Two socks and more...

One of each - I'm sure nobody would notice?

I may walk a bit funny though as the blue self striping yarn is quite thin compared with the two colours in the red sock.

Both are very comfy.

(guess I should cast on their matching socks)

Still reading the same book as last week - I am up to the last part though.

I have enjoyed the conversational style and the descriptions of some of the remotest parts of Australia and the characters who populate it.

Checking something for a new project on larger needles.

Cleckheaton Country Naturals in dark blue and 5.5mm needles.

Joining Ginny and the others yarning along.

Take a pretty pattern...

add suitable fabrics...

and make it your own.

As I didn't have suitable ric rac or lace for my bright fabrics I just used binding for decoration.

No buckle - just use a band of  fabric and a button on the handle.

I actually used two buttons like the pattern to attach the two ends of the handle!

I am very happy with this bag and it is quite a good size, I'll take it to work this afternoon for a test drive.

Pattern from Handmade Vol 24 No 9 - Ready for Afternoon Tea by Ann Francene Dimmer.

I did of course alter the method of construction to obtain a cleaner finish on the bag, with the only hand sewing being the buttons.

The sun is shining outside and I have walked by the beach, not silly enough to go in like some.

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Race to Finish...

after starting on these early - I had a little break while I gathered some requirements. 

Then just when I was ready to start sewing the thing together, a storm left me without power for an afternoon and evening.

I did a little ditch quilting on the tops and put a Zip in the back,

and now I'm all done with a couple of hours to spare. 

Present for an engagement party tonight.

Sharing the giving with a colleague.

While they are smallish I like the resulting cushions.

 I may just need to add to my own cushion collection (or replace some of the old ones).

I've turned a corner on the sock too which is a good thing as the book is on loan from the library and due back today. I used all my extension opportunities - and am hoping nobody else wants to read it so I can get it out again next week, otherwise I may have an in progress sock for some time. 

Hope your Saturday is a relaxing one.

Yarning along

The only thing that changes around here lately is the book.

Still working on these two socks - the blue is a combination from Socks a La Carte and the Red and Ghost one is Katya's Fancy Knee Highs from Knitting Knee-Highs by Barb Brown.

The book 'Wings of the Kite Hawk' by Nicolas Rothwell, A journey into the heart of Australia, is a personal account of the authors attempts to look at the land as the early European explorers did.

Joining the yarn along over at Small things.

Colourful...

making Rocky Road for a family gathering.

 Preparing vegetables for soup.

Playing with fabric.

Sure added some colour to a grey weekend.

Enjoy some colour in your week.

Productive FNSI

Making the fabric choices was the most difficult part of the night... Oops that really was day.

I took the preparation part seriously as I had no commitments during the day.

These were the fabrics I chose to work with.

Lots of cutting and ironing.

Layout one,

and layout two.

Two blocks all sewn up.

To be finished into Cushion covers before next Saturday night.

There was even a little time for some knitting. 

The blue sock is now up to the heel and the red sock is lucky to be still on the needles after some unravelling!

I'll be around to check what other participants achieved on their Friday Night.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Springtime in the mail

When I went to the post box yesterday there was a squishy package, literally squished in there.

I did wonder for a bit what this might be as I was not expecting anything before the end of the month.

Nothing on the envelope to give me any clues. I was out walking so I thought about who or why I might be getting something and waited until I was back home to open my package.

My OASS for spring was inside. This being a secret swap meant I had no clue where it would come from.

Lucky me - my package is from the talented Fiona over at BubzRugz.

Nice wrapping in a paper pattern with pretty yellow and orange ribbon and one of Fiona's patchwork cards - too cute.

Just look at what she made for me!

An amazing raw edge applique Lemon tree wall hanging in the prettiest colours and she stitched a couple of lines from the lemon tree song.

She included a little chocolate sustenance for me too.

Not quite straight but hanging in my kitchen waiting for spring.

Relieving my Easter wall hanging, also a swap gift made by the talented Helena, of its double duty.

Thanks to Cheryll as the swap hostess and Fiona for my wonderful present.

Lots of yellow flowers in the neighbourhood at the moment - so maybe spring is not too far away?

I will be sewing along with the FNSI ladies tonight - I have some cushion cover gifts to make.

Hope your weekend includes sunshine and sewing.

Triple Yarn Along

New yarns

The Waikiwi is a wool/nylon/alpaca/possum mix - very nice.

Happy by Wendy is a bamboo/nylon mix - too pretty.

New sock knitting in Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 4 ply - Ghost and brick. 

(It even looks a little like the pattern!)

Another pattern from the Knitting Knee-Highs book by Barb Brown.

The sock I started on the weekend has grown some, the yarn is Moda Vera Noir from Spotlight.

The book - 'Blood on my Hands' a surgeon at war by Craig Jurisevic, is his own account of the time he spent in the Balkans during the Kosovo war in the late 1990's. Very interesting reading.

 A little more hooking - I am hoping for two mitts before the end of winter in a couple of weeks.

Hope your week is full of colour.

Joining the yarn along.

Out and about Snippets

Oh, sure my knitting tagged along.

You can find more snippets here.

Red Eyes...

the name of my new socks.

 Sure they're all done. They even had passed their first wearing test last night.

Very comfortable and toasty on these chilly nights.

These socks were made using patterns from the 'Socks a la Carte' book and Bendigo Woollen Mills 4 ply luxury pure wool. Lovely.

I combined the Oh Baby cuff pattern with Eyes on You leg pattern and the short row heel with the round toe making for a very quick sock. I am not certain that the short row heel is a good choice for my thick ankle but the round toe is more comfortable than the toe arrangement I used on the previous socks, and  I didn't get all tangled doing Kitchener grafting!

I will be making more combinations from this book as there is enough information there for me to make a lot of socks that are not the same while practising a variety of techniques.

One more picture of the Go Anywhere Bag - after a couple of outings - including getting wet on the way back from the shops yesterday.

Here it is sitting on my kitchen chair - that is how tall it is. 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend spent in your favourite place.

Anywhere Bag...

These pieces waited patiently for a couple of days while I pretended to be a responsible citizen of the world and went to the office!

Today was back to my latest routine - home during the day. It was a grey and rainy day for the most part, so I spent it indoors with my needles and threads.

OK, I put Nomee to work and she played very nice.

This bag is an excellent size for lots of things - see this is the inside.

Like a bucket really - the colour is better represented in the above photo it is a pretty gold colour which matches the flowers on the outer fabric, maybe because just this once I used two fabrics from the same range in a project. (A bit radical - I know!)

The construction of this bag means there is no trying to get the bulky outer through a small gap in the lining.

Instead the base is attached on the outside with binding - perfect really, especially good for making the base more solid.

A pretty button closure finishes the look nicely.

Just like with the perfect zip on Sunday - this button was in the stash and is a pretty wooden one that is a found item. Yay.

While the handle is not long the shaping at the top of the bag means that it is easy to wear on the shoulder.

I know this bag will be well used because the one I made for me three years ago is looking much the worse for wear, which is why I brought the fabric to make this one back in February. It took me until July to locate the pattern - Go Anywhere Bag design by Heather Waldron published in a Handmade Magazine before the end of 2008!

Playing along with Curly Pops Choose your own bag Adventure Sew Along.

There was some knitting today too - but that happens in little bits every day, even when I go to the office.

To finish off a lovely relaxed and productive day I went to NCB, for social crafting, in my case more knitting.

Hope your Wednesday was full of stitches.