So I finally finished all the sewing I needed to do, and with a week and a half to spare! Rehearsal is yet to come, no doubt I will get some back for adjustments, but what a relief it is to have it all done.
The knitting has suffered a little as a result, unfortunately. But I did manage to finish clue 4 of the Mystery Shawl 2 today.

My mum popped in today when I was working on it, and was very admiring of it, so I think it will end up under the Christmas Tree with her name on it. I'm glad I got clue 4 done, seeing as the next clue will be along any minute.

Am I the only person who is not happy to see Christmas paraphernalia all over the shops already? Our supermarket has had a bunch of stuff out for quite some time, but every week there is more and more.
I must admit though, that I have already purchased an ornament.

Em pointed him out to me, and I couldn't leave a polar bear on the shelf, could I? I wish I could have manage a totally Polar Bear Christmas!

And who needs a man with a rose between his teeth, when you can have a bunny with a dandelion?

Happy Weekend!

Another Australian Knitblogger friend asked me to flash my needle stash. It was harder and more time consuming than I thought. I never had any idea that I have so many needles!!
Lets start at the beginning.

My straights. These very rarely see the light of day. I had a big clean out of them a while back, but I kept some. My Grandma taught me how knit when I was around 5 or so. I vaguely remember my mother teaching me to cast on and off, that was probably around the same time. (She died when I was 8). My sister taught me to purl, although she swears now that she doesn't even know how. I remember taking some knitting to my Grandma when I was quite young, upset that I couldn't work out rib. I was teaching myself, but I was taking the yarn over the needle instead of under it as I went from knit to purl.
Anyway, my point is that most of these were my Grandmothers or my Nanas. The tortoise shell and the anodised ones are years old. So I keep these for sentimental value.

My wooden straights. I don't use these often either, but more often than the other straights. For some reason I like to knit baby clothes on bamboo straights. All my scarves are worked on wooden straights, usually my Lisa G needles.

Aren't they pretty? I have another pair, currently holding my poor Branching Out scarf which is desperately seeking my attention.

Oh, and Em's needles. The vast majority of these were mine.

That's an Imogen doll from AK Traditions in the background. She came with a kit to knit her a wardrobe. Last Christmas. Well, at least it's summer again and she isn't getting cold ;)
Em has more of my needles, but they're under the bed.(Insert ominous music). They'll never see the light of day again ;)
Em doesn't like circs!
Moving on.

Sock needles! 2mm Crystal Palace bamboo (minus 1), Clover bamboo 2.25mm, Tulip bamboo 2.25mm and Pony Pearls 2mm - 3mm visible here. I also have

2mm Rosewood DPNS holding Lorna's sock number 2. And

2mm Crystal Palace (full set) and 2mm Brittany Birch (minus 1) holding the Vanalinn glove. I like the Brittany Birch, but I break them. My favourite sock needles are currntly the Rosewoods, but I like the Crystal Palace too.

All my other DPNS. I have every size DPNS from 2mm - 8mm. Some have never been used, but I picked up a big bundle of the plastic ones as a pack on eBay.

Circs! Every size from 2mm - 12mm, except 2.25mm and 8mm. The Addi bamboo is the current favourite. Favourites are generally the Addi's, but I do like bamboo needles. Oh, and there is another one on the Mystery Shawl 2.

I think that's it! I love needles, can you tell? I'm going to teach myself 2 socks on 2 circs sometime soon, so I'll probably buy more then ;)
Despite the number of needles I have, I still find there are ones I don't have, as evidenced by the Feather and Fan shawl. But yeah, I have a few.
So - share your needle stash!! Leave your links in the comments :)

This morning, I met up with Donni and Jussi, and we went to Tapestry Craft's big sale. 25% off all yarn and needles!
Last time I was in, I was really coverting the Madil Kid Seta, but it was around $AU25 a ball, so I resisted. Not this time!

I was pretty restrained ;)
100g (1400m) of Filatura Di Crosa Centolavaggi, a gorgeous pure wool laceweight. Not sure what this will become yet. And my Madil Kid Seta, which is intended for the Fiber Trends Cocoon Lace Scarf.
And another needle! A lovely lady named Carol asked me earlier in the week if I would Flash my Needle Stash. (She thinks she's the only one with a needle problem ;) So I shall flash it, later in the week. When I have time to track them all down! I may also Flash my Knitting book stash at a later date.
Anyway, back on track.
We got the poor shop assistant at Tapestry Craft to take our picture.

Good Lord, I have poor posture! From left to right, Donni, Jussi and I.
We headed on down to the Queen Victoria Building, where Jussi bought us morning tea. As we were eating, a lady walked past. Jussi says "One skein wonder!" Lo and behold, it was Lisa G. So she joined us for morning tea, then we all headed down to Kinokuniya. It's a huge bookshop, full of gorgeous books and trinkets and all sorts of lovely stuff. I hadn't been there before, but I can guarantee that I will be back!!
I picked up two Japanese craft books. Yes, all the text is in japanese, but the diagrams are pretty comprehensive!

The one on the left has a variety of cute little things in there.

Those are from the book on the left. It's full of similar little things.
This is what convinced me to buy the one on the right.

Rock star kitty cat! I love it :)

Some more of the cute things :)
There were so many of these adorable craft books. I had my eye on one with beaded rings and things that Em would have loved, but it looked a little complicated. Of course, now I wished I had grabbed it. I think we'll go back there in the school holidays.
I had to leave the girls then so I could come home and chauffer Em around, but thanks girls, I had a great day!

Still on a lace high! :)
Today I took a day off from the costume sewing, and I haven't even taken the opportunity to knit even a stitch. I do have an update on another work-in-progress.

Mystery Shawl 2. I've finished Clue 3. The designer told us we would need around 1200 yards of yarn. After clue 3, I've only used about half a skein of Shimmer. (around 220 yards). The last 2 clues must be huge!
Clue 4 comes out late tonight local time.
Janette asked what was next, and I've spent some time today contemplating exactly that.
What should my next big project be? I still have Em's Lorna's socks on the go, and the Mystery Shawl 2. Vanalinn gloves are waiting, and my FCEK cardi hasn't been touched since the last update.
And Em wants me to start her School Spirit sweater.
But I received a parcel from the Shetland Wool Brokers. Six balls of Cobweb weight wool. It was ordered with the intention of knitting this.

It's the Shetland Lace Shawl from "A Gathering of Lace". Obviously I'm not over this shawl kick yet!
The cobweb weight is almost scary.

The top yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. The second one is Alpaca Cloud. The last is the Cobweb. I've met thicker dental floss!
I don't think I'll start this straight away though. I think I'll get some of the UFO's out of the way first.
Oh, and Tapestry Craft are having a huge sale, starting tomorrow morning. So I'm off there with Donni and Jussi, so I have no idea what projects I'll be coming home with ;)
If anyone is planning to attend, let me know!

It's blocked, it's blocked!!
Yesterday dawned bright and sunny, so first thing, I dumped the shawl into some warm water. Half an hour or so later, I scooped it out and began to pin it. A quarter of the way around, I realised I was running out of pins, and had to run down to the supermarket.
(The first two pics are clickable.)

I am so pleased with it :)
I danced about the house for a bit, then the clouds came over and I started to worry that it wouldn't dry, and that we'd be sleeping on the floor. We live in a tiny little house, and every time I walked past the bedroom, I had this huge urge to pull out all the pins, just to try it on ;)
Here's the centre bit.

And here are the edges.

I am inordinately proud of myself :)
It did dry in time for bed, then I pranced about the house with it for a while. No pics, because by then I was in my comfy, but very daggy pj's. The weather is crappy again today, but hopefully on the weekend, the weather will be nice and David will be home to take a picture or three :)

I'm back. Again!
Sorry if anyone has had trouble leaving a comment. Apparently our host server had an upgrade, but something in Moveable Type didn't like the upgrade and there was no access to blogging, commenting, updating or anything else apart from reading.
But I have News! Big News! Wonderful News!!

The feather and fan shawl is off the needles. Yes, you heard correctly, it's done! Not blocked yet, because the weather has been atrocious. And I have a space problem. I will have to block it on my bed, so I'm hoping for a lovely day so I can block it first thing in the morning, and hopefully it will be done by bedtime.
I had to stop one pattern repeat (four rows) from the end, due to running out of yarn. This is how much yarn I had left.

I used Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in "Horizon", but I only had 4 skeins. The actual pattern called for more than 2000 yards, so I thought I would run out long before I did. I'm not sure if I did the crochet cast off correctly, because as I may have mentioned in the past, I don't crochet. At all.
Anyway, it will all come out in the blocking. Including the bits where I fudged the numbers!

So what's next? Well, dress rehearsal at Em's studio is in 3 weeks, and I have been very, very lax in getting all the sewing done, so it may be a bit quieter than usual.
However, Mystery Shawl 2 is on the needles. The Vanalinn gloves have been waiting patiently for some attention. The endless sock is nearing the end. At bloody last!! This is the yarn I have left.

Then I have to do the second one! I wish I'd learnt two socks at once. And I bought the pattern for Wendy's Girlfriend's School Spirit Sweater for Em.
And I haven't finished my FCEK Cotton-Ease cardi yet, either.
Once upon a time I used to have a self imposed rule about no more than 3 works in progress at a time. Pfft!

Just how much sock is in a skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock anyway?

Still here, slogging along!
The Feather and Fan shawl is growing at a very, very slow pace, but it's growing. I am about to start the final increase row, which will put me at 1320 stitches per round.
No wonder it takes me all night to do a round!
I gave in to distraction though, and did the second clue of the Mystery Shawl 2.

It's a miserable, cloudy day today, so the pic isn't the best, but it's clue 2 all done. I haven't touched the gloves, I really am trying to finishe the feather and fan.
The postman came, and he brought good things :)

My friend Jill sent me magazines and the new Knitting Pattern A Day calendar. Thank you, Jill!

And a new friend, Joan sent me a new circ when she heard I was having difficulties with my shawl. Thanks, Joan! :)
Now I can't stay here blogging, I have knitting to do!

New project alert!

It's the Vanalinn Gloves from "A Gathering of Lace". I seriously love this book! Here are the gloves from the book.

I'm making mine from some Peruvian Collection Baby Cashmere from Elann. (60% Baby Alpaca, 30% Merino, 10% Cashmere) I picked this up a while back with the intention of making some lacy gloves, but I hadn't found a pattern I liked. I started these last week, while the shawl was uncomfortable to work because of the lack of space on the needles. Since I got the longer needle for the shawl, the gloves have been neglected.
I'm still slogging away at the Feather and Fan shawl. I've started the last hank of Alpaca Cloud, and I'm up to round 173, 1272 stitches. There's only 17 rounds to go, but I don't think I'll have enough yarn. I'm guessing that I'll get up to round 186 or so (out of 190). I don't think 4 rows short will make a huge difference.
I have been wasting inordinate amounts of time watching webcams. No, not those ones!!
Pete's Pond is a man made pond in Botswana, and there is a 24 hour cam on the pond. It's fantastic!! There are elephants, zebras, giraffes, gazelles, all sorts of animals coming to the pond each morning.
The other one is Pandacam! Mei Xiang, a giant panda at the Smithsonian National Zoo gave birth to a gorgeous male panda cub around 3 months ago. It is so sweet to watch the mother and baby panda interact. Although lately, as the cub is getting older, Mei Xiang is leaving him alone a lot more. He is starting to get his legs under him now, and he'll be walking before too much longer.
Our broadband plan gives us a 12gb download limit a month, and we have never come close to using it up. Until now! Apparently if I keep going at this rate, we'll go over the limit this month :)

I finally got around to trying to cut out a few more costumes that I'm supposed to be sewing. Twinkie likes to help.

Not the best kind of help, but the cutest!

It's school holidays here, so I'm just not getting anything done. No housework (who cares? ;), little knitting, little blogging.
School goes back on Monday, and life may get a little more "normal".
A lovely friend sent me a gift of a 3.5mm Addi bamboo needle in a 150cm length. So last night I sat down and started to knit the shawl with it. When I got halfway or so around, I spread it out on the bed to get an idea of how it was looking.

I'm very much looking forward to getting it off the needles! But it will take longer than I'd like, because it took an hour to do just one round last night. Things are far more comfortable on the longer needle.

This second picture is more accurate, colour-wise. I love my Addi Turbos, but this is my first time using an Addi Bamboo, and I love it!
We were out at a dancing event all day yesterday, then back there again late yesterday afternoon. Em tried to take a picture of the sunset.

I just liked the bit with Em reflected in the mirror. And ignore the filthy windows, please! We're in a drought over here, and under strict water restrictions, so I haven't been washing the car. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it like glue!
So here is a better picture of the sunset.

I started something else, too. But I'll save that for next time :)

Resistance is futile!

Well, it is for me. Mystery Shawl 2, Clue 1 is done. A few people have asked about the Mystery Shawl. It's a knitalong, which can be found here. We have no idea what the finished shawl will look like, and the clues are posted each Friday. The first one was just posted on September 30. Each "clue" is actually a chart for a section of the shawl.
This clue only took 45 minutes or so, so it gave me a nice little break from the Other Shawl.
I'm using Knit Picks Shimmer, in the "Morning Mist" colourway, that I overdyed with Landscapes "Opal" a couple of weeks ago.
Now I can go back to the Feather and Fan shawl, until Clue 2 next week, when I will try to resist again, and probably fail again :)
And for Sandy, todays sky.

It is a gorgeous day in Sydney today, and tomorrow is a Public Holiday, so a long weekend to boot. Hope your weekend is good, too!

So, guess what?

I finished the back of the cardi. That's precisely how much time I spend in school halls, waiting for my kid to dance. I cast on for this on Monday night, worked on it at the comp on Tuesday, and finished it at the comp last night.
No more on the shawl yet, I'm trying to track down an Inox grey 3.5mm needle in a 120cm length. I found one on a Canadian site, but they want $US22 to ship it to me. Not likely! I guess I'll keep going with the 100cm one that I have.
I can tell I'm getting bored with it, as I keep finding new things to do. The first clue for the Mystery Shawl 2 came out last night, and my fingers are itching to cast on for that.
I bought two 2mm circs, and I went to the Socknitters site, and I want to learn to do two socks on two circs. Mind you, I haven't finished Em's Lorna's Laces socks yet!
I'm trying to resist, really I am!