Finished for the year

The doily turned out to be a giant at almost 30 inches across - perfect topper for my round kitchen table (if I could just locate the table top?)

Cluster stitch doily from American Needlecraft 1955, using unidentified cotton thread and 1.5mm hook.

The Green Artifact socks were completed in time to become the Father's Christmas gift. He was very happy with the addition to his sock drawer.

Artifact toes by Sarah Huerta knit in repurposed unidentified sock yarn with 2.5mm needles.

The pretty teal silk mix yarn became another pair of socks from the Little Bonbons pattern.

This time in size medium for gifting to J's mum.

Knit in Cascade Heritage silk on 2.5mm and 2.75mm needles - this yarn was just delightful to work with and I will be saving some pennies to acquire more soon.

Thanks to Kris and Peg for hosting OPAM again this year and to all the other participants who post their amazing finishes each month which inspires my own creativity.

Thanks to Linda and Ana for the Stash Buster challenge this year. It has been both fun and challenging to work through some of the yarn stash and see everyone's wonderful finishes throughout the year. Lots of inspiration to keep the needles clicking.

Wishing all the people who come here for a peek in my creative space a Wonderful 2014.

Enjoy whichever way you like to celebrate and stay safe and cool.

Merry Christmas to you

The  tree is decorated,

The wonderful tree in Melbourne's city square

the needles are empty,

as of 2pm today.

and the sun is setting on the eve of  Christmas.

Ready or not here it comes.

May your Christmas be blessed with family and friends.

Relax and enjoy the Day.

Granny groove

After last weeks success with the little doilies I couldn't resist the challenge of working on something a bit bigger - this one will be size large when it is finished. I'm still working my way through the same cone of thread and I have no idea how many metres were on it to begin with but after working on this giant, I finally feel like there has been a small reduction. Lots more project potential still.

Cluster stitch doily from The American Thread company 1955

This is almost half of the crocheting done though there are only 10 more rounds to go they only get longer from here. Lots of little details to keep things interesting and my hands busy. Using a 1.5mm hook this time.

I wound my new yarn into a pretty ball and started working with it - this is all kinds of wonderful.

Wonderful to work with on my little round needle as it slides along nicely and wonderful to the touch. I am very happy with this yarn. Cascade Heritage Silk in a deep teal colour not the green that the picture looks like.

Sure I played with the drawing thing on my camera app.

Regular Melbourne weather patterns here with sunny and cloudy on the same day.

I love walking at the beach in the late afternoon and seeing this kind of amazing sky. Looking east with the setting sun behind me you can see a little pink tinge on some of the clouds.

Wishing you all kinds of lovely for the weekend ahead. 

A little thread

The past week has been all about Christmas gatherings with friends.

The evening craft group has a little lucky dip swap, the only criteria is that the item needs to be handmade.

I played with a little thread and a teeny hook to hook up some coaster sized doilies.

Current reading material inspired by a lecture by the author

Simple vintage pattern created from a couple of basic stitches.

Totally legitimate copy a lot of Coats patterns are available free on their website as a scanned copy of the original leaflet - much fun. A wonderful feature of these vintage patterns is multiple sizing attained by changing yarn and hook weights and there are quite a few listed on this leaflet.

First one done was a bit slow going, checking directions and counting stitches, not to mention dodgy hook but it turned out looking just like the pattern.

I changed hooks not size, as I totally misplaced the one I started with and the second one was a much better shape for making the combination of pattern and thread.

Dodgy overcast day photo, but you can see that the thread is off white rather than white or cream as it appears in the other pictures.

A set of four coasters received with thanks by Mel.

I was lucky enough to receive a new home for my knitting projects, made by Brianna, but as yet I haven't got a picture.

Wishing you fun and colour in your creative space this week.

November made

Well finished at least. 

The knitting has been assisted by the cooler than normal weather around here lately, so more socks it is.

Little bonbons design by Revi in Purple vintage Patons Beehive fingering 4 ply.

Queen Elizabeth I socks design by Qianer in Regia 4 Ply colour yarn.

Great Wall IV socks design by Qianer in Wendy Happy Bamboo/Nylon yarn.

Then there was a little sewing frenzy before my trip and my bag was made just in time.

The front and the back.

Sleepover design by Melly and Me in Ink and Spindle fabrics.

Thanks to Peg and Kris for hosting OPAM again this year, it sure is inspiring seeing all the lovely things that are made each month.

Happy December wishes to all.

A week of stitches

Most of them knitted!

A much neglected Angel has seen the light and will be stitched up soon.

The pretty blue fabric is just the right colour.

I finished two socks this past weekend - 

Artifact toes by Sarah Huerta

Not that they match or anything!

Queen Elizabeth I socks by Qianer

Now to make two more.

Pretty evening skies which make the whole world glow - 

soon it will be summer.

Wishing you a colourful week of stitches.

Celebrating

Last week I flew away to a hot place,

Sure there was blue sky up there.

for a special family celebration.

Ms17 is now officially done with school (and very happy about that).

I took my new bag filled with essentials,

The front

 I changed a couple of things - some intentionally and some unintentionally - like when I cut the main bag piece just a little too short and didn't have enough fabric to start over. 

This bag is very roomy, I'm guessing Melly designed it with stitching retreats in mind as there is lots of space for supplies as well as clothes and other necessities.

The back

Sleepover bag by Melly and Me in Ink and Spindle fabrics with buttons from the button tin.

Some souvenir purchases followed me home.

coffee from my favourite coffee place, new yarn and a new needle for more sock knitting.

Back to reality and the sun is shining.

Hope your week is off to a sunny start.

Reading right?

My little helper was keeping an eye on my progress in the sewing room.

I needed all the help I could get with these instructions - look how many there are and not even many pictures!

Wow, that's a big zipper.

What are you doing with those windows?

Cutting my Ink and Spindle fabrics

Oh, that bit goes there?

Sleepover bag design by Melly & Me

I have enjoyed uninterrupted sewing time this weekend and have made good progress on the bag, still wondering if it will be done in time. 
While there are plenty of detailed written instructions they are not necessarily logical, like why are there instructions to cut a short piece off a length sew it in half then cut it into smaller pieces on one page and then do the same instruction two pages later?

Lots of multiple handling of fabric, cutting one shape and then cutting it again a different way.

I have to say I gave up reading and did it my way which may not have been the quickest, but at least I wasn't looking for the next direction for the piece I was working with. 

Hope your weekend has been spent in your creative space.

Because...

some people are curious as to what is happening in my sewing space. I thought I'd share what I acheived this week.

I think some readers of this space will be able to identify with the whole 'wardrobe shrinks my clothes' scenario. So I took out this perfectly good skirt which I made @#$@ years ago but has been hanging in said wardrobe for the past 5 plus years because it really is too pretty to throw out.

Perfect for sunny summer days

This week I have begun deconstructing it, a little off the length will make it about right for now and it will once again be wearable. So back to the sewing machine I go!

Hope your week includes pretty flowers.

Not as I planned

When a couple of rows of knitting while waiting for dinner to cook turned into just one more row, 

then I'll just finish this pattern repeat

and then some reversing up.

HiyaHiya Great Wall IV design by Qianer

I decided it was not a good time to start sewing.

The pretty pre cut scraps are waiting patiently still.

Fortunately all went well at Saturday knit group and I finished my sock earlier today.

That's two the same or as the same as one gets with these multi coloured yarns.

Pretty Wendy Happy yarn, a bamboo/nylon mix which is surprisingly warm to wear and has a lovely sheen. Perfect for the spring season.

one of these days I'll get back to the sewing machine!

Thanks for having us Cheryll.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

October's finished!

And all I have to show for it is more woollies which is probably just as well as so far this spring has been short on heat around here.

Twisted drops socks in purple vintage Patons Beehive fingering, design by Irene Birk.

Grey checkered cowl in grey Sean Sheep wool/soy protein mix and Cleckheaton Candy boucle wool/acrylic/nylon mix, which has a lovely sheen, design by BillS.

The Blue Spot bag is crocheted from Bendigo woollen mills classic and lined with cotton flowers, design by Sharon Ballsmith found in 'Interweave Crochet Summer 2011 edition'.

Burgundy socks finally finished and gifted to the Father, knit in vintage Patons Beehive fingering 3 ply from a suitably vintage pattern requesting this yarn.

There was more knitting, still socks and I am currently working on the second sock of two pairs one of which is close to done but didn't make it into the October finishes due to a ridiculous amount of time spent on some administrative stuff in the past week!

I've stroked fabric and planned and plotted projects but I need to clear a space to allow for some serious cutting before the sewing can begin or maybe I could just sew these 'pre-cuts'.

Shapes cut from scraps some other time! stored neatly on the bottom.

Those apple core shapes on the left are even sewn into pairs. Wonder where they were headed??

Tonight is the first Friday so there's fun to be had with Friends, you can sign up over at Cheryll's.

Happy new month wishes to you.

Three socks...

in the making.

I finished one of the happy socks last weekend and cast on two new socks this week before starting it's partner, so now I have three socks on the needles again. This much knitting does not leave a lot of time for reading but I am enjoying 'Needles and Pearls' by Gil McNeil. A knit themed novel picked up at a recent sale, it's worth my time for some light hearted entertainment.

Great wall IV socks by Qianer in Wendy Happy Bamboo/Nylon yarn

I'm using the last of the purple vintage yarn in this pair of socks that are a test knit over on Ravelry. I like the combination of cables and texture used to create the pattern, even if it does mean they require all of my attention. It is good to concentrate sometimes!

Little BonBons by Revi in vintage Patons Beehive Fingering 4 ply wool

The green stripey socks are being knit from a previously gifted pair of almost finished odd sized socks. I was given them to finish but decided I did not like the knit fabric and the size was a bit odd so I started over with my own pattern. Rib with little cables working their way around the sock. They should work up into another perfect pair for the Father, this time for Christmas.

You're right I'm knitting directly from the previously knit sock.

 Joining the Yarn Along this week.

Wishing you all sunshine and colour in your space today.

Are those new?

There was some knitting which involved thick yarn and fat needles this week. I made this cosy cowl in teen colours, mostly because they were the ones I had in the right thickness, but we'll just keep that between ourselves, okay?

After I signed on to help with this one I thought I may have made a mistake, we are after all heading towards summer down here, not so this week, (it would have been a very welcome addition on some cool mornings). Just need to find some suitable buttons to attach and this will be done.

Two coloured checkered cowl by BillS

Pretty yarn for a pretty sock.

I bought this yarn a little over a year ago when the whole sock thing was just gaining momentum.

The Great Wall IV Socks by Qianer

Then it sat patiently waiting a turn because of the whole multi coloured look of it, when I decided that my preference really is to work with solids. An opportunity to knit along with others over on Ravelry saw me looking for suitable yarn in the stash, time to pull this out and see whether it would work. The yarn, Happy by Wendy, has a high percentage of bamboo and just a little nylon so it is perfect for warmer weather socks. Means I won't need to wait until next May to get my feet into them.

Coming along nicely I'm onto the foot and really enjoying the knit and the yarn.

Total impulse buying in the supermarket today, just had to try these TimTams with strawberry filling, well they had the new sign on them! Delicious even if they weren't coated in Dark chocolate. At the back of the pic you can see the mess I made with the buttons. I'll get some real photo's next time the sun is shining in my space.

Enjoy creating your weekend.

Playing with buttons...

is such a relaxing thing to do.

First I took out all the large ones - I only need the smallish ones for this project.

Fortunately I have lots of small buttons in many pretty colours.

Sorting the colours was so much fun.

Pretty blues and

Christmas colours - or greens reds and yellows.

I used a Christmas themed serving plate

Sure there I'm doing something with them other than sorting and counting,

Knitting - Not a sock

Threaded them onto string.

A lovely afternoon activity for a quick project, well it will be now all the sorting is done.

Hope you have all the rainbow colours in your happy space.