Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair

DD and I attended the first day of the Fair yesterday. Was it supposed to be the quietest day? I think not - the queue to get in was huge but moved fairly quickly.

We usually go more for the workshops than the stalls - yesterday we attended only three: knitting with beads, dyeing with procion or acid dyes, and making art dolls. We enjoyed the workshops and got something out of each one.

I've done knitting with beads before but that was for making dolls' dresses with seed beads. This workshop was more about adding beads (and other related items) during the knitting process (rather than sewing them on afterward). Food for thought indeed.

The workshop on dyeing was interesting, not least because it explained how mordants work depending on when you add them to the process. If you've been reading this blog for a while you'd know that I experimented with dyeing acrylic a few months back - with reasonable success. I'm keen to try dyeing woollen yarn and cotton fabric now! I just love playing with colour to create something unique!

I'm not really into sewing so I can't see me making too many art dolls but there's room to take my knitting in another direction and be a little more artistic/creative in the process.

One of the highlights of the day for me was spending quite some time talking to two wonderful ladies at the ATASDA stall - I'm keen to try some ideas I have for altering fabric that I've knitted but not by the 'normal' embellishment processes! Watch this space!!

And, of course, we couldn't go the show without spending some money - that's why the stall holders go --> to encourage us to part with our cash. My purchases were moderate.

Ecoyarns - two back issues of Yarn magazine, a ball of Tofutsies

Unique Stitching & Designs - a dyeing kit - "Clear Rainbow" - for cellulose fibres, consisting of three powder dyes (a red, a blue and a yellow), soda ash and instructions for dyeing

The Thread Studio - a book entitled "Surface Tension" by Dale Rollerson and 50g of roving (for $10, Spotlight charges approximately $5 for 15 grams!); not sure if I'm going to felt it or try spinning it yet!

I can't finish without telling you how exciting the "Art to Wear" exhibition was. I wouldn't wear most of it but it was certainly artistic - and gave me more food for thought!

On a sour note:
The air in the Exhibition halls was very 'sour' - by mid-afternoon we were feeling very drowsy (it wasn't a "mid-afternoon slump") and had to go outside into the cold air to wake up. However, it was not overly warm inside, we had to wear our jumpers (sweaters) all day. Fresh air needs to be injected into the building at frequent intervals!

I succumbed!

Yesterday was cold and wet. We were home most of the day. I watched Landline. I scanned the Sunday paper. I tried an easy Sudoku game and messed it up. I read all my favourite blogs and some I've never visited. I wrote some comments on the message board for knit4charities. I finished the seams on the baby shrug and sewed in the ends on a couple of Magnifico wraps but I couldn't settle.

And then I succumbed! I ripped out the heel of the sock I started more than a week ago and I knitted it up again! I told WM and DD I wasn't knitting, I was only replacing the stitches I had removed so the yarn wouldn't tangle! :-)

When I finished the heel I put the sock down - after all, I'm not supposed to be knitting and I had reached the point the sock was at before I ripped it out. And so, I watched some more television, but at 9.30 I couldn't stand it anymore - I cast on another OCC jumper and knitted 22 rows!

Oooh, it felt so good to be knitting again. I'll just phase back into it slowly! LOL

Inaugural Saturday Meeting of the Sydney members of knit4charities

Seven members of the Knit4Charities online group and three guests met in the Cumberland Lounge of Parramatta Leagues Club yesterday afternoon. We (well at least DD and I) had a lovely, relaxed time in the company of friendly ladies knitting a variety of things, mostly for charity. And good news, Kate, four of the ten women were members of the Blue Mountains branch of the knitting guild!

One lady was doing Tunisian crochet (or is it knitting?) - it was quite extraordinary to watch - a blend of knitting and crochet giving a very interesting fabric. Three women were knitting squares, another was knitting a blanket in one piece, another two were doing babies' jackets (one top down), and yet another was knitting socks (cuff down). The socks were knitted in Carnival Effects Camouflage - they looked great. I was also intrigued by one lady's knitting technique, with her right needle tucked under her arm - just like photos of Shetland Island knitters!

I behaved myself and did not knit - even though I really wanted to! It is proof that the company was good and the atmosphere relaxed that the time flew by, even without knitting!

Unfortunately, no photos were taken. A date has been set for our next meeting: 11 August, same venue.

Thanks, ladies, I really appreciate you all and I'm sure you are especially appreciated by all those who are blessed by your generous donations.

Some knitting to show!

Here are the ten jumpers I gave to Operation Christmas Child last weekend.

And here is one of them - those self striping yarns make a simple pattern looks so fancy!

Tomorrow is the gathering of Sydney members of knit4charities - can I really sit and watch others knit? I doubt it!

Injured and not allowed to knit!

On Monday I had my monthly remedial massage. My massage therapist worked at length on my locked up left shoulder and upper arm and then pronounced - "you have probably torn your pectoral or bicep muscle - you need to rest it for at least a week. That means: no knitting!" UGH!!!

EDITED 21 June, 5:51pm
My shoulder is feeling a lot better since my massage on Monday and I have a lot more movement. The combination of deep massage therapy, cold packs and rest has obviously helped but I can't wait till next Monday to pick up my knitting again!

Four more sleeps!

And on the sock front...

I have finished knitting the first pair of socks for WM in Heirloom Jigsaw. I haven't grafted the toes - I tried to do it last weekend when we were visiting friends on the north coast of NSW, but I couldn't talk and read the instructions and sew all at the same time! LOL

I had intended to use the first pair as a benchmark for the second pair but WM has decided he wants a different ribbing on the next pair so I need to rethink the number of stitches needed. This also couldn't be done while talking with the same friends - we hadn't seen them in eight years so we had a lot of catching up to do - the socks just had to wait! Meanwhile, two more jumpers for children living in poverty have been completed (easy knits while talking!!) Just as well DD took extra supplies of yarn with her!

Tomorrow I have a "day off" so I'll try to use WM's SLR camera to take photos of the dozen or so items I've completed since the last lot of photos were taken and I plan to graft those toes and cast on for the next pair of socks! I might even have time to prepare some lessons for next week's classes! In the meantime, here is the morning view from the friends' barbecue area!

My first Charity of the Month (CotM)

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I joined an online Australian group called Knit4Charities. Members can knit whatever they want and donate privately, or they can knit for one or both of the specified charities each month. I sent two scarves and two beanies to Missionbeat - my first offering for a specified CotM.

I also have 10 jumpers, 6 teddies and a ball to go to Operation Christmas Child when the Blue Mountains Knitters' Group meets this Saturday. That should clear some space in the loungeroom! LOL

Then I should finally hand over the ten or so blankets I've finished for Wrap With Love - and that will really clear some space! Just need to complete the two I have in progress before I call the local representative to arrange delivery!

Did I say the first sock was finished?

As you may recall, I proudly posted that the first sock was finished - toe grafted and all! Well, when I was about to do the toes on sock #2 (yes, I got that far without SSS*) WM told me that he thought the ribbing was a bit loose! On both socks!! Eeeeeeeeek!

Just before midnight on Thursday I finished ripping out both socks and rewinding the yarn. I cast on for the first sock (does that make it the third sock?) - this time in K2 P2 ribbing instead of the moss stitch ribbing given in the pattern.

Just to be sure, I knitted swatches in various ribs. K2 P2 is definitely the stretchiest and pulls in the most. K1 P1 looks more formal and is flatter. K3 P1 is a waste of time as far as stretchiness goes! Moss stitch ribbing is very pretty when done in a solid colour but is wasted on self-striping or patterned yarns . It has very little stretch or springiness.

I have completely altered the sock from the original pattern. Apart from the ribbing, I have done an hourglass heel (instructions from The Twisted Sisters' Sock Workbook) instead of a gusset heel (I can't pick up stitches without creating a ridge on the inside of the sock). I had to knit the heel three times and I still didn't get it quite right! Now I'm knitting the instep; it's in stocking stitch which is monotonous but socks knit up quickly so it's not too bad - the perfect television knitting once past the heel!

BTW, I'm looking for some plain purple yarn to knit myself some socks - preferably a wool/nylon blend. Has anybody seen some?

*SSK - second sock syndrome