19.7.12

shades of grey...

no not that book...(have you read it, would love to know your thoughts)...

the lovely new pattern i got to test drive for kirsten

Hagi...
you can read about it here...
its knitted inside out...



its lovely, simple, warm, comfortable.
the pattern is well written, clear and concise, yardage is perfect. 
all a beanie should be...
you can purchase it directly from kirsten or through Ravelry. 

pattern: hagi by kirsten johnstone
yarn: i used luxury 8 ply dk pure merino wool by jo sharp.
shade: heath
sticks: 4mm and 5mm circular and dpn's


and a few snaps of the pattern that i won from kirsten...

 that i blogged about previously

well worn in karajini where it was -5 c each night.
i wore it around the fire, into bed, and at breakfast...and i had to fight not to share it!
sorry about the photos quality...
taken with the phone..
they really don't do justice to these beautiful patterns....
but i cant find the charger for my camera since returning from the karajini....grrrr




27.6.12

otaki magic...

how lucky am i...
i have won a new slouch hat...just in time for winter...
from the very talented designer kirsten...

all other projects in the knitting basket (and there are a few!) have come to a halt in order to get this made before going on a holiday, north to Karajiini..

thank you kirsten, for your generosity and for sharing your talent with us all..
this lovely pattern is available for purchase directly from kirsten or through ravelry...


7.3.12

produce..

its all very well having a vegetable garden that abounds in produce, but it does all ripen at once, and so needs eating and preserving all at once....
i am only just keeping up...
cucmber relish...
tomatoe and chilli jam...
tomatoe relish...
tomatoe pasta sauce...
fig and ginger relish...
spiced rhubarb jam...
if anyone can help me with preserving the aubergines i would be very grateful.. i have tried baking and keeping them in oil, but did not have a lot of success and cant seem to find a good reciepe to help...
anyhow, more on the recipes for the above soon..

it has been hot, really hot here for the past week, and i am making birthday gifts...knitting birthday gifts in fact, in 39 degree heat...i must be looney..
so this yarn was a delight to work with...i have made a scarf and will purchase some leather driving gloves to go with it...
the recipient recieved a cuban mob car from his wife for his birthday... it is pale blue and i think a chevrolet 1956 ish....and it is fabulous, pale blue, the same as the scarf he should have already recieved...i cant wait for him to get this in the mail...the pattern was from an old book of mums with loads of sample stitches in it, sorry i don't remember the name...i just picked one i liked the look of that was a bit masculine...i thought it would be a quick knit, but i used #9 needles as i wanted a loose weave, and i hate knitting on large needles..i felt all thumbs, and ended up knitting the continental method to give my aching wrists a break....


and finally my two new babies...they were given to me a fortnight ago, how could i say no...just look at their faces...
as brothers they play, sleep, walk, annoy, do everything together.... they will be good company for each other, as in the past we have always had cats when the children were around to play with them...nowadays with children all grown up and me working 3 to 4 days per week they will have some quiet days with just the two of them defending the home....
they are such time wasters...i hope they don't loose their collars, its the only way we tell them apart...
red = cassias
blue = ivanda
...don't ask....

9.2.12

a promise...

the left overs from here...
spied...
another pair of boardies requested....

really???

out of this fabric... are you sure???

OK, on the one condition that they are never to be worn with the shirt...
even as pyjamas....


yes mum...i promise....
thank goodness there is no fabric left...
i hate to think what else i could be making....

5.2.12

go figure..

the brief this time was..
1. vintage print - (he picked the fabric)


2. vintage cut


3. rounded collar

i think it looks like a pyjama top, but he loves it...

what goes on inside a 25 year old male brain...go figure...
i just sew to the brief and keep my opinions to myself...
then i know it will be worn...

2.2.12

home made is in demand...

shirts abound in this house with 3 grown men all similar in size..
coat hangers full of them...
but no, but we need/want a red chambray....
a homemade red chambray...


with short sleeves..(man i love my twin needle)


and one odd button...

voila...
but not a model to be found...

pattern: Simplicity 7030, an oldie but a goodie..

p.s our rugs from our trip to turkey arrived...
it looked so big when we bought it, and so small in our room..
but i love it, and the memories it provokes every time i look at it...


11.1.12

colour blind....




a visit to the op shop from miss s, rendered a bag of goodies for me to alter and play with...
this was two over sized... i have to say "shifts" for over sized bodies....obese bodies....
originally two squares stitched together, with a hole for the head to go through....

the fabric got me in...
i cut off the side seams and was left with nearly a 2 metre piece of fabric from each shift...

summer fashion in the shops here, seems to be all about colour, bright, contrasting colour, with no connection.....


here is what was born....
not loved by Miss S...


but I am certainly a happy recipient of a new summer dress....
let out the drawstring and it goes from a 10 to a 12...
There are two more over sized shifts to dice into....
oh the possibilities....

i cut this pattern from an existing top that i love, added some length and an uneven frill on the bottom.... i know the photos don't show it, but the back is slightly longer than the front...

i have so many projects to start....wish i could find more hours in the day....