Clever Chook

Autumn warmers

2009-04-12T17:00:00.003+10:00

Phew. The Queen Of Clean (my DH's sister-in-law) has been for her inspection so I can now go back to my messy self. In between scrubbing and tidying I still managed to get some crafting done. Remember the yummy Noro theknitaholic gave me? It became these Noro Fingerless Mitts. They were fun to make and are my first attempt at glove making. I love how different the colours are in each mitt, so much fun to see how they turned out. I also made this neck warmer, based on this pattern. Instead of making it into a cowl I just kept knitting til I ran out of yarn and then joined one end to the side to make a v shape. It turned out great, so cosy, and I got two looks for the price of one! The yarn is Paton's Shadow Tweed, nice colours, but not so nice to work with. Darn acrylic content, or perhaps I was just spoilt with the Noro.

Speaking of being spoilt, I decided to use the gorgeous handspun that Mooska gave me in a yellow swap to make a Storm Cloud Shawlette. The yarn is divine, it's merino and is so fine I am so amazed at her skill. It's working up nice and quickly which is lucky because I can't wait to wear it! It has so many colours it should go with everything.

The muppet , his loot and some swap goodies.....

2009-03-27T11:11:00.003+11:00

We have been blessed with a new arrival, my nephew Ashar! He was born on the 15th and he's a biggun at 10 pound 9 ounces. We just had the pleasure of a visit from the happy trio, and of course he was presented with his loot. A baby jester hat, designed by Woolly Wormhead
And of course his elephant, which I finally finished stuffing the night before the visit.
I have been having a great time sending and receiving swaps lately. The first was a magic yarn ball swap, where the sender hides loads of little presents in the ball of yarn and you knit them out. My lovely swap partner sandalwood sent me the most gorgeous lace weight yarn and was totally understanding that I would not be able to wait until I knitted 1180 metres of yarn before seeing what she'd hidden for me. So here it is, lot's of lovely swap goodies. Now I just have to get some other projects off my needles before I start knitting lace.
I sent my other swap buddy Lazzulii some of the merino silk I dyed. As I'm not sure whether she's got to her other gifts yet I won't tell you what I hid in it!
I did another swap that was a favourite colour swap. I got the loveliest beanie, some yummy yarn (more Noro!), buttons and a great poem that theknitaholic wrote for me. I was very spoilt.
I sent to sthrnx, who loves tattoos and black is her favourite colour.
The fingerless gloves are wool/mohair and seemed a bit scratchy so I lined them for her. Apparently they fit well and she seems very happy with her gifts. Now I'm in the process of finishing off a yellow swap, so I best get it done and in the post!

Almost all done, and some yarn porn......

2009-03-16T20:17:00.004+11:00

I have been "flat out like a lizard drinking" as we say here in Oz. DS has had a little house warming with a couple of his mates and has officially become our new neighbour. I have finally got my craft room into some kind of order. Bags of stuff went to the op-shops, lots of fabric scraps and crappy fleece were composted and what was left was binned. And here we have it, my new craft room.

Yep, that is a Strongbow (Alcoholic Cider) on my desk, I think I earned it!

Froofy fringed light shade for a feminine touch, the white cupboard is mostly yarn!

Gotta love those fibre tools..... and loads of crates for bits and pieces....

Spinning wheels, sewing machines and my Oma's rugs.

Lots of stuff hidden behind those curtains, DH built some massive shelves for me......The curtains aren't the best but they will do until I find something else. I actually had time to finish off a swap present today so I even did some crafting! I am busting to get some spinning done soon, and as the weather cools I might even do some rug hooking. Craft on!

And now for the yarn porn. Here's the silk merino I dyed a while ago- gotta love the effect re-skeining has on hand-dyed yarn.

My new craft room

2009-03-14T00:35:00.002+11:00

No crafting this past week for me. DH and I have been way too busy painting bedrooms. We live in a 1940's cottage, and the paint was in dreadful condition. The previous owner had slapped on a coat of paint prior to selling the place, and boy did we pay for his laziness. No undercoat, cheap paint and teenagers posters stuck on with blue-tac made for a major job. The old paint flaked off in sheets so we had to scrape the walls and plaster the flaky sections before undercoating and repainting. But after 5 solid days of work the job is finally done.

The rooms have been needing doing forever, but the prompt for such a flurry of activity was a change-around of living arrangements. DS is turning 17 next month and needs his own space. So I decided he could have my craft shed, a decision he is most excited about. His mates are lining up to come and stay at "his place", and the barbecue is going to be set up on his front step. He even has plans for a front verandah!

I found I wasn't going out there much, it felt very self-indulgent to me. So DS17 will move in there and DS14 will move into his room. This leaves me with the big bedroom for my craft room. It has loads of shelves and is bright and sunny. I will be able to craft while I do the laundry and won't feel like I am deserting the family in the evenings because I'll still be in the house. I'll also be able to gather up all my craft supplies from the lounge room and our bedroom so the house should be a bit tidier too. One can only hope lol..... I'm off to scrub the paint spatters from my body and collapse into bed. Big day tomorrow, I'm moving in to my new craft room, yay!!!!

A little poser!

2009-03-04T10:00:00.004+11:00

Just a quickie post today. I have done some more dyeing, this time on the silk/merino blend.I tried to get a graduated depth of colour through the skein and it seems to have worked fairly well. I'll post more pics when it's dry. Knitting wise I've been working on the Clapotis, I usually get a dozen or so rows done a night, which isn't bad when there's 107 stitches per row. I took a break from it last night to work on this little cutie from the book "The Natural Knitter" by Barbara Albright. She is a Little Sit-ster, and was great fun to make. The pattern didn't include clothes so I made her a little dress. Her legs and arms are pose able due to the pipe-cleaners inside.
Yup, she's a poser alright!

I'm on a dye-it......

2009-02-27T22:23:00.005+11:00

It's been a busy week here at the chook yard. I'm a real homebody and I have had a few huge days out and about. On one of those days I had a lovely couple of hours scavenging the op-shops, and came home with some fantastic buys. Much of it was yarn, including some Rowan Tweed and gorgeous alpaca, as well as some great vintage yarns like Patons Bluebell crepe. I picked up a vintage ball winder which works a treat, I wish I'd found it before I handed over $55 for a new one! And I got a Speedie electric jug, which I absolutely love, I kill modern kettles with our bore water and my little Speedie is just a tad small so I was thrilled with this find.My order from The Knittery arrived, it was my first order from them and I would highly recommend them. Great price and great service, what more could you ask for? I ordered 500 grams of their 50% silk 50% merino in 8 ply and OMG it is divine. It's a single ply, similar in style and content to Noro silk garden. I can't wait to dye it up and make it into something special. I did some dyeing this week, some pure wool I acquired in a swap. It came out great, not my usual colours, but I think the person I dyed it for will like it.I also received some scrumptious fibre in another Ravelry swap from MelM. Mel sent me some beautifully dyed top and some lovely sparkly fibre to add to it.
I feel very spoilt, can't wait to see it spun up, now I just have to decide how I want to spin it. I sent some of this to Mooska, along with some mohair locks in co-ordinating colours. I loooove swaps!

Silky S.E.X. and the Clap ...... my trip to Sydney

2009-02-20T15:22:00.008+11:00

Ok, now I have your attention! Many knitters would know what I mean by S.E.X. Of course I'm referring to a Stash Enhancement eXpedition. What did you think I was referring to? I had the opportunity to visit Morris and Sons whilst in Sydney for DH's knee op this week. Now as you would know, I tend to either recycle, swap or make my own yarn. Actually going out and buying new yarn is not my usual practice. This is partially due to financial constraints, but I also get a huge amount of satisfaction from making old yarn look new and creating my own hand spun. And of course it is also much better for the planet. So it was with a tinge of guilt I splashed out on....... wait for it ........ not one, but two skeins of Noro! Yep, I have jumped on the Noro bandwagon, I bought imported, expensive and truly magnificent yarn. I guess most people would think I was very restrained, but to tell you the truth it wasn't that hard. I looked around at all the gorgeous yarn and pictured the yarns I could make using the fibre from my goats and sheep. Now if I had silkworms I may even have attempted to make these yarns........

Noro Silk Garden sock yarn. Which may or may not become socks. There are quite a few projects on Ravelry using this yarn that are decidedly un-sock-like.

And Noro Silk Garden. Perhaps some fingerless mitts? Have to wait and see, may be a hat yet. Or maybe I'll just caress these little lovelies for a while...... Speaking of caressing I nearly forgot the Clap! Another bandwagon moment I couldn't resist. This is the beginnings of my Clapotis, a French style wrap which apparently every knitter except me has made at least a million times. I am using the recycled wool/silk blend I showed you in a previous post. It's scrumptious to knit with. I'm loving using these pretty stitchmarkers too, aren't they beautiful? Forgot to mention the lovely Knitpicks Harmony circs I picked up at M&S too, in just a couple of different sizes. Perhaps I wasn't that angelic after all!

Twilight socks are done!

2009-02-14T21:10:00.003+11:00

Yep, finished, finito, done and dusted. I must say I am loving this finishing both at once thing. Very happy with how they turned out!Now for some baby hats for a fundraiser, and of course one for my nephew-to-be. Bought some yarn online the other day, some to be for the fundraiser and I think I may have a little bit left. A kilo of undyed 12ply and 700 grams of rainbow dyed 4ply. I bought it direct from the Wangaratta Mill, for a ridiculously low price. Should get a few hats from that lot!

Bushfire appeal, how you can help

2009-02-11T11:31:00.005+11:00

We're all aware of the dreadful devastation caused by the terrible bush fires in country Victoria. The wonderful thing about horrific events like this is the way that our community rallies to help those who've lost so much. Our central school’s student representative council is organising collection of goods to be sent down on a local transport company’s truck on Thursday. All the kids have been asked to donate something, toys, blankets, clothes, toiletries, anything except perishables. My town is small, only 1600 people, and none of us are rich but we are fantastic in a crisis! Over the past 5 years we have been through a major flood and raised money for so many locals that have been through accidents or illness. Every year we have a community theatre written and performed by locals to raise funds for local community groups. Makes me proud to live here.

There are so many groups collecting funds for the bushfire survivors, here's some links where you can donate.

Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund

If you shop at Coles supermarkets on Friday 13th Feb the profits are to be passed on to Bushfire relief fund.

Jaqueline from the blog Serendipity has a great raffle organised " Basically how it works is you need to go to the Australian Red Cross Website and make a donation of AUD$10 or above to the Victorian bushfire appeal. For every $10 you donate you will go into the draw for a knitting/fibre related prize. " She has some gorgeous prizes to win, there's even some Cashmere, so make sure you email a copy of your receipt to her!

Beyond pink and blue are "putting together bags of goodies for the kids / babies who have been affected by the bush fires. These bags will be given to the Emergency Relief Centers around Victoria.The aim is to provide some comfort and distraction while parents are dealing with what it is they need to face in the aftermath of their own tragedy."

Knitters on Ravelry have banded together to make blankets and soft toys for those affected and to knit socks as a thankyou to the Country Fire Authority workers. The support for these projects is simply inspirational.

To all those affected, my heart goes out to you. Hopefully we can get lots of help headed your way!

Watcha gunna do?

2009-02-09T22:19:00.002+11:00

Watcha gunna do when it's 40 degrees Celsius (that's 104 degrees Fahrenheit)? Light the gas stove and dye some fibre! Well that's if you're silly like me..... I am at the end of my wool tops, this effort is my last for this lot. I may have to splurge on a 10kg bump, don't know if I can justify it considering my fibre stash that's cavorting in the paddock. It's just so much fun to see the colours develop and how they turn out when they're plaited up. I used food colouring for this batch, and with the remaining dye I decided to tart up some reclaimed yarn. This yarn came from an op-shop and was a very wishy-washy blue.
Not for long! This is my gorgeous "new" leprechaun yarn, destined for a new and vibrant life, probably as a pair of socks.Delicious.

New fibre friends......

2009-02-04T10:03:00.004+11:00

I have been enjoying a visit from my Mum and also been looking after some new fibre friends! A local bloke was disposing of 5 Angora does and asked if we'd like to take them. Of course we said yes and so I have been busily researching breeding programs and nutrition etc We've had the vet out to vaccinate and drench them for internal parasites. According to him the goats are around 6 to 8 years old and should kid for us without any difficulties. You can see the one in the pic above with the blue bandage on it's head, poor darlin' broke a horn when we were unloading her, so she's been getting lots of TLC.Their coats are pretty course and don't have much crimp, but their babies should be wonderful. I can't wait to have goatlings, and the Australian National Mohair Pool is only 20 mins drive away, so any fleeces I get can be sold to them. Of course I'll keep some mohair for myself, mmmmmm......yummy........

Matilda's creations and a Country Road treasure.......

2009-01-30T22:14:00.003+11:00

Matilda the kelpie has been way more creative than me this week. Look what she produced, seven beautiful babies! Six boys and a girl, a wonderful achievement for a first litter. DH had to crawl under the house to retrieve the little cuties, but once out they were happy snuggled up to mum. Dad Nipper is proud as punch too, but is not yet allowed visitation, Matilda thinks he's a bit too rambunctious for that. She lets us handle them though and is a wonderful mum.

I have frogged another op-shop treasure, a Country Road 90% wool/10% silk jumper. It was lovely, but had a few little holes in it, so it is now destined to become a clapotis. I loooooove the colour, and the silk content gives it a lovely drape and softness. I am hesitant to cast on yet as I still have my Twilight socks and Woodland Shawl on the needles, so it may have to wait a bit. Too hot for large projects at the moment anyway, bring on winter I say!

Some frogging cheap yarn!

2009-01-25T16:58:00.005+11:00

As I mentioned in my last post, not a whole lot of knitting has been done here. I have started knitting the patterned section on my Twilight socks and it's great- nice, simple, repetitive school holiday knitting.

I have done some un-knitting, or "frogging". I picked up a jumper from the op-shop the other day, and the Obama inauguration was the perfect time to dismantle it. By the end of 4 hours of presidential fanfare I had 530 grams of yarn. It's 50/50 cotton/ramie, perfect for dishcloths and string bags! I decided that it was too splitty to knit as it was, so I got busy with the spinning wheel and plied two strands together. It's probably about an 8-10 ply (DK-worsted), I haven't worked out the wraps per inch yet, and 150 metres per 100 grams. There's nearly 800 metres of yarn, that's a lot of dishcloths! I used some fabric dye to brighten up 200 grams of it, but I'll leave the rest white for now.

Considering cotton yarn costs at least $5 per 100grams, I have about $40 worth for $2 and an evenings work. Not bad!

Not much to show for myself.....

2009-01-23T22:06:00.003+11:00

It's school holidays here so craft has taken a bit of a back seat. About the only finished object around here was the pavlova I made for DD12, and it sure is well and truly finished. Yummo! I have cast on for a pair of Twilight socks from "2-at-a-time socks" using my hand-dyed sock yarn. I have done most of the cuffs and of course knitted the obligatory swatch. I love how the variations in the yarn create little flecks of colour in the fabric. I had to cast on something fairly simple as trying to knit my lace shawl is impossible with three teenage boys, a pubescent girl and a husband all clamouring for my attention. Oh well, there's always the dead of night when I can work on it, one advantage of insomnia! Meantime the socks give me something to do with my hands when watching the box. Although perhaps pointy sticks and a long cable are not the safest of instruments in the hands of an overtired, and overcrowded mother!

My homespun Woodland Shawl.....

2009-01-17T21:48:00.003+11:00

I have started knitting the Woodland Shawl with my homespun! This is my first proper lace project so I am taking my time with it. Lace knitting is not something to do when you're likely to be distracted, or " helped" by enthusiastic kitty cats! I have been putting in lifelines so I can frog it if necessary without losing the lot. You can just see one of the lifelines in this pic, one repeat down from the top edge. I'm also alternating skeins so I don't get too much striping in the lace.It's coming along nicely though, and it's fun watching it grow. It should look even better when I eventually block it. Not having blocked anything before I will be interested to see how much the process opens up the lace and enlarges the whole shawl.

Grapeful Dead, a tangled thread......

2009-01-16T22:18:00.005+11:00

About a month ago I answered a call on Ravelry by a member who had had a yarn disaster. You can read the details here. She had hand-dyed some very expensive lace weight yarn, only to have it end up a tangled mess. The poor girl could not stand the sight of it and ended up offering it to the bravest masochist out there. I happened to be that masochist! As I received the yarn just before Christmas I made a brief attempt at detangling it and put it aside for a less hectic day. Today was that day. There was no-one at home, the housework was done and it was time. I took a deep breath, and got stuck in. A mere 3 1/2 hours later I had untangled the yarn and hand rolled it into balls. All 1800 metres of it! It is absolutely divine, 55% silk and 45% merino. The colour is "Grapeful Dead". Yummo. Well worth the aching back, RSI of the wrist and the strained bladder. Thanks Irene! Please go to her website to see Irene's lovely hand-dyed yarns, they are absolutely beautiful.

Sample socks are done!

2009-01-15T23:50:00.005+11:00

As you can see they are made in different colours, that's so you can tell which one is sock A or B when learning the method. If I had more of the yarn I would have made a second pair the same, but alas there was not quite enough left. It was quite a good learning experience making the socks 2-at-a-time on one circular needle. Once I got the gist of it it was no more difficult than DPN's and had some definite advantages. The obvious one being of course that both socks are finished at the same time. But there were other benefits too. For instance the stitches are less inclined to fall off the circular needle, which they tend to do on metal DPN's. It is so much easier to do the first few rows too, especially the first one as the stitches don't get all twisted. I like that the socks are exactly the same size too. I will definitely be making my next pair of socks the same way, maybe using my revived vintage yarn! I got to use my new stitch markers that I received in a swap on Ravelry from "Aussiemummy". I only needed one, so it was hard to choose.I told her she should sell them, they are so beautifully made and displayed. I just love them!

Vintage sock yarn over-dyed and revived.....

2009-01-14T12:11:00.004+11:00

I recently purchased about 600 grams of lovely pure wool 4 ply from the op-shop. Someone had frogged something, and saved me lots of work!It was in a fairly bland pale blue colour but otherwise was perfect. And for $6, who can resist enough yarn to make 6 pairs of socks? So after some skeining, a long soak..........and a Royal Blue dye-job, 300 grams of it became 2 BIG skeins of lovely "new" yarn. Some for me and some for a swap buddy. The rest has an uncertain destiny as yet, but you can be sure it too will become a thing of beauty......

Some more hand spun and a knitted flower brooch

2009-01-12T22:05:00.002+11:00

I finished this yarn the other day. It's destined to become a lacy stole/shawl of some kind, not sure what yet.... I ended up with 419 metres of DK (8 ply)

And I found this great little pattern for a knitted flower and immediately had to make one ( or was that 5?). Great way to use up scraps of yarn. This one is a brooch, but they would be great as hair clips or as embellishments for bags, sandals, hats etc.

Spaced-out, like totally man, seeing rainbows!!!!!

2009-01-11T15:43:00.005+11:00

The space-dyeing method I described in my previous post is fantastic for dyeing fleece too. I dyed 250 grams of fleece from my crossbred ewe "Pearl" using Gaywool dyes in Garnet, Mustard and Cypress. I separated them into two lots after dyeing. I ended up with some gorgeous colours and lots of reddish locks because I had to move the pot to change the hotplate and the colours mixed. I'm not sure how I'm going to spin it yet, I might do the rainbow colours as one single, trying to keep the colours separate, and then ply them with the reddish locks. The beauty of using this method of dyeing fleece is that there is no fibre preparation first - just bung the dirty fleece in the pot and the dirt washes out when you rinse out the dye!

Woohoo, I have camera batteries! And some pics I've been dyeing to show you....

2009-01-10T20:04:00.004+11:00

Yep, dyeing. I have been playing with colour so much lately, and this is my latest effort. I space-dyed some commercial tops using fabric dyes. So simple, just some water with 1 cup of vinegar and a splodge of detergent in it, chuck in the tops and when it's wet sprinkle on some dye. No stirring!!!!!! I used red, purple and blue. Very gently simmer for 45 mins with the lid on, don't stir at all, then cool and rinse.
Spin out as much water as possible, a salad spinner is perfect for this, and hang to dry.Drool over your beautiful fibre and fantasise about what you are going to make from it!

Aaaaaaargh!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-08T09:59:00.004+11:00

Darn flat batteries! I don't cope when my camera isn't working. I guess after 2 1/2 years of daily use even a rechargeable battery will kick the bucket. I rang the place I bought it from, $69.95 AUD for a new battery! As my camera is out of warranty I decided to go the generic route, and bought 2 for $30 AUD on eBay. Should be here tomorrow so I'll be back in business.

The elephant finally has all it's appendages, just needs stitching and stuffing (my least favourite part). I got some safety eyes for it so it's nearly done. Meanwhile I knitted up my very first homespun and felted a case for my camera, will add pics ASAP.

I just received my copy of "2 At-a-time Socks: The Secret of Knitting Any Two Socks at Once, on Just One Circular Needle!" by Melissa Morgan-Oakes from The Book Depository. The Book Depository is FANTASTIC - ultra quick and cheap, and free shipping worldwide from the UK! I have been busting to try out this technique and had to cast on last night after everyone else went to bed. To use this technique you need a 40" (100 cm) circular needle. I'll show you how to make your own really easily and cheaply from needles with shorter cables as soon as my camera battery arrives.

Can't stop at one (or is that two?)

2009-01-03T22:58:00.004+11:00

I have a confession. The elephant is still ear-less, tusk-less and totally unstuffed. You see I had to make another pair of the Ribby Slipper Socks. The last pair was too small and I really wanted a pair so I just had to make them. Someone with smaller feet than I will be receiving the first pair real soon. As with the earlier pair, mine were made from thrifted yarn. I used a speckly homespun which seems to have some mohair, wool and maybe even a touch of alpaca in it, and an acrylic/mohair blend. Please excuse the lily-white legs, not a huge fan of chemical or natural tanning! These fit me soooooo much better and are lovely and cosy. I tend to have chilly feet even when the rest of me is roasting so these will get a lot of wear. I promise I have the wool selected for the elephant tusks and they are absolutely the next thing on my list!

Knitting magazines, how to make DPNs, and some snuggly slippers

2009-01-02T12:47:00.005+11:00

Since the knitting bug bit me I have purchased a few different mags. There is a fantastic Aussie one called Yarn, which has a variety of knitting and crochet patterns and lots of info about where to get supplies in Australia. I gave myself a subscription to it for Christmas. Here's the link to their website, they have some great free patterns .

I also got a subscription to Interweave Knits, but not through their website. I had heard that many people in Australia have had trouble with their subscriptions direct from the US, with copies being damaged or going missing. So I have ordered mine through Colonial Lake Books in South Australia. The Interweave Knits site has some great free patterns too.

One of the projects in the Fall 2008 issue of Interweave Knits is the "Ribby Slipper Socks". As a bit of a break from the elephant I'm knitting for Muppet I thought I'd have a go at these. Only problem was that they require a set of 8mm DPNs, and not having any I rang all the local shops with no luck. My brilliant DH came up with the suggestion of making some for me. A quick trip to the hardware store later and we had a 1.8 metre length of 8mm dowel. Enough for 2 sets of 5 DPNs and for only a couple of dollars! DH cut the dowel into lengths, I sharpened the ends with a pencil sharpener and then we sanded them. I added a coat of beeswax and buffed them and we were done. Ok so with the sanding they were slightly smaller than 8mm but not enough to be too concerned.

Two evenings of leisurely knitting and here's the result. Modelled by DS13 they are slightly stretched, but they turned out pretty good! I used op-shop yarn of indeterminate fibre content, two strands together, so they probably cost me a dollar to make. The reason for my interest in this pattern? My SIL had mentioned that she loved slipper socks when we were visiting her for my BIL's funeral. Now I've made the test pair I'll find some nice yarn to whip her up a set. Tassie gets very cool in the winter months and she'll need all the comfort she can get.

Hand-dyed top update

2008-12-31T09:04:00.004+11:00

Remember the top I got from spinning group and hand-dyed? I finally got around to spinning it. From 100grams I got approximately 175 metres. It came in at 10WPI, which makes it about a worsted to DK weight. Still a bit thick and thin, but I achieved my goal of making a finer yarn than before and increasing the twist.The colours aren't as bright as in the pics, more softly muted. I still have another 100 grams to spin up, then I'll decide what to make with it.

An elephant for "The Muppet" and a cupcake pincushion....

2008-12-28T23:56:00.005+11:00

Been busy knitting an elephant for this little one, affectionately known as "The Muppet", and due in March. This baby is the eagerly awaited child of my brother and his lovely wife, and will be the first grandchild born for 14 years! Not that we're excited or anything........ I've had the yarn and pattern all organised for ages so when I was looking for something to knit on the trip to Christmas lunch it was an easy choice. Nearly finished it, so I'll post pics when it's all done.

I recently participated in a care and share swap, and this cupcke pincushion was one of the gifts I gave my swap buddy.

It was fiddly but fun, will have to make one for me one of these days.

Ta da!!!!

2008-12-24T10:31:00.003+11:00

Socks are done! I have finished the Tassie socks, with the help of my gorgeous new Knitpicks Harmony wooden DPNS. They are not only pretty, they are easier to knit with than my op-shop metal set. The fact that they flex a little and have nice sharp points make the tricky turns involved in sock making so much easier. You can find them here, they have a list of Aussie stockists on the site.

Photographing socks is not as easy as you might think. I spent ages with my little camera on timer, pirouetting madly and posing for the perfect action shot that would show off my new socks. At 2.30 am I decided to take the easy route and this is the result. Not awe-inspiring, but at least it's not blurry! Now to cast on for some Christmas drive knitting, I have about 5 hours in the car in total so I should be able to get a bit done.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Who says size doesn't matter?

2008-12-21T13:21:00.002+11:00

A much more appropriate recipient of the homespun shawl is my lovely man George. George helped me through my marriage break-up and deserves something cuddly in return. His name is George for those lovely brown eyes, very Clooney-ish! It fits him so much better than it does me.......

A trip, a funeral, and some socks....

2008-12-20T22:36:00.004+11:00

After travelling by car, taxi, bus, 2 trains, a plane and another car, I arrived in Launceston Tasmania on Tuesday for my brother-in-law's funeral. I headed home again on Thursday with my darlin', a total of 2400 kms. Now I'm back, and ready to prepare for Christmas....... Despite the sadness of the occasion it gave me an opportunity for some therapeutic knitting, much to the curiosity of other travellers and those gathered for the funeral. Knitting helped pass the time and probably reduced my consumption of comfort food and beverages. There's only so much sitting about and nibbling one can do. I think the fact that I was knitting socks really intrigued people. Why would I do such a thing? Besides the enjoyment factor and the fact that I can't sit still without something to occupy my hands, there are a few other reasons to knit socks. It makes me feel connected to those who knit before me, part of a tradition, an art form, a history. It gives me a sense of self-sufficiency, I feel competent in a skill that produces something useful and practical. Handmade socks feel better, fit better and can be made in any style or colour I want. Most importantly though, I like making socks, it's fun! One down, and one to go.......

More shawl pics.....

2008-12-15T14:36:00.002+11:00

Some more shawl pics, as you can see I ended up using my leftover yarn to make a fringe.

Must get on to that red and blue roving soon. I'm off on a short trip down to Tassie tomorrow, so it'll be sock knitting for me on the bus and train. Shame they won't let me knit on the plane!

An itty-bitty little shawl

2008-12-15T01:59:00.003+11:00

Initially I started making this pattern as is. I wanted to have a go at making the triangular shape and doing yarn overs, and minus the fringe it was a good way of using all the skein of handspun. I didn't like it. It looked amateurish and didn't show the colours of the yarn very well. So, it got frogged. According to Theresa Vinson Stenersen on Knitty this is what frogging is:

Frogs say "rip it, rip it." And that's the reason knitters use the term "frogging" as they merrily unravel their hours worth of knitting. The true joyous nature of frogging is fulfilled when you can go wild while rippin' it. Just remove the needles and pull the yarn, winding it into hanks as you go.

I modified the pattern from garter stitch to stockinette and I'm much happier with the result. It's tiny I know, but it's a shawl nonetheless. I guess it would work as a headscarf, but I'm going with the shawl idea for now.I have a little bit of yarn left, so I might use my newly aquired icord making skills to create some ties for the shawl. Or maybe I won't, I may just add a button. Or not. Perhaps I'll just use a pin. Whatever I choose I'll need something to secure the shawl, it's too tiny to stay in place all by itself.

Yummmm, I'm lovin' these colours more now.......

Mmmmmmm, my neck will be warm this winter.......

2008-12-11T23:06:00.004+11:00

I received a lovely skein of Jo Sharp Silkroad Dk Tweed in a Ravelry karma swap. Thanks Falkonfly! This yarn is so soft and scrumptious, it just begged to be close to the skin. Must be the hint of cashmere, and of course the silk. So I found this easy peasy pattern and finished it in two nights. I even learnt how to make i-cord! I love the little bumps of colour in the yarn, you can see them in this pic of the neckwarmer being blocked. I added a vintage bakelite button from my special button stash, and Bob's your uncle! Actually I have 9 uncles, none called Bob lol.....

Hmmmm, what's next?

Distraction, and crafting action......

2008-12-11T09:54:00.004+11:00

Been a bit distracted by family stuff lately, and what better way to relieve stress than by crafting? I spun up my hand dyed roving I showed you in my last post.
The colours aren't as strong as I'd like so I will probably try doing the same colours in stronger solutions on some more roving soon. I was pretty happy with the yarn though, lovely and squishy.... Roving is soooooo much easier to spin than fleece......

Also been making more row counter bracelets, Mum and Auntie Nancy put their orders in for some so I made and posted those last week. This one is for a karma swap on Ravelry....
And just to show that it's not just Cinnamon who loves the faux fur blankie, here's my girl Nutmeg having a snooze. DS13 covered her up with it and she snuggled in. DS wants a blankie of his own but no way am I making anything else out of that stuff! Poor kid, may just have to make him a beanie instead. I have been knitting, will post pics of my neck warmer as soon as I put the button and icord on it. Til then, I'm off to card some wool......

Some hand-dyed roving, and a song

2008-12-07T10:39:00.006+11:00

I love spinning group. One of the great things about it is the goodies for sale on the trading table. I snapped up a 1kg bag of roving for $12.50, bargain! I had been wanting to try multi-coloured hand-dyeing for ages. Thanks Rexenne for the wonderful video tutorial on how to do it. Here's mine after applying the dye.

And here it is after dyeing and plaiting. I did 200 grams of the blue/red and 100 grams of the green/orange/brown. Yummy.

All the roving made me reminisce about the lovely Irish ballad I remember singing in school. For your enjoyment.......

Gypsy Rover

A gypsy rover came over the hill Down through the valley so shady. He whistled and he sang 'til the green woods rang And he won the heart of a lady.

Ah-dee-doo-ah-dee-doo-dah-day Ah-dee-doo-ah-dee-day-dee He whistled and he sang 'til the green woods rang And he won the heart of a lady.

She left her father's castle gate. She left her own fine lover. She left her servants and her state To follow her gypsy rover.

She left behind her velvet gown And shoes of Spanish leather They whistled and they sang 'till the green woods rang As they rode off together

Last night, she slept on a goose feather bed With silken sheets for cover Tonight she'll sleep on the cold, cold ground Beside her gyspy lover

Her father saddled up his fastest stead And roamed the valley all over. Sought his daughter at great speed And the whistlin' gypsy rover.

He came at last to a mansion fine Down by the river Claydee. And there was music and there was wine For the gypsy and his lady.

"Have you forsaken your house and home? Have you forsaken your baby? Have you forsaken your husband dear For a whistling gypsy rover?"

"He is no gypsy, my Father," she cried "but Lord of these lands all over. And I shall stay 'til my dying day with my whistlin' gypsy rover."

Mmmmmmmmm....lavender..........

2008-12-02T21:48:00.002+11:00

Yummmmmmmmm........... Now all soap makers know that you should leave soap alone to do it's "thang", but who can resist a peek? I was a tad worried when I checked the soap (only 4 times, I promise) that I might have not added enough lye, it looked a bit gel-like. I should not have been worried. About 30 hours after pouring I cut that baby into bars and here is the result. 24 scrumdiddlyumptious bars of lavender yumminess.

Blissful bubbles

2008-12-01T11:48:00.003+11:00

I haven't made soap for ages, and didn't the usual recipients remind me of this fact at a family gathering on the weekend! With cries of "I'm on my last bar!" ringing in my ears I was sent home with strict orders and a supply of oil and buds from my parent's lavender farm. With everyone out of the house except the sleeping giant (DS 16) I rustled up 3 kgs of yummy soap this morning.
I added some lavender buds that I had blitzed in the coffee grinder to the olive and coconut oil mixture, and then dumped in a huge glug of lavender oil. My house smells soooooo good! Now we just have to wait 6 weeks to use it. Luckily for all my family (and their acquaintances lol )I have a reserve of other soaps to get us through until then.

Oh no, faux fur!!!!!!

2008-11-29T23:04:00.004+11:00

Yup, I caved in and started knitting the dreadful stuff. I have had this in my stash since the late nineties, it is hideous to knit and almost impossible to count the stitches. In my madness I once hoped to make myself a cardigan out of this, actually completing the back and one front piece. Finally I chucked it in a bag, which is where it stayed till my latest knitting resurgence and a stock take of my yarn. Being the naturally frugal and realistic person that I am I could neither throw the yarn away or believe that anyone else would want it. Then it hit me. Cats don't know much about fashion but they sure know about softness. So I'm making a cat mat! It's just plain old knit, on big needles with two strands of yarn at once. If I drop a stitch and can't find it, or make one accidently the cats don't care. Cinnamon has been product testing and can't understand my dislike for the darn stuff.... One enjoyable aspect of this project is that I get to use my funky vintage bag I picked up at the op-shop last week, isn't it cool?
Oh yeah, I've done a bit more spinning, this is some of the wool top I dyed a while back. It's a bit lumpy, the drum carder damaged the fibre a bit so I had lots of pilly bits, but it's lovely and soft. Here it is having a bath to set the twist.

Some FO's (finished objects)

2008-11-24T09:36:00.004+11:00

The socks are done, Ta Da!!!!!! Mum is coming over tomorrow so she can take them over to Dad for a very belated Father's Day pressy. Now I am free to cast on something else, but what? I'm a bit over socks at the moment but not game enough to make a jumper yet. It's going to be summer here in a week so I don't want to start something too big or it will be too hot to work on. Gloves and scarves are small but wouldn't be used for ages, and I have a heap of bags. I want to make something for me, but what? Hmmmmm, back to Ravelry to get some ideas......

Remember the fleece I dyed with the jelly? Here it is all carded and ready to spin.

I spun it in separate colours and Navajo plied it to maintain the distinct colourways.I thought I was spinning it very fine, but once plied it became a super bulky weight, about 6 wraps per inch. Not sure what to do with it yet........

What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man!

2008-11-20T23:56:00.003+11:00

This deserved a special post all of it's own. I have been using my rather dodgy swift I rigged up from coathangers. It worked, but let's just say it isn't the most stable of contraptions. While I was out today my darlin' whipped this beauty up for me.

To say I am thrilled is a huge understatement! DH used some recycled red box timber he had lying around. I love it's rusticity, the wood has so much character, and with that solid base it's not going to wobble in the slightest. With a coating of linseed oil it even smells good.Please excuse the crappy yarn, it's purely for demonstration purposes. Aren't the adjustable pegs sweet? DH doesn't even own a lathe, he rigged up some contraption involving a drill, a vice and a chisel to turn them. What a clever boy. Of course we took it for a whirl, and it spins like a dream. Just gotta make some more yarn so I can put it to use!

Out with the new and back with the old.....

2008-11-20T23:53:00.002+11:00

You may have noticed I've been playing around with templates the past few days. For some reason all the ones I pick chop off the right side of my pics. I've tried resizing them and changing my settings but in the end I gave up. So we're back to the good old scribe template.

A knitting bracelet and my homespun handbag....

2008-11-19T21:27:00.002+11:00

These knitting bracelets are great. They work like an abacus, you use them to keep track of the rows you've done. Mine reads 12, the green beads count as ten each and the red count as one each, you just loop the little circle of seed beads over the others to mark your place. So they can record up to 99 rows! I used glass beads to make mine, I recycled them from some necklaces I had from many moons ago. The little heart charm reminds me where I started from.This bag is what I used my first homespun for. You can find the pattern here . The pattern was surprisingly quick, and I had just enough yarn to make a cozy for my mobile phone. I found a leather belt at the op-shop for a handle and added the brooch for a bit of bling. Must dash, CSI is on and there is a bottle of port with my name on it lol.....

I like Aeroplane Jelly, Aeroplane Jelly for me.....

2008-11-17T00:18:00.008+11:00

I like Aeroplane Jelly,

Aeroplane Jelly for me.

I like it for dinner, I like it for tea,

A little each day is a good recipe!

The quality's high, as the name will imply,

It's made from pure fruit - one more good reason why

I like Aeroplane Jelly,

Aeroplane Jelly for me!

When the company first released the jingle for Aeroplane jelly in 1938 I wonder if they knew just how useful the product could be. Not only is it a favourite treat for young and old, it is also a great way to dye wool! I'm not usually a fan of these colours but even I can't resist their pure deliciousness.........

Here's how I dyed my wool. I did about 120 grams of each colour and I have 2 more colours of jelly to go. The kids are horrified that I would "waste" the jelly like this but I had so much fun!

A new toy.....

2008-11-13T11:31:00.004+11:00

I needed a new hook for my spinning wheel and a few other bits and pieces so I used that as an excuse to get myself a new toy. Gotta make the most of the postage right? The folks at Ashford Australia are so helpful and the delivery is so quick it's amazing! Here's my treat to myself.

Yup, I got me a spindle! Isn't it cute? I had so much fun trying it out yesterday. I studied up on the technique via my favourite craft instruction source www.youtube.com , so it didn't take long to get the hang of it. Now I can spin anywhere I want!

Spindling is a very cheap way of getting into spinning. Lots of people spin for years on these before they get a wheel. Some very co-ordinated people even hike while they spin! My fine motor skills are much better than my gross-motor, and using both at once is way beyond me, so you won't see me doing that soon. Can see myself spindling at a lookout though, maybe a trip to the mountains is in order?

My first "real" yarn....

2008-11-12T12:53:00.003+11:00

Ok, I know I already posted my efforts with the black fleece, but this time it almost looks like proper yarn! I did one bobbin with all Pearl's fleece and another with some of Billie's mohair and then plied them. I dyed the skeins and this is what I ended up with.
I love the colour, it's actually more teal green than it looks in the pic. I got about 150 grams and 190 metres of yarn in about a 10 ply. I think I'll make a bag out of it so I can have lots of use out of it. There's lots of overspun and underspun sections but I love it anyway!

My fibre babies

2008-11-09T23:50:00.003+11:00

I took some pics of my fibre babies today and just have to share them. I love them to bits! I have gushed about them on my other blog but this blog has been decidedly fur-baby free. Like any proud Mum, I can't miss an opportunity to show off my darlin's so I have justified this as a craft-related show and tell.

This is Pearl, who came to me on a stormy night after being rejected by her Mum. A friend was grazing his sheep on our land and my DH found her alone and very mournful two years ago. Pearl is a crossbred and is such a sweetie. She loves sleeping in her old packing crate!

Victor came to us around the same time. He is a Saanen goat and is not a fibre animal but is part of our little family so he gets a spot here too. Victor was one of 8 orphan goats hand reared until he was weaned by a lovely elderly man. We answered an advert in the local paper and brought him home.
Louie was found in the middle of a road at a few days old by DH. She was totally alone with no sheep for miles around. We surmised she had been left behind when a farmer moved his sheep and gladly took her home. She is a Merino and has the most plaintive call that we just can't resist.

Billie came to us via an ad on a simple living forum I'm part of. She is a couple of years old and is an escapee from an angora goat farm. She was running wild in a farmer's paddock when she was taken in by a kind family. When they could no longer keep her we adopted her and she has become a much loved part of our family.

Mannie is another little Merino who was found with the remains of his twin after a fox attack. His Mum didn't come forward when he has shown to the flock so he was given to us to hand raise. He is such a cuddler, and still has a bottle twice a day.

Now you can see why fibre arts have become a natural part of my life. With all these little darlin's what else is a girl to do?

Spinning group, socks, a lace headband and a massage.

2008-11-07T08:50:00.005+11:00

Yesterday was my first visit to the local (39 Kms away) spinning group. What a lovely group of ladies, and such a wealth of knowledge. They are all between 25 and 40 years older than me so I felt like a real spring chicken! They were all so encouraging and made me feel a lot more confident. One thing they insisted was that I need more than two bobbins for my wheel. At $40 a pop to have some made I explained that it was just too expensive. So they dug around in the cupboard and found me these. A school had donated them years ago and no-one had a wheel that they fitted, so I got them for $10 for the lot. A little knocked around but they'll do the job.
When my Dad spotted the socks I made for myself he decided he'd quite like a pair too. Out came the 8ply pure wool yarn my aunty had given me and this is sock numero uno. The heel turned out great, but I needed a break from socks for an evening. Second sock syndrome has reared it's ugly head! A quick search of Ravelry turned up the pattern for this headband and shortly after that I was wearing it.
This is my first attempt at a lacey pattern and my first experience of yarn-overs so it's not perfect but it's all part of the learning curve right?
Cinnamon understands the physical exertion a crafter goes through. Last night when I flopped exhausted on the bed she was straight up there with a soothing massage..... Ahhhhhhh........

Thanks Cinnamon. I'd better go cast on for that other sock now.......

A very official title indeed......

2008-11-04T09:13:00.005+11:00

A wonderful tool for spinners is a drum carder. Problem is they are very expensive (about $500 AUD) which makes them beyond the reach of most of us. But I got one! No I have not suddenly changed tax brackets, I just got lucky. I phoned up the craft co-op in my little town to see if I could borrow one. "Sure," they said, "There's one in the cupboard that hasn't been used for years." So for $10 joining fee I have a drum carder. I asked when they needed it back and the lovely elderly lady winked at me and said "You are now the Official Caretaker of the Drum Carder." How good is that?
These beauties make processing fleece a dream. A few passes through and the fibres are tangle free and aligned in the same direction, ready for spinning. They produce lovely batts like this one.
Pearl's fleece looks good now! This huge batt only weighs 27 grams. I split it into four lengths and rolled them into donuts.
Then it was time to spin. I think I'm getting better, what do you reckon?

Some clumsy plying attempts and luscious alpaca

2008-11-03T10:55:00.005+11:00

I have been practising my spinning which I definately need to do. I spun some black fleece that I was given, it was supposed to be merino but isn't as greasy as the merino fleeces I have and is so much easier to clean. Merino is a pain in the bum! I have tried every which way to get my merino fleece clean and I think I just got a particularly grotty one. The fibre is gorgeous but it has so much vegetable matter in it that i just can't get rid of.

The black fleece however is a pleasure to use, so I spun some of that and had a go at plying. My yarn is very lumpy bumpy and I have trouble getting it to grab onto the leader but once I'm on I'm ok.

I haven't got a swift so I rigged up my own out of coat hangers, curtain rod, electrical tape and a bottle. Works great and didn't cost a cent!

I have been busy sorting and washing Pearl's fleece. Pearl is my bottle reared crossbred ewe, my first baby. Being a crossbred her fleece is not as fine as merino but is easy to use so it's good for a beginner like me. I am spoilt for fleeces at the moment, I have 3 wool fleeces and my aunt gave me 3 alpaca fleeces. A fellow she knows was going to chuck them out!

I have a few small bags of coloured alpaca as well, and of course Billie the angora goat's mohair fleece. I washed some alpaca yesterday and it is divine, so soft and gorgeous. I love the variations in colour, so pretty.....There's a bit of vegetable matter in it but it comes out easily. I have to touch it every time I go past it, it's so yummy. I haven't a hope of buying an alpaca while I still have all this fleece so I think I'd better go spin some!

Dye, dye, dye!!!!

2008-10-27T23:29:00.004+11:00

Can you tell I'm proud of my dyeing efforts?

This is the alpaca yarn after balling it on my new wool winder. I justified buying this extremely useful tool because I can use it to ball up the recycled yarn as well as my handspun yarn. I only have two bobbins for my upright wheel and can't get any more as it went out of production in the 70's and the Ashford ones don't fit. So winding the yarn straight off the bobbin onto the wool winder means I can ply from the balls. Any spinner will know what I mean, the rest of you can just nod! Anyway, it meant I got this really cool gadget!!!!

I knitted the yarn into a swatch to test for gauge and to see the effect.

Pretty cool hey?
My angora goat Billie and my big lamb Pearl were shorn last week, so I have even more lovely fibre to play with.
I washed some of Billie's fleece and it is soooo soft.Of course I had to dye a little bit just for fun.
I'll probably use these curls to jazz up my felting.

As promised, the hand-dyed alpaca yarn.....

2008-10-26T23:27:00.003+11:00

I threw all caution to the wind and dyed my gorgeous soft alpaca/merino yarn using my Landcscape dyes. I had premixed the dyes ages ago so all that had to be done was to soak the yarn in water for an hour, add the dye and some vinegar wrap the lot in cling wrap and zap it in the microwave until it was hot and steamy. Then let it cool and rinse well. I obviously used way too much dye as it didn't all soak into the yarn. I was pretty pleased with it though. I was going for a varigated effect but due to it being a bit too wet I got a more muted result. Should make some nice socks!

How to get more crafting time

2008-10-22T23:59:00.005+11:00

Find a man like mine! Isn't he a sweetie?

He makes such a mess (note the flooded bench top) but I'm not complaining. The socks are finished!!!! My opal wool arrived today - hurray!- so I have cast on for another pair. My darlin' and I went to the Australian National Field Days yesterday and I bought some 70% alpaca 30% wool yarn to make more socks. I hand-dyed it today and will post the results when the skein is dry. I spent a little while at Kim's stand while she had a break, Kim does the most gorgeous machine quilting, and I spent the whole time she was gone drooling! Her website is under construction, but should be ready soon. I also went to see the Country Women's Association exhibition and chatted to a lovely lady about spinning. Bron talked me into joining the CWA -thanks Bron! I've been meaning to do it for ages.There wasn't much else for me to see at the field days, but I had to go to get my raffle tickets to win a pair of Alpacas. I enter every year but someone else always seems to win. Maybe tomorrow will be my lucky day. I'll be back soon to show you my dyeing efforts, cross your fingers for me that I win those lovely alpacas, a girl can never have too much fibre!

Sock-cess!!!

2008-10-15T11:55:00.004+11:00

I have made a sock! Yay for me!!!!! I feel soooooo clever. It was like magic watching it take shape. Now please keep in mind that the yarn for this project was gleaned from an op-shop and the resulting sock was therefore not something I could be too fussy about. The colours didn't go too badly together but the stripes are a bit too much like footy socks for my liking. I could have made smaller stripe but trying to use all those needles and follow the pattern was hard enough without changing colour too often!This is my darlin's foot, he graciously agreed to model the sock for me. It is too tight on him but just right on me, so I have cast on the stitches for sock number two. I will have to get it done soon because only one of my feet was warm in bed last night! Now that I know I can do it I have ordered some Opal self striping sock yarn. There are a few brands of this type of yarn, it forms a computer designed pattern as you knit.
Pretty cool hey?

Not just a knitting blog, I promise!

2008-10-11T19:27:00.002+11:00

Not that there's anything wrong with that, there's heaps of great knitting blogs around. For me knitting is the latest in a long string of crafts I've done. I heard someone described as "tri-craftual" the other day. Isn't that a great term? Describes me to a T! Right now I am having a ball knitting (sorry for the bad pun), and I hope to learn a lot of new skills. But who knows where the joys of craft will lead me? So stay tuned, because I promise I am a fickle crafter and there will be something else soon. I found a great paper making book a little while ago and I have a mold and deckle partly made so some recycled paper could be next.

Today however the knitting bug is still biting hard so I took the plunge and I've started my first pair of socks.I approached this task with great trepidation. Double pointed needles (DPNs) freak me out and how on earth was I meant to use 5 at once? As usual I surfed the net and found some great advice. I am a very visual learner so www.youtube.com came in handy. Here's some great videos on the whole sock-making process. Dorret also has a website with lots of tips and links and she explains everything so well. She only uses 4 DPNs but my pattern needed 5 so that's what I have. Wish me luck everyone! I'm going to need it because I only have small amounts of yarn so I am going to have to do stripes as well as learn all the techniques. If you don't hear from me for a while there's a good chance I'm tied up in yarn and impaled by knitting needles!

Thanks Christina!

2008-10-08T11:35:00.003+11:00

The lovely Christina from The Rustic Tarts has tagged me, thanks Christina! Christina does wonderful altered art and prim dolls with the other half of the partnership, Marion. Please look at her blog, you won't be disappointed. As you can see by the rules, I am supposed to share some random facts about myself. Here's the link to where I did this on my other blog. I'm also meant to tag 7 other blogs, but I can't decide which ones. Christina picked so many good ones, check her's out lol..... I do have to add Robby's blog, she makes the most gorgeous soldered pendants and prim dolls.

Yarn, glorious yarn..... and another washcloth!

2008-10-08T10:29:00.003+11:00

Ok, I know we Aussies aren't used to calling it yarn, but it really is a better term for what we call wool. Cause it isn't all wool is it? Well this lot is, but there's so many fibres used in yarn these days it's a misnomer to call it wool.

I followed the directions in the tutorial I put up earlier to deconstruct an op-shop angora/wool blend jumper. I could not believe how much yarn it produced, I actually got 1213.9 yards (1110.0 m) of yarn!

It's incredibly soft and light, in fact there was so much angora fibre on me after this I had to shower afterwards. I would love to jump right in and dye it now, but I'm resisting the urge until I work out what to make with it. After listening to Brenda's podcast last night I'm a bit wary!

So while I'm deciding I worked up another little washcloth, this time it's Rodney the rooster from www.knittingknonsense.com. He's a bit hard to see but he's in there.

I have been using these little projects to hone my skills, Rodney has a back cross and front cross, and the daisy washcloth has a bobble. I am seriously considering giving socks a go next, but frankly, they scare me!

A great knitting podcast

2008-10-06T08:58:00.004+11:00

I came across this great podcast yesterday and have listened to a couple of episodes while making the washcloth below. Knit Picks Podcast is easy to download and listen to either via the web or on your ipod. They also have free patterns and tutorials.

Daisy, Daisy give me your answer true

2008-10-06T08:36:00.005+11:00

"Daisy, Daisy, give me you answer true.

I'm half-crazy all for the love of you.

It won't be a stylish marriage,

for I can't afford a carriage;

But you'll look sweet

Upon the seat

Of a bicycle built for two."

Cotton washcloths seem to be a really popular item to knit at the moment. Everywhere I look there are patterns for them. So who am I to buck the trend? Man, I'm so easily led down this path of knitting addiction....These cloths are meant to be used for washing your dishes, but they are so soft and pretty I don't know if I can do it! Pink is not my colour, so I think there's an 11 y/old lady in the house who might like this one as a face washer, after I weave in the ends of course. I bought a huge bag of crochet cotton from an op-shop a while ago, lots of odds and ends, so this is no doubt only the first of many. If you'd like to try this pattern here it is.....

How to recycle yarn.....

2008-10-05T11:53:00.001+11:00

Check out this fantastic tutorial for recycling yarn from thrift-shop finds. Very easy to follow!

Can't stop at one.....

2008-10-04T23:08:00.004+10:00

What else could I do? They are still nameless, but at least they have each other!I made this bookmark this afternoon to practice my cables some more. You can find the pattern here.

A toy for the girls

2008-10-03T17:37:00.004+10:00

I found this great knitted Kitty tutorial and had to make it immediately! It was very quick and oh-so-easy...... Be aware that there is some "strong" language on the site, but it is easy enough to ignore for such a great pattern.The girls love it. Cinnamon wasn't sure at first but she soon got brave and introduced herself.

Nutmeg did the obligatory butt-sniff and welcomed the kitty to our feline family.

Now I just have to think of a name for her and make some more kittys!

Look Mum, I can do it!!!

2008-10-01T21:34:00.002+10:00

My Mum is a great knitter. She always made us jumpers when we were kids, and made my babies some lovely cardigans, hats and so on. When I had my first child she made a gorgeous shawl for him to be wrapped in. Now the strength in her hands is not so good, but she is working steadily away on an outfit for my brother's unborn baby. I have always been amazed by her knitting skills, and perhaps a bit daunted. Mum taught me the basics of knitting, but until now I have been distracted by so many other crafts. When I discovered Ravelry I was inspired to try some more advanced techniques. With Mum's over-the-phone encouragement and advice I attempted my first cables! Whilst I need loads of practice before I am worthy to carry Mum's knitting bag for her, I was pretty pleased with the result. A bit loose, but that would be easy fixed by using smaller needles. Mum was right, cables are not that hard, and they're fun! I turned the practice piece into a little bag.
I hit the op-shops in search of needles and came away with a huge stash. At $1 a pair they are heaps cheaper than new, and I got some great vintage anodised and plastic ones. Now I'm off to find a new pattern to practice those cables.......

More button jewellery

2008-09-28T09:26:00.004+10:00

It's spring here in Australia and I have been inspired by all the sights and smells of the season. I whipped up this little brooch using some more thrifted buttons. Doesn't it look so fresh and "springy"?

Don't try this at home lol.......

2008-09-25T09:19:00.003+10:00

I bought this men's shirt at an op-shop ages ago cause I liked the fabric. This pic doesn't do it justice, it's a really lovely antique cream colour with a self pattern. It's made in Spain believe it or not!

With the warmer weather I decided to make it into a blouse. I've been eyeing off this Built by Wendy pattern for a while, and thought I'd do something similar. I wish I'd bought the pattern instead of going it alone!

Man, I spent some time on this....... I'm quite happy with the results, although it kinda looks like a maternity top. I think the elastic under the bust is a little low.

I used some vintage lace, also from an op-shop, for the trim.

I think I'll go order that pattern now.....

Ravelry and learning to knit.......

2008-09-24T14:18:00.003+10:00

I can't help myself, I have a go at everything! I recently became inspired by a fantastic knitting resource called Ravelry . This site has free patterns for everything you could ever want to knit or crochet. It's unbelievable! I have done knitting over the years but my repertoire has been limited to very basic patterns such as scarves, beanies and basic pullovers. Now I have this amazing resource but I don't have the cash to buy new yarn. As our budget is limited and I like to be as eco-conscious as possible, I decided once again to use thrifted or recycled materials. Op-shops are a great source of so many things, and yarn is one of them. Sure you can pick up odd balls of yarn, but a great way to get lots of the same sort is to harvest it from ready made items. Men's jumpers are great for this. I started to unravel this one before I thought to photograph it but suffice to say it was a large basic jumper. It was hand made so the seams were pretty easy to unpick. Once that was done it was just a matter of rolling it into balls.
Wow! I got 15 balls, 900 grams of what appears to be pure wool. For only $4! Can't get better than that!!!!!!!

Weave it baby!

2008-09-24T14:06:00.005+10:00

Inkle looms are little looms that you can make narrow strips of woven fabric on. I got mine at an op-shop for $5! A dear old man in our little town showed me how to use it and I did some weaving on it. I didn't know quite what to make with it until the warmer weather hit. You see I needed a way to hold my ipod when my clothes don't have pockets. So I created a little bag with a loop that I can string a lanyard from and hang it around my neck. Perhaps there is a market for these as an accessory for nudists!

I've been busy......

2008-09-18T10:09:00.008+10:00

I spent a fabulous day making some felt and another day turning it into these bags. I used my hand dyed wool tops, some unusual "yarn" I picked up at an op-shop and some alpaca to create the felt. I made use of both sides of the felt to create two different looks. I lined the bags, added an interior pocket and a felted i-cord made from the same yarn as a handle. They are soooo soft and very pretty with their felted flower with a felt ball centre.I also turned the felt I made earlier into a couple of little pouches. They are about the size of a CD. I haven't decided whether to add a handle or not.

My vast collection of thrifted, vintage and retro buttons came in handy to make another cute bracelet, this time with many shades of blue as the theme. These are so fun to make, and every one is so unique. Another fun one to make was this bracelet with hand felted beads, thrifted glass beads and what appears to be granite beads. Felt jewellery is so tactile, I love it!All these items will be listed on etsy soon. I want to have enough items to make it interesting before I start listing. I'll let you know when my shop is open.

How exciting!

2008-09-18T10:09:00.007+10:00

I've been featured on the Carnival of Green Crafts over at Crafting a Green World! Well, ok, I put the submission in myself, but it's still very exciting. They even put a pic of my lounge! Check it out, there's heaps of links to cool eco-friendly crafts........

Check out this site!

2008-09-17T22:46:00.004+10:00

You may notice that I have added a button for Craft Sanity. Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood has a fantastic blog and podcast on all things crafty. She records her show weekly, and has amazing interviews with innovative crafters. I download the approximately hour long episodes to my MP3 and listen to them while I do the housework, that way I can be inspired to create when all the jobs are done. There are so many topics and varieties of crafts discussed, and Jennifer is great at making it very interesting and fun. So check it out, you can listen online or download the podcast like I do. Just click on the Craft Sanity button on the left.

Lounge makeover

2008-09-14T19:08:00.005+10:00

My lounge was ugly. Damn ugly. I say "was" because now I love it! And I made it over in a very eco-friendly and cheap way. Here's the before shot. The lounge was structurally perfect but after 10 years of use it was very threadbare.
I never really liked the pattern anyway, I ordered it off a swatch and thought it would hide the dirt, but it was much too florally (is that a word?) for me. First I cut up my fabric. I used 4 pairs of jeans and 6 skirts from the op-shop (thrift store). I laid them out where I wanted them on the lounge.
Then I flipped them all over to pin them in place.Sounds easy enough? Well that was Wednesday and I finally completed it today- Sunday! There was lots of walking away and coming back and rethinking how I was going to do it. I wanted it to be very fitted so it wouldn't slip about.

Of course I had help. Thanks Cinnamon!Turned out pretty good I reckon! Easy to wash, and it only cost about $25 all up.I used the back pockets of the jeans as remote control pockets. Now if I can just train everyone to use them........Cinnamon approves and so do I. Now to curl up on my "new" lounge with a glass of wine and a good book!

Tutorial - make walnut ink!!!!!

2008-09-11T10:25:00.005+10:00

It's easy-peasy!!! If you have a walnut tree or know someone who has, you can make your own walnut ink. It's fabulous for ageing paper or cardstock. I've shown you what it looks like on plain white paper when it's just dipped in and dried.

First get your old dry walnuts and pry off the black outer skin. Some of it will stick and some will come off easy, just get as much off as you can. Using a blunt object eg a pestle or the end of a wooden spoon or rolling pin, crush the skins up into smaller bits.
Cover the lot with water and bring to the boil. Simmer until the ink is as strong as possible, I did mine for an hour or so. Don't let it dry out!Strain the liquid, add some vinegar to preserve it, I used about 1/4 cup for mine but it depends on your quantities. It won't keep forever but you could freeze it in small lots for later use. Now eat your walnuts!!!!!

Felt bead bracelet and another button bracelet

2008-09-09T09:35:00.001+10:00

Here's a little project I did with some of the felt beads I made. I used some granite beads too. The felt beads are a little large so I think I'd make them smaller next time, but I love the earthy colours.I also whipped up a button bracelet using lots of brown and faux tortoiseshell buttons.

I'm really enjoying seeing what designs I can come up with. I looooooove buttons, they evoke memories of playing with Mum's button jar as a kid.

Dyes, felting and a button bracelet.

2008-09-08T21:11:00.001+10:00

I have been experimenting with dyes for various fibres. Here's what I did with food dyes and my own cross-bred wool. It worked well but of course was extremely bright. I mixed the purple myself and it ended up with a rather interesting mottled effect. If you want to give it a go just wet your wool, add it to diluted dye and zap in the microwave. I did mine for about 2 mins on 70 %, and repeated it 3 times. I also added a tablespoon of vinegar to fix the dye. I had a fun afternoon with my stepdaughter making felt with the dyed fibre.My tastes are much more in the rustic range of colours, so with the expert help of Jenny I chose some colours I could blend. These are the basic colours. I used them to dye some wool tops I had bought. Not so keen on the orange but I am assured it will be a good brightener when blending.
I love the red and green and had to just dive in and make something immediately so felt balls it was! These make great beads to be used on bracelets, key rings, bags etc. Speaking of bracelets I had so much fun creating this little beauty. I used vintage Mother of Pearl buttons and it just glistens. I have had so many comments on it when I wear it. These buttons are not so easy to find so I am on the search so I can make some to sell.

Hiya!!!

2008-09-08T14:45:00.001+10:00

This is my new blog about my creations and hopefully about selling some of them. I have called it "Clever Chook", an affectionate term my hubby uses to praise my work. For those non-Aussies reading this a chook is a slang name for a chicken. I tend to jump from one craft to another, so you never know what you might find here!