No autographs, just throw money

Today, Donni and I went to the Craft and Stitches exhibition at Darling Harbour.

It was a good day. I met some great people, bought some yarn and some beads, and, best of all ...

Nicole Kidman and Donni and I shot the breeze about knitting, parenting, sisters and the boyfriend sweater curse.

When we got to the Prestige Yarns stall (where Donni had some business regarding knitpicks options with Don the proprietor), Donni grabs my arm and says 'Nicole Kidman is here'.

And there she was with her mum, who was buying a jumper kit from beautiful alpaca. Donni and I hung around a bit, fondled some yarn and bided our time. Nicole touched a ball of teal yarn.

"That's such a beautiful colour' says Donni, to which Nicole agreed and then she came around from the back of the stall and stood next to us looking at the yarn.

'I want to knit my husband a scarf' she said 'because he goes away a lot'. She laughed 'it won't be very good, but I guess it's the thought that counts'.

And thus ensued a delightful two-way conversation about knitting and family ('my kids wouldn't wear it, they're teenagers, maybe I could do something for my sister'). Donni and I FULLY advised her about the best choice of yarn for the scarf for Keith.

At one stage she looked at the Debbie Bliss cashmerino in red - Donni whipped out her shetland triangle in the same yarn and Nicole goes 'that's so beautiful, look mamma, isn't this beautiful?' and paws all over Donni's shawl.

Don casually (and I mean casually, his nonplussedness was SO cool) threw an aran sweater down in front of her. 'This is what that's like knittted up' he drawls in his matter of fact Aussie man accent. "It's three years old, sometimes I wear it when it's cold."

"I love that sweater" she says. He didn't give it to her, which I was so glad of. I'm sure in Hollywood they'd say 'take it, and can I get a picture of you and your favourite knitting yarn?' Erk.

No bodyguards, no entourage, just a Sydney chick (and a bit of a dag to boot) checking out the craft show with her mum. She must love coming home for a bit of normality.

Later, just before Donni went home, we asked Don about what he thought of Nicole. He replied laconically 'I didn't think she was as hot in real life as I thought she'd be. My wife's going to be happy'. Talk about the reverse of starstruck! I couldn't disagree more, I thought she was very beautiful - skin like alabaster.

As for me, well the old knitting bizzo's been a bit stagnant lately, but seems to have perked up a little in the past few days.


The picture is our loot from the show. Donni's got all the stately green and red, I've got the bright bright colinette jitterbug and the tofutsies. After she went home I may have added a ball of Belisa Cashmere laceweight also. (Nicole bought a cashmere sweater from them too we discussed, she paid for it too.)