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Christmas De-stash

2011-12-14T21:32:00.000+10:30

I'm still on a major fabric and yarn de-stash (really! it's never-ending!), so I decided that this year's Chrissy outfit would have to fit into my no-buy, use what I've got brief :) The majority of my Christmas fabric is small patchwork sized pieces, but I did find two pieces that were big enough for clothes ... the red fabric I really love because it is Christmassy, but in an understated way, with white meandering holly leaves. The pocket fabric I thought looked like baubles until I finished the skirt and then decided that it looked more like a Target Ad :( But no, in my head I'm sticking with the baubles thought :) The apron fabric is tiny poinesettas and holly ... I like the choice of this one because it has a slightly old fashioned look, good for a pinny I think :)

...so, the pattern specs :)

The skirt was taken from Sew Serendipity by Kay Whitt ... I lost the plot slightly as to what size I made, but I think that it was roughly size small (following the pattern measurements I made a mock-up skirt in small, which was way tight, so made the skirt in a medium, which ended up being way big(?), so finally went with the medium but took in huge side seams ... it wasn't the best solution as the pockets are now a lot narrower than they should be, but at least I'll have a better idea of size next time).
The apron is again the Patternless Kitschy Apron by Jordana Paige, well a variation of it as I didn't have enough fabric for the cool crossover top ... love the possibilities with this apron pattern (thanks Jordana!)

dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner ...

2011-11-20T14:39:00.001+10:30

Sorry for the absence of blog posts of late, but I'm back, and I'm in need of playing catch-up :D

I've been busy with the making, just slack with the documenting!

So I thought that I would start with some hats ... hmmmmm, first off, I made this Batman hat for a Batman obsessed two year old ... he kept it on his head for about two seconds (not even long enough for me to take a photo!), before whipping it off and saying that it tickled his eyes :D

The next time that I turned around, his ~~slightly crazy~~, no, make that his extremely crazy mummy was wearing it and asking if she could have it ... I think that winter will be a laugh this year!! :D

(Here is the Ravelry link to the pattern info)

I made this second Batman hat, (minus the tickly eyeholes you will notice!), and I'm glad to say, that he liked it a whole load better ... still no modelled photo, but I'll post one when he (or maybe some other crazy family member ... got quite a few contenders out there) decides to wear it :D

OK, so these hats are slightly less superhero-ish, but cool all the same. The black one is the Biddle Ribbed Hat by Tonya Wagner, the pom-pom one is The Basic Hat Pattern by Ann Budd, the tiny garter stitched edge one is Cute As A Button by Niftyknitting, the one below the pom-pom is the Tricorder Hat by Katherine Fagan, and the reversed stripy one is from a book that I have lying around here somewhere, just can't put my hand on it at the moment, but I'm sure that I'll find it as soon as I finish writing this post! I'll be putting them all on Ravelry over the next few days, so I'll add my links to the patterns then :)

Oh yeah, and the blog post title ... a joke from my primary school days about what Batman's mum shouts at tea-time ... lame yes, but the mere mention of Batman brings it to mind :D

Dishcloth Hearts

2011-09-07T11:04:00.004+09:30

It's been a while since I made my first heart blanket, and after recently being reminded of it in a family photo, another one was requested for my new granddaughter :)

The basic idea stayed the same this time, but I did use two different patterns ... I chose a diagonally knit dishcloth pattern with an eyelet edging (the eyelets made a really nice guide for sewing the blanket to the backing) and an eyelet heart pattern that matched perfectly :) Both patterns were super easy and didn't require the attention that my last ones needed, and didn't always get :D

I used stash Carnival 8ply yarn (from Big W), knit double stranded on size 6mm needles for the squares, and single stranded on size 4mm needles for the hearts.

I tried for ages to get the whole blanket to sit a bit flatter, it has a tendency to 'puff up' ... I was going to do a quilting stitch around the hearts to anchor it a bit better, but then found out that my daughter thought the puffiness was one of it's best features!! :D

Oranges ...

2011-07-17T13:07:00.008+09:30

It's taken 7 years for our citrus trees to yield any fruit, but this year, for some reason, they've gone into overdrive :)

I had this thought of making marmalade but was totally put off by words like sterilising, setting point, jam thermometers, *shudder*, and visions of my mum spending hours in the kitchen, sweating over making jam after we'd collected wild blackberries and damsons from the hedgerows and woods. I was of course hoping that there would be an easier way, so typed 'easy marmalade' into Google and ... score! the very first hit was 'Absolutely Fail-Proof Easy Marmalade'.

It's fast to make, easy to remember, and doesn't need any of the usual time consuming jam-making processes!

So basically you boil 6 oranges (or any other citrus fruit) and 1kg of sugar together for 20 minutes, pour into jars (I used Woolworth's everyday Essentials containers so that I could keep them in the freezer), and thats pretty much it!

The first batch I made, I followed the advice from the comments left, and peeled half of the oranges before processing them ... definitely a good move as it was still chunky but spreadable ... yum!

I made the second batch with just the juice (the first one cooked so quickly that I had to make more, even if it did mean going and picking the fruit at night by torchlight! ... but hey?, when you're on a roll ... ). So I used 4 cups of juice with 4 cups of sugar and a packet of Jamsetta pectin, boiled together, just the same for 20 minutes. I don't know whether or not I actually needed the pectin, but according to the million recipes out there, it seems like most of the natural pectin is in the skin, pith and pips, which I didn't use ... anyhows, the clear marmalade came out my favourite.

Or maybe it's orange jam not marmalade?... either way, for half an hours work, it turned out awesome and I wont be needing shop bought marmalade again :)

Lion-Neck

2011-07-03T09:59:00.005+09:30

It's not very often, in fact I can't remember ever buying a knitting book and wanting to make pretty much every pattern in it, until my copy of Custom Knits arrived from the Book Depository last week. OK, I say pretty much because I can't see the City Cape Poncho happening for me at this time, but hey, who knows ... I've been known to change my mind before ... :D

To decide which pattern to start with first, I did a quick stash check and found that I had 10 balls of Moda Vera Shiver (the same yarn that I just used for my Super Birthday Sweater) ... yep, I bought a heap a while back when Spotlight were selling it off for a dollar a ball!

So after checking out what my fellow Ravellers were saying and knitting, I cast on for the Lion-Neck Cardigan on page 43. (Really, what did any of us do before Ravelry? .. love it, love it!)

This pattern was fast! I was listening to audio books on Librivox (the perfect multitasking ... knitting and reading), and completed this jacket in two mystery novels, A Strange Disappearance by Anna Katharine Green (1880) and The Agony Column by Earl Derr Biggers(1916) :)

If I make this again, and I think that I will be, I'll omit the sleeve shaping completely, to make the fitting look more like the one on the model :)

I can't decide yet whether or not to use the ties ... ?

Sew Simplicity 3565

2011-06-19T12:01:00.005+09:30

Very simple, very easy to wear pj pants :)

A few months ago I was given a sewing magazine as a pressie ... it's a UK publication called Sew, by far the best sewing mag that I've seen. Not only are there heaps of cool sewing projects and tips inside, but also it comes each time with a free dressmaking pattern :)

This issue came with Simplicity 3565. The picture on the front of the pattern shows the clothes made up as winter versions, but I especially liked in the magazine that they showed them in summer fabrics ... looking forward to making the dress for when the weather warms up :)

I really didn't want any more winter pants, but I was looking to use the flannelette fabric bought from Savers for $3

...so, two pairs of non elasticated lounge pants ... I loved that they were so easy and fast to make ... two main pattern pieces, a left hand seam zip, and a simple hemmed waistline ... easy!

And on the knitting front ... how cool is this?! Check out Sherrill's Belle of the Ball podcast, where she talks about making a vest for her daughter, from my Flinders Sweater vest pattern! :)

The Super Birthday Sweater

2011-06-05T10:13:00.006+09:30

I can't begin to tell you how much I love this Super Birthday Sweater from Blue Alvarez! It's the first top down pattern that I've seen that divides the neck edge cast on stitches into quarters as apposed to thirds ... it kinda put me off making it for a while, thinking that it might sit funny when it was on, but I've gotta say that it's totally awesome :) Fits great, sits great, was as easy as, and best of all .. I followed the pattern without changing anything ;D (well, other than omitting the middle stripe!) ... oh, and it's a freebie :)

I used 9 balls of Moda Vera Shiver from Spotlight, (some of which I frogged from a previous sweater) and size 7mm needles. It was really fast to make, beautifully written, and has inspired me to try more top downs with the quarter divisions ... love it :)

Take one thrifted tablecloth, Part 2

2011-05-29T13:24:00.008+09:30

The good thing about buying manchester instead of fabric off the bolt, is that it goes such a long way ... definitely value for your buck (especially when it's thrifted!) :)

After making my dress out of the tablecloth I bought from Savers, I still had heaps left to make some much needed aprons. I couldn't decide on waist or full length, so of course, ended up doing both :D

The pattern for the waist length one came from Cath Kidston's Sew! book, the only change I made to the pattern was not binding the pocket top ... the tablecloth had a neatened edge, so I saved myself a step by utilising that instead.

I did the same thing on the hem of the full length pinny ... I love this pattern, especially the way that the curved side edges wrap around the back giving maximum coverage :) The pattern is called the Patternless Kitschy Apron by Jordana Paige and its a freebie from here

...ok, guess I'm off to do some cooking now then :D

Take one thrifted tablecloth

2011-05-22T14:58:00.007+09:30

I bought a beautiful quality tablecloth from Savers measuring 175cm square, so of course, my first instinct was to cut it up and make something out of it that I would actually use :D

TaDa! ... a cool summer dress from a vintage sewing pattern (also bought from Savers).

The pattern is Style 4589, dated 1974 and described as "misses' dress or tennis dress and panties". Don't think I'll be needing the tennis dress and undies anytime soon, but I'm sure that I'll be making the dress again (view 1, the blue dress on the right).

Somehow I always seem to make my summer things in the middle of winter, and have to find warmer accessories so that I can wear them straight away ...

thought that it worked pretty good with the shrug that I made here

... and there is still a lot of tablecloth left :D ...

Green monkeys from Ikea

2011-04-27T11:21:00.014+09:30

Thanks to an extra long Easter/Anzac Day public holiday (5 days, woohoo!), I was able to get down to some serious making :)

So I finally finished the tiny baby quilt that I've been working 'off and on again' for the last few months now ... it's a really simple 'cheats' quilt, purely because I couldn't bring myself to cut up the super cute Ikea fabric :D (I love those crazy green monkeys, lol)

It is just Ikea animal fabric on the top, and Ikea red/orange striped fabric on the bottom, with all of the animal designs outlined with 3 strands of embroidery thread :)

I also made a whole heap of baby and toddler hats (most of them have already been gifted, but I'll try to get photos of them soon).

These are two hats that I made from the Ann Budd Handy Book of Patterns that I borrowed from the library ... I love the accessories in this book, knitted from a clever little gauge/size grid. Looking forward to trying the mitts and socks :)

I was intrigued by the sweater pattern, but after getting about half way through knitting one for myself, I decided that the pattern was just a bit too much 80's ... you know, big armholes shapeless body, so decided to frog it and make this Super Birthday Sweater instead. Easy top down knitting and hopefully a nicely fitted shape :) I will try another Ann Budd one soon, because I do like the pattern format, but next time I'll probably stick to a toddler one :)

Half a Gargantuan Melon!

2011-04-06T09:21:00.005+09:30

I've been looking for a while for some warm winter hats for the little-ies in our family ... I thought that ribbed ones would be a good way to go as the circumference fit doesn't have to be perfect, and they would also allow room for growth. Looking through Ravelry, there were heaps to choose from, but I really liked this one because of the awesome decreases :)

Most were either circular, or swirly or kind of scrunched to have a pom pom on the top ... thought that this one looked more boyish :D

The pattern, Gargantuan Melon, is written for an adult sized, extra large head, so instead of using bulky weight yarn and 6mm needles, I halved the yarn thickness by using 8 ply and used a 4mm needle. It was a bit of a guess as to whether it would fit or not, but the end result was perfect :) I followed the pattern exactly other than starting the decreases after 5 inches instead of 6.25 inches.

I love it! ... there will be more of these hats to come :)

a joint input skirt

2011-02-25T08:52:00.005+10:30

This skirt has to be the easiest skirt ever :) I used a pattern to make it, but next time I think that I'll just wing it ... it's a circular skirt with shop bought ribbing for the waist.

My sister

went on an op shopping trip, and bought me back this awesome new Hobbylock overlocker (thanks sis!). Being as it was pre threaded with black cotton, I searched around for something to try it out on ... I found the white and black fabric that my daughter no longer wanted, along with her circular skirt pattern.

An instant, joint input project, that resulted in a really cool, easiest ever skirt :)

Girly things

2011-02-02T16:02:00.007+10:30

.... so here is the reason that I've been a slack blogger of late ... a brand new grandbaby :) ... pretty good reason don't you think ;D

It's been good to make some girly things, there are so many awesome things to make (notice her cool 'itty bitty baby dress' from this post) ... I love it!

I would have liked to be making tiny knitted cardies and hats, but unfortunately, long sleeved woolens are not of much use for an aussie summer baby, but I did love this Confection Shrug pattern. It's a bit big, but totally cute (and practical :))

And thanks to Kate Atherley for this super-easy training sock pattern. The socks were my first venture into cuff-down, heel-flapped socks. It was so easy to follow, and came out so good, that I'm looking forward to making some adult sized ones ... thanks Kate :)

... and then some sewing :) .... on an op shopping trip a while back I bought some upholstery fabric samples for $5 with the thought of making a quilt ... I loved the colours and designs but decided that the furnishing fabric might feel a bit rough, so instead, we now have a very sturdy, reversible play mat for the new little miss :)

A dress, or three

2010-10-24T13:24:00.015+10:30

Finally, finally, I got around to making my Enid Gilchrist simple empire line dress... I drafted it out and sewed my 'muslin' here ... I don't know why it took me so long to make it for real, but I'm pretty happy with the result :) I made a couple of mods to the pattern, making the neck and armholes slightly lower than the pattern ... the neck was purely a design choice, but going on my past experience making Enid dresses, the armholes would otherwise have been a bit tight.Next time, I will also put in a back pleat on the skirt ...standing up is fine, trying to get elegantly into the rear seat of a friends car was no so fine! :D

The other two dresses were mostly made by my daughter ... after nearly finishing them, and then realising that they were too big for her

(and not wanting to be bothered with taking in the seams some),

she gave them to me (minus zip closures and hems) :)

I love them both, but especially the yellow floral one (awesome thrifted sheet from Savers).

For the white and blue one she used New Look 3968 and the yellow floral, Butterick 4980

My serendipitous hat

2010-10-12T10:08:00.008+10:30

...so, all winter I have been searching for the perfect toddler hat pattern. I've found a few that have come close, a few that have been cute but not functional (and visa versa), too small, too big, too hilarious ... (yep, I've tried one or two!), but decided that as winter was coming to an end, I'd give up the search for this year and tell his mum that I'd failed, and to use the earflap hat that we bought from the markets on our last trip to Melbourne (there are three things that come home with us whenever we go to Melbourne ... Earflap Hats, "Born to be Wild Melbourne" t-shirts, and Krispy Kreme donuts! :D)

On my "to do" list for ages, has been to try Elizabeth Zimmermann's method of knitting fairisle... so last week, armed with my Knitting Workshop book, some yarn, and a couple of hours free time, I followed her lesson, which happened to involve making a hat. I didn't give any thought to the size, or yarn, or anything about how it would turn out, as I was making it purely to learn a new technique.

The end result was, that I not only learned an ultra easy way of knitting with more than one colour, but yes, we now have an awesome toddler sized hat, that not only we love, but more importantly, that he seems to like enough not to pull off his head at every chance :)

(Hope it fits next year though, as spring has arrived and he no longer needs it!)

KCWC Days 5, 6 and 7

2010-09-27T08:53:00.007+09:30

I have really enjoyed my week of making kids clothes :)

...my end of week round up is this toddler hoody and baby cardi

Another Kwiksew pattern for the hoody, this time from Sewing for Toddlers. I don't have an actual copy of the book, but the pattern insert was in the babies issue from the op shop (it was good getting an unexpected bonus, feel bad that somebody may have the toddler book without the pattern sheet though!).

...and the cardigan was once again, the 5-hour sweater that I made here ... cut my knitting down this time by not doing the sleeves, but think the 5 hours would have still been a push (didn't think to time it!) :)

KCWC Days 2, 3 and 4

2010-09-24T18:21:00.006+09:30

...so, here I am playing catch up :) I've been good with my sewing, just not so good with my blogging :D

This is my Kids Clothes Week Challenge days 2, 3 and 4 (yep, more girly dresses hehe!)

The dress with the orange flowers and tied shoulders is unmistakably the 'itty bitty baby dress', downloadable from Made By Rae (and it's free ... thanks Rae!).

The undies were made in the matching lining fabric from a pattern in the Kwiksew Sewing for Baby book :)

I also got the green sundress pattern from the same book ... It was good using it again ... I bought this copy a few months ago from the op shop, after giving away my original when my girls grew out of it.

...such Grandma fabric don't ya think...teacups and cupcakes, love it!

KCWC Day 1

2010-09-21T08:04:00.009+09:30

My first sewing project for the kcwc just had to be a baby dress :)

... I sometimes get fed up with using commercial patterns. They're expensive, flimsy, and more often than not, they don't turn out right in the size and fit ... so instead, I bought a super-cute, newborn baby halter neck dress from the op shop, and made my own pattern ...

I traced around the bodice and took measurements of the skirt...

and then just used the original as a construction guide :)

So easy!

Looking forward to day 2 :)

Too cute!

2010-09-19T20:03:00.005+09:30

... yay! ... we're going to have another grandbaby (a little cousin for the little man), and this time it's a girl :) ... (sooo excited!!). So of course, having just found out her gender, I went straight to Spotlight to buy some little dress fabric, and ... came home with nine different ones! (it was just too hard to choose!). Later I was surfing whilst drooling over the fabric, and found the Elsie Marley blog. Perfect timing, as she is organising the '2010 Kids Clothes Week Challenge' starting tomorrow on the 20th September. It's a really cool concept ... just join a few hundred other crafters working on making kid's clothes for one hour a day for a week ... simple, love it, and can't wait to get started :)

But in the meantime today, whilst planning my weeks sewing, I made these cute as, Baby Janes with some stash Sugar'n Cream cotton (The pattern is by Valerie Johnson and can be found on Ravelry) ... thanks Valerie :)

Flinders Sweater Vest

2010-09-09T16:41:00.004+09:30

I had some balls of Sean Sheep Flinders yarn in my stash from a Big W sale way back, so I thought I would try a top down sweater vest for myself. As I was knitting, the yarn had a really nice, soft silky feel to it ... but ... as soon as the knitting was finished, it started to go baggy and feel kinda lifeless :( I'm not too sure how it's going to bear up to being washed (think I do sort of know the answer though!), which is a real shame because I love the way that it turned out ... and... I'd already started another one the same in pink (I might have to wash the grey one before I decide whether or not to finish the other) ... oh well, it did give me chance to work out a cool sweater vest pattern (and it did only cost me 50c a ball :D)

So for future reference, and a different yarn, here are the specs:

4.5mm circular needle

3 balls of Sean Seep Flinders ... maybe?!

17sts to 24rows to 10cm

Aussie size 8/10 (32/34")

Cast on 62 stitches

K1 place marker (pm) k15 pm k30 pm k15 pm k1

Purl 1 row

Knit increasing either side of marker

Purl

Repeat last 2 rows until there are 9/31/46/31/9 stitches ending with a purl row

Knit to 1 stitch before marker, increase in next stitch

Cast off 30 stitches

Knit back stitches to 1 stitch before marker, increase in next stitch

Cast off 30 stitches,

Knit to end

From here, work with 3 separate balls of yarn

Purl first set of stitches, rejoin yarn and purl second set of stitches, rejoin yarn and purl third set of stitches

Knit, increasing at armhole edge as before until there are 11/50/11 stitches

Purl row

Increase at front edge as well as armhole edge on every knit row until there are 21/60/21 stitches

Now increase at front edge on every row as well as armhole edge every knit row until there are 25 stitches

Cast on 10 stitches, work to end and join fronts

Knit in the round without increasing until work measures 11cm from underarm

Knit 21 pm k20 pm k42 pm k20 pm, knit to end of round

Knit to 2 stitches before marker k2 together, knit to marker, pass marker and ssk (slip 2 stitches purl-wise onto right hand needle, insert left needle into front of stitches and knit them together) repeat the k2tog and ssk at the next 2 markers, knit to end of round

Knit 10 rounds and then a decrease round

Repeat last 11 rounds 3 more times

Knit 2 purl 2 rib for about 4 rows

Cast off

Rejoin yarn to neck edge, and pick up 108 stitches and work 4 rounds in k2 p2 rib

Cast off

Rejoin yarn to sleeve edges, and pick up 58 stitches and work 4 rounds in k2 p2 rib

Cast off

...and another Enid

2010-08-30T16:03:00.017+09:30

So I think that I may be running the risk of overusing my new favourite Enid Gilchrist pattern ... but it's just so quick, and easy, and awesome lol

This dress was made from the same pattern as my Ikea dress.

I made it as a winter dress, to be worn under a cardi, out of some brushed cotton that I bought for $3 from the new Savers Recycle Superstore here in Adelaide (such an amazing op shop!). I also bought the zip there, in a bag of 10 for $3.

I've already got 3 more dresses cut out and ready to sew, along with some skirt versions ... spring starts next week, so I'm more than ready to get started on some nice summery clothes :)

From Enid to Ikea

2010-08-07T13:19:00.008+09:30

I love, love, LOVE Ikea fabric :)

I found an off-cut in the remnant bin of my local Ikea, measuring 1.05m, for $7.50 and thought that it would make a really cool skirt. When I laid it out at home, it looked like I might be able to just squeeze a dress out of it instead, so, out came my trusty Enid Gilchrist books and one bodice and one skirt pattern later, I have my new Enid/Ikea dress :)

I used the patterns from my copy of 'Junior Teens and Smaller Women' ... the sleeveless bodice from the basic dress pattern on page 30, and the softly pleated skirt from page 16. The bodice was cut on the bias, because I knew that it would be a snug fit, and I figured that cutting it this way would give me more room to move, and the skirt was just made from the remaining fabric cut on the straight of grain. (It used a lot more fabric in the bodice this way, but it was so worth it)

Now I think that either dress and skirt waists used to be worn higher, or my waist is in the wrong place (:D) ... so, I added a small 'waistband' to lengthen the bodice to make the dress feel like it was sitting on my waist :)

I love Ikea ... and I love Enid ... and I love my new dress :)

Quilty bits

2010-07-04T09:46:00.008+09:30

Finally, my Rocket Man quilt has made lift-off :)

I had quite a hard time quilting it ... as requested by my daughter, it has a double layer (yep double layer!) of polyester wadding (cold Adelaide nights bbbrrrrr!!). She only wanted the applique shapes to be quilted so that made the job a bit easier ... but even so, I had a few sore fingers for a while :D

So, here is Rocket Man 2010 and I'm happy to say, it is much loved by our little rocket man and his mummy :D

I also finished Fay's quilt ... Fay is my friend's mum, who lives in a nursing home. I made her a lap quilt (about a metre square), just big enough to comfortably tuck in around her legs. I wanted it to be bright and cheery, but not over the top (so I hope that I've got the mix right) ... I also wanted it to be instantly recognisable as her own ... hope she likes it :)

Stephanie's Boobholder

2010-06-28T09:13:00.009+09:30

I needed a warm cardi or jacket to wear out last saturday night ... it was only saturday morning that I realised I didn't have anything in my wardrobe to match the rest of my outfit. I had some stash yarn that was the right colour and was thick enough to knit up fast, but even so, I thought it was abit much to think that I could complete it in an afternoon! (but of course, I had to give it a shot :D) ... so, armed with my 2 balls of Katia Himalaya, Stephanie Japel's Boobholder pattern, a cup of tea (several actually!), and some old Taggart re-runs on TV, I set about knitting :D

Ta-daa! ... five, non-stop knitting hours later, it was finished (I even had a perfect button in my stash!). I wore it on saturday night, over a black long sleeved skivvy ... it fits great and feels great, and kept me nice and toasty warm on a cold Adelaide night :)

(The only changes that I made to Stephanie's pattern were to eliminate the puffy sleeves, and to decide, by trying it on, when to divide for the body and sleeves)

That 70's Skirt

2010-06-21T10:13:00.016+09:30

Browsing through some old sewing patterns at the op shop, I found a little book dating from about the 70's, containing heaps of miniature dressmaking patterns. Not knowing what it was, I did a quick Google search, and discovered the world of Lutterloh :) It seems like such a cool, clever idea ... you take just two body measurements (bust and hips), and using the Lutterloh measuring scale, draft out the patterns from the miniature schematics. The book I bought was Supplement number 135, and didn't come with the scale ... however, I ordered the current Lutterloh complete system(which includes the patterns, instructions and more importantly, the scale tape) :)....so here we have skirt pattern number 105 (from supplement 135)... the illustration was a bit vague so I wasn't totally sure how it would look (or whether it would fit!), but unbelievably, using only my hip measurement, it turned out great and was really easy to draft :) I can't wait to make more!

Sweater vest weather

2010-06-06T12:54:00.009+09:30

I thought that it was about time to make some more winter warmies :)

....so... my first attempt at a sweater vest for the littley of the family came out 'a tad' too big, lol (I think that it can be
packed away until at least next year...forward planning don't ya know ;D). I took the measurements from my 16 month old grandson's shop-bought vest, did all of the calculations, and used the instructions from Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top. It was a really easy, seamless knit, think my mistake was not allowing for the huge amount of ease in stocking stitched knits ... ah well, least I know that for next time :)

For the second attempt, I used my Knitware software to be sure of a better fit ... success!...it does fit better, but it also has hilariously funny armholes that make him look like he's wearing shoulder pads :D

...and just to finish off the green-ensemble...a pair of Sucky Thumbs from Marianne's awesome pattern (fast, easy, and they fit! ... thanks Marianne :))

From drab to ...

2010-04-11T14:10:00.007+09:30

... well, pretty fab actually ;D

I joined the online Cut Out and Keep community and found some really good tutes, this one being my favourite so far :)

This project was so quick and easy that I didn't even think to take before shots ... basically, these were old t-shirts (in my bag of

clothes destined for the Goodwill shop), sliced up the middle and threaded with elastic or ribbon, to make awesome shrugs ... really, could it be any easier? I don't think that I'll ever be able to throw away a t-shirt again ... these are so cool :D

Engineered in reverse!

2010-03-31T20:19:00.009+10:30

So....I don't know whether to feel a bit good because I managed to copy an awesome baby's jacket from Big W's latest winter range,

or whether I should feel a bit bad for 'stealing' their idea ... (there is a bit of redemption in the fact that the yarn I used was bought from their store!?!) ... anyhow, imitation being the greatest form of flattery and all that, my daughter asked if I could make her a jacket similar to this one in the new Big W catalogue ... (sorry for the blurriness). I already had all of the yarn except the orange in my stash, so after viewing it in the shop, I went home and set about knitting :)

There were some things that I hadn't

tried before ... the knitted on hood with the back 'seam' increases, the zip and placket, and the curved diagonal pockets. I'm really happy with how they all turned out, other than the hood is a little too pixie like (something that I can work on next time). I made this 'test' jacket in a small size (about 6 months), and have now started a bigger one to fit my grandson, who

will be about 18 months when the colder weather arrives in Adelaide. I love what I've learnt along the way, and now have plans to tweek the next jacket to get it just right :)

(In my enthusiasm to get the jacket finished, I forgot to write down all of the construction notes, but this is what I remember of the basics: I used 8ply yarn on size 4mm needles, knitted it top down from the neck edge starting with 54 sts, divided into 24 for the back, 12 for each front and 3 for each sleeve. I increased until there were 52 for the back, 26 for the fronts and 31 for the sleeves. Each colour bar has either 2 or 4 rows of reversed stocking stitch. The body from the underarm is 26 rows, and the same for the sleeves. The pocket started at the top with 8 sts, increasing 1st at rows 7,11,13,15,16,17,18,19,20, then worked straight for about 8 rows. The neck stitches were picked up for the hood, with a stitch marker in the centre back, and then an increase stitch either side of this on every other row, until the hood was the correct width (my first attempt was pretty bad, or actually pretty good if it was being made as a Christmas Elf costume! My second attempt was slightly better ... but not heaps ;D)

... sketchy details I know, but hopefully enough to get some more made :D)

Not quite ready for Lift-Off yet ...

2010-03-10T10:05:00.005+10:30

... but we're getting closer :)

The progress so far on my Rocket Man quilt :)

The applique is nearly finished, which will then just leave the quilting. I'm going with a really easy running stitch with embroidery floss, just to outline the applique, and maybe a few of the pieced stars :) I'm really loving making this quilt ... Lift-Off will follow shortly!!

Enid does it again

2010-02-17T13:25:00.013+10:30

After making this, my second Enid Gilchrist dress, I feel confident to try all of her patterns ... and really, the options are endless!
I'm still amazed, every time that I look through one of her books, with just how much design information they contain (and each time I look and read, I seem to find something new) :) My mum used to make all of our family's clothes when we were kids, and I know for sure that had we lived in Australia and had access to these books, I would have been dressed Enid style since a baby :) ... guess I'll just have to make up for lost time now :D

...so, onto the specs: This was the Magyar dress on page 28 of Junior Teens and Smaller Women. The bodice was drafted from the pattern, but the skirt was just the rest of the fabric gathered in at the waist. My favourite part of this dress is the cool scooped neckline and shoulder seams ... I thought that it might be a hard dress to wear (thought maybe the magyar underarm seams may be restrictive), but that doesn't seem to be the case at all :)

Again, it was all made from stash. The fabric and zip were from a Spotlight shopping session way back. My only purchase was the tiny white belt from Factorie for $2.50 ... it just needed that small finishing touch. Not a bad price for a new summer dress :)

Rocket Man

2010-02-09T14:18:00.016+10:30

I started making this cot quilt for the Little Star Man of our family :)

It fits in great with my stashbusting because I wanted it to have a really scrappy look ... plenty of tiny little pieces to use up on all of those free-pieced stars!

The pattern is from a book that I received as a pressy some time back, called Material Obsession.

The pattern is written for a pre printed panel to go in the centre, but I decided to go with applique for mine instead ... so far I've got up to cutting the applique shapes out of paper, and getting the placement right ... the next step is to decide on which fabrics to use :) The main inspiration for the rocket ship came from this awesome free applique from Kellie at Don't Look Now (thanks Kellie, it was just what I needed :))

...and ... I think that I've just found a great soft toy to accompany this quilt ... (that is so me, planning my next project before I'm even close to finishing this one!!) :D

Bibs and Bean Bags

2010-01-18T18:16:00.013+10:30

I was looking for some quick little projects to use up some small scrappy bits of fabric, and found this really cool bean bag tutorial ... I love the idea of having throwing, counting games :) These bean bags not only helped with reducing my fabric stash a tad, they also helped with my pantry clear out, using a packet of pretty old lentils that had been forgotten about! (Each bag took half a cup) :D

The bibs were made from an old, 1971 Simplicity baby pattern (another Op Shop find). I doubt that this pattern differs at all from its modern day equivalent (other than its awesome 20c price tag!) ... I love to use patterns that have been used

before, especially all those years ago! ... its cool to imagine who made it and what their fabric choices were like etc. My favourite pattern finds are the ones with handwritten names, notes and corrections on them

... it's made me think that I might start slipping a small photo of my finished projects inside the pattern envelopes, so that in many years to come, when my patterns are doing the Op Shop circuit again, the new sewers can see exactly what has been done before :)

My first Enid Gilchrist

2010-01-05T12:19:00.006+10:30

I totally doubted this pattern all the way through ... first I thought the neck would be too wide, then the armholes too small, then the facings too fiddly, then the waist too small and too high up ... the list goes on! But, after lots of thoughts of abandoning this dress completely, I decided to go with whatever Enid said, and followed her instructions to the full (thats very not me!).

... I don't know how I could have ever doubted!!! The dress fits great, the instructions were clear, and no part of it was fiddly or hard ... I have

now got SO many Enids to catch up on :D

The bodice was the basic sleeveless one from page 8 of Basic Fashions for Women (reduced to one size down using the instructions in the back of Teenagers and Small Women), and the skirt was just basic, gathered at the waist.

And I'm glad to say that it was all made from my stash ... fabric, thread and zip :)

Getting started with my Enids

2009-12-29T10:18:00.007+10:30

I 'discovered' an old Enid Gilchrist book in an Op Shop a couple of years ago (Play Clothes for Children, costing 20c). Since then I've been collecting her books ... some from Ebay, but mostly from op shopping. I've managed to collect quite a few, ranging from baby patterns right through to adults. There seems to be a lot of baby books around, but not so many for women ... I guess that people find it easier to hand-draft the smaller clothes (personally I love the adult ones as the fashions, dating from about the '50s, are awesome :)) I've even managed to double up on a few of her books, but other than sending one to fellow collector Tracy, I thought that I'd hold onto them as spares (most of them are falling to bits anyway ... it's so cool that they've been well used :)

So,after a million attempts to take my measurements and agonise over which size I was, I drafted the basic pattern (I knew that all those excess rolls of christmas wrapping paper would come in handy!). Now either my body measurements were not taken too accurately or there is a lot of ease calculated into the patterns, because I needed to go down a size from what I thought. Just to make sure that I had the size right, I quickly made this

dress in scrap fabric (without facings,

turnings, zips etc), and I'm very pleased to say that the fit is perfect:)

Now to find some cool (matching!) fabric, to make my first Enid for real ... I can't wait :)

The easiest fruitcake recipe ever!

2009-12-20T21:01:00.009+10:30

I don't usually make a Christmas Cake ... there's only two of us in the family that eat it, and a whole cake seems like too much hassle (and too much on our waistlines), so I tend to have a tiny shop bought one, albeit usually dry and pale and not very Christmassy ... buuuuut, this year will be different ... I found a recipe for the easiest, richest fruitcake ever :) It was so easy that I'm thinking of making another one to ice and have as a centre piece on the table on Christmas Day. I made this one today, and of course, HAD to cut into it to see how it tasted ;D (Now that it's cut, I might use some of it to make Christmas cake ice cream and maybe some rum balls) ... anyways, here's the recipe, (and don't be put off by the small ingredient list!)

1kg dried fruit

600ml iced coffee or iced chocolate

2 cups self raising flour

Soak the fruit in the iced coffee in the fridge overnight (you'll know when it's been long enough when all the liquid gets absorbed)

Stir in the 2 cups of flour

Place in a large greased and lined cake tin, and bake at 180 degrees for an hour and a half

...that's it!!

I'm thinking that with my next cake, I might swap the iced coffee for Baileys, just to make it a bit more festive, but still less boozy than a traditional cake :)

Still de-stashing

2009-11-03T12:24:00.013+10:30

...yes, the de-stashification process is still going strong :-) It has been hard to stop myself from adding to my supplies (I came very close to caving in at Spotlight this morning!)... buuut... so far, so good :-D
It took me a while to figure out what to make with my two lonely balls of Sean Sheep Armytage. It's too scratchy for baby things, and far too prone to accidentally felting for a teething, drooly bub (although it would have made an awesome looking earflap hat!), so in the end I settled on my old faithful,' go to when in a knitting funk pattern', the One Skein Wonder. I followed the pattern without modification, phew!!, and it pretty much saw all of my two balls :-)

I made a few pairs of toe-up socks. The white pair here were made with some old 'no label' acrylic, and the pink ones were Lincraft Cosy 8 ply wool. They're basically the same sock, 8 ply yarn with 4mm needles. Turkish cast on (12 sts) increasing to about 24 (or whenever the sock fits snuggly over your toes), work straight in any stitch (on my lace pair, I did plain stocking stitch on half the stitches, for the sole). I tried a Short row heel this time, instead of the Afterthought one, and really surprised myself with how easy it was, although I do need to practice it more to eliminate the little holes on either side. After the heel it was just ribbing on all stitches until I was happy with how they felt on :-) I found this elastic bind off, which made a heap of difference to getting the socks on and off!
....and finally, I attacked my fabric stash, and started making random quilt blocks...not sure what I'm making with them yet, but I'm pretty sure that a baby quilt will be following shortly ;-D

Just using what I've got ...

2009-08-21T11:10:00.007+09:30

...seriously, I need to stop buying yarn and fabric! I do know that I have tried this before, but this time I'm going to try really, really hard!! I have got so much stuff that it's gonna take me forever to use it! I'm on a definite mission to drastically de-stash - use what I've got as far as possible without going to the shops. I guess the only exception will be to buy buttons and things to finish off items, but I will try my hardest to make do :-) (I'm slightly worried that Big W will do one of their annual yarn sell-offs soon to make room for the summer stock, and if that is the case, I'm not sure that I can resist buying 50c balls of yarn!!!... but, we will see) :-D

...so, to start me off, I made a couple of things from my stash :-) The sweater actually started off as a Bad Penny, but after wearing my other one for a while, realised that I didn't like the wool so close to my neck ... too itchy, so I frogged and used the yarn to make this basic top down, scooped out neck version instead (this time I just made the pattern up as I went along). I still love the Bad Penny pattern, but just not with the Sean Sheep Armytage that I was using. I thought that I only had 5 balls of yarn, so I just knitted down until I ran out (I then found another ball in my stash, after it was finished, but by then, I couldn't be bothered to lengthen it. I just tend to tug at it now if it rides up :-D) The bag was made with some fabric oddments that I got from a local sheeting seconds outlet (Talking Textiles at Christie's Beach) ... at the time, I think I got 10 various sized pieces for $1. Not bad, a bag for $2! The free pattern is here. The only thing I will change on it next time, will be to place the internal pockets nearer to the bottom of the bag. Other than that, it's perfect ... comfy to carry, great size, especially since South Australia banned all plastic check out bags from supermarkets. My everyday bag now has to be big enough to fit in my small shopping bags and my Woolworths roll up ones ... oh, and I quite often have a nappy, bottle and dummy to carry as well :-D

Retro Baby

2009-07-21T19:03:00.013+09:30

After I finished knitting this cream coloured hoodie, there were a few things about it that I thought could be better ... so, not to let it beat me, I did some tweaking to the pattern, and came up with this blue stripey (and much improved) version :-) ... really!, I'll use any excuse to do some more knitting!! The main thing that I wanted to change was the front neckline, as it came way too high, making the top button sit scarily close to mouth level (the top button is undone and flipped back on the modeled photo). I also tapered the sleeves on the first one, but then found it hard to get them on over his other clothes ... sooo, the new and improved hoodie now has, a scooped out neckline, non tapered sleeves, and I also made it a bit bigger to allow for a wriggly baby! :-D

RETRO BABY ... (so named because it made me think of my Mum's patterns from the '60's!)
I made it to fit a 6 month old, which the cream version does ... the blue one knitted up bigger, just by upsizing the needles. Basically, the two patterns are the same (other than the parts mentioned before) The cream one was knitted Top Down seamless, and the blue one was done Bottom Up seamless ... there was no real reason for this, guess I just needed a change! :-) The hood is not seamless, but I'm sure that it would be fairly easy to change ... soooo, here's the improved pattern :-)
The pattern I am writing is for Top Down, but changing it to bottom up is easy ... just start with 80 stitches for the body, and23 for each sleeve.

The size is roughly 6 months
The gauge is 13sts x 24 rows to 4"using 6mm needles with 2 strands of yarn held together (cream), and 12.5sts x 18 rows to 4" using 7mm needles, again using double yarn (blue)
I used 3 100g balls of Carnival 8 ply acrylic (gotta love Big W!)

TOP DOWN
Using yarn double throughout, cast on 18 stitches.
Knit the first row placing markers after stitch 1,2,16,17
Working in stocking stitch, increase both sides of the markers on every knit row, work 7 rows
On next row, also increase at beginning and end of row
Purl 1 row
Remembering to increase still at the raglan seams, cast on 8 stitches at both ends
Keeping the first and last 4 stitches in garter stitch throughout, work 3 more rows in stocking stitch
Buttonhole row, knit to last 4 stitches, k2tog, yfwd, knit 2
Work 5 more rows stocking stitch
Work stitches to first sleeve, put sleeve stitches on holder, cast on 4 stitches, work to the second sleeve, put sleeve stitches on holder, cast on 4 stitches, work to end
*sorry! there seems to be a mistake here ... it should read 20 rows of stocking stitch and 6 rows of garter stitch before the cast off* Work ~~13 rows~~ stocking stitch, keeping garter edges, placing buttonholes at rows 25, 35, and 45
Cast off
Return sleeve stitches to needles and cast on 2 stitches at either end
The sleeves can either be knit flat and then seamed, or knit in the round (I did mine in the round using magic loop)
Work 26 rows stocking stitch
Work 4 rows garter stitch
Cast off
For the hood, cast on 63 stitches
Work 4 rows of garter stitch
Work 5 rows stocking stitch
Decrease one stitch each end of next row, then every following 3rd row 5 times
Work 1 row
Cast off
Close up any underarm holes, sew the back hood seam together, sew the hood to the jacket neckline, and finally, sew on the buttons :-)
The hood turns out pretty big, but I like that because his other hats still fit on underneath it, (and I think that most of the time, the hood will just be for show). If you wanted to change the size of it, just cast on a few less stitches, but work the same amount of rows to make sure that the hood and neckline match up.
Don't forget to post any finished piccies on Ravelry! ... would love to see them :-)

Quickie Mini Mitts

2009-07-03T10:48:00.004+09:30

I wanted some baby mittens to match the hat that I made a couple of weeks ago ... I tried about 4 or 5 different patterns, but none turned out how I wanted them to look ... so I thought I would try taking the parts of each pattern that I liked, do some knitting pattern fusion, and this is what I came up with :-)

Quickie Mini Mitts

This pattern fits about a six month old, but with it being a top down pattern, it's really easy to adapt to whatever size you want (just continue the increases until it's the right width, and then just keep trying them on until the length is correct).

The yarn and gauge don't really matter either ... I used Moda Vera Harmony with size 5mm needles, which knitted up to 18 stitches and 24 rows.

Using Emily Ocker's cast on, cast on 8 stitches.
Knit 1 round.
Knit front and back into every stitch.
Knit 1 round.
Kfb, k6, kfb, kfb, k6, kfb.
Knit 1 round.
Kfb, k8, kfb, kfb, k8, kfb (24 sts)
Continue knitting around on these stitches for about another 13 rows (I used the magic loop method).
K1, yarn forward, k2tog across the next row (eyelet row).
Knit 4 rounds.
Purl 1 round.
Knit 1 round.
Purl 1 round.
Knit 1 round.
Cast off.
Make two wrist ties to thread through the eyelets, and one long connecting cord to attach both mitts. I found that the easiest and neatest way, was to do a simple crochet chain, but an i-cord or ribbon would do the same :-)
(Emily Ocker's cast on is awesome ... I've been trying to get my head around it for ages, ever since I read about it from Elizabeth Zimmermann ... I just couldn't figure it out from Elizabeth's instructions, so googled it, and came up with the above link ... really it's heaps easy and really effective ... I also found a version used for starting crochet circles, which is pretty much the same thing ... it's called the Magic Adjustable Ring)

Warm ears and cosy sleeps ...

2009-06-17T13:51:00.013+09:30

Finding a hat pattern to perfectly fit a baby's head is not that easy ... finding an online hat generator however, to design a hat in your own yarn, and to your own measurements, is as easy as clicking here :-D ... how cool are those ear flaps?! I thought that I'd made some sort of mistake whilst I was knitting it... having never made (or worn) ear flaps before, I imagined the flaps to be exactly opposite each other, but (very cleverly) they're not, they are positioned a lot nearer to the back than the front. The result is a hat that fits so well, that it doesn't move about, or need adjusting every few minutes ... love it! ... my only change to the pattern was to do a few less rounds in the main body of the hat ... other than that, I followed the pattern (surprised eh?! ... yep, me too!)
I finally finished a baby quilt that seems to have been waiting around forever. The top is all machine pieced, so that really didn't take too long ... the waiting was just for the quilting to get started (but as soon as it was, it only took a few days to complete). I placed the quilt top directly onto the backing, and hand quilted it, using 3 strands of embroidery thread. I'm not sure what the backing fabric is called ... it's got a really soft fleecy/furry kind of feel (it's the same fabric that heaps of this seasons dressing gowns are made out of) ... I'm sure it's got a name, but I just didn't think to look when I bought it from Spotlight ... maybe I'll remember to check next time I'm there :-D (but, whatever it's called, it's soft, warm, and very snuggly ... and perfect for this Adelaide winter)

Mattress Stitch....who knew?...

2009-04-21T08:17:00.011+09:30

I've never been a big fan of sewing my knitting together...I know, I'm not alone ;-D
My mum taught me when I made my first sweater in primary school...but I don't think that I ever really got it right. She lays out the knitting with wrong side facing up, and carefully catches just the edge stitches together, resulting in a perfectly flat seam ... when I do the same, yep, I get the flat seam on the inside, but a sometimes ugly seam on the outside ... unlike Mum's, which look perfect front and back...!?
So I figured that it was time to try a different approach ... and OMG, I am so in love with Mattress Stitch right now ... admittedly, the inside seams are a bit on the chunky side, but the look on the outside is worth the sacrifice ... and, and, and! not only do they look great, but I'm actually really enjoying doing them :-) I made this sweater for our new grandbaby, to practice the seams on something small, and I love the way it turned out :-)

The specs ...... I used just the basic baby, drop sleeved pattern from my Knitware program, with some Shepherd 'Colour For Me' 8 ply yarn (bought cheap, as usual from Big W's yarn stock clearance last year (woo!)).
The awesome tutorial for Mattress Stitch can be found here.

A Quilting Ravelry....

2009-02-09T09:54:00.007+10:30

...how good is that?! Anybody that has ever used Ravelry for their knitting addiction, will know just how awesome that site is. I've been reading on people's blogs for ages, how everyone wants a quilting equivalent, and yippee!!!...it looks like there may be one forming :-) Quiltgroup is now in the process of sending out invitations. Mine came within a week, and so far, it looks like the site will be a good one! My username over there is Linda

It's still been too hot to knit here in Adelaide, so I got to work on a new quilt instead....I've got no real plan in mind for it, other than I want it to be 'liberated' and busy!
The quilt so far....

Oh baby, it's hot!

2009-02-02T08:56:00.005+10:30

It's been a while since I blogged, but really..... I do have some good excuses :-D
One has been the weather here in Adelaide...OMG!, we're having an incredible summer heatwave, with temperatures over 40 for the past week, and 38+ to come, with no end in sight (even our overnight lows have been in the 30s!)...so, needless to say, it hasn't been the best time to knit :-D
My other excuse, which I've gotta say, is a whole lot more exciting, is that I became a Grandma!...and yep, he was born in the heatwave (45.5 degrees for his first day!!) ... so forget all the clothes and blankies we made him!....he's been very happy in his nappy and Bonds chesty!!!!
I did knit him a toy a few weeks back that I didn't get around to blogging about, so in the words of Blue Peter, 'here's one I made earlier!'

The pattern is Little Blossom by Alan Dart...it was really cute to knit, but pretty fiddly to sew up (I really need to brush up on my finishing skills!)....maybe next time, I'll try converting the pattern to seamless. I found the pattern in a Simply Knitting mag from my local library (Simply Knitting 29). The only mod that I made was to use a pre-made lace daisy chain for the headband...I had heaps of trys with the knitted one, but they all reminded me more of fried eggs than daisies!!...not the best look for around the head of a cute pink elephant :-D

Some quick knitting

2008-12-16T09:33:00.006+10:30

After being asked by Paula over on Ravelry if I could give crew neck instructions for my Baby eyelet cardi pattern, this is what I came up with. (I've made no allowance for buttonholes, as I think I'm just going to add one or two rows of double crochet around all of the edges). Cast on 44 stitches. With stitch markers, separate stitches into 10 for each front, 2 for each sleeve, and 20 for the back. Work in stocking stitch, increasing one stitch either side of the markers on every knit row until you have 22 stitches for each front, 26 for the sleeves, and 44 for the back. The cardi can then be completed the same as the original version :-)

My other quick bit of knitting this week, was my new i-pod cosy...this really was the quickest project ever, taking just a scrap of 8 ply yarn, a 4mm circular needle, and about half an hour of knitting time :-)
Using the double knitting method, cast on 14 stitches. Knit until your i-pod is nice'n cosy, then remove the stitches from the needle, and reposition them so that you can knit them in the round. After doing 3 or 4 rounds of ribbing, cast off...no seaming or finishing is needed! These new generation i-pods look like they would be heaps easy to scratch, so after declining the advice of the sales guy to purchase an expensive (and ugly) silicone sleeve, we came home and made our own....of course :-D

Lincraft Blossom (Blossom Tee)

2008-11-17T08:58:00.011+10:30

...so here's the way that it usually goes...I see discounted yarn and buy as much as I can afford, or carry, or both!!! (but of course, that's just a given for all yarnies, right?). My next step is usually to take it home, drool over it, plan a million things to make with it, and then put it into storage bins for future use (:-D)...but, this time I was on a mission to use what I bought straight away :-)

Lincraft had a discount bin next to the check-out with their own brand Blossom for 24 cents a ball (24c!!). By the time that I spotted it, there was a very lonely, sad looking, 3 balls left. A trip back there a couple of days later found another 2 balls :-)
I didn't know if it would make a full length top, or whether I would have to stop at cropped, but making it top down, meant that I could just keep going until the yarn ran out.
I made it to fit a woman's size 34" at a gauge of 13sts to 22 rows over 4", on size 5mm needles.

BODY
Starting from the top, cast on 42 stitches
Knit 1 row
Purl row, placing stitch markers after stitch 1, 11, 31 and 41
Knit row, increasing (knit into front and back of stitch) both sides of the markers
Purl row
Continue the last 2 rows until there are 15 stitches for each front, 38 stitches for each sleeve, and 48 stitches for the back, ending with a purl row
Increase into 1st stitch, knit to marker, place sleeve stitches on spare needle, knit to next marker, put sleeve stitches onto another spare needle, knit to end, increasing into last stitch (place stitch markers at both underarm seams)
Work 8 rows, increasing 1 stitch at both ends of every row
Start to knit in rounds starting at centre front - knit to first marker (use this marker as your beginning of round)
Knit 9 rounds
Knit round, knitting 2 together at each side of markers (decrease round)
Knit 3 rounds
Decrease round
Repeat last 4 rounds 4 times more (72 sts)
Knit 15 rounds
Knit round, increasing at each side of markers (increase round)
Knit 3 rounds
Repeat last 4 rounds 4 times
Changing to size 4.5mm needles, knit 1 purl 1 rib for about 12 rounds
Cast off

SLEEVES
Place sleeve stitches back on a size 4.5mm needle and pick up 2 stitches at the underarm (40 sts) place a marker in the middle of the 2 extra stitches
Knit 1 row
Rib 3 rows
Cast off

NECK
Starting at one of the back raglan placements, pick up and knit 102 stitches evenly around neck opening
Rib 3 rows
Cast off

Ta-Da!! ... straight from Lincraft to my wardrobe, without having a stop-over at my stash pile...!!

Nappy Bags

2008-11-04T19:03:00.007+10:30

This is the most awesome nappy bag pattern :-) It's from 'Crafts for Baby' by Alison Jenkins, and it really is worth buying the book just for this pattern alone ... (I'm sure the other patterns are equally as good, it's just that we haven't gotten around to trying them yet). I say 'we' as the book is actually my daughter's (she bought it for $10..what a bargain!). After seeing how good her nappy bag turned out, I had to have one of my own ;-D (Her's is the blue one, mine is the green)With the fabric I had left over, I made a matching shopping bag from this free pattern at Uhandbag ... the fabric worked great for bags as it was block out curtaining from Spotlight. The thermal coating gave it just the right amount of stability without having interfacing. I need to get back down to Spotlight soon to get some more...Here in South Aus, all supermarket plastic bags are being banned from January next year, and my local Woolies has started to get rid of them already... so ... I'll be in need of a boot full of eco friendliness to carry my food home :-)

Free pattern - Baby eyelet cardi

2008-10-27T11:04:00.013+10:30

After finding out that our new grandbaby-to-be is going to be a boy (can you see this beaming smile on my face?!!), I decided to design and make him this cardi. I made the green one first as a test run, and changed what I didn't like about it on the blue...(which was basically just the neckline). This pattern is written for the new and improved blue version :-)

2 50g balls of Patons Zhivago Baby
4mm circular needle
4 stitch markers
Gauge: 19sts x 25 rows = 10cm
Size: newborn
K=knit
PM=place marker
Increase=knit into front and back of same stitch
M1=make one stitch by working (K1, yarn forward) at beginning of row, and (yarn forward, K1) at the end of row
Decrease=K2together

Starting at neck edge, cast on 26 stitches.
Row 1: K1, PM, K2, PM, K 20, PM, K2, PM, k1
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: Knit row, increasing 1 stitch at each side of markers
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: Knit row, M1 at both ends of row, as well as increasing at each side of markers
Repeat rows 4 and 5 until there are 24 stitches for each front, 26 stitches for each sleeve, and 44 stitches for the back, ending with a purl row.
Putting sleeve stitches on a spare needle as you come to them, K24 stitches from 1st front, cast on 3 stitches (for the body underarms), K44 stitches from back,cast on 3 stitches, K24 stitches from 2nd front (98 stitches)
Start eyelet pattern:
Row 1: Purl
Row 2: K2*Yarn forward K2together K1. Repeat from * to end
Row 3: Purl
Row 4: Knit
Repeat the last 4 rows until there are 8 eyelet pattern repeats, finishing with row 4
Cast off loosely
Turn up at the last eyelet row and stitch to inside, to form the picot edge
Return one set of sleeve stitches to the needle (I worked my sleeves seamless, using a circular needle and the magic loop method, but they could just as easily be worked on double pointed needles, or straight needles and seamed later)
Rejoin yarn and either cast on 4 stitches, or pick them up from the stitches cast on for the body underarms. Place a marker in the middle of these 4 stitches to denote the beginning of the row. (30 stitches)
Working in Stocking Stitch, decrease 1 stitch either side of the marker on every 10th row, 3 times
Work 3 rows
Work 1 row of eyelets (Yarn forward, K2together K1)
Work 2 rows
Cast off loosely
Turn up sleeve at eyelet row and stitch into place on the inside
Work 2nd sleeve to match
Sew on buttons to correspond with eyelet rows. Depending on the baby's size, the cardi can be buttoned using any of the eyelets as buttonholes.

... Love to see piccies if anybody uses the pattern ... :-)

**instructions for a crew neck version of this cardi have been added here**

Inspired to Sew

2008-10-17T13:50:00.009+10:30

Now that I'm back home again after my few weeks in the UK, I've got a mad urge (yep, even madder than usual!) to get into my knitting and sewing :-) My instant gratification came in the form of this apron, which, according to the pattern is supposed to be a top (just thought that my girls would give me absolute heaps if I wore this out in public as a top!!)....hence, it will definately be worn as a pinny. As far as I can tell, the only thing making it a top, is the fact that the skirt part goes all around at the back as well as the front.
The pattern was one of my op shop buys for 20c...a McCalls 2 hour sampler wrap top/dress from 1983. I love the finished look of it (although I did have to put a couple of darts in the top, to prevent a drapey neck), and I love that fact that it did take less than 2 hours :-D

Just a few days before my hols, I had an another awesome find in the op shop (another 20c bargain!). I found a really old, coverless copy of Enid Gilchrist's Play Clothes. I'd never even heard of her before, and was really surprised at how many sewing patterns and information were in one book. Of course, as soon as I got home, I googled Enid's name, and couldn't believe how many things she had published, for both adults and kids. I got straight onto ebay and bid on a whole heap of her books. They were all here at home waiting for me when I returned from overseas....sooo....I had a few days of awesome jetlagged reading :-D
When I was searching for info on her, I found this amazing blog called Inspired by Enid. I was really happy to find another Enid fan, and even more so when I realised that the blog belonged to Tracy from Madquilter, one of my favourite crafty bloggers :-D (Tracy, I've got a couple of doubles that I don't think you have..Suits and Dresses 5 to 12 years and the New Idea special publication Baby Book...if you don't already have them, let me know and you're more than welcome to these :-))
I'm not sure yet, what I'll be sewing next, but I'm having great fun trying to decide ;-D

Playing catch-up!

2008-10-13T14:30:00.009+10:30

I've got heaps of stuff to blog about....
Having been overseas for the last few weeks....
I guess I don't really know where to start ;-D

Here's a peek at my crafty happenings of late, in picture form...there'll be more details to follow :-D
(it really is good to be home!)

My Six Hour Baby Sweater

2008-09-01T09:51:00.008+09:30

I know that technically, this is the pattern for the Five Hour Baby Sweater, and although I tried extra hard to knit faster....I just couldn't do it in the five ;-) It's really easy to knit, and I love all of the different variations of it....this one was intended to be the holey yoke version (same as the holes around the bottom). I realised my mistake when I was nearly finished the yoke. Thinking that it looked pretty cute the way that it was, I decided to leave it. To achieve the holes, what I should have done on rows 9, 13, 17, 21, and 25, was to pick up the horizontal loop and knit into the front of it...my knitter's brain told me to knit into the back (for neatness)!!... I'll try the other version next time I knit it, and I should probably make it bigger as well...this one is tiny and by my guess, it should probably fit our new Grandbaby for....oooh, at least a week!! ;-D

I kept track of my progress, so that I could time how long it took....these photos were taken after every hour of knitting....

These are the specs:

Pattern: Five hour baby sweater

Yarn: Magnum Soft, one 100g ball of white (I loved this yarn...really soft and springy)

Needles: 4mm circular

Changes to pattern: I added 3 buttonholes as per these instructions, and I undid the ribbed cuffs and did 4 rows of garter stitch instead (the garter stitch made the cuffs bigger, and were, I thought, more in keeping with the other garter edges)

I really loved knitting this, and it will definately be my new 'go to' quick baby pressie knitting pattern :-)

Baby, baby ,baby!

2008-08-13T13:51:00.007+09:30

......ok, so this blog title was supposed to be sung like this! ... aaahhh, Slade in the early 70's ... how cool is that ;-D
....it has, however, got nothing to do with this blog post, other than the fact that I had the urge to sing Baby, baby, baby!, Noddy Holder style at the top of my voice :-D
The reason why?......OMG,we're going to be Grandparents! (once again, insert said song here!!!)....if vividly remembering early 70's glam rock didn't age me, then the grandma bit sure did :-)
I started knitting already.... I couldn't help myself! I used this free pattern for the white one, and the Simple Baby Cap #2 from Itty Bitty Hats for the yellow. I used an unknown 8 ply for the first one (the ball band was missing), and Shepherd Cuddles4Me for the other (I love this yarn...it has a really nice squishy feel to it). I had a second trip to Big W to buy some more for a matching jacket...can't wait to start it :-)
Tracy, thank you so much for the blog award!...I'm really happy that you read my blog :-D
(Sorry that it took me so long to reply!)

Zoomy socks

2008-06-03T14:27:00.007+09:30

...another pair of easy, easy socks :-) They really are just a magic looped tube with a bit of tweaking on the toe and heel
Yarn: Just over one ball of Panda Zoomy (I used 115g)
Gauge: 12st x 19rows = 10cm on size 7mm needles
Using the Turkish Cast On, make 8 wraps of the needle (16 stitches in total, 8 for each side), then increase each side, every other round, until there are 14 stitches on each side. Continue knitting without shaping for about 20 rows, and then work half of the stitches on waste yarn for an Afterthought heel. Finish the sock with a couple of rounds of stocking stitch and some ribbing before returning to the heel. Pick up the 28 stitches, and a couple of extra stitches each side to eliminate any holey bits, and decrease each side, every other round until there are 15 left....then it's just casting off the remaining stitches using the 3 Needle Bind Off.
These socks are great for wearing around the house in the winter ... warm, cozy, soft ... and they let you do an awesome Tom Cruise Risky Business style slide across the hardwood floor ...
not that I would do anything that silly of course ;-D
... although, I've 'heard' that it IS a great way to dust!

Less slouch!

2008-05-12T13:14:00.012+09:30

So....this was my second attempt this weekend at making a beret! I found this free pattern through Ravelry, and loved the idea of making it top-down, AND with my own gauge :-)
The first one I made had way too much slouch happening, so on this one, I just eliminated the 3-4" of stocking stitch between the increase and decrease rounds....much better!....it now sits on my head nicely.
I was aiming (as ever!!*grin*) for chic, but felt that the bigger slouch factor, made me feel less chic, and more Maggie from Extras :-D (NOT that that's a bad thing!..just not where I was heading at the time!)

Here's the first one (I had to turn the ribbing back on itself to stop it from enclosing my whole face ;-D)

Thanks to everyone for the awesome feedback I got for my grey sweater (last post) ... I liked it so much that I'm thinking of starting another one this week....I'm thinking maybe pink...?

Op Shop Top

2008-04-30T13:00:00.012+09:30

Finally....I have a knitting FO to show :-) (and just in time for Adelaide's cold snap!)
This was a jumper that I started in December after buying a bag of grey yarn from the Op Shop....it was just a mixed bag of assorted yarns in different weights and textures, that only cost a few dollars.
With knitting it top-down (thanks as always to Barbara Walker's 'Knitting from the Top'), I was able to knit each stripe until the yarn ran out. The first one I used was Patons Cottage Knit, which was a chunky, slubby mix - this determined the gauge (very roughly!), and the needle size. With the rest, I then just doubled or tripled them to give a similar gauge. I added some shaping through the waist, with 4 darts, and by using a slightly thinner yarn. The neckline had a 'roll' happening that would have been annoying to wear, so I just crocheted a row of htr's around the top to pull it flat...it still needs blocking to help it to sit better, but hey...that can wait until the jumper needs washing ;-D

....and of course, as ever!...for every one FO, there are one or two!!! UFO's waiting in the wings....;-D

Book goodies!

2008-04-07T08:17:00.008+09:30

...so...not a lot of blogging has been happening these last few weeks due to my rapidly failing camera...but I'm back, armed and ready with my new Fuji Finepix Z5, which (oh yeah!) has a blog ready photo setting :-) What to photograph first?...aaah my new book goodies :-D
I took a trip to Dymocks to see what new craft books they had...just browsing you understand ;-D (apart from these two, which just looked too good not to buy!).
To be honest, the Sew What! Fleece book wouldn't usually have gotten a look, but because it was in the same format as the Sew What! Skirts book, and knowing how awesome that book is, I flicked through it. If you look past the fact that everything is made of fleece (!!), there are some really nice, basic patterns (like the skirt book, they are based on your own measurements and marked directly onto the fabric). I was hoping that there would be a pants, tops, sleepwear edition in the Sew What books, but really, this book has a pattern for all of them :-)
now...off to find some pants fabric...more piccies to follow

First 'non raglan' top down!

2008-03-13T15:05:00.005+10:30

....how exciting :-D
After months of reading my copy of Knitting from the Top, I decided to have a go at a jumper with set in sleeves ... I usually shy away from the 'set ins' as the shoulder seams tend to bug me a bit...but according to Barbara Walker this method should produce "a smooth, unbroken band of knitting over each shoulder, which slopes diagonally downward from neck to arm, as a well shaped shoulder should, yet shows no interruption of the fabric anywhere". Well..I tried it! and yes, I gotta say that I'm pretty impressed :-) Thanks Barbara!
I used some of my $5 Wangaratta yarn from Lincraft in a slightly slubby 8 ply, with different coloured flecks in it. I thought this would help disguise any mishaps with my short row shaping, if needed (glad to say that they looked pretty good!)
Next onto the armholes! (I'm doing the body first method from the book, but I'm looking forward to trying the simultaneous set in sleeves next time)...Why is my head is always jumping forward to the next project!!!?

Doubling up!

2008-03-04T11:02:00.004+10:30

Considering that I haven't blogged for a few weeks, you'd have thought that I could have come up with something original ... but no! ... all of my knitting has been a complete repeat of my last two projects :-) I loved knitting my first Bad Penny so much, that I started another one! (I just love using this Sean Sheep Armytage wool ... in my stash I still have 9 balls of white/blue and 2 balls of mustard/yellow. This Bad Penny only takes 5 balls, so I should have enough of the white to make a long sleeved jumper, and maybe get a neckwarmer and wristies out of the yellow).

The other 'repeat' knitting was another pair of winter socks ... I tried doing the Afterthought heel on two thirds of the stitches this time (as per EZ's instructions), but thought they looked a bit odd, so I went back to using a half ... they're still better than the last pair though, because this time I didn't forget to pick up a few extra stitches at either side of the heel, to avoid holes (I did 4 on each side) ... think I may be adventurous next time, and try a different heel :-D

Bad Penny

2008-02-12T13:42:00.000+10:30

This is my slightly shortened version of Stephanie Japel's Bad Penny. In keeping with my stash down plans for this year (of course, this will only last until Lincraft or Spotlight have their next big yarn sale!!), I used 5 balls of Sean Sheep Armytage (yep, the reason for the shorter length is because I just knitted down until my yarn ran out...couldn't do that if it wasn't knit from the top :-)) I added a bit of waist shaping with the help of Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top and omitted the lacy increases and edgings....but other than that, I pretty much followed the pattern ;-D
I started knitting this top before Christmas, but it was just too hot and sticky to be knitting with a thick wool at that time of year (trying it on all the time to get the fit right was just the worst!!) ... we had a couple of cooler days last week, so I made the most of the change, and finished it off...all in all, it probably only took a few days to knit. I have another 5 balls of the same yarn in a different colour, so I think I may be starting another one soon :-)
I'm liking the layered look again for this winter...just perfect for Adelaide :-)

Thought filled socks!

2008-01-31T08:52:00.001+10:30

I've come to the conclusion that I've been way over-thinking this whole sock making process! Although I've been knitting pretty much my whole life, socks have never been on my to-do list...they always seemed to be too fiddly, confusing, requiring too much concentration, and not worth the effort considering they would probably be eaten up by the washing machine some day anyway!!....but!!....after seeing everybody elses awesome sock creations (oh how I love Ravelry ;-D) I really wanted to make some...this is where the over-thinking came in!... toe-up, cuff-down, 2 needles, 4 needles, magic loop, gusset, german heel, square heel, afterthought heel...????
So, I decided to stop thinking, and just start knitting :-) I used some thick 10 ply yarn from my stash with 4mm needles (2 circulars). After about half a day of trying out different cast-ons, I went with this one (by far the easiest and neatest). I did 8 wraps of the needles (16 stitches, 8 for each side) and increased each side, every other round, until there were 22 stitches. I then knit 29 rounds before adding the waste yarn for an afterthought heel (for which a lot of fore-thought went into!!), and continued for another 10 rounds before changing to a K1 P1 rib for 8 rounds. The heel was finished by decreasing each side every other round until 8 stitches on either side remained, and cast off by the 3 needle method, (just the opposite of the toes).
They were just so much easier (and less fiddly) than I thought :-)
The only change I will make for my next pair, is to make the heel bigger...I made this one on half of the stitches, but I really should have read my Knitting without Tears (Elizabeth Zimmermann) more closely, as she explains that a much better percentage is two thirds.
I now feel confident to try the sock pattern that my daughter requested from Love to Knit (Bronwyn Lowenthal)...the pattern is written for 2 needles, but as always, I have to do it different ;-D

I heart this yarn

2008-01-22T18:47:00.000+10:30

I bought another bag of green Wangaretta Mill yarn for $5 from Lincraft, not really knowing what I was going to do with it (as per usual!). When I got it home, it matched great with some white Lang Arte that I bought a few years back (also from Lincraft). I was thinking of making a blanket with hearts, similar to Millie's Blanket, but wasn't too keen on how EZ's heart looked in the variegated yarn. The block I went with in the end, was this intarsia heart from Jan Eaton's 200 Knitted Blocks...I love the look and feel of this textured yarn :-)

Taueret, I'm not sure of the content of some of these packs of yarn from Lincraft, but reading the forums over on Ravelry, some people have had some awesome finds, including Zhivago, Patonyle, Zoomy, Cleckheaton Country, Cleckheaton Angora, Gusto, Country 8 ply, and heaps more. It's certainly worth while taking time to 'dig' through the pile...the selection seems to vary a lot between different stores though...(the selection at the Marion SA store is really good :-))

....Some new crafty books for my birthday last week, to add to my library...(thanks guys!)
(the Love to Knit book was a pressy from my daughter, on the condition that I make her the socks on the front cover!!!) :-D

Pillowcase Pinnies

2008-01-09T10:16:00.001+10:30

I bought a load of $1.20 pillowcases last year, because I really liked the fabric...some I've set aside for making skirts or tops, some for making quilts, and some for general sewing....this one was screaming out to be an apron :-) (well ... 2 aprons!) The 'pieced' front is actually one piece of fabric (one whole side of the pillowcase)...and from my stash, I added a blue and white checked lining, and a white tie.
Quick, easy, cheap...and mighty practical ;-D

I was really excited this week to hear that my ipod hoody pattern had been featured on the Craftzine site (thanks so much to 2Paw for letting me know :-))
Since being featured, it has also appeared here and here!!
**very big grin**

Yet another cropped top...

2007-12-29T11:31:00.000+10:30

Lincraft are selling 250g bags of yarn from the Wangaratta Mill Shop for $5 ... the yarn is not labelled as to it's ply etc, but there is a massive selection of everything from fine 4 ply up to at least 12 ply.
I used about two and a half balls (there were six in the pack) of this green self striping 8 ply.
Again I used the directions in Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top...I made it exactly the same as my Bendigo Shrug, but left the front edges straight instead of decreasing them down. Now that it's finished, it reminds me a lot of the Anthropologie-insiped Capelet

Chrissy quilting time

2007-12-20T14:00:00.001+10:30

...this quilt has been a long time in the making, but finally it's done :-) It started with me using five star blocks from my block stash, and a few oddments of Christmas fabric....It's machine pieced and quilted onto some creamy coloured polar fleece, with the holly leaves appliqued on top. There really wasn't much finishing off to be done..just the applique , some more quilting, and the binding being sewn down :-)

The small quilt with the log cabin corners I made in 1999...it was from a book that I borrowed, called Appliquilt to Go by Tonee White. I loved that I could combine the applique and quilting stitch into one action (I used the same technique this week for my holly leaves).

Reading the forums over on Ravelry I read about a new author (with a knitty twist) to look for...I love mysteries, especially really old Agatha Christie type books, so I couldn't wait to read Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver Mysteries....Maud Silver is a private detective with a passion for knitting....what's not to love about that!.... so far I've started The Key, and already she's knitting some socks (whilst solving the crime of course!) :-)

Bendigo Shrug

2007-12-12T13:44:00.001+10:30

I love Barbara Walker's Knitting from the top book :-)
I made this shrug/bolero following her directions for the Classic Raglan Cardigan...the book was really easy to follow, and I'm really happy with this first project.
I used just under one 200g ball of Bendigo Colonial 8ply. It feels nice and light to wear, and will be great now that summer is here :-)
(Don't you just love this back view shot?!...ha, it was the best I could do today :-D)

.....some work in progress piccies...

...smells like Christmas

2007-12-05T09:38:00.000+10:30

The first week in December usually means gingerbread houses here...it also usually means a hell messy kitchen, falling roofs, the smell of scorched gingerbread, gingerbread either so hard that it breaks your teeth, or so soft that the walls cave in...it's a heaps good Chrissy tradition, but you get the general picture!?
Well this year, only one of my girls was game enough to give it another go...after googling for a new recipe (yep, they try a new one every year!), she went with the first one she clicked on, and OMG!, it was the best one yet :-) Tastes great, simple recipe, perfect consistency, and yes, a house that didn't cave in :-D WOOHOO!

December already!

2007-12-03T10:38:00.000+10:30

We returned from a road trip to Port Augusta on saturday, and straight away, got the Christmas decs out :-)
This is a chrissy quilt I made a few years back...the centre section (up to the plain blue border) was from a pattern in Australian Patchwork and Quilting (applique special)...I just added some scrappy borders to make it a more usable size. In keeping with the scrappy theme, I made the backing out of any red or blue fabric I had (and used a house block from my pile of lonesome blocks, for the label)...I kinda like the back better than the front :-)

I also 'found' this nearly finished quilt in the box with the rest...(yep, I find my UFO's everywhere!)...all it needs is a bit more machine quilting, and some holly leaves to be appliqued....I should be able to finish it before Christmas ....(that is this Christmas) :-D

Knitting from the top

2007-11-13T09:25:00.000+10:30

I found a copy of Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top on Ebay, and have spent the last couple of days reading it from cover to cover :-) It's not a pretty book, and it would certainly be overlooked by me at the bookshop, but reading everybody's praise about it, I knew that I had to have a copy (and I was so right!). The book relies on text rather than photos, but it is so well written that it all makes perfect sense, and makes everything seem so easy...I'd given up trying to master the Invisible Cast On, but on my first try with Barbara's instructions, I totally got it!!

I haven't done much knitting or sewing in the last couple of weeks ... thanks to the great aussie cold virus that everybody seems to have had :-(
...but I did make a start on some Pocketbook Slippers (easy, no think, no effort, stash yarn knitting). The weather is getting hotter now, so slippers were perhaps not the obvious choice...but hey they're quick and have a really clever construction.
Trying to be Sunsmart yesterday, I was looking for something to wear over my shoulders, and found this green One Skein Wonder that I made a while back (before I started blogging). It worked perfectly...just right for protecting my shoulders outside in the sun....and just right for inside, guarding me from the air conditioners.
I'd forgotten just what a cool top this is :-)

Stashbusting potholders

2007-10-29T10:49:00.001+10:30

I found this pattern through Ravelry, and thought that it would be a great way to use some of my box full of spare quilt blocks (this one was part of a block swap I did a few years back). I followed the idea from the pattern, not the actual pattern itself.........on my Bond knitting machine, I made a huge square of stocking stitch in random stripes, which I then cut into smaller squares and backed with fusible interfacing....

1.Pre-quilted block cut to 40cm square with roughly cut (interface backed) knitting...
2.Quilt block placed on wrong side of knitting...
3.Machine sewn, 5mm in from edge using a triple machine stitch (I also used a walking foot)...
4.Knitting cut to match quilt block...
5.Machine overlocked around the edges.

I was going to add some fabric binding around the edges, but decided that I liked the raw edge look better...to be extra sure that no unravelling happens, I'm going to add another row of triple stitch around the edge, just inside the first row.
A load of these all zigzagged together would make a really nice quilt on one side, and blanket on the other :-)

Power to the Pinny

2007-10-27T13:13:00.000+09:30

...As promised, a modeled shot of my pair of matching(ish) aprons :-)
Meet James...he was the only member of this household who didn't have a problem modeling a pinny with me! :-D
I really should edit the photo, and have a thought bubble coming from Mighty (the dog)....he's looking at our daughter who's taking the shot, and thinking "what the hell do these two think they look like!!?!!" :-D
The pocket on James' one is maybe a bit low...I did it like that because I quilted it with the idea of using it as an oven glove, and I thought that lower would give it more flexibility...I haven't put it to the test yet though.

Instant knitting gratification!!...I have a new Nintendo DS lite(yay!), which I really don't want to get scratched in my bag, so I made it a cosy (to go with all of the other ones that I made for my phone..ipod..keys..sunnies...my handbag contains nothing but cosies!).
I used the same basic pattern as with the phone socks, but cast on extra stitches (30 in total), and just knitted until it was the length of the DS. The yarn is Daisy by Seansheep, the same as I used for my Unbiased bag, but this time in a brown...(yep, I'm still working my way through my Seansheep stash :-))

....and as for my fabric stash, I laid out a couple more bag blocks for my handbag quilt...now I just need to get working on their embellishments :-)

Pinnies are back!

2007-10-18T13:06:00.001+09:30

I love the practicality of wearing a pinny (apron), but of course, have hated the 'Hilda Ogden' stigma that usually goes with it, so in the past, I haven't bothered.......but.......that's about to change :-)
Now that pinny's are less laughable (oh ok...so maybe my girls will still laugh at me!), I plan to make some more...maybe even matching His'n'Hers :-D
The main fabric was in a pile of black and white fabric oddments from the Op Shop ($1 for a whole bag full).
The piece was just the right size, and even had the border print as part of the fabric. The checkered black and white for the ties and pocket were from my stash, and the black binding, again from an Op Shop sewing notions goody bag :-)
I have enough supplies to make one more (see!...I wasn't kidding about the His'nHers!!)
....modelled photo's to follow ;-D)

...my invite has arrived...!

2007-10-09T14:13:00.001+09:30

...such excitement...I have hardly anything to show you (other than this progress I'm making on my handbag quilt)...but, but, but...I have my invite to Ravelry :-) I'm using my clickertyclick name, as Linda was already taken (ha, who'd o' thought! ;-D)...it'll probably take me a few days to learn how to navigate around the site, but so far, I'm impressed :-) (and very excited!)

How excited am I...!?

2007-09-18T08:33:00.001+09:30

...bargain shopping time! :-D Big W are doing the same as last year, and selling off their entire stock of Sean Sheep yarn for 50c a ball (could be 20c within a few days though!)...this time, even their kits of 3 or 4 balls are 50c!

After reading this Sew What! Skirts book from the library, I was inspired to look for fabric in household linen shops...there's a great skirt to be made from a tablecloth, so I looked in the manchester section of Best and Less...the tablecloths weren't the best, but then I spotted the euro sized pillowcases going out for $1.20 each...there is just THE perfect amount of fabric for a basic A-line skirt...so of course, I bought one or two (;-D) !! I also bought a roll of zips for the skirts...?...I didn't know there was such a thing, but how cool is it?!...you just measure the size you want, then zig-zag on the machine, and cut through :-)
Not much progress has been on my blanket (too much time spent shopping!), but I'm really happy with how the flower petals have turned out (and how easy they are).
Thanks very much Leonie and 2paw, for your help with Torchwood (gggrrrrr channel 10!)...a friend helped us out, so we are all sorted now :-) ...again, thanks!
Suzy, congratulations on the birth of Lucie :-) she looks soooo cozy in her new leg warmers!
Penny, I have been knitting as long as I can remember :-) When I was in primary school, we were allowed to take games and toys to play with on the last day of term...hmmmm...you guessed it, I was the one sitting there knitting :-D...(you can imagine how many 'old granny' jokes I used to get....come to think of it, I still do!!!)

A better top for the tube

2007-09-10T09:03:00.000+09:30

After trying on my Tube Top with every other top I own (!!), I finally found a combination that I'm happy with. I liked the shrug from my last post, but it is nowhere near as wearable as with my new Rowena...I still need to add straps to the Tube Top so that I don't have to keep 'adjusting' myself, but other than that, I'm now more than happy with it's fit and feel :-)

...like I don't have enough projects started already ;-D...a mindless knitting project was needed this weekend to fit in with some lazy TV watching... (how cool that Captain Jack Harkness was on Doctor Who, after Channel 10 axed Torchwood before the season end,...really, do you think that Channel 10 were even aware that they were buying Doctor Who?! :-D )
After googling to see if there was going to be a second series, I found this program description from the BBC website that really made me laugh: Torchwood will be a dark, clever, wild, sexy, British crime/sci-fi paranoid thriller cop show with a sense of humour - the X Files meets This Life Yep...I think that pretty much covers it!!!...and yes there is a second series with James Marsters guest starring...oh how we miss Spike!
ok...back to my knitting :-D I decided on a mitred square blanket made out of random creamy/beige yarns...they're all different weights and textures, but hopefully, that will be the 'appeal' of the finished blanket...I'm thinking of knitted appliqued flowers to finish it off (I got the Knitter's Bible from the library, which has a really nice leaf/petal pattern in it)...maybe in some pastel pinks, blues and greens...

Spring has sprung!

2007-09-06T16:10:00.000+09:30

...at last, I've finished my Rowena cardi :-)
The actual knitting (done on my Bond) took no time at all... the borders, ribbing and button buying took heaps longer!!

...it's been a good week for finishing things off....this is my Coquette Lace Tube Top from Fitted knits. I'm guessing that my gauge was off, as it's not quite as fitted as I'd hoped...it still needs straps adding, so hopefully that will make it more wearable. The grey shrug was another Bond/Knitware creation...I knew that the tube top needed either something under or over it (just ignore the brown singlet :-D), so now that I'm happy with how the shrug looks, I'll make one in the same pink yarn as the tube.The yarn for Rowena was just a cheap Lincraft homebrand, for a couple of dollars a ball, the shrug was made from a few odd balls of 'no band' yarn from the Op Shop, and the Tube Top was 100% wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills.
I like that using the machine means I don't have to worry too much about yarn quality....with putting less hours into it than with a handknit, I'm not overly concerned about how well it will wash, or how long it will last me...(ok, I admit it!...I'm just a cheapskate ;-D)

Don't stop me now.....

2007-08-24T13:06:00.000+09:30

...I'm having such a good time...! ...so, this house is certainly starting to look like a knitting factory :-D My Bond knitting machine has been permanently set up for the last couple of weeks (giving all of my hand knitting and other stuff a bit of a holiday!...I will get back to it all, but I'm just having so much fun with the machine right now) :-)
I have been sorting through all of the patterns on my 'wish list', and seeing how easy it would be to adapt them....and so far..so good.
Instead of following the patterns as they are written, and trying to get gauge etc, I found it easier to just make up a similar pattern by looking at the picture, and designing it with my Knitware program. I started with this Rowena cardi from Knit 2 Together by Tracy Ullman and Mel Clark...it's just a really basic pattern (that knitted up in a couple of hours), with a really unique tubular edging that is meant to have ribbon threaded through. I'm doing all of the edgings by hand, which along with the seam sewing, is taking longer than the stocking stitch body!
I've also started the Bobble Rib Flower Pullover from Nicky Epstein's Knitting Over the Edge...I just LOVE this jumper and have been planing to make it for ages...the stocking stitch body is done, other than the flower to be swiss darned (duplicate stitched) onto the front...and then, just the ribbing, which will probably take ages. Not sure yet, but I think I might make it bobble-less...?!

Cheat knitting

2007-08-14T12:35:00.000+09:30

I love the successful resurrection of my Bond knitting machine :-)
I do remember now, why I stopped using it all those years ago...I tried to get too adventurous. I figured that if I was going to use a machine to knit, then I wanted it to do everything, including all the ribs and fancy stitches etc...that was my mistake :-( Really, the Bond is a brilliant machine, but it's best feature is it's stocking stitch. By doing all of the stocking stitch on the machine, and all the rest by hand
(fusion knitting) I've got the best of both worlds (and at a very speedy pace!). My girls are calling it 'cheat knitting' ;-D
I tested it out on this basic raglan jumper, using Knitware and the 3 balls of self striping yarn I bought from Big W a few months back.
I found some more knitting software called Wild Stitches
which is due for release on September 1st, so I'm really looking forward to giving that a try :-)
...but in the meantime, I'm re-visiting all of my old knitting books and mags to see which patterns I can convert to the Bond (like I need an excuse to spend hours with my head in knitting books!!)

A brighter day...

2007-08-04T10:26:00.000+09:30

...and a better photo!
...and even better still...it's now a finished singlet :-D

Retro Knitting

2007-08-02T12:37:00.000+09:30

This is the first time that I've used my Bond knitting machine in about 20 years... (can't believe that it's still in perfect working order!). I figured that an easy camisole/singlet would be a good way to ease back into using it...and so far, so good :-) It's probably a bit longer than I wanted, but once the i-cord straps on, it should be good. One of the problems I had with the Bond before, was trying to find good patterns to make on it, but now that I don't need specific patterns (thanks to my free Knitware program :-D), finding something to knit is as easy as! ... and it is so, so , SO quick :-)

That didn't stop me however, buying this hardback copy of Square Knits by Angela King and Caroline Baker, from the Op Shop!...I remember drooling over this book when it first came out in 1985 (!), but at ten pounds, it was way beyond my budget ... I was more than happy to pay a dollar fifty for it this week though... and with all of the retro fashions in the shops right now, it doesn't even look that out-dated :-)

My Tube Top from Fitted Knits is really easy, and nice to work on...the centre panel has a Rusted Root look about it, but the pattern is a whole lot easier to follow :-) I'm going to add straps to it, not only because I think it'll look better, but also to help keep it up...it's turning out bigger than I imagined, but as I was planning on wearing something underneath it anyway, it shouldn't really matter..(my fingers are crossed!)
*edit* I've just realised that the singlet picture is too dark to see...I'll try taking some better shots this afternoon, now that the sun is out :-)

Back in the real world

2007-07-24T09:47:00.000+09:30

After spending a really enjoyable, quiet (but exciting) weekend with Harry, Ron and Hermione, I'm back and raring to knit :-) (How cool was it that whilst the rest of the world queued and queued through the night to get their copy at midnight, we were able to walk into Big W when they opened at 8.30 on saturday morning and be handed a copy upon entry...love living in australia :-D)
Anyways!....on to my knitting progress...
I started the Coquette Lace Tube Top from Fitted Knits...this is knitting up really nicely. I thought it would take more concentration than it does, but the centre lace panel is easy to remember, making it a good telly watching project :-) I'll probably make the Two-toned Ribbed Shrug from the same book, to wear over the top of it. The yarn is just THE best...I'm using Colonial 8 ply from Bendigo Woollen Mills. This is the first time I've used it, and I am loving it...will definately buy more.
My winter top down cardi is kinda designing itself...The shape is just going to be a basic scoop neck, and I'm letting my stash of Sean Sheep wool determine the colours ... meaning I'm knitting blindly until it's all gone! :-D

Still using up my stash

2007-07-11T09:24:00.000+09:30

I was trying to hold off starting a new project until my copy of Fitted Knits arrives from Amazon....but y'know what it's like...sometimes you've just gotta knit ;-D
I started this generic top down cardi using some Sean Sheep 100% wool from my stash...I'm using size 15 (us) needles with 3 strands of yarn held together...it's really cold in Adelaide right now, so it needed to be extra thick...it was going to be a sweater, but the wool is a bit scratchy and will probably need an underneath layer of clothes, so a cardi it is :-)
I'm still trying to decide if I like my Tubey/one skein wonder 'hybrid'... so until I know, I've put it on hold for a while....this is where it's at so far:
I also got out my old Bond knitting machine after reading about one on another blog....I've had this Bond for over 20 years, it's survived 5 house moves and one 'other side of the world' move, and has not been used in all that time...well, I managed to find all of the pieces, got it set up, and I even remembered how to use it! It's awesome...and I can't remember why I stopped using it?...the last thing I made was a baby outfit (jumper, leggings, hat) for my daughter (who is now nearly 21!). I even found the pattern book, and showed her what I'd made (ha! she said she would have prefered the pink dress on the next page!!!! I offered to make it for her now, but she thought it might be a tinsy bit small...!!?!!) :-D

Panic over!

2007-06-30T11:17:00.001+09:30

Thanks to everybody for your dyelot comments :-) ... I had a hard time trying to decide what to do, so in the end, thought that I would try a few different options, until I found one that I was happy with. I wasn't convinced that it would work well with cap sleeves, but gave it a try anyway, as it was the easiest ... ok, I have to say that I'm really glad that I tried this, as I love the way it turned out (who'd of thought!?!) . It will work great in the summer for airconned buildings :-)
I had enough of the original colour to finish the body and sleeves, and only used the 'off colour' for the i-cord edging and leaf ties (where, I'm pleased to say, that it's no longer noticable). This was my first attempt at an i-cord border, and it is definately my fave part of the whole cardi ... I loved the process of knitting it, and loved the way it turned out :-) I changed the i-cord method from the one in the pattern, to the one in Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop ... they are basically the same, but I found EZ's less fiddly.
Ok...on to more Fitted Knits!...(as soon as the postie brings me my parcel from Amazon :-D )

Dye-lot disaster

2007-06-28T12:44:00.001+09:30

I was thinking how cute my cropped cardi was looking, until the sun shone through the window and highlighted my two-tone sleeve!!! **insert hammer horror-esque scream here!!**
You can see it pretty clear in the photo...a few centimetres up from the picot facing...shame it wasn't so clear when I was knitting it....
...soooo I guess that 2 lessons have been here
1. the obvious one of course..ALWAYS check dye lots before you buy (yeah, now it's obvious!)
and 2. never change to a new ball whilst sitting in a dimly lit room watching Spicks'n'Specks on tv!!
I don't have any more of the same yarn, so I'm thinking that my best option would be to rip the sleeve back to the underarm, and make them both into cap sleeves with a picot edge to match the bottom..the only different colour then, would be the applied i-cord edge and front ties.
Oh well, it wasn't quite what I had in mind, but at least it'll get a lot of wear in the summer months as a singlet topper :-)

A very Glampyre weekend

2007-06-25T09:55:00.000+09:30

After reading the posts on the Fitted Knits Along
I decided that I HAD to order the Fitted Knits book from Amazon...I've been thinking about it for ages and really loved the stuff that I saw on the KAL, so I ordered it at the weekend ... I now have about 3 weeks to wait for the postie :-D
Whilst I was googling the book, I found this free patern from it on the Knitty site...I'm so glad that at least I can still be making something from it while I wait for it to arrive :-)

I also started this blue jumper... I wanted to see how it would turn out, if I started with a One Skein Wonder, and just extended it downwards..kinda like a OSW crossed with a Tubey..?
I'm not sure how (or if!) it'll turn out, but I figured it was worth a try.
...see, I said it was a Glampyre weekend :-)

Dollar skirt!

2007-06-22T09:57:00.001+09:30

I tested out my new Bonfit skirt patterner yesterday...All I wanted was a basic, A-line(ish) skirt, with as little detail as poss, and something quick that could be worn today...so here it is!..my VERY basic skirt, made from one metre of fabric that I bought from the Op Shop for a dollar. The fabric had the added bonus of being slightly stretchy, which eliminated the need for any kind of fastening...it has two side seams and a hem at the top and the bottom. I made the waist measurement bigger, so that it would go on easier, and so that once it was on, it would settle more on my hips than waist (fitted waists always make me feel uncomfy, like I've been chopped in half!)
It took less than an hour to make, and fits and feels great :-)
I bought about $20 worth of fifty cent/one dollar fabric whilst I was op shopping ... most of it will have to wait for the summer, but I'm really pleased that there were a few pieces that I can use to make more winter skirts :-)

Warm hands in a flash

2007-06-14T10:04:00.001+09:30

I bought a bag of yarn oddments from the op shop for 75c (you'd be right in thinking that I had enough yarn oddments already, but hey, I couldn't pass up such a bargain!). I'm going to try to use it all on winter mittens ... starting with these fingerless ones. The pattern was from here ... it was really quick and easy :-) For my next pair, I'll make them seamless (my seaming doesn't look too brilliant on these ones, but at least it's mainly hidden by my sleeves) ... think I'll also cast on a few less stitches, because I think that these will stretch out a bit more than I want.
I have hardly taken them off yet since I made them...warm hands but with finger freedom...love it!

Stashbusters!

2007-06-12T09:31:00.000+09:30

Over the (very cold) Queen's Birthday Long Weekend, I tried to make a move on some of my stash :-) (really....it did nothing to deplete my 'supplies'...it just made me realise how much stuff I have!).
With the weather being the way it was, I started to make some quilts/blankets ... I don't have a plan for them yet, just started knitting and sewing without too much thought ;-D
I wish I'd have known that the new Knitty was up ... I love pretty much everything in this issue (and they're nearly all, small, quick knits! :-) ).

...it's finished!

2007-06-01T08:58:00.001+09:30

I love this Rusted Root :-) As I was knitting it, I wasn't very happy with how the leaf pattern was (or actually wasn't) showing up so good, but now that it's done, the pattern shows great (not in the photos, but it does in 'real life').
The top down construction made this a really easy knit, and the 14 stitches of lacy leaves in each row, meant that I didn't have to be constantly looking at the pattern (although, if you've read my earlier post, you'll already know that I did make a stuff up by not concentrating enough!!). The yarn was from my stash that I bought when Big W was clearing it's shelves of their Sean Sheep range. I can't remember if this was the time when I filled my trolley with the 50c marked down range, or whether it was a few days later when it was down to 20c!... either way, this top took just under 2 balls, so all up it cost me under a dollar, maybe even under 40c!!
I plan on making more of this style top (who wouldn't for 40c!!?!!), it's great for the layered look, and with today being the official start of winter in Aus, layers will definately be the way to go :-)

A Finished Dickie

2007-05-29T14:37:00.000+09:30

How easy was this neckwarmer!?! ... and what a really neat alternative to a scarf (just perfect for the start of our Adelaide winter). The pattern is from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Around...the Simple Dickie on page 36. It took hardly any knitting time, and hardly any yarn (I used some Aussie 8 ply, which knits up to about 20 sts x 30 rows on 4mm needles, in stocking stitch). I'm thinking that these would make great little pressies, maybe with some wrist warmers to match...the complete layered sweater look! I would be able to get the complete set out of one 100g ball of yarn...ok, it's on my list :-)
Adrienne at Magic pixie knitter has tagged me :-) (Hi Adrienne!...love your blog!)
OK, these are the rules: I have to list 7 random facts about myself (I've been reading some other people's, and random seems to be the key word here :-D), I then have to tag 7 other bloggers to do the same....still trying to find another 7 that haven't already been tagged, so in the meantime, here are 7 amazing! Linda facts:
1. I have an IMMENSE dislike of tomato ketchup...can't look at it, can't touch it, can't smell it, can't do the dishes after it, and CERTAINLY can't EAT it!!!!...eeeww, quickly onto number 2...
2.I don't own any makeup...not one piece....nope, not even a lippy!
3. I've been married to the same person for the last 24 years :-)
4. I knitted my first sweater from a pattern in primary school (think I was about 11ish)...it had short sleeves, crew neck, a lacey eyelet pattern around the bottom of the body and sleeves, and was purple and pink random stripes (still love my random stripes!)...I think it was going to be purple, but I seem to remember that we didn't buy enough yarn...I must ask my mum if she has any photos of it.
5. Keeping the same theme, I crocheted my first wearable garment about a year later...it was a granny square vest/waistcoat....I started a trend in my class, and within a few weeks, every single girl was wearing one...my friend Karen offered me 50pence to make hers, but my mum wouldn't let me :-( Think Karen enlisted the help of her Nan in the end....Wish that we'd had yearbooks back then, we would have looked soooo good in our class photo!!..ha!...aaaah the 70's!!
6. Triple J is the only radio station that I'll listen to...drives the rest of the household mad :-D
7. My new favourite TV show is Life on Mars....sunday night at 8.30 on the ABC...check it out...it's really cool :-)
Well thats my 7 random facts...totally random, totally useless!!!! :-D Thanks Adrienne, I had fun thinking them up!....I didn't think I could make it to 7, but I ended up with a whole heap to spare :-D

My week in piccies

2007-05-23T09:42:00.001+09:30

I'm having heaps of fun making this cardi :-) I'm definately a make things up as I go along, sort of person...things don't always turn out the way I expect, but that's what's kinda good about it :-D

Back to my Rusted Root (yeah!)
I know it looked like I'd given up on it for a while there (and of course, you're right, I had), but I'm back now :-) I put it down because I stuffed up a line in the leaf pattern, and couldn't be bothered undoing it (lazy?..yep, you bet!)

...but, it's all fixed up now, and ready for some serious knitting :-D

I have sleeves...

2007-05-16T09:14:00.000+09:30

...and I guess that if don't like the rest of the
cardi when it's finished, at least I've still got a
cool pair of armwarmers :-D

I made a start on the body, shown here with my new reading goodies...I wanted the Vogue Knitting specifically for Elizabeth Zimmermann's baby surplice pattern (there have been some beautiful ones made over on the Zimmermania blog), and The Friday Night Knitting Club was an awesome Mother's Day pressie :-) ...oooh... and, and, and!! ...my Bonfit Skirt Patterner arrived from Ebay :-D
Such excitement!!... what to do first?

More lounging!

2007-05-14T11:03:00.000+09:30

I don't think I'm ever going to get fed up with this lounge pant pattern :-)
I made these from the same pattern as my last ones, but made them with a drawstring waist instead of a zip. I figured that putting a zip in them was going to work out too pricey, as most of the zips I looked at, cost more than the actual fabric. The first pair were darted at the front and back waist, so I left the darts out, turned over the top edge to make a casing, made a drawstring from the same fabric, and just threaded it through :-)
There will be more pants to come...!
2paw, the scarf in my last post was just made by decreasing at the start of one row and increasing at the start of the next...I really liked how the fringe was formed, it was as easy as tying on the next colour, and just leaving the ends dangling...It was an easy knit, and I think it looks really effective ... thanks for the comments :-)
Joanm, I'm more than happy to share my favourite op shops with you :-) The bonfit patterner was from the big Salvo's at Christies Beach (go down beach road towards the sea, through the last set of traffic lights, and it's just on your left)...also on beach road, there are at least 3 other op shops, 2 second hand book shops, and a factory direct fabric seconds shop (I think its called Talking Textiles, just past woolies on the left). I also really like the Salvo's at Hallett Cove and the big one just past Coles on Brighton Road. I keep meaning to go to the big car boot sale at Brighton High on sunday mornings, but haven't gotton around to it yet. I agree with you about the wharf markets at the Port, and only go there very rarely now :-) I tend to stick to the south of the city, but I would love to know if there are any other good ones that I'm missing out on :-)

Dickies, Sleeves and Scarves!

2007-05-10T09:29:00.000+09:30

I couldn't decide whether I wanted to knit or crochet, so I opted for both :-)
I'm still working on my Rusted Root knitting, but I wanted something that I didn't have to give too much thought to, and something that would give quick results...Elizabeth Zimmermann's knitted Dickies fitted the criteria (yep I did say Dickies....for anybody like me, who lived in Britain during the '70's and maybe watched one too many Carry On films, I think that the Dickie should be re-named as the Neckwarmer! ;-D ....cue Sid Jame's laughter!!! )
For the crocheting, I just sorted through my stash of blue yarn, chose a hook to suit (4.5mm), and started to freeform crochet some sleeves :-) I have no idea how it will turn out, but I think that it may be a cardi for me...?...perhaps?!

Winter is set to arrive in Adelaide in the next few weeks, so I thought I should sort through my wardrobe in readiness...I've got heaps of scarves, but still keep going back to my very favourite. I made this scarf a few years back from a pattern in Patons Creative Accessories
I really must get around to making some more in different colours...it may be an oldie, but it's still a goodie...and still my fave :-)

Quilts,quilts,quilts!

2007-05-04T09:18:00.000+09:30

I've spent all week working on some quilting UFOs...these 3 quilts have been waiing around forever to get finished (the house one has 2002 appliqued on the top!!)...I don't seem to have made too much progress, but hey, at least I've got them out and done enough to get me enthusiastic again :-)
As you can see in the photo, all 3 are scrap quilts....the double wedding ring was pieced by hand, using the english paper template method (cut out the shapes from freezer paper, iron them onto the back of the fabric, tack the edges over the paper, then whip stitch the fabric pieces together). The house one was machine pieced and hand appliqued (again, over the paper templates), and the star one is machine pieced and surrounded by red and white log cabin blocks.
I 'found' another Bonfit Patterner this week (yay!!...can you see me jumping for joy from where you are?!!) I was SO impressed with my pants patterner that I started looking for the other 2 (skirt and bodice) patterners. No luck yet with the bodice, but I bought the skirt one off ebay :-D Hopefully, it is winging it's way from Tasmania right now....soooo excited!...and just the bodice one to go now :-)
Thanks heaps for the comments about my pants both here and on Wardrobe Refashion...the bonfit system is really clever...you just need to take a few easy measurements (pretty much just waist, hips, crotch) and then slide the patterner pieces along until your measurement appears at the arrow, and tighten the knob to hold it in place..there is a bit of pivoting to do as you're drawing around the tempate, but once you've done it a few times (and watched the video), it's really easy. It took me a couple of attempts, and about an hour, to get it sorted in my head...next time should be as easy as! I dropped the waistline slightly, and shortened the crotch, because I wanted low slung, not waist hugging...to do this, I measured my waist a few centimetres lower than I normally would, and took the shortened crotch measurement from there...easy :-D
Can't wait to get my skirt one!!

Lounging in style!

2007-04-27T10:00:00.000+09:30

....so this has gotta be my best op shop purchase EVER!...I'd never heard of Bonfit patterners before, but as soon as I saw it propped up in the craft section with the template of the pants piece on the front..I knew it was going to be good :-) So of course, I grabbed it quick, paid my $12.50 (yep! $12.50!!) and pretty much ran out of the shop to my car.... ....Yes it's good!..how have I never heard of these before?!
I'm guessing that it must have been sold originally in Aus, because the video plays fine, and has a PAL compatability sticker on it. I'm on the look out for the bodice and the skirt versions now (don't suppose it will be as easy as walking into the op shop again though!) I thought I would test it out on some lounge/pj pants...I used a piece of sheeting that I had in my stash (originally going to be a quilt backing), and followed the patterner guide for palazzo pants...the result? - a perfect (and stylish ;-D) alternative to my old trackydaks :-) Love it, love it, love it!!
(and the best bit is, there's no annoying paper pattern to fight with...I drew the pattern straight onto the fabric)

Knitting book goodies

2007-04-19T08:46:00.000+09:30

.....ok, so not much knitting has been done these past few days, but that's not to say that I haven't been thinking and planning and reading about it ;-D
...oh yes..and shopping! Look at these books that I bought from the Op Shop (thrift store) for $10 the lot!
I now feel fully inspired to get moving on my Rusted Root :-)

Awesome new software

2007-04-12T12:21:00.000+09:30

I downloaded some free sewing software yesterday from Wild Ginger Software
It drafts out patterns for bags, hats, pockets, shawls, aprons, slippers, thongs...and heaps more stuff. All the dimensions can be custom set, and the full size patterns can then be printed out.
I made this tie-top bag to be the same size as one I already have...I printed the pattern and cut out the fabric last night (it printed onto 9 A4 sheets which I just taped together), and then I sewed it this morning...I reckon all up, it took less than an hour to make :-) I still have to topstitch around the edge, but I don't have the right colour cotton yet (oh I guess that means another trip to Spotlight!...really, I'll use any excuse!)Now that I know how good the software works, I'll spend a bit more time on the next bag...maybe some inside pockets and a closure?... the options are endles :-)

Rusted Root

2007-04-07T10:12:00.000+09:30

Just a quick Rusted Root progress piccy :-)
I guess that black isn't the best colour to highlight a lacy panel, but as long as I remember to wear something light coloured underneath, it should still show up ok.
It's knitting up really fast with the Sean Sheep 8ply, and has a really nice feel to it.
...so far, so good :-D

clickertyclick

Christmas De-stash

dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner ...

Dishcloth Hearts

Oranges ...

Lion-Neck

Sew Simplicity 3565

The Super Birthday Sweater

Take one thrifted tablecloth, Part 2

Take one thrifted tablecloth

Green monkeys from Ikea

Half a Gargantuan Melon!

a joint input skirt

Girly things

A dress, or three

My serendipitous hat

KCWC Days 5, 6 and 7

KCWC Days 2, 3 and 4

KCWC Day 1

Too cute!

Flinders Sweater Vest

...and another Enid

From Enid to Ikea

Quilty bits

Stephanie's Boobholder

That 70's Skirt

Sweater vest weather

From drab to ...

Engineered in reverse!

Not quite ready for Lift-Off yet ...

Enid does it again

Rocket Man

Bibs and Bean Bags

My first Enid Gilchrist

Getting started with my Enids

The easiest fruitcake recipe ever!

Still de-stashing

Just using what I've got ...

Retro Baby

Quickie Mini Mitts

Warm ears and cosy sleeps ...

Mattress Stitch....who knew?...

A Quilting Ravelry....

Oh baby, it's hot!

Some quick knitting

Lincraft Blossom (Blossom Tee)

Nappy Bags

Free pattern - Baby eyelet cardi

Inspired to Sew

Playing catch-up!

My Six Hour Baby Sweater

Baby, baby ,baby!

Zoomy socks

Less slouch!

Op Shop Top

Book goodies!

First 'non raglan' top down!

Doubling up!

Bad Penny

Thought filled socks!

I *heart* this yarn

Pillowcase Pinnies

Yet another cropped top...

Chrissy quilting time

Bendigo Shrug

...smells like Christmas

December already!

Knitting from the top

Stashbusting potholders

Power to the Pinny

Pinnies are back!

...my invite has arrived...!

How excited am I...!?

A better top for the tube

Spring has sprung!

Don't stop me now.....

Cheat knitting

A brighter day...

Retro Knitting

Back in the real world

I heart this yarn