It's funny how a trip to the market gives you a Virus... shawl.

After my little jaunt up north to the Handmade Market in Canberra, I had a hankering for more marketness.

The Google told me there was a local handmade market happening the following weekend locally in the cosy suburb of Seddon.

I found the aforemention market on the Instabrag and instantly started drooling over THINGS.

You know, the problem is, whenever I've got a case of the Spends, I spend. It doesn't really happen to me that often because I loathe and avoid shopping malls. But if there's a craft market, farmers market or similar, I go a bit nuts and spend dollars. Lots of them. I did it in Canberra. And I'm sad to say (for my bank balance) that I headed eagerly to this little market ready to do the same. Ssssh! Don't tell my bank account. It will start to cry again. Srsly.

This little Seddon market is a quarterly one called the Maribyrnong Makers Market. It is held in a cute little church yard on the corner of this street and another. Yes. That's a bit vague isn't it? I am still a Melbourne newbie after 5 years and I rely heavily on the Google Maps to tell me to go to that place in 300 metres, then I've reached my destination.

This has caused me some issues in the past when it has told me to turn the wrong way into one way streets and pissed off certain truck drivers who were driving the right way so we had a little bit of a Mexican standoff. Except a kind of vehicular standoff between a large delivery van and a blue Nissan X-Trail with a very apologetic, embarrassed Amazona muttering extremely bad words in her mind (for more confessions of my potty mouth, read here). Which she was accidentally saying out loud. To her captive 7 year old audience. Who would then remind her while she was trying to be the Stig, precision driving reverse down a narrow one way street in front of an irate truckie that Mum shouldn't say THAT word. The F word, the B word and the A word is rude and maybe Mum shouldn't have driven THIS way and WHY did she drive the wrong way? And the man in the truck is not an AW word because he's not the one letting the Google send him the wrong way up a one way street.

But I digress. Markets. It's on Gamon Street BTW where I discovered to my Saturday morning market delight, a coffee cart/ car/ truck thingo parked right out front. Because #coffee #morning #caffeineaddict #onlyhadtwobeforeicame .

And all of the wonderous market delights. Candles, terrarium thingos, an impressive, mustachioed hipster selling Tweed Tamoshanters, mulled cider (with many more mustachioed hipsters crowding around that stall)...

and then I found yarn.

Danielle from Raxor Yarns makes funky Octopi!

Yes. Yarn. Of course I did. I have a nose for these things without even realizing it.  A yarn stall with yarny delights filled with yarny things I never even dreamed existed in this life or the next!

Like yarn made from Charcoal AND Bamboo. Together! In long glorious hanks.

And YAK mixed with SILK!?!?!?!? If I knew how to spin and had a spinning wheel, I'd have a serious yarngasm right then and there. Like Meg Ryan in the café. I sort of did internally. I tried to keep it in but may have squeaked a little awkwardly.

And camel, Shetland & seacell (which is apparently seaweed or something). I'm telling you, if this lady had a hank of kangaroo & koala down, I'd be all like "Shut Up and TAKE MY MONEY!"

There was also this really interesting yarn called North, um, northumberdumbledorean, hang on. Here's the photo...

That's the one. North Ronaldweasley. I felt it. And said loudly like a total newb, "Ermagerd! It's so coarse!"

And a delightful lass sitting right there spinning merino at a spinning wheel told me it was because they only eat seaweed. Little dwarfy sheep eating seaweed in North Ronaldweasley with Scottish accents make this yarn!
And they look like this:

In Scottish accents: "Baaaaa. Taste like sushi without the rice. And fish. And Soy sauce. Baaaaaaa."
photo courtesy of http://www.countrylife.co.uk/country-pursuits/saving-seaside-scottish-sheep-84793

And the lovely lass spinning merino like a pro was Danielle, the stall holder of Raxor Yarns....

We chatted, became Instabrag buddies and I was a total yarn perve as I felt and fondled all her hanks and skeins.

I spent quite a bit of time drooling over and fondling the silks.....

Now, several weeks later, I still also want the soft pink, the mango and the green. And the lavender. And the peach.

And after all of the fondling and perving I said, "Shut up and take mah money!"

Actually no. I said, "Oh, this blue is just lovely. I think I'll buy this one. Thank you ever so much."

And then realized I had just spent dollars on silk, which is not cheap. Which meant I really, really should make SOMETHING with it.

Have you ever touched silk like this? It is sooooo soft! Like puppies and kittens soft.

So I went home and Pinterested with a cup of coffee or three and decided to make a Virus Shawl.

Ok so this photo kills a couple of birds with one stone, for you can also see some cute pom poms on a string AND some yummy Maple nougat which I also bought at the market!
And the beginnings of my Shawl!

 After a few days of Virusing, I used the whole 100gmish skein.

And I realized it wasn't big enough. So I Instabragged a message to Danielle and after a delightfully easy exchange of Paypal and Post I had another one within a couple of days!
So I kept going.

And today I finished!
With literally 10cm of silk left. How's that for awesome?

Sooooo my new Samsung phone has a wonderful thing in the camera which smooths out my wrinkles. But it seems I must have so many because while every thing else in the photo is in focus, my face looks slightly out of focus?

 

 

And while trying to take a selfie in the dining room, Sonofagun No.2 decided to try and photobomb...

This type of photo is more like us!

 



He has my eyes. So proud!

The silk scarfy shawl thing is so soft and warm. I love it. I do wish I could have found a pattern which could have done more justice to the yarn, but I can hardly wait to wear this out somewhere.

In a couple of weeks I've decided to take a trip up to Bendigo to check out the Australian Sheep & Wool Show. Apparently it's Christmas for crocheters and knitters and anyone who likes doing stuff with yarn or sheep. I better start apologizing to my bank account....

xox

Louise

The Red Haired Amazona