On the weekend we had an afternoon tea party for the twins. We delighted in sunshine, smiles, friends, bubbles, giggles, nibbles, chatter, cake and more cake. And cruel and unusual treatment of 12 inch fashion dolls.
(Thanks, Michelle, for taking the doll/cake massacre photo!)
Today my little beauties turn one.
How better to have spent a year than being totally wrapped up in, in thrall of, two such perfect beings? It has been all-consuming, often seeming too hard, but just one look at those little faces, one snuggle into one of those soft, creased necks, one of those downy heads against your cheek, and nothing could seem more right.
Happy Birthday little ones…
There has been an unprecedented frenzy of crafting of late that I can reveal now that my swapee has received her parcel. As mentioned before, the theme of this most recent Bendigo Woollen Mills User Group swap was Op Shop Karma, everything in the package was to be sourced from an op shop with the exception of 100g of Bendigo yarn.
For the Bendigo yarn portion, I made the Stormcloud Shawlette in 5ply Classic in Raspberry. I followed the directions for the larger version with a frilled edge, cast off with the EZ sewn bind-off, and discovered that the whole thing only took 80g of yarn. Good in terms of yarn economy, but I couldn’t really send my swapee a scanty 20g yarn to make up the 100g …
… so I also made a Flourish bookmark. What fun making some fine and fairly complex lace on a small scale! It turned out a little on the large size, but could still be functional with larger hard cover books.
On the Op Shop front I had so many ideas that I may have gone a little overboard, but restrained myself to the following crafty diversions …
The top item on the left was a strange multi-stranded not-quite-scarf / not-quite-lap rug that I unravelled into a satisfyingly large ball. As the yarn was a bit irregular and not soft, I figured a bag was the best option. I improvised a rectangular base in double crochet, then did rows of filet crochet round and round until it was basket-sized. I’m pretty happy with the size and (unplanned) placement of the colour change.
The pile of wool jumpers were gleefully thrown into the washing machine and subjected to heavy duty hot washes, then tossed in the also hot tumble dryer! (I don’t know why I enjoyed maltreating wool so much – I also loved viciously steam-pressing the bookmark too). The angora blend jumpers felted a treat, but the pale grey lambswool and ice blue wool and cashmere hardly changed at all despite this treatment!! They just looked slightly pilled! (Perhaps this is what the cockroaches will be wearing when every other species on earth dies out.) Disappointing, as I was rather keen on these colours, but proceeded with what I had to make …
Now this long scarf is not at all original. I was inspired by one a friend had bought (possibly by this maker) and noted later that Kirsty makes similar (and better-crafted than mine) ones. I was relieved that this worked out and was quick and easy to make, as I loved the idea if it.
The reluctant sewing machine got more of a workout. Something I have been wanting to make for ages …
Some remnants, cut-up clothing and a Ken Done doona cover became two sets of cheerful bunting for the room of two little girls. And there’s enough fabric left over for more for another two little girls!
I loved that this swap gave me the excuse to make some different kinds of things that I’ve been wanting to try out, and probably wouldn’t have made the time for otherwise. And the fact that the materials were recycled makes it even more satisfying.
This weekend I have been:
Hope your weekend was full of delights …
Like most people (everyone?) I always thought I had a unique vision and sense of style, usually shunning the overly popular and seeking out something a bit different, or even quirky or edgy if you will. So soon after the most recent Knitty came out, I seized upon a pattern that impressed with its strong lines and multiple ways of wearing. Something with roots in a traditional shape, but utterly contemporary. I had to knit it at once!
Seems like most of the knitting community thought the same way … the Colonnade shawl is currently the most popular recently published pattern on Ravelry, with hundreds of projects completed or in progress. Seems like I’m a non-conformist, just like everybody else.
I also loved the name, evocative of classical ruins and european cathedrals, shady arcades in Bologna and the cloister of Monreale in Sicily. (Photo at top left is me at Herculaneum in 2004.)
Back to the knitting… I knit this from two skeins (with some to spare) of unidentified wool purchased from an Op Shop. It is a loosely spun thick and thin yarn in dark reds with a kettle-dyed appearance, not terribly soft in the skein, but it knit up into a nice fabric. I added one extra repeat, as I felt compelled to, and decided a bit of extra length would be good on me.
I am very pleased with the result. It was a relatively quick knit, and not at all difficult once you get used to dealing with the double yarn-overs. The shape of the shawl means it wraps around generously and stays on the shoulders. And I have learnt the basics of shawl construction. Now for the Shetland Triangle …
Joining in with Loobylu, see here for more reliable hot and not lists than the following …
| HOT | NOT | |
| Flowers appearing in the garden to be picked by little hands and given proudly to mummy | Babies waking constantly at night | |
| Picking a rose bud to put in a vase in the kitchen so I can look at while doing the dishes | Having to do the dishes. A lot. (We do have a dishwasher now, but it’s still hard to keep on top of it. And don’t get me started on the laundry …) | |
| Trips to the market for mangoes, strawberries, basil and Mr Pitta pitta bread | Having to go back to work in three weeks! This means having to get up at 6.30am to have any hope of arriving there on time, made more difficult by the interrupted nights mentioned above. | |
| Japanese biscuits and edamame | Almost any other food that four-year-olds liked last week | |
| Origami (well, isn’t it?) | A distinct lack of household organisation | |
| Rediscovering childhood favourite books … like The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Gouge. Obscure even when I first borrowed it from the library in the early 1970’s, but now made into a (less subtle) film so back in print | Being sprayed with baby food as babies decide that it’s good to practice blowing raspberries during mealtimes | |
| Being set to embark on a new knitting project, maybe this or this … | A self-imposed deadline to complete a shawl before my aunt’s 80th birthday | |
| Dottie Angel’s challenge | Probably having to spend money on (larger) clothes for afore-mentioned return to the workplace |
I haven’t posted any baby photos for a while, and it has been remarked upon. To remedy the situation, here is an update as of 11 months. Not much in the way of hair or teeth yet …
… but recent accomplishments include standing up and proficiency in the fibre arts.
So much glorious rain over the last few days. Spring rain has brought wintery chilliness, but there is so much new growth in the garden, including the sunflowers and tomatoes hopefully planted a couple of weeks ago.
There’s only one thing for rainy weather – baking, and lots of it.
Pizza dough and bread from The River Cottage Family Cookbook, and raspberry Store Cupboard Chocolate Cake from How to be a Domestic Goddess. And there may have been some chocolate chip bikkies too…
And great weather for knitting, with a start made on Colonnade too. And if you still don’t understand the appeal of shawls, look at this. (Isn’t that second one just divine!) Oh, I really want to try to make a light and lacy shawl! This one isn’t light in weight, but was too good to leave in the op shop…
And some more of those diamonds of rain drops … (not actually on roses, we think this may be some kind of poppy, but are waiting for the flowers to be sure).
Loobylu had the great idea of reviving the In/Out list in her post yesterday, and although I certainly don’t claim to be an arbiter of taste, here’s what’s hot and what’s not chez nous:
| Hot | Not |
| *Mango milk (with yoghurt) | *Milo |
| *My new Olfa Rotary Cutter (whee!) | *Patterns and pins and scissors and slipping and sliding |
| *Lightning McQueen (still) | *Bob the Builder (poor Bob) |
| *Crunchy salads with red (purple!) cabbage and grated carrot | *Not bothering to make a vegie meal component |
| *Planting sunflower seeds | *Realising that maybe they should have been planted in a different area |
| *Gorgeous new Francophile fabric from Retro Mummy that I couldn’t resist (and Corrie’s having a giveaway at the moment) | *Indestructible pure lambs wool op shop jumpers that wont felt, despite hot heavy duty wash and hot tumble dry |
| *Standing up with the aid of furniture (if you are 10 months old, that is) | *Jamming tiny fingers in drawers |
| *Wanting to knit the Colonnade scarf/shawl from the new Knitty | *Being the last knitter on earth to catch on to shawl making |
| *Finding a cute crocheted shawl in the op shop | *Not finding enough op shop things in natural fibres for a planned project |
| *Bendigo Woollen Mills Harmony (cotton/wool/lycra blend) is back!!!! | *It’s a limited run, and my stash is too embarrassingly large to consider stocking up |
Photos from a lovely jaunt to Prahran Market – ah! fresh produce (and sorry if this column thing is hard to read – I’m still struggling with formatting text here).
I have always been an avid op-shopper since I was a student, gleefully seizing upon 50’s dresses, 40’s costume jewellery, 60’s printed jumpers and fabulous accessories. It seemed that every trip brought forth a wealth of exciting finds. Now it seems much harder to find good things in op shops, particularly clothing. I think that there must have been a huge increase in the manufacture of cheap clothing in the last couple of decades, so that op shops seem full of poor quality, synthetic garments only a few years old if that. The rise in popularity of ‘vintage’ clothing also means that the more interesting older pieces get creamed off to sell in specialty shops. It’s even getting harder to find vintage knitting patterns and yarn now, and soon perhaps it will be harder to find early 20th century pressed glass. I also have a thing for clear arcoroc dinner- and serving ware, but maybe I’m alone there …
In any case it is rare to get that thrill of a good find. Recently I have been visiting the op shop as the next knitting swap I am taking part in is an Op Shop Karma swap, in that apart from something made from 100g of Bendigo yarn, the swap package must be made up of items sourced from the op shop. The karma part refers to providing thoughtfully and generously within this constraint, as a monetary value that usually limits a swap package is irrelevant. But I think that karma may also come into play in finding the right thing at the right time.
I was thrilled to find the two baby blankets pictured above. They are in perfect condition and beautifully made of mitred squares, and there are two! Coordinated but not identical, perfect for my twins! I have received many lovely pre-loved items for my girls, but it is rare that I get a set of two of anything, so often feel sad that one will miss out on a particular item. I worry that these blankets were carefully and lovingly made by a skilled knitter as a baby gift, then not appreciated by someone who didn’t like the colours, or the fact that they were hand made. In any case, they have found an appreciative owner now.
And the swap? Well, I have a few ideas, but need to get out to another op-shop for more supplies. This is what I have come up with so far:
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