Post Christmas Shopping Odyssey

I have resisted the Post Christmas Sales (well so far anyway), but how could I resist a 'girls' afternoon visiting some of my favorite fabric and yarn shops around Melbourne?

I met my friend Felicity at Sunspun (they specialise in Kaffe Fasset fabric, Rowan and Debbie Bliss yarns and other delightful things). After about an hour of imagining all kinds of future projects, we both made our choices. Felicity was very restrained and bought Rowan buttons for the Jo Sharp cardigan she is knitting - beautiful and sensible. I was less restrained and bought:

• the Rowan 'Cork' book that was heavily discounted because the yarn is being discontinued ( I have always wanted to knit the long cable jacket and sleeveless sweater and there is a great guy jumper 'Cal' that would look fantastic on Robert);
• 2 balls of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (I now have 3 and cannot decide whether to make a baby jumper, socks for me or see if I can find more of the same dyelot and make something else???); and
• 1 ball of Rowan Cotton Glaze (I now have enough to make one of the Debbie Bliss baby smocks - or I could buy another 10 balls and make the Guernsey with Bobble Edging from Debbie Bliss' "The Family Collection"??? More decisions!)

We then went and had delicious sandwiches at a cafe in Mailling Road (turkey, brie, semi sundried tomatoes and salad greens), followed by a quick visit to the patchwork shop around the corner where I bought some 50s looking fabric, out of which I think I will make a washing bag? and some more blue fabric for my blue quilt (it's still in the fabric collection stage).

Then we were off to Patchwork-on-Central - great fabric - where I bought some apricot polka dot fabric for the lining of the washing bag and some strawberry print fabrics for another quilt that is in the planning / fabric collection phase. Felicity bought a nice collection of Kaffe Fasset and other sympathetic fabrics.

After that we made a quick visit to Wonderflex just before closing time (another yarn shop) which had some really good Annie Blatt bargins that I managed to resist (still thinking about them!). Then back to Felicity's for tea and chocolate cake to recover and inspect our purchases!

What a lovely afternoon - full of good companionship and imagination.