Wool Addiction Winter Clearance Sale Bowral

Starts on Saturday 28th August 2010
for one week only
~*~
20-50% off all books, needles, accessories
and many, many yarns!
~*~

http://www.wooladdiction.com.au/shop/ 

PLEASE NOTE: some yarns, particularly new season summer stock, will NOT be included in the sale.

 

This notice is published for information and I derive no benefit.

I would love to get to this sale ...

Not A Singing Budgie Scarf

Here are the photos of the scarf I knitted for Kylie, now gifted ... and she loved.

Ignore any tatty bits on the fringing. These were all snipped to even before the gifting, and all while I sat on the back verandah and my son poured water on the tiles and it leaked over to my pants.

The stitching is quite open and opens like an accordion a bit ...

No Knitting Books at School

I went to my daughter's school today for Grandparent's Day to accompany my Aunt and Uncle who were visiting in place of my parents and as part of Book Week they had books available to buy in the Library.

While I was there, I went and had a look at 746 Non Fiction to see what they had in the way of knitting and other handicraft books for kids and am sad to say NOT ONE BOOK on knitting to be found.

Now this might be an indication that they are all out and borrowed, but the librarian seemed to indicate there was not much interest (and if they aren't in the catalogue how can there be???)

I have to say that all the books in 746 were horribly dated, with tatty yellowed covers, being from the 1970's and were on crochet, macrame etc.

I bet they get every book on cricket, football etc, but knitting just doesn't rate.

I am quite disappointed. My daughter and her friend have tried knitting this year and I would like to see a greater selection in schools.

If anyone knows good knitting books for kids to suggest, please post.

The Art of Crochet

I was at Menai Newsagents today and Issue 1 of The Art of Crochet for $2.95 for a 4 mm crochet hook, redcurrent yarn to crochet your 1st square, biscuit yarn for practice, and an "Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions" DVD caught my eye and was promptly purchased.


This is published by Hachette Partworks Ltd and I guess would be available in larger newsagents in Australia and New Zealand. 1st issue is at a special price, but further issues will be A$7.95.

http://www.hachettepartworks.com/product.php?proID=1260290718

Something for Stewart House

http://www.stewarthouse.org.au/

Each year at my daughter's school, just before they break up for the end of the year (in Australia, this is around the 18th of December) the kids have a charity fundraising day for Stewart House.

If you go to the website, you will read that Stewart House is a charity set up to support 1,800 public school students each year (in groups of around 90) who get to come from wherever they live in New South Wales or the ACT for a two week stay where they receive optometry, dental and medical treatment as well as emotional support.

Stewart House has been been in operation since 1931 and is largely supported by public school fundraising, clothing drives and donations by teachers.

Once kids at our school get to Year 3, they are allowed to organise a booth with their friends to have market day to raise funds. My daughter originally thought she would sell soft drinks. I didn't love this idea.

I have started knitting iPhone / Nintendo DS / Sunglasses cases for her to sell. So far, I have knitted 3, and am working on number 4. I figure if I knit 10 and she sells them for say $5 each, that is $50 Stewart House didn't have.

Photos to follow on another day when they are sewn up.

I am knitting them with 3mm needles (the first one with 2.75 mm needles) and 8 ply (or DK) acrylic, so the material is quite dense.

Jo Sharp Knit Boutique are having a sale!

http://www.josharp.com/cottesloe-knit-store/what-s-in-store.aspx

They have Jo Sharp Rare Comfort Kid Mohair on sale for 50% off as well as a bevy of handknit garments to make way for their next collection.

I just wished I had the money!

Another NesssaKnit's blog

Wouldn't you know it?

There is another person in the world who knits and her name is Vanessa! and she has a NessaKnits blog ... http://nessa-knits.blogspot.com/ and she then moved to http://nessasknits.wordpress.com/.

I chose my blog name to link it with the design and my Ravelry name which I originally posted on June 5, 2008 http://www.ravelry.com/people/NessaKnit.

I have added her blog to blogs I follow ... I believe she lives in the UK and I live in Sydney Australia.

If  you find your way to my blog, I hope you find your way to hers too as I love all knitters!

Panda Yarns How to Knit

Needs some tips on casting on?

Panda Yarns have some really good photos here, including a two page printable PDF file.

They also have lovely yarns and a small collection of free patterns.

Joseph's Scarf

This is Joseph from my local library wearing his new scarf.

Some time back I was at the library knitting while preschool library time was in progress and my son was listening to the story telling antics of Joseph.

When storytime finished and Joseph put the video on, Joseph mentioned that he loved scarves. After questioning, I established Joseph's favourite colour is purple.

I did start a scarf about then that was black and purple and acrylic, but I have to admit it got lost a little in my unfinished projects.

I was knitting this scarf while I was away at South West Rocks, and decided just recently that it was perfect for Joseph as it is just masculine enough with the blend of black and variegated purplish yarn.

It is knitted with Lincraft Surprise Yarn - Aubergine Mix, 12ply and with  Panda Magnum Soft - Black, 8 ply (both available at Lincraft) in alternating rows of 2 of each ball.

I used 8mm needles and cast on 27 stitches and knitted until it was a suitable length (or where the variegated had a funny join in the yarn and the colourways didn't make sense ...).

In the photo, Joseph has it folded double.

Thanks for being a great librarian Joseph, I think Padstow benefits greatly with having someone with your genuine enthusiasm for kids and patience and I think the fact that story time is booked out so quickly is a testimony to your skills.

Alice Springs Beanie Festival

They really have some talented yarn artists!

Check out some of their handiwork!

Very clever indeed!

http://www.beaniefest.org/

Learn to Knit @ Padstow, Sydney, New South Wales

Coolaburoo Neighbourhood Centre, at 11 Ryan Road, Padstow has just started running a Learn to Knit group for Ladies only from 11.00 am to 12.30 pm on Wednesdays.

If you are interested in more info call 02 9774 2426 or email cncinc@coolaburoo.org.au.

There are an number of other groups that Coolaburoo runs including Homework Support for students in Years 6 to 8; Girls Only Programs with outings for girls 12-18; Career Support Groups; etc.

Wrap With Love - An Australian Making A Difference.

If you haven't heard of Wrap With Love, it is an organisation begun with the thought of one person, Sonia Gidley-King, in 1992 while watching the television news reporting the civil war in Mozambique, and decided she could make a difference.

She started by knitting squares to be made into wraps to distribute to people in need.


Since the inception of the idea, 221,000+ wraps have been distributed around the world to countries including Australia.

Sonia Gidley-King died peacefully on 17 July, 2010, after a long illness.

For more information, go to here ...Wrap With Love.

P.S. I've started knitting my first square.

Get Knitty With It

Who could resist an online knitting magazine where you get beautiful patterns every three or so months and have access to all past patterns and it is FREE and has great text from the designers about their creation process.

Certainly not me.

Check this lovely website out.

Knitty

The Happy Hooker

I borrowed The Happy Hooker from the library on Wednesday.

I tried Happy Hooking on Thursday.

It wasn't a love match though I wish it were.

I took the Happy Hooker back to the library on Friday.

The Happy Hooker

Lion Brand Yarn

Here is another great website. Apply for membership!

They send you about 10 patterns a week by email and if you are in the USA, it makes sense to find the pattern, and order all the essentials in one swoop.

http://www.lionbrand.com

Buy Direct Woollen Mills in Australia

Here is two I know about.

If anybody knows anymore that sell direct to the public, I would be happy to add them!

Nundle Woollen Mill, Nundle, New South Wales

Bendigo Woollen Mills, Bendigo, Victoria

added 4th October 2011

Wangaratta Woollen Mills

Inaugural Social Knit In Bankstown Library Complete

Today I went to the inaugural Social Knit In at Bankstown Library with a group of about 8 of us, all of mixed ages, facilitated by a librarian.

There was one lady knitting premmie baby beanies, one knitting her granddaughter's dolly a dress to go with her granddaughter's cardigan, another knitting her granddaughter a beautiful cardigan with some fancy Noro wool, that looked a little like this ...Noro, the librarian facilitator knitting her beautiful cat cuddle mats with a rainbow of yarns and colours and lots of talk.

There was talk of places people had been over the weekend, and in the past and places where people are going in the future, from Paris with cooking lessons, to Gunning and historical tours, to Katoomba and meeting with the same friends every year for the past forty(?) or so.

Did I mention we got FREE Tim Tams? Yummy.

The next social knit in with be the 6th of September, so jot it down and if you are this way, join us!

My Friend Kylie M Definitely Isn't a Singing Budgie Scarf

Okay, I am posting the pattern, but I am not posting a photo of the scarf until AFTER Kylie's birthday, so that it is a little surprise to her ... and also a little surprise to any knitters who are brave enough to knit this without a photo....
Cast on 29 stitches with thick wool over 8mm needles.

Row 1: *Knit 1, Purl 1* to end, Knit 1.
Row 2: Knit 2, *Yarn over, Knit 2 together* to end, K 1.
Row 3: Knit.

Very pretty and quite unexpected results.

Any variant of an odd number of stitches will work with this pattern, so make it as wide or as narrow as you please. Looks practically the same both sides and a little zig zag.

And anyone wondering who the other Kylie M is ... well ... let's just say Minogue.

This pattern is not to be used commercially or to be resold without my written permission.

Lincraft Have a Yarn Sale

30% OFF Knitting Yarn
* Excludes DK Yarn, Hobby Yarn and Cosy Wool.

Floor Stock Only.

Excludes all Knitting Books and Accessories.

Personal Shopping Only.

Offer ends 25th August, 2010.

http://www.lincraft.com.au/

This is a knitter service announcement. I derive no benefit from you knowing they have 30% off yarn.

Spotlight on Spotlight

Here is a link to the Australian retail store Spotlight and their Knitting Collection page.

Spotlight Knitting Collection

Spotlight promotes itself as "An Australian owned and operated family business that started in the Queen Vic markets (Melbourne, Victoria) in the '50s, and grown to 108 stores worldwide! Australia's top destination for craft supplies, fabrics, and home decorating products."

There are stores in Australia, Singapore and New Zealand.

There are patterns from tea cosies to boleros.

To view the latest catalogue click here.

Enjoy!

The Very Easy Lots of Garter Stitch Poncho

Okay, those that know me may know that I knitted this a while back. They might also know that I have knitted one for Kylie (which I have to sew up, after I take it back a row and recast off) and that I am knitting one for Megan (oh so nearly finished).

And the thing is, it is dead easy, just lots of knitting and one seam to sew up.

This is based on another pattern which appeared in Creative Knitting, but the gauge is completely different.

Mine uses two balls of Carnival Acrylic DK (8 ply) or similar wool, and about three or four balls of something fluffy or woolly or a bit different. It could be eyelash yarn, it could be a different colour (using a black and white mixed ball with two black balls for Megan), or anything that will wash the same and strikes your fancy.

Using 9 mm needles, and a cable cast on, cast on 70 stitches using first ball of Carnival, knit three rows, then add "fancy" wool and knit one row, then add 2nd ball of acrylic, and continue knitting, carrying yarn along the side (enclosing it) with 4 rows acrylic and one row fancy.

Cast on
Plain, Plain, Plain
Fancy
Plain, Plain, Plain, Plain
Fancy
Plain, Plain, Plain, Plain
Fancy

etc.

Knit to 140 cm and then sew the cast-off end to the RIGHT side edge of the rectangle and finished.

And yes, I did tie tag it to my sister's trampoline to take the photo. I can also confirm that throwing it on newly mowed lawn to get a photo is not a very bright move on my part, oh the grass!

Social Knit In @ Bankstown City Council, starting August 9

 I went to Bankstown City Library today and discovered that they are commencing a social knitting group, starting on Monday, 9th of August.

Date

Mondays 9 August, 6 September, 11 October, 8 November, 6 December 2010

Time

10:00am - 12:00pm

Cost

Bring your own supplies and start knitting. i.e own needles, pattern and yarn (Lincraft isn't far away ...)

Location

Seminar Room, Level 2 Bankstown Library, 62 The Mall, Bankstown. 

Contact

Bankstown City Council Library Information Page.

For those not in the know, Bankstown is a municipal area in the south western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia! Come join us!!

Lincraft Cosy Wool Storm Blue Scarf

Isn't it is amazing what a few yarn overs can do to a plain knit scarf?

Here I cast on 23 stitches on 8mm needles.

Four row of knit, then,

(pattern line) Knit 2, *yarn over, Knit 2* to end, knit 1.

Then knit 5 rows of knit and recommence (pattern line).

I was thinking about attempting to felt this when completed. I'll keep thinking about that

I also purchased some black and white plaid (note, not check) gumboots from Kmart yesterday for $15, down from $25.

Every girl contemplating moving to the country must contemplate a new pair of gumboots to replace the ones she has been wearing since 1989. I know I have been wearing them since 1989, because my mum had a trying on session to sort out all the spares and labelled them all.

Keeping A Grip of Your Knitting on Your Needles

You know when you are travelling with your needles and you pull it out of your bag and half the stitches are off the needles and you have to pull the knitting back, pick up stitches and reknit it and you are swearing a little ....

I had a great thought the other day. What if pencil grips that my daughter uses in class worked well keeping the stitches on the needles, and you know what, they do.

I bought a packed of Foohy Gooshy Grips yesterday from Kmart for $2.75 for a packet of 10. They are apparently made by Papermate, so I imagine quite broadly marketed. Otherwise, you can get them on Amazon. See link below.


Foohy Gooshy Grips

The Biased YO Scarf

Cast on 25 stitches over 8 mm needles.

This is knitted using Lincraft Cosy Yarn (100% wool) in colourway Blue Taupe Mix.

Knit first row

Knit second row

#Knit 2, *yarn over, knit 2 together* to end of row, Knit 1.

Knit 3 rows of plain knit and recommence pattern at #.

How easy is that?

How effective is that?

I love, love, love it.

This pattern is not to be used commercially or to be resold without my written permission.

What Megan Did

Okay, Megan did both. The beautiful baby girl and the scarf.

Megan has taken to knitting this year, with the help of her lovely mother and a little from me.

Megan's mum (and Megan) have been knitting squares for blankets for the Catherine Hamlin Fistula Relief and Aid Fund. For more information click here.

Catherine Hamlin has been interviewed on Oprah about the important work she is doing in Ethiopia with women who have suffered painful and debilitating childbirths, often at young ages and with little medical assistance.

This scarf Megan knitted for Natalie and it looks fabulous. I wouldn't have thought to use the eyelash yarn and something patterned together, but they look great and what a little doll Natalie is modelling it!


http://www.hamlinfistula.org.au/howtohelp.html

Something in Pink

This was knit on 6.5mm needles.

To begin pattern, cast on 27 stitches.

Knit 1 row then,

# Knit 1 row (bump)
Purl 1 row
*Knit 2, yarn over, knit 2 together*, until 3 stitches remaining, knit 3.
Purl 1 row
Knit 4, *yarn over, knit 2 together, knit 2* to 1 stitch remaining, knit 1.
Purl 1 row
*Knit 2, yarn over, knit 2 together*, until 3 stitches remaining, knit 3.
Purl 1 row
Knit 4, *yarn over, knit 2 together, knit 2* to 1 stitch remaining, knit 1.

Purl 1 row
Knit 1 row
Commence pattern again at #.

Continue knitting until you have completed a full set of pattern.

Purl one row and cast off.

This is knitted in Lincraft Surprise Yarn, Pink Sunset.

To vary this pattern, either add 8 stitches or remove 8 stitches from your cast on total.

I also thought about adding an additional Knit 4 to the front and back of each and every row to make it sit flatter. Might try that next time.

If I was to knit this again in this wool, I would remove about 2 metres of yarn before I commenced casting on so the fringe was the same colourway as the beginning. I would also probably use another ball to make it longer.

This scarf was donated to my friend Kylie's son's Wine Fundraising Night with Handpicked Wines.

This pattern is not to be used commercially or to be resold without my written permission.