Old Favourites...

All my recent tidying uncovered some old favourites - the kind that you know are there but haven't actually  seen for a while! Or is that just me that keeps things which appear to have no particular use?

In keeping with my current knitting fixation this post is about past projects most of which were made and gifted.

This shawl is my interpretation of a pattern which I made for a colleague somewhere in the mid 1980's. I was recently reminded of it, but after a fruitless search, including all the Mother's knitting patterns I gave up and believed there would never be another one.

So when I uncovered a couple of binders with old patterns from magazines, most of which are of the knitting variety, I just had to have a flick through and a giggle too.

These patterns are from the English Women's Weekly dated mid 1980's. I made the one in the middle for another colleague in the early 1990's and the green one on the right which you can't see the detail on I made for my charge when I worked as a nanny in London! These two were made in similar colours to the pattern pictures quite unusually for me.

These next two children's knitting booklets have patterns for some fun outfits - the one on the left is dated 1950 - obviously I inherited that one from the Mother or my Gran, the other one is straight out of the 70's.

Yes, I made things out of both of these books for children of family friends.

This pretty lace cardigan is from the 1980's and SJ made her own version of this in a soft pink mohair blend  yarn, making it both warm and light.

In amongst all those pages - I found the pattern for the Duckling shawl - Yay! 

It is going on my future makes list, it is a very clever design with the centre piece knitted whole round the radius using a short row technique and the pretty edging is knit separately then attached.

 So my favourite today is uncovering old favourites and the happy memories they evoke.

Joining with MrsP's Favourite things Friday.

Have a wonderful weekend and stay cool.

Rainbow Favourite

So this week we had some very unseasonal weather - who ever heard of temperatures in the 20's C in Melbourne in the middle of winter?

I was very happy as my current job has me working out in all kinds of weather and I enjoyed doing that a lot this week.

Yes, that is a big cloud and I could not resist taking the picture because I was standing in bright sunshine and the temperature was still around 19C extremely mild.

Most of the trees in this picture should have lost their leaves by now.

Before I finished work tonight I got to see this most amazing rainbow...

the top

one end

and the other.

It felt like it was just there in front of me - though it is quite difficult to capture in photo's especially when in suburbia.

Looking the other way the sun was setting and creating the most amazing colours in the clouds.

Nature never ceases to surprise me its colour shows.

Hope your Friday was Fabulous!

If you want to see some more favourites pop over and visit the house of pyjamas.

Winter sunshine

My favourite thing this week is winter sunshine.

What a difference a day makes - yesterday was overcast and dull for most of the day and today I was greeted with blue sky and sunshine.

When the sun is shining outside I like to be out there and winter sunshine is perfect for wandering around checking out the sights.

Up early today and look what I saw.

Okay is that a better picture - they move fairly fast even without a lot of wind.

This one was closer to the landing field and was just above the roof tops when I passed it.

It would have been a perfect morning for floating over the city checking out the sights.

The following were taken earlier this month in the parks and gardens which are right next to the city in Melbourne.

Difficult to photograph from the street but this is the floral clock which is replanted regularly with pretty flowers in interesting designs.

An Hellenic monument.

One of the interesting old buildings near the entrance to Melbourne's Royal Botanical Gardens.

There is no information on this building except the no 1899 - looking good for something so old.

Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance -a rather grand structure.

The Friendship fountain with water flowing - something that was not happening during the drought. All the rain earlier in the year means that this area is once again green and the fountains are bubbling nicely.

Perfect stroll in the winter sunshine.

To see who else is playing favourites run on over to Mrs Pyjamas.

Tonight is Friday Night Sew In hosted by Heidi and Bobbi - thanks ladies I'm almost organised and hoping for some serious sewing action tonight. It's been a while.

Hope your Friday is Fantastic.

Tea cosy paradise

My favourite thing this Friday was spending time with creative friends taking an excursion across town to the Tea Cosy Exhibition - all for a good cause too. 400 tea cosies for sale to raise funds for the Cancer Council.

A small selection for you to enjoy.

There sure was a lot of inspiration here with many different styles and techniques displayed now I need a teapot to dress up.

Tonight is Friday Night Sew-In so while I'm inspired I am going to join the ladies and do a little creating myself.

Happy weekend - hope you find lots of time to spend creating.

Playing Favourites

Playing favourites with Shay over at Quilting in My Pyjamas.

My favourite thing this week and probably my most favourite thing of all time - my Inheritance.

I am not talking $$$ I am talking about the skills and knowledge which were so readily shared in my extended family.

I have been reminded on several occasions recently that not every one has these priveleges growing up and I have been sharing my skills with members of my craft group many of whom are much older than myself.

The pictures - yes, there are a lot - show the essence of my material inheritance, my treasures. When you are part of a large family who insist on living well into their 90's they manage to spend their hard earned $$$ before they run out of life to live, just as it should be!

This school case is over 50 years old and belonged to my aunt during her Primary and Secondary school years. It holds a collection of mostly knitting and crochet patterns which I 'inherited' from my Grandmother when she entered Nursing Home care at the age of 95.

Timeless treasures -crochet supper cloths - these are from a magazine dated 1957.

The series was Australian flora and fauna in filigree crochet.

Patons and Baldwin Baby knitting books, which also contain crochet patterns and Semco Tatting and Crochet books from the 1930's

This one is full of crochet lace edgings for doilies and I have her miniature crochet hooks to do this with.

Look at all those choices for bonnets, bootees, socks and leggings - made like stockings with ribbons to tie them at the top of the leg.

Tatting edges - not a craft I have actually tried but I like to look at the pictures any way.

A complete layette on the following two pages.

That's right it is sticky tape you see in the pictures above and below, these books have been much loved in their life time.

These are later books from the 1950's which contain reprints of earlier patterns.

How cute is this romper suit?

What about cat's ears?

I have a distinct memory of making this one in the 1980's - not sure who the lucky recipient was.

Remembering that these garments were mostly made in wool, not easy care varieties like we have today, I can imagine that a mother's work was never done!

My grandmother also taught me that it is never too late to complete a project, she started a gorgeous knitted baby shawl in the finest cream wool for her first daughter and finished it almost 40 years later for her youngest grandchild.

Check out other favourites today over here.