SIOz back on the Road for Melbourne Craft and Quilt Fair

Yup, just as I headed back to Adelaide -- chucked laundry in machine, patted needy pooch, nursed hubby who has a nasty cold, it dawned on me that I have to go back to Melbourne in a week. Wheeee. Thank you to all the incredibly talented people who came by the booth at the Sheep Show. I love to see what you are making!

YAY! For you Melbourne/Victorian Stranded In Oz enthusiasts, I have 4 FREE TICKETS to the Craft and Quilt Show to give away. First emailed, first won, so email melissa AT strandedinoz DOT com and if you're quick, you may win a $16.00 ticket! That's a damned fine savings. Means more $$ to spend on cool craft gear at the show, right? Update: They're gone!

This Sunday at the Port Markets: more hanks of Dye! My Pretties :-). The BSWS response was incredibly positive re this yarn. Thank you everyone who purchased it. I hope you enjoy knitting with it as much as I did painting it!

I'll be posting a show preview early next week.

Since I'm on another dye schedule, I'll keep this entry brief.

Knit in good health and happiness, Melissa

Show Dates and News from Stranded In Oz

Glinda, the Good Wool from Stranded In Oz

Wow -- it really is that time of year! I'm just now coming out of the rainbow fog that is show dyeing. Thanks so much to everyone who's come by on Sundays to help keep me going. Your encouragement and enthusiasm keep me going.

So much news, and so little time! Here are some SIOz highlights:

Check out the new information regarding Socks a la Carte III: Colourwork
This is a really cool series of books for sock knitting enthusiasts and you won't want to miss this volume. Click on the link above and see what I mean! I had a lot of fun contributing to this book from Jonelle Beck and Kat Cade, along with all the other fab contributors. Go on and pre-order yours today.

CLUB MEMBERS: one lucky Stranded In Oz knitting club member, subscribed from August through December will win a copy of this book!

SHOWS: I'll be at Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show July 15, 16, 17 -- orders placed online or via email will be filled upon my return to Adelaide after the 20th. If it's an urgent request, ring the landline listed on the website and Richard will help you.

Melbourne Craft and Quilt: July 29, 30, 31 at the Melb Exhibition Centre -- where I'll be there with all the new yarns and fun things for knitters and crocheters to play with.

The Fleece and Fibre Fair -- Mt. Pleasant, SA Saturday, Aug 15th. A lovely day out in the Hills with the amazing people from SACSOS.

I'll be doing my utmost to try to keep this blog up to date, but please forgive me if I get behind. As always, I will check my email and mobile for messages.

Knit, spin, crochet, felt in good health and happiness.
Melissa

in between lots...

G'day from Dyer's Central in Queenstown, Port Adelaide. Today is a Sherwood Forest day. For SIOz fanatics, this is a good day.

There are a few colour groups that I repeat, and the Robin Hood colours are some of the more popular combinations. Sherwood Forest -- I can't even remember who or why it was named that, but it stuck. Depending on the season, and my eye on the day, the colourway varies a bit, but it's always SF.

I am always interested in hearing opinions on hand-painted yarns -- should the colourways vary? Should they be consistent? Since I'm an independent dyer, I take every opportunity to paint the best yarn I can, so for me, that means changing and improving on what I do.

My friend V says it's like hearing someone play music live -- you get the interpretation that night. So, I guess I do jazz yarn... doobie doobie dooooooooooooo.

This week, besides SF, I'll be mixing the faved McLaren Vale (traditional style) as well as some decidedly wilder blends.

Back to the dye mixing... see shopblog for this week's yarn updates, which include restocks of some Namaste bags and accessories.

We're Packing for Bendigo Sheep and Wool

Nepal Singles shown in Sherwood Forest

Hello and thank you to everyone sending messages. CU all at Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show. SIOz will be in Osborne #33 . I'll be featuring show only specials, like the fabulous tiny boucles that sold last year. They're in limited supply, so get in early for those. Back? The outrageous hanks of teensy weensy loop boucle mohair. 1 hank is enough for an enormous shawl!

Bendigo Show features: sock wool and a large assortment of 8ply wool, including my popular winter floral range. 

Bendigo Show Bags: they're free with a $40 purchase and supplies are limited PER DAY. This is so my Melbourne customers coming up for the day have a chance to score a goodie bag.  I've been told that $40 is too low a price (my friends, they look out for me), but hey -- I don't think so. It's just my way of saying thank you to the early birds.

While I'm at shows, look out for Eric Corbin, an Adelaide textile arts student at Marden, who will be selling my yarn and supplies at the Port Adelaide Fishermen's Wharf Markets. Eric will be selling his knitted and felted creations as well. They're quite different from my own work and it's a chance for you to see more from another Adelaidian.

For all my customers, should you have requests for yarn, fibres, patterns, etc... I will remain online, regardless of where I am. Orders will go out as normal. If you ring my number, Richard, my order and IT guru (he's working on the webpage), can answer your queries and take your orders.

Kollage needles: the order is going in next week, so do let me know if you have a needle size requirement.

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock Stitch Markers made for 

strandedinoz by quiltr2 for BBT Swap 2009!

A big thank you to my Raverly swap buddy quiltr2, who made the above set of stitch markers FOR ME! We're in the Big Bang Theory Swap and I just LOVE these. Aren't they clever? Sheldon fans, unite!

CU at the Shows and Market!

Gone Bananas --- Again

That's right -- the fibre addicts at Bendigo ate all the banana... silk. So here are photos of the latest batches. I'm so taken with the depth of colours that I hate to part with it. The sun came out at just the right time to cure it to perfection.

Metalic Red Banana Silk

Leafy, Mid-Green and Magenta Banana Silks

Purple Banana Silk

There's Aloo dyed to match each colourway if you want to make a Banana Smoothie, but get in quick, as I've got orders for this week. Next week, the return of Cookie Monster/Beast Blue, Dark Foresty Teal, and a new WILD PINK!

THANK YOU!

Thank you to everyone who came by my stall at Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show this last weekend. It was great to meet you all. Below you will find my stall "sign". Necessity!

And my apologies to all who missed out on the wool sock yarn and banana palm silk/banana smoothie kits. I have ordered more sock wool (more of the good stuff people!) and the silk is drying on the racks as I type. If you are seeking sock wool, email your colour suggestions to: strandedinoz at gmail dot com early this week.



This week's banana palm silk colours: mid-green (a bit Kermity!), reddish purple (deep beetrooty), and a deeeep red, because I get so many requests for it.

There's another batch of soy on the way, this time in a wild purple mix (by request).

Smoothie kits are $35.00 ($30.oo if you say you already have the latest issue of YARN). $5.00 postage within Oz, (sans insurance).

The Kollage Square Needles are SOLD OUT. If you would like to try a pair, please let me know by the end of the week, when I am putting in my new order.

And a special thank you to the people who came 'round to give me a loo break, a sanger, or a cup of java, especially Judith, Kate, and Vellan. That was ace.

Mel, still stranded!

Can't talk now -- must PACK

SIOz and friends will be at the Australian Sheep and Wool show until Monday, July 21st.
Where: Osborne #33
To check out other details, go to :

Sheep Show

See previous bloggage for info on what I've got in the stash for Bendigo. Unreal: just got a box of the newest, gorgeousest wool -- the first few customers will be the first to get a new, hot off the printer pattern from me, Mel. Come by early. Hey! NO PEEKING.

See you soon, Mel

New SIOz pattern exclusively from SWTC

Good Monday to you. And thank you to the fab knitters and crocheters who came by to the market yest. And a double thanks to the enthusiastic Priscilla, the Tofutsies Club demon. I must admit a soft spot in my heart for fellow sock knitters.

The Nepalese lace yarn supply is getting depleted -- see previous entry re my ode to its lovely qualities. There's some more drying today that's been reserved for Bendigo. I swear I will not stash any!

POSH in Jezebel

New Pattern:  the very pink POSH scarf in Jezebel is available from SWTC via their Shopatron links. Go to their webpage and click on BUY NOW. It's listed under patterns, Jezebel - Jezebel is their new hand-dyed, semi-solid colour range of Uruguayan 2ply wool. I must admit this yarn makes my heart SING, as I love South American kettle-dyed yarn. The enviro issues relating to importing wool to Australia (coal to Newcastle) are many. HOWEVER, it is spun from non-mulesed sheep and the income generated for the Uruguayan economy make this yarn very special indeed. Since I work from the US as well Australia, some of my designs are in their market. Don't think I don't love being Australian --  best thing I ever did was make Oz my home. But I do work in the US of A (though I admit I shake my head a lot when I visit) and yes, it makes my mum happy when I work from the motherland. 

How do you know you are Aussie? When the Athens olympics were on, I was screaming for the Australian swimmers - not a conscious impulse. My partner, Richard, just laughed and laughed.

See you at the big SHOW or, say hello to my partner, Richard, at the Port Market on Sunday. He's the one who looks like Shrek.

m, still stranded

Yarn Hot Shots and Bendigo Show

Tofutsies Heaven:

I've been advised I'm too slack at posting yarn photos, so here are some for the week.

Above is an enticing display of Tofutsies -- go on, you know you want some!

A semi-decent shot of the green/blue/browns in 5ply wool. Love this colourway. The blue/greens, blue/reds and gelati-coloured wools are all NZ dk unplied hand-paints.

The wool from the dyeworks is drying, with another lot ready for processing. Look out for the wild wool this week -- I did serendipity/dyer's choice skeins this week. Some coloursways will not be repeatable in their present state, so get in early if there's something that strikes your fancy.

Included in this week's selection: a rare hank of mini-boucle mohair (at present, I am unable to order more), a very cool wool boucle lace yarn, some premium quality 80/20 sock wool from my fav. small Pennsylvania mill, and some dyer's choice hemp and wool.

The rest of the latest shipment of Nepalese lace yarn has been dyed in some outrageous colourways. My fave: light shades of teal, green, brown, and reddish purple.

Below is a shot of the winter soy colours -- outrageous red is sold out, but more is on the way.

For those of you headed to Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show, please come by and say hello. SIOz will be in Osborne #33.

In addition to the pile of yarn hanks, I will also have Kollage Square Needles -- the first lot arrived last week. These needles are great for people who have arthritis or pain in their hands from knitting.



I will be posting pre-show information next week on the webpage.

Below right, you'll find Judith Avery's version of the Hailstone Jumper from Yarn Magazine. I dyed semi-solids in natural 8ply for the project. Didn't she make the cutest jumper for her grandson, Angus? And isn't Angus a great name for a grandson?

mel, still stranded