Is this still on...?

Hello? Anyone there? Oh well...

I'm happy to report that I am finishing things! I had a period before my winter vacation when I felt like I never finished anything and started project after project after project. I only knit on two projects during my five vacation weeks and got used to that (who knew, dedicated knitting on a single project will see it finished rather quickly) Now I feel really disciplined (most days) and try to work on just a few projects to actually finish them. So far it's been going well. I've finished two pairs of wristwarmers and two shawls since coming home mid-January. OK, so one shawl just needed blocking and one set of wristwarmers just had a million ends to weave in plus a severe need of blocking to make them the same size :-o

Entrelac wristwarmers

Cheques shawl/scarf

(I just realised that I have forgotten to take finished pictures of the two other projects, bad me!)

I have also been knitting along on Dad's sweater, which I'm rather bored with now. It's a top down raglan, the body is all done and I'm almost done with the first sleeve. So not too much left there, I just need to get going and Do It. I probably won't be finished with it when he comes back from his (much longer than ours) vacation in two weeks time though.

Speaking of sweaters, I have decided that I personally need more pullovers and cardigans. Consequently I have cast on four new shawls (shut up! one is a class sample and it's already finished except for blocking, so there) My Mothed is coming along fine though. I have just started the bottom edging. I decided that I don't want a rolled edge at the bottom so I'm doing the neck edge there too as I love the look of the neck. Then it's on to the sleeves!

Mothed

While I didn't find a single open yarnstore in Australia I still managed to come home with yarn for at least three sweaters. I cheated and ordered from Bendigo Woollen Mills... I have bought yarn from them before, and knit two sweaters from it. Now I got their Classic 8-ply in a dark grey for a cabled pullover I think, possible of Alice Starmore persuasion (have you seen her Aran book?! I love it!), the Classic 5-ply in a deep red and in a silver grey. The red will probably become a Leaving cardigan, I have no definite plans for the silver grey. Of course I still plan to knit something hysterical and stranded with my Rainbow Kauni yarn. So I have all the resources I need for knitting sweaters!

Red yarn

I love to knit while listening to podcasts or watching videos. My favorite podcasts right now are Electric Sheep and The Knitmore Girls. I listen to others but these are the best I think. I also watch a couple of vidoe podcasts that I really recommend: Round The Twist and The Knitgrllls. All can be found on iTunes. I happened to buy myself an iPad for Christmas while we where away (better prices in Australia that at home) so when the kids are in bed at night and DH watch boring TV shows I curl up in my studio and watch knitting stuff on my iPad and knit away. Or I watch my favorite episodes of Firefly! The iPad is really neat, I put my pattern pdf's there so I don't have to print them and I use GoodReader to mark where I am in the pattern and on charts and stuff. Really great! There are also a couple of knitting magazines available for download on Zinio and the iPad works really well for reading them.