It has been an applique sort of weekend.

Today's effort.
I am not sure if my attempt at an octopus looks a bit too much like an alien or not, but I like him. Oh and before you decide to tell me that an octopus has 8 legs, I am aware of that but his other 4 are hiding! I stand by that...... besides you try getting 8 legs on a size 00 butt.

Very proud of himself.....

Now I have to admit to my very shoddy parenting. Jason and I have never quite gotten around to teaching Bevan to tie his own shoes. Not so much because we thought it was beyond him - more that most of his shoes are velcro and it has been one of those things we 'll do "tomorrow".

Well push came to shove last night when I went to put elastic in his jazz shoes so he could put them on himself. He was most upset and insisted that he be taught to tie his own laces. Thank goodness for the patience of my friend Beth (she did all the teaching), but here is my big guy with his freshly self-tied jazz shoes!

Applique is such fun!

I just completed this little long sleeved tee for someone's precious little girl. It was such fun to do and I must say that I am quite taken by the end result.

Something that worked!

Ably modelled by my phrenology head (I am sure everyone has one), is my first cabled headband knitted in the round in Hamilton 8ply. I wanted a headband like my Calorimetry but without the button that is want to come undone whilst jogging. I will have to try it next week at Hash and see if I have succeeded. If nothing else it is funky and matches my new scarf!

Look what the mailman brought!

Do I need to say anything? Really? Let me see. Mermaids and seahorses (yummy, yummy, yummy) and great Alexander Henry print (I think I know what to do with that), some funky monkey flannelette and a Yarn Harlot book. Gotta love a good mail day!

I should probably be in bed...

But I just finished this and had to show it off. 100g of Tyrol knit into a scarf for me. It seems to have taken me an age to finish it, I think because it really isn't that inspiring to do. I am very pleased with it know though. It is SO snuggly and warm - pity it is forecast to be a lovely 25 degrees tomorrow.


And the full froggy set that I whipped up for the lovely Wems - Nappy bag, handbag and matching change pad.

One Finished Hoodie!

And I must say that Duncan looks pretty happy with it! I decided not to do ties on the hood and consequently I didn't finish off the hood, just left it to roll in. The Cleakheaton Country Silk is lovely and soft - not the least bit scratchy.

My first nappy bag.

Yeah okay, so it looks a lot like a knitting bag....

The difference is really inside where the pockets are bigger and run all the way down both long sides. The pockets in a knitting bag would be too small for nappy things and these pockets would be much too big for knitting accessories. I am pleased with the way it has turned out! Hope it's new owner is as pleased and likes the little extra I made for her as well....

A new product for the store!

As the nights get colder here and the kid's start pulling on their flannelette jammies that Grandma made them I was struck by a need to make some for the store in some funly colours. I also decided to make smaller ones as my little guy just looks so cute in "big boy jammies". I have also added a little more fabric in the back of the pants to accomodate a large cloth nappy - something that commercial PJs are definitely missing. I am pretty pleased with them, they are certainly very cute!

Available as always at The Complete Fabrication if you can't live without them.

More bits and pieces.

Progress has been made on Duncan's hoodie. I have finished one sleeve, seem to have mastered the dreaded DPNs and have started the second sleeve. He has tried it on a few times and it fits very nicely. He does however seem to have arms about 1" shorter than the rest of theworld.


This is the semi-custom needle roll I have just finished. My customer uses some circulars and some straights but is progressively using more circulars. With that in mind a 10 circular roll was decided on but this photo demonstrates that you can put your straights in regardless.





And here is the recipient of the Easter bunny I finished the other day, my nephew Angus. Isn't he sweet? He seems to like bunny, especially the ribbon.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from my little bunnies to all of you!

Easter Jobs

Happy Easter! A quick look at my Easter projects. This is the progress on my child's hoodie it is knit in Cleckheaton country silk, which is knitting up so nice and soft. I am doing the 6-8 size for Duncan, that way I figure two boys get to wear it.

The Easter Bunny is knit in Caress from a pattern I am embarassed to admit was in That's Life a year or so ago. It is a gift that I hope will be appreciated more than chocolate for a little one. Gotta love his little tail.

My Gran had her 93rd birthday on Wednesday so I made her a little bag (by 93 you pretty much have everything your heart desires). Not bad for a new zip and leftovers!

Chateau de Cubbyhouse

I present to you Jason's latest erection - Chateau de Cubbyhouse (so named because of the grandeur of the project). Not for our family a standard cubby house, no we have the two storey, carport attached spectacular! The mess underneath will eventually go and be replaced by a bike shed and sand pit.

All jokes aside, although it has taken an age to get this finished (cricket season you understand) it is really cool right down to the stairs with stair rails for the toddlers. As you can see, the kids seem to like it. :)

Musings...

I finally got around to sending my machine off to have a service yesterday. It has worked hard these last few months and was well entitled to some love and care. To tide me over I have borrowed Mum's machine for the interim. Mum got this sewing machine for her 21st birthday. That must make it at least 20 years old (sucking up to your Mum is always worth it people) and it still has a lovely stitch, albeit straight or zig-zag only. It so lovely and sturdy, something today's machines just aren't. Whilst mine has all the fancy stitches, I still go round to use Mum's for heavy sewing. It just has a weightiness too it that makes it speed through thick fabrics.

There is also a lovely nostalgia to using Mum's machine. Rachael at Stitch Sista was blogging the other day about learning to knit, well this is the machine on which I learned to sew. It and I have a history that my machine and I don't have yet. It is also the machine that made many of the clothes that I loved a child and the machine that still makes pajamas for my kids. I can still remember the first time I managed to thread it myself without Mum's help. What an achievement.

One of the loveliest things about crafting in general is the way that it is passed on from generation to generation - both the skills and the apparatus. It was my mother that taught me to knit and sew, just as her mother taught her. Just as my mother now has my grandmother's old treadle singer, I will probably one day have that and this old Taff and both will remind me in many ways of the women that owned them....

Yesterday's wool spinning!

Sam bought the kids and her ball spinner around yesterday so that I could ball up a few of the skeins I have lying about. This is the end product!


Is it wrong to have that much? There is an argument to suggest it is a little obscene, but like any great addict I blame others. Damn you NZ wool company, damn you Willabaa!

And how did I get so much done in an afternoon you might ask? I had a secret weapon...

"The Sam Spinner"

Finished bits and pieces and a WIP.

There is so much to show today the I felt there needed to be several posts, for your sake if nothing else.

Firstly the finished stuff. I just completed a new bag that is jetting off to NZ to my dear friend Mel. I am yet to make the pouch (I could have sworn I had zips left), but after a trip to Spotlight it will be in the mail.

Secondly, I produced another piggy tail hat for Jason's Goddaughter. There are a few pattern modification since the first model and I am now pretty happy with the finished item. This one is modelled by the lovely Big Ted as this house is rather low of piggy-tailed models.

Lastly, my WIP, a scarf for me in Tyrol. Apart from the frustration of getting the horrid stuff off the ball (is it just me or does this happen to everyone) and frogging it twice - once because it was too wide and once because I was trying to be clever with the pattern and hated it - it is coming along nicely. I like the simplicity of the basketweave and it is just SO soft!