I'm reduced to this

Well it seems that I'm not the best blogger around. But it's not my fault. We had two computers at home and both of them worked.

In walks my husband to FIX them!!!!!!

I now have two computers at home that are totally USELESS!!!

I have exciting news.....and pictures that I'm just dying to share.....but I'm limited to updating my blog at the library.....so we'll all just have to wait.

So until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic

KIP Day...a late entry

Okay I know that I should be keeping up with this even if no one is reading. I suppose that I started this more for myself than anyone else.

DH started playing with the computer. Trying to put all the old files onto the new computer and ending up with a hard drive crashing and precious photos being lost. Sigh... I've never truly trusted these stupid boxes.

June 9th

Where were we???? Ah yes....Knitting in Public
In all honesty, I didn't get a chance to do that, unless you count knitting at the movies. My baby turned 6 and had his birthday party at the movie theatre. It was a blast although bringing five 6 year-olds and a 7 year old to the movies is not the way to enjoy a film.

Let me think back to my visit to Aus and I'll tell you a tale.
I got on the bus and was headed to Philip to check out Addicted 2 Fabric and Bead Street. I pulled out my knitting as I always did and proceeded to work on Stripes. A few stops down the road a shabbily dressed young man gets on the bus with a three foot long skate board. He had short curly blond hair with three long dreadlocks originating from the side of his head. "Hmmm" thinks I, "What an interesting looking character." Then he blew me away.

Out of his worn satchel, he pulls out his knitting. He was knitting something in garter stitch which could have been the start of a scarf. He was using a chunky (12 ply) yarn and knitting a very tight gauge (I could tell that the needles he was using were smaller than what chunky yarn usually calls for). It took him three tries to start his row but he was a proficient knitter once he got started. I was fascinated. Talk about breaking any stereotypes about knitters. I say this because apart from the SnB meeting I went to, he was the only one I ever saw knitting in public. (Aside from myself that is)

This happened during my first week in Canberra and I thought no more about it until the next week when I'm walking through City Walk coming from the supermarket. There sitting on a bench, chatting with a mate, was this knitting in public guy. This time he was working on something with in a green variegated yarn. And yes he had the skateboard with him.

Now if I were the Yarn Harlot I would have gone up to him and taken his picture with one of the socks. But alas, I am not. But I must say that the internal conflict in me as I walked back to my hotel was horrendous. Why should I take his picture when I've got no where to publish it???? What do I say????? How do I convince him??????

I've since thought of a clever cover story if the need ever presents itself again.

It looks like that time again. Yesterday I picked up my order of dye yourself yarn and today all the kids are at school. So it's play time for me.
Yours in Yarn,

The Fibreholic

Aussie Road Trip

How Lucky Can a Gal Get?????

It's Monday evening and DH and I had just finished supper, (We had a kitchenette in the hotel room) and were planning to head off to the movies.

We went to see "Mr. Bean's Holiday". Okay so we like weird humour! For a moment we thought that we'd be the only two in the theatre, which is good as I'm always afraid of getting kicked out of places for laughing too loud. But wait... in comes another couple carrying bicycle parts.

Oh wait... I digress.... Taph calls before we leave for the movie and offers to take me on a road trip throughout the countryside. My answer.... a resounding "YES".

Hmm so either the movie was actually funny or I was in such a good mood that anything could have been funny.

Thursday comes and we are off to explore and shop, get to see new sites and shop, visit new places and shop....again, I digress. First stop Goulburn. Now on my map in small red print under the name of Goulburn are the words "Big Merino".

He is affectionately referred to as "Rocky" and I don't think that Big quite covers it. After the photo shoot we head off to another town and stop at a coffee shop for refreshments. I should at this time point out that I don't have a map and am solely relying on my friend for navigation and transport. But more importantly, I'm still trying to get used to being in the left hand front seat without a steering wheel in front of me and being able to knit. That being said, I'll admit to not being able to remember the name of the second small town.

Next stop, Boorowa to visit Boorowa Wools. The store is only opened on Fridays and Saturdays. This is not turning out to be the shopping trip I had hoped for. But no matter......on to the Boorowa court House Arts & Crafts Co-op for a look around. They had turned an old courthouse into a craft shop...very neat....

On to Which Craft for a spot of lunch in the lovely town of Murrumburrah. I finally got to spend some money there. I bought some red Alpaca for bed socks and some quilting fabric. One piece has a aboriginal print and the other is a print of an Aussie map with Holdens all over it in different colours.

But wait .....let's not forget that this is a trip through the countryside. What this road trip needs is a little scenery.

LOOK STASH ON THE HOOF!!!!!

Did I mention that my camera doesn't do zoom either??????

Okay my last picture for the day....we came across a poor and pitiful creature badly in need of mojo. So out came the Sock.

HMMM come to think of it...no wonder they complained to the TSA about me. Actually I'm surprised they are still speaking to me.

Well gotta run

Yours in Yarn,

The Fibreholic

St Distaff's Day

St. Distaff's Day is a fictional holiday. Actually it didn't start out as a holiday at all. It was more of a call to get back to work after the 12 days of Christmas. It was also aimed at women.....but for fear of ranting I won't go any furthur.

So what are the crafty people of the modern age to do?

How do we honour the fictional patron saint of weavers and spinners?

Hold a crafting day of course!!!!!

So here in the Ottawa valley, each year, one of the local groups will take up the task to host this event. This year I was lucky as the location was only 20 minutes from my place. Vendors are invited to attend to give us reason to be separated from our money, and there are workshops to learn new things. I took a workshop on making Victorian buttons. "Victorian needle woven button on fabric covered mold with decorative thread work."

Okay so it's not the greatest picture. The camera is not the best for close up shots....but you get the idea. This was how buttons were made in the 1860's. Our instructor, Margot Dixon, is a knitter, weaver, spinner, all round enthusiastic woman ...... etc and is the dress maker at Upper Canada Village. She also organizes the yearly Spin-In held in Chesterville. (An event I never miss.) Unlike the Australian Heritage Village (don't ask), the UCV is a thriving National Park set in the 1860's depicting life in this part of Canada during that time.

Looks like Stripes found her way into the picture with Margot.

On a sad note I was to take fabric painting in the afternoon but had to rush off to work to teach the second half of my Toe-Up Sock class. All in all it was a good day and I exercised a great deal of self control in my spending. In truth there wasn't much to tempt me.

I'd better run......there is knitting and quilting to be done!!!!!

Yours in Yarn

The Fibreholic