Through Bells I found myself on Jess' blog where she's having a 200th anniversary contest. Tell her the name of your first concert or first album and you could win some goodies!
Here's my comment:
My first album, bought with my own money, was a cassette of Ringo Starr! "I'll get by with a little help from my friends" 'cos "all I've got is a photograph and I realise you're not coming back any more". This, in the tradition of cassette tapes, is long gone!
My first album, a gift from my mum, was a Beatles album. This was an LP and I still have it.
My first concert was Roy Orbison - too long ago to remember when!! I do remember he got three standing ovations for "Running Scared". Yes, I still have Big O albums and still listen to them!
Pop over to Jess' blog and tell your story or leave it in the comments here if you like! [no prizes here though LOL]
Thursday 31 July 2008
And more meme-ness!
This one appropriated from Paisley Womble
What's my name?
YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Thomasina Elantra [we thought the cat was a boy!]
YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Double Chocolate Chip TimTam
YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) L-Fra
YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Purple Labrador
YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Marie Sydney
YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Fraly
SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Red Tea
NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Alfred Francis
STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Onna Lindt
WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names ) Theresa Francis
TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Kawolski Kansas
SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Spring Rose
CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now + "ie" or "y")Cherry Nightie
HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Komplete Jacaranda
YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + "Tour") The Knitting Sunshine Tour
What's my name?
YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Thomasina Elantra [we thought the cat was a boy!]
YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Double Chocolate Chip TimTam
YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) L-Fra
YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Purple Labrador
YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Marie Sydney
YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Fraly
SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Red Tea
NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Alfred Francis
STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Onna Lindt
WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names ) Theresa Francis
TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Kawolski Kansas
SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Spring Rose
CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now + "ie" or "y")Cherry Nightie
HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Komplete Jacaranda
YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + "Tour") The Knitting Sunshine Tour
Monday 28 July 2008
a place for everything
Well, almost. DD and I spent Friday afternoon sorting through the stash and finding homes for all the yarn that followed us home from Victoria! WM even tried [in vain] to find more storage space in the linen closet! Not that we have much linen; the cupboard is mostly filled with other things: cassettes, glassware [in boxes - only used for 'good' occasions], cameras - you know what I mean!
Anyway, I thought it might be a good idea to flash the stash at home! Firstly there's the five drawer unit that holds wool - mostly 8ply [DK] sorted by colour [neutrals/yellows, greens, blues, purples, red/pinks]. Those drawers are stuffed full! On top is the bag of roving we brought home from Bendigo. It's labelled felting/filling but I think DD intends to try spinning with it. On top of the bookshelf beside it [not shown] is 2kg of white 8ply wool we brought home from Bendigo Mill which will be skeined and dyed.
In the built-in wardrobe [the fourth bedroom is my study/storeroom] are ten archive boxes. The first four [not shown] are labelled finished items for charity [have to store them somewhere until I see my contacts] and random acrylic - this box contains novelty yarns and yarns of unknown ply and/or composition. Then there's a box with UFO's made from wool and at the bottom DD's box of acrylic 'mohair'.
The six boxes shown [top to bottom, left to right] are labelled
blue [DK acrylic]
neutral/green [DK acrylic]
red/pink/purple [DK acrylic]
sock
hand-dyed [DK acrylic]
UFO's
On the shelf above the boxes [not shown] there is a bag containing 500g of white Cleckheaton Country 8ply for dyeing, and a ball and a half of 20+y.o. Patons Jet.
Finally, on the top shelf of the wardrobe, are packets of yarn bought in Wangaratta at Australian Country Spinners Mill Shop, mostly acrylic or baby nylon. The bag on the left is Cotone for making chemo caps.
Amanda asked what I'm going to do with it all. Answer, no specific plans yet but I don't think DD or I will have problems finding yarn for our next knitting projects. LOL
As it is, I have so many WIPs and UFOs [see sidebar] I want to finish some of them before I start anything else - with all this new yarn starting something else is very tempting!
Anyway, I thought it might be a good idea to flash the stash at home! Firstly there's the five drawer unit that holds wool - mostly 8ply [DK] sorted by colour [neutrals/yellows, greens, blues, purples, red/pinks]. Those drawers are stuffed full! On top is the bag of roving we brought home from Bendigo. It's labelled felting/filling but I think DD intends to try spinning with it. On top of the bookshelf beside it [not shown] is 2kg of white 8ply wool we brought home from Bendigo Mill which will be skeined and dyed.In the built-in wardrobe [the fourth bedroom is my study/storeroom] are ten archive boxes. The first four [not shown] are labelled finished items for charity [have to store them somewhere until I see my contacts] and random acrylic - this box contains novelty yarns and yarns of unknown ply and/or composition. Then there's a box with UFO's made from wool and at the bottom DD's box of acrylic 'mohair'.
The six boxes shown [top to bottom, left to right] are labelled
blue [DK acrylic]
neutral/green [DK acrylic]
red/pink/purple [DK acrylic]
sock
hand-dyed [DK acrylic]
UFO's
On the shelf above the boxes [not shown] there is a bag containing 500g of white Cleckheaton Country 8ply for dyeing, and a ball and a half of 20+y.o. Patons Jet.
Finally, on the top shelf of the wardrobe, are packets of yarn bought in Wangaratta at Australian Country Spinners Mill Shop, mostly acrylic or baby nylon. The bag on the left is Cotone for making chemo caps.
Amanda asked what I'm going to do with it all. Answer, no specific plans yet but I don't think DD or I will have problems finding yarn for our next knitting projects. LOL
As it is, I have so many WIPs and UFOs [see sidebar] I want to finish some of them before I start anything else - with all this new yarn starting something else is very tempting!
Saturday 26 July 2008
150g wool for $2!
Last week at Bendigo Woollen Mill I picked up six bags of 'scraps' for $6. I had no idea that scraps could mean pieces as short as 30cm [12 inches] or as long as 10m [40 feet]. I bought all the bags that contained white or cream yarn; we could use those for dyeing experiments.
On Monday we were looking through our recently acquired purchases. We discovered the short lengths of scraps. We weren't too perturbed because they were for 'practice'. I mentioned to DD that I once knew someone who spliced her yarn while knitting. DD, a beginner spinner, frayed the ends of two pieces, sucked the ends [I would have spat on my palms] and proceeded to join the ends together - first try, just like that! She went on to make a ball of yarn of mixed thicknesses and mixed colour [white and cream] that weighs 150g [approx. 5 ounces]! It is possibly even made of wool and wool blends [judging by the way it took colour].
On Wednesday we used that ball to have some dyeing fun with the Landscape dyes we bought at the Show. We used Cyclamen [purple], Marine [blue] and Grevillea [red] then we cooked it in the microwave for a total of 5 minutes [wrapped in cling wrap]. Here is the finished product, waiting to be knitted into something gorgeous for charity - a child's jumper [sweater] perhaps? Sure it has darker patches and lighter patches but we don't mind. It makes the yarn more interesting and unique. Can't wait to see how it knits up! The photo is less purple than the yarn actually is.
150g of yarn for $2 - no kidding!!
ETA: Some people's Bloglines may show that I posted yesterday; it was an accidental posting - I don't know what happened while I was writing this post! Sorry!!
On Monday we were looking through our recently acquired purchases. We discovered the short lengths of scraps. We weren't too perturbed because they were for 'practice'. I mentioned to DD that I once knew someone who spliced her yarn while knitting. DD, a beginner spinner, frayed the ends of two pieces, sucked the ends [I would have spat on my palms] and proceeded to join the ends together - first try, just like that! She went on to make a ball of yarn of mixed thicknesses and mixed colour [white and cream] that weighs 150g [approx. 5 ounces]! It is possibly even made of wool and wool blends [judging by the way it took colour].
On Wednesday we used that ball to have some dyeing fun with the Landscape dyes we bought at the Show. We used Cyclamen [purple], Marine [blue] and Grevillea [red] then we cooked it in the microwave for a total of 5 minutes [wrapped in cling wrap]. Here is the finished product, waiting to be knitted into something gorgeous for charity - a child's jumper [sweater] perhaps? Sure it has darker patches and lighter patches but we don't mind. It makes the yarn more interesting and unique. Can't wait to see how it knits up! The photo is less purple than the yarn actually is.150g of yarn for $2 - no kidding!!
ETA: Some people's Bloglines may show that I posted yesterday; it was an accidental posting - I don't know what happened while I was writing this post! Sorry!!
Tuesday 22 July 2008
Home again
A twelve hour trip in the rain - I won't be doing that again in a hurry!! A lowlight of the trip: approximately 6am, dark [sunrise was 7.30], raining, slick road, right bend, huge kangaroo, braking, car sliding, stopping about 60cm from kangaroo! 'Roo hasn't moved, stares at me as if to say: "what do you think you're doing?" and bounds off. DD and I take deep breath and slowly drive off into the dark! Thank God we didn't hit anything! No more excitement for the trip. The motorway was long, boring, monotonous and very crowded the closer we got to Sydney.
Stopped for a late lunch in Goulburn. Took a photo for Delighted Hands - we have several such icons in Australia. I've seen the Big Banana [Coffs Harbour], the Big Pineapple [Nambour], the Big Crayfish [Robe], the Big Oyster [Taree], the Golden Guitar [Tamworth], the Big Potato [Robertson - where they filmed Babe] and the big Chook [chicken - Kemps Creek]. Here, for your viewing delight, is The Big Merino. [That's DD walking towards it]. Believe it or not, this monster was moved last year. Read about it here. See photos of the big event here.
Anyway, for your further viewing pleasure, here are photos of yarn bought on our trip.
Stopped for a late lunch in Goulburn. Took a photo for Delighted Hands - we have several such icons in Australia. I've seen the Big Banana [Coffs Harbour], the Big Pineapple [Nambour], the Big Crayfish [Robe], the Big Oyster [Taree], the Golden Guitar [Tamworth], the Big Potato [Robertson - where they filmed Babe] and the big Chook [chicken - Kemps Creek]. Here, for your viewing delight, is The Big Merino. [That's DD walking towards it]. Believe it or not, this monster was moved last year. Read about it here. See photos of the big event here.Anyway, for your further viewing pleasure, here are photos of yarn bought on our trip.
- all the yarn from Australian Country Spinners [ACS]; to give scale, the yarn in front is four 50g skeins of sock yarn
- acrylic; mostly 8ply but the light blue is 5ply
- two photos of baby yarn: the first is Patons Feathersoft 4ply, the second is Baby Lustre; don't know what happened to the colour of the second photo - it's mauve and baby blue not green!
- sock yarn
- Fiddle DeDee cotton
- all the yarn from Bendigo woollen mill: left - 2kg of 8ply wool [in 200g balls], right [in plastic bags] scraps - at $1.00 per bag they were a bargain; though DD may not think so as she has been splicing all the white yarn together!!
- Bendigo sock yarn
Saturday 19 July 2008
Day 6 - breakfast, shop and rest!
This morning I was a ring-in [as was DD] at a Ravelry barbecue breakfast! David had told me on many occasions about the breakfast but never that it was for Ravelry members! I think he just assumed I was a member! No one checked my Ravelry membership so there I was - having breakfast with a sizeable contingent of Australian Ravelry members. I knew some of them: David, of course, Donna and Meg. Some of them had blogs that I've read but right now I don't remember their blog names. The editors of Yarn magazine were there but I didn't get a chance to talk to them or to tell them what a great magazine it is! Biggest excitement for me was meeting Sharon, who is also a member of Knit4Charities! Sharon won a couple of prizes; she had the greatest number of hand-knitted items on her person, starting with her socks and ending with her ear-rings, which were also socks. At first, I thought they were knitted flat but no! They were fully formed, tubular knitted socks! Her daughter was also wearing a pair! [Both pairs knitted last night I believe]. Because I was wearing a hand knitted jumper made from Cleckheaton Country 8ply I won a pattern book [as did all the other members who were wearing something knitted from Australian Country Spinners yarns]. 
Thanks to Feisty Wench [I think this is the right link] for organising the day and Damo, of Australian Country Spinners, for "commercialising it!" [his words not mine].I took some photos of the Ravellers but not being one I haven't uploaded them.
From the breakfast to the Mill shop! It was still cold [I forgot to take a photo]so the warmth of the shop was very welcome. Despite being told there was not much in the bargain shop, there was enough there to satisfy me! I bought two kilograms of 8ply white/cream pure wool [Classic] for $80. That's $2 for a 50g ball! I could never get pure wool at that price at home, not even on sale. I also bought some 'scraps' - bags of leftover yarns for $1.00 each. I bought six bags because they had mostly white yarn in the m and I can use the scrap yarn to do the dyeing experiments then use the yarn to knit up little items or as part of a larger item. The scraps weren't in balls but that's okay - that's what wool winders are for!! I also bought some sock yarn [$6.00 100g] and some wool [I think it's called roving] for felting or spinning! DD spins, I want to try felting, both wet and dry!! Two of the 'new' crafts I mentioned in yesterday's post. Plus I got three free jumper/cardigan patterns!! So my budget is blown but I have enough to keep me happy for a while yet!! DD is getting married in January so what better present can I give her than the beginnings of her very own yarn stash!! LOL
Back to our cabin where the air-conditioner works well! Brunch for me, juice only for DD. She hasn't been well for a week, hasn't slept well either for the past few days. She went to bed four hours ago so I think it's time to wake her up. And me...knitting [blanket for Wrap with Love], reading ["Sense and Sensibility" and Yarn magazine Issue 3 which I bought in Wangaratta], tea and chocolate! Soon I'll begin the packing so we can get away early tomorrow - we have a 860km [548 miles] trip home and I have to do it one day as I have a class to teach on Monday!
This is the end of my long and frequent posts; I can't promise they'll continue when I'm back at work! I hope you've enjoyed sharing the trip with DD and I! See you back in Penrith!
Friday 18 July 2008
Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Bendigo
WARNING: LONG POST
Up early [for us, we are on holidays you know!] - the shuttle bus picked us up at 8:45am. If I'd known how easy it would be to get parking, I probably would have driven but, having never been there before, how would I know? It was very quiet when we first got there, like they were still setting up or something. We decided to climb the hill [a reasonable slope, nothing too vigorous] and work our way back to the bus pick up point. There was method in my madness: 1) we wouldn't spend all day walking uphill [which my cold knees would hate] and 2) the theory of leaving the best till last! The sheds closest to where the bus left us were labelled woolcraft; on the theory that's where the knitting would be - we would wait and see it last!
I'm glad we did it that way. Firstly, the last pavilions held the alpacas. DD loves alpacas and so she was able to wander around and look at them with only their owners in the way! No paying customers had made it that far so early! She managed to find one animal that would let her pat it and it even gave her a kiss. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera out at that point and he was in no mood to repeat the performance for the camera!
When I finally managed to get her away from the alpacas we went to look at various breeds of sheep. They all have their own pavilions - one for merinos, one for Corriedale, etc! The sheep pavilions were a bit more on the nose than the alpacas so we didn't hang around for long!
Into the first 'permanent' pavilion we came to. By permanent I mean a fixed shed, the others were temporary tent-like structures [marquees?]. Here we saw the first of the retail stalls. We looked, admired and touched and admired some more; but didn't purchase anything. My motto for Shows is "look first, buy later"; that way I don't end up carrying a multitude of purchases all day!
Ran into David [who not only has my favourite knitting podcast but is also a member of the same group of the Knitters' Guild as DD and I] so, of course, we had to chat! More looking then it was time for the first of the fashion parades. Out of respect to the designers whose work was shown, I didn't take any photos. Suffice to say, there are some brilliant minds out there - what people are doing with wool in knitting, crocheting, felting and weaving is mind-blowing. The garments made from wool fabric were also amazing. Who'd have believed that wool could be almost transparent and ooh, so soft and flowy!
After the fashion parade, we met up with friendly Catsmum aka Susan and her friend Jeanette - I had a box of postcards to hand over [promised months back]. It's amazing how much my DD and Susan had in common! We took the time to have a cuppa together and to talk a little.
More looking, admiring and touching followed; including DD's discussion with Sarah Durrant about Knitpick Harmony needles. DD loves them; I wish someone had given me such wonderful needles when I was a new knitter! We had a chat with the owners of La Grange Woolcraft about dyeing and ended up going back to buy Landscape Dyes from them.
There was a display of competition items in all manner of crafts; I was particularly impressed by the first prize winner of the team entry [5 items made by a team]: it showed a jetty from underneath and on top, mostly done in felting - fantastic work! Once again, I didn't take any photos - they were behind glass and taking photos through glass is tricky at the best of times; but my conviction against photographing others' work without their permission also ruled.
We saw an amazing display of dolls with needle felted faces. The maker was demonstrating her technique and I fell in love with doll making all over again! I'm going to save my money and make another trip to Victoria to do the workshop [$130 for two days] unless someone can persuade the tutor to come to NSW!
So, apart from the dyes, and a special present for WM [can't tell you what that is, he's reading my blog to keep up with our adventures while he continues working to pay for our purchases!! LOL] what did I buy? Nothing! Yes, that’s' right, nothing!! I know you'll all think I'm crazy but I'll try to explain.
You may not agree with me and that's okay because we need each other to make this world interesting. Besides all those retailers needs shoppers unlike me to stay in business! Regardless of our non-yarny purchases, we had a good time and the Show was well worth a visit just to touch and admire and see what’s out there [and add another couple of must try crafts to my list!!]
Off to breakfast in the morning and then the mill shop! [plenty of remnants, I hope]
Up early [for us, we are on holidays you know!] - the shuttle bus picked us up at 8:45am. If I'd known how easy it would be to get parking, I probably would have driven but, having never been there before, how would I know? It was very quiet when we first got there, like they were still setting up or something. We decided to climb the hill [a reasonable slope, nothing too vigorous] and work our way back to the bus pick up point. There was method in my madness: 1) we wouldn't spend all day walking uphill [which my cold knees would hate] and 2) the theory of leaving the best till last! The sheds closest to where the bus left us were labelled woolcraft; on the theory that's where the knitting would be - we would wait and see it last!
I'm glad we did it that way. Firstly, the last pavilions held the alpacas. DD loves alpacas and so she was able to wander around and look at them with only their owners in the way! No paying customers had made it that far so early! She managed to find one animal that would let her pat it and it even gave her a kiss. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera out at that point and he was in no mood to repeat the performance for the camera!When I finally managed to get her away from the alpacas we went to look at various breeds of sheep. They all have their own pavilions - one for merinos, one for Corriedale, etc! The sheep pavilions were a bit more on the nose than the alpacas so we didn't hang around for long!
Into the first 'permanent' pavilion we came to. By permanent I mean a fixed shed, the others were temporary tent-like structures [marquees?]. Here we saw the first of the retail stalls. We looked, admired and touched and admired some more; but didn't purchase anything. My motto for Shows is "look first, buy later"; that way I don't end up carrying a multitude of purchases all day!
Ran into David [who not only has my favourite knitting podcast but is also a member of the same group of the Knitters' Guild as DD and I] so, of course, we had to chat! More looking then it was time for the first of the fashion parades. Out of respect to the designers whose work was shown, I didn't take any photos. Suffice to say, there are some brilliant minds out there - what people are doing with wool in knitting, crocheting, felting and weaving is mind-blowing. The garments made from wool fabric were also amazing. Who'd have believed that wool could be almost transparent and ooh, so soft and flowy!
After the fashion parade, we met up with friendly Catsmum aka Susan and her friend Jeanette - I had a box of postcards to hand over [promised months back]. It's amazing how much my DD and Susan had in common! We took the time to have a cuppa together and to talk a little.
More looking, admiring and touching followed; including DD's discussion with Sarah Durrant about Knitpick Harmony needles. DD loves them; I wish someone had given me such wonderful needles when I was a new knitter! We had a chat with the owners of La Grange Woolcraft about dyeing and ended up going back to buy Landscape Dyes from them.There was a display of competition items in all manner of crafts; I was particularly impressed by the first prize winner of the team entry [5 items made by a team]: it showed a jetty from underneath and on top, mostly done in felting - fantastic work! Once again, I didn't take any photos - they were behind glass and taking photos through glass is tricky at the best of times; but my conviction against photographing others' work without their permission also ruled.
We saw an amazing display of dolls with needle felted faces. The maker was demonstrating her technique and I fell in love with doll making all over again! I'm going to save my money and make another trip to Victoria to do the workshop [$130 for two days] unless someone can persuade the tutor to come to NSW!
So, apart from the dyes, and a special present for WM [can't tell you what that is, he's reading my blog to keep up with our adventures while he continues working to pay for our purchases!! LOL] what did I buy? Nothing! Yes, that’s' right, nothing!! I know you'll all think I'm crazy but I'll try to explain.
- I have more hand-knitted jumpers than I ever wear. Working in air-conditioning, it's too hot for even 5ply [sportsweight] jumpers/sweaters. With my frozen shoulder, I have trouble getting in and out of them so I probably wouldn't wear one unless I really had to - like today; it was so cold I had to wear a jumper; and who would go to the Wool show wearing a bought jacket? Lots of people actually, but here was one of my few chances to knit one of my gorgeous hand knits!
The hand-dyes I saw today were all lovely - but I dye my own yarns!
WM doesn’t feel the cold yet has two jumpers that he never wears - one of which won second prize in the local Show [State Fair] years ago! DD knits but won't wear hand knitted clothes [go figure]. Her reasoning is that other people need them more than she does.
So, nearly all my knitting [until DD and FSIL have wee ones] is done for charity. I love alpaca [it's unbelievably soft] and the new yarns [bamboo, soy, milk, etc] are amazing. But I need budget yarn [not beautiful yarn] for my knitting projects so, for now, it's remnant yarns and yarns on special that take my knitting budget.
You may not agree with me and that's okay because we need each other to make this world interesting. Besides all those retailers needs shoppers unlike me to stay in business! Regardless of our non-yarny purchases, we had a good time and the Show was well worth a visit just to touch and admire and see what’s out there [and add another couple of must try crafts to my list!!]
Off to breakfast in the morning and then the mill shop! [plenty of remnants, I hope]
Thursday 17 July 2008
travel blog Day 4
200km [125 miles] trip from Wangaratta in the cold, wind and/or rain! No photos becasue my batteries were flat! MAnaged to get one photo in Shepparton [mentioned below], that's it!
First stop Glenrowan, home of Ned Kelly's last stand. Very few people about, maybe because it is Thursday, maybe because school holidays are over in Victoria but being first week of a new term there would be little likelihood of excursions [field trips], maybe because it was bitterly cold! Anyway, we didn't stay long; we're in Victoria for a yarny-good time, not a historical excursion [even though we both love history]. DD's heavy cold precluded being out in the bad weather for too long!
Next stop, Shepparton. Only two stops here; one at the Information Centre, the second for a photo opportunity at a street with our family name - apparently the one street with that name in Australia! We didn't visit the canneries for discounted products; there's no room in the car - I threatened today to send DD home by post! LOL
Finally arrived in Bendigo. Cold, raining, and did I mention, cold? Finally found the caravan park where we are staying. We've got a two double bed cabin, air-conditioned; warm inside, cold outside. Spent the afternoon being boringly domestic and checking emails, etc.
Off to the Australian Wool and Sheep Show tomorrow and the mill shop on Saturday.
First stop Glenrowan, home of Ned Kelly's last stand. Very few people about, maybe because it is Thursday, maybe because school holidays are over in Victoria but being first week of a new term there would be little likelihood of excursions [field trips], maybe because it was bitterly cold! Anyway, we didn't stay long; we're in Victoria for a yarny-good time, not a historical excursion [even though we both love history]. DD's heavy cold precluded being out in the bad weather for too long!
Next stop, Shepparton. Only two stops here; one at the Information Centre, the second for a photo opportunity at a street with our family name - apparently the one street with that name in Australia! We didn't visit the canneries for discounted products; there's no room in the car - I threatened today to send DD home by post! LOL
Finally arrived in Bendigo. Cold, raining, and did I mention, cold? Finally found the caravan park where we are staying. We've got a two double bed cabin, air-conditioned; warm inside, cold outside. Spent the afternoon being boringly domestic and checking emails, etc.
Off to the Australian Wool and Sheep Show tomorrow and the mill shop on Saturday.
Wednesday 16 July 2008
Day 3: Australian Country Spinners
After the shock of seeing so much yarn at great prices yesterday, we recovered enough to buy three large bags of yarn! Oh, and four balls of sock yarn. Our purchase didn't make a dent in the amount that was available! In fact, apart from a large part of my yarn budget staying behind, there was no evidence that we had been there!
What was amazing was that we were there until closing yesterday and back one hour after opening today; there was yarn that we may have bought that wasn't there anymore! It's a very popular place!! You can visit the mill shop without leaving home at www.millshop.com.au [I'd give you the link but I'm on a very slow connection so it would take forever for me to get it!]
The weather here is still wet and and cold [12*C / 53*F] and will continue for the rest of week and through the weekend. Nevermind - we're off to Bendigo tomorrow!
Tuesday 15 July 2008
travel blog Day 2
Today was cold and wet in Wangaratta. DD has a very bad head cold and didn't get out of bed till mid-morning so we had a slow day; which was okay after yesterday's lengthy drive.
After lunch we went to Australian Country Spinners' Mill Shop. My first feeling was excitement. After about five minutes, I was so overwhelmed by choice and variety I wanted to run away!! Choice? How about acrylic yarn at $12.00 a kilogram. The cheapest I can get it at any retail outlet [we're talking Panda yarns here, not $2 shop yarn] is $19.90 a kilogram [$1.99 per 100g skein] at Lincraft! That's a saving of 40%. Since I know some of the yarn was Carnival acrylic [exclusive to Big W] which retails at $2.68 a skein [or $26.80 per kilo] that's less than half price! And a lot of what I knit is done in acrylic because that's what some charities ask for! And, speaking of acrylic, Patons Powder Puff was $10.00 a kilogram; that's a saving of $39.95 over the price at Spotlight! Sure they had some pretty awful colours - but kids love bright orange and red! And still on the acrylic theme? How about mixing it with Tencel to make Zhivago for $1.38 a ball? That's $27.50 per kilogram. Not all the stuff is labeeld, in fact, most isn't; so it pays to know your products and prices before heading in there!
Don't like acrylic? How about wool or wool blends at $27.50 a kilogram? That's Patons Inca or Jet at the equivalent of $1.38 for a 50g ball! Prefer mohair? How about Cleckheaton Studio Mohair at $65.00 a kilogram? Sounds expensive? A kilogram at Spotlight would be $119.90!
Jealous yet?!? We didn't end up buying anything! But before you start worrying about my sanity...we're going back tomorrow! Now we know what's there, we'll have time to think about what we really want and not rush into anything or, worse still, miss out on the bargains! Don't forget, we still have a trip to Bendigo - both the mill shop and the Wool Show, so let's not be hasty! Or greedy! Roll on tomorrow!!
After lunch we went to Australian Country Spinners' Mill Shop. My first feeling was excitement. After about five minutes, I was so overwhelmed by choice and variety I wanted to run away!! Choice? How about acrylic yarn at $12.00 a kilogram. The cheapest I can get it at any retail outlet [we're talking Panda yarns here, not $2 shop yarn] is $19.90 a kilogram [$1.99 per 100g skein] at Lincraft! That's a saving of 40%. Since I know some of the yarn was Carnival acrylic [exclusive to Big W] which retails at $2.68 a skein [or $26.80 per kilo] that's less than half price! And a lot of what I knit is done in acrylic because that's what some charities ask for! And, speaking of acrylic, Patons Powder Puff was $10.00 a kilogram; that's a saving of $39.95 over the price at Spotlight! Sure they had some pretty awful colours - but kids love bright orange and red! And still on the acrylic theme? How about mixing it with Tencel to make Zhivago for $1.38 a ball? That's $27.50 per kilogram. Not all the stuff is labeeld, in fact, most isn't; so it pays to know your products and prices before heading in there!
Don't like acrylic? How about wool or wool blends at $27.50 a kilogram? That's Patons Inca or Jet at the equivalent of $1.38 for a 50g ball! Prefer mohair? How about Cleckheaton Studio Mohair at $65.00 a kilogram? Sounds expensive? A kilogram at Spotlight would be $119.90!
Jealous yet?!? We didn't end up buying anything! But before you start worrying about my sanity...we're going back tomorrow! Now we know what's there, we'll have time to think about what we really want and not rush into anything or, worse still, miss out on the bargains! Don't forget, we still have a trip to Bendigo - both the mill shop and the Wool Show, so let's not be hasty! Or greedy! Roll on tomorrow!!
Monday 14 July 2008
we interrupt the knitting to bring you...
a travel-blog
That's right - today's Day 1 of our trip "down south".
We left home at 8.30. First stop - at 11.00 - was a tiny town called Gunning. The population according to one sign is 1,000; according to the welcome sign - 560!
DD was impressed by the historical architecture, like the original Catholic church [which has since been replaced] and the old hut which is now a museum. 
More amazingly, sites at the caravan park were free [maximum stay two nights!], as was entry to the swimming pool [too cold to swim today - maximum 17*C, which was warm for this time of year]. We had morning tea in Barbour Park with this view.
Lunch was in Gundagai. We didn't see the Dog on the Tucker Box; with all the roadworks I missed it. We ate lunch in a park near the Tourist Information Centre. Filled up with fuel - 169.9c per litre [about $AUS7.00 a gallon!] then we were on the road again.
We stopped for a 'rest stop' in the town of Holbrook. There we saw the most amazing site today: can you guess what this is? Yes, that's right - a real submarine! On dry land! Far from the coast! Does that make it a subterranean?
You can read about it here.
Finally, after nearly 700km [approx . 440 miles] we arrived. Yes, we're here: Wangaratta - the home of Australian Country Spinners - suppliers of Patons, Cleckheaton and Panda yarns. Tomorrow, we hit the mill shop!
We left home at 8.30. First stop - at 11.00 - was a tiny town called Gunning. The population according to one sign is 1,000; according to the welcome sign - 560!
DD was impressed by the historical architecture, like the original Catholic church [which has since been replaced] and the old hut which is now a museum. 
More amazingly, sites at the caravan park were free [maximum stay two nights!], as was entry to the swimming pool [too cold to swim today - maximum 17*C, which was warm for this time of year]. We had morning tea in Barbour Park with this view.
Lunch was in Gundagai. We didn't see the Dog on the Tucker Box; with all the roadworks I missed it. We ate lunch in a park near the Tourist Information Centre. Filled up with fuel - 169.9c per litre [about $AUS7.00 a gallon!] then we were on the road again.
We stopped for a 'rest stop' in the town of Holbrook. There we saw the most amazing site today: can you guess what this is? Yes, that's right - a real submarine! On dry land! Far from the coast! Does that make it a subterranean?
You can read about it here.Finally, after nearly 700km [approx . 440 miles] we arrived. Yes, we're here: Wangaratta - the home of Australian Country Spinners - suppliers of Patons, Cleckheaton and Panda yarns. Tomorrow, we hit the mill shop!
Tuesday 8 July 2008
Movie Meme
I don't go to the movies much but thought I'd give this meme a go!
1. One movie that made you laugh: Robots "Hit me baby one more time!"
2. One movie that made you cry: Miss Potter
3. One movie that you loved as a child: The Sound of Music
4. One movie you've seen more than once: Pretty Woman
5. One movie you loved but were embarrassed to admit it: The Emperor's New Groove [but only in some circles]
6. One movie you hated: couldn't stop at one! Muriel's Wedding and Duel
7. One movie that scared you: Deathtrap I don't watch scary movies as a general rule!
8. One movie that bored you: Only one? Youre kidding, right? The Secret Policeman's Other Ball, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters of the Third Kind - all movies I've had to sit through because someone else [not WM] bought tickets and I had nowhere to go!
9. One movie that made you happy: The Lake House
10. One movie that made you miserable: The Rose
11. One movie that you weren't brave enough to see: anything by Stephen King! Or M. Night Shyamalan!
12. One movie character you've fallen in love with: Yoda "There is no try; there is only do or do not!"
13. The last movie you saw: Mansfield Park on the ABC last weekend;
at the movies: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
14. The next movie you hope to see: Momma Mia hopefully this week!
1. One movie that made you laugh: Robots "Hit me baby one more time!"
2. One movie that made you cry: Miss Potter
3. One movie that you loved as a child: The Sound of Music
4. One movie you've seen more than once: Pretty Woman
5. One movie you loved but were embarrassed to admit it: The Emperor's New Groove [but only in some circles]
6. One movie you hated: couldn't stop at one! Muriel's Wedding and Duel
7. One movie that scared you: Deathtrap I don't watch scary movies as a general rule!
8. One movie that bored you: Only one? Youre kidding, right? The Secret Policeman's Other Ball, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters of the Third Kind - all movies I've had to sit through because someone else [not WM] bought tickets and I had nowhere to go!
9. One movie that made you happy: The Lake House
10. One movie that made you miserable: The Rose
11. One movie that you weren't brave enough to see: anything by Stephen King! Or M. Night Shyamalan!
12. One movie character you've fallen in love with: Yoda "There is no try; there is only do or do not!"
13. The last movie you saw: Mansfield Park on the ABC last weekend;
at the movies: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
14. The next movie you hope to see: Momma Mia hopefully this week!
Monday 7 July 2008
going south for a week of winter
In Australia, the last thing one who hates the cold would want to do is to go south for the winter; unless one had a very good reason, that is!
DD and I are off to the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo next week, staying three nights in Wangaratta and three nights in Bendigo. Apart from the obvious [the mills in both towns] is there anything else a knitaholic shouldn't miss while in that part of the world?
DD and I are off to the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo next week, staying three nights in Wangaratta and three nights in Bendigo. Apart from the obvious [the mills in both towns] is there anything else a knitaholic shouldn't miss while in that part of the world?
Wednesday 2 July 2008
I'm still here - just!
It's been over a month since I last wrote a post! Just as well I'm blogging without obligation! LOL
Firstly, thank you to Delighted Hands who contacted me recently to see if I was all right - I am, thank you!
I was so pleased to have that interview back in March - little did I know where it would lead! As I've said in a previous post, I got work almost immediately. Then I was offered ten hours a week block for this term [April-June]. It meant I had steady work on Monday mornings [9am-noon], Thursday afternoons [12:45-2:45] and all day Friday [9am-2:45] plus one hour paid for related duties [never had that in my teaching life!]. After just two weeks, the Monday morning stretched to all day Monday. Then an extra 90 minutes was added to Thursday morning; this then became an extra three hours for five of the last six weeks! Plus, my hours were extended in my first job from six hours a week to eight hours a week. So, in total, I have been teaching all day, five days a week plus one evening a week for the past eight weeks. Or, to put it another way, I was doing 133% of the load of a full-time teacher [across two jobs]. In addition, because I have volunteers at my first job, I was doing an extra eight hours preparation every week. I'm not complaining, I love teaching English to adults from other cultural backgrounds - I'm just looking forward to a break!
Then came the engagement party! I booked a caterer so I didn't really have to do anything on the night but turn up and socialise with our seventy or so guests! But it was still a hectic time - the day before the engagement party was WM's birthday. It was also the day my parents arrived from the country for the party. We went out for dinner and stayed up way too late talking. WM and I still had to work the following day. Saturday was mildly busy, I had to drive up to the Knitters' Guild meeting to deliver some goodies [more about that in a moment] then take my parents shopping. On Sunday we went to see Phantom of the Opera - a matinee performance that started at 3pm but meant that we were away from home from 12.30 till 8.00pm! I was almost glad to be going back to work on Monday, except that I was tired, tired, tired! [read exhausted].
This is the last week of term for TAFE - I am teaching tomorrow then I have eleven glorious non-teaching days in front of me! I've been busy boning up on the intricacies of the new Certificates in Spoken and Written English and preparing classes for next term so I can relax and forget about it all! I was supposed to have a cortisone injection [hydro-dilatation] in my right shoulder during the holidays but I've decided to forgo; it can wait until September! I want to go to Bendigo for the Australian Wool and Sheep Festival in the second week of the holidays and don't want a sore shoulder for the long drive!
Now, back to my delivery to the Knitters Guild. I was disappointed my contact from Springwood church wasn't there. I would have liked to have seen the look on her face when I delivered 216 items for Australian Inland Mission! The photos don't do all the items justice, but in three photos you can see:
126 beanies
49 jumpers/cardigans/vests
17 scarves
7 sets bootees
5 hair ties
3 ponchos
2 rugs
1 pr leggings
set wrist warmers
1 bib
1 pr slippers
1 sunhat
1 pr mittens
1 pr tracksuit pants
Thank you to all the kind knitters/crocheters who donated through Knit4Charities and a special thank you to Pam who started the online group.
I have been knitting - I need something "mindless" to do at the end of a busy day! Since my last post, I have completed DD's poncho, made three child size ponchos, and almost finished one for mum [just have to do the fringing]. I've knitted another adult beanie and a long-sleeved vulnerable baby jumper. I've started another blanket for Wrap With Love, this will have some entrelac but only on the two narrow ends.
I haven't kept up with blogs though; my blogline feeds are up to 441!! Guess what I'll be doing with at least one day of holidays? LOL
Firstly, thank you to Delighted Hands who contacted me recently to see if I was all right - I am, thank you!
I was so pleased to have that interview back in March - little did I know where it would lead! As I've said in a previous post, I got work almost immediately. Then I was offered ten hours a week block for this term [April-June]. It meant I had steady work on Monday mornings [9am-noon], Thursday afternoons [12:45-2:45] and all day Friday [9am-2:45] plus one hour paid for related duties [never had that in my teaching life!]. After just two weeks, the Monday morning stretched to all day Monday. Then an extra 90 minutes was added to Thursday morning; this then became an extra three hours for five of the last six weeks! Plus, my hours were extended in my first job from six hours a week to eight hours a week. So, in total, I have been teaching all day, five days a week plus one evening a week for the past eight weeks. Or, to put it another way, I was doing 133% of the load of a full-time teacher [across two jobs]. In addition, because I have volunteers at my first job, I was doing an extra eight hours preparation every week. I'm not complaining, I love teaching English to adults from other cultural backgrounds - I'm just looking forward to a break!
Then came the engagement party! I booked a caterer so I didn't really have to do anything on the night but turn up and socialise with our seventy or so guests! But it was still a hectic time - the day before the engagement party was WM's birthday. It was also the day my parents arrived from the country for the party. We went out for dinner and stayed up way too late talking. WM and I still had to work the following day. Saturday was mildly busy, I had to drive up to the Knitters' Guild meeting to deliver some goodies [more about that in a moment] then take my parents shopping. On Sunday we went to see Phantom of the Opera - a matinee performance that started at 3pm but meant that we were away from home from 12.30 till 8.00pm! I was almost glad to be going back to work on Monday, except that I was tired, tired, tired! [read exhausted].
This is the last week of term for TAFE - I am teaching tomorrow then I have eleven glorious non-teaching days in front of me! I've been busy boning up on the intricacies of the new Certificates in Spoken and Written English and preparing classes for next term so I can relax and forget about it all! I was supposed to have a cortisone injection [hydro-dilatation] in my right shoulder during the holidays but I've decided to forgo; it can wait until September! I want to go to Bendigo for the Australian Wool and Sheep Festival in the second week of the holidays and don't want a sore shoulder for the long drive!
Now, back to my delivery to the Knitters Guild. I was disappointed my contact from Springwood church wasn't there. I would have liked to have seen the look on her face when I delivered 216 items for Australian Inland Mission! The photos don't do all the items justice, but in three photos you can see: 126 beanies
49 jumpers/cardigans/vests
17 scarves7 sets bootees
5 hair ties
3 ponchos
2 rugs
1 pr leggings
set wrist warmers
1 bib
1 pr slippers
1 sunhat1 pr mittens
1 pr tracksuit pants
Thank you to all the kind knitters/crocheters who donated through Knit4Charities and a special thank you to Pam who started the online group.
I have been knitting - I need something "mindless" to do at the end of a busy day! Since my last post, I have completed DD's poncho, made three child size ponchos, and almost finished one for mum [just have to do the fringing]. I've knitted another adult beanie and a long-sleeved vulnerable baby jumper. I've started another blanket for Wrap With Love, this will have some entrelac but only on the two narrow ends.
I haven't kept up with blogs though; my blogline feeds are up to 441!! Guess what I'll be doing with at least one day of holidays? LOL
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