Five Faves

This weeks Five Faves:

1. The new scarf I've just started (yeah...like I need another scarf o_O). Love the wool. Love the pattern - now that I've safely negotiated the whole 'ssk' stitch debacle that took me over and hour to work out and ended in some SERIOUS Googling;
2. My Kathmandu water bottle. Pink. Sits on my desk. Reminds me to keep drinking my water :)
3. Grana Padano cheese. You MUST try it. Like Parmesan, but betterer (IMHO);
4. Autumn in Perth. Perfection! and
5. My boy :) what's not to like? He's lovely ;D

Not liking so much? Bicycle chain rings. Am sporting a rather unattractive bruise cum 5 x curvy scratch on my inner calf due to a bicycling *ahem* incident on the weeked. *sigh* it was a case of the bicycle or me. Given the bike is v expensive, I sacrificed my leg.

Oh dear.

Playing along...

with My Creative Space from http://www.kootoyoo.com today :)

For THE FIRST TIME!!!

yay me :D

Anyways, slightly messy craft room / office - featuring the 'only ever used for crafting' ironing board. I hate ironing. With a passion. Some evidence of future Easter crafting potential on the board! A pile of 'things I want to do' over on the right...and other 'stuff'...

The rest of the room, featuring my trusty old Elna and some fabric for a tutorial :) all will be revealed in due course. Promise!

And below is what I like to refer to as The Central Crafting Position - my corner of the couch.

Some wool and a finished block for an afghan I have been working on for, oh, a REALLY long time now...and also the start of trying to teach myself to knit in the round using DPN's. Mixed success thus far...it all seems so...unwieldy. Thinking about trying the magic loop method, so if anyone has any tips / hints etc feel free to share the love!!

So there you go.

Enjoy :D

WIP Weekend + WIP Week

Well, in my usual fashion, despite not having done much crafting for some time, my WIP's appear to have flourished. How does that happen.

So have decided to have a WIP Weekend followed by a WIP week.

My list of projects (in no particular order of finishing required, nor actual importance...)

1. The scarf I was making for my former housemate. To give to her on her birthday. In September. Then rescheduled to give to her before she flew to the US for Xmas. Three weeks ago. Now re-rescheduled to finish and post to her by 1 December...
2. Similarly, a scarf for my former housemates boyfriend. *sigh* I probably could've had this finished BEFORE they went away if I had only knuckled down. But not long to go on that one.
3. A paper snowflake mobile for Christmas. Only started this on Monday. Cutouts done. Ironed nice and flat (FYI best done without the steam function turned on...). Just dabbing some KindyGlitz on for sparkle-arkles and then have to thread together and I am done.
4. The afghan. 'Nuff said.
5. Plastic canvas fridge magnets. Long-term, semi-abandoned project fished out of a cupboard yesterday;
6. An aged baby blanket I started about 5 years ago. Oh well, other people are still procreating...
7. The Thimbleberries Quilt. Have finally galvanised myself to buy the backing fabric. I suspect I should have it completely finished in, oh, about 2 years at this rate...
8. Finalising some storage cards for my plethora of DMC embroidery threads.
9. The skirt I started back in July. Which I fear no longer fits me...
10. Some applique to tea-towels which had tiny fraying holes in, but are otherwise perfectly serviceable.
11. Oops. The baby hat for my friends 3 1/2 month old baby o_O
12. Some applique to screen prints I did at the last Brown Owls I attended..
13. I'm sure there's more...

So there you go. In the snatched moments between social engagements this weekend (you think I'm kidding. I'm totally not...), I shall endeavour to finish at least some of this list :)

Wish me luck...I think I'm gonna need it o_O

Knitting Nana

Have been meaning to post about the lovely nana (making an assumption here peeps - I didn't actually confirm she was indeed a Grandmother...) I saw knitting the other day.

On the bus!!!

Bless :D

There I was, sitting down minding my own biznez on the bus, plugged into my iPod so that I don't have to interact with my fellow human beings...yes, yes, I know it's anit-social, but good lo' you should see some of the people on my bus route...

So there I was, immersed in Beyonce or Rage Against the Machine or Kylie Minogue (or similar) when the bus paused at a stop to collect a vision in blue rinse! Black jumper with gold metallic embroidered rose pattern? Check. The most INCREDIBLE crystal earrings? Check (they looked a little Vegas showgirl, but hey, who really cares!!). Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes? Check and (possibly) check :D. Long strand of metallic silver beads around her neck? Checkarooney. I have almost never seen so much glitz on one person!

She looks at me - I look at her. She reaches down and grabs out a plastic carrier bag full of wool and needles and notions. And then proceeds to knit what looked like the most complicated cable stitich EVER. On a moving bus. Without stabbing herself or anyone else with her non-commuter needles. I wasl almost tempted to ask her to show me the stitch :D

Amazing! She got quite a lot of the scarf completed in the 10 or so stops before I got off, and she was still madly clickety-clacking away when I left the warm cocoon of the knitting bus!

The only gripe I had was the shocking array of wool she was knitting with...but, hey, it's a 'Global Financial Crisis' (allegedly) and needs must!

Promised Photo Updates

Ooooh! Birthday schwag : ) a book from my Aunt and Uncle along with a bookmark and set of placemats (at the back) from my Nanna. Mirrored box with sweet smelly thingies inside from the lovely Clare; My Little Pony from my little brother (it's a long story!) and new charms for my Pandora bracelet from the parentals and also my friend, Em. And finally a VERY humourous flipbook called, "Give The Bitch Her Chocolate". Hilarious combination of 50's style images and just the kind of irreverent humour I enjoy - thanx Bree!! There were also Ferrero Rocher chocolates and one of those room scenting reed diffuser thingies, which I received after I had taken this photo. Like I said - spoilt ; )

FABULOUS handbag from friend and roomie, Bec (and Clint!). Love the colour and perfect for the coming winter...now just to find a pair of shoes to complement...


The My Little Pony from my little bro. I always wanted a MLP when I was a little girl, but my mum is a big believer in 'educational' toys. *sigh*. And because - to her mind - there was nothing that you could do with a MLP, I never got one despite what I am sure was neverending pressure and whining from me. So, the last time I saw my brother, we were talking about this...and then, voila!! My very own MLP : ) Bless!

Beautiful handmade bookmark - I think batik material. You can't see it here, but there are thin black feathers attached to the top of it. It's almost too pretty to use as I worry that the feathers will get broken...And my Pandora bracelet. The three new charms are hard to see but a tiny alarm clock and gift wrapped present from my folks and a purple enamelled triangle flower thingy from Ems.

And this would be my new scarf when it was still a WIP. The pattern is out of the most recent edition of Creative Knitting - I think it was called a short row scarf. I used a different yarn to that recommended and I am very pleased with the result. The yarn was a bamboo and acrylic mix in a colorway called "Pink Ginger". In fact, so pleased with it that I wore it all day today because it was so cold in Perth. All I have to do is block it properly as the edges have curled up...not sure if this is due to the pattern, or just my tight knitting tension.