Girl on the Rocks » australia | Girl on the Rocks

The good, the bad, and the beach

karrie — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 04:04:23 +0000

By 10 o’clock this morning, I had already used up all of my patience for the day – at the post office. That place just sucks the life outta me. But i was rewarded! I picked up my final package from my secret pal, who turns out to be Knitting in the Shadows!

The yarn is beautiful 100% Merino Superwash from Gypsy Girl Creations in the color “Happy Halloween” (yarn close up here). I also got some brittany birch needles to knit up the yarn, a calculator/box (that the needles fit in!), a halloween night light, and a knitting notion that I can’t quite figure out… Oh, and a chocolate bar that barely made it out of the post office – it was delicious.

And there has been some knitting going on here. On the plane back from Australia, I started a sock with my STR from stitches west (last year). But, it was way too big, so i ripped back the toes increases and adjusted the width. Now i think the pattern is just not working with the yarn. Here is the lacy top of the sock

And here is the bottom

I like this side a lot better.

also note that the sock has been modelled on top of the sock that I was wearing today which is making me think that it is still too big. And I have accidentally used the strand of yarn on teh outside of my center-pull ball. I think I need a redo. So by the time you read this, i will probably be ripping this sock out.

And as to no tend the post on a tone of frustration, I leave you with a video clip from my vacation.

Thrifting Down Under

karrie — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 05:32:28 +0000

Sarah and Carmen and I took a drive on the Great Ocean Road. It was beautiful and scenic, as expected. Somehow, I dont have any pictures of it. Oh right, I forgot my camera. Sarah did get some snaps of the ‘Twelve Apostles,’ the natural wonder that was our destination…

As I was still need of a bathing suit for later in my vacation I kept dragging everyone into every surf shop we passed. While in Lorne we ran into a small, chucrh-run thrift store, where i found thrifting gold. I can only guess that “Doona” means comforter in australian… I got two twin sized Doona covers covered in australian marsiupials for $6 AUD.

only have crappy pic right now, better ones to come

An Echidna

A koala

And I also snagged a couple of yards of cotton canvas that has blue flowers all over it for $1AUD

Headed down under

karrie — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 16:27:21 +0000

Tonight I take off for a conference in Australia. One of the most exciting things about the trip (for me) will be the long plane ride. Time for knitting (about 15 hours, in fact)! My ipod and computer batteries can only last so long, and after that it’s me and sticks and yarn. What knitting should i take? I am thinking that the portablilty of socks cannot be beat…. and in case i haven’t complained about it yet, I am really bored witht the poppysocks. I shouldn’t have used the same sock pattern for two pairs in a row. I am thinking about balling up the gorgeous yarn from my dye-o-rama pal. I will make some lacy toe-up socks from a pattern by ‘My Fashionable Life’ that I bought a while ago. I will use my new knitpicks circs (first time) which i hope will make it through airplane security. I’ll have to bring some bamboo DPN’s just in case. I am pretty sure that there is enough of this yarn that i could also squeeze out a pair of baby socks too. that’s the plan, anyway.

Did you know that australia doesn’t allow knitting needles on domestic flights at all. For people that are so into sheep, i find this a little surprising. Since I have to change planes in australia i am figuring that i will have to check my knitting stuff…. we’ll see.

So, internet knitting friends, any suggestions as to places i must go in Melbourne and Sydney? Any awesome knitting stores?