Happy New Year....

.....to you all.

I will not be attending the Nagambie Market New Year's Day but will be back in February with some new stock.
The Market at Girgarre will be on the 2nd Sunday of the month as usual, and Tongala the 4th Sunday of the month. Hope to see some of you there.

Wishing everyone all the best for the New Year, and safe travelling.

I have updated the webstore, and will have some more yarn ready after the weekend. Just keep popping in to check.

Merry Christmas....

...to everyone. Safe traveling to all who are on the roads tomorrow.

For us, it will be pick up Leigh's Mum, head to Echuca meet up with my three girls and families, then in convoy off to Pyramid Hill for Christmas lunch with the whole family(well, as many as can be there). Sister, Wendy and her family remain in Sydney this year, so hope their day goes well. The family includes my parents with their children, partners, grandchildren and partners and great granchildren. Busy!!!! Happy!!!!

Christmas is nearly here...

....and little Mackenzie had a creche concert last Monday.
....Work Tuesday.
....Then Wednesday off to Echuca pick up two daughters and two grandaughters and off to Ballarat to see the great grandparents who are in their late eighties, and are now still living at home even though they have had several stints in Hospital this year. Pa is keeping better health but Nanny is very tired. He is doing very well looking after her with the services they receive. Then back home again, 6 hours travel with 2 hours visiting.
....Thursday was another big day, because we needed to check up on Leigh's mother this week as well while she has been ill.
...and the good news I have another great nephew. My parents now have about 14 (or is it 15) greatgranchildren.
...work today,
...and tomorrow off to the airport to meet Leigh's son who has been teaching in the Czech Republic all this year, so he is having a few days with us, then back to the Gold Coast to spend Christmas with his Mum.

And of course, I have been doing lots of spinning, and washing of fleeces for more spinning. I have a small of amount of Llama fleeces so will look forward to spinning that. I have to get more photos of the dyed fleeces as well and then make up some batts for spinning or to sell.

Big Weekend...

...coming up.

Saturday starts up with a rugmaking workshop with Ann Churches, Kyabram from 10.30.

Tongala is having a market from 4pm to 8pm. Carols by Candlelight will be the feature for this market.

Sunday is, of course, the Girgarre Market.

So, lots of spinning and some sewing to add new products to the stall and to the website.

With all the rain, giving us overflowing tanks, I have been dyeing fleece lots, both white and grey. I also have some natural grey skeins that I purchased and have over dyed. So am now waiting for them to dry before winding into balls.

Rain, rain and more rain...

I cannot remember when we have had so much rain. For grass growing it is great, but for crop farmers, not so good. It is hard to get a happy medium.

Last Sunday was meant to be the Tongala market, and it didn't stop raining till about 5 am. As it was just down the road and the car was packed, we decided to go, and were informed they decided to cancel. Not many people about, except for a few local stall holders popping in to see if it was happening. It was getting colder and the wind was starting to blow up again, so a good excuse to go home again for the rest of us.

Nagambie market is on this Saturday, so am uncertain what the weather has in store for us. Fingers crossed!

I continue to card more wool for spinning. I also am spinning some white Suri fleece which was exceptionally long, so not quite so easy.

I have listed all my products on the website, and will have a couple more to add before the weekend.

Website open..

.......so I am going to give myself a plug here. My online store is open so feel free to check it out at http://www.colleenscraftsstore.com/

I have worked on this for the last 3 weeks so I hope it looks as good to you as to me. I will be updating often, also hope to make improvements as needed.

At least I can now get back to normal and finish off making the studio workable. Woollen goods will not be as saleable over our Australian summer so will have to add a few more products from other materials. Only a few more markets before Christmas.

On Sunday was a trip to Wangaratta where we baled 157.5kg of coloured wool into one bale,

which was a bit of an achievement. And this done using the older hand press.

I also now have a lovely supply of commercially machine knitted jumpers from our coloured wool, which I have added to the website.

I think....

...that the website production is taking over, but I have given myself a deadline by the end of the month if not before. And I was able to do something new today, which I had been looking for.

I have also been cleaning up the vegie patch, and I don't have a previous photo, but when it is done it will look so much better. Pretty bad with metre high weeds, almost couldn't find the mandarine tree.

We had hay done a couple of weeks ago, so here are a couple of pictures.