Some kind of wrap up catch-up...

We spent a couple of days of the Easter long weekend at our 'own but can't live in' old/new house. The bunny with the eggs found the girls even tho we were not at "we're other home" and they delighted in the early morning hunt through the dew and native violets.

We did lots of tidying up. First we un-bogged the tractor which has been patiently waiting for some dry, not quite so slippery ground since our rain sodden last visit. The big girl got in plenty more practice on the ride-on mower; first actually mowing the couple of flat acres around the house and then later driving about doing pick ups with the trailor on the back.

We hunted about and made lots of new discoveries, especially in the very overgrown vegie patch. The wee girl filled her easter basket with loads of bright red cherry tomatos which we added to our inside dinner of 'campside' beans (I'd give you a recipe but it is different everytime!).

The girls and I found a tiny nest with four abandoned teeny tiny eggs and the prettiest little feather. I am not sure what kind of bird built and later left the nest, I will have to do some more investigating.

We have found a tenant, so there will be no more trips south to our little hinterland hidehole until we can call it home. So we left a new letterbox with gnome type personality to stand guard til we get back.

* Rabbit pattern is one from the talented Linda of Mamma-4-Earth Molly Bunny

Little fox...

Once upon a time there were three little foxes
Who didn’t wear stockings, and they didn’t wear sockses,
But they all had handkerchiefs to blow their noses,
And they kept their handkerchiefs in cardboard boxes.

And they lived in forest in three little houses,
And they didn’t wear coats, and they didn’t wear trousies.
They ran through the woods on their little bare tootsies,
And they played “Touch Last” with a family of mouses.

They didn’t go shopping in the High Street shopses,
But caught what they wanted in the woods and copses.
They all went fishing, and they caught three wormses,
They went out hunting, and they caught three wopses.

They went to a Fair, and they all won prizes –
Tree plum-puddingses and three mince-pieses.
They rode on elephants and swang on swingses,
And hit three coconuts at coconut shieses.

That’s all I know of three little foxes
Who kept their handkerchiefs in three little boxes.
They lived in the forest in three little houses,
But they didn’t wear coats and they didn’t wear trousies,
And they didn’t wear stockings and they didn’t wear sockses.

A. A. Milne
 

I've been knitting again. This time for Mrs Bloom who lives in a place where she really doesn't need such things but well.... it is cute, yes?

The pattern is the mini fox stole from the highly talented and whimsical Tiny Owl Knits

little snippets of craftiness

I think that at some point soon I will be free to come back and more than just dabble in blogland... this year has just been a little crazy - just had a lovely image of myself in a full circle skirt, spinning around and around!

I have managed a little craftiness lately - for little people birthday gift requests, It was fun, I do wish I had more idle time...

This little duck was for a first birthday gift. I haven't blown the dust off my scroll saw for such a long time, I was a bit nervous! I drew a nice gentle curved 'thing' to ease myself back into it and only broke one blade.

My cousin's daughter coveted a knitted horse at kindergarten so with the swift inbox arrival of one of Linda's magic patterns, this little fella trotted into her life for her 5th birthday.

I knitted a dog

 He is cute yes?

*Pattern from the book Knitted Animals

reading and knitting along (tho not at the same time)

I've decided to join in the yarn along with Ginny and others inspired with needles and hooks over at Small Things.

My big girl declared she would like a cowl for her 'mother made' birthday gift (three weeks til she is legs 11), so a cowl she shall have.

A friend lent me the book, tis by David Gillespie a once fat, Australian Lawyer (who is still the latter I think) anyway he was quite keen on sugar. I quite like sugar too, especially maple syrup and quite revoltingly I love snickers bars... anyway tis no more, sugar is not good for me.

I wasn't feeling the love of my resolve yesterday when I was grumpy, had a headache and no matter what (non sugar) thing I put in my mouth there was just no satisfaction AND snickers were on sale at the supermarker for 81 cents each! All par for the course apparently - I'm in withdrawal.

Moving on. The cowl is called Botanical, a freebie by Megan Goodacre and because I hardly ever follow instructions, even tho I hardly know what I am doing, the yarn is 'Scrumptious' 70% angora 30% silk from kollage yarns...because it is deliciously soft, not itchy and was on sale for $10!

Lessons in colour part 2

Even though I did a test 'swatch' it was with plenty of nervous energy that I dropped the shawl, I have been knitting for the last two weeks, into the simmering pot of red dye.

But I am SOOOOoo glad I did it!

 Let me just show you what it looked like finished in the old colour scheme

and now...

The first picture up the top shows the actual colour better than these last couple (late afternoon, poor light, high ISO bla, bla). 

I am feeling very pleased with the result and am delighted that I can wrap up this gift and give it to a beautiful friend next week when she turns 40... She says she is not celebrating but I think she will like it all the same.

Lessons in colour

What looks good in a skein, expertly twisted and displayed to enhance the stunning deep red, does not necessarily look so lovely wound in a ball and may well look quite disastrous knitted into a shawl.

Hmmm... I don't hate it but I'm far from liking it... I might hate it.

I haven't started the lace bit yet and I keep telling myself that I will like it then...I really should have stuck to one colour, or a more subtle blending with looooonng colour changes not this short colour change bizzo. Sigh.

'tis ok tho. I have plan B. First I need to finish knitting then drop the whole thing into a vat of deep red dye - the cream will go red, the red will deepen, the brown will deepen, the yellow will go brown.

Plan C.. if that is a disaster, drop the whole lot into a vat of black/brown dye.

I'll be back a bit later if I can redeem my poor judgement.

Oh! the pattern is a freebie (and quite beautiful) Tinks and Frogs Rue - Larch Scarflet

Did you know...

that when an Alpaca gives birth she is said to have unpacked?
It’s a fabulous play on words don't you agree? ~ horses foal, cows calve, sheep lamb and alpacas unpack!
A baby alpaca is called a cria.

I knitted this super cute Alpaca was from one of Linda's menagerie of animal patterns (her etsy shop)...Linda if you are listening how easy would it to be to knit up a cria?.. I think I fancy this girl 'unpacking'

ps.. I was very tempted to stick a few pins in her ~ she might make a handy pincushion? What? you don't know about my lucky pincushion swap? Come join in!

* Just because I thought it was interesting: Females are ready to mate two weeks after they unpack, the act of mating causes them to ovulate. The male seduces the female by orgling (singing). If the female is receptive she sits and allows him to mate.  If she’s not receptive she spits at him!
Two weeks after a female has mated they do a ‘spit-off’ – if she has conceived she will spit at him, if she hasn’t she’ll be ready to mate again and will sit.  Breeders call this a ‘sit or spit' ~ ha!what a great way to confirm a pregnancy.
Info from here.

Gifts cast off the needles and a whole lotta tulle

My sister calls the months of June and July the birthday tusnami; there are eight immediate family members in those two months and at least as many friends... July 30 brings a break for us, for a week. Ha!

In my cleverness I finished a milo vest for the wee girl some weeks before her birthday and forgot to give it to her! I woke in the middle of the night a few days later thinking "where did I put it?"

Found it! and this afternoon had just enough chill in the air.

My mum (who is beyond clever) knitted her a delightful turtle; she has named him Ollie.

 

He is everso snuggly, I think she loves him. The pattern is from the fabulously fun book Knit and Purl Pets by Claire Garland (I am quite keen on the chamelon; I think my
sister is too).

July 30 is a friend's little girl's fourth birthday. I was her midwife and I remember the day her sweet baby girl chose to make her grand entrance so well; it is magic that birthing business.

Anyway her mum tells me these days she is quite a fairy princess and loves to twirl and preen. I bought tulle (a couple of metres of it) and spun it into a skirt interlaced with satin ribbon and stars.

 

Every fairy needs a wand right? I gave it a little wave before packaging it to post. When she touches it it will bless her with joyful birthday wishes and have someone plant four little kisses.

UFOs

...unfinished objects; I am working my way down a list (well through paper bags in my under the stairs craft cupboard).

I started this little number 18 months ago just before I broke my leg. You would think that having a broken leg would give one plenty of knitting time... tho I did have a five month old baby when I did it. Knowing that I can be a lousy knitter...the will to finish has alway been a problem, you see knitting can be terribly time consuming. Anyway knowing that I have a lack of will I fortuitously made it in a size 1; I obvilously failed to give myself enough credit for my lack of will because she will be two in two months. Anyhoo. I have finished and she is wearing it - shortish sleeves look a bit funky and stylish don't you agree?

I am quite fond of the button too...

Safely tucked into a drawer

is the finished quilt for my big girl's tenth birthday this week.

I began on Sunday, February 13, declaring that I would devote two hours a day to the project. Since then I have cut and sewed 1716 blocks, 16.3m of borders and 8.1m of binding. I think I used several kilometres of thread and my machine is due for a service! I pretty much kept to my promise (to myself) that I would sew every day; often for far longer than two hours...tho I did have two weeks off this month while we were away. I am SO glad it is finished and with three days to spare.

I will put it over her late on Wednesday night while she sleeps, she will wake up on her birthday morning all snuggled and warm in her mummy's love. (After that I will post you some pictures).

With the quilt done I have time to do other stuff; today I had a little 'nanna nap' in the afternoon (what bliss).

This morning I knitted down to the first cable twist on the Milo vest I am making for the wee girl's birthday in July. I am a bit pleased about my progress because I actually bought the wool about this time last year...didn't get round to casting on til now tho.

I have also finished Hedwig (aka Harry Potter's owl) which I started last week at craft group.

I am a bit excited about my sudden bounty of 'free time' ...tho my beloved suggested that I finished the cross stitch that has been in the cupboard (on and off) for about 18 years.. it might be closer to the two decade mark; maybe I will...

Wednesday Craft Group - Knitted Moss Gnomes; aTutorial

The garden at our place has an abundance of this fabulous green furry stuff and since the door has been installed we've got visitors; wee Moss Gnomes.

These little fellows are made with some very simple knitting, stuffing and a simple formed head like the root babies I showed you how to make the other week.

You will need: (not much) wool/yarn 8plyish - green shades are nice, a pair of 3mm knitting needles, stuffing wool, size one tube/bandage, linen thread, cotton tricot/face fabric, mohair for hair and beard, some embroidery floss for facial features, scrap bit of co-ordinating felt, wool and sharp needles and a small weight about the size of a 10c piece (in fact a 10c piece is a fine weight itself).

Ok, for the body cast on 20 stitches and knit 12 rows.
Cast off 4 stitches at the beginning of the next two rows (12 stitches)
Stocking stitch the next 10 rows (knit one row, purl the next etc..)
From the 11th row begin decreasing 1 stitch at each end of each knit row, purl one row*
* repeat until only one stitch remains; cast off.

Next make a small formed head with about a 3cm circumference. Create an eye line with your linen thread and then cover your face with a small square of skin fabric. If you like, eyes and mouth can be embroidered now.

With your wool needle and scrap yarn begin sewing the hat together from the top (the pointy end) and stop where the decreasing began. Then stitch the front of the gnome together and insert the head into the open space. Stuff under and around the head with wool fleece. Cut and sew into place a circle of felt on the bottom to create a base - slip your weight in before you close it up completely.

Using small blind stitches attach the head into the suit opening, then create his hair and beard out of mohair. To to this sew loops right around the face fastening each with a small backstitch. Cut open the loops and trim his hair and beard to the length you fancy.

Don't stress too much if your knitting turns out bigger - just make a bigger head - he is a very forgiving little fellow.

OH and this is my 200th post! well I never but there you go I do tend to talk a bit. So because I don't have a squillion other things to do (ha!) Who wants to win a Moss Gnome of their very own? Leave me a message (with some way to find you) and I'll do one of those random hat draws next Wednesday May 10.  The wee moss gnome is going to live with Rachel at the Butterfly Ball.
Oh and double OH! Dear Bloom of we bloom here is hosting another swap On the Wings of Spring  

"With birds nesting in my garden and choruses of goldfinches warbling in the trees, spring is an especially good time to love birds... And so I've decided to host a little birdie swap. What a perfect time of year to create some new feathered friends to join spring and summer nature tables! If you are in the southern hemisphere, please don't feel left out... birds need food and shelter all through the winter; and even in the dark of winter, you might look to the return of birds as harbingers of spring."

Won't you flutter over there and join in?

The last fruits of summer

Look what my mum made and sent for the wee girl - the last ripe cherries of summer.

They go beautifully with her basket of vegetables (a gift found last year under the Christmas tree)

I wonder if I smile sweetly I could talk her into knitting a few asparagus stalks too?

Pattern for the cherries, from this book