Tour de France Knit Along - Garter Yoke Cardigan

I made it. I finished my Tour de France Knit Along cardigan - yellow jersey - with twenty four hours to spare on the the deadline.

And here it is, taken bright and early, around 7:30am this morning before work. I had grand visions for a frosty morning for the photos, but wouldn't you know it, we got a clear, damp morning instead. C'est la vie.



This, pattern, the Garter Yoke Cardigan from Knit 1, was such a fun, such an easy cardigan. Best cardigan I've ever made, I think. Not perfect, but of the three cardigans (gasp!) I've made this winter, it's hands down my favourite.

And the Rowan Kid Classic? To die for. Yes, it's a little furry, but in a good way, not in a scratchy way. It's warm yet airy.

This whole cardigan used only a mere 6x50g balls. That's 300g and a bit extra, maybe about 100g more. That's unheard of for a cardigan in worsted weight! Just for the comparison, my February Lady Sweater used around 450g. All day, I felt the cardigan light as a breath. That mix of lambswool and kid mohair is gorgeous. Trust me.

In this photo of the cardigan drying yesterday, you can see the waist shaping the pattern uses.



I don't think I'll get the full value of the waist shaping, given I won't wear it done up. I tried but I feel not right when I do. I don't feeling that buttoned up, and prefer it partially open.

I am so happy with the colour. It's called Peat. In some lights, there are undertones of a red-purple shade shot through it, not so much variegated as just highlighted. In other lights, it's almost black, or almost brown. It can be a cardigan for all outfits, as far as I'm concerned.

The garter yoke neck opened up a little once it was washed and dry. I think, given I've done the larger size, this means the neck will probably annoy me a bit if it stretches more but over a t-shirt, it'll be ok.

I will make this again. And again. I'm already eyeing my stash for other candidates.

And the race? You know, those men on bikes? I didn't even see the end of it. I couldn't articulate anything about it in any realistic way. I would hear the voiceovers and sort of drift off, seeing only the scenery. Not the fault of the sport or the commentators. I'm sure it was fascinating. I just don't absorb that kind of commentary or detail.

But I do work well under pressure!

Bells

Sweet Evangeline

I needed a gift for my friend Julia and I needed it fast. It had to be bright and beautiful, warm and comforting, just like Julia, and so last Monday night I hit upon the perfect thing.

Within minutes I'd bought the pattern for Evangeline mitts (Ravelry Link) from the The Sweet Sheep.



I used part of a skein of Malabrigo worsted in Sealing Wax, which was what was leftover from a gift from Amy in Rhode Island a long time ago. I've sat on it for so long, not sure which would be the perfect way to use it and I knew I'd be able to get two pairs of mitts out it if I was lucky. It'll be easy. I'll be casting on a pair for myself shortly so that I can have something red on my hands for what remains of winter.

Julia adored these. You know when someone really gets what you've done? When you've hit just the right note? This was one of those moments. Very satisfying.

They're a fast knit (if you do the short version, the pattern provides a long and short version) and the cable is actually pretty simple. By the time you've carefully done a few pattern rows, you've hit the thumb and next thing it's all over. Instant gratification.

* * *

And in other exciting news, I have officially finished my Tour de France cardigan. It's drying as we speak and should be ready for work in the morning.



I found what I think are the perfect buttons yesterday at Addicted to Fabric.

Full write up some time this week.

I'll see if a few more name suggestions come in for the knitting bear contest and choose something shortly.

Bells

Knitting Teddy Bear

My not-so-little brother has quite the knack for unusual or unique gifts. You can't help but look at him sometimes, at that big dome shaped head of his and wonder what's going on inside. Once in a while, you are reminded that there's all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff happening.

When he told he was making my birthday gift, I was puzzled, to say the least. The last I knew of him making anything, he was a teenager making video montages that were both funny and touching. As far as I knew, he wasn't doing that sort of thing anymore, so what on earth could it be?

Then he showed up with this.



He'd gone to the Teddy Bear shop hoping they had a knitting teddy bear. They didn't, but the sales assistant had a suggestion for him. She sold him a bear and sent him on his way.

He and his girlfriend, Lisa, came up with this little guy. Lisa provided the knitting and Keith did all the requisite attaching of the needles and yarn to the bear.

See the bells attached to the fabric? Keith attached those so that the bear is....wait for it....

Knitting with Bells!

I love it. I totally love it. What a cute, clever gift! Thank you little brother. He's just adorable and he'll have pride of place on the table beside where I knit. I want to name him, because he comes with a birth certificate. Wonder what sort of name suits him? Suggestions welcome!

EDITED: I have had a couple of suggestions already of having a naming competition. Tell me what you think he should be called and somehow I'll come up with a winner!


* * *

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, I've been plugging away at my Tour de France cardigan. I've not posted updates because miles of stocking stitch does not make for fun blogging, but I'm happy to report that I will absolutely make it in under the deadline of Sunday night.



Between tonight and Sunday, I have only got to knit one sleeve and given that the first one seemed to happen quite without me noticing it, including needing to take off the cuff and knit a little more length into it, I reckon I'll be done before I know it. Tonight, we are having a night of eating and drinking and watching the tour with our country friends. They all know about my deadline. They'll be cheering me on to the finishing line, I've no doubt.

Stay tuned for the finished cardigan in a few days!

Bells

Custom Knits - A Review

Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits: Unleash Your Inner Designer with Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques is a book I've been thinking about buying for a long time. Ever since it came out - last year? Early this year? I wanted it. Then I wasn't so sure. After a while, I thought maybe I wanted it again. I had my finger poised over the purchase button on The Book Depository more times than I can remember.

In the end, George did me a favour and got it for me, saving me from the indecision because deep down, I did really want it and she knew it.

I think my reluctance to get this book came from a sense that maybe I love the idea more than the execution. I'd done a little seamless knitting, even knitting one of Wendy's seamless cardigan patterns. I was all set to dive headlong into loving this book, and I do now, but the first time I flicked through it at RoseRed's house, the styling really struck me as odd and in particular, the patterns just seemed like things I simply wouldn't knit.

Sure, the patterns look fantastic in the pictures but not in a way that says 'knit me' - at least not to me. My problem with the patterns is that they don't say 'every woman.' Knitwear models are always gorgeous. That's a given. But the knitwear isn't always so obviously directed at skinny, typically 'sexy' girls.

People who know me in real life know I'm not particularly fashion conscious. I tend to wear the same basic styles that I think work for me over and over again. I'll wear favourite items to death with nary a glance sideways at new clothes. I'm also not a particularly flamboyant or showy dresser so when faced with something like this, I blanched.


I haven't got the body for it, nor the desire to wear something so short. Same with this pattern.

It's just not me. I mean, the photos are lovely, but it's easy at first glance to be put off by all the pantsless modelling.


And there's the small matter of the front cover, which is kinda cool, but kinda weird. Who wears an alpaca jumper with bikini bottoms at the beach? I adore the jumper but like so many others, I skimmed past it because of the styling.


So really, what was happening for me was some kind of gut reaction to the book, based almost entirely on my own self image which is often not fabulous. I had dismissed the patterns as pretty but not for me. I'm not putting myself down here, just recognising what I'm comfortable with. I figured my money could be more wisely invested.

But niggling always at me was the notion that this book is about more than some sexily posed knitwear. Everyone seemed to say it's a resource and to me that's what gives a knitting book its weight and longevity. Long after the fashions have outlived their currency, the concepts in books such as Custom Knits are where the real value kicks in. Who hasn't looked at an Elizabeth Zimmermann book and giggled a little at the 1970s styling? We don't love EZ for her high fashion. We love her for her knowledge and the empowerment that comes from knowing how knitting works.

And not all the patterns are presented in a way that's a bit over-sexed. Some are just lovely. Like Cameo.



Or Slinky Ribs.


Now that I have the book in my hot little hands and have been devouring it every night before I go to sleep, I love it. Absolutely love it. And not just for the resourcefulness of it. I've been able to look past the 'not for me' styling and have seen on Ravelry what others who have had the book for some time have managed to do with the patterns. Women of all shapes and sizes have done precisely what Wendy Bernard encourages us to do, what she implores us to do, they have made the patterns their own.

We all know that modifying a pattern is exactly what you should do if some element doesn't suit you. If you're like me, when you read that someone changed a neckline, or added in shaping you might be the kind of person who thinks, well yes, that's all very well, but how did you do it? Wendy Bernard takes you through doing precisely that sort of modification step by step, different sleeves, different necklines, shaping, you name it. Each pattern comes with some ways to 'make it your own' and the last sections of the book go specifically into the maths behind doing this in a way that even a beginner could figure out.

I read that some have said this book isn't necessarily helpful for beginners. OK, perhaps not absolute beginners, but anyone with a basic understanding of how to knit and how to increase and decrease could be let loose on this book and learn some very valuable lessons early on in their knitting life.

I feel like this is a book I'll keep close to me for many years. I've got a yearning to take my knitting to the next level, which for me means grappling with some of the number based information that helps me really make my knitting mine. If you've felt similarly alienated by the way the patterns are presented in the book, get onto Ravelry and see what others have done with them. You won't be disappointed.

I'll be knitting from this book soon. Real soon. Watch this space.

Bells

A riot of colour

Really, I think one of the best things about birthdays is all the ways in which you can extend the celebrating. You can spread out time spent with friends and family over several days and this means, rather happily, sometimes being the smiling recipient of generous gift giving.

During the week, good friend George presented me with a book I've been longing to make mine for some time.



Custom Knits is one of those MUST HAVE books, I think. I was thrilled when George gave it to me and I've spent the last few days devouring it. I'll be writing a review shortly!

Next came a very special gift from Jejune during the week. Jejune is, if you know her, a talented artist and she very generously gave me one of her original pieces of knitting art. I'm told that some discussion took place with Sean in readiness for this gift. I liked knowing that. It made me smile.



Towards the end of the week, a package was handed me at my desk at work and I recognised the handwriting immediately. I was having a particularly nasty morning so the timing of this package of squishy goodness landing on my desk couldn't have been better. It was from the ever wonderful RoseRed.



Wollmeise. Always, always treasured. I'm not even taking it out of the wrapper. The fun thing about getting this at work was seeing the faces of workmates who have not seen me receive yarn at work before. The presentation, the gloriousness of yarn wound into a twisted skein such as this - they were amazed. It's nice to be reminded sometimes that not everyone gets to experience the wonder of this stuff like we do!

And finally, today, Kylie came to town. We gathered together in the afternoon to farewell Shelley who is sadly, for us, leaving town next week. Kylie gave me some of the gloriously coloured Kaffe Fasset Regia sock yarn. That man knows color - such an explosion together in the one skein!



I have such wonderful friends. Just such great women. I count myself very lucky, and not just because they have excellent taste in yarn!

And since I'm in a yarn p0rn kinda mood, here are a couple of skeins that arrived today, courtesy of Tinkingbell who organised a bulk purchase from Blue Moon Fibre Arts. I chose a couple of colours that were not my usual style.

Socks that Rock in Sunstone.



And Socks that Rock in Beryl.



God I love that name. Beryl. I was partly inspired by the socks made by RoseRed in this colourway and partly I just wanted to have yarn called Beryl. I don't know why it's so funny but when I showed it to Sean and said the yarn was called Beryl, even he laughed. It sounds like your great aunt, doesn't it? The kind of woman who chain smokes and boils all her veggies to death. Or maybe that's just me.

It's been a fine birthday week all round.

Bells

The Shampoo Free Life

I have a strange declaration to make.

Since February this year, I've not once used shampoo.

I have used conditioner but just a mere three or four times when I've dyed my hair at home and have used the conditioning treatment that comes in the box. Other than that, I've been living shampoo and conditioner free for over four months.

Am I stinky? Nope.

Greasy? Not a bit.

Have I turned into a dreadlocked hippy? Absolutely not!

My hair is shiny and clean and yes, I'm frightfully aware I'm starting to sound like an advert so I'll get to the point because I love my shampoo free life and want to talk about it! I was prompted to do so because at the new lunch time knitting group we've got going in Civic, I mentioned my hair care routine today and there was a goodly amount of interest. I said I'd do a post on it.

There's a whole movement out there supporting the idea that shampoo is bad. Some say it's bad for our waterways. Others say it's bad for our hair, stripping it of natural oils and necessiting the use of conditioner which only serves to try and replicate the natural oils and not in a very lasting or helpful way. Google the subject if you're interested and read about all the ways shampoo has come to be seen by many as a fairly nasty and unecessary product.

For me, the lure of the shampoo free life is manifold. I don't like the idea that most shampoo is no less harsh than dishwashing detergent. If it's stripping my hair, what's it doing to my skin, which after a shower always feels dry and tight? There's a fair amount of evidence in dermatology circles to say that shampoo is abrasive and a contributor to a range of skin disorders.

And shampoo is so expensive, packaged in pretty bottles making so many stupid claims I just get angry at myself for falling for it. I'm skeptical about many claims made by beauty products and have long been an advocate for finding ways to not be sucked in by the industry. I love using household products on my face and my body so this shampoo free concept was really just a method just waiting for someone like me to find it.

So thanks to a friend I was put onto a company in Tasmania called Beauty and the Bee. They write on their site quite eloquently about the philosophy behind their products, many of which are olive oil or coconut oil based.



I bought a bar of their soap and one of the real keys to the shampoo free life, Apple Cider Vingear. That's a big part of the shampoo free movement, rinsing your hair with apple cider vinegar (diluted). I don't fully understand the science of it but the rinsing part of the process restores the right ph balance to your hair and, well, I can tell you it works. Don't worry about the smell, the vinegar is weak and the smell evaporates, so Sean confirms, as your hair dries.

Afterwards, my hair always feels soft and lovely, just as if I'd put conditioner through it. I was amazed the first time I tried it and I've become addicted to it. On days when my hair doesn't need washing, I sometimes still put a rinse through before getting out of the shower because it gives my hair a between wash lift.

And that's another thing - frequency of hair washing decreases rapidly once you get used to this method. I used to wash my hair every second day, sometimes daily, now I'm washing my hair twice a week and only wetting and styling it every other day. I'm getting such great wear out of this! It's saving me bucketloads of time, being the fussy hair person I am.

I put my sister Adele onto it and after a few weeks of struggling with an adjustment period, she too became a convert. Her hair is thicker and coarser than mine so she used a different soap, but the result was the same. Now she's shampoo free too.

The company makes other products - I love their mud mask and my sister Fee says the nappy rash ointment was the best she's used.

So this isn't much help for non-Aussies who don't want to pay the postage overseas, but I just wanted to share because going shampoo free has been so great for me and there must be companies all over the world who do stuff like this.

Some people take the shampoo free thing a lot further than I do, not doing anything more than rinsing with vinegar and water. They say the transition time to reach the point where your hair is no longer needing any kind of cleansing is long and painful and I'm not quite ready to go that far. I'm very happy with the olive oil soap I'm using for now. The soap bars last so long that this is really an amazing economical method, too. I cut chunks off the block of soap and find the whole block lasts a long time. I'm still using the block I bought several months ago.

I'd be curious to hear if anyone else out there lives a shampoo free life and would encourage anyone interested in trying it to give it a go.

Bells

Another Year Older

Today is my birthday. Sean and I took the day off work, planned some time ago, and disappeared down the coast for the day.

We would never dream of going to Bateman's Bay (or Little Canberra) in summer, when you'd have to queue just to get a table at the fish and chip shop. But in winter, we like these touristy places a lot.

The sun poured down on us today. I'd had visions of a bleak, wintry seascape but really, who gets annoyed at the sun?

But first, the day began with Sean gifting with me a lovely set of Knitpicks Harmony needles. As I noted recently, the name has changed outside the US to Knit Pro. I hadn't realised the names of the needles also changed. They are no longer called Harmony needles. They are Symphonie Birch needles. Doesn't matter to me. I will still call them Knit Picks harmony because, really, who is going to pay attention to the name change?



Sean's a good husband. This is the third year in a row he's sourced a set of Knit Picks needles from Donni, my supplier. Wonder if they'll come up something new he can buy for me next year?

Before we left for the coast, I found out Adele had provided me with a year's subscription to Donna Hay magazine. Life is good.

We headed down the coast soon after and soaked up the difference that approximately 7 degrees can make in the air. It was 15C (59F) in Bateman's Bay today.

First stop was the village outside Bateman's Bay - Mogo. Antiques, second hand books, artsy stuff.



We found a couple of treasures in the bookshop and headed to Bateman's Bay for lunch. This was our view from the deck of the fish and chip shop.



And this was one of the main reasons I chose the coast for my birthday. Oysters.



Sean can't eat them. He's got an allergy. But I can and the Bateman's Bay oysters are quite wonderful. I lapped them up.

We passed the afternoon with a little more wandering, a little more sitting and taking in the ocean views. I wore my February Lady Sweater today, but it was possibly a little warm for it on the coast. I don't think worsted weight yarn is good for coastal weather. Thank goodness I live in Canberra where we have real winters!



Eventually, we had to head home and when we arrived, I found my birthday present to myself had arrived from the lovely Sarah Durrant. This woman's service is second to none. I ordered this on Friday. Colinette Tao in Ginger Cinnabar. Delicious.



Could you imagine a more blissful end to a birthday? Oh, other than your five your old nephew singing happy birthday down the phone line to you. When I described my day to him he declared, 'how good is that?' It's very good, Willem. Very, very good.

Bells

Knitta Please & the Chevron Lace Cardigan

Today being the penultimate day of the Knitta Please event at the National Gallery, as part of it's Soft Sculpture exhibition, Sean and I trundled off to check it out today.

Knitters from all over the place took part in this event, responding to the call for strips of knitted fabric (some crocheted fabric was also provided) so that the organisers could do this.



And this



I never quite got around to knitting a piece to contribute and today, I felt a bit sad about that. It would have been nice to be part of a scene like this but it was very enjoyable to look at the efforts of others - such colour and vibrancy!

Today I wore my Chevron Lace Cardigan for the first time and Sean obligingly took a few photos while I examined the tall columns at the entrance to the gallery that had been dramatically adorned in knitting.



I was surprised by how impressive it was to stand beneath tall columns of knitting.



Here's the cardigan, which I'm loving, from the back.



And from the front.



I'm so happy with this cardigan, although it's been a bit touch and go. After finishing it several weeks ago, it grew to thigh length after blocking, so I ripped out the band, took about 3-4 inches at least off the bottom and reworked the band three times. For some reason, a simple crochet band took several goes to get right.

My only complaint is that the neck is quite tight. If I make this again, and I think I will, I'd make the neck a little wider. The reason I haven't attached any buttons or clasps to it is that it chokes my throat when I hold it closed. I think it works quite well without any kind of fastening, but I'd have liked to do it. I'm still playing with the notion of doing it up lower down but am as yet unsure.

Details as follows:

Pattern: Chevron Lace Cardigan by Milobo

Yarn: Bendigo Luxury 8ply in Oceanic 400g. This was my first time using this new, pure wool product by Bendigo Woollen Mills. I think it has easily become my favourite of theirs, with just one project. Soft, smooth, not very splitty, a delight to use. I'll be getting more.

Time: June 9 - July 4.

Hook: 5.5mm. I'm happy with the amount of openness I achieved with this size. It meant my gauge was slightly off but it only took minimal fudging at the point of dividing for the sleeves in order to get it right. I really didn't want it to be too airy.

I really love this cardigan. I think it'll get loads of wear over the remainder of winter. Next time, I might try capped sleeves, which I've seen others do to great effect.

Bells

A Tale of Two Ishbel Shawls

Once upon a time, I wrote plaintively of wanting to knit Ysolda's Ishbel shawl. I felt driven to start what so many others had started before me. I pinned so much hope on her and so despite having several projects on the go, many commenters said go for it.

So I did. Ishbel looked like this.



And we sang her praises at the time. She was declared beautiful. The alpaca/silk blend seemed just right.

Things went downhill from there and I neglected to mention Ishbel again for some time. I don't like failures but I don't like to pretend forever that I never have them. We all have projects that just don't work, right? So I'm mentioning her now.

Ishbel failed. I finished the stocking stitch part and launched headlong into what I can only describe as an entirely un-intuitive (to me) lace section. I bombed. About three rows in and I was in dog's breakfast territory.

I believe that with a lot of lace, you get a feel for it right away. I've never persisted with a lace pattern that didn't feel, early on, if not easy then at the very least, enjoyable or relatively smooth. Lace is enough of a slog without labouring over every single stitch.

At the time I blamed the yarn. Not that I didn't love it. It was a long ago given gift from Julie. I'd held onto it for a long time deliberating over the choice of project. But I blamed the yarn rather than myself or the pattern because I thought perhaps the slight variegation was obscuring my view of the lace (let's not discuss the appalling lack of correct numbers at the end of every row).

So I quietly frogged Ishbel and put the alpaca/silk away for another day. Soon after, I started Ishbel again - a remarkable feat of perseverance on my part, don't you think?

You might remember. Ishbel II looks like this - made from forest green Wensleydale.



And look, really, there's absolutely nothing wrong with her. I flew through the stocking stitch part and even began fairly optimistically with the lace. It's ok. I'm managing. Or was I before Tour de France began and I lost focus on anything that isn't a race knit.

Will I continue? I don't know.

The lace doesn't speak to me. It doesn't sing. What's wrong with me? The vast majority of the knitting world adores it. Some people finish it in less than a week. And I keep shrugging my shoulders and wondering what I'm missing.

Suggestions welcome.

Bells

Tour de France - Day Four

Apparently the Tour de France is well underway. I'd like to say it's been a great race so far and that I've hung on most, if not every moment I was able to watch but it's not true. Late at night when the race starts, I've been heading to bed, dosed up and trying to get better.

But I did discover yesterday you can watch highlights of the race on SBS at 6pm. I'll try and catch that, or hell, even record it!

Of course, I've been up front from the start about how this competition is for me, more about the knitting than the cycling. As long as I get to catch glimpses of the race and soak up the scenery, I'll be content. Maybe I'll have some late nights on the weekend.

There has been some quality knitting time though. How clever of me to pick something that was all about garter stitch for much of its beginning because frankly, that's all I feel like knitting! Here's what I've managed so far.



So very satisfying this yoke business. I'm very much enjoying the Rowan Kid Classic and I'm enjoying watching it grow. I'm also enjoying using an application on my iphone for row counting.

Yes, as RoseRed pointed out, you can always use a pen and paper but oh, pen and paper doesn't have that satisfying little click! And unlike traditional row counters, on which you can only count rows, this has an inbuilt counter for managing increase and decrease rows.

The application even has a bit of local flavour. Local knitter, Pransell, has a very talented partner who developed this iphone application. You can find it at Cordless Dog.

If you have an iphone, or an Ipod Touch, I really recommend this application. It's simple and neat and while you can get free ones, I think it's worth paying the minimal amount for the ability to count increase and decrease rows. It also allows you to have more than one project on the go at a time. I love it.

And lest anyone should think I've abandoned my Chevron Lace cardigan, fear not, it's still around. I had to modify it and reblock it. It's at the back window in the sun now, after I finished it some days ago.



I'll show it off when it's dry.

Bells

Good Food and Wine Show 2009

For the fifth year in a row (that makes it a tradition right?) my sister and I have set aside a special day for each other to attend the Good Food and Wine show. It travels all around the country and we attend it in Sydney.

The first year was the year Adele became a mother; it was her first big day out on her own away from her just months old baby boy.

Now, he goes out with his dad for the day and recounts stories to us of his adventures. That makes me realise how much time has passed since we first went along. I've been capturing our days for the last two years, and here's this year's wrap up.

This year we had tickets to see celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Here we are in the theatre (fourth row!) just before the show began, bright and early at 9:30am. We hadn't seen any of the show at this point. Photo courtesy of Adele's workmate, David, another show veteran.



We were a bit unsure about seeing Gordon Ramsay. Which is to say, we bought the tickets long before the scandal broke out in recent weeks. The scandal, if you don't know about it, involved him having a public slanging match with host of tabloid trash news program, A Current Affair, Tracy Grimshaw. It was all a bit juvenille and yet, it took the tarnish off the idea of seeing the man on stage. We went along anyway and I'm happy to say, we were thrilled with his show.



It was pretty hard to get a decent photo so this'll have to do. For those of you who, like me, fancy Mr Ramsay a wee bit, I'm happy to report he's just as appealing in person. Sure, a bit rough around the edges, but what hard working chef isn't? He was charming, funny and inspiring. The best celebrity chef performance we've been to. Much more interesting than some - hello Donna Hay, yes I'm talking to you!

Near the end of the performance, there was a give away of some great prizes. Adele will have it that I accosted the nice man who was on the floor handing out expensive kitchenware, but I swear, I was in the aisle seat! When I stood up, the $260 Analon frying pan fell into my hands. Honest! Adele was, I think, so mortified that I got it and she didn't that I damn well nearly gave it to her because I felt so bad! I didn't though. I kept it for me and it's huge and gorgeous.



The rest of the show followed in much the way it does every year - the two of us let loose like kids in a lolly shop, sampling goods (mostly olive oil, chocolate and wine) and filling up our backpacks with all manner of great treats.

I did a lot of this.



Adele did a lot of this (sampling Rocky Road and other chocolate treats).



We were happy.

And here is a sample of my goodies. See the iphone? Separate post on that to follow!

The olive oil in that photo is a special one I buy every year. Sean and I first bought some Pukara Estate olive oil on our honeymoon in the Hunter Valley in 2004. It's been dubbed our Honeymoon Olive oil ever since (no rude comments from you up the back!)

Outside, we met up with Will and his dad in Darling Harbour.



We returned home on Sunday afternoon and I'm now sick, with a nasty head cold. I know head colds are fairly lame in the scheme of illnesses a person can get, but geez that whole stuffed up head thing isn't a lot of fun is it? Unlike the Good Food and Wine show, which is fabulous fun and I'll look forward to the big day out with my sister every year we're able to go.

Long live sisterly traditions!
Bells

In the bleak mid winter

It's been a bleak week here in wintry Canberra. Drizzly days with icy nights.

I sometimes feel the need to qualify these sorts of sentences with statements such as 'but not as cold/bleak as it gets in Canada' (happy Canada day, by the way if you're from there). But it gets cold for here.

We are starting days in eerie dark, blanketed in other-worldy fog; we are going out at lunch time, clutching our coats to our chests, pushing forward into tunnels of frigid wind; we are coming home when it's dark again, hair flattening sleet driving us on to where it's warm.

The evenings are cosy, sleepy and, in some instances, productive.

We were greeted by a picture of cuteness earlier this week though, in the form of a puppy newly adopted into my brother's family.

I'd like to introduce Manfred.



Part Maltese terrier, part poodle, he was my brother's 30th birthday gift from his girlfriend. Manfred, as is no doubt predictable if you know puppies, went straight for any bit of stray wool when he was here on Tuesday night. I gave him a hastily found scrap of Cleckheaton Country and he went to town with it. This photo was taken in a moment of stillness. There weren't many of them as all the blurry photos I didn't publish would attest.

Every other night this week has seen me pushing forward on the WIPs in order to make room for the Tour de France knit starting on Saturday night.

I made reasonable progress on a new kimono for Baby Alice, who is fattening up nicely and threatening to outgrow the knits I've clothed her in to date. It's closer to finished than this photo demonstrates.

Bendigo Rustic in Pink Opal.

I made good headway on Ishbel #2. What happened to Ishbel #1 you may well ask? That's a story for another day. This one's made from Wensleydale the ever lovely Kylie brought back from the UK for me.



And on the bus I've been working on Lacy Mock Cable socks in Colinette Jitterbug. Pretty huh?



And finally, I swatched. Rowan Kid Classic. For the Garter Yoke Cardigan.



So really, I'm good to go. I'm ready to wrap up this dark week and head to Sydney to hang out with my sister at our annual day out at the Good Food and Wine Show. We've been counting down for weeks and now it's here. See you at the end of the weekend with a wrap up of a day I'm very much looking forward to, not least of all because we'll get to check out Gordon Ramsay who, it has to be said, has been amazingly quiet following all the scandal that's dogged his visit down under.

Bells