SIOz is at the Fair in Melbourne!

Yup -- the booth is set up and we're settled in for this Thursday through Sunday at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre!

Come by to see the latest yarns!

Glinda, the Good Wool

Merino 8 Natural

So Sari Handpun and Handyed

Swap Buddy! Big Bang Theory Fun

My swap buddy (the theme is The Big Bang Theory) sent me an amazing package and it arrived today in the post from Japan!!!!

 

"Ameria" yarn from Japan! Heaps of Super Mario stickers, Japanese lollies, and ...

 An Amigarumi Enterprise!!!!!

 Super Mario Alarm Clock -- eat your heart out Sheldon!

Another shot of the amazing package!

Oh, I've already devoured the apple-flavoured chewy lollies!!!! :D I love my swappackage!!! It's too cool. And yes, the clock is already set and working :D.

An SWTC KAL and More SIOz 4ply Hand-Paints!

SWTC via Ravelry is hosting an Antique Lace KAL! And Stranded In Oz is happy to be participating! We've stocked some pretty balls of Purlscent and the pattern -- so get your orders in and enjoy the beautifully soft and drapey Purlescent Antique Lace knitting!

We're also happy to say that the Glinda, the Good Wool and Happy Little Mitey Sock are in stock for your knitting. They're both great for socks, gloves, hats, and all sorts of knitting projects that call for 4ply/fingering weight yarn.

Pre-Sydney Craft and Quilt

Hello and Whew! No sooner have I gotten re-organised after the Handknitters SA Exhibition that I'm prepping to go to the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair -- Darling Harbour, June 13-17.

And if you are in the Sydney area, be sure to check the shopblog as there will be a ticket giveaway!

Thank you to the Handknitters Guild SA and to Eric Corbin, their President, for hosting this year's exhibition, a chance for the public to see what the members have been knitting and making with all things yarny!

I've just finished a scarf design for Yarn Magazine -- I realised I hadn't done a scarf in ages -- and it was fun. It's been so cold here in Adelaide that I now wish I had it BACK. Ah well, it'll turn up eventually. And today, for some reason, just the tips of my fingers are freezing. Those fingerless gloves don't do the trick in that case now do they?

Well, last weekend, I had lunch with Vellan, hand-spinner extraordinaire. And I am still puzzling over what to knit with this hank: I dyed the fibre -- it THINK it was a merino and silk -- and this yarn deserves to be a shawl. I just LOVE it so much. Every time I take the hank out I pat it, then put it back. *sigh

Vellan's Handspun from fibre painted by Stranded In Oz

Handknitters Guild SA for Sat, May 26th, 2012

Glinda, The Good Wool in Sister Midnight

We're all set for the Handknitters Guild SA Exhibition. Stranded In Oz will be there on Saturday (tomorrow) with new lots of wool -- the heavier DK especially -- and new sock yarn lots -- in time for winter knitting.

I look forward to this Bi-Annual Event and look forward to catching up with old and making new ones.

Remember: bring in an FO in Stranded In Oz yarn and get a 10% discount on your purchases on the day.

Exhibition: Unley Citizens Centre, Arthur Street, Unley SA
Parking across the road at the shopping centre!

CU there!

Melissa

Next Outing for Stranded In Oz and a Contest

Glinda, the Good Wool, Occupy Oz

Hello and wow -- the month of April just flew by. It's nothing but work from here to way into Spring for me at SIOz central.

For a start, the next public outing (besides the normal Sunday Port Adelaide Fishermen's Wharf Markets) is:

Saturday, May 26th at the Handknitters Guild SA Bi-Annual Exhibition, at the Unley Citizen's Centre, Arthur Street, Unley, just opposite the shopping mall (plenty of parking in there).

I'll be there with new lots of sock yarn, lace yarns, and a variety of fibres and types to inspire Winter knitting and beyond.

 Merino/Alpaca Sherwood Green

For the best updates, join the Stranded In Oz group on Ravelry to keep up with the latest details. The more the merrier!

For May and June, check out the sneak peek at the next Stranded In Oz Contest Prize. Details will be posted on Ravelry and the shop blog in a few days.

A Rivuletto knitter's kit

Planet Organic Tea, from Think Global Clothing and Giftware
100gm of alpaca/silk lace from Glenora Weaving (original yarn used)
HiyaHiya SHARP needle to make your shawl

The kit also includes a copy of the pattern, which is in Yarn Magazine, Issue 25.

Inspiration... Where Do You Go Melissa?

Yeah, I get asked that a lot. If the answer were simple, well... you can figure out the rest...

Anyway -- here's an example of where my brain sometimes goes when I have the sketchbook and needles out...
 
The cape I designed for SWTC, who make the coolest yarns and fibres for us to enjoy...

 a French art deco gate that caught my eye in an architecture book

And the edging that I worked into the border of the shawl... it's a traditional edging from a Barbara Walker book that I messed with...  Getting the curves into the lace stitch is not for the faint of heart, as knitting tends to like edges when it comes to eyelets and motifs. Yeah, I like to push my luck regarding lace designs, as those of you have seen my recent design in Yarn Magazine #25, the Rivuletto shawl...

I really need to re-photograph the Oz Wrap border huh? If you aren't interested in knitting the entire cape (which is worked from the top down) you can make a pretty scarf just by working the border and some additional selvedge stitches.

Sincere thanks to Jonelle Beck who permits (indulges) me to send her some of my more off-centre suggestions. I love the way the finished shawl feels. Note: for those of us who are not that patient, the shawl can be worn straight off the needles.... If you are more discerning, it looks totally different blocked. Stay tuned for more photos of that!

Oh, and wouldn't that imaged scarf look pretty if some of the String Me Along were worked in as a carry-along? Just saying is all...

SWTC String Me Along available from Stranded In Oz