wintery week

Finally I think I cracked the code for the crochet hexagon...

Plenty of wet weather (and washing)

A bunch of pale yellow gathered from the garden to remind us of the sunshine...

food packaging

I like shopping at the Asian Grocer. Can't help falling for the cute product packaging.....

Just as well this chocolate cornflake snack comes in a little packet....not too sure about the nutritional content.But don't those little flakes look happy and well balanced!

I would never have though to try this fish shaped ice cream filled with red bean paste. But thanks to our Korean friends for putting us onto these. They are superb!

These collon tube biscuits are kind of funny...

The penguin bucket filled with jellies was a hit at a recent birthday party.

These "healthier chips" look great but taste like they're made from potato peels.

Nothing dainty about the effects of this "cleansing"tea

And look sometimes even Nature has fun with food packaging. I think this tomato looks very surprised.

That's the expression I will be wearing if my numbers come up in the 90 million mega draw tonight!

eye spy.....something I made for a small person

I have been meaning to use my pile of felted jumpers for quite some time. This weekend I dabbled in a bit of reconstruction and this little grey tunic is the result.

A bit of handmade binding, a button , a snip here, a stitch there plus elephant pocket/handwarmers and there you have it. Fun and quick - definately want to do more felted projects.

A great theme from Sweet Emmelie...and more eye spy here.

Nest rest

My birdies are not very chirpy...in fact they're all a bit croaky. So we fashioned a cosy nest by pulling the couches together and topping it with quilts. A breakfast of 'snowy toast' = french toast sprinkled with icing sugar. A weekend of nest rest should help them recover.

my creative space

It has been grey and cold around here...perfect for a spot of knitting. I've been tweaking the gumnut beanie idea I first showed back here. The beanies take shape better if I start at the bottom and decrease the stitches into a peak, instead of vice versa. Then I crochet the blossom bits on at the end. The red version is one of last year's attempts. Also found a more suitable needle size for this thrifted stash of wool stash. Much happier with the 'new model' gumnut.

For a bit of variety I swapped to red wool and added some random white buttons to make a toadstool beanie....

I've wanted to make a spotted red/white hat eversince I posted about the Redtops. Children's books are a good source of inspiration don't you think?

The buttons only occured to me this week! My little pixie was happy to model the prototype. There was a whole case of buttons to peruse. But very little wintery light - this is the least blurry I could manage.

More creative spaces to investigate here

scrolling along

A quick, simple recipe for scrolls - good for lunchboxes or afternoon tea. We used Nutella - a choc hazelnut spread and sliced banana. Next time I will try a savoury version with cheese and Vegemite. Other filling suggestions are raspberry jam and white chocolate. What would you add?

Scroll dough:
3 cups self-raising flour
50g chopped, chilled butter
1 1/4 cups of milk

Sift flour into bowl. Add butter by rubbing it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively combine in food processor. Then make a well in the butter/flour mixture. Add milk. Use a knife to mix together to form a soft dough.

Turn dough onto a floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle. roughly 30X40 cm. Spread your topping onto the surface. Then roll it up. Use a sawing motion to cut even slices and lay them on the tray, leaving 2cm space between each one.

Bake about 25 min in a preheated (200C) oven. This makes about 10 scrolls. Much more economical & fun than taking 3 hungry kids to the bakery!

crochet candy

Here are a few favourite images from one of the library books. Sometimes I check the foreign language books for Japanese crafty stuff. This one is "Let's knit series" ISBN4-529-04280-4
You can click to enlarge.
A different take on the traditional granny square
Very cute shawls

Can you have too many scarves?
Most of the projects are beyond my capabilities....but still lovely eye candy.

my creative space...

It's that time again - creative spaces shared and hosted at Kootoyoo! I spent a few rewarding hours in the garden this week. I planted Lavender (will dry for crafting), German Chamomile for brewing tea, strawberry runners were popped into hanging bakets, sebago seed potatoes were nestled into an old tyre. Coriander & bok choy settled into the veg patch. I'm slowly clearing the weeds from the succulent beds and propagating more succulents into thrifted pots and tin cans.
A few flowering groundcovers were planted in anticipation of bunches to pick. It's a long term project....

Inside there are plenty more long term projects waiting. Looking into my sewing nook, I can see dozens of ideas waiting to sprout! On the chair some wool fabric to turn into another pair of long shorts, the laundry hamper is brimming with felted jumpers all ready, above that is a patchwork of black and white destined for a kitchen mat...I could go on and on. To keep track of things I use an inspiration wire (which has another baby bootie project waiting). I also use notebooks to jot down ideas, display inspiring images on bookstands and corkboards. How do you keep track of your creative thoughts?

And a trip to the library this week resulted in a big pile of books on gardening, softie making, knitting and sewing. A bit more inpiration to go with my cuppa and Caramello Koala.

saturday night...

Not a typical Saturday - the kids are staying with the grandparents. Of course we miss them. But we can also indulge a little bit - make a spicy green Thai curry for dinner.

Take up my time trying to photograph the finished Kimono

My thrifting radar was at it's peak - so happy to find this colourful fold-out clothes dryer today. I bet it makes the washing dangling in front of the heater look so much more attractive:) Could also be useful for displaying crafty wares. One of these days. Also on display....fleecy striped fabric and dappled courdroy.

And a retro dairy with some wonderful botanical designs which include some type of gold embossing.

I think a bubble bath could be on the agenda too...

my creative space

A little stitching on linen during borrowed moments. These moments of absorbing one self into a creative project is a nice diversion....but wouldn't it be good to have a whole weekend devoted to indulging the creative urge! Check out the other creative spaces via kootoyoo.

I'm yet to find one of those pens used for drawing the pattern onto fabric, so I traced the design from a Burda Magazine using tracing paper. A very elementary attempt at Sashiko embroidery.

Another linen project coming together is this Kimono blouse. Quite a simple pattern from that Cotton Friend I have been spending time with. Yes it is my third attempt again and I think this charcoal linen version will turn out fine if I can just get that V neck collar sitting properly. I don't have an over locker so I will use zig zag to neaten the edges.Hm maybe an overlocker would save me some time?

hello winter

Making a collage from recycled cereal boxes + cotton wool with the kindergarten class.
My weird but warm cardigan. The colour attracted me first. When I brought it home I found out it was made in New Zealand: 40% possum + 60% merino wool.
I saw a doco some time ago about a possum plauge in New Zealand and the subsequent export of possum products. Apparently it was a success story for the economy.
Hearty tomato soup + alphabet noodles + cheese toast. That sums it up.

Seasonal Juncture

Autumn offered a final hurrah as we explored the Mt. Lofty Botanical Gardens. We marveled at moss and lichen, inspected various fungi and rambled though a breathtaking, crisp landscape scattered with colour and texture. Lovely treasures to enjoy before Winter's repose.

cross-over smock

This version was a slight improvement on the first two. It gets the thumbs up for comfort and I think it's quite versatile. I have to concede that it might not be the most flattering style for my shape.(Taking copious photos offers plenty of angles to scrutinize and of course here I'm showing the better views :) Time for a new sewing challenge methinks....

out back

The backyard has provided plenty to keep us occupied

Have wheelbarrow - will travel

And dig. She tells me this will be a duck pond.

The smallest bunny just discovered worms. "oh mummy, can we keep it?"she asked beseechingly. sure. I'm not ready for bigger pet commitments as yet. She spent the afternoon checking up on her worm, "there you go little fella" she would say as she moved it around different parts of the garden.

I like vests. nerdy I know. This one makes me think of toadstools and garden gnomes.

my creative space

My creative project this week was a portable one. That's what I really like about crochet: easy to pop into the handbag, you can do it in the car while the toddler sleeps and you're waiting for the school bell. You can do it on the couch while the little people bounce around you or while you watch a movie.(I finally saw Baz Luhrmann's Australia on Sunday night when everybody else had retired for the night - it was lovely and long). But the wrist warmers were quick and easy to make despite a few false starts.

I'm not familiar with how to write a crochet pattern, but will try and explain how I made them in my own words.....
I used a no.5 crochet hook and 8 ply wool so these instructions reflect that. Adjustments are very easy to make to customize these.
1. Start by making a chain.(I used 45 stitches) then join up the last stitch with the first stitch using a slip stitch. This forms the bottom of your wrist warmer and should slip over your hand comfortably while not being overly loose at the wrist.
2. Single crochet around and around (I went up 30 rows and only hooked into the outer loop of the chain.)
3. To make an opening for the thumb you need to chain 6, miss ten stitches on your tube then continue to crochet up, using the chain of six as the new circumference to follow.
4. Keep up the single crochet ( I went up 15 rows) Then you're done. Tie a knot and weave in the loose ends.

It seems my eldest has longer fingers than I do....I reckon I should have made them a smidgen longer. Still, I hope they keep her hands warm while she waits at the bus stop. The mornings are getting colder and darker.

Oh and I've just passed my 200th post. So I would like to thank you ! I really appreciate all the encouragement and inspiration I receive from this virtual wonderland :)
There are lots more creative spaces to be found at Kootoyoo.

eye spy......something green

When I spied this enamel teapot last week, I felt like I had found a little treasure. The loveliest shade of pale green, it makes me inexplicably happy. Perfect for brewing some green tea to see me through the afternoon. The tea packet was picked up at the Asian Supermarket - I like to check out their different food packaging. This Jade green box is labeled "special gunpowder" green tea - by Temple of Heaven.

Thanks to Trasahlou for the green theme this week. If you want to join in the eye-spy click over to Bug and Pop.

sewing for myself

I'm still feeling very enthused about sewing clothes for myself. Cotton Friend (Autumn edition 2008 vol.28) is tempting me with several more ladies patterns beside the top from a few posts back. Not to mention cute kid's clothes I want to try out. Currently this crossover smock has engrossed me.

Fabric choice has been an interesting learning curve....The first attempt was made from a thin flannelet plaid from the fabric stash. Like most of my first attempts - it will not be leaving the backyard. I was amused to read some sage advice from the retro Golden Hands mag about
"The secrets of print and patterns": When choosing plaids, checks and stripes, take into consideration your body movements when walking because brightly coloured checks and plaids emphasise body movement. Large movements are emphasised by large checks and small movements drowned by them, so choose the smaller patterns in blending colours if you are short." (??) Sheesh. all that to consider besides trying to match the pattern up a bit. All I know is that wearing this makes me want to pull on some gumboots and get stuck into the gardening. Either that or ugg boots and a mug of hot chocolate :)

My second attempt was in a cotton/poplin mix. I went up a size - but am undecided if this is more flattering.... More gathers at the waist just adds bulk where it is not appreciated. Ironing resolved this slightly. My third attempt at this will be in a thin grey wool blend. I even went to a fabric store especially to find just what I was after. My stash yielded nothing suitable. Since the fabric is new I will have to think carefully how to proceed. Maybe drop the waist a little, I prefer the top part in the larger size but the skirt in the smaller version. hmmmm. I hope the third attempt will be good enough for public appearances.

Oh and these pants/shorts were sewn in summer. There is a little stretch in the fabric so I used darts around the waist instead of an elasticized waist. Although it looks like fleece or stretch knit the fabric is something thicker. It reminds me of granny slacks, if you know what I mean? The fabric was a bit warm for summer. Nowadays I'm really liking the pants with stockings, still looking out for the perfect winter boots.....

my creative space

These lavender/wheat bags have been waiting amongst my creative projects. I've recycled some linens, doilies, ribbons, napkins and added a few stitchy bits.. I think when you want a bit of comfort it might be nice to have something that smells, looks and feels good.

I'm feeling much better. Thankyou. But oh so busy! Parenting, housework, the fledgling vegie patch have kept me occupied. Tommorow I'm back in the classroom. Zoom there goes a week...

and when I have a spare moment - I do a runner. Straight to the detached rumpus room where the crafty projects call out. There I can daydream about birds and apples, rainy gardens and rippling fish ponds.

I'm quite behind in reading/replying/commenting. I hope to pop back soon. For more creative spaces head over to Kootoyoo.

sniff

I'm sick of being sick! It's been a long time since I succumbed to a cold, but this one has dragged around with me all week. I would have liked to hit the pause button but life doesn't wait while mum snivels.

I pulled out my collection of doilies for distraction. Wondering if I had enough to make a patchwork table runner of sorts and then decided against the idea. Put them back in the case.

I checked in on my crochet....these are last year's efforts. The flower was easy enough to turn into a brooch. Wondering what you can do with three granny squares? Put them back in the yarn bag.

I made some cranberry and coconut muesli bars. Put these away with lots of cups of tea.

one of my birdies...

is celebrating six years.....

we made fairy bread and honey joys.....and deemed the collaborative cake decorating a success.

yesterday the kids partied at the gym.......

and today balloons, bunting and brown paper packages await to surprise the dear little bird..