What I made, by Sharon

I made sure that in the thumb nail picture you can't see the shape of the shawl. I've just started clue six - the final clue in Ysolda's mystery shawl knit-along . I haven't even sneeked a peak at any of the clues until I have finished knitting them, and managed to avoid spoilers. Here's the full shawl after clue five: Only one more to go, but quite a bit more knitting. This has been such a fun project , and now I can s ee how its going to look it's very satisfying. After finishing Jojo Moyes' Silver B ay , and hating it so much (my review is here if you are interested) I really wanted to read something fun and fast. Ian Banks' Complicity fit the bill. It's a thriller / mystery / who done it / romp and I can't stop reading it. Such a pleasure to read a book that i don't want to put down, even if some of the subject matter is rather dark.  I'm joining in with Ginny and the monthly yarnalong . I recommend popping over to her...

I finished the Left Over Sock Yarn bathmat I mentioned the other day. It was a really fun - and surprisingly quick project, although i suppose holding 7 strands of yarn together , and using a 6.5mm needle is likely to have that affect. This pic was taken outside blocking, and really shows the colours: I love the ombre  effect, although I still can't believe I had THAT much left over sock yarn in blues. Over half a kilogram of them. This pic was taken in situ, in the bathroom. \I love my bathroom, but it doesn't have any natural light, hence the glare of the heat lamps. I love my heat lamps. It was also quite fun to be crocheting for a change. I haven't picked up the hook for anything bigger than a cat toy since early 2017, and I do enjoy it. All around a very satisfing  project. 

A couple of weeks ago my friend Grant showed up to the pub wearing SHOCK a commercially knit hat. It was fine, but it had a seam on the top. Also, it offends me that anyone I'm close to would be wearing a commercial hat. So, I knit a hat (out of leftovers from Leon's winter set., using this broken rib pattern. When I gave it to him he seemed very pleased. I didn't tell him that it was a one-day-wonder. i cast on on the tram on the way to my lift to Bendigo, knitted on the ride up, knitted through the Women of Wool lunch, knitted in the car back, knitted at my parents place at dinner and finished up before bed time. Look at that decrease! I love hat crowns, they always look so interesting to me. I tried to get good pictures, but we were at the pub and things were going on, and these will just have to do. I do enjoy showing my love through my craft.

I was tooling around on Ravelry, looking for bathmatt patterns, when I found this pattern. Hmm, crotchet, colour blending, I wonder what my sock yarn scrap stash is looking like? When I went to investigate, I discovered I have an absolutely bizarre amount of left over sock yarn in blues, especially navy. I also pulled my Cloud out of the wash and realised it's kind of dead. As well as being stretched out, it had what looked suspiciously like coffee stains on the front.  S o, I've rescued some of that yarn and, combined with the strange amount of blue sock yarn (where did it all come from?) I'm going to crotchet this bath matt. I'm pretty excited, colour blending really is a lot of fun, which might be why I keep on doing it!

I was spoilt this year and got a lift to Bendigo with Nat. I quickly did my shopping before the Women of Wool lunch: I'm really pleased with this wool I bought for Leon's jumper: It's from North East Yarn a fibre collective from the North East of Victoria. I said I wanted to buy more local yarn! Because they well by weight in 500g hanks, and don't know the yardage, I didn't want to risk running out, so I bough a kilogram. If there is enoug left-overs for a jumper for me as well I won't complain! I bought some Oyster yarns in merino silk and yak, which is just stunning, and this jumped into my bag: A jumpers worth of sparkle yarn from My Creative Garage . I hadn't heard of her before, but her colour pallete was amazing. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to make with it - make     This was my favourite sheep of the show Lunch with Women of Wool and the Richmond Knitters was a good time, as usual. As well as the women I knew...

I'm a bit excited, because I'm actually going to the Australian Sheep and Wool show this year. I've even got a lift up, in a car! Last year I missed out, because I spent the weekend in Tasmania . Can't complain. Just like in 2016 I'm going to the Women in Wool lunch, and I have to be back for dinner, so I'll have to be efficient with  my shopping time. There are a few projects I definitely want to buy yarn for -  Joji's Cathedral wrap , Leon's winter set and a new jumper for Leon. I have a feeling some other things might creep in there. I do like to shop in a focused way, but I also really want to support Australian growers and dyers, after giving significant support to UK wool and dyers just four months ago! Surprisingly to me, given I bought 5 kilometers of yarn then, and I have bought yarn for two other projects since I got back, stashcount is currently at 13,000 . Not too bad at all, although I may "fix" that tomorrow!

  Two Fridays ago I went back to my old workplace for the retirement of one of the big bosses, and I bumped into Katrina,  my last manager there - who had a bump of her own. She said she was off on parental leave next Friday. I didn't give it much thought, but then i bumped into my boss from one of my previous roles, and  he's had another baby. I actually new that, and wasn't surprised when he pulled out his phone to show me a photo. I was quite pleased when the new baby was wearing the Snug that I made for the first baby, in 2013. That got me thinking, and I decided to knit a baby jumper for Katrina. I had two weeks, which should have been plenty, but In also wanted to get the Gloamin-tide clue finished first. Anyway, I knit a Drops pattern, which came out very cute. It did have about a thousand ends, but I think it's worth it.  I had the perfect buttons, but after I started sewing them on I realised I had six buttons, and seven button holes. After decid...