What I made, by Sharon

I traditionally do a pre Bendigo sheep show post, where I think about what I want to buy and what -and how much - yarn I currently have in stash. This year I know I will buy "some" sock yarn, for shawls and socks, but not too much, and no green, or red or blue. I appear to like to buy pretty skeins in these colours and then not knit with them: Here's my list: I'm aware that I'll be buying wool next month in New Zealand. The latest purchases  from Blue Moon Fiber Arts took me back up to   16,488 , which isn't too bad since when I started counting my stash in 2014 I had 26352 . I'm not aiming for zero, I love having some yarn to reach for, but I think maybe 10 to 15 kms is the ideal amount. Anyway, this year we (the Richmond Knitters ) are also attending the Women of Wool lunch, which given me a compelling reason to go to the show, beyond the acquisition of more yarn. I'll let you know how it all goes.

It won't some as a surprise when I tell you that I love sheep. I love them for their wool, and I love them for their meat. I love them because they are much more intelligent than they are usually given credit for. But mostly I love them for their woolly fuzzy bodies and their calm knowing eyes. So, when one of the shopping websites I haunt had sheep bookends for sale, I thought I'd buy one to use as a doorstop in my bedroom. And then this adorable Sheepy arrived: Look at his adorable face. He follows me around the house, sitting next to me when I'm on the computer, watching me spin… and just being generally adorable. The only problem is, when I did put him in front of the door, Tarragon decided to make friends. First he sniffed Sheepy's bottom, and then he started eating his wool, so we'll see how long Sheepy stays soft and adorable. There may be a follow up post with a pictured of a slaughtered Sheepy, but hopefully things will settle ...

Every year, coming up to what we call Bendigo, but what is officially titled the Australian Sheep and Wool Show I consider not going. I say thing thing like "I have all the yarn I need" or "I'm feeling skint" and this year I just feel tired. Even though lovely people had offered me lifts up and back and even a bed for Friday night I just wasn't feeling it. I've just got back from a month overseas, I bought a crazy amount of yarn at Woolfest and I'm just tired. I'm also training for a half marathon, so I have to fit running into my schedule somewhere. So, by Monday night I had decided I wasn't going. But, when Robyn was leaving Richmond knitters she mentioned she would be driving up, leaving at 9ish and coming back at fourish. Perfect. I got to go to the show without getting up early, and come back the same day. I was relatively restrained with my shopping, which is good, because the stash box is pretty chockers. I bought 4 skeins ...