Here's what I've been busy with........

I don't believe it - 16 days since my last post !!

But I have been busy! I finished a comfort shawl for my friend Di in Michigan - in her choice of her favourite colours - Christmas Red and Christmas Green. I had some lovely soft Capricorn in Red and some TLC in Emerald Green in my stash - exactly right!! Here's the result.

Good old Capricorn - it makes the nicest, softest cuddle blankies - especially when a tight budget means some of the wools are beyond my price range!

I've made a few little sweaters too!

The Lavender set is from an English DK Leaflet - Wendy or Peter Pan I think. Made in Lavender Angoretta - the hat was made from the bonnet pattern from the same leaflet - but I didn't like its shape so turned it into a little beanie.

The one that looks like "hundreds and thousands" is just my little version of the EZ Baby Surprise Jacket - haven't a clue what yarn it is - someone gave me one ball of anonymous acrylic yarn - and I love it - it is so soft - and I have enough left over for little boots too.

I haven't made the original EZ Baby Surprise Jacket for yonks - so thought I would enjoy myself with an old favourite. The blue is the original full length sweater - the pink is knitted without the extended piece at the bottom. The blue is just Panda 8 ply - the pink is made with Angoretta Pale Pink and Deep Apricot, with a Panda Magnum Print in Pinks and Apricot ( I think - there was no band on the ball!)

This little jacket is the 5 Rectangle Baby Sweater by Carole Duvall. Isn't it cute? Of course I didn't do it as 5 Rectangles - too much sewing up for me - so I knitted the back, then down one front, then down the other, picked up and knitted the sleeves on double pointed needles, and only had the side seams to sew up! Then I crocheted round the edge! The yarn is Red Heart WW "Watercolor" and I swear I did NOT plan the way that variegation lined up exactly on the front! Great fluke, huh??? I could not have planned it better! The buttons were just some odd ones in my stash - everything just came together by accident. I bought a big box of Red Heart two years ago and I love it for baby stuff - despite what the yarn snobs think!! The trim is Angoretta in Lavender by the way.

It must have been the week for Old Favourites - first the Baby Surprise Original pattern, then two from the Precious Layettes for Baby booklet (Leisure Arts #3202)

No doubt you are aware, dear reader, that I never leave a pattern alone, nor do I always follow the pattern very closely! This one is, believe it or not, "Baby Blue", design #3 from the Precious Layette booklet - without the two colour stitch design. I love the shape of this little sweater, the yoke in garter stitch is so darling - I just did stocking stitch sleeves and body. I used pale pink Angoretta with the yoke in a deep strawberry pink anonymous yarn - can I help it if people give me yarn with no ball bands on????

I just happily receive - I can usually tell if it is wool, or acrylic and usually I just love the colour so much, I just say a grateful "thank you"!

The sweet little t bar booties are from a free pattern on the internet, from Mandy via a Lion Brand blog. They are called "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Booties" so if you Google this - you should find it with not much trouble.

the second one from the Precious Layette Booklet was the design #2 "Precious" - but instead of the lacy pattern as in the original, I knitted the whole thing in garter stitch. I am so delighted withhow it looks - just the cutest, squooshiest little baby sweater - I made it in Robin feelings in the palest pink and crocheted all around the edges in a deep strawberry pink - well I had a bit left from the previous set, you see! The booties are the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road booties - I am so in love with these!!

Well that is what I have done this past 10 days or so - as well as unpicking all the attached i-cord on my daughter's Adult Surprise Jacket, then undoing all the crochet edging, then the sleeve seams, and frogging back to past the buttonholes, so that I can make the front a bit bigger and the sleeves a bit longer. *Groan* Now I am in the midst of trying to re-knit it - I have got as far as the mitred front-and-neck-bands and am praying that this works and I don't have to rip the whole lot out and start again! One thing I have learned - attached i-cord is NOT very stretchy - so I shall have to use a larger needle when I re-do it. Fortunately my daughter is a little bigger in front than the back - so just increasing the two fronts will do it! Well back to the needles! Oh, and I have also started a cuddle blanket for my friend Marlene in Bendigo - who is not a very well woman right now. I shall use the Red Heart Watercolour, some Pound of Love in Lavender, and some Angoretta in palest Green, all of which are Marlene's favourite colours. I am trying to ignore the basket of UFO's lurking under my desk!

We Need Your Votes!!

Some of you may know that I belong to a fantastic group of ladies called Knitting For Brisbane's Needy. We are a group of ladies, about 120 strong who knit and crochet for needy people, homeless, abused, aged whatever, originally in Brisbane and environs, but now reaching to needy people much farther afield.

We have just been informed that we are one of ten finalists in a cash competition to win $5000 for our group. this money will be a godsend, to cover costs of our postage and gas, wool, needles etc to get our donations out to the people who need help desperately. At present we each pay for our own yarn, postage and gas. Most of us are on fixed incomes, pensions or disability allowances. At least three of our members use wheelchairs themselves.

Won't you help us to win this cash?? Voting is very simple. Go to either one of these links

www.femail.com.au/cash-grant-finalists.htm

www.girl.com.au/cash-grant-finalists.htm

Scroll right down to the voting form - click on Knitting for Brisbane's Needy, scroll down a bit further and enter a 4 digit code and submit your entry. Do that for about 100 times LOL! or until finger starts to fray. If you get a Poll Error notice, go back and try again - those pesky little letters and numbers can be hard to read!

At present we are running FIRST ! with 28% of the vote - this morning we were 2nd - so every vote you can spare the time to submit helps A LOT!

If you are interested in joining our wonderful group - we have members in UK, USA, Holland, Belgium as well as all over Australia - here is a link to find us

http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/knittingforbrisbanesneedy/

And by the way, this small group has knitted or crocheted more than 2000 items since its inception in January 2006. Pretty good huh??

Mary Cairncross Park

Paid a visit to Mary Cairncross National Park the other day. It is years since we were last there - and we may never go again. What a shame they put a cafe and kiosk there. Now it is full of busloads of noisy people - and the haven of peace it once was is no more!

It used to be very quiet, and there were lots of birds and wildlife evident. But sadly, no more. The crowds of people obviously kept any self respecting native wildlife at a distance.

Apart from the ever greedy bush turkeys, wandering around near the picnic tables, not much native fauna was to be seen.

The views of the Glasshouse Mountains are still breathtaking - but the huge mansion being built in the valley, which can be seen in the picture above, means that the peace is gone from this once lovely area of the Sunshine coast Hinterland. Others will surely follow.

Progress??? I wonder.

Finished At Last!

Finished the sweater for Rick - and although I am pleased with the result, I can't say I am sorry to see the end of it!

The colour is actually a lot bluer than this photo shows it to be.

It also seems a lot bigger than I expected - and hey, I did swatch - and I did measure accurately! But then it is meant to be a generous fit. It has taken me longer than any man's sweater I have ever knitted before - by the time I finished it only half an hour ago I was heartily sick of it!

This is the second time I have made this sweater. If I never see this pattern again it will be too soon!

Back to baby sweaters for me!