Craft and Chaos

Leaving

2009-02-18T18:13:00.001+11:00

It's two days before I go now. Obviously I've been pretty slack here lately, but I have had a lot of organising to do!

Anyway, I've set up a new travel blog:

http://lindsaygoes.wordpress.com/

I'm not going to delete this blog but I won't be posting here.

Art Deco Scarf

2009-01-16T11:06:00.003+11:00

When we went to New Zealand, I promised my mum I'd make her a scarf with some yummy possum/merino/silk yarn I bought there. I managed to do it without her seeing it (although the blocking part had me EXTREMELY nervous, luckily it was warm weather and only took one night). It ended up really nice and I'm sure she'll get a lot of use out of it once the weather cools down. I ended up with two left over balls so eventually I might make myself some fingerless gloves or mittens maybe.

It's an art deco scarf because we went to Napier in New Zealand, which is an art deco town, and zig-zags are a common motif in Art Deco style.

The pattern is Isobel, knitted with Supreme Possum Merino with Silk. Took about a month and a half of surreptitious knitting.

Looking Back at 2008

2009-01-05T12:43:00.002+11:00

Looking back at 2008, it was a bit of a blah year unfortunately. We lost our darling Barney in February and I felt like I was working a lot. I think it was just the way my hours were set out that I felt like I didn't have big chunks of time to do stuff I wanted.

I've just been looking back on my goals for 2008 and to be honest, I didn't really go all that well on them.

1. Comment more on blogs/projects/images etc. Partly I don't do this because I read Bloglines at work, so I figure the more websites I go to the badder I am, but when I'm looking at stuff at home I'm going to make an effort to comment more. Most of it is just laziness really.
I didn't really do this. Looks like I'm shy on the net and in person.

2. Keep a creative journal. I'm not sure how well this one will go, I've tried it before, but I'll do my best. I'm not going to put any pressure on myself for daily writing or anything, but I think it will be useful.
Also didn't go very well.

3. Get a shower timer. I should stop assuming I'm having short enough showers and actually measure it.
Hooray, I did this one. Go me!

4. Complete some stuff I started this year - TAST, the 12 inch square CAL (only one of these to do and then combine everything). Also use some of the supplies I have.
Ummm...no, I guess that's part of the overwhelmed with work bit.

5. Challenge myself creatively. This may include large projects, new skills etc.
Yes, I did knitting and made socks, did cabling and lace. I'm pretty impressed with myself here.

6. Read another 15 books from my list (see previous post). Read over 100 books in the year.
I read over 100 books (180 actually, the last one scraped in just on New Years Eve)
Only 7 from the list, but I've read lots from other lists.

7. Make some plans for an overseas trip in 2009 and ask others to join me.
Definitely did this one. In fact I'm leaving in February, so not long now. I didn't actually ask others to join me, I was going to, and then they were talking about going overseas so I invited myself. I have done most of the organising though. .

8. Take a bit of time out to think about where I'm going etc.
Kind of, I'm going on a big overseas trip!

So what about 2009?

I'm finishing my job in mid February then making my way to the UK, travelling through India (5 weeks), Thailand (1 week) and Japan (2 weeks) on the way. Once I'm in the UK I'm going to work for a little bit (to make up the money I've spent in the first part of my trip) and then travel round Europe in between working. It's been something I've been wanting to do since uni and I'm so glad to finally be getting the chance to.

I'm going to keep blogging here until I go (probably fairly sporadically though) and then I think I'll set up a new travel blog but I'll see how I'm feeling before I leave.

Blog Break

2008-12-19T17:06:00.002+11:00

I knew I hadn't posted in a while, but then realised it had been over a month. I've thought about posting but it's been feeling like a bit of a chore so I've decided to take a bit of a break until the New Year and then reassess the blog a bit.

So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone and I'll update next year.

Scrummy Yarn

2008-11-17T13:15:00.002+11:00

When we were in New Zealand I bought some lovely yarn.

This is some gorgeous hand painted yarn for me (no plans yet)

and some merino, possum and silk yarn for a scarf for my mum. It has been started and hopefully it'll be done in time for Christmas (it takes much longer to make things when they are a surprise and you have to keep them hidden!). I've maybe done about 15cm at the moment and it's sooooo gorgeous and soft that I might have trouble giving it away once I've finished.

New Zealand Photos

2008-11-10T17:26:00.003+11:00

Here are some photos from my fabulous trip to the North Island of New Zealand. We were only there for six days and it would be great to go back there eventually and see more, particularly the South Island, because what I saw of New Zealand was really lovely. I did take a lot more photos than these, but I couldn't swamp the blog with all of them!

We went to Rotorua, which has lots of thermal activity. We went to one of the thermal parks and saw a geyser which was really cool, as well as lots of hot pools, craters and other stuff. We also went to the Agrodome where we saw a sheep show, and I may have come away with some wool (but I'll show you those photos in another post).

We also went to Napier, where most of the town was destroyed in an earthquake in 1931 and now a lot of it is rebuilt in Art Deco style. There has been a lot of restoration and we went on a guided walking tour as well, and we really got a lot out of that.

It's Lamb Sock

2008-11-07T13:08:00.000+11:00

I've been picking up a few nice pairs of socks for a little while now, planning to make a sock creature, and I finally got around to it. All hand sewn, but it really didn't take long and it's sooo soft and squishy. I didn't stuff it too firmly because I liked the feeling of squashing it when it was just plump but not too full.

I used the lamb pattern from Sock and Glove: Creating Charming Softy Friends from Cast-Off Socks and Gloves.

My Stitch Markers

2008-11-03T11:16:00.003+11:00

It's taken me a little while to post these, which is naughty of me, because they're really fantastic. These are the stitch markers I received in the Witches Have Me in Stitches (markers) swap on Ravelry. Some of them have been to New Zealand though because I've been there on a short break. I'll have to post some photos from there as well!

All the photos are taken on a background of some of the lovely paper that my swap partner Madaco wrapped everything in, that was all hand stamped. Isn't it gorgeous?

We have a procrastinator, a turtle, a disc and some grapes to represent Bilious, the Oh God of Hangovers.

A dragon, Fate and the Lady’s dice and some chain mail (for Vimes or Dwarves) which has 8 rings.

Some Discworld directional markers.

Something that I have to reread Wintersmith about (I guessed a Kelda, but wasn’t quite right), a feegle and a wonderful elephant ring to hold all my markers (or for VERY chunky projects!).

Discworld Stitch Markers

2008-10-20T17:48:00.000+11:00

These are the stitch markers I made for the Ankh-Morpork Knitter's Guild stitch marker swap. I traced images from "The Art of the Discworld" book onto shrinky dinks, which was lots of fun. My mum thought they were very cool when they shriveled up!

The Witches Set

The Watch Set

The Random Set

The Octarine Set

AMKG Altoid's Tin

2008-10-17T15:44:00.002+11:00

I was in another Ankh-Morpork Knitter's Guild Swap on Ravelry. It was just a small swap of some stitch markers, but I did have fun making a cute container to put them in.

I've been wanting to do something with my altoids tin's for a while, and this got me off my butt to do it. The design is the group's coat of arms.

Garterlac Dishcloth

2008-10-13T16:47:00.000+11:00

Another dishcloth! I've found the couple I've done are a good way to have a go of a new stitch without starting a massive, overwhelming project.

Made with Peaches and Creme in Pink Lemonade, and the pattern is from here.

Long Lacy Shawl

2008-10-10T10:45:00.000+11:00

This has taken me a couple of months to finish, but I'm really happy with the end result. As well as being a nice shawl, it's light enough that I can scrunch it up and use it as a scarf.

The pattern is the Long Open Shawl and once I got into it, it was easy to memorize.

My new craft room

2008-09-29T14:40:00.004+10:00

My sister has just moved out...so I stole her room, which means I get more room for all my craft stuff (must try not to increase stash, must try not to increase stash) and it also gave me a chance to go over what I've got and organise it a little bit (and make some room in my own wardrobe)

Here are some photos:

WIP Wednesday: scrap blanket

2008-09-24T09:54:00.000+10:00

This is going to be a WIP for a long time, as I'm just adding scraps to it every now and then. I haven't decided yet if I want every flower to be in a different yarn or double up on some. I'm imagining the finished project (eventually) as a riot of different coloured flowers.

The pattern is the Cyanne blanket. I'm going to be good and keep weaving in the ends as I go (maybe)!

Ballet Dinosaur

2008-09-15T14:08:00.002+10:00

I got asked to make this for a little girl who likes dinosaurs, and pink and I'm really happy with the finished project (especially the tutu, which was some fantastic lace I found at Lincraft).

I modified this dragon pattern to make it more dinosaury and it worked really well!

A real dish(cloth)

2008-09-07T10:10:00.000+10:00

A fellow raveller in the Australian Knitters Group on ravelry was doing a peaches and creme order so I thought I might order some. I ordered a pack of twelve balls and two grab bags which had loads of stuff in. This is made from a partial ball in one of the grab bags and I ended up with just enough to finish it. Yay!

The pattern is the Round Dishcloth and it was pretty easy in the end.

Made with Peaches and Creme in Winterberry.

Hat and Scarf Set

2008-09-04T11:07:00.000+10:00

It's one of my nieces birthday soon (her first one in Australia), so what better to celebrate the 'wonderful' weather in Melbourne (they're from the UK) than a beanie and scarf, although they're fairly light ones.

The beanie is the Divine Hat which is a lovely pattern that I've been looking for an excuse to make.

The scarf is the Double Drop Stitch Scarf which was a pretty quick knit and the drop stitches were a bit of fun to do.

Both were made with Aria by Lang Yarns. The beanie would have taken one night and the scarf maybe two or three.

Stitch by Stitch Images - Issue 7

2008-09-01T12:40:00.001+10:00

It's the waist that bothers me. The argyle top is kind of nice, but the gathered knitted waist? Not a good spot to add bulk.

Seed Stitch Scarf

2008-08-29T13:07:00.000+10:00

It was my brother-in-laws birthday recently and as I'd noticed him wearing scarves around it gave me an excuse to knit one. I did start crocheting one, but I was using pretty chunky yarn and it ended up a bit solid. So I decided to knit my first scarf. I did it in seed stitch and because the yarn was so chunky it went pretty quickly. I also think it's my first knitting project without mistakes. Yay! And I used some stash yarn. Double yay!

It's very thick, warm, soft and squishy.

And the winner is...

2008-08-25T19:45:00.001+10:00

Drumroll

...Miri, with her suggestion of Lois McMaster Bujold. I've read one of her books ages ago which was pretty good, so I'll keep an eye out for some more.

If you can email or message me on Rav with your address I'll get your prize sent out later!

Placemats

2008-08-24T11:18:00.000+10:00

My younger sister has bought a house and is moving in soon, so for a housewarming gift I made these placemats for them (they are going with a lot of browns and creams in the stuff they've bought). They took me all day because I kept getting distracted. Having your lap top on the same table as the sewing machine is a bad idea.

There are eight, and they are pretty much all the same, although one decided to miss out on the photo.

In other news, just two more days to offer reading suggestions in the bloggy competition.

We have a prize (winner to be announced later)

2008-08-18T12:33:00.003+10:00

So here's the lovely prize for the reading suggestions competition. Feel free to offer your favourite books from any genre really. I'm always up for broadening my reading horizons.

I thought a vaguely book themed prize would be good, so we've got a woven bookmark, and a mini needle book, handy for a mini sewing kit?(tute from Girl on the Rocks)

I've also been tagged for a meme by librarylass
Here are the rules:
1. Link back to the person who tagged you (see above)
2. Mention the rules on your blog (you're reading them now)
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
a) I don't like pasta. It's yukky.
b) I have a terrible sense of smell. This may explain a) a little.
c) I am a chocolate fiend
d) I am a bit allergic to cats. Occasionally owners will jokingly say "I hope you're not allergic to cats" if I start sneezing in the consult room. I generally claim hay fever.
e) I'm not really a fan of lunch. I'm often not hungry and I don't really like stuff that has been sitting in my bag all day. Although I could probably eat three breakfasts a day.
f) I find doing these things a challenge. I'm guessing it's taken me about 40 minutes to do this (although I have been wasting time on the internet doing other things).
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them.
I'm going to skip this one. I've spent too much time on this already.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs letting them know they've been tagged
See above.

Reading material request

2008-08-15T17:08:00.000+10:00

If I ask for help I should offer a prize, hey?

I read quite a lot but at the moment when I go into a bookshop or library or op shop I've been a bit 'meh' with the book selections. I'm not sure if it's just that there are too many books and I'm paralysed by choice but I need some help with book selections.

I tend to like fantasy but will definitely branch out and many of my favourite books are in other genres. Lately I've been loaned a lot of Tamora Pierce/Brian Jacques books so I'm a little over young adult/teen fiction. That said I'm planning to read Twilight, but I'm saving it for when I go to New Zealand - figured I needed to plan ahead for something to read on the plane.

If you want to see other books I've read over the last few years you can look at my Goodreads page and feel free to add me as a friend, just send me a bit of a message telling me why you're adding me.

Anyway, offer some suggestions and then I'll use a random number generator to organise a prize for someone. The draw will be Monday the 25th of August and I'll try and work out a prize before then.

Anyway, unrelated pictures (sorry about the terrible quality, they were both a bit rushed)! It's a couple more beanies I've made on request! Yay!

Finished Socks (Oh yeah!)

2008-08-11T13:45:00.000+10:00

Finally finished my socks. Only realised into the foot of the second one that I've been twisting my knit stitches. Oops. But I learned something from it!

Reversible Tote Bag

2008-08-06T15:16:00.000+10:00

I made this bag as a project bag for my partner in the Australian Knitter swap on Ravelry. In it I put a little zippered pouch with some knit-knacks including sewing needles to weave in ends, stitch markers, a tape measure, scissors, hand cream, chocolate etc. All stuff that I figured that even if she had, she could do with extras.

The pattern was from here on craftster.

That's it for the swap goodies I sent out. There was a couple of months of swap time so I kept getting ideas for other things to put in there.

Water Bottle Cozy

2008-08-04T13:42:00.000+10:00

Here's something else I made for the Australian Knitters swap on Ravelry. The bag itself is crocheted and the handle is woven on my Eolia loom.

I didn't use a pattern, just crocheted a base large enough in single crochet and then used a pattern from a stitch dictionary for the bag. I can't remember what I used now.

Crayon Rolls

2008-07-31T11:04:00.000+10:00

I made these crayon rolls for the two sons (twins) of my swap partner for the Australian Knitters swap on Ravelry

Apart from dodgy pocket measurements (which was my fault, trying to alter the pattern without thinking through it enough) it was easy and worked out well. I got the pattern from Skip to My Lou.

Stitch by Stitch Images - Issue 6

2008-07-28T14:31:00.000+10:00

It took me a little while to work out exactly what bothered me the most in this one. The fit is alright and the colours while eye watering aren't that terrible. In the end I worked out that it was the co-ordination of the two. I'm sure that kid didn't volunteer.

Woven Tote Bag

2008-07-24T21:02:00.000+10:00

This is another project for the Australian Knitters swap on ravelry, made for the daughter of my swap partner.

In progress

Finished!

It's tabby woven on my Eolia Rigid Heddle Loom using worsted acrylic yarn, ladder yarn and some ribbon, and then lined.

Look what the postman bought me!

2008-07-21T15:41:00.003+10:00

It's my ravelry swap goodies from JulieB. Yay!

The fingerless mitts are gorgeous. They are soft and warm, and worn every moment possible. The chocolate is gone, the tea is yummo and the owl on the card is a cute little badge. I got so spoiled, lucky me!

Swap Shawl(s)

2008-07-17T13:35:00.000+10:00

It feels like I've been waiting to post these photos forever. I took part in an Australian Knitters swap on ravelry and my partner has received. Yay!

This is my main project for the Australian Knitters group swap on Ravelry. I made my partner a shawl in some lace weight merino I had (held double), and it is nice and soft, and hopefully warm enough to take the chill off in Darwin without being too hot and thick. I also made a teeny one for a Wednesday Adams doll she received in the last swap from someone else.

The pattern is Eva's Shawl which worked up quite quickly and gave a nice lacy shawl that provides a bit of warmth.

Stitch by Stitch Images - Issue 5

2008-07-12T16:04:00.000+10:00

With a couple of potential candidates from this issue I ended up choosing this one because of the title "Fuzzy and Flattering". Well they had the first part right...

WIP Wednesday: socks

2008-07-02T18:17:00.000+10:00

Yes, I'm making socks, and I'm pretty proud of myself too! The finished one is fairly dodgy and has some real laddering issues, particularly at the top. The second one is looking ok so far but I'm definitely going to have to do a better job of grafting the toe at the end.

Stitch by Stitch Images - Issue 4

2008-06-30T11:59:00.003+10:00

I do enjoy doing swaps, but one of the problems is making (hopefully lovely) things and then having to delay posting them until they've been received. So in the meantime (after another lazy break from me) I'll try and post some more Stitch by Stitch images.

We have a knitting picture today, really just on here because it's so unflattering, both in shape and colour. Possibly aiming to offend no one, it also pleases no one.

Reversible Bag

2008-06-21T15:31:00.000+10:00

This bag was initially made for the Australian Knitters swap on Ravelry, but I ended up deciding there were some areas (mainly the straps which were a (insert favourite Gordon Ramsey phrase here) to sew on) that weren't good enough to give away in a swap so that means I get to keep it. Muhahahaha! I ended up making a simpler bag for the swap (simpler, but better made), which shall be seen later, once it's been received.

I used this tutorial on craftster, which was very clear, it was mainly technical issues with fitting a reasonable amount of fabric into a small space around my sewing machine that was the problem.

Weave It Menu Holder

2008-06-16T14:35:00.000+10:00

First of all, I'll just apologise for the fact that this isn't a great photo. This was one of those gifts that was being finished as I was getting ready to leave (but then the photos was taken when I made the new owner give it back briefly!). It's a take away menu holder that I made for a house warming gift with 8 4" Weave-It squares sewn together and with a loom flower on the top. My half sister had admired our take away pouch and I'd just got my Weave-It's so it was a great opportunity to use it.

Flapless Flappy Beanie

2008-06-13T10:58:00.003+10:00

My sister's boyfriend asked me to make him a beanie for his birthday which was cool, and I've now been asked to make one for his brother as well...but that one will wait for the moment because I've got a few WIPs on the go.

The outside

The inside (slightly reversible!)

Ooooh, texture.

I used the pattern Flappy from Crochet Me but ended up using the Boy Beanie pattern for the top from The Happy Hooker because I was using much thicker wool which wasn't behaving with the start of the pattern. I also excluded the ear flaps.

Little Zipper Pouch

2008-06-02T13:01:00.000+10:00

This was another quite easy project, a little zippered pouch to hold my small looms. I was going to do a drawstring pouch but decided I shouldn't be lazy and should use a zip. I used this tutorial and it really was very easy.

Now the only problem is that I've misplaced the 2 inch loom (still in it's packet) so I need good lost item finding vibes sent my way.

Stitch by Stitch Images - Issue 3

2008-05-26T14:52:00.000+10:00

Now this one is a little less cute and more an idea of what not to crochet. It's bulky and unflattering. What I found interesting is the pose, which is really quite modern, as the model appears to be pretending to talk on her mobile ...in around 1979 according to the copyright at the front of the magazine.

Woven Bookmarks

2008-05-23T14:44:00.000+10:00

I made one of these bookmarks for my mum for mothers day (yes, it's posted a little late!) but ended up with enough warp length to turn the loom around and weave another (shorter) bookmark from the other end.

And I'm finally using up some of my novelty yarn which I bought because the price was really good, and it looked nice in the ball but it's a challenge to make look nice in a project.

Completed Wisp

2008-05-18T16:43:00.000+10:00

Hooray, I've finished my Wisp. Once I got into it, the knitting wasn't too bad, so I'm probably going to try and knit some more projects in the future.

It's from the Knitty pattern Wisp, made with some random mohairy like op-shop yarn which I think is acrylic.
Here's a picture of it all spread out blocking on my new blocking mat.

Stitch by Stitch Images - Issue 2

2008-05-15T10:30:00.000+10:00

Here's the first of the images from the enormous collection of magazines I showed you recently. This one's from Stitch by Stitch issue 2 and is actually quite a cute project - a little denim place mat with a pocket.

I promise there will be more amusing photos coming up, but not everything in these is hideous and I do need to have a balance.

Weaving Fun

2008-05-12T13:26:00.002+10:00

Yes, it's another ebay purchase but I think it's the last for the moment (maybe). It's an Eolia loom. Yay! Loomy fun.

I think I need to get the expansion kit bits because at the moment the length of whatever I can weave is fairly short.

Magazine Holders

2008-05-09T14:17:00.000+10:00

I've got loads of mismatched magazine holders so I've started making them look a bit prettier by covering in the pages of old books, which also means I can co-ordinate them with other stuff (once I get round to recovering that too).

Just a small and easy project.

More ebay purchases

2008-05-05T13:48:00.002+10:00

So here's some more stuff I bought off ebay - old craft magazines! It's almost all of the first 66 issues of Stitch by Stitch which has knitting, crochet, sewing and a little bit of embroidery and tends to cover techniques and then has projects where you can apply the techniques. It's from the late 70s and some of the projects are fairly amusing. I'm going to post some of the images up so you can all enjoy them as much as I have!

(This isn't all of them but close enough!)

Ebay Purchases

2008-05-02T11:05:00.001+10:00

Does anyone else have ebay phases where you go and buy a load of stuff and then have quite a long break without even looking on ebay? I've just had one of those phases (I may or may not be at the end of it), and this package was first to arrive.

I've also been really interested in the weaving buzz that seems to be going on now, and so now I can do some weaving (on a small scale!). It's wonderful that these Weave-It's were in their original packaging and I especially love the target audience (particularly the last one - not quite sure what it refers to, but can it really have been complimentary?)

WIP Wednesday: Wisp

2008-04-30T09:55:00.000+10:00

I thought I should start posting some of my WIPs to keep me motivated and also put some pretty pictures on the blog.

This is Wisp from the Summer 2007 Knitty, and it's part of me extending myself with craft, by knitting (because I find it a lot more work than crochet). It's made with some random yarn I bought from the op-shop. I'm not sure how it's going to block, but hopefully I can stretch it out a bit once I'm done (eventually)

Needle Felted Turtle

2008-04-28T11:04:00.002+10:00

I've used the lovely turtle needle felting kit that Miri gave me in the Ravelry Discworld swap, and I've still got quite a bit of roving left. Yay!

Isn't it cute? It's my first needle felting project too, lots of fun.

In non-crafting stuff, I've also had laryngitis, which wasn't fun, and unfortunately we had staff away so I was very nice and worked through it (which made me tired, and also very difficult to understand in consults as I really had no voice). And that's my excuse for not posting much, but I am going to try and do better.

More on Deefa

2008-04-20T10:13:00.002+10:00

Deefa is going fine. It was actually a complete shock when I saw the needle on the radiograph, and initially I went back and checked to see if there was anything in his fur!

I suspect at some point he's eaten the needle and it may have become walled off now. Because he hasn't had any clinical signs we're going to leave it in there for the moment. If you look closely you can see it almost looks like it's rusting in the middle - and it's been quite a while since I've embroidered and ages since I've lost a needle, so for the moment we're just going to keep an eye on him. Poor little boy.

Crafting gone wrong

2008-04-19T15:00:00.000+10:00

Up until now I've been pretty lucking with crafting accidents. Other than projects that haven't quite turned out as planned, unfinished projects and the occasional poking with a needle it's all been pretty smooth sailing...or so I thought.

Anyway, I took Deefa in to work for his vaccination and heartworm injections and also some radiographs (because I'm paranoid, and he's a bit lumpy - all lipomas though) just to check his chest and abdomen.

Guess what I found?

Babydoll Top

2008-04-14T10:42:00.002+10:00

This is the third project I've started from the CrochetMe book, and so far, the only one I've finished (admittedly, the second one I was working on when Barney was sick and I picked up the wrong hook size for the last piece...it's now hibernating). This was actually a project that I wasn't initially planning making from the book, but I bought some Bendigo Woollen Mills cotton on special and thought it would be a nice project for it.

The colour is somewhere in between both pictures and the pattern is the Babydoll dress by Amy O'Neill Huock, which I've modified to be a top.

Made with 8 Ply Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton in Parchment.

Curious Squid Square

2008-04-06T16:12:00.000+10:00

Gosh I have been a bad blogger haven't I? Partly it's because we ran out of internet, and then I've been on jury duty...not on any trials but almost. This is a bit of an old project, but I've just been slack about posting it.

On Ravelry, I took part in making a square for the Pratchgan, an afghan for Terry Pratchett, after he's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Terry Pratchett is one of my favourite authors, and it's really devastating news.

I made a curious squid square with the squid investigating the next square and the other tentacles all dangly and free.

Discworld Swap Creations

2008-03-17T12:51:00.000+11:00

Here are some more things I made for the Discworld Swap on Ravelry

Some blank greeting cards from Death's Domain. The ones with the dark centers have radiographs from very small animals but look much better with light behind them.

A sheep coin purse, which contained the next item...

...Nac Mac Feegle stitch markers. These had interchangeable rings so they can be used on different sized needles.

A scumble bookmark. For anyone who reads Discworld, I can imagine Nanny Ogg has at least one bottle of Scumble secreted inside a hidden compartment in a book.

A tote bag, in Nanny Ogg's favourite red and white striped stocking pattern. This was a last minute addition, partly because my parents were posting it from Hawaii and I though it would be good if there was something to keep it all together. I also added in some Tim Tams and Vegemite.

Circular Knitting Needle Holder

2008-03-12T16:12:00.000+11:00

For the Discworld Swap on Ravelry my partner wanted a circular needle holder. I got inspired by this one on craftster. I wanted it to look like a Watch (Discworld police) notebook, and so I embroidered the coat of arms on the front and had the needle pockets in an aged paper colour of felt.

(Photo courtesy of Miriknits)

The Discworld "I'm just sending this box so my partner can have cardboard for their boots and I was guilted into putting stuff in it" Swap

2008-03-10T10:05:00.003+11:00

In February I took part in The Discworld "I'm just sending this box so my partner can have cardboard for their boots and I was guilted into putting stuff in it" Swap on Ravelry. I was lucky that I managed to get most of my crafting done before Barney got sick, and also that mum and dad were flying to Hawaii so could post the parcel from there, letting it arrive nice and quickly.

Anyway, I was completely spoiled with the package I got from Miri

Look at how beautifully everything is wrapped!

The enormous pile of goodies. There is a load of old craft books (the oldest is 99 years old) all from the Librarian, a turtle needle felting kit, some soap and soak samples, a gorgeous book made from recycled paper at the San Miguel Mission in Mexico, some wonderful socks, an awesome project bag made by one of Miri's friends, some wonderful wool (including a skein of Malabrigo, some yummy chocolates, very cute buttons, a lovely turtle necklace and a gorgeous knitted lace cuff (with beading). Here's some more detailed shots.

The wonderful socks, which fit perfectly and are now my favourite socks in the whole wide world.

The beautiful cuff. I wish I could have got a better photo of this, but it is just divine.

The lovely yarn. Yummy, yummy, yummy!

Edit: Yes, I know the pictures are being silly but I'm lazy and I can't be bothered fixing them at the moment.

Thank you

2008-03-09T11:08:00.001+11:00

Thanks everyone for all your support, it's really appreciated.

I'll get back to normal blogging soon.

In Memory of Barney 1996 - 2008

2008-03-01T11:08:00.002+11:00

It feels like months since I've last posted here. After posting to the blog in the morning I went into work and got results from blood tests I'd run on Barney the day before. He'd just been lethargic and a bit off his food and radiographs hadn't shown anything. When I got to work and read the blood results they gave a diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, which is very rare and also has a very short lifespan. He was also very anaemic and had very low platelet numbers (which are important for blood clotting). Dad ended up bringing Barney in that day for a blood transfusion. It picked him up a bit over the weekend and he had a really good day on Sunday, but on Monday night he collapsed when coming in from the toilet so we took him into work, and one of the other vets put him to sleep.

We knew from the diagnosis that he didn't have long, but it was terrible to watch him deteriorate so quickly. In the end though, he had a wonderful life and gave us so much joy. We still have his brother Deefa, who has such a different personality from Barney, but is equally loveable. He's obviously missing Barney, but seems to be coping alright at the moment.

Pretty Little Brooch

2008-02-21T10:22:00.000+11:00

I'm feeling a bit broochy at the moment, so I may make a few more (but don't hold me to that), so here's the first real brooch that I've made.

It's made from beads which were in an necklace librarylass sent me, on felt, with a satin stitch border. I generally don't make anything this bright, but I'm really happy with it, so I may do more bright things!

Fabricy Naughtiness

2008-02-18T15:51:00.000+11:00

I was in Spotlight the other day (well a while ago now), just getting a little bit of felt and some brooch backs, but Christmas fabric was 50c a meter, so...

The scale is a little hard to appreciate in this picture, but the two left hand piles are each 6 meters...I may have gone a little overboard.

In other news, I've decided to discontinue Scatterdays. It has just got a bit hard working two out of three Saturdays.

Anthropologie Inspired Shrug

2008-02-14T10:15:00.000+11:00

I must say, Ravelry is fantastic, but I can see that with all the wonderful project galleries that I may end up with lots more WIPs and UFOs as I jump from one project to another due to the overload of inspiration.

Anyway, it has got me to retry knitting and although I've ended up with a successful project, I don't think I can call myself a knitter and I still love crochet much more.

There are a couple of mistakes in it, the most obvious is in one row of the stockingette stitch one the back where I've knitted where I should have pearled,or vice versa, but after all the times I frogged it I wasn't going back 5 rows, which is how far I'd come before I discovered the mistake.

These are all the attempts I made:
1. Thought I was doing moss stitch instead of 1X1 rib. Got past the ribbing and added 5 stitch markers instead of four. Frogged to start.
2. Got to the third row and realised my stitch count was off. Frogged to start.
3. Knitted first row with tail end of yarn before running out of yarn. Frogged to start.
4. Got 3 rows in, realised I was doing garter stitch and still wasn't actually pearling properly. Frogged to start, put the whole thing down and did some gauge squares, learning knit, pearl, stockingette, 1X1 rib and some cast off techniques.
5. Did the ribbing fine (and put some yarn through the stitches) did the raglan increases etc well (with a small bit of knitting in one pearl section - oops, sure no one will notice) then stuffed up the bottom ribbing and frogged that bit three times (but not back to the start). Finally finished the ribbing, and then the sleeves (with no mistakes there).

It's made with Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic 8 Ply in Peppercorn.

Pretty Purchases

2008-02-08T13:33:00.000+11:00

For our work Secret Santa, I got given money to buy some jewelry, so I went and had fun on Etsy (I can feel you guys getting envious already)

I love the way the wings slot into this so neatly (and I also want wings, personally I would love some big white feathery ones so I could fly around) but if I can't have that, this pendant is lovely too! It's from dasb56.etsy.com

Next is some mixed pendants, and they're all very lovely, from strandedgems

This one is called Love Birds, from Inspired Reflections and it's amazing how much of my stuff it goes with. It's also like wearing a sweet little piece of art around my neck!

Then there is this cute little pendant called Bookish, which is made from a scrabble tile and goes well with all the reading I do. It's from littleput

This final one was actually a gift from my sister for Christmas, but I thought I'd put it here too. It's a gorgeous brooch, and wearing it is like carrying a lovely piece of art around with me. It's called Jaala and it's by a Melbourne Artist, Nadia Turner at Wayward Harper.

A lovely suprise package

2008-02-06T09:37:00.000+11:00

Ok, the first time I said the internet was working at home it was, it just stopped working after two hours. Now it seems it's been fixed properly. Hooray!

Anyway, I was very spoilt with this package just after Christmas. It was a complete surprise from librarylass and she made me feel very special.

She sent me the fabric at the bottom, some beautiful roving and a whole pile of bits and pieces as well as a pet hair roller (extremely useful) and a book by Gerald Durrell, Birds, Beast and Relatives, which was a fantastic read.

All I need now is more time...

Ornament Swap Part 4

2008-01-30T15:01:00.000+11:00

Yay! I've got access to the internet at home again. Now I've just got to get through all the stuff I couldn't do on other computers!

These are the ornaments that I sent out in the ornament swap. They're crocheted granny pentagons (and one hexagon). I thought they looked a little bit like stained glass when the light was coming from behind them.

Christmas Ornament Swap Part 3

2008-01-16T11:36:00.000+11:00

And the final three ornaments for you to feast your eyes on. Aren't I lucky? Some of these talented people have blogs, so I'll put some links in.

From buggabu

Herding Cats

In other news, I'm experiencing a few technical difficulties with computers/the internet at the moment and so there may be a bit of a break in posting for a bit (I've got one post saved as a draft but I don't know what I'll do after that!).

Scatterday

2008-01-12T16:16:00.000+11:00

Scatterday sure does come around quickly. Today it's the letter E and the themes are:

White: Envelopes. These were just sitting on my desk, but I have been collecting used envelopes lately. I've got a bit of an idea for something (if I ever get any time) but I also just feel bad tossing them out (even if they do get recycled)

Terrifying Things: An Empty Box of Chocolates. If that's not scary I don't know what is!

The Plant World: A Eucalyptus, complete with possum guards which don't work.

Christmas Ornament Swap Part 2

2008-01-09T13:39:00.000+11:00

Look, it's more gorgeousness from the Christmas ornament swap. Aren't they just lovely?

Again, none of these wonderful senders have blogs (otherwise I'd link to them)

Ornament Swap Part 1

2008-01-07T11:31:00.000+11:00

Here are the first three of the ornaments I received in the Second Annual Ornament Swap. It was a really fantastic swap and I'm looking forward to taking part again next year. The only problem was that I decided to take part at the last minute, and then I was going to Bali so I really had to race to get all my ornaments done on time. Aren't these ones I've received all gorgeous? I don't think anyone in this first group of pictures has blogs, otherwise I'd link to them.

Scatterday

2008-01-05T13:51:00.000+11:00

Wow! It's really hot here today.

First we have car parts, and I've got a visor...taken from outside the car because, well, it's hot!

Next is Office Items and I've got Veterinary Text Books. I had a bit of an evil laugh to myself for this one, because I managed to find it pretty easily but thought everyone else might have a bit of a struggle.

Finally, it's In the Kitchen and Vege-Spice.

Eight Goals for 2008

2008-01-02T10:45:00.000+11:00

I did mean to post this yesterday, but it ended up a bit of a disaster of a day. We spent the night in the city and left the dogs at home (after giving them dinner, a bone, and one of them some valium). We got back to find one of them waiting for us in the driveway (our front yard isn't enclosed at all, and the dogs had been left in the back) and the other one missing. We spent half the day wandering the streets, phoning animal shelters and councils (which were closed) and then I rang the local emergency center who had seen him (but his microchip hadn't worked! Grrr) but he'd then been taken to the pound. They managed to get him back to them where we picked him up.

Apparently Barney had been picked up at the end of the street and had followed someone home, played with their dog and swam in their pool before the second lot of fireworks started (I think that's why they escaped) when they put him in their cubby and he had a sleep. So Barney actually had a great time. Poor Deefa (who would have only followed Barney) was stuck out in the hot weather all night without water. We've just changed the lock on the gate so it closes automatically, otherwise Deefa would probably have been sleeping in the garage. So Barney is getting a brand new microchip tomorrow. Naughty boy!

Anyway, I thought I better have some goals for 2008, so here they are:

1. Comment more on blogs/projects/images etc. Partly I don't do this because I read Bloglines at work, so I figure the more websites I go to the badder I am, but when I'm looking at stuff at home I'm going to make an effort to comment more. Most of it is just laziness really.

2. Keep a creative journal. I'm not sure how well this one will go, I've tried it before, but I'll do my best. I'm not going to put any pressure on myself for daily writing or anything, but I think it will be useful.

3. Get a shower timer. I should stop assuming I'm having short enough showers and actually measure it.

4. Complete some stuff I started this year - TAST, the 12 inch square CAL (only one of these to do and then combine everything). Also use some of the supplies I have.

5. Challenge myself creatively. This may include large projects, new skills etc.

6. Read another 15 books from my list (see previous post). Read over 100 books in the year.

7. Make some plans for an overseas trip in 2009 and ~~bludgeon~~ politely ask others to join me.

8. Take a bit of time out to think about where I'm going etc.

2007 Goals: A look back

2007-12-31T10:22:00.000+11:00

I thought it would be a good idea at the end of 2007 to have a look at the goals I had at the start of the year and how they've all gone.

1. Learn some new crafts (I'm kind of cheating here because I've paid for some classes already, and I also have a new sewing machine and spinning wheel to play with, but it's a goal anyway!)

I accomplished this one. I did a fusing and slumping course, learnt basic spinning (one of those things I wish I could find more time for) and learnt to use a sewing machine. Yay!

2. Get a new job (my current job was just for a year, so it finishes in February so if I don't get a new job I'll be unemployed most of the year, so I pretty much have to do this one!)

Also did this one...about three days after getting back from Adelaide!

3. Only use re-used or re-useable wrapping materials on gifts. I've started doing this a bit, but once I use up my roll of wrapping paper I'm either wrapping presents in fabric or scarves, giving them in fabric bags, or those re-useable gift bags. This also has to be appropriate, so I wouldn't give my dad a gift wrapped in fabric (well actually I might, but I'd steal it back, because he wouldn't use it)

Pretty much did this one. I did wrap a few presents in paper, but most were reusable or reused materials.

4. Try not to get any more plastic bags. I've got lots and I don't need them. I just need to remember to take green bags to places other than the supermarket.

I did really well on this one, I'd say I got less than one bag a month...and most of those were when people didn't listen when I said "I don't need a bag" or "It can just go in here"

5. Organise my craft stuff (admittedly it's not too bad at the moment, but I can see problems looming when I move back to Melbourne in February because I have accumulated over the last year). I think I need to buy a cupboard for some of my stuff, but I'll get to it once I move back and I have everything in one place.

I bought some plastic draws and got everything sorted out when I moved from Adelaide, and I've just had another sort out so I'll go into the New Year with everything tidy.

6. It's a secret, that way if it doesn't happen, no one knows! Plus I think you have to have at least one private goal!

This one was getting my embroidery design published, which I did. Hooray!

7. Read at least 15 more books from the Angus & Robertson Top 100 Books list. Currently I've read the bold books. Books in italics are those I definately want to read this year.

Ok, so the bold ones are one's I've read previously, and the underlined ones are the ones I've read this year. Some of the ones from this year I have read before.

1. The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
2. The Lord Of The Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Pride And Prejudice – Jane Austin (2006)
4. To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee
5. Memoirs Of A Geisha – Arthur Golden (2007)
6. Angels And Demons – Dan Brown
7. The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold (2007)
8. My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult (2007)
9. Tomorrow, When The War Began – John Marsden
10. Magician – Raymond E. Feist (2007)
11. The Bronze Horseman – Paullina Simons (2007)
12. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire – J.K. Rowling (2007)
13. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
14. Bridget Jones’ Diary – Helen Fielding
15. Cloudstreet – Tim Winton (2007)
16. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban – J.K. Rowling (2007)
17. The Power Of One – Bryce Courtenay
18. April Fools Day – Bryce Courtenay
19. Tully – Paullina Simons
20. Across The Nightingale Floor – Lian Hearn (2007)
21. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho (2007)
22. The God Of Small Things – Arundhati Roy (2007)
23. Ice Station – Matthew Reilly
24. The Pillars Of The Earth – Ken Follet (2007)
25. Tuesdays With Morrie – Mitch Albom (2006)
26. Perfume – Patrick Suskind
27. The Bible
28. The Bride Stripped Bare – Anonymous
29. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix – J.K. Rowling (2007)
30. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling (2007)
31. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis (2006)
32. Cross Stitch – Diana Gabaldon
33. Looking For Alibrandi – Melina Marchetta
34. Mao’s Last Dancer – Li Cunxin
35. The Secret History – Donna Tartt (2007)
36. Year Of Wonders – Geraldine Brooks (2007)
37. Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell (2005)
38. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy Series – Douglas Adams (2007)
39. Jessica – Bryce Courtenay
40. The Notebook – Nicholas Sparks
41. The Catcher In The Rye – J.D. Salinger
42. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
43. One For The Money – Janet Evanovich (2007)
44. Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
45. The Shadow Of The Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon (2007)
46. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
47. Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason – Helen Fielding (2007)
48. The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom (2006)
49. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens (2007)
50. Life Of Pi – Yann Martel (2007)
51. The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver (2007)
52. The Poet – Michael Connelly
53. A Child Called It – David Pelzer
54. Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas – Hunter S. Thompson
55. On The Road – Jack Kerouac
56. Tell No One – Harlan Coben
57. Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
58. Almost French – Sarah Turnbull (2007)
59. An Equal Music – Vikram Seth
60. The Ancient Future – Tracey Harding
61. The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood
62. The Day After Tomorrow – Allan Folsom
63. Desert Flower – Waris Dirie
64. The English Patient – Michael Ondaatje (2006)
65. The Eyre Affair – Jasper Fforde (2005)
66. Fight Club – Chuck Palahniuk
67. A Fortunate Life – A.B. Facey
68. Girl With A Pearl Earring – Tracy Chevalier
69. The Godfather – Mario Puzo
70. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets – J.K. Rowling (2007)
71. The Horse Whisperer – Nicholas Evans
72. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte (2006)
73. Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides
74. The Pact – Jodi Picoult (2007)
75. The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger (2007)
76. Wild Swans: Three Daughters Of China – Jung Chang
77. Animal Farm – George Orwell (2005)
78. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy (2007)
79. Atonement – Ian Mcewan (2005)
80. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
81. Cold Mountain – Charles Frazier
82. Crime And Punishment - F.M. Dostoevsky
83. Emma – Jane Austen
84. Enduring Love – Ian Mcewan
85. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald (2007)
86. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
87. Interview With The Vampire – Anne Rice (2006)
88. It – Stephen King (2007)
89. Like Water For Chocolate – Laura Esquivel (2006)
90. Not Without My Daughter – Betty Mahmoody
91. Plain Truth – Jodi Picoult
92. 1st To Die – James Patterson
93. A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
94. Alias Grace – Margaret Atwood
95. Assassin’s Apprentice – Robin Hobb
96. Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand (ok, so I didn't finish it but it still counts!)
97. The Potato Factory – Bryce Courtenay
98. The Redemption Of Althalus – David Eddings
99. Retribution – Jilliane Hoffman
100. River God – Wilbur Smith

So I did this one too, although I didn't manage all the books in italics on the list. Overall this year I've read 142 books, and it surprised me that this was more than last year (121).

I'll have a think about some goals for 2008 overnight and probably post a list tomorrow. I hope everyone has a wonderful New Years Eve and a fantastic 2008.

Scatterday

2007-12-29T10:20:00.000+11:00

Today's Scatterday letter is Y and the there are:

Green: It's a Yukka, and one which sadly has seen better days. In our family we have brown thumbs unfortunately.

School Days: My Primary School colours were blue and yellow and this is part of my grade six jumper. When thinking of scatterday ideas I generally start off think of sounds and so for a brief moment I was considering youniform...but then spelling kicked in and I realised that would just be silly.

Animal: Again I've gone with yellow...but to make up for that I've got two pictures. First we have a yellow bird, also known as a weaver bird or weaver finch...with some nests the male uses to attract females. Apparently if the female is unimpressed she simply destroys the nest. This is a photo taken off my parents computer from when they went to Africa. The second photo is some yellow fish, from when I did a bit of work experience at the Melbourne Aquarium.

Scatterday

2007-12-23T14:48:00.000+11:00

Only one day late today...I'd taken my photos and everything but just didn't have a change to get onto the computer. Today's (well yesterday's) letter was S and the categories are:

Christmas: It's Santa! I got this in the Second Annual Holiday Ornament Swap by Freshly Blended and Cake and Pie. I'll post more ornaments from this next week. I made a last minute decision to take part in this swap, but I'm so glad I did, I've got some gorgeous ornaments.

Beverage: It's some Stepping Stone wine. I got this from a lovely client to say thanks for looking after some of her dogs throughout the year...the only problem is that I don't actually drink alcohol (weird I know) but I'll probably take it to a party or something.

Medical: I had lots of options for this one, but I ended up just looking in my handbag and pulling out some syringes...no needles in my bag though, so they're a bit useless!

Podgy Puppies and Curvy Cats

2007-12-19T15:58:00.000+11:00

I'm bringing up a non-craft issue today, which is work related for me, but may affect some of you guys. If it does, don't take it personally, but it is a bit of an issue that's got me riled up at the moment and I figured since it was getting close to Christmas, it's probably something worth thinking about.

Overweight pets. They're a common site in vet clinics, ranging from the podgy to the massively obese. I've seen a number of animals, both cats and dogs, recently which have been double their desired weight. It is a joy to see a labrador of normal weight, and rare to see underweight animals (normally due to a health problem, rather than malnutrition).

Obesity in pets can lead to a number of health problems, many similar to humans. As well as the visible fat under the skin, fat surrounds internal organs and obesity can lead to diabetes, liver disease, cancer, heart and respiratory problems, and joint disease. Excess weight can lead to worsening of some diseases such as arthritis. Individual fatty meals can lead to pancreatitis, which not only makes pets extremely sick, but can be fatal.

Surgery and anaesthesia is more risky in overweight pets, as in position their lungs may not expand as much. Fat surrounds blood vessels, making them slippery and difficult to tie off. Suture material becomes greasy and slippery which can make knots less secure. This means surgery takes longer, which again is less than ideal for the patient.

So how do pets become overweight? There are a couple of medical reasons, but the most common causes are too much food and not enough exercise. Lack of exercise tends to be less than a problem in dogs (this is a wide generalisation and obviously doesn't apply to every case) than cats, who are obviously quite difficult to exercise. Indolent cats are also at an increased risk of urinary crystals.

Excessive calories is a more common reason for weight gain and often snacks and scraps are a big part of this. Many dogs in particular are very food responsive and food is a common reward when training. If you give your dog treats when it begs, you are rewarding this behaviour and training them to beg. Rewards given randomly are an excellent means of reinforcing behaviour for long term training as well.

The question is then, how do you get your pet to lose weight?
Increasing the amount of exercise can help, and activities such as a getting the cat to chase a torch beam around can help. If your pet is getting enough exercise, or for one reason or another they can't be exercised more, you have to concentrate on the diet. There are a number of restricted calorie diets available for obese pets. These have increased fibre and bulk to make them feel full, but don't have the calories. In less obese pets cutting down the food given, feeding a lower calorie dog food or substituting some of the meal with grated carrots can help. Pets should be fed for their desired weight and marking a cup rather than eyeballing the amount will help. Switching to a smaller food bowl can also make it look more full. Cutting out treats and scraps from the table is also key. One very important factor is communication. Everyone who feeds the pet needs to be involved in the weight loss plan so their is consistency in the diet and exercise.

Unfortunately, like in people, weight loss in animals is hard once they've put the weight on. One of my dogs was 42 kilograms and is now down to a healthy weight of 36 kilograms. This has involved persistence with diet and a lot of yelling at other family members. However he suffers from arthritis and so the little treats, while giving him a brief pleasure, are ultimately more harmful than helpful to him. At 11 years old it's far too late to stop him begging when food is around (he's been trained too well) but it's something we do our best to ignore now.

In the end our pets weight is our responsibility, and any preventative health care we can give them we deserve.

Scatterday

2007-12-17T12:51:00.000+11:00

Sorry I'm late again, and I also have to apologise for completely abandoning K (because it's now been completely abandoned!). Scatterday's letter for this week is D and the categories are:

Sewing: Alright, so I've got DMC embroidery floss too but I have been wanting to take a photo of this for a while because it is very pretty...and you get to eat Fererro Rochere's too.

Vehicle: It's a Decorated Car! I struggled quite a bit with this one and ended up going through all my photo files to find something that fit!

Touchy Feely: One of my babies, Deefa Dog. He does actually have the softest fur out of our two boys, and he's also got a bit soft personality as well

Bali

2007-12-12T13:25:00.000+11:00

I had a wonderful trip to Bali. We spent a few nights in Kuta, then went to Ulawatu, which is at the south of Bali, and is a lot quieter, and very relaxing. Then we went back to Kuta, finished our shopping and came home.

This is a picture of the plunge pool in the backyard of our room at Ulawatu with lovely ocean views. The first room we were in, the air-conditioning didn't work, so we got upgraded to the presidential suite (the hotel was pretty empty), which was lovely.

This is a photo from the hotel next to ours in Ulawatu, looking towards our hotel. It was a bit of a hike down to the beach (down lots of narrow steps) but the pool was lovely. It was more of a surfing beach than a swimming beach, although I'm not sure how people managed to walk down with their surfboards!

And finally, a gorgeous sunset in Kuta.

Scatterday

2007-11-30T11:45:00.000+11:00

I'm a little early today because I'm going to Bali tomorrow! Yay! I'm so looking forward to a break, I'm working 13 days in a row at the moment and working tomorrow morning so I'm a bit exhausted (which is why I haven't been posting as much on here, or leaving comments on other blogs). I'm hoping to come back nice and relaxed and refreshed and more enthusiastic about things generally. It's also my birthday while I'm in Bali, so that will be the fourth year in a row I've been away from home for my birthday. Last year I was in Adelaide (which I never really thought of as home, the year before in Hawaii (I went away after graduating) and before that I was in Colac doing work experience).

Next week I'll be posting Scatterday late, but if someone puts the categories in a comment I might get them in time to take Bali photos...no guarantees though.

Anyway, onto Scatterday.

First is texture, I struggled with this one but eventually came up with moist and here's a photo of some dirt with a seedling in it (watered with buckets from the shower of course).

Second is a weapon and we have a mallet, because I couldn't find the machete I'm sure lives in our garage somewhere, but I think the mallet would be deadly enough.

Finally, a hobby and it's making things. This is the Mesmerize Sweater from the Crochet Me book, so that starts with M too.

Pincushion and Tape Measure Cover

2007-11-28T16:51:00.000+11:00

I had some cute little apple fabric scraps lying around so I used them for a couple of small projects.

First we have a tape measure cover (because mine was pretty ugly), much better now!

Then we have a pincushion. It's actually for someone at my dad's work so I don't have a matching pincushion and tape measure.

I used Whip-Up Tutorials for both of these. The pincushion was from the Stickin' it to the Pincushion, and the tape measure cover was from the Customised Tape measure tutorial

Scatterday

2007-11-24T17:40:00.000+11:00

It's Scatterday again and today's letter is T.

Hot Things: It's a Tap Pepper Grinder, it used to have a hot on it but that fell off, but pepper itself it a bit hot.

Purple: It's a teddy bear that I gave my mum ages ago, which now lives on her bed.

Clothing: it's some ties (and there are some purple ones in there). Next to this rack of ties is another one, and there are normally quite a few ties that haven't been put away as well.

Bookmark Swap

2007-11-21T16:57:00.000+11:00

I took part in the Bookmark Swap at Crafty Daisies and today my bookmark arrived! It's a lovely crocheted bookmark in a Catherine Wheel pattern and my partner let me know it was designed to look like flowers in a field of grass. Isn't it just gorgeous!

On the weekend I went to a primary school reunion which was a bit weird, seeing people I hadn't seen for thirteen years, since I was twelve. There were about 15 people there out of a class of 73, but more people than that had been tracked down, and almost everyone had been contacted through Facebook. It was interesting to see what people were up to, and amazing how many people had gone travelling for a year. No one could think of anyone who was married or had kids (at 25 you'd expect someone to be wouldn't you?).

Scatterday

2007-11-17T12:05:00.000+11:00

Happy Scatterday! It's H today and the categories are:

Human: This was a bit of a tricky one, but then I started looking round and found this picture of Hedy Lamarr. My mum had carried a calender of black and white movie stars around for years until she eventually got all the images framed. They're all in our dining room now and look very effective. Other pictures include Errol Flynn, Lauren Bacall, Mae West and more.

Toys: We have a harp seal and a hedgehog. They were both gifts. The seal was from a friend when I got food poisoning in Perth (other than that I had a lovely time), and the hedgehog was from my aunt and uncle when they visited us from the UK.

Soft: It's a hat. My mum and dad went to a mad hatters fancy dress party. I made mum's hat which won, it was a desert island with a little palm tree and a little doll fishing. It was lots of fun with paper mache and sand and cellophane water. The only problem was that I didn't think about balance until it was finished. Unfortunately I think it's been thrown out now and I didn't get any photos, but we've still got the prize.

Aussie Tour Embroidery Swap

2007-11-16T11:41:00.000+11:00

I've got my apron back from the Aussie Tour embroidery swap. It was a round robin and I sent around pieces of an apron which will be sewn together at some point. First though I have to embroider a couple of gaps. That may have to wait for a little while because my to do list looks a bit like this:

URGENT
Christmas Ornament Swap (I signed up at the last minute)
Christmas Cards
Christmas Presents
Secret Santa Gift

Then there is my WIP List
Mesmerize Sweater
Cocoon Bag (which is probably more like a UFO)
September CAL Square

Plus lots of non-urgent things too.

Plus I'm working lots of hours at the moment and I'm going away in a few weeks (Yay, a holiday in Bali).

So it might take me a little while to complete the apron, but until then everyone else's embroidery deserves to be shown off, so enjoy the loveliness.

This one is from jane feebles, such a clever idea (I had a craft theme for my apron)

This one is from sharre. You probably can't see the little needle embroidered with metallic thread, but I love little details like that!

This is from librarylass and it's three dimensional! Doesn't the stick figure have so much character too?

This is from cmc_aust. I wish my French knots were as good as this.

This is from Miss_Vicki, how gorgeous is the sewing superhero fairy, and the stitches are teeny!

Cotton and Wool and Yarn. Oh my!

2007-11-14T16:18:00.000+11:00

That title doesn't completely make sense, but with just cotton and wool you don't end up with the Wizard of Oz reference. Anyway a combination of factors led to me splurging on various yarns.

1. I'd just bought some new crochet books
2. Bendigo Woollen Mills was having a sale (and still is I think)
3. There was a destashing thread on the Australian Knitters Board of Ravelry

So I've ended up with all of this:

The first two cones are from Ravelry, no plans for this just yet and the rest is from Bendigo Woollen Mills. The other cones are going to be made into the Icelandic Sweater and Leaves Sweater, I keep changing my mind as to the colours of each. The next three balls are cotton and are going to turn into the Mesmerize Sweater (I've started this one), then we have two balls for a non-Crochet Me cardigan, but I can't remember the name of it at the moment, and finally we have another three balls of cotton, bought because they were even more on sale...not that I have to justify them!

TAST Week 21: Crossed Buttonhole

2007-11-12T11:59:00.000+11:00

Week 21 in the TAST challenge was Crossed Buttonhole and we have some little sea stars (or starfish).

Scatterday

2007-11-10T15:53:00.000+11:00

It's Scatterday again and today's letter is O.

First is Breakfast and we have some oats, which go on to become muesli (courtesy of Poppalina's recipe here). Very yummy and a wonderful start to the day!

Next is something shiny and it's a Cloisonné owl my mum and dad got in China, which is used to hold toothpicks. This was a very hard topic I thought so I'll be interested in what everyone else gets!

Finally it's something small and I've taken a photo of my mum's printers tray (a section anyway) with some ornaments. She's been collecting little things for years and has bits and pieces from over the world (I made the gumnut glued to the bit of wood)

My new books

2007-11-07T13:45:00.000+11:00

All my books have arrived now so I thought it was time to do a quick review. I ordered them from The Book Depository which offers free shipping worldwide. All my books arrived very quickly and the prices were excellent.

First we have Sock and Glove by Miyako Kanamori. This is a lovely sweet book. The photography is lovely and the patterns easy to follow and would be manageable to hand sew. There is some assumption that you already know how to sew in this book. Overall a very inspiring book, and I'm sure I'm going to buy some socks and/or gloves for these projects soon.

Next is Plush-O-Rama: Curious Creatures for Immature Adults by Linda Kopp. This was a great book to read through, the introduction goes through various materials and techniques and there is a wide range of creatures to make, all with their own personalities. There are some great designer bios as well. The only negative would be that the templates need enlarging, but that is a small quibble. It's also full of inspiration for creating your own monsters as well!

Then there is Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol, which is beautifully presented, full of inspiring designs, clear instructions, and lovely writing. It goes through sewing basics initially and then has a range of projects, all appearing nice and simple. I'm looking forward to trying some.

Next is Crochet Me by Kim Werker, which is a very empowering book. You don't often get crochet books that you get to the end of reading and go "Yeah! I crochet!" but this one manages to do that. As well as the essays throughout there is a lovely range of projects, and I've already ordered some wool to start some of them (it doesn't count towards your stash if you buy it for a specific project).

Second last is Amigurumi: Supper Happy Crochet Cute by Elisabeth A. Doherty and I must say, the patterns in this are adorable. There is a range from crochet food, animals and humanoids. There are instructions for the crochet stitches, embroidery and also some hand exercises which I think is a fantastic idea.

Finally we have the Harmony Guide 300 Crochet Stitches. This book is obviously designed to be very functional and gets straight into the crochet without any non-instructive text. The stitch patterns are packed in, all with clear photographs and some with charts. It's definitely a good base for different crochet patterns and motifs.

Scatterday (late again)

2007-11-05T10:30:00.000+11:00

Only a couple of days late today, but better late than never!

First we have vegetable...and I think canned vegetables only just count, but we have some asparagus. We did have fresh avocados and apples but they're both fruits.

Next a round thing and it's a stone apple. I think mum and dad got it (and the matching pear) from overseas somewhere, but I can't be more specific than that.

Finally it's Something I like the Smell of. This was even more difficult than the vegetable because I've got a terrible sense of smell so in the absence of taking a photo of the sky and calling it air, I've gone with some aromatic candles.

Christmas Ornament Swap - Part 2

2007-10-31T15:49:00.000+11:00

So you've seen the lovely goodies I got in the Christmas Ornament Swap (I love getting handmade things), now you get to see what I made.

Some knitting elves.

A crocheted snowflake.
Almost everything made it without mishap...except for one parcel which got returned to me with a third of the envelop missing...it's very lucky the ornaments were intact so they got resent and arrived safely.

Christmas Ornament Swap

2007-10-29T10:52:00.000+11:00

I took part in the Christmas Ornament Swap Round 2 on craftster and got some lovely ornaments.

I got some very clever puzzle ornaments from kittyvegas

A gorgeous beaded ornament and a cute little Christmas cracker from Harvey

A lovely tree and teeny little snowman from kibbi

And a beautiful quilted bird from gingerquilts

To avoid overloading the post with pictures (which I've probably already done) I'll put the stuff I sent in another post.

Scatterday

2007-10-27T10:15:00.000+10:00

Happy Scatterday! Today's letter is J and we have our three categories:

Restaurant: a sneaky phone camera shot here (bet you can tell) of a Japanese...possibly restaurant. It was in a food court. I should lose points for the photo and the very loose interpretation of the category!

Pointy things: it's some jagged glass! I didn't break glass specifically for scatterday, but I did have to clean it up. We've just got a new outdoor table and we put our old one on the front lawn hoping someone would take it. Rather than doing that some (we're assuming school kids as it was between lunchtime and 5pm and we're near a high school) people turned it over and dropped a large rock on it. Shards of glass are really hard to get off the ground, particularly when there is grass on it...and it's raining (cue the violins). The only good thing that's come out of it is that I got a scatterday photo!

Sport: It's some joggers...although I suspect these ones have never been jogged in. Still it's the thought that counts. I wonder if these joggers have dreams of an afterlife where they spend their days pounding the pavement, or maybe they are lazy too!

TAST Week 20: Butterfly Chain Stitch

2007-10-26T14:29:00.000+10:00

Week 20 in the TAST chellenge was Butterfly Chain Stitch, and we have another in the series of 'Pressed Samples'

I've also got my invitation to Ravelry and I can see why people find it addictive! I've put all my projects in, and now I'm working on loading my stash. I think I've already got two or three projects in a queue (although that doesn't mean they'll get made), and that's before my new books arrive! If anyone else has got their invite (because I can't remember who has) my user name is starberrii, feel free to add me as a friend.

Rounder Roomy Bag

2007-10-24T13:32:00.000+10:00

I've been wanting to make a cute little patchwork bag for a little while, and this was a bit of a practice run.

The tutorial was from here, although now that I've made it, it's not quite the shape I had in mind for my patchwork bag, although I do like this one, so I'll probably keep an eye out for another pattern (and then do a trial run of that). Other than the outer fabric (which was $1 a meter) I had all the materials at home.

I also had a go at putting a zipper pocket inside the bag, which worked really well (Yay!).

TAST Week 19: Basque Stitch

2007-10-22T10:42:00.000+10:00

Week 19 in the TAST Challenge was Basque Stitch, although I threw in a bit of stem stitch as well.

I'm really pleased with the end result on this one, it ended up very close to what I was hoping to do!

Scatterday

2007-10-20T15:42:00.000+10:00

Once again it's Scatterday and today's letter is P and the categories are...*drum roll*

Red: we have some red pins on a non-red pincushion (a lovely gift from MissMeshell). It was a bit of a pain to pull all my non-red pins out of the pincushion, and I've discovered that I've lost two...which honestly is surprisingly few.

Sweet Things: a pineapple that is either growing out of the table, or has had it's bottom cut off. Poor pineapple! This is going to sound quite bad, but I much prefer tinned pineapple to fresh pineapple (it's too pineappley)

Metal: some pots and pans (one is a pressure cooker, but that still starts with P!).

Bloggy Competition Winners

2007-10-19T11:47:00.000+10:00

The winners of the Bloggy Competition are Librarylass and Sharre and your bookmarks will be heading your way soon (by the way Sharre, what bookmark did you want?).

Is it being mean if I let you know what books I've picked once they arrive?

Fabric

2007-10-17T15:55:00.000+10:00

Linda from Chloe's Place was selling some fabric, so I took the opportunity to make a purchase.

I got them incredibly quickly, and Linda did a fantastic job of picking pieces with minimal guidance from me (basically I gave her some colours).

Aren't they lovely? And packed so neatly as well.

TAST Week 18: Woven and Whipped Wheel

2007-10-15T12:01:00.000+10:00

Week 18 in the TAST challenge was Woven and/or Whipped Wheel and I can see why people like this stitch. I'd never really done it before but it was lots of fun. I can see myself using it more in embroidery now.

Scatterday

2007-10-13T15:24:00.000+10:00

It's Scatterday again and I'm back to my routine and managing to post on time today. The letter for today is F and the categories are:

Cold things: I went simple, with our fridge which doesn't really have any exciting stories about it.

Elements: Fire! This is a photograph of my cousin doing Poi, or fire twirling on a beach in Vietnam. She's amazingly talented at it and it would have been nicer if my camera had got a better shot, but you get the general idea.

Signs: Probably inappropriate, this is another Vietnam photo, you can probably see why I took it. We actually went to Vietnam about four years ago so I had to scan these photos in. It was a wonderful trip and I'd love to go there again.

Books, books and more books

2007-10-12T19:21:00.000+10:00

On the weekend the Australian Bookcrossing Convention was in Melbourne, and it was lots of fun. I've been pretty lucky because last year it was in Adelaide and this year in Melbourne, next year it's in Brisbane so I may use it as an excuse for a holiday (the only problem with that is getting the books home again)!

Anyway, as well as being an opportunity to pass along books (and free up space for new ones) it's a great place to pick up new books, like these...

...there are actually another two books which didn't make it into the photo because they're being read by me and my mum. I think I may be busy for some time...

This large number of books is by no means an excuse to not buy craft books, I have however decided to get the Crochet Me book, so I might wait until next week to finish the competition and order books. Yay, more books! (I think I may have a problem)

Scatterday (only a little bit late!)

2007-10-10T11:29:00.000+10:00

I had a pretty busy weekend with the Australian Bookcrossing Convention on in Melbourne (I'll post a picture of all the books I picked up soon) so that's why I've been slack with Scatterday and other blog posting.

Anyway, this weeks letter is C.

First we have hobbies and I went with crafts, so there's a picture of my computer, on my favourite site on the internet, craftster, where I ~~waste~~ spend lots of time.

Then we have pizza toppings. I did go to Max Brenner's on the weekend, where they have chocolate pizza, but no one on my table ordered it, so we'll have to go with cheese, on top of some left over home made pizza I found in the fridge.

Finally we have furniture, and a couch. It's all scuffed up because when my sister was little she'd climb all over it in her t-bars/mary janes/those sandle things with the buckles. Once she drew on it as well.

TAST Week 17: Running Stitch

2007-10-05T14:02:00.000+10:00

Week 17 in the TAST challenge was Running Stitch

This was simple, but quite fun (and easy in front of the tv!). It's also a prize in my blog competition (see down the page). Don't worry if your answers aren't particularly helpful, you can still enter!