I'd rather be this way

Hand-dyed 4ply weight polwarth and silk

Hand-dyed 4ply weight polwarth and silk. This yarn chose me. Twice it was brought across the room to me by knitters who know me too well and twice I put it back. Then it literally jumped out of the shelf at me as I walked past and I gave in.

Teeny 45g of hand-spun, hand-dyed wensleydale wool

To die for hand-dyed, hand-spun Dew Drop Fancy - see those sweet little clear beads?

Hand-spun, hand-dyed wool and mohair in a tweedy blend. Gorgeous. There are a few skeins in stash that will be put with this for a blankie.

Bamboo needles specially for Opal socks. $9 a set - buy them.

Small but perfectly formed

That was SnB at the Courtyard Cafe in the Quality Hotel in Dickson. Prices are good, meals look ok, service was slow but perfectly accepting of knitters. The atmosphere would be improved by the addition of more knitters, in fact.

TTWC 2007.109 on the tram wheel

The tram knows how to show a beanie a good time. Here the beanie is reclining on the "round steery thing at the front" (thanks for the technical info TSS). Much better photos are bound to appear on The Shopping Sherpa's blog soon.

TTWC 2007.110 from reclaimed yarn

Up Front

The Front cafe at Lyneham is a lovely little cafe/gallery. The chairs are mostly good, the soy hot chocolate was ok, the choc muffin thing was pretty ordinary. It's spacious, though, and not too loud - a good SnB space.

We had a lovely SnB there tonight - new people, not so new people, old mates. A great range of ages and abilities. We were the only ones there (about 10 or 12 of us) and there was plenty of room for more people. Even the cafe dog got a chair to itself!

Pity about the attitude. Last month's problem was, perhaps, an understandable mix up over confirmation but tonight's announcement that they can't guarantee us space every month because they'd like to keep it open for a "more appropriate" (I quote) activity is totally FUCKED!

Yes, it's their business and they can do what they like with it. I have a suggestion about what they can do with it and with what degree of force, but I am a lady and cannot say.

I will say, though, that I will not be back.

There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance

TTWC 2007.93

The last of the Jet that Georgie donated, resting on the rosemary hedge.

I had a lovely time this afternoon with some of my favourite knit bloggers and cr***eter at Georgie's this afternoon. We welcome her to the Sisterhood of the Sock. Those sausage rolls were to die for, George - thank you.

Rosemary is one of my favourite herbs -it's so robust. Potato wedges baked with salt and rosemary; chicken breast marinated in a little oil, lemon juice and rosemary and grilled; lamb roasted with garlic and rosemary.

I planted a rosemary hedge at the highest point in the yard, behind the rose garden in the south west corner. I wanted this to be my vegie patch, Dad wanted roses. I lost.

When Dad trimmed the hedge last autumn I found the clippings on the trailer with the rest of the rubbish to go to the tip. I rescued a green shopping bag full and took it to work to share with my colleagues. Our tearoom smelled divine for a week.

The neighbour behind has his potting bench in that corner and I can tell when he's been potting because the dogs smell of rosemary from trying to get through to "help" him.

This morning I succumbed to the latest Knit Simple which has several designs I like, and the most recent Knit 'n' Style which despite an unfortunate tendency to novelty yarn, has some great patterns this issue; patterns that will fit if I knitted them. Excellent. I'm taking them on a trip to Young tomorrow. No, not to the fabulous Wool Room Country Store, one of my fave yarn stores, but to watch my nieces and nephew play soccer. After tomorrow's 400k round trip, I do not wish to drive again for some time.

Welcome to fellow Seven Things Spring (or September for the not so stuff-challenged), Tinking Bell, Five Ferns Fibreholic, Ferg, and Jay who shouted out on TSS's blog.

I picked up the pieces from the recent Knit1 Blog1 exhibitions at CraftACT today. While I was there I collected the Happy Spider's knitted wonders and the dress form that displayed her rogue hoodie.

A quick photo session with the resident gargoyle and it was off to Starbucks for a sit and knit with Jejune and Spidey. Lovely to sit and catch up for an hour or so - a bit like a couple of years ago when it was just the three of us at a Stitch 'n' Bitch. How times change and now we get to knit with lots of gorgeous women 4 times a month!

Jejune was working on the second lace mitt (I got to try on the first one - it's divine) and Spidey had a sensational sock in her new colourway - "Imposition".

Then on to the Southern Cross Club for dinner with Judes and the Woden SnB. Eight women (7 of them bloggers) enjoying the company, the alcohol and the fibre fumes. What a magnificent day.

Holy Day of Obligation

I know you're all dying to know how the last day of the road trip went but I interupt that scheduled programming to remind every one that this Sunday, 20 May, is

CELEBRATION OF WOOL DAY

at the Old Bus Depot Markets in Kingston

The barricades will be breached about 10am and it's every knitter for herself.

It's also a regular SnB day for the Canberra crowd.

We know there will be some Sydney visitors and we are looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible. Any other locals or visitors are welcome to attend.

So we extend an

OPEN INVITATION to SnB

Starbucks, City Walk, Canberra from 2pm for show and tell (all of the good wool will be gone by then anyway).

Au revoir, Margit

Sad SnB this evening - it being the lovely Margit's last.

She departed in style by finishing a Carla beret - seen here

and bringing a garbage bag full of yarn for the swaps basket. Forgot to take a picture of that, but here's another one of Margie in her beret.

Kylie also brought some very noice yarn for the swaps basket. Here's Kylie being mugged by Lulu, Jejune's very naughtly lamb.

And for those lovely people who asked, here's the link to the Victorian Cabled Wristlets, one of which is modelled below by the ball winder.

These took 50g of Bluebell (5ply), knitted double.

15 minutes - thanks, John

Today's Canberra Times, page 14. Pretty picture of two of my favourite people.

Click here for large version of text only.