Good Knitting Day Today

Today I had to do some errands in the next town over.

I'll just add a note here that we currently live in the middle of nowhere. In the north of the north island of New Zealand (4hrs north of Akld for all you kiwis playing at home). Before this year I've always lived in the South Island - where its colder. I lived in the city where there was a big LYS within walking distance of home and every other shop selling wool was only a big red bus trip away. Hats , gloves and woollies were a must for winter. Now we live where it is considerably warmer all year round but particularly in winter. Its hot and humid and sticky and very wet. So while you might need a really good rain jacket for winter during our first winter here last year none of us really wore hats or scarves that often. Funnily enough there really arent any LYS around here. Our tiny town has no LYS or anything related. There's not even an opportunity/charity shop to buy recycled yarn etc. The only place you can buy buttons is the local laundrette where they have a collection of old (but sometimes good) recycled buttons they've removed from unclaimed? clothes. In the next town over there is a small sewing centre which has 2 whole shelves of wool, much of it is cheap and nasty acrylic stuff and a really small selection of needles and buttons (behind the counter so you can't even get to them yourself). The place drives me nuts. The wool selection is basic and usually they do not have the colour/yarn combo I want. They are slow at ordering so the shelves are never fully stocked and invariably when I *need* a pair of needles they don't have that size. They also don't know anything about knitting. Sigh. Anyway just thought I would explain how LYS deprived I am.

Back to today's story. I was in the next town over and popped in (as you do) to the sewing centre. Much to my surprise the place must have got a big wool order in as the shelves were all full and there was even some NEW yarns. Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

They now stock this new yarn from Naturally

So scrummy!! Its pure NZ wool with 30% alpaca so I bet its going to be super soft. Nice colourways too...... but bestest of all???!!!!!! They donate 5c for every ball to child cancer organizations in NZ and Australia. The NZ organisation is the Child Cancer Foundation, the same place I blogged about here. Now, if that is not yarn you just have to buy I don't know what is! So I got a ball.


Then me and the little DDs headed over to the library. And I got out every knitting book they had. (Not that many funnily enough but all the ones they had, I got!)




Hmmmm knitting books.

Some of them I don't really want to knit anything out of them but I'm looking forward to just using them for inspiration/techniques etc. Sometimes I feel I'm always knitting the same things so I am hoping this will spark a bit motivation to try some new things. One of the books is about knitting socks. Something I thought I would NEVER knit but I keep seeing some pretty darn gorgeous socks on Ravelry and other knitting blogs so I am almost tempted to give it a go.

And Lace Style by Allen&Budd. I was pretty stoked to see that as I have been eyeing up the Retro Redux Shrug on Ravelry (sorry Rav link) and have been feeling more and more lately that I want to knit something for me, something like the grownup knitters make, something not small and not pink.So maybe something lacey????

I'm also hoping this influx of knitting books and gorgeous patterns will help me find some direction with my huge-probablynevercompleteinalifetime list of things I want to make. It feels like I have *alot* of things I want to do, many with yarn already purchased, and I can't seem to see the WIPS for the yarn. I have tons of friends having babies this year so I need to sort out what to do for whom, I need to do some hat samples, I need to do some more longies for princess fatty bum, M5 wants a mini calorimetry, a perdita cuff and a fairy doll, my sister wants some gloves, not to mention I add to my Ravelry queue every day (sigh). Nicky has scared me into being a bit more organised with presents this year so I've cast on for my auntie's present whose birthday is next month as well.

Anyway books = motivation eh? Well let's hope so

On with the day's happenings..... We also went to the local op shop and I scored some needles. I am apparently not a needle snob! I got a MATCHING pair of 3.25mm to tide me over until sewing centre orders me in another set of bamboo ones, plus another couple of sizes that I don't have (and haven't needed yet but you never know). I also got a set of sock sized DPN's , just in case ;)

So all in all a good knitting day considering I haven't actually knitted anything yet.

Later when the kids in bed and I'm having my weekly date with Gordon Ramsay (that's just for you kb) I might just cast on with that Aspire. Stay tuned...