Greetings from the US

I know most of the people who follow my blog are the ladies in my Stitch n Bitch group in Melbourne. So, here's an update mostly for the gals on Greville Rd (and anyone else who happens to be reading).

Overall Dad's surgery went well and they got all the cancer when they removed his prostate and 25% of his colon. There were a few setbacks on the colon bit and he had to have 2 additional surgeries and ended up spending 15 days in the hospital instead of 4. :( But, he got to come home on Christmas Day - it was the best Christmas pressie ever! He is improving everyday, but is still weak and gets tired easily, plus his incision is still healing. He lost about 5.5kg (12 lbs for you US folks) so we are trying to "fatten him up" as he really couldn't afford to lose that much weight. :) I am staying here to help my parents a while longer, so I won't be back in Australia on 11 Jan as planned. I will probably be home by the end of the month though. I don't have my yarn for the Summer Knitting Challenge with me, so I must either think of a pattern I can knit up quickly when I return or not enter. :( I did get my dad's scarf finished though. I don't have a picture of him wearing it yet, but here's the completed scarf:


I also have been able to go stash shopping. Here's a picture of what all I have acquired while in the US. (Okay, some of this was Christmas presents...)
As you can see I have had a bit too much fun. What can I say, a lot of these brands I can't get in Australia, and book/magazine prices are much cheaper here in the US. Plus the LYS here in Winchester is having a "going out of business" sale! (30-50% off everything!) Who could resist that! ;)

Okay, here is what new things I have:

Yarn:
* Caron Simply Soft & Simply Soft Brites (5 balls, each a different colour)
* Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted: 8 balls (6 of one colour, 2 of another)
* One ball each of Plymouth Sockin' Sox, Encore Colorspun, and Galway Paints
* Crystal Palace Panda Cotton Prints (one ball)

Patterns, Books. Booklets, Magazines, etc:
* 2009 Knitting Pattern a Day Calendar
* The Best of Maggie Weldon Crochet Afghans
* Knit along with Debbie Macomber: The Shop on Blossom Steet
* Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines
* Teach Yourself Visually: Crocheting
* Knitting Circles around Socks
* More Sensational Knitted Socks
* Knits, Knots, Buttons and Bows
* Quick and Easy Q-Hook Afghans (an American "Q" crochet hook is 15mm-16mm)
* Fiber Trends The Sheep Tote
* Crochet Today! Jan/Feb 2009 Issue
* Free-Ranger Knitter (The Yarn Harlot's latest book)
* Hooked on Murder (a Crochet mystery novel)
* A Killer Stitch (a Knitting mystery novel) (not in picture)

Needles, Hooks, and Notions:
* Ball Winder
* "Kooly the Koala" Kritter Craft Case
* Crochet hooks in sizes Q (16mm), P (11.5mm), J (6mm), and D (3.25mm)
* DPN work in progress tubes
* Size 2 (2.75mm) straight needles
* Set of sock DPNs in sizes 000-1 (1.5mm-2.25mm) (not in picture)

I also got a couple of cross-stitch and quilting magazines and books as well. :)