Hoping everyone has a fabulous Christmas, that Santa brings them what they want, that the New Year is seen in without too many headaches the next day, that the holidays are relatively stress free and that everyone stays happy and safe.
Issie thinks she's seen Santa ......
See you in the New Year xxx
I've just read this poem and although my stash is a wool one I can definitely emphathise ...
"I have a little problem, it's called a fabric stash
My husband doesn't know it, but it cost a lot of cash
It started out as remnant pieces I brought from a shop
But then became addictive and I really could not stop.
Fat eights became fat quarters, two metres became three
And when I purchased a whole bolt, I thought psychiatry
I couldn't pass a patchwork place I had to go and see
if there were any matching pieces inside the shop for me
So husband starts to realize one cupboard becomes two
He's banned me from the fabric stores to keep our marriage true
So I sit at my computer while I'm banished to the house
But he'll have to hide the Visa 'cause I can click the mouse.
There isn't any moral to this tale of fabric woe
Children grow and leave you and husbands come and go
Enjoy your fabric frenzy, it isn't any sin
REMEMBER the old saying "She who dies with the most fabric....WINS!"
Author: unknown
Not too sure about that end line tho ...
Here's Issie with just a tiny bit of my stash in the background ..
What a difference a month makes!! Here's our before (planted Labour weekend) and after photos ...
It's pathetic isn't it? To get excited over a few lettuces ....
We had a couple of days off last week and ventured out of Devonport - I know, I know, crazy stuff! We drove up to Warkworth because there's a really amazing wool shop there called Twinset & Pearls. The range of wool and colours is stunning and wonder of wonders, the button collection is fabulous. I find sourcing interesting and different buttons is really hard and they can be soooooooo expensive.
Poor Eddie having to spend his days off driving around wool shops!
We did do some touristy things though and went to Matakana, Leigh and Matheson's Bay .....
And of course there has still been time for knitting ...
I am happy to report that Issie looks like she's lost some weight! The photo is slightly misleading as she's definitely fitting more of her body on her "pedestal" ...
Our lovely pink bottlebrush is flowering. I notice that the red ones seem to flower on and off all year but ours only flowers once which is sad because it's such a beautiful tree and a glorious colour.
I've been madly trying to finish a couple of pairs of fingerless mittens to send to my goddaughter for Christmas. She's about to start work in a lodge in France for the ski season and of course I've missed the NZ Post deadline ... Still I'm quite sure it will still be snowing there in Jan!
You may remember my kitten prototype - I mean how could you forget it ???
Sarah from Cotton Kiwi very kindly sent me a similar pattern a couple of months ago and I'm making it my Xmas holiday mission to work on knitting some toys. So the kitten will get a dust off and some adjustments and I'm trying for a bunny and an elephant. I hate knitting toys but I have to work on these and other projects to give me a summer product for the market. Never fear, progress reports will follow but not necessarily photos unless I have success! If I have as much trouble with the kitten's tail as I did with this one, I may well knit a Manx version .....
And speaking of kittens (well not any more but she sure behaves like one most nights) here's Isabella. I believe she may be saying "Look into my eyes and feed me" Unfortunately, as you can see, we have been doing too much of that and the vet has put her on a weight reduction food plan. She needs to lose 1.5 kilo's .... She's not happy ...
Working in advertising means unlike most people, I actually enjoy watching television commercials ...
I started musing about my favourite things after watching one of new State Insurance TVC's and decided that at the top of the list was knitting and pussy cats - wow, imagine that !!!! If Eddie is reading this, the reason you're not at the top of the list darling is that I wasn't including husbands ....
Here's some work in progress bootees from the weekend ...
I know I should finish one pair before going onto the next but sometimes you just have to see how a button or colourway is going to work.
Here's Issie on Saturday.
And here's Issie on Sunday! Well, her paws at least ..
Oh, and did I mention I also like red?
as I have found a delicious pattern for a baby girl .... I had a little rose button on it originally but decided to pop the gingham one on instead.
And I've made my new pair of boy bootees two toned - I just love these buttons - a Trademe purchase.
Issie loved this part of the garden - I say loved as alas it is no longer - this corner was turned into our vege garden last weekend!
Hmmmm - I wonder which won out in the end ...
The first roses are just coming out ....
My Mum had this little pink one growing higgledy piggledy all over and through the bottom of her garden and she called it the Sweetheart Rose. When she passed away 3 years ago I decided to plant one in her memory and discovered it's called Cecile Brunner. It has the most exquisite perfume and, as you can see from the chimney photo, it's a very vigorous climber! In hindsight we may not necessarily have planted it in the best spot!
And we finally got our vege garden in - after removing a huge flax, copious amounts of river stones and a ghastly weed mat that had left the soil looking rather sad and sour - so we chucked in a few bags of compost and away we went..
And of course you can't possibly work in the garden without Isabella's help although you'd think by now she would have realised the difference between a stone and something edible ...
Words I never ever thought I would be saying considering how much I love winter and how cold orientated most of my knitting is. However like everyone, I too am sick of the changeable weather - you dust off the summer sandels and dresses and go prancing out one day in all your spring finery only to be back in the winter drabness the next.
Have just finished a little cardy for a friend's baby - just a little something to slip over his shoulders while the mornings and nights are still a little chilly. I wanted to use garter stitch and amended the pattern appropriately but then worried the whole time I was knitting it as I thought it looked too big - silly me as it fits perfectly! And he looks gorgeous in it - the red is perfect for his colouring as he's quite olivey. I think I get so used to tiny little bootees and beanies that anything bigger just looks huge.
Isabella wasn't sure whether to attack or do roly poly's so she did both - multi talented that one ..
It's very, very unusual for me to have unfinished projects on the go but as you can see, I've excelled myself. So far I have half a pair of bootees, an unsewn up pair of men's fingerless gloves destined for England, ditto the pink pair of mitts, plus other versions of the mitts still being knitted, let alone sewn up... This represents about half of my "stuff" to be done/finished.
Among the items I had finished are these bootees using my now favourite pattern but it wasn't until I had them out on the bench ready to take photo's that I realised there was something wrong with the pink ones .....
It's a bit hard to tell from these photo's but they are different wools and colours !!@#$% So 2 more bootees to be added to the "to do" pile.
However I did manage to finish these little ones to go in my Felt shop.
This 'now it's spring and now it's not' weather has completely confused our darling Issie. This weekend she hedged her bets with half of her on the blankie and half not ...
This is my first - and possibly only - venture into knitted animals ....
Something went horribly wrong with the tail and I then lost interest to the extent I didn't even put a face on it/him/her .....
I've been knitting bootees for 2 weeks .... a couple of orders to fill and just when I thought I'd finished I realise I need to make some more of the triangle ones for the Devonport market next weekend ... I'll be bootee'd out soon!
While I really don't enjoy the sewing up process of knitting - and these are a bit fiddly and not good for slightly arthritic fingers - I just love choosing the buttons/flowers part. Sourcing lovely buttons is a challenge as they tend to be really expensive. The little boat type bootees that I sell for $10 become a bit unrealistic if the buttons are $2 each!!
Issie thought the cold and yucky weather was over
and ventured out from the security and warmth of the blankies but no guesses as to where she'll be this weekend!
Happy knitting!!!
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