Not much has changed....

 The cold winter weather continues here in Timaru, with a -4 C frost this morning. There are some spots around town that do not see the sun at this time of year and the frost gets a little thicker each night.  Those areas that do get the sun sparkle very prettily for a few hours until it burns off. I put food out for the birds each day. Big pink fat balls with berries and bugs embedded in them. It is nice to see and hear the birds as they line up to await their turn on the feeder.

Work also continues. But it has it's benefits. A recent admission came bearing gifts. She was a knitter, sadly she now has dementia and can no longer knit. So her family donated all of her stash. A lot had to be thrown away as it was pure wool and had perished. What remained was offered to staff members. I was lucky enough to score nine skeins of a off white yarn. In Super fine kid mohair and merino.

I checked this stuff out, it was made here in NZ and at almost $50 per 100g skein not cheap. I'm not sure what condition it is in, it smells a little funky and I didn't open any of the skeins yet.

I also scored two pretty blue green skeins from the same company. This one is also Kid mohair and Merino mix. It is still available and goes for a similar price. When I opened the skeins to roll them into balls, I didn't have any problems and made a start knitting right away.

One skein, one scarf.

I started out doing a big 2x2 rib, but didn't like how that was going so it got ripped out and I went with a simple garter stitch on great big needles. Like the off white it smelled a little odd when I first started, but the smell has almost gone now and I'm sure that after a soak in a woolly washing product it should be just fine. 

I've also made a start on the second skein, another garter stitch scarf.

Considering I wasn't going to start anything new until I had cleared a few things off the list......

Not doing very well am I?

My ripple blanket has managed to grow a little. Here's a peep at that.

I missed out on a big bag of odds and ends that would have been perfect for this, but the colleague who did score them is planning to make a scrappy blanket to donate back to work, which is nice.

I went along to club on Saturday, but didn't stay all day as I had a headache. I did manage to get pictures of the show and tell though. Last month one of the ladies did a quick class/demonstration making a felt door stop. Here is a look at some of the finished items.

I plan to make one of these at some stage. I really like Angela's, that is the blue and pink one, with the rondels. But I think I'll go pin cushion rather than door stop. 

And that is my news. I spent the day doing mostly chores yesterday, so today and tomorrow are my own, I might sit and knit. But first I want to open up those off white skeins and hang them somewhere to let them air a little. Outside in the frosty sunshine might be a good start, then I could hang in a dark corner in the garage if it needs longer. I think I need to knit or crochet with it before I try washing it.