Final February Flowers

Can you believe it is March tomorrow!  Wow!  Where did the time go is what I expect we are all wondering.  

Anyway I had a real urge to play about with the Lily Sugar & Cream cotton again.  So I did these flower cloths.  It is the Chrysanthemum Dishcloth & it works up quickly.  But only once I researched that jolly last round which creates the petals.  Stuffed if I could understand that round of the pattern!  So I got hunting & as the internet does, there was a youtube clip on how to do it!  It was easy but seeing it made more sense than the pattern!  Very handy!  So these work up very quickly & are great for using up scraps.  The yellow/pink/orange was the left over from the cloth the other day.  The blue one in front is left over from the Mission Falls yarn the other week.  So this pattern is good for left overs.  Oh that's why the blue one is smaller too as it is DK yarn instead of worsted weight.  So there you go!  Some pretty flowers.  I am going to give the 2 back ones away to someone soon.  I will do another one to go with those 2 as the gift though.  

So that's February done & dusted almost!  Any big plans for March?  

Yarny Playtime

Our new square was picked for the week.  It's the Nordic Star.  Quite nice, though mine isn't.  Not so happy with it.  There are mistakes.  I couldn't work out a couple of the outer rounds after the star.  Oh well, it isn't so obvious I don't think.  I'm not terribly bothered by it right now.  Slack attitude I know, but there you go.  

Then I have also used some more precious stash of Lily's Sugar 'n' Cream yarn, Lava Lamp.  I must say I like the other one better from last week.  This one is a basketweave pattern that I got out of a pattern book I have from Lily's. (also available on Ravelry of course!)   It's huge!  Really much bigger than the cloth last week.  I think it must have used more than three quarters of the ball.  I do have another ball of this one as it turns out so that's good.  I should get 2 more out of that some time.  Or play around with some colours to use the ends up.  

I'm working on a bigger project in cross stitch at the moment too, so that is a bit trickier to manage with the boys, but I will try to find blocks of time for that.  It takes a bit more concentration that the crochet or knitty stuff does which is why I don't do a lot of it these days.  

After the weekend surprise of Chris turning up, we had a Monday surprise of him having to leave today already!  So I guess in a couple of weeks my hotel pen collection will grow a little more again!  

Till another day!

Weekend Surprise

I've been having a little wash cloth play!  Last week I did the blue one with my Mission Falls yarn that I got at work.  Nice.  It's the wrinkly cotton but doesn't show up so wrinkly when knitted!  It was an easy pattern too.  Yesterday I did the one I call Fruit Tingles as it reminds me of those lollies.  Yummm...  I used some of my precious stash of Lily Sugar'n'Cream yarn.  This one is called Playtime.  Nice colours.  I am going to keep this one.  I like it - I really like it.  Was a groovy pattern to knit too - DW Darrell Waltrip dishcloth.  I like it so much that I dug out another ball of fun sugar and cream to start another today.  There are plenty of other things I should be doing but such a lot going on that I don't have large snatches of time to sit so these are just right for the little time slots I do get...

Little slots of time like sitting at the airport today for 10 minutes to wait for my brother.  He wasn't meant to be back yet, so it was all a bit crazy silly for him but back he is (Hey Mum, Surprise!! Look who's here after all!) & yes I did take my knitting with me & yes I did sit there & do some.  I got another few rows done & every row counts right?  Chris has been travelling here there & everywhere around the USA for the last two months or something.  So he brought me back my new stash of pens.  Crazy I know but I like them!  I can virtually follow his trip simply by looking at the pens.  He obviously didn't stop to study at Harvard University though as the packet is still sealed!  lol  The weird fat black one at the top is a hand doing a finger sign - maybe not quite a free hotel pen, but he obviously loved that one enough to buy it for me!  (Cheers Chris!  - I say, in my new Cheers t-shirt straight from Boston where the Cheers show was made where he just happened to stop & visit!)  Now I just have to keep my pretty pens away from BJ.  Easier said than done!  I think he has this addiction from me!

Have a great weekend wherever you may be!  We are melting down here!  Summer will suddenly come to an end though so I will enjoy it while I can!

The Library Rocks

Don't you think?  

Boy we are certainly getting around the libraries lately!  We have been to three different ones in a week.  Since BJ got his own card he loves to use it!  We go there at the moment every two or three days & get the maximum out that we can each time, which is 15!  

Wow, what happened to the days when you were allowed only three or four!  Not that I had a hope ever of reading that many books in the time.  I was the slowest reader on earth!  I never did make the MS Read-a-thon very much money but I participated & tried my hardest!  lol  Really I was only collecting certificates of participation!  I know I wasn't going to get certificates any other way so these were it!  I think I had five.  

Kids books have come a long way now too.  We have had some terrific ones lately.  I really must mention these that we had last week.  I would love to get them again later on.  They are definite keepers.  You can always pick what BJ likes of course, as they get repeated where ever possible.  But these two I have pictures below really appealed to me too.  In fact I wanted to read both & make sure that Stuart got to read them both to BJ as well as I liked them so much.  If he knows them I can at least talk about them with him from an adult perspective & what I liked about them.  I love the idea in the story Doodleday that that pictures the boy draws come alive.  How cool to create such an idea in a child's head.   BJ doesn't really need help in the imagination department but these were certainly appreciated by his little mind!    For all the pirate books that are about these days, the one was a cute one.  Really special.  Something I have come across in a number of books now is the move to have to turn a book sideways as the pictures get illustrated long ways down the page.  I like that.  That adds a new dimension to a book too.  Some even have the words written all over the place.  One just yesterday had the words going around like they were in a swirl.  Very cool.   It all adds to it that's for sure!  

If your libraries are anything like ours here, we can put holds on books online & they come to your chosen library for pick up.  I have just done this again tonight with some other favourites of ours.  These are all books by Karma Wilson.  Bear Snored On & Bear was Scared are a couple that we have had a few times before & I always look for them but never seem to find them so have put holds on them & they will be available for pick up soon.  I also love that we can just go to any library in the state & get them out.  How cool is that.  That's why we have been to three this past week.  Why not make the most of a terrific resource.  

I did get to go all by myself after work last week so had time to sit on the floor & go through the knit & crochet books on the shelf!  Ahh...  bliss.  Normally I have the boys in tow so that gets a bit hard.  I can usually grab my ordered books off the shelf & that's the extent of it.  So I have been enjoying  a couple of different crochet books this week too in between things.  Love it!  

If you have had any good craft books or kids books that you recommend let me know!  It's always good finding new authors too!  

My Creative Space

Oh it has been ages since I joined in on Our Creative Space!  I usually forget these days.  I don't know what made me think of it this morning, but something went ping in my mind!  Ouch!


This morning DJ went back to bed at 7.30am.  BJ wasn't up yet!  So what is there to do at that time of morning when you try to let children sleep?  Crochet!  Yay!  So I quickly had a look through my queue on Ravelry & decided on this Cross My Heart square.  It didn't take long!  While watching the circus on TV this morning that is Australian politics - & still it goes on, I was able to do all but the last round while the boys were still sleeping!  Just like that I have another square done for the sampler blanket!  Beauty!


Now off to finish the menu plan for the next week & then it is off to buy a stove though it isn't for my kitchen unfortunately!  Then the park for the boys.  Must find some instant hooky to take along.  Might have to dig out a wash cloth pattern for that just in case I get a chance to do some.


Check out the other creative spaces won't you!  They are always worth a look.

Bring On Winter

OK, to be honest don't bring on winter quite yet, but it won't be far off before it is scarf season.  So with that coming up & the need to use beautiful yarns of course, I had to whip up this scarf.  I had to find something for me to use the Sirdar Baby Crofter for after doing the baby hat last week.  This is the bluer version of the yarn though.  At the moment it's for me but who knows where it will end up!  (On Friday it will probably end up in the window at work!)  I do plan to keep this one & then make at least one more for a Christmas gift I have decided.  It will be a great gift I think.  I hope so anyway!  The person should like it but I don't worry too much about things like that.  I will make it & give it regardless.  I bought one ball of the yarn on Friday & started it Saturday night while we were out.  Yeah, sad I know but we only went to family for tea & so I can sit & do that there.  One ball made a metre in length so I needed another ball on Tuesday & finished that one off today.  Voila!  An Amarachi Lace Crochet Scarf.  I tried a couple of different things with the yarn to experiment but found these larger stitches of crochet made the colour work in little blocks & totally removed that stripy variegated look that you get from knitting this yarn & that gave it a whole new look I think.  I like it.  I hope it is a nice accessory for winter.   I will have to try to refrain from buying a couple more already to start another one!  It's a nice easy project with effective results!  

Happy Days!  

More Yummy Fabric

What do you think of this fabric?  

Orange & pink?  Who would have thought huh?  

I love it!  There is something about it. 

I have to check the name of it again.  I can't remember of course.  I will edit this here later when I find out!  

I think I love it even more than the vintage style fabric I posted a couple of weeks ago.  We've teamed it up at work with a couple of Moda Bella Solids in Azalea & Orange & boy do they look stunning.  Another quilt is going to be kitted up with this lot.  I got to cut lots of it up last week.  But there is still plenty left if you need it!  I have got some put away for me.  I only got one little fat quarter of the other fabric!  I do need this one.  I think it is just awesome.  Trying to decide what to do with it now. Besides fondle & cuddle it that is... 

Good thing I don't have girls to make clothes for!  I would be sewing cute little dresses all the time I think with the awesomeness that is the fabric available these days!  I really need to try to make some sort of jacket though I think.  Just to see if I can.  I know there is one in the Make It Perfect range of patterns.  Yep there is, the Downtown boy jacket.  Cute.  I wonder if I could do it!  But the About a boy satchel would be cute for me in the above fabric!  lol  

Better go!  Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go.  More like playtime for me really!  Have a good one!

Tilt-A-Whirl Anyone?

Do you like rides like this, at the fairs, fetes, shows - whatever you have in your neck of the woods?  This is a very tame looking ride I think, but a Tilt-A-Whirl is about the limit to what I would have tried way back then!  Now I won't even go near the things.  I would be sick as anything.  Sick I tell ya!  

Luckily for the motion sickness type like me there is this kind of Tilt-A-Whirl!  

Woohoo!  Our new crochet along square this week!  I was able to get a little head start on this one as I ended up choosing it!  The moderator from the group had recently asked if anyone else could step in to pick one.  So I said I would if she still needed someone.  Sunday morning I had a message to say yes please, & Today!  So I went through my queue of patterns & in less than 5 minutes I had this one submitted to her.  So I got to start it a bit earlier.  Yay!  I loved it!  I really enjoyed this one.  It looks really complicated but is so easy!  (after last weeks square anything else is going to be easy! lol)  But no, really this one was.  I really enjoyed doing it & love the wonky look of the centre piece.  Just makes a nice change from all the centred squares we have done so far.  I really must think to take a picture of all the squares together so far.  But I try not to look at them too much during the week.  Still not loving the colours.  Anyway, it's coming up roses & should be an interesting blanket eventually!  It sure has been an enjoyable project for the most part!  

Finally a Square!

I finally had a chance on Thursday to do my next square for the crochet along.  Well, I would have really liked to have put it off for another 100 years or so!  This week we had the square Enough Love To Go Around.  Nice name & pretty square.   Yeah it is all that.  But what a pain of a square to hook!  Grrr...  Ok, so the original pattern isn't very clear which you soon find out from reading details by others that have made it.  Then there is a re-write on another blog where someone has tried to simplify it, plus someone else has done a chart.  So with all three of these in front of me I battled on.  I have one wrong round but I don't care on this one.   It seems to take such a long time to do a round.  I didn't think I had done the round wrong really but it didn't make any difference to the end so I just thought it can stay put.   A couple of times I nearly did think I would just ditch the whole lot & not bother but I didn't want to be a quitter either!  So I did it.  It is ok.  It was wavy as anything, I could nearly surf on it!  So I have put it out for blocking.  I think the super duper double trebles are a bit tight.  Boy those stitches seem to go on for ever when you do them!  So that's another one.   A challenge for sure.  It's done & I won't be doing another.  Oh & I don't think I should have done the centre a different colour than the rest of the light yellow bit as they are actually a heart sort of motif in the middle, but there was no way I was undoing it for that either!  One day I will like it maybe...

Happy Saturday!

More Play Time For Me

Ok, so the ulterior motive of taking the boys to the play place was so I could too!  I'm not silly you know!  But I had promised BJ a visit to here for a few weeks & we picked the perfect day being the first day back at school for the big kids!  So BJ had a great time playing with a new friend.  DJ had his first play in the ball pit too which was entertaining & then he crashed out & slept for the rest of our few hours so that was terrific!  I got out the knitting needles & knit away!  Yes, knitting in public!  Who ever thought it!  But I don't care!  There were even some other mums there that I know well, but I didn't care!  I just sat there & did my knitting.  

And here it is!  

On Tuesday I grabbed a ball of this lovely variegated Sirdar Snuggly Baby Crofter, colour 164.   It had only just arrived!  We hadn't even marked it off the invoice yet!  But we are working on our new window display so a beanie in the new colour was a must.  So Tuesday night I got to start knitting the rib while watching a bit of My Kitchen Rules.  (Totally addictive TV viewing!)  Wednesday I managed to get a lot knitted while at the play place.  Wednesday I managed to get it finished.  I was going to leave the sewing up until this morning but well, it shouldn't take long should it?  So I did that last night too.  This morning I had to take a picture of the moving target.  Excuse the crap picture of DJ wearing the hat but it's hard to get a non blurry picture of a very active baby.  So you get the idea anyway.  One baby Slouchy Pull On Hat from the Sirdar Baby Crofter Hat pattern leaflet.   Cute as.  But I will make a size up from what they advise for the age next time.  This was a size 1-2 years & boy is it small.  If it actually fits him come winter I would be surprised.   I did this one as the pattern said on 2 needles but I think I might try it again on a circular - no seams!  I really do like this yarn.  For an acrylic/nylon blend it is so soft!  Now I want to make a scarf with it.  The variegations are lovely!  I looked on Ravelry & noticed some people have also made socks with it!  Nice!  Would be nice for little people I think, but way to hot in a DK yarn for me, unless they were more slipper socks.  Hmmm... nice idea.  Now to find some time.  Wonder if we have any available at work as I really need to get some.  

So This Was Sunday

The week has gone by in a bit of a blur.  Sometimes it is just like that isn't it?  Although you have been busy & have done a load of stuff, you really can't remember what or have anything to show for it.  Oh well, that was me this week.  But with all the stuff going on all about me I did get a bit of time to chill out today with some other like minded ladies!  What a treat!  Our local group from ravelry met for the first time this year.  We hadn't met up since December so it was nice to again.  The really cool thing though is that our number doubled from 5  to 10 this time!  So not only did we get cake & coffee but also great company!  We went to the Cherry Shed fairly locally & I must say I was planning on taking a picture of something delicious for you, but I was a bit excited & ate it all up too quickly to do such a thing.  But it was really delicious just so you know that a meringue basket with cherry icecream, cream & fresh cherries on top was really, really good.  Also great to see the ladies with their projects that were completed for our show & tell bit!  Wow, I never would have thought that at my age I would be playing at show & tell!  Not that I had anything to show this time.  I could have taken those squares but I forgot!  Maybe next time.  I took my basket & sat & rippled along on the blanket instead.  At least I didn't need to think much about that while listening to chatter, eating & so on.  Got a few new projects to check out after seeing some cool stuff.  I have also decided I won't be attempting toe-up socks any time soon.  So as I go on this evening full of inspiration & ideas once more, I will check out the new pattern for the square for the week & then be on my merry way to bed!  But that is good too as I am trying to read "The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo" & it is starting to get easier to read & I am getting into it now.  So must dash!  Have a good week won't you!

A Square Square

Sunday finally came around with the name of the new square for the crochet along!  Yay!  I hadn't seen this one before so it was interesting to check out the finished projects of this one.  You get a lot of inspiration from looking at the colour ways of the other completed ones.  It's called Forest Chains & I really like it.  It was quick to work up to.  That is always a bonus with what is usually going on here.  Like right now, I type one handed with a sleeping baby having his bottle. 

Have a good Tuesday won't you!  

Weekend Penguin Party

What a great weekend!  We had some rain too!  Lovely rain, now hopefully the grass goes green again!  I did get a little time to sew in between all the time out.  I decided on Penguin Parade from Melly & Me.  Quite cute.  Quite simple.  I did it a little differently to the pattern though.   The pattern uses freezer paper.  I just find that stuff a waste of time!  But that's just me.  So I made up plastic templates for the body piece as well as the rest. These are pretty simple though.  Just takes time if you are hand stitching all the pieces on.  I did.  I don't have blanket stitch on my sewing machine so I have to hand sew.  But that's OK, it uses up embroidery thread of which I have rather a LOT!  I also didn't put the heart on the tummies.  I wanted to show off the fabrics instead.  The feet & tummy pieces are scraps, mostly from the quilt top I made the other day.  Had them sitting there so used them.  The eyes & beak I used felt for as well, rather than fabric.  So that's my take on the penguins.  BJ picked his tummy fabric.  The spots.  DJ got the one on the left & mine is the centre one.  Needed one a bit more florally for me.  Quite cute & yet more toys around the house but oh well, as usual I love the reaction of the boys.  Even DJ was excited when I gave him his.  His expressions were lovely, so I have to imagine that he was being thankful in his baby ways & appreciative of a toy mummy made him.  

Happy Monday!

How Lucky Are We?

This is the kind of thing we can go & see in our National Parks.  Great huh?  We went to visit with some relatives that were staying in the caravan here.  We stayed for the evening as the wombats all come out at dusk.  We had one wallaby hanging around the barbecue shed while we had our tea.   That wallaby even came right around to watch us eat as you can see in the picture of Stu & BJ.  Wallaby is above the table there.  So cool!  BJ had a great time checking out all the animals.  We saw loads of kangaroos in the distance in one section of the park.  Also some potaroos, kookaburrs, pademelons & luckily I didn't have the opportunity to see a snake, but there were some on the track to the bird hide.  Lucky for me I had a BJ with my little walking group.  He made enough noise & jumping & carrying on to scare any snake away from me.  Phew... I really, really hate them & would just about move to New Zealand so I would never have to see another one again.    After our barbecue tea we had a good trek around the park & the wombats started to appear.  I think we saw six in the area.  Four of those were up close.  They really are cute.  I would love one!  Oh yeah, at the bird hide we saw a pelican across the lake.  He was a long way away but he was there all the same & we saw it.  Pretty cool.  We are lucky to have all this not too far from home.  This park is great for camping but not so much for little kids like ours quite yet.  There isn't enough there during a day to entertain them without taking a long a whole lot of games too.  It's right by a beach too so you can go down for a bit of a swim or what have you if you wish.  Not good yet for little ones either quite yet.  It was nice to go out & hang out though for the afternoon & evening.  I really never tire of seeing animals in the wild like that.  When we were getting in the car to leave one wallaby came out by the car with a joey in it's pouch for us to see.  So cool.  So lucky to see such a thing.


Hope you are having a great & lucky weekend experiencing something wonderful!

Birdie Blankie

The other day at work we had a quilt top being put together with the fabric that I cut up last week - Covent Garden.  It turned out great.  It was such a simple & effective pattern.  So I had to do it myself.  The pattern is Sewn in Time by Lynne Wilson Designs.  It's so simple.  This quilt top I did yesterday afternoon.  I got all the cutting & assembly done in the one afternoon!  (& that was without DJ having his afternoon nap!) That can't be bad.  I used stash fabric too.  It gives you 3 different sizes & for the small one you need 12 fat quarters for the top itself plus an extra 4 for the borders if you want.  Most stash-aholics have no problem finding that amount of co-ordinating fabric.  I sure didn't!  But I went with this range this time as I really wanted to use those big circle bird pieces.  They fit in well.  I haven't got the whole quilt top in the picture above.  There are 6 of those large round birds.  I fussy cut them to fit them & could use some of the design from between them to fit in for other pieces.  I'm pleased with it.  I think this might just become my go to pattern for a quick quilt.  The fabric is Birdie by Me & My Sister.  I like their happy fabrics.  Oh that's right they have a range more recently than Birdie called Happy.  I have a jelly roll of that.  One day I might even use it!  We just got their new range, Twirl in at work.  I won't get it.  I really shouldn't.  I will need to use the jelly roll first.  But they do all work in well together at least.  I will need to take my quilt top to work tomorrow & get a border & binding fabric, & a backing I guess, so maybe I can use the new ones for that! Now there's an idea.  I do still have one piece of the big bird circles though & ideally I would like to add that to the backing somehow, just to use it up.  I think that there may just be another fat quarter bundle of this fabric left though so I will see if I can use that too.


Now on a side note, where I work does ship all over the place so if you are after something quilt related, embroidery, cross stitch, wool, you can order from there easily.  If you want info on where it is leave me a comment or message me & I can let you know details on where to do so.  I like to share the love.  We need to support the LQS that are left.  There are so many of them that have closed in the last few years that we must keep the support of the bricks & mortar stores going so we still have local access to all the good stuff.


Guess I had better go & do something useful now.  Making friends with the darned iron for ironing clothes might have to be one of the useful things.   Have a good day!