting attempt I have no idea how long this process should take. I used a little over 200 grams of Bendigo Rustic 12ply wool which is a tweed like yarn, the beads are just ordinary plastic beads which I picked up from Spotlight quite a while back and were in my bead stash. The buttons were found in various shops, I was going to have the buttons either side of the centre button matching but believe it or not this was too perfect and looked a little odd.

Would I do anything different next time? Yes the beads, definately choose beads with bigger holes, I found it quite tedious pulling the yarn through such small holes on a crochet hook. I also think that I would add a contrast colour in there somewhere, after seeing some of the finished ones here I like the multicolour ones better, that is just my opinion though. As for the pattern, I loved every minute of it and will be making more of these bags in the future, they would make awesome presents.

These have just arrived in the mail, yes they are Pony sock knitting needles and no I haven't lost my marbles and ordered way too many, as they aren't all for me. After my search for Pony Sock Knitting needles, the knitters in my knitting group decided that they too wanted some and as they aren't available to buy here in Australia, we placed an order here. You do have to wonder why they aren't available here when this is the amount that just a small knitting group in Launceston, Tasmania ordered!!!

I am also going to finish off a few WIPs before I start anything else!! You are my witnesses to this so get on my case if you see a new project started. The three WIPs that spring to mind are, Betty Boop, 60's Cabled Jumper and of course the Cabled Shrug. I must finish these three before I start anything else, hmmmmmm!!

Wish Me Luck

2006-07-21T10:47:00.000+10:00

The knitting of the bag is complete and now the scary part awaits, the felting of it. I have never felted anything in my life, well not intentionally that is. Yes there was the time when as a busy young Mum, I thought that I would take a shortcut with the wash and put one of Janelles handknitted jackets in the washing machine on the wool wash cycle. It came out clean but the lovely little pink cabled jacket was now reduced to a felted one, I learnt a lesson that day. I suppose if I were to take a positive out of that day it would be that the yarn in the jacket was also Bendigo, so at least I know that it felts well.

Bernie has kindly passed on her felting tips to me, she has also posted these on her blog, if like me you are a felting newbie you may find these really helpful. I possibly wont get time to felt the bag until tomorrow, so as the title of this post suggests please wish me luck.

Definately Not An Old Bag

2006-07-18T21:32:00.000+10:00

I have an old handbag that is falling apart, although it has served me well it is time to get a new one. I was going to buy one but then I found the B4 Bag over at Crafty Bernies well my search for a new bag ended there. Not only will it be a one off, as each one is completely different but it gives me a chance to finally have a go at felting which has been on my to do list for quite some time now. There is a Knitalong where you can see some wonderful examples of this great pattern.

I am knitting mine in Bendigo Rustic 12ply, green opal, more blue than green really. This is one of my all time favourite wools and has been featuring in quite a few of my projects lately. I am up to the bead section which has sent me off on a search for a suitable sized crochet hook, amazingly enough I had enough beads, all 66 of them, in my bead collection. I will be scouring the op shops and craft shops looking for some buttons to add the finishing touch to this bag.

Finished With A Few Days To Spare

2006-07-14T14:12:00.000+10:00

Finished in time for my niece Haleys' first birthday on Sunday. What a delightful pattern, this one is definately a 'do again'. I used Zara which is a lovely soft merino wool, and is also machine washable and the pattern came from STYK. The hardest part, after I took a dip in the *frogging pond that is, was finding a button to finish it off. Out of all the pink buttons at Spotlight there was only one that was the same pink as the cardigan, luckily it was the right size.

I am going to take part in my very first Knitalong, and I am extremely excited about it. I have wanted to be part of one for a long time now but everytime I find one I like it is either finished or pretty close to being so. I found The Central Park Hoodie Knitalong thanks to Cindy and she will also be taking part.

This is what we will be knitting and the pattern is in the Fall issue of Knitscene. If you want to join us head on over here and get the details. I have ordered the yarn already in anticipation for this KAL, which doesn't start until September, I could not get the yarn that the pattern suggested but have instead gone with some Rowan Tweed Aran, yum!!

*see previous post

A Frogging We Will Go

2006-07-07T12:10:00.000+10:00

I have noticed a lot of this going on lately
well I have had to jump into the same frogging pond.

I started this for my nieces' birthday and I noticed that it just wasn't looking like the picture on the pattern. The loops weren't 'holey' enough and there was supposed to be a criss cross effect in there as well and it just wasn't happening. Obviously I was doing something wrong, I kept going but no I am too much of a perfectionist to go any further so I too went for a dip into the frogging pond. I started again, now this time the loops are 'holey' and there is a criss cross thing happening. What was I doing wrong? Knitting through the back of the yrn loops, that is all, something simple that changed the entire look of the pattern.

That is better, I bought the pattern from STYK quite some time back now and it was intended for my niece when she was born. Well er um she is turning one year old on the 16th of this month, better late than never I suppose. Luckily it comes in a size range of 0 - 4 years old, probably for people like me!!! Yes I did say the 16th and it is now the 7th, I had better get a move along or she wont be getting it this year either ;)

Tiger Socks

2006-07-05T09:55:00.000+10:00

Can you see a resemblance? The colours of Tigers are striking as is the color in the Opal Tiger sock yarn. These have been on the needles for a while and I finally got around to finishing them Monday night. Once again I used this pattern knitted on 2.5mm bamboo double pointed needles.

I am working on another sock pattern at the moment, spent way too many hours with pen, paper and calculator and of course needles and yarn. Maths was not my strong point at school, I was more of an English, Social Studies girl so my math brain is sorely put to the test when I am trying to figure out new patterns and their workings. I am trying to come up with a simple pattern that will work well with hand dyed yarns, so stay tuned and I will report on its progress.

Look Away Now If ......

2006-07-03T09:30:00.000+10:00

the thought of ends that need sewing in make you feel ill because this is what I am left with at the back of the Betty Boop Jacket.

But here she is on the right side, finished except for a bit of black swiss darning here and there to outline a few features, but I thought that I will sew the ends in and block her first before I do that. It isn't quite as bad as it looks as a lot of the ends have been knitted in so I just have to cut the long tails off but that wasn't possible with all of it as black does not knit into pink or flesh colours without showing through. Now I have the fronts and sleeves to do in good old stocking stitch, my easy peasy TV watching knitting.

I have a friend, who shall remain nameless, who loves clothes shopping and gets a real buzz everytime she buys herself something new. Me, I hate clothes shopping in fact I hate shopping full stop. I am a race into town get what I need and back home again, I only go clothes shopping if I am desperate. Where am I going with this you may be wondering? Shopping involving my ~~hobby~~ obsession!!! now that is a completely different story, I can spend hours fondling yarn, drooling over patterns and pattern books or knitting magazines and of course on-line stores. Here is my latest purchase, some lovely 4ply sock yarn from The Knittery now this is the sort of shopping that I don't mind at all, in fact I love it!

Last but definately not least it was my babys' birthday yesterday, yes my little man Ashley, is now 9 years old.

Thank You

2006-06-29T11:15:00.000+10:00

I am constantly reading of the kindness and generosity of the worldwide knitting community, knitters are indeed a wonderful bunch of people. I have witnessed this first hand this week, through comments left on my blog and many emails received in regards to my son Haydens operation. Wonderful knitting folk whom I may have never met face to face but you are true friends indeed. So a huge big thank you from the bottom of my heart to you all and just to let you know that Hayden is okay, a sore mouth but he is fine. I mean what 11 year old boy wouldn't be when at the moment his diet consists of custard, jelly and icecream. Oh and soup, thanks to his Uncle Ed who has a bit of a reputation in our family for his awesome soup.

Of course I do have something to show for five hours sitting at the hospital on Tuesday. I managed to knit this much of the front of the 60's cabled jumper, and it proved to be a wise choice as there is just enough happening in the pattern to distract my mind off what was happening, well slightly anyway.

Also another act of generosity from Sue in Melbourne, we are now in the process of doing a swap. She is getting some of my stitch markers in return for a set of Pony dpns. The poor postie will be having to make a quick getaway on his bike as this crazy sock knitting woman will be running out to the letterbox, to check for her parcel of prized knitting needles.

So once again, thank you everyone and happy knitting to you all

Anyone Interested In Doing A Swap?

2006-06-26T08:35:00.000+10:00

Oh dear another bamboo sock needle bites the dust. I am obviously a very aggressive knitter and my sock needles cop a fair battering it seems. I have tried plastic, they break, steel are too hard on my wrists so I switched to bamboo which are perfect for a while, then they start to bow and then as the photo above shows, they break. I have knitted quite a few socks with these so they have done a pretty good job.

Then I found these, plastic but reinforced with steel for strength, so they would be perfect for my wrists and I wouldn't be able to break them. I contacted the Australian agent for the above sock needles and the size I am after, 2.5mm, aren't stocked by anyone here in Australia or New Zealand. I emailed an on-line store in the US over a week ago and have had no reply, and I also posted on a Needle and Tool swap listing over at Knitters Review Forum with no luck so far.

So now I thought that I would try here and see if anyone can help me out here. If your LYS stocks Pony plastic reinforced with steel dpn sock needles in 15cm length 2.5mm or if you have some in your needle collection that you no longer use, would you be interested in doing a swap with me. Maybe there is something here in Australia you would like. Maybe there is someone here in Australia who has them but no longer use them. If so leave a comment here or you can email me, my email address is in the profile section of my blog. I would love to hear from you if you can help me out and we can have a bit of fun at the same time doing a swap.

Tomorrow Hayden my 11yo is going into hospital for some surgery, he has had extra teeth growing and up until now they have come through normally and have been able to be removed in the dentists chair. This time however this one has decided to lodge its way in amongst the buds of his adult teeth that haven't grown yet (an x-ray revealed all this stuff) so tomorrow it is being removed. Needless to say I am going to be doing a fair bit of waiting at the hospital which of course means a lot of knitting time but at the same time I will be very anxious about my little man until it is all over. So I think that the 60's Cabled Jumper will be perfect for this as there is enough in the pattern to keep my mind busy and hopefully make the time fly by.

Laura mentioned in the previous posts comments about adding her blog button to my sidebar, yes I must admit that I have a few new ones to add and as yet haven't got around to doing so, but I promise I will as soon as I get an afternoon free. I still after all this time hate adding things to my sidebar it makes me go all weak at the knees!!

Toast And Marmalade For Tea

2006-06-23T08:35:00.000+10:00

The Opal socks destined for Saturdays market, in a way I hope that they don't sell as I really like this pair. The colours of browns, greens and blues are so me, they would look rather nice on my feet.

Now there are many who think that all I do is knit, especially the kids and Mr Brickie (I've decided that sounds much better than DH which here in Australia has a totally different meaning!!). Now this is simply not true, I have been known to have domestic moments in true Nigella style as this photo proves.

Some freshly made Tangello and Passionfruit marmalade, my whole house smells of citrus, it is lovely. Marmalade on muffins for breakfast tomorrow, yum!!

I visited Sober Knitting and she had a link to this so I am going to do my bit and knit a blue square. I definately take for granted fresh water straight out of the tap as I am sure most of us do.