This is...where I'm going, and where I've beanie...

Oh, and a 100th post giveaway announcement!!!. Did I forget to mention that in the title? Sorry, but I can never resist a bad pun title - and I just couldn't work the giveaway in. I'm actually going to do the giveaway in the next post - but seeing as though this post is the big number 100, it seems right that I should mention it here...Anyway, check my next post (coming about 30mins after this one :P) for more info on this.


I'm bundling a few things up into the free-styling this is...theme this week. And I also want to take the opportunity to say thanks to Angela from Three Buttons for hosting, as I'm pulling out for a while. I may return, but I definitely won't be around for next week's...

So back to explaining this title. Firstly. Where I'm going. Well - away for a little bit. Ok, not really away - I guess what I'm really doing is detoxing. From internet overload. With everything so busy at the moment, I am finding that the time I spend on this blog, on Etsy and Flickr, and reading and commenting on other people's blogs, is just becoming excessive. I need to 'cleanse' my personal operating system (so to speak), so I'm going to try limiting my time on the computer to a bit in the morning, and a bit in the evening for a couple of weeks.


So please excuse my absence - I am hoping I will still be able to keep up with reading my bloglines - but I may just lurk more than usual, so please excuse my lack of commenting. And I won't be updating this space for a bit.....well that is the plan anyway. Let's see if I can actually do it - I mean goodness, it's only two weeks I'm aiming for. I am hoping it will give me a little much needed mental space, and help me to focus on actually 'doing' things, rather than reading or writing about them. I'm also hoping to make a bit of a dint in my fabric stash and pump a few things out. I have so many ideas and things I want to do, but it is so hard to find time. After that, I envisage that I will bounce back into cyberspace pumped and ready to start saying hello again :)


Whew, so the second part of the title. Where I've been. In two words - going mad. Well, not really - just busy. Kids' birthdays, Etsy orders, visiting relatives, and the odd bit of knitting has kept me well and truly out of trouble. Remember the gorgeous yarn I bought ages ago? Well I finally did make that beanie, and as it turns out it was really easy and I LOVE it.


Only problem is that it is a bit small for me. But perfect for Lee, and he loves it. For some reason he has decided to call it his 'genie hat' (I have no idea why). Now I just have to make another one, but with bigger needles, and maybe just a few more rows in the middle.

I've also been making brooches and hair clips for the shop (see images above), as they are little things I can do while multitasking (unlike sitting at a sewing machine).

So bye-bye for just a little while (a whole two weeks - I know, I sound pathetic don't I?). And don't forget to check my very next post (which will be immediately following this one) for the giveaway details. I figured it would be much easier if the giveaway had a post of its own. This post is getting well and truly long enough.

Adios amigos

Bec

knit knit hooray!!!!

I have actually been finishing some knitting lately. Nothing very adventurous, just the typical beginner's knitting projects - ie scarves. And here they are:


Black scarflette - not sure what kind of yarn I used with this. I suspect it is some sort of synthetic, but the ladies at my local yarn shop are very snooty and unhelpful so I felt too intimidated to ask (and it didn't say on the tag). Anyway, it is lovely and soft and all knobbly textured. It was quite fun to knit with.


Green scarf which should really have been a bit longer but I ran out of wool and really didn't want to go back to the yarn shop. The yarn is a lovely mix of wool, silk, cashmere and nylon. It is also a bit thick and thin which made it interesting to knit with, especially as this scarf was just all plain knitting (I'm sure this stitch has a proper name - other than 'plain knitting', but I don't know what it is).


Scarf for Kate, almost finished. I bought the yarn at a local spinners and weaver's craft fair. This is handspun merino wool plied with cotton, and it is simply divine. It is beautiful and soft, and knits into lovely haphazard stripes. It is also really thick and really thin in places. I can honestly say I am enjoying knitting every row of this plain stocking stitch scarf, because the wool is just so gorgeous to touch, and watching the patterns emerge is deliciously mesmerising...mmmmmm. It is made by a business called Wild 'n' Woolie, which doesn't have a website (which is a shame as I'd love to plug it) and honestly the prices and quality of their yarns were fantastic. On the yarn tags they simply list a mobile number and an email address, so if you are at all interested let me know and I can email you the details.


I also have a greeny mix of this same yarn, which I plan on making into a beanie for myself. This photo is actually not very true, as the colours are more foresty and green/brown in real life (they kind of look a bit 'purple' and bright here). Anyway, I figure it is time to start expanding my knitting horizons...hell, I may even try to follow a pattern...(***bites knuckles and looks petrified!!!!***). I'll keep you posted. (He he he, get it? A blog post about keeping you posted...yeah? Ok sorry. Why does knitting always bring out the stoopid punster in me?.... hhhmmm must be a wool thing :P)
Bye!

Some happy things...

First on the happy list...


Reading the new edition of MixTape. Such a satisfying read, and a great review of one of my favourite non-fiction books, Buddhism for Mothers: a calm approach to caring for yourself and your children, by Sarah Napthali (which almost made it into my last post, but was finally left out when I decided it would be just too hard to explain in one post why it is so good, and why I like it so much. Basically - the review in MixTape says everything I would like to have said (if I was more articulate).

Second on the happy list...


Slippers for Kate knitted by my Aunty, with bells sewn on by my mum. They are SOOOOOOO cute, and the bells make such a gorgeous tinkling noise. And Kate really really loves them...except....


BOY are they slippery suckers. I have had to hide them until I can get my hands on some puffy paint (unless anyone else has any ideas for non-slip soles????) because baby alpaca wool and polished floorboards really don't mix!

Third on the happy list...

The Lovely Flossy-P has tagged me for a blogging meme, so here goes:

1. Why did you start your blog?



For fun! I had just started sewing, and I wanted to be able to track my progress. I also thought it would help me stay inspired and motivated to make things. Oh, and I liked how reading blogs helped me to notice all the small and mundane things that were inspiring, or pretty. I remember reading a whole post about someone who had been having a terrible morning with kids fighting etc, then she opened a kitchen cupboard and noticed a rainbow of light shining across the opening. So she took a photo of it and blogged it. It was her reminder to slow down. It also reminded me of how often I am so busy worrying about what comes next that I miss noticing good stuff that is happening right now. So yeah, I am definitely more open to noticing the colour and wonder in the world, now that I am viewing it though a blogger's eyes. And plus, I like to write. It's a fun gig!

2. How did you come up with your blog name?

I wanted an open name that would leave me free to write about anything, and include all the things I was interested in - sewing, baking, gardening, kids, and being a more calm, and 'present' person.

3. Do your friends and family know about your blog? What do they think about it?


Yes they do, and they're not very excited about it. I have some relatives in Melbourne that go in and read occasionally to catch up with what I'm doing. But usually I have to bully my family into reading stuff...eg. THEM: "oh, you'll have to email me the photos you took of the dinner we made the other night"... ME: Well I BLOGGED it - I'll send you a link. Again!!!" My husband actively avoids reading it in case he finds something cringe-worthy in it. We are exact opposites in that I am very earnest and tend to share everything (in terms of my thoughts) with everyone, whereas Matt likes to keep himself to himself. Actually, this is the sort of thing he would find cringe-worthy :P.

4. How do you write posts?


I sit at the kitchen bench with a cup of tea and I type like blazes. Doesn't take long really. But then I edit. And that can take about five times as long! That's why the less time I have, the longer and more rambling my posts are.

5. Have you ever had a troll or had to delete unkind comments?


No. Not so far. I do mostly try and stay away from controversial topics and keep this blog as my happy place, so I guess so far there has been not too much opportunity for people to get upset about anything I have written. And as for viruses and trolls, I guess I've just been lucky. Or more likely my blog is just not popular enough to be a worthwhile target. And I'm very cool with that.

6. Do you check your stats? Do you care how many people read your blog? If you do care, how do you increase traffic?

I probably last checked my stats about 3 weeks ago. I probably check them monthly, out of interest. I am interested to see how this all evolves organically. So no, I don't try and increase traffic - somehow I feel it would put a bad vibe into my happy place.

7. What kind of blogs/posts interest you?


Boy this is hard. Blogs that are well-written. Blogs with beautiful photography (although I must like the written content too). Blogs about sewing and crafting. Blogs that make me laugh. Blogs that introduce me to new things. Get the picture???
Actually, if I really really think about it, my all-time favourite blogs, are those that convey the personality of the writer to me, and through that I've made a connection with that person. There are many bloggers now that I feel are kind of 'blogger friends' and these are always the first blogs I read in my bloglines, and the ones that make me happiest when I see new posts.

8. What do you like and dislike about blogging?

LIKE - the people I have met through blogging, the creative inspiration it provides me, the ability to see progress I am making in my crafty endeavors, and the way it reminds me to notice little things around me and not take them for granted.

DISLIKE - the time it takes up. The pressure I put on myself to write something when I can't be bothered. The stress of trying to decide who to tag for a meme - crazy really because I like being tagged myself, but actually feel very uncomfortable tagging others (for fear that they might in turn feel pressure to do something they don't want to do).

SO WHO TO TAG NEXT?
Well, in light of my last little revelation (which was actually something I hadn't really realised myself until I wrote it down) I'm going to tag no-one. Nada. Or rather - I am making it an open invitation. Most blogs I read have been getting tagged quite a lot for different memes at the moment. So no pressure anyone. Just play if you want! Peace, love and all that jazz.

This is...my latest discovery

I had no idea what I was going to do for this one. I actually thought my discovery was going to be that I had discovered nothing lately......which is probably not entirely true, but I just couldn't think of anything...until I gave up, went blog/flickr-hopping and stumbled across this:

THE MOST GORGEOUS CARDIGAN EVER

by Flintknits

You really must check out this knitted beauty. Isn't it just the best? Now I'm completely sure my knitting skills are nowhere near up to making this. But this is going to be my knitting Everest. And one day I will conquer it. How could I not? I really want it!

Find out what others have discovered recently by visiting Angela's blog at Three Buttons. And thank-you to Knit Owl for this week's theme.

A little less conversation...

... a little more action". Aaahhh, the wisdom of Elvis. These words will be my motto this week.


I know that when you hear the words 'action' you might not automatically think 'knitting'. BUT....I feel a bit blogged out after doing the week of children's vintage illustrations. It was great fun, and I loved looking at everyone's books, but now I have the urge to get away from the computer for a bit. Posting every day is way more time consuming than I would have imagined, even when it is just little short posts. So I'm going to have a blogging rest for a week (well, until next Sunday anyway) and concentrate on actually MAKING stuff, which after all is mostly what this blog is about.


And I have finally done it! After ages of whining about wishing I knew how to knit, I finally bit the bullet and decided to learn. I convinced my sister to learn with me, so we both got our Aunty to show us. This in turn inspired my Aunty to start knitting again, and then my Mum (whom I have NEVER seen knit) decided to get in on the action too! So inspired were we, that we decided to start creating some clothing for the kids' favourite soft toy - Jemima. Who herself was knitted by my incredibly talented Mother-In-Law.


Isn't she gorgeous? A whole family creation. Doll by Matt's Mum, dress by my Mum, hat by my Aunty, and that piddly little scarf was by....me! Bit embarrassing really, but hey, it was a start! And I am now onto a proper adult-sized scarf (the green thing above), and a scarflette (the black thing further above), which was inspired by the gorgeously tactile scarflette created by Vanessa from Knit too! I also need to say a huge thank-you to Corrie from Retro Mummy, who has been so encouraging of my foray into the world of knitting, and even managed to trouble-shoot my purling problem via email. Thanks so much!!!! Matt thinks it's hilarious watching myself, my sister, my mum and my aunty, sitting around our lounge room knitting, drinking tea and chatting like a bunch of old dears, but hey, that's what I find so appealing about knitting. You can't sit comfortably and chat while at a sewing machine. Not that I will be swapping my sewing addiction for knitting any time soon, but it's a very fun addition to my crafty repertoire.

Anyway, moving back onto more solid ground for me, I decided to experiment with some bib making for my sister. Well, not for my sister exactly, but for her baby which should be arriving sometime in the next few weeks. I decided to go with the Playschool Window theme, and do four different shapes. They were really fun to make!


I also organised a little 'sort of' baby shower for her. Just a lunch at our favourite restaurant really, with a small select group of friends and family, although I did do some little goodie boxes for the guests (with signature packaging of course :P)


And then a lovely little parcel arrived in the mail for the kids, just before Easter.


My lovely mother-in-law (the same one who knitted Jemima) made these gorgeous little easter bags for Lee and Kate to collect their eggs in. How cute are they???


The kids loved filling them up with eggs when we did the egg hunt on Sunday morning. Is there any better magic than searching the bushes for colourful treasure that tastes every bit as good as it looks?


I think not!!!! We did it at my parents' place, and everyone came over for a BBQ breakfast of bacon and eggs, and fresh orange juice (followed by mountains and mountains of chocolate).

It just doesn't get better than that. See you in a week!!!!!

Lucky duck

Went to a car boot sale last Sunday, and amongst other various treasures we picked up, was this gorgeous little hand knitted duck. Kate picked him from a long line of little ducks, and I think she made a good choice. He really has personality doesn't he! The lady who made him had the most beautiful array of hand-knitted goods. I also bought some beautiful knitted Christmas baubles, and Lee chose a little knitted Santa. Almost inspired me to have a crack at learning to knit.....but I just don't think I could handle counting all those stiches....maybe one day.