Yarn acquisition

So a couple of people asked about the yarn I must've accrued while travelling around a country that has 7 sheep for every person.

I'll admit, I did bring home some yarn. The day we landed in Auckland, we checked into the hotel then went for a wander around the city. It was David that spotted the yarn store. How could I resist?

A ball of Opal sock yarn settled into my luggage.

I'm a huge fan of Opal sock yarn. My very first pair were Opal, and they're still in great shape, years later. Besides, I couldn't resist the colours.

The second day we were there, we went to visit the beautiful Jussi and her lovely family. She gifted me with another skein of gorgeousness.

Her own hand dyed Biba yarn in a perfect shade of pink.

And when we went to Agrodome, they had a little yarn shop there. I was actually a little disappointed in the offerings, but picked up some Naturally Waikiwi to knit some socks for David.

And... that's it. That is the entire sum total of the yarn I got. My yarn purchases were not helped by the fact that I had just found out that Calico & Ivy at Balmain was closing, and we were losing our jobs. Sad. Apart from the obvious loss of income, I'm going to miss the store. I've really enjoyed working there, I really like my workmates and it's been a wonderful environment. Surrounded by so many pretty things and being inspired by all the lovely yarn and fabric, and by all of the customers wonderful ideas and projects.
Not to mention the panic buying when I realised that my easy access to Rowan was about to be stopped cold.
I behaved. I made a list of all my intended projects, matched up my stash to what it wanted to be and took a good long look at all of my yarn. (And fabric, for that matter)
And so I was remarkably well behaved in New Zealand. I may be knitting with my Rowan stash for the next ten years, however!
And if you're local and inclined to visit, we'll be there until May 4!

Still Knitting

Where do I start?
At the end of the last post? New Zealand is beautiful. Stunning. The weather sometimes left a little to be desired on one or two days, but in general, it was a wonderful holiday.

We drove up to Cape Reinga, the tip of New Zealand, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea. (The seafoam you see is where the two crash into each other)

We went to the Bay of Islands, which was beautiful, but the cruise was a bit of a let down - we'd hoped to go out to the Hole In The Rock, and to see some dolphins, but the weather didn't co operate.

We went to Hobbiton.

In front of Frodo's house! I'm no LoTR geek, but Hobbiton was fun!

We saw thermal pools

And geysers

Beautiful carving everywhere

Sheep!!

I even got to feed a lamb!

And gorgeous scenery everywhere.

There are steps down to the bottom of Bridal Veil falls. Going down was great. There are viewing platforms
along the way and at the bottom, and it's just stunning.

Coming back up proved how unfit I am.

If you want to see more photos, there's an album on flickr.

The knitting? I worked on Bellevue while we were there, and finished it not long after we got back.

Love it.

Specs:
Pattern: Bellevue Cardigan (Fingering Weight) by Laura Chau
Yarn: BC Garn Silkbloom Fino in Fuchsia from Suzy Hausfrau (4 balls)
Needles: 3.25mm Dyakcraft Northern Lights
Mods: None. Well, none on purpose.

Above the lace border there should have been a garter row that I left out, because I apparently can't read. I didn't realise this until I did the sleeves, then there was no way I was ripping back!
The yarn? Gorgeous. Beautiful to knit with, beautiful stitch definition, the silk gives it a slight sheen, just stunning. Renae from Suzyhausfrau came along to one of our Guild meetings last year, and brought a bunch of stock to have a little stall at the back of the room. I need yarn like an eskimo needs a freezer, but I couldn't resist this. There'll be more in my future, I'm sure.
The pattern? Fab. It's not the first time I've knit it, I knit the Worsted version a while back with Madtosh Worsted MCN, and wear it regularly. Can't say I won't knit it again, either.

But for now, it's Wollmeise DK and Water and Stone.