Bag lady

knitting is happening, the arrows sock continues apace, but make boring blog photos, test knitting is frantic, and there has been some fun knitting...but the recipient reads the blog so...

I have been making gift bags.

Yesterday I bought 2 metres each of blue, pink and green 100% cotton gingham, I like gingham because it has lines, I am straight-line challenged, gingham helps.

I then cut out the peices for 48 bags, this was easy, because I just had to cut straight lines.

I then overlocked the top raw edge on all 48 peices, they looked like a string of flags

I was still having a good time, and the overlocker was happy, so I continued, and overlocked both side seams on each bag (having folded over one of the top edges to make a little pocket)

all were then trimmed, and turned right-side out, 48 little pillowcase type gift bags, some large, some small.

Why?

well work out how many gifts you give a year...how much wrapping paper, cello, and tissue paper goes in the landfill, how many hours you spend searching for the sticky tape ( I swear I left it in the gift wrap drawer...) the frustration and time you can save by just popping those socks into a neat little drawstring bag (the recipient can keep them in that little bag) These are for birthdays and "just because".

I will get started on my Christmas bags soon, my local Spotlight has heaps of Christmas fabrics half price...or I might go with red and dark green gingham gotta love those straight lines!

links for starters: drawstring bags cookie bags Martha fabric envelopes Mel's gift bag tutorial

nostalgia

remember those framed prints evey little girl seemed to have in the '70s, the one with the ballet dancers with the big eyes, or maybe you had one of those "southern belle" doll lamps? I didn't have either, I had a poster of Mike Moore on my wall, his electorate office was over the road from my house, and my sister and I used to hang out there on our way home from school, they put up with us, and fed us milo and bikkies, anyway, I digress...

Emily (the blackapple) is an artist who has the cute, doe-eye genre perfected. I have just received an email from her with a photo of her portrait of Blaise, it is so cute I just had to share (Holly if you tell her you will incur my wrath - mind my words if you want Easter eggs this year)

I love the way she managed to include Blaise's monochromatic wardrobe (we hope its a phase), and the fact that one of her eyes is ever so slightly lower than the other. I am planning on portraits of all of our girls, then the back hallway in the Waihi house can be a rogues gallery!

B is for bananas and buttons

no I didn't have an "A" and I probably won't have a "C"

I have been working on baby cardi commissions, which I can't show you yet, so that is "B" for boring you, as a peace offering I give you my banana bread recipe.

1/2 c butter or margarine (or 1/3 c oil)
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c dark brown sugar (muscovado or molasses sugar)
2 beaten eggs
3 big bananas (or equivalent) mashed (must be very soft spotty bananas)
1 1/2 c plain flour
1/4 c ground hazelnuts (can substitute ground almonds - or just more flour)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 t vanilla
2 t ground cinnamon
1 c raisins/ sultanas/ dried cherries or other berries

grease a loaf pan and line with baking paper
heat oven to 180 (350) degrees

Cream butter and sugar, add mashed bananas, vanilla and eggs, beat well. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda, mix in ground nuts and cinnamon and add all to banana mixture, mix well. Add dried fruit. Pour into loaf pan, bake for an hour, check with skewer before removing from oven, outside should be quite dark, but not burnt.

As for the buttons,
I don't like putting plastic buttons on baby garments as a rule, its not a snobby thing, just a personal taste thing, if the buttons are decorative as well as practical, then I find it hard to use plastic. If they are just for closure, or need to be subtle, then there are many suitable plastic buttons.

Fine yarn doesn't mix well with ceramic or glass (too heavy) imagine my delight on discovering these sweet dyed shell buttons at my local button shop. They are so light, and the natural material catches the light beautifully. I'm thinking of buying some plain ones and experimenting to see if I can dye them when I dye yarn, matching buttons and yarns - a whole new realm of possibilities... I have 2 pages on my "to do" list...somebody stop me!

slings and arrows

The arrows?
Holly's latest socks were boring me silly - so I ripped back, and added an arrowhead lace panel down each side, and if I had known it was this easy I would have done it years ago, I had been worrying about "how to do the purl rows" when I realised, if I chose a lace pattern where all of the action is on the knit rows, then I will be fine, and...I am.


So, to answer some comments from yesterday, the garments are baby dresses (jumpers - for our USA friends), they are my own design, the style, pattern and colourways. I may make the pattern available in the future.

In the meatime, I will be posting the free pattern for this wee plunket neck (envelope)baby singlet (vest,undershirt) in the next week or so ( you all know how long it takes me to write these things up).It is for a newborn and takes 25g (1 oz) of 3 ply yarn, I invented it to use up the skein I handpainted, as the blue was too dark for the project I was dyeing it for.

Oh Baby

Ummed and aahed about posting these,



However, I decided that I want to share, as I am so happy with the result.

Inspiration

I make it a rule not to blog twice on one day, however finding this electronic swatchbook from Sydney's Powerhouse museum forced me to break it.
If you have any interest in fabric, design, social history, whatever....GO LOOK!

tweedledum and tweedledee

it is interesting how things turn out

the inspiration for this colourway was a photo of a tree in a lavender field in France - the picture is here and there are loads of other beautiful images at this site.

Both yarns were painted at the same time, with the same dye, cooked together etc.
The smaller ball is rabbit fur (not angora) it took the colour in an impressionistic way, subtle. The merino, on the other hand is anything but subtle, it is in-your-face loud!

this sample is the 3ply merino, still having problems with colour, the white patches are actually a light green.

I am finding this whole process of dyeing different yarns absolutely fascinating, I approach my bench like an alchemist, mixing minute amounts of this and that (don't let the kids catch me - they will want to try it!) and writing the results up like a science experiment, so that I can repeat the colours if I need to.

The house settlement went through, so all is well, and that stress has all gone.

winter is coming

Blaise and Charlotte are getting ready

hats as promised, Blaise's is the full length version, knit in handspun, Coco's is a smaller version (she's all about the style) in Grignasco Tyrol in the pink/grey colourway.

Holly, you haven't been forgotten, you are soooo lucky that these Trekking socks are just a little tight for me, because I LOVE them so much, but you get them, on -the-needles at the moment, more socks in Knitpicks sock garden - colourway "Hollyberry" one guess who they are for.

Help needed knitters - Maria thinks anything homemade without a "label" is dorky, - short of knitting a garter stitch scarf and sewing on a surf brand label cut from something old! (cos let's face it - most "label" knitwear isn't that inspiring) I can't find anything to make that she will wear.

Finally - a little on the domestic front, settlement on our Auckland house is today, fingers crossed that their are no final hurdle hiccups,then, no more tenant stress (the tenants in our villa are very reliable) no more mortgage (until we move back and buy another home) no more worry - can I get a YEE-HAW!

update: urgent email received this morning from lawyer in NZ "please advise whereabouts of transfer instrument as not received - need by 12 noon"

reply: "your receptionist Janet has it, we fed-exed it on monday"

just needed that extra little adrenalin boost.

angora a-bloom

I dyed these fuzzy little critters today, shades of coral, pink and green.

and found this picture at the Burning well site ( a repository of free to use images)

I haven't been around much have I? Lots of wee secrets going on (no, not 6.5sts kind of secret - go congratulate her!) just a bunch of things that need to be completed before I can show them to you.

Interflora

Blaise has graciously relinquished her claim on the Rosa Mundi socks, instead we are sending them to a friend who needs a bit of cheer right now, I know her feet are small, so I hope these are not to big on her, and that she likes them.

I loved knitting this yarn, the striped effect was not unexpected, but the consistency of the stripes was, I thought the effect would peter out, and flaring would occur, but that only happened on the heel and toe, beginners luck huh!

In return for her generosity, Blaise will be rewarded with this hat, she has been coveting it for a while, luckily for me she doesn't realise that it will be a quick knit, basically a garter stitch rectangle in bulky yarn, with a flat back seam - easy!


I have not replied to most of the people who left such lovely comments after my first foray into handpainting yarn, I apologise, as I have been unwell since returning from NZ, but am well on the road to recovery now. Anyway, please take this as a thank you, I truly appreciate all of your comments, it felt nice to be able to make something that makes other people as happy as it makes me.

Rosa Mundi

This
provided inspiration for this

Yarn: Knitpicks "dye your own" (gift from Cece)

Dye: Ashford's acid exhaust dyes in varying concentrations and combinations.

Painted on, cooked in the microwave, cooled and wound into balls, to be knit into socks.

return from the pavlova paradise

8 days without internet access can feel like a long time, it went quickly. I will not bore you with details, but will offer some observations:

This is "Horse" when he was a kitten I named him "Fergus", the kids changed it to Horse (from Footrot flats) there were 3 of them, I was outnumbered.I have lost the long and protracted battle with my parents to retain custody of my furchild, he will be staying with them (sniff)

Oil painting of my daughters, by artist Heidi McCulloch, hangs in my parent's formal lounge (excuse the photo)

We all take photos of our children's "firsts" and display them with pride...Holly's first grapes, I would say her first vintage...but this is all there are!

Christchurch has many wool shops, there were 3 within walking distance of my motel in Riccarton, Hands Ashford was a 2 minute drive away (loved this shop - they along with Knitworld and Masco's in Auckland sell Opal for $13.95 a ball) and I bought some wool dyes...Ballantynes in the city was a lovely experience, a wool dept. in an old fashioned department store, wonderful, friendly service. Most of the stores stocked NZ naturally, Touch and Rare Yarns (good marketing job!) I didn't buy any yarn (with the exception of 6 balls of Opal and some hot pink banana silk) but I did buy some lovely fat 1/4s from Ballantynes, kiwiana prints and some Amy Butler fabric. I also ended up with a number of knitting books, vintage patterns, a couple of old Rowan magazines, and some old knitting needles (15c a pair) so if you are in Chch, go scour your Op shops, they seriously are treasure troves, while you are at it, pick up some old jumpers and make a felted bag, or the blanket from Alterknits, I saw so many machineknit fairisles in shetland wool, but couldn't fit anything more in my suitcase.

Holls and I took in the sights - Christchurch Cathedral and a cool sculpture

wandering in the Port Hills (lunch was a toasted sandwich at The sign of the Kiwi)

Home away from home for at least the next 3 years, lucky this is only half the room, she overlooks a tree studded lawn, formal rose gardens,and an avenue of oak trees, and will likely be snowed in at least once this winter.

back to Godzone.

if you are in Sydney at 10am, wave to my plane. I am off to NZ for 8 days, to celebrate my birthday with family, to check the state of the houses, to take Holly to Christchurch, and to catch up with my much-missed friends.

Hopefully I will get to Ashburton...the home of Ashford!

moments

A big day today, Charlotte's first day at a "grown up" job, it's Waitangi Day (hey you kiwis!) and I am another birthday older and closer to 40. Having your birthday on your National holiday always seems like a good idea, it's not, yes you always get the day off work or school, but then again, your friends usually take off on holiday, so it is nice having my birthday on a normal day now that we are in Oz.

38 things you probably don't know about me.
I have followed Alison's lead in borrowing Lisa's birthday list. And it is funny reading other people's lists-how similar we are in some aspects

1. I am right-handed most of the time, but left-handed when I eat.
2. The first time I was ever admitted to hospital was to give birth to Holly. The second time when I went into premature labour with Charlotte.
3. Blaise was born at home.
4. The third time I was admitted to hospital it was for a tubal ligation.
5. I don't like olives, I try, but I can't.
6. I drink coffee in the morning, and Earl Grey tea the rest of the day.
7. I have an officially tested (3x) I.Q. of 154...it is wasted on me.
8. Dogs are tolerable, cats are mandatory.
9. Prefer blankets to quilts (duvets, doonas) cotton in summer, wool in winter.
10. When I was at school I wished my name was Lisa or Angela like everyone else.
11. My children think I am psychic (It's really just my Mother instincts)
12. I have never been in trouble with the law.
13. My first memory is of me telling Una from next door that if she kept putting a plastic bag over her head she would suffocate, my sister wasn't born yet, so I would have been 2.
14. I only like 2 peices of furniture in my entire house, I only love 1.
15. When I was 15 I was anorexic.
16. My second toe is longer then my big toe.
17. I hate catching the bus.
18. I have twice as many tastebuds as the average person.
19. As a child I hallucinated often when I had a fever, I still remember a lot of these hallucinations.
20. When I was 10 I bred mice and sold them to the pet shop for 30c each.
21. I was so upset when I found out that I couldn't go to Mallory Towers that I threw up.
22. My eyes change colour, from navy, through light blue to grey.
23. I can't stand bad manners.
24. I am painfully shy.
25. I would rather climb the stairs than take the lift.
26. I have been trapped in a stairwell, but never in a lift.
27. I sleep on my back with my arms above my head.
28. I am not a team player.
29. When I was 15 my step-mother told me I couldn't be a vet, (because her daughter didn't get accepted for Vet. college) I didn't tell anyone, just stopped trying because I thought she was an adult so she must be right.
30.I have raised all of our kids not to take "no" for an answer.
31. I make time to worry, I think to myself "I can't worry about that right now, I'll worry about it after dinner"
32. I came top of my year in School Cert. Biology.
33. I am so afraid of the women at the cosmetic counters in department stores that I give my husband a list of what to buy from Dior and Clinique duty-free.
34. I can't borrow books I really like, I have to buy them.
35. I am truly afraid that in 20 years time, they won't sell basics like flour anymore, and I won't be able to teach my grandchildren how to bake cookies.
36. I fidget - a lot.
37. I was smacked on my first day of school, because I couldn't sit still
38. My dream vehicle is a long wheel base LandRover Defender in black with stainless steel step-plate, and spotlights.

and thank you very much to the Flash husband for the Jordana Paige bag, I love you.

postscript (to my dear tribe - you are not late, it is my birthday right now, stop apologising!)

Dandelion clocks

is what these bootees remind me of,with their fuzzy halo. The pattern is from "Last minute knitted gifts" by Joelle Hoverson, and the yarn is Bouton D'or 100% angora, in "roseau" (sage colour) they are machine washable, however tumble drying is "forbidden". An intriguing and very quick knit, I am going to try this double knitting technique to start my next toe up socks.

Self-Portrait Tuesday

(prelude to post - I went in to blogger this morning to post today's post and found that this hadn't published yesterday, so sorry, 2 posts 1 day)

Family history this has so many levels, Kath asked us to dig deep...yip yip yip

I scrubbed my ex out of this photo probably 10 years ago...so badly that he is still there! just shadows and trees. This photo was taken in my back garden in Rocky Bay Waiheke Island, 35 minutes from Auckland by ferry. This was the first house I bought, at 21, a house on a red dirt road at the top of a valley, overlooking the sea, we were surrounded by bush, it was idyllic.

This photo resonates for me, my partner was there, but not there, just like in the photo, and my Mum was, as ever, there for me and my girls. The photo was taken by a dear family friend, Father Jude from Zambia, he was in NZ as part of the Zambian Judo team management, and my Mum brought him, and the Zambian (Sports??) Minister Trywell (last name forgotten) to our island home, within a couple of years the Zambian judo team, and Trywell were dead from AIDS, so this picture brings so many more memories than those it captures.

Visiting the Dr

I have big feet, I like to think they ground me, I am a big person, to have had small feet would would have been an anachronism, tall women have big feet - fact.

When I first arrived in Sydney, I found myself leaving shoe shops shaking with anger and frustration, a typical encounter thus:

me: do you have this is a 10 or 10.5
teeny weeny bimbette sales girl: hee hee hee...no...do you want to try a 9?
me: no, thank you. (yes of course I want to squeeze my hoof into a size 9, pay you 200 bucks, hobble home and chuck them in my wardrobe never to see the light of day again, except to serve as a reminder that I have criminally huge feet and should have plastic surgery to reduce them to a size more acceptable to bimbette sales assistants...take a look at Naomi Campbell lovey...bet her feet aren't a six 6)

The worst was in Broadway where the sales assistant told me that they "actually" don't make shoes in my size ( was it my imagination or did she tack "freak" onto the end of that sentence?)

I have one pair of expensive italian leather shoes, they are ballet flats, they actually fit, they do not cause blisters or bunions, I can walk, hell, I can run in them if I have to. That I have them at all is due to the perserverance of a delightful saleswoman who made it her mission to make sure that this Cinderella had shoes for a ball, however, despite this one wonderful experience, I made a decision...for the sake of my self-esteem I no longer visit boutique shoe shops.

Of my 12 pairs of good/work/going out shoes, 6 pairs are made by Dr Marten, size 9 fits me snugly, size 10 is positive toe heaven if worn with socks or tights, they are big and clompy (there is no point pretending I have petite tootsies) and I feel safe and strong, knowing that I can kick an assailant in the arse, or run if I have to, have you ever seen a woman run for the bus in high heels, legs flailing, hands flapping like helicopter rotorblades? reminds me of when my kids played dress ups...except my kids were pre-schoolers, and these are grown women.
My Dr Marten's shoes make me happy, Dr Marten accepts my feet, he doesn't make me feel ugly, deformed or wrong. Colorado also make good casual shoes, and Camper even have high-ish heels for us "well earthed" gals.

Speaking of which, and getting to the point, I visited my favourite shoe dealer, and had to buy these:

yummy, chunky, higher than average Docs, and comfy.

And although I doubt that I will ever wear this combination together again...here we have the Opal Petticoat socks, finished, with my new shoes. (note re Opal Pettiocat socks, these are my vanilla sock recipe, but knitted at the same time on 2 sets of dpns, as mentioned previously, anyway, this is a new sock record for me, they took me 6 days! 6 days of not feeling like I was knitting socks any more than usual, I will try 2 socks on 2 circs next, but if it isn't me, I will continue knitting them this way)

roll on winter!

life

as always has been cutting into my knitting time, however, there is light now as the girls prepare to return to school, oh bliss! Last week became very busy, very quickly, thursday (Australia Day) was good, we finished the evening on the roof, watching the fireworks, Holly and her friend Sean were at the Big Day Out, and the other girls were in town at the festivities.

friday was supposed to be relaxing, Flash had an 8.30 appointment at the dentist, and a day off work, he came out of the dentist with another appointment for 3.15...fine, at 2.40 Charlotte was told that she had a job interview at 3.3o, we were not expecting her to be interviewed until the next week, so had not prepared, we leapt into the car, off to the Mall for black pants, and a pretty blouse (try shopping for a size 4 - thats US size 1?-with no time) and no time for shoe shopping, so she borrowed some from her sister, and then I dropped her in the city for the interview (she did very well, found the correct building and managed to catch the bus home, despite never having been in the city alone before) Flash had to walk to the dentist, 3.30 I had a call from him, "can you pick me up" - yes in 10 minutes - "no worries I'll walk home".

Arrived home, Flash in a sorry state, has just called the dentist and has to go back immediately, tooth has fallen out, Holly and Sean have to be at the International airport for flight to NZ at (check in is 4pm) Blaise is not home yet to see Holly off and her cellphone is switched off, Charlotte is somewhere in the city without a cellphone, Mummy is torn between everyone- so goes into organisational overdrive - Maria has a key and is at work, so Charlotte can get in the house, get Holly, Sean, Flash and bags into car, take Flash to dentist, wait 10 minutes, resist Champion textiles sale, take poor Flash home, drive to airport, pick Blaise up from friend's place, luckily near airport, Blaise very happy, collapse at airport and refuse to move until restorative amounts of coffee ingested, see my darling girl off, and for once I don't cry (well, I'll be seeing her again in a week!) phone home to see how Flash is bearing up - and discover Charlotte is home safe and well, with a positive interview experience under her belt...Blaise and I sing Exponents songs all the way home, and find Flash happily doped up and tucked up on the couch.

I did not get the job I applied for, I am not willing to work fulltime,they are not willing to employ a part-timer, so there we go...happily this led to a series of events which will result in the fulfilment of a couple of wishes, and the offer to be a "kept woman" for a while - my dear husband has suggested that maybe I start designing again, rather than seeking souless employment (you can tell my megalomaniac boss has spooked me can't you) and I am warming to the idea, I have agreed to do 60% of the housework unless (until) things get crazy, and he has agreed to remain calm if the house looks like a tornado hit if I am really into something. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me, I was getting myself into a spin worrying about work, now I don't have to worry so much.

One of my biggest regrets is that I did not take many photos of the garments I made and sold, I have a few in storage, in NZ, but most of my notebooks and patterns have gone, I thought that part of my life was over...I am never ever giving any of this stuff away again!! We had a disk with photos of my last designs, but can't find it since the move, I can only hope it is in storage too.

On the knitting front, the Opal petticoat socks are over half-finished, I have turned both heels, and have completed the gusset on one, so next I am knitting the second gusset, knitting them both at the same time does seem to be working for me. I am not too enamoured of the petticoat, I had expected it to be more pastel-y, I find the lime green sets my teeth on edge a bit, however they are not for me, so I will just move on.

Self portrait tuesday

so many to choose from, but I like this photo of me at 2, confident, aware. My Mother believed it was vital to get down on the floor and play with your kids, her MIL thought she was crazy, I learnt to read around the same time this photo was taken, and my sister was born soon after. The future was bright.

(shhh it is still tuesday somewhere)

flags

I will be in NZ for a lot of the Winter Olympics, so have chosen to stand down and not participate in the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics, however in support of my fellow Australasians, I have made some buttons, take and enjoy. You may need to resize them.

Also a shout out to Cantabrians, any links and addresses to anything you think I may be interested in in Christchurch, as I will be there for a day or two in Feb.