Blanket Progress

Funky baby blanket

Today is Australia Day. It is very hot and predicted to get up to 38 degrees Celsius. What am I doing? Knitting a blanket of course! It's over 34 degrees already outside but I am cowering out of the heat in the airconditioning and trying to complete my sock yarn baby blanket before the end of the holidays (one day to go). I have two squares to go and then the edge. I am writing the pattern up as I go and it will be available from here when I'm done. I will be ready for the challenge of a more complicated pattern when it's over that's for sure.

Please look after this bear.

Paddington is finally complete. He has his official red wellies and his suitcase is complete. I embroidered his eyes because I didn't like Alan Dart's bulbous balls. And I'm quite pleased. Here he is.

71 kilometres of Yarn

Yes it's true I have over 71 kilometres of yarn in my stash. Last year I knitted about 11 kilometres. This means I have over 6 years worth of yarn just waiting for me to knit (and I'm not sure I can maintain the productivity of last year anyway because I am getting a lot of wrist pain). I don't believe in New Year's resolutions but I am going to try not to buy yarn this year with the exception of anything needed to complete a project begun with stash yarn (I know already that I need to buy some more red baby alpaca from the markets to complete a lace shawl I am making from one of my Christmas present lace knitting books).

Paddington

I have finished knitting Paddington but not all of his gear. Since a fruitless search for wellies indicated I wouldn't have him ready for Christmas mail (and the accompanying books were too heavy to post) I am waiting until Eve is in the east to give him to her. I added black ears because the pattern left out his ears and I am still uncertain about the yellow hat (but that's the colour yarn I have). Here he is so far.

Bauble bling

Copper sparkle

Used a Spotlight leaflet to make some baubles for a Knitting secret santa gift. I used Moda Vera Tinka in green and Filati Bertagna Cometa in copper to make plain round baubles. The pattern was too loose and if I do it again I will adjust it.

Green sparkle

Present Projects

washcloths made from cotton, and bamboo/wool blend

Mercerized cotton bookmarks

I have finished three washcloths for my staff and half a dozen bookmarks for my book group. Paddington Bear is knitted but not sewn up or stuffed (and I still have to do his clothes) so I have done some of my Christmas knitting but whether it's all going to be completed in time is another story. So much for working my stash down though most of the stuff I have been working on I have had to go out and buy yarn specially. Only the bookmarks marked some knitting down and at just over 100m it was hardly significant!

Crocheted and knitted bookmarks

To Dye For (not knitting!)

Just had a brilliant weekend at Main Creek near Dungog. It was a quilting weekend with some teachers from school and others I didn't know. I am not a quilter but it sounded like fun: a weekend away to concentrate on craft, good food, beautiful surroundings and pleasant company. The plan was to dye fabric on the Saturday and make a bag on the Sunday. I did the dyeing but I wasn't convinced about the bag so ended up with an array of coloured material and knitted all Sunday, finishing one little Christmas project and making a bit of an impact on my Paddington Bear project. I'm thinking of knitting the dyed fabric after cutting it into strips. Watch this space on that one.