Part 3, Bendigo and Beyond - The Projects

Time to talk projects! When thinking about doing this post, it seemed a bit overwhelming, as I'll be going back as far as the things I was working on before going to Bendigo. It's not really going to be as bad as I feared though, since alot of that time was spent doing just one thing; working on the second "Bustaroony" cardigan.

I finished the back of the project, and moved on, in predictable order, to the left front piece. In this picture, I had finished about half of the left front, but I have since finished all of it.



Right now, I'm working on the right front piece. I'm going to put a button hole in this one, as the "self making" buttonholes the pattern calls for is not on. The stitches are way to tight to shove anything but the tiniest button thru, and this style of cardi just screams for a decent sized button on the front.



Since Bendigo, I've mainly been working on the cardi at home, and taking other smaller projects to work with me. Aside from it getting huge, I have so many small projects I need to finish for Christmas, that I really felt the need to feel like I was "getting somewhere", so I decided to alternate some of the smaller projects with the cardi, to break the monotony and hopefully to soon have finished projects to show for my efforts.

If you will remember, on the same day I bought the Majacraft Little Gem in Bendigo, I bought a superwash merino top from Mandie at Ewe Give Me the Knits, so that I would have something to try it out with. I started spinning on that the very night I got the wheel, and spun quite a bit in Bendigo. There's pictures of the bobbins on my previous post, but below is the yarn on the Niddy Noddy:



And here is the finished skein:



I decided to name it "Albequergue" as the colours remind me of the desert and the theme colours in some of the Navaho art you find there. I managed to spin and ply it quite thin, and decided it would be great for socks, so I started this pair below.



I'm using David's Toe up Sock Cookbook (free download available at this Rav linky), which is my favorite formula for toe up socks, with my usual slight "Widdershinesque" variation at the heel, and I'm adding a few ribs for stretchiness. Of course, they look positively fun and funky colourwise, but also nice and thick and warm. At this stage, I'm just past the heels and starting on the leg section. I've decided these will be my 'at work' project for awhile, as the stitch is a simple one I could do in a trance (which is pretty much my usual state of mind at work).

On the subject of spinning, I also finished spinning up the Shetland I'd gotten from David at Southern Cross Fibre Club. I'd started the first bobbin long before I left for Bendigo, so of course, it was spun on the Ashford. I must say that it was one of the most delightful fibres it has ever been my pleasure to spin. Whether that is just the way Shetland is, or whether it's David's remarkable talent I'm not sure. I had never spun either Shetland or David's fibre before, but from what I hear, it's probably a combination of both. Whatever it was, I now crave more Shetland to spin..when I have the room to store more fibre that is (not to mention the money to buy it).

So here is the lovely green Shetland, which I wound up naming "Verde" on the bobbins:



The finished skein of Verde:



And a bit of a blurry closeup:



It's actually quite soft for a Shetland, which definately broadens my options of what I wind up knitting from it. I haven't made my mind up what though. I'm once again waiting for that special project.

Sortly after I returned from Bendigo, I decided it was about time to buy me a couple of new uniform tops. The pictures I took in Bendigo convinced me that I'm close enough now to the size I want to be that I could buy some shirts that I would be able to wear for awhile. I had never been to the shop that sells our uniforms before, having in the past ordered them. So I got directions and stayed after work one morning to do the shop.

When I was leaving the shop, I realized that I was darned close to The Yarn Barn, and so of course, must pop in. They had started opening lately at 10:00 in the morning instead of 9:00, which made it rather hard on me, so I had started shopping at Needlenook instead. Anyway, here it was almost 10:00, and it seemed a good time to drop by.

Every since I got the Victorian Lace Today book, I have told several people that I would love to knit everything in it. No doubt that would be a monumental task, as I haven't knit even the first pattern out of it yet. Not to be deterred though, it appears I'm trying to buy enough lace yarn to perform the feat. When I left The Yarn Barn that day, it was with this bright red Centavago extra fine laceweight in my clutches.



I was in for a very cute surprise at work after I got back from Bendigo. My coworker, Linda, had seen this cute cup in a store and thought of me. She said she couldn't pass it up, as it was so totally "Me". And it's true. I despise exercise, and whenever I do it, always think I could be knitting or spinning instead. She knows me well, and I absolutely adore the cup.



Last weekend was the annual Mount Pleasant Fibre Fair. I'd missed this in previous years, frankly because I kept forgetting about it. Coming right after Bendigo as it does, I simply had let the day pass by before I figured out that it was on. But with the help of some fellow Ravelers' gentle reminders, this year I finally made it. Of course, I had to go after work, winding my way along roads thru the Adelaide Hills that would make a mountain goat nervous. Ahh, what we won't do for our fibre fix.

It was a fun event. Tiny compared to Bendigo, but the SA fibre community was well represented. Jane, from Moseley Park was there, along with Kathy from Kathy's Fibres, Brenda from Colonial Lake Books, and Spinningwoodie and his lovely wife were there with all their wooden goodie. There were several other stalls set up with sellers I don't know quite as well, and all in all a lovely range of fibres and accessories.

I also, finally, for the very first time, met Sharon, a fellow expat American and Ravelry buddy who I had been posting back and forth to for years but had never had the pleasure of meeting. She was there with her lovely family, and it was so wonderful to finally get to meet her. We shared a few Americanisms, like our "sticker shock" when first arriving in Australia, and other tidbits only another expat would understand. I'm looking forward to meeting up with her again sometime when we get the chance.

I also made a few purchases, although it can be successfully argued that I didn't precisely "need" anything so soon after Bendigo. But in the interest of supporting the local artists, I just forced myself (hrrrumpphhh)...yes...forced myself, to buy a few things.

From Jane at Moseley Park I got this royalest of all royal blues crossbred top:
Mt Pleasant MoseleyPark Blue



She obviously didn't want to get rid of it, as she had it hanging way way up on her fibre racks, but I tricked her by getting her handsome hubby to help me get it down ;).

And from Brenda at Colonial Lake Books I found two books that I had been wanting. I bought Spin Control by Amy King, which is, of course, about adding more control to your spinning. I've read about halfway through it already, and I love the techniques it talks about, and the instructions are very clear and concise. It's an excellent reference and technique guide.

I also bought Sculptured Knits by Jean Moss, and lucky me, it was in her bargain box! I'm a big fan of "coffee table" knitting books, the kind with the dialouge and the beautiful pictures. Each project is inspired by an artist of some sort, from painters to playwrites, with a little bio of the artist. The patterns themselves are very artistically bent, some to the point that I'd never dream of wearing, but there are actually a few usable patterns in it too. Just an all round lovely book.



Back in May at the Littlehampton sale, I'd bought some lovely soft camel coloured alpaca locks from Indulgence Alpacas. They were set up in Mount Pleasant as well, and their prices are so very reasonable that I decided to get another bag of the alpaca locks, this time in a darker brown that will compliment the first colour I got nicely.



And last, but certainly not least, I got several things from Kathy of Kathy's fibres. I got a bag of hemp. I've never spun with hemp, so it's more a novelty than anything else. I also go another top in the Red Flowering Gum colourway. I have two skeins in that colourway already, called Navidad, and thought another on would really give me enough to do a decent sized project with. I do love that colourway so much. I also got another top of the Timber colourway, plus a silk roving, also in Timber.



The Timber requires a bit of an explanation. After getting the Magacraft home, and finishing the skein of "Albequerque" shown above, I wanted something fairly simple to put on the wheel that I could spin up at work. I decided merino would be best, and chose a top I had gotten previously (again, in Littlehampton) from Kathy, as the fibre she dyes drafts very easily. Now the Majacraft has much larger bobbins than the Ashford does, but I spun two with the top because I intended to ply it. I split the top and did half on one bobbin, half on another, which was fine, but the bobbins were only half full.



I finished spinning the second bobbin Friday night, so it was fresh in my mind Saturday morning at Mount Pleasant. On a whim, I thought I would just buy another top, spin that on top of the bobbins I'd already done, creating two full Majacraft bobbins of the Timber wool, making one gigantic skein after I ply it. Then I bought the silk in Timber as well, thinking I would then ply it with silk.

My hubby, Chris, left Monday morning to take his year 11 geography class on their annual camp to the Flinders. I had a few days off while he was away, and I spent a good deal of my time spinning that second Timber top.



I'm now spinning the silk.



It's obvious I'm going to have to buy more though. How much more I'm not sure. I plan to either ply the two wool bobbins together with one silk bobbin, making a wool and silk 3 ply, or I'm going to ply the wool singles with the silk. I just haven't made my mind up yet.

While Chris was gone I made myself very comfortable, with my knitting strewn everywhere. Here's my knitting corner of the couch, complete with laptop open to keep up with my Twitter friends.



Yes, it's a mess, but it's fine to be messy when the hubby is away. It was sort of like my own personal camp right here in my own living room.


Also during this past week of husbandlessness, I was determined to finally use my "Earth's Pallette" dyes while I had these few days of peace, frivolity and fibre fun. As I looked to the stash, the organic was the smallest actual amount of white I had, and it was perfect for the cold dye technique, as I wouldn't have to worry about heat damaging the delicate fibres. So I pulled out the dyes, mixed them with the fixant, and for some reason decided to go for a nice shade of purple. Purple? Me? I don't even like purple. Even so, it's a nice purple.

With Earth Palette Dyes, you mix, then dye, then wrap in plastic and leave sit for at least 24 hours.



Then you wash it to get any excess dye out:


And then dry, which is where I'm at right now. It's almost dry. One more day on the rack should do the trick.


The last project I started this week, and probably the one I'm most proud of so far, is the fair isle socks I'm making as a Christmas gift. I haven't done Fair Isle or any sort of colourwork knitting in years. When I'd done it before, I didn't like it much, but now, strangely, I'm finding it a bit addictive, watching the pattern grow.



That's just the first little part of the first sock, so I may change my tune before it's over. I'm doing the technique of holding the MC as for English knitting and looping the other colour over my left index finger and knitting it as if doing Continental style. I have little or no control in my left hand where knitting is concerned, even though I am left handed. It's still very fiddly, but getting easier.

Well, that's it for this time. That finally get me caught up to the present on activities, purchases and projects. Till next time, Happy Knitting!

Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Part 2: The Purchases

In "Part 2" of the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, I'm going to go into more detail about my purchases, and cover anything I missed in the last post. Oh, and include a piccie of Chris for Mom.

I guess I should start with what I purchased on Wednesday, the day we arrived. As I mentioned in a previous post, shortly after arriving Wednesday afternoon, Audrey suggested a trip to Bendigo Woolen Mills before they closed for the day. She pointed out that if we waited too long, all the people coming to the show would have things more or less picked over.

So, on our one and only visit to the mills, I picked up these two 5 ply superwash yarns. I have a pair of fair isleish socks I want to make as a Christmas gift. The pattern calls for 5 ply, and these are great colours for the design.







With vague thoughts of a summer top in mind, I also bought 10 balls of BWM Cotton in a lovely light blue shade. I don't have a pattern in mind yet, but I'm sure I'll find a suitable one. At $2 a ball, it was a hard bargain to pass up.



On Friday morning, so soon after we arrived at the show that Chris was still with me (believe me, that wasn't very long) I found the Sarah Durrant stand. They sell Colinette yarns, and I'm just in love with Jitterbug Sock Yarn. She also sells Knit Picks needles and products (excepting yarns, which aren't sold in Australia) We chatted for a good while (which is where Chris gave up waiting and wandered off on his own) and I wound up with some extra size 4mm needles for my Harmony set, and some of the new connectors for Harmony cords (not pictured). I also wound up with the two skeins of Jitterbug pictured below.



Shortly after that, I wound up at Stranded in Oz's booth, whose owner Mel showed me this lovely Jezebel. I've seen SWTC yarns in magazines, etc, but had never knit with it before, and such a nice solid sock yarn can always be used. It would even work for men's socks in a pinch.



When I left to go to Bendigo, I only had one specific thing in mind that I was definately going to get. Last year, I bought two skeins of Laura Down's cashmere in a subtle tan shade. The trouble was, two skeins only amounted to about 700 meters, and most of the lace shawl patterns I'd found asked for more yarn than that. So I was determined that, if I could match the colour, I was going to get another ball of the same. Lucky me, I found it!



Of course, Friday morning I bought the Majacraft Little Gem spinning wheel, but after getting it home, I realized I had only bought yarn, and not fibre, other than the lot I got from Bendigo Woolen Mills, which I didn't want to break into yet, so Friday afternoon, I bought some Merino and seacell from Ewe Give Me The Knits.



As mentioned in the previous post, I started spinning on the majacraft Friday night after we had gone out for dinner. Patience has never been my personal virtue, but I consider it a remarkable show of discipline that I bothered to eat first. I decided on some EGMTK Superwash merino that is shown in the last post in the group picture of my Friday purchases, but alas, it was on the wheel before I thought to make an individual photo of it.

Here's a closeup of the first finished bobbin:


And here's the first finished bobbin with fibre for second bobbin alongside:


After getting up Saturday morning to a less than well hubby and missing the Rav brekky, I got to the showgrounds at around 9:00. I went in search of the Ravelry building, which I had never found Friday. In my search, I did run across a building I hadn't investigated the day before, and in it I found Wooldancer, and some real jewels in her stand. I could have bought much more. She had so very many pretty things, but I settled on the haul below. 3 bags of cotton in very earthy colours (I've never spun cotton, so this was a particular treat), a green and a yellow braid of organic merino (yummy)and she kindly agreed to hang onto my purchases for me until I was ready to go.



I wandered around alot on Saturday, chatting with friends and aquaintences and meeting new ones, and didn't load myself up right away, as I was planning on being there about 6 hours, but I made some mental notes of those places I wanted to come back to and buy from. So most of the following purchases were either made in later in the day, or the actual purchases were made earlier and picked up later in the day. So essentially, I made one last mad dash at just before 3PM to pick up or purchase all my goodies. But I find it almost impossible to put Saturdays purchases in any semblance of order because of this, so I'm won't even try. If the timeline doesn't make much sense, well, that's because it probably isn't correct.

I had bought some wool from Bennett and Gregor before, at the SACSOS booth at the Adelaide show last year. A bag of merino slivers in a lovely brown that I used in my mom's Christmas jumper. Now at that time, I was a rather novice spinner, and shouldn't have even attempted slivers, but there you go. I do like their wool though, and the fact that they go with the natural sheeps colouring rather than dyeing, so I bought these naturally coloured tops from them, plus a bit of extra white.



After not seeing her at all Friday, although heaven only knows how I missed her, I ran into Jane from Moseley Park, one of the lovliest ladies I've met since I've been involved in the spinning thing. She had many gorgeous rovings and yarns, but I wound up with this pretty, bright garnet coloured silk. We stood around and chatted for awhile, and it was so nice to see her again.



While I was talking to Jane, I ran into a Ravelry mate who had bought some lovely camel and optim blend from Virginia Farm Woolworks, so of course I had to have some.



I also found this lovely silk there, which I plan to use to do something from my Victorian Lace Today book. I haven't decided if I want to dye it or not, but of course, that option is always there.



I also bought these Landscape dyes from Virginia Farm Woolworks. The lady there was so very helpful in helping me choose them. I think I got a nice representative amount, and I'm even going to try and mix the colours for some hopefully interesting results. No doubt, I'll buy more variety in the future. I have the Earth Palette Dyes, which are cold water dyes, and of course, my Koolaid. But this will be my first foray into the world of real chemical dyes.



Also pictured are two bottles of WoolScour for cleaning. I bought these at a booth at the show, not long before I left on Saturday (due to their weight) and simply can't recall the name of the stand I got them from. I'm only hoping that they make me a bit more successful at cleaning fleeces.

There was a lovely stand full of hand crafted jewelry from All Buttoned Up in Melbourne (I can't find a website for them) that was more or less themed for the event. I bought these earrings with the spinning wheel on them, and a stickpin with the same.



Of course, I could never leave without getting something from Spinningwoodie and his lovely wife Sheilaheeler. I've been eyeing these scarf clips for awhile, although now I'm sort of wishing I'd gotten myself another wooden DPN tube as well. I love the one I've got. It's just precious.



Before leaving for this trip, my glasses case broke, and I was looking for another, but just couldn't seem to find one. The Jacob Farm booth was packed Friday and Saturday, everytime I walked by. Finally, Saturday afternoon I just decided to brave the crowd anyway, and what did I find. You guessed it:



Also toward the end of the day, I found this lovely Llama Fibre from Granite Haven Llamas (Cheryl Crosbie, Strathbogle Ranges, no website found). Again, natural, earth brown colours.



Of course, I cannot fail to mention the lovely Ixchelbunnie's booth, now can I? This year her booth was every bit as frustrating as last year. I WANT IT ALL!!! But discretion and funds forced me to chose, so I left there with some lovely (albeit expensive) baby camel, and two skeins of this remarkable blue cashmere laceweight yarn, perfect for a shawl from my Victorian Lace Today book. After Christmas, I really plan on getting all jiggy with the lace stuff, and now I'm prepared for a good start.





This is my skein of Ms. Gusset Sock Yarn, (gusseting on Rav) a lovely 4 ply wool and nylon. It seems I'm really on a green kick lately, both with yarns and fibres, and her dyeing is quite lovely.


So, those were my purchases at Bendigo, front to back. I'm pretty sure I haven't left anything out, but if I did, I'll be sure to remember and post it on later blog entries. Getting this one done is way overdue.

Saturday night, we stayed in, and I spun on my new Majacraft until the hour started getting a bit late. Then we did a bit of "prepacking" so that we could get the car loaded fairly quickly the next morning, so I had to put the Little Gem (aka Matilda) away.

Now Mom, and this is just for you, here's a pic of Chris (and Audrey's back) when we stopped for a picnic lunch in Bordertown, on the Victorian and South Australian border. I'll try to get him to slow down long enough to get a better shot of him for the next post.

Sunday Chris/audrey/bordertown



We got home on Sunday afternoon, and Monday morning bright and early, I saw the Postie truck pulling away. Morning deliveries via the truck are always packages, and packages always make my heart flutter a bit. So I went out straight away to find my monthy installment from David's Southern Cross Fibre Club, a very vivid green and sharp black Corridale top he's calling "Enchanted". Excellent name for it.


I will admit to a bit of dissappointment, as I already have a ton of Corridale here (ok, really only about 1.5 kilos) mostly undyed, and I love spinning fibres I've never spun before, or at least, haven't spun often. Still, it is a lovely dye job, and I'll reserve final judgement until I spin with it. Also, it is probably the fibre I spin the best, and have the most experience with, so it will be an excellent choice to spin on the new Majacraft while I'm getting a bit of experience with the wheel.

Well, that's caught things up a bit. It's been a little over two weeks now since the show, so of course, lots of fibrey things have been done in the meantime. In my next post, I'll catch you up on my knitting and spinning that was done during, and since Bendigo. Hopefully, I'll get that out next week while I'm home alone. Chris is going away next Monday with his Year 11 students to his geography camp in the Flinders, and won't return until Friday. In the meantime, I've taken two days off of work to gaurd the house and to enjoy 5 days and 4 nights of spinning and knitting to my hearts content. A REAL vacation. Till then...

Australian Sheep and Wool Show Part 1: The Show

Well, it’s the time of year again! The Australian Sheep and Wool Show was held this past weekend in Bendigo Victoria. This particular post will be about the trip and the show itself. Later (hopefully not too much later), I will write another post about my purchases and any knitting or spinning I've done before, during and after the trip.

We drove over without incident Wednesday, arriving at our cabin at the Central City Caravan Park in the mid afternoon. We always stay there when in Bendigo. As the name suggests, it's near the center of the city, and certainly doesn't have the park like atmosphere of some of the caravan parks located on the edge or outside of town, but they have roomy, clean deluxe cabins with two bedrooms, good heating systems, excellent bathrooms, and all the amenities we could want. We like to stay with the tried and true.

Audrey, a spinning/knitting friend of mine, had followed us in her car, and was spending the first night with us in our cabin. She and some others had rented a holiday home for the rest of the weekend, from Thursday on, but on Wednesday night, she was bunking in our cabin.

Shortly after we arrived on Wednesday, we decided to visit Bendigo Woollen Mills before it closed. As it was already 4:00 in the afternoon, I was lamenting the fact that we didn't have longer to shop. Audrey made the bold statement: "Oh, I can be in and out of there in 20 minutes". About 30 minutes after we arrived at the shop, she had perhaps 50 balls of yarn strewn out all over the bargain basement floor and was asking me to help her decide. And yes, I WAS tacky enough to remind her of her "in and out in 20 minutes" statement. The poor girl had never been to Bendigo Woolen Mills before. She just didn't know the extent of what she was getting into!

Thursday, Audrey went off to her accommodations, and we went for an early morning shop in the downtown area, where we got Chris a couple of nice shirts at Rivers and a vest at Lowes. He’s losing weight too, and is drowning in his old clothes. In the afternoon, we went driving a little way out of Bendigo to walk some trails from one of the tourist books. We walked about an hour and half and then headed back to the cabin when we started running out of daylight.

Friday morning, I got all dressed up in my new courderoy shirt and Colorado pants and was rearing to go!! Gotta love the new clothes and the new figure!



Chris and I showed up at the show on Friday morning at about 9:00, but we split up shortly after arriving due to him not being all that keen on looking at the things I like to look at. My first goal was to get a quick look around. Soon enough, I got stuck into my main mission, trying to find a portable wheel. I had been saving for one for months, along with just “mad money” for fibre and such, and was determined that if I didn’t actually leave with one, I would certainly leave with a clear idea of which one I was going to get.

I had ruled out electric wheels because frankly I just don’t want one. I find the motion of the peddling soothing, and an electric machine a bit cold and impersonal. Now I understand that there are those who just love their electrics, and good for you if you do. I would be the last to want to change your mind, but since I started spinning and thinking of such things, I’ve always known that they just aren’t for me. Being a control freak, I need to be in constant control of my speed and direction.

This left me with, essentially, two options. I could get the Ashford Joy, which I was leaning toward, or I could get the Majacraft Little Gem. I thought from the outset that the Joy was prettier, and I liked the fact that it comes with a single treadle option. With just one pedal, my choice of chair or the angle in which I sat wouldn’t be as important, a good thing when one is using the wheel as a travelling wheel and are never sure just what kind of seating will be available at the end of the road. However, various friends had encouraged me to at least try the Majacraft Little Gem before buying.

So shortly after arriving at the Sheep and Wool Show, I went in search of the Ashford booth.



To my surprise, I found Bella there. Bella is the owner of The Walking Wheel Studios in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, where I shop for fibre and accessories in the city. The Ashford folks had only brought a double treadle Joy, but I sat down and tried it, and liked it just fine. In many ways, it spun very similarly to my Ashford Traditional.

I then went and searched out Mandie, the owner of Ewe Give Me the Knits (aka EGMTK). She was nowhere to be found in the two main pavilions, so I walked down the row of buildings that lined the front of the showgrounds, going in one after another. Finally, in the last building on that lane, I saw her.



She handed me over to this fellow who showed me how to use the Majacraft Little Gem. It’s main difference to the Ashford models is it’s orifice, which isn’t really an orifice at all. It’s more of a large wire oblong loop that sticks out the side of the flywheel, and you just thread the leader thru there. The tension of the brake is also much more sensitive than that of the Ashford. A tiny micro-twist can make all the difference. After a few false starts getting used to the new system, I was spinning on it. I’m not sure if it was the difference I liked the most or just the way the spin felt, but I was enjoying the spin immensely, and in the end, I was the proud owner of a Little Gem.

I didn't stay too long on Friday morning, as I had Chris with me and really didn't want to eat at the showgrouds, as the food there is hardly the type of stuff my body is now used to eating. Besides, I wanted to get the new wheel safely in my possession and back to the cabin before it went poof and disappeared or something. So we left the show at around noon, went to Bendigo Pottery where we really didn't see anything we liked, and then went home for a bit of lunch. I did get my hand stamped, so after lunch, Chris took me back and dropped me off, and I spent a couple more hours meeting a greeting old friends and new and shopping.

One of the first stalls I stopped at that afternoon was Colonial Lake Books owned by Brenda Bartel. I've bought plenty of books from her before, and bought a couple this time as well. She's a tried and true favorite, and her stand was the perfect place to lose track of time.



During the course of the day, I ran into Mel (womaninashoe) on Rav, and snapped a shot of her in her element, digging thru the bin at the Pear Tree Yarns stall.



It was so nice to catch up with her again, and I even met a couple of her yunguns too. She is just the sweetest girl. And the jumper (aka sweater) she's wearing is one that she knit herself. She said it was her very first "big person" project, as it seems she's always knitting for the children.

Pear Tree Yarns, as usual, had a lovely stand set up:

Pear Tree Yarns


And I had to have a chat with the girls from my favorite knitting magazine, Yarn.



Earning a special mention here for very pretty products and wonderful presentation is Glenora Weaving and Wool. I had to buy something here.



One stall I didn't buy anything at (yes, there IS one) was Sylvia Park Mohair Farm. It wasn't because she didn't have pretty things. She certainly did, but I'm just not a big fan of mohair. Still, I had to include a photo here of the darling little animals she was selling.




In the next blog entry, I brag shamelessly and in some detail about all my purchases. But I'm leaving that for then, as this post would be far too long if I tried to cram everything in this one, not to mention more picture heavy than it already is. So for the sake of brevity, here’s a picture of my “Friday Haul” in it’s entirety.

Friday's haul


Friday night, we went out to a charming Indian Restaurant in downtown Bendigo and then headed back to the cabin to settle in. I couldn't wait to set up the Majacraft and have a spin. While Chris watched the Ashes (for the American readers, this is a cricket match between Australia and England and a very big deal over here), I spun away on my Little Gem.

Saturday morning was the day of the Ravelry brekky. I overslept, due to staying up too late Friday night playing with the new wheel. Once up, we started scrambling around, but the Chris got a nosebleed, and in then end, I never made it to the brekky. I do sincerely regret that I missed it, but sadly I can’t undo what is done.

I got all dudded up in my other new outfit, and off we went. (Shots of me are purposely added because my mommy insisted ;)



The original plan for Saturday was for Chris to drop me off at the breakfast, and then go on his merry way. He had planned a long walk for the day, and a bit of exploring in the same area that we had gone to Thursday, after which he would wait for me at the cabin until I called letting him know I was ready to leave. As it was, he dropped me off at the show, again around 9:00 in the morning.

I went in search of the Ravelry group. Near where they were "supposed" to meet after the brekky was this lovely stand that I just couldn't stay away from. "Wooldancer" has some lovely things, and I just couldn't walk away from there without buying a few things. I hadn't met her or seen her things before, and both were an unexpected treat.



I ran into Tara (aka Fiestywench), who showed her extreme pleasure in getting her photo taken.



I suppose "making" my blog isn't the honor I thought it was. The poor girl has worked herself to the bone to make the Ravelry event happen, and according to everyone there, the brekky was a huge success.

Then later, I even got threatened by Spinningwoodie when taking his picture, but it's going in here anyway. See, I'm not scared!



That's Ron, and his lovely wife Roz was somewhere behind their busy stand there. Ron makes gorgeous wooden spinning accessories, along with shawl pins, buttons and such.

I also dropped by Virginia Farm Woolworks which had a lovely selection of yarns, fibres, dyes, spinning wheels and accessories.



Right across the hall from there was the Sheep Incognito stall, displaying wonderful whimsical pictures of sheep. You'll have to have a look at the website, as any explanation I might attempt of what the artist, Connie Togel, does on canvas wouldn't do it justice. If you only click on one link I've provided in the post, I suggest you click on this one!! Ahh, but now I know what to ask for for Christmas!



I also ran into Jane of Moseley Park on Saturday, but for some reason, never got a picture of her stall (please forgive me). She had some lovely things though, and I did buy a skein of laceweight silk from her in a lovely garnet colour, but more on that in the next post.

I stayed until after 3 in the afternoon, and even though I didn't believe it was possible, I bought even more stuff on the second day than I did the first.

Saturday Haul


Getting back to the cabin, I pulled out the Little Gem again (aka Matilda) and spun until around 8:00 that evening, when I had to pack it away in it's handy carry bag for the trip home, along with all the rest of the things I could reasonably pack early.

We left for our trip home early Monday morning, once again with Audrey trailing behind us. It was an uneventful, even quiet trip, and Chris really couldn't believe his luck where traffic was concerned. I hardly noticed the traffic, or lack thereof. I was knitting and merrily dreaming of spinning my heart on the new wheel with allt he lovely, even exotic fibres I'd bought, or what I would knit with what yarn.

Well, that's pretty much it folks. The trip in a nutshell. I had a blast, even if I did miss the brekky. Nothing will keep me away next year!