When I read I switch of completely. I plonk myself down & read & read like a woman possessed until the book is finished. I'm sure it's not the healthiest way to devour literature & consequently I don't read as much as I'd like ... my family needs feeding after all.
I was sent Like Being a Wife (a collection of short stories) last year & found it to be the perfect antidote to my obsessive nature. I took the book a story by story just when I had a few moments ... very civilised.
The wet, windy and grey few days in Queensland meant that I had the luxury of having absolutely nothing to do. I spent a lazy afternoon finishing Like Being a Wife by Australian author Catherine Harris.
Catherine writes beautifully. She is witty & wordy & wonderful. I highly recommend this work of fiction to you all.
Just look at that INCH high stack of full size pattern pieces from Pip Lincolne's new book!
Always one to appreciate the details...imagine my excitement when I opened the pattern envelope at the front of the book & was greeted with this pile of deliciousness.
I'm still unsure what I'm going to make but I'm fairly certain it will involve the ponies.
See you tomoz with a (hopefully finished) something from Sew La Tea Do.
PS: Hooray for Pip for totally getting off her butt & making stuff happen.
I am the very proud owner of a Victoria Mason Granny Square ring. I love it!
I shall be sporting this little baby at the Finders Keepers on Sunday (& quite likely until my dying day).
Are you going? I'm just a little bit excited about the whole event. I've been lucky enough to get an advance showing of the wares of both Victoria & Shannon. I think it's going to be a ripping weekend.
Vic has a very special Finders only offer which you should absolutely know all about...
Maybe see you Sunday? I'll be helping out Shannon (& chewing the fat with the Mikes crew).
These are the best hooks in the universe. Perfect slipability & pretty colours too. I got them from meet me at mikes on Saturday.
I had a lovely weekend. I had the sticks out while the girls puzzled in the craft room, got whipped at scrabble, hooked a bit. Yesterday I saw Making it Handmade which left me feeling more excited about making stuff and about the fabulous people who actually get off their butts and make an ace documentary about it. Terrific effort Anna Brownfield.
I hooked it like Michelle, Kate & Tania ... I'm way to slow on the sticks.
I followed Leonie's directions for the measuring but I left it a bit shy of where I want it to sit as I expect it to drop with wear over the next couple of days.
I'm calling it the Chameleon because it looks completely different in different light & depending what you're wearing underneath (or if you stand against a rust wall I've discovered).
Just as I did with the slashed vest, the armholes are set a little higher to give more flexibility. It can be worn upside down, inside out & round about. You can check that out here.
Details... Yarn - Cleckheaton Coutry Paintbox 8 ply Col: 31 Hook - 9mm (yep 9 - I was going for drape) Stitch - I used double crochet (Aus/UK) or US single crochet
Edited to add: I used 6 balls & my wrap was 23 inches x 34 inches
I know I've blathered on before about how I like to have kits for new projects. Each "in progress" is carefully kitted up in it's own bag/box/basket waiting patiently for the mood to strike.
I've been plotting & planning the hand piecing for a few weeks & now I have my pin ring I'm ready to begin.
You can make a pin ring too...Kellie will show you how.
Yesterday I went to breakfast at Design Made Trade.
After a casual but informative talk with hosted by Pip & Lucy & a cup of tea we wandered around and had a look at the exhibitors.
A couple of highlights for me were...
cocoon fires I'm totally saving up for one of those!
yellow diva In particular the m series & the non series ottoman for all seasons & the m series mcl chaise (which is nothing like the one I just bought on ebay & everything like what I really want).
craft victoria Fabulous to have craft vic included this year.
hookturn Sensational reusable coffee cups that look just like a takeaway cup...cute.
If you're looking for something to do this weekend I think it's worth the visit. It's great to see the stuff that super clever designery type people are up to. It gives you all sorts of great ideas for your own makings.
Nikki promised it would be. True to form the pattern is comprehensively written & offers loads of tips and tricks to make the construction run smoothly. The Beret is offered in multiple sizes & styles.
I chose the full crown version & I think it's rather magnifique. I've already received an "& me too" request.
You'll be able to make yourself one of these beauties in the very near future. Keep your eye keenly plastered on You Sew Girl. It's a ripper (that's the kootoyoo stamp of approval/official seal/thumbs up).
The pic last week gave everyone such a giggle - I've done my best to back it up for you all. I had planned to reproduce this shot but it proved impossible.
I really enjoyed the Noticing project and plan to continue it. Maybe quietly on Flickr & maybe here too...we'll see.
I'm back into the swing of all things crafty too. Amazingly, I'm following instructions. Usually, I would have a look, read ahead, cut corners where I could & sort of adapt the instructions to suit my style. I probably wouldn't have bothered with the tracing & just hacked straight into the original pattern...oh horror!
But as I've been charged with testing responsibility I thought I better do it right!
Well here it is! The Granny Square necklace by Victoria Mason. As amazing as it looks in this photo - it's so much better in real life. Just how Victoria has managed to make it drape & curl is beyond me.
You might remember that Victoria asked me to crochet her a tiny square & if you follow her blog (& you should because she's so amazingly generous with her process) you will have seen it develop further...
here, here & here.
Victoria's work is incredible, every piece she makes has a beautiful story behind it & the attention paid to every step of the process is beyond compare.
Victoria has given this to me to pass on to one of you! Amazing!
These are brand spanking new (not yet available for sale) & this one is a one-off. Vic was trialling enamel colours and has settled for a couple of different combinations for the "for sale" pieces.
How lucky you would be to wear this piece around your neck? Want to be an early adopter? Comment away people & we'll draw a winner Monday night.
Thank you Victoria for including me in the creation of this piece, for being so clever, for being so generous & just generally for being ACE.
Comments now closed 10:44pm Monday 17 May. Winner announced Tuesday 18 May. Thanks.
A few months ago Jennie joined in with My Creative Space. I fell quite in love with her hand painted dolls & asked her to make a "Milly" doll. I sent a photo to Jennie, the next week I spotted Milly's lips on Jennie's post & the very next day she was in the mail.
Milly phoned to let us know that Milly doll had arrived & she loves her. She thinks her pretty long socks are wonderful & has asked her Mum for a pair.
Jennie makes to order, she dyes the face fabric herself, handpaints the faces & makes the dolls using fabric of sentimental value. I'm a sucker for a bit of sentiment so this is right up my alley.
All images have been taken from Jennie's flickr. Jennie's shop here. Jennie's blog here.
I told you it was basic. There's no "look how I've turned this into that" magic. Just a granny square like any other.
But this little granny is destined for greater things. It's in the mail now to someone very clever & creative who is planning to make something absolutely wonderful from it...
I'm not sure how I hadn't seen this before but the very clever Paul Thurlby has the whole alphabet! I shall be starting with "A".
I was searching for "zip" on flickr & had planned a whole my handbag zip's busted thingy & needing to make a new one but now I'll just be killing a bit more time in Paul's shop & on his blog too.
What I've been doing for the last month (& a bit)!
Thought you guys might like a tour of the old place.
Obviously not our furniture but I did do the bathroom & had to kitchenify the kitchen (nobody I know has three pairs of vases in their kitchen).
Trades I've used (& heartily recommend). This should be the "go to" list for Melbourne folk.
A bit of back history...I used to work in Property Management so I've dealt with a lot of tradespeople in my time & these guys were all amazingly accommodating & just a pleasure to deal with. I'm sharing them with you because I know how hard it is to find good tradespeople & it's so helpful to have referrals.
Garden Maintenance: LC Mowing Lucas 0409 998 508 This guy is a machine! I have never in my life seen a skip packed so neatly or efficiently. He just goes & goes until the job is done. If you need your lawns done, weeding & general garden tidy up then Lucas is your man.
Builder: Glen Johnston Home Improvements Glen 0414 325 722 Professional, helpful & extremely particular. Just absolutely top quality workmanship. Glen's the man if you're renovating or building in Melbourne's East.
Plumber: Marty 0438 771 007 Just a complete champion. It seems to me that finding a good plumber is like the quest for the holy grail. Marty is it!
Electrician: Armadale Electrical 9509 9133 Gary was "my" electrician when I worked in Armadale & frankly I'd never use another electrician. The guys from Armadale Electrical are all super professional & just lovely blokes.
General Maintenance: Polished Properties Maintenance Group Mark 0438 019 994 Mark was recommended by our Real Estate Agent as the guy "who does it all". He co-ordinated painters & carpenters & general maintenance items. He's professional & a pleasure to deal with.
Concrete: RL Concreting John 1300 790 775 John did the driveway at our new house (which is exposed aggregate) & also helped us out at the old house. He's professional, prompt & a pleasure to deal with. He went above & beyond offering advice & options for us.
Render: Jolley Textures Reegan 0425 773 684 The house was rendered about twelve months ago & it's transformed it! Probably the best thing we did for the place which was previously a hideous orange brick. Reegan was extremely flexible & professional & will be coming back to the new place to render our new fence.
Garden Design: Imperial Gardens Tracey 0419 200 116 Tracey came in & offered practical advice on excellent low maintenance (& not too costly) garden design. The difference the plantings have made to the house is unbelievable. Imperial Gardens have some pretty impressive "cap feathers" in Toorak & Hawthorn & Tracey is offering consultations so that you can DIY. She works with what you have & offers no nonsense solutions to maximise the look of the property.
Further details on the house can be obtained from Tom Ryan (0413 872 550) at Jellis Craig.
I purchased these about a year ago. I spotted them in Sally's sidebar & after a couple of quick clicks they were mine. I stored them away, waiting for the house to be finished & I finally put them up during the week & I'm thrilled with the way they look.
Very appropriately hung above the bar.
Trixie Delicious is one of my very favourite Etsy sellers. I've seriously got my eye on this plate too.
I'm an old dog & I was pretty happy with my own floss separating technique but I've employed this technique solely for my latest embroidery. I'm a convert.
I spent the day at design:made:trade helping out Victoria Mason. We were quite cosy in the lovely space that Victoria has set up. We had a couple of stall holder visitors and lots of admirers of Vic's beautiful pieces which you can see (& buy) on her website.
So many very talented people showing their fabulous wares & over the weekend it's open to the public! If you're in Melbourne you should go along.
Image of a corner of Victoria's stand at design:made:trade. Photography of brooke by angela.
Everytime I visit Rummage the sun seems to be streaming in Nan's windows. Her place is so lovely and light & I find myself constantly comparing! My current place is pretty dark...I'm always longing to feel the sun streaming in my windows.
Today it did...it streamed right in my north windows & lit up my Rummage haul.
No doubt Melbourne will plunge me back into the depths of wintery grey tomorrow & I'll really be needing that scarf!
