This was such great yarn to knit with. A sproingy 12ply weight, 2ply yarn with just a little bit of vegetable matter left in. The ball band describes it as "a natural, undyed fleece product from coloured sheep growers of Canberra/Monaro." 
I can't remember which local op-shop it came from but it's local yarn, bought locally (twice) and going to a local charity (twice). Who says it isn't easy being green?
Beanies 2008.080 and 2008.081
Kinneared at the Canberra Racecourse 8 August 2008.
Mum finished a scarf for a friend and we had the company of various nieces and nephew, brother and SIL and very old family friends throughout the day.
And I kidnapped Rosie because Saturday and Sunday nights were definitely two dog nights . Actually they were probably three dog nights but Lochie is terrible to have on the bed, so I made do with Peggy, Rosie and a couple of heat packs.
Heirloom Jigsaw 4ply - basic sock pattern
That's how it is with blogging and it's mutual
obligations. I make time most days to read what
everyone is up to through bloglines, and those of you
on Ravelry appear in my occasional forays into the
friends activity tab, but commenting has just about
dried up. I try and respond to comments left here,
but if you don't have an email address on your
profile, it probably won't happen.
I was suddenly seized on Sunday, with the need to knit
beanies. I know I'm always knitting beanies, but
usually it's just something that happens, not
something I have a real desire to do. But there you
have it. 5 beanies completed between Dr Who on Sunday
night and bedtime last night.
It's a combined compulsion to use up boodle to have
things finished.
I've also worked out I can get a women's double rib
beanie out of a 50g ball of Twilleys Freedom Wool.
Whoot - totally gunna bust that stash and it's sooo
lovely to knit with.
Trying to post this remotely - hope it works.
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TTWC 2008.054 vintage Jet
This is vintage Patons Jet - the old crepe kind. Despite the murky early 70s colours (it's dun-brown with dull green bits of ... what? not contrast and I hesitate to say highlights - dunno, bits will have to do). The yarn is a delight to knit with. Divine crepe producing the smoothest, evenest fabric. So love it.
TTWC 2008.055-56 hanspun wool
There were two of these TTWCs knitted in the car to Perisher and back on Sunday. The first was borrowed in the car park at Smiggins Holes by one of our party and retained. It's such a joy when someone likes an item enough to keep it - made my day. This is handspun wool in its natural colour. Mostly creamy white with some darker bits. So beautiful to knit with and very warm. Must make a drop off run to Stasia's soon.
There was another TTWC in the handspun but no photo. It looks just like these if you really need to see it.
And speaking of snow, the other item off the needles this week and finished is the 164 inches of ostrich yarn trim for my Mrs Claus outfit. I have to say it turned out quite well and is probably the only legitimate use for this hideous yarn. I used a little under 14 balls of Moda Vera Jazz held double throughout to make 5 pieces of trim. It's all sewn on the dress and the hat has a tassel. There was a pom pom but it collapsed and shed all over my dining table. NOT a pretty sight.
The Old Flame is quite chuffed at adding the term Honorary Bloke Status (HBS) to the blogosphere.
It is apparent that I am not only mathematically challenged but a ridiculously pie-eyed optimist (or someone who stubbornly refuses to see the evidence in front of her).
*for non-Australian's "to make a blue" is to make a mistake. Not to be confused with "having a blue" which is an argument/fight.
(photo stolen from AmandaJ)
And is this a good time to mention that I want to reduce my boodle by two-thirds by the end of 2009? It's not that I have too much, you understand, just that I want to have less. Stop that laughing right now or you'll be struck off the potential recipient list.
What does a knitter do when there's just an hour and a bit between appointments but to go home would take about the same time and be wasteful of petrol? 
There are far worse ways of spending a little time on a Thursday evening before catching up with a very old friend from Sydney at a community function and enjoying the generous (and yummy) hospitality of that community.
2 pink vests for the girls
The pattern is one I've knitted several times for little people and is in Panda Kids Knits Volume 3 which I still see on pattern racks around the place. The yarn - whatever acrylic K-Mart or Target was selling 7 years ago. The buttons from stash.
One of the reasons these weren't finished (apart from sitting in a storage unit for 12 months when I returned to Canberra) was that two little girls in Sydney had already had the same vest knitted for them from the same yarn that year.
Also found in the shake up was an almost finished jumper knitted for myself which I was never really happy with. It hit the frog pond. Joining it was My Oldest WIP. I went to sew it up and finish the bands yesterday and found that the back was a size bigger than the front. After all I'd been through with the bloody thing, it should think itself lucky that it hit the frog pond and not the bin.
The bin is where the second Jelly Belly vest ended up when I discovered I didn't have enough yarn to finish it and there was no hope of reclaiming the two balls already used.
And down to Lake Jindabyne where it was so bright the scarf needed shades for the view over to East Jindabyne.
The other FO for the week were the Old Flame's birthday socks, beautifully modelled here by the recipient. Bit blurry but the colour's about right.
The pattern is Thuja knitted in vintage Patons Lambswool 80 (80% lambswool, 20% nylon). The yarn isn't as sproingy as I'd have liked and I wouldn't do a 1x1 rib again, but the seeded rib pattern is classy and the whole thing knitted up very quickly. The only change I made was to knit the rib on 3.75mm needles instead of 4mm and I reckon it would be better to knit the whole sock in 3.5mm as they are a bit loose in the top.
TOTALS
IN 331
OUT 316
NETT OUT - 15
SIAA 5
Serves me right, I thought I could sneak the sock in instead of knitting my Row a Day Challenge project.
M1K1 and TSS, both of whom should know better, set themselves the challenge of knitting at least one row a day on currently stalled projects. I thought it might be a way to get my arse into gear over my SIL's birthday scarf. Yep it was her birthday last month but they were away at the time and I had two other family birthdays that week and Mum was sick and Dad was sick and the dog ate my homework and I really hate knitting the track yarn (Moda Vera Salsa) even though it looks pretty.
Here it is, about 2/3 done. Probably should have it done for the Mother's Day lunch at her place tomorrow. *sigh*
Another week, another member of my team leaves. *sigh*
Thanks to a double feature at the ANU Film Group on Friday night, TSS and I finished 4 beanies. (TTWC 2008.045-048). Not quite as beautiful as the costumes in Atonement or Elizabeth the Golden Age, but a good deal warmer.
takeaway, Red Dwarf series IV and casting on 9 TTWCs. It was good to have a break. Back to it tomorrow.
