Been down to Bendy

After another sleep deprived night of nursing a feverish toddler girl (but ahh goodness, how sweet it was to have a little hand on my cheek and whispers of “dear mum-mum, I love you mum-mum” even if it was 4am) I was up and at it and down at Suzette’s by 8.30am to catch a lift with the lovely Cindie all the way to Bendigo for the Australian Sheep and Wool Show.
Although there were promises of rain and hail and snow and so on, it was actually sunny for periods and despite a freezing cold wind it was really kind of pleasant. We looked through the sheds of woolcraft exhibitions and admired and marveled at some of the work on display. We meandered through the commercial sheds where we were tempted (and some of us were seduced) by brilliant yarns and where we bumped into other Stitch ‘n Bitches who were happily wandering. We watched a fashion parade which veered from the hilarious and horrible to the utterly stunning and we sat amongst the fellas in their akubras and the women in their knits in the luncheon shed eating our sandwiches while all around us plates of hot shepherds pie were being devoured.

At 2 we made a mad dash to get to the Bendigo Woollen Mills before closing time and after getting lost a couple of times we got there with only a short time to rummage in the back room before being kicked out (almost quite literally – I enjoy their mail order facility and think I will keep it as that kind of relationship!) and heading home for Melbourne. I got home to find all is well and Amelia is much better for a quiet day at home with Dad-dad, Nanan and Pa-pu.

And after all that I didn’t buy a thing! I had hoped to find Marta’s Yarns there and perhaps even Nundle but didn’t so that was too bad, but I consider the journey a happy research mission regardless. I got to see how beautifully Bendigo Woollen Mill’s alpaca knits up, and I fell in love with Colinette Point 5 which I can order online, and I am newly inspired to get back into those projects which I have put down and not picked up in a while.