Android Hat

My Hairy Man doesn't often ask for a hand knit, but this year, as we are now living in a part of Australia that needs warm clothes in winter, he requested a hat.  Theres a technical divide in our household, with me being the Apple girl and he's the Android boy, so I felt it was totally fitting to create a hat with an Android motif on it.

There's a pattern on Ravelry for an Andriod Hat, but after doing the 'blind faith' thing, and just knitting lazily from the pattern, I realised that it was not going to work.  So, I went to a 'sure thing' pattern for the actual hat, Brooklyn Tweeds Turn a Square, and then duplicate stitched the android onto it once I'd completed the knitting part.  I am yet to master intarsia in the round, but hoping to soon, as I prefer to knit motifs rather than sew them.

One very happy hubby....bless!

Mirror Mitts

I have recently spun up some gorgeous Thylacine Grey Merino, Grey Llama and Silk, but only 50gms so far.  I saw this new pattern for Mirror Mitts pop up on Ravelry and I knew they would be perfect for my little bit of spindle spun yarn.  So I set about finding a complimentary solid colour to spin up, and I think this lovely green will go very well with the grey and green of the Thylacine.  A quick and easy project that will make a small dent in my very large handspun collection!

Pizza Fondue

My new toy......

Big Pink Pig

A while back I knit the jumbo Snowy Owl from Purl Soho.  It sits proudly in my craft room and I LOVE it!

A Big Pink Pig pattern has just been released by them, and I intend to spin up the yarn using Pear Tree Fibres pale pink roving, and knit this oink to sit next to my owl.  I'll post pic's of spun yarn and progress once I get going.

Camel Bunny Silk

One of my all time favourite, desert island fibre choices, is Ixchel's Camel Bunny Silk!  I try to resist (ok, not THAT hard), but every time I see Charly from Ixchel, I have to rifle through her colourways.

Strangely, I always choose to spin CBS on a spindle, as I need to have this gorgeous stuff in my hands for as long as possible, plus I feel more in control of the fibres on a spindle. A new colourway of mine, is this walnut dyed, peachy blend.....just stunning!

Spun on a Jenkins Lark, it was a joy all the way.  I spun up and plied 50gms, and my next 50gms will be Navajo plied, so that the beautiful colours won't get so lost in the plying.  

I have a buttery soft 4ply, that I intend to incorporate into a cowl of some kind, possible an Encadre.

Evandale

I simply LOVED spinning this fibre from The Thylacine.  It's grey merino, grey llama & silk, and this particular colourway is Evandale.  Spun on my Jenkins Turkish Delight, mainly at the Bendigo Sheep & Wool Show, and then whilst watching those early Saturday morning rugby matches that two of my boys seem to love.  The result is a gorgeous 4ply yarn that is just stunning.  I still have another 50gms to spin up, and not sure what it will be once it's on needles, but I do know it will be on the needles in no time.

I'm hoping to have new stock of both Thylacine Fibre and Jenkins Turkish Delights, in the store in the next few weeks.

Magic Gnome Worlds

In our garden is a little tree, that  I decided would be perfect for a Magic Gnome World.  I bought a super cute wooden gnome door, just 2 inches tall, from a lovely Etsy Seller, positioned it at the base of our tree, then surprised the kids one day, by telling them 'I think we have a gnome in our garden'.  The look on their faces was priceless, especially Izzy, who has taken it upon herself to 'maintain' the gnome garden herself.

We've added a jolly looking garden gnome, and when I was at Charly's Bunny Spin In this Thursday, she pulled out a couple of china mushrooms from her own garden and gave them to a VERY EXCITED Isobel...honestly, on the way home, it was ALL she talked about.  As soon as we got home she ran to our magical spot and proudly planted her mushrooms.   I think you'll agree, they look fantastic.  I can see additions to this little patch.......

Hex a go go

I own a nifty little machine (the Accuquilt GO) that allows me to cut multiple pieces of fabric with ease and speed.  Half of my reluctance to get stuck into a project was the thought of cutting, so this is an essential item for me, especially for binding.  That said, I've had these Hexagons cut out for a fairy flavoured quilt for my daughter Isobel, for months now.

I've been procrastinating, but when Hexa go-go was released, I decided to buy a copy to motivate me to get started with this gorgeous fabric.  White and spotty hexagons will surround the fairy fabric, and I intend to make a single quilt for her bed.  I have no excuses now that I have my sewing machine permanently set up in my small craft room!

Another new arrival in the fabric department, is this Monaluna Foxy Hollow organic fabric.  I think I might just need to buy some more of this gorgeous stuff, and make a quilt for myself when I'm curled on the sofa in the winter months.  I have a 'thing' for gnomes, mushrooms and elves, so despite it being a more 'childlike' fabric, I can't resist.

Maybe I'll embroider a few gnomes on some white fabric to dot around the quilt.  I'm hoping for inspiration from Knot Thread Stitch.

Fat Cat Knits

I'm always on the look out for new indie dyers who's fluff can fill Spun Out's shelves.  I have known about Fat Cat Knits for some time now, but haven't ever sampled her wares.  Recently I purchased some goodies from the lovely Ginny, and I am so delighted with the fibre that I am planning to stock her gorgeous fluff.  I think Spun Out is lacking a range of semi-solids, so that's what I'll be focusing on.

This fibre is designed to be spun and knit into this shawl.  Beautiful!

Semi-Solids in Polworth.

This is divine, simply stunning.  Merino/Tencel in Winter Sun!

The Best Coffee

I get through a fair amount of coffee.  I have a professional coffee machine at home, which has been part of the family (some would say the most important member!) for 6 years now.  When I lived in WA, I used to buy from Yahava Koffeeworks (jubbly company), but prices were creeping up, so when I arrived in Melbourne I started to search for local roasters.

As I've been making babies for much of the last 10 years, I have been decafing all the way, and now, if I drink full monty strength coffee, I'm awake at 2am!  So, it's important to me to get a Decaf that tastes delicious.  A friend of mine has been guiding me to local roasters, and I recently went along to Abbotsford Convent, where I discovered a fantastic decaf, at only $6.25 for 250gms of ground coffee, roasted by them on site.   2kgs later, I am a very happy bunny, and had to share the love!

There's also a fab little kids farm next to the convent that really is worth a visit!

WIPS

Once upon a time, when I lived in London, and Liberty's was my corner store (I kid you not!), I didn't have a stash (truly), I didn't have multiple WIPS (truly), *I used to pop to Libby's in my lunch break, buy some Rowan Yarn, take it home and knit it up into various garments*, usually within 3 weeks.   repeat from *to*

Then it all changed.  In 2001 I started my own yarn store, and a large family, and the time I had to devote to knitting diminished.  I did, however, still have an appetite for yarn, and for starting new projects, hence my obscenely large stash, and out of control WIP situation.  What I am about to declare is more a kick up the bum for me, than for anything else.  I've made this promise to myself before and not stuck to it, but I feel the time has come to stick to it.  I plan to get at least half the WIPS currently on needles, currently in zip lock plastic bags, languishing in my knitting pile, finished.  This will be a start, and not too daunting.

Once I am down a few WIPS, I can allow myself the luxury of casting on the first stitch of an exciting new project.  That's the plan anyhow!

This particular project, the Flukra Shawl, is my introduction into lace shawls (albeit not too lacy).

I've been knitting it in a huge favourite of mine (and many others), Wollmeise Lace, colourway Maus Jung.  The project started in April, and I took it with me to the UK as a therapeutic project to keep me sane during my Mum's last few days battling cancer.  I was using Knitters Pride cubic circulars, and twice the needles snapped on me, mid row, so my yarn overs and stitch markers tumbled off and I had to frog back to the garter stitch section.

After this, the project sat sadly in my knitting bag, until I recently decided to tackle it again.  This time Addi Turbo's were used, to avoid the snapping syndrome, and I'm actually really enjoying knitting this again.  I think it was, perhaps, unsuitable to knit during my harrowing time with my Mum in May.  I was too emotional and distracted to give it any thought, and it turned out that my spindle was my trusty therapy when I was there.

So, this is my first WIP that needs to come off the needles, so that I can say I have finally knit a shawl.  I see myself knitting many, many more shawls, as there are so many gorgeous patterns out there, and my handspun is just calling out to become a shawl.