This was so much more beautiful in real life, but you get the general idea. There was frost, and glittery morning sunlight, and by their powers combined there were little diamonds sparkling all over my car. I'm a bit of a freek but I love cold weather, and frost (which is something I never had as a child, living as I did much closer to the coast) brings out the little kid in me - besides at that time of day none of my kids are up, so I can be a little silly, not just sensible mum. I sure love winter, and this one has been so perfect.

And just to remind me of whats ahead, the daffodils are poking their shoots up and promising spring. Yay

An answer for Kate, the shawl I knitted in Vintage Hues was the Triangles with Triangles Shawl

Published by Fibre Arts, it was an easy knit, and of course when done in a bulky yarn also very quick. Its seen a lot of wearing this week because its so soft to snuggle into.

I've just spent the past week away from home, staying at a B'n'B on Camberwarra Mountain, just north west of Nowra. So quiet, situated on the corner of two streets, maybe twenty cars passed the place in the five days I stayed there, and the postie only visited three day .... cows mooed, frogs croaked, birds sang... well you get the idea. When I booked the lady who owns the place apologised that they do not get television/mobile phone reception (guess what I said to that!), so as I say it was perfect. There was rain for three out of five days, and sun for one, but all I did was knit and walk, and take lots of dopy photos of cows etc. I stayed in a renovated (?) settlers cottage, bedroom, eating type room (not a kitchen), bathroom, and verandah, all extremely rustic, but beautiful, with an overgrown and wintery garden, complete with some plants from my youth - elephant ears and may/hawthorn bushes - no idea what the correct name of the elephant ears is, but will post a photo tomorrow when I remember to bring in the disk. Silly Gemma, already took them off the camera.

Much knitting was done, monkey socks, hand spun cardigan (2 fronts and half the back), hand spun cashmere (yum) worked into a scarf, mitts for my mum, french market bag. Everything is not quite finished, but I really needed some time to start going on some new things and this was the perfect time, and better yet all was knit from my stash, except mum's mitts, which was wool left over from a pair of sock she knitted! How well behaved, I told myself, and then on the way home I stopped in to Victoria House Needlecraft at Bowral
I bought a little Jo Sharp because I always wanted to see what the hype was about. The Alpaca Kid Lustre is so lovely to knit with, I bought two balls to make a scarf for a present in the palest mossy green (almost cream) and it knits up so perfectly, I almost wish I had bought more (bad Gemma, you absolutely do not need any more neck protection, yes but maybe a sweater or something? Stop it! Get a grip woman!) So dragged myself out of the shop and went straight home.

Of course with housework, and real work, and offspring, knitting progress has slowed back to normal, but it was so much fun for that week. I came back to the office so refreshed, which is the point of a holiday after all, and having used almost all of my hand spun am now free to spin some more. Of course when I visited the Quilt Show in Sydney I bought some fibre to spin from Bendigo .... mmmm everyone loves Bendigo, and there is still the camel and the lovely fibre from Ewe Give Me the Knits, oh what to choose first ..... be sure I will show you here ASAP.

Labels: holidays

posted by gemma @ 9:22 am