Hiking madness!

Hey Everyone!
I have been a busy thing! Not only have the swap partners for the 'Aussie Sampler Sweatshop' (whatever all I remember is that the initials are ASSS, which cracks me up for purely puerile reasons. Go figure. As a result I'm now making 3 beanies, 2 cuffs, 1 crocheted animal and one or two crocheted washclothes. Guess who is going to be busy this weekend? The same person nursing a nasty case of repetitive stress injury (RSI) ouch. On the bright side, I SHOULD be the proud holder/owner of a P's license, which basically is a 'parents go party' card. We'll see....

First things first, one Irish Hiking scarf, in process, last I measured it was about 2 feet and growing...



et voila! I'm planning to have this sucker reach the 6 foot mark, because frankly, I'm knitting for a very tall man. Sorry about the complete absence of visuals in the photography department, its late and obviously my model (my office chair) doesn't feel like being a 'the body' tonight. Oh and a hey! to my Stepmother, Raye, who will soon co-own the Irish hiking scarf'. She sent me a wonderful package with a 'knit a pattern a day' calendar (because my far side calendar is lonely on my desk...) and a magazine! Expect a letter any day now :D

Also because of desire to be a sheep (knitting, sheep, geddit???) I have decided to do the 6 weird things meme. (How DO you say that?) Thanks to fitnit for the inadvertant tag.

6. Every time I pass a newsagent I HAVE to check the craft section. Even when I KNOW there is nothing decent there... I need to check.

5. I am a paper hoarder. I hate HATE to throw paper away. Same goes for yarn. Keep an eye out for this future obsession crazy cat lady in the future.

4. I'm not as compulsive about my appearance as I should be. Seriously, most people my age worry about what clothes they are going to wear for a date. I just hope that my hair is not standing up. (I have a tendency to get frizzy hair in the afternoon, to the point that when its about to rain, I have a mini afro. not very attractive)

3. I can't think of anything terribly unusual about myself? I'm sure there are heaps of things...ie I'm well on my way to becoming a geek. This isn't so bad if you are interested in dating aforementioned geeks, (I do) but there is a point I never want to go, if you ever see me wearing socks and sandals, or daggy sport shoes and socks way up high, or ever doing the harry high pants thing. Shoot me.

2. I sleep with a teddy bear. Most of the time. I usually start sleeping with a bear, (Her name is Darling and I got her for my first Christmas) but by the morning you can guarantee Darling has taken a nose first approach to sleep. Shes good for when you are crying or otherwise not feeling normal.

1. Um... I never clean out the sink when I brush my teeth? Seriously I'm at a loss.

Oh well.. should you have the firm belief that there are 6 weird things about you, feel free to be tagged (and tell me!!!!)
Anyway project spectrum starts tomorrow so I will have to start taking some blue pics! Gah!

adios!

Lucky me!

Okay so it's the first proper day back at school and the sweat starts to fall (and if you have ever been in the presence of a lot of teenage boys, you will know the smell associated with them (gah! oxygen required!)

I was going to post the latest shot of the irish hiking scarf, but frankly, I couldn't be bothered.

And some more exciting news... I will be going for a driving test on friday! Can I be a good goldy driver and stay the speed limit at the same time? (if you have ever driven on the Gold Coast you will know that its standard practice to drive 20kms faster than the speed limit and not use your indicators) or will I wallow in my L plateness for a little longer, only time will tell!!

Oh and for those parents who put a little 'un into school for the first time today, congratulations! only 12 more years (13 if you count prep) of ferrying your child around!!!

adios!!!

Reality check

Hey everyone! Hope life is good for you today!!! this post will be fairly pic intensive, mainly because I am going to introduce my 'book of the month' Today's snazzy title is: 'Profitable Hobbies Handbook : Earn spare time money with an interesting hobby'



This wonderful publication from 1953 shows you how, with a lot of time and a bit of money and a bit of clever thinking, you too can make money out of painting sugar cubes, melting LPs to make decorative plates (use only the oldest kind for melting).





Maybe make some paper dolls with some pipe cleaners, then sell them for a tidy profit? The man who practically invented cage farming, Bob Taylor made a tidy profit raising squabs (I assume they are a game bird) so they they live, eat, breed together the one assumes that they um..er..die together.

Lets talk money. if you are to make paper dolls, you will probably want to sell them at a gift shop. Said gift shop will buy the figures (noting the materials are pipecleaners, cork, fabric and glue) for 39 cents and sell them retail for $1 - $1.25 (methinks that a dollar buys a bit back in 1953)

Anyway I think this book is an absolute hoot for anyone wanting to know what people could actually make a profit off back in the day. Selling earthworms I understand, Selling handmade toys I definitely understand, selling crepe paper santa claus figures, I don't understand.

Part of the fun with the stories is found in picking the women whose husbands clearly disapproved of making money / going into business. Earthworm lady is one, but there are others in there.

anyway I'm back at school and it is madness!!! no air con till the end of summer! who says water retention is a bad thing!!

adios!!

Hey everyone! not all the photos I wanted actually uploaded, but considering most of those where books and more books (I have an interesting post coming up soon re: one book in particular that I found). But first, books! wonderful books!



I also decided to be a sheep in the non fleece way of the word. I got inspired from ysolda and her 'snow white' posts (does anyone else think she looks incredibly vulnerable in the whole snow white thing?)

I don't do vulnerable, I do: governess! This is the best out of a heap I tried to take of my own head. Try it! It's hard!!!



On the other hand I got some awesome fabric from the local craft shop, I'm still not too sure what to make with it, but the map fabric is something else!



Anyway this is all the photo goodness I can wrangle for now. More tomorrow!!!

p.s. Check out this freaky link of Swedish librarians, more disturbing are the comments underneath!!

http://www.viceland.com/int/v13n12/htdocs/fashion_uk.php?country=us

Another quick update!

I've been rather slack in the posting department (well... for me anyway) and I have a heap (6) photos uploading on flickr at the moment. So just so you know.

Went to art gallery, or GOMA in Brisbane. Art overload, and I'm definitely coming back so I can absorb more. Everyone MUST see the Jackie Chan exhibit, nothing short of breathtaking. Its amazing the man didn't die doing all of the stunts he did. Went to the shop and got a heap of yummy things. Will post pics later.

Decided not to make the stashbusting blanket a birthday present. Too much work and the recipient wasn't really aware of that. Not going to make handmade things to people who won't appreciate them. Suits sister, she wants money towards an ipod anyway.


Cross-stitch going really well. Have two bookmarks going at the moment. 'Shit.' and "bugger'. I think I like swearing but am not sure.. can you tell????

Bookfest was the absolute bestest of the bestest ever. I lasted an hour before I was dragging (seriously!) my purchases to the counter. I never would have made it to the cab rank if two lovely strangers hadn't helped me carry stuff. THANK YOU KIND STRANGERS!! Definitely a heap of photos to come on that!

Started the Irish Hiking scarf. Lost a needle in the cab on the way home, the one with the row counter. GRRR. Will rectify and show pics of later.

Adios!!

Welcome to FO heaven...

In this wonderful dream you will see picturesque visions of finished objects, including the worlds (relatively) fastest swap item, the hanging hand towel, completed in about an hour including the button detail. So practical, so cheap, so swapable!!!



Next in this wonderful dream you are playing scrabble with a good family friend, she doesn't merely know scrabble, she rule scrabble, hence Jacque, I will forever be in you debt for putting this 66point baby for me.

That world lying vertically is 'queen' by the way, on a doublw word score. I never knew there were so many rules in scrabble! I mean, I've always, repeat ALWAYS sucked at this game. But cheating shamelessly - is fun :D

Just as this dream is becoming too much for you, the finished tea towel, the awesome scrabble word, you ask the pixie beside you if this really is a dream. Snobby pixies, this little pain says two words:




THE END

Bite me? I will thanks!

In the wake of two failed social occasions, I got some cross stitch done! (does the sheer number of s's in cross stitch bug anyone else??). Well, almost.

Most importantly, grab your molars and say whoa! with this little gem. Sugar fix and what must have been an insane amount of alcohol mixed together in lord of the rings goodness (the comments are almost as entertaining as the blog itself)

I present to you: Bite me... nearly done and would have been more but trying to plot and chart things on the green stuff took forever. I gave up and started anyway.



Given the colour of the green stuff, I'm thinking of doing the 'bite me' in bright orange or a pastel pink, just so there is no chance of missing the wording. Also the number of mistakes I have had to unpick has hampered progress a little. I think will finish this baby in the next day or two. I really need to cast on the irish hiking scarf asap too. Oh and finish the long awaited teddy bear.

Also I used my red scrawl (scarf shawl thing) last night and this baby works a treat! I think it needs to be a little wider to really cover the 'shawl' aspect, but otherwise the mohair is nice and warm.

Will post a pic of the rainbow puke patch on the stashbusting blanket (did I say that last time??) Because despite the whole acrylic-ness of it.. it really does look good.

Also planning to do some kool-aid dyeing to fit in with some project spectrum. Can't wait!!

Only 5 days left till bookfest!!!

Another FO!

I seem to be pumping them out lately! Maybe it's the knowledge that once school starts up again, things will be progressing a LOT more slowly!

Anyway remember about a week or two ago I showed you a sneak peak of my entry of the new craftster knitting challenge?



well I finished it!



My failed attempt at self timer, but it looks artistic!!!

Okay I realised about five minutes ago that this is indeed a librarylass original design, I made it up as I went along. But here goes!

You will need:
15mm needles (not sure what that is in US size)
1 ball of cleckheaton studio (whatever you like, but something light!)

Cast on 24 stitches.
Row 1: *YO k2tog*
Row 2: *YO k2tog*

Do this for about 20 rows or to length desired, this will be at either end of the shawl/scarf (scrawl??). Start garter stitch lace sequence.
Row1 - 6: *Knit
Row 7+9 : *YO, k2tog*
Row 8 + 10: *YO p2tog*

Continue until you are 3/4 towards your desired length. Start original lace sequence till desired length is reached.

If you are anything like me, you'll have trouble getting the hang of the 15mm needles, but then the plus side is you'll still have yarn left over.

I'm not sure how people normally post patterns, but well.... enjoy!



Bit of a long post, but then I guess there is a free pattern in there (note: don't use this pattern to make money yada yada yada)

adios!!

Just a quick update

Just a quick update everyone! Stashbusting blanket is going great guns, although I am now at the stage at the end of the ball that the acrylic wants to fight me by getting lots of knots. I fight knots with scissors. However given that I've used cheap stuff in a colourway I prefer to call 'rainbow vomit' it has provided remarkable meterage! Plus I've been ever so organised and sorted my needles for the express purpose of making needle holders for each size. I never knew I had so many pairs! not including DPNs or circs, I have approximately 72 pairs of needles. Thats a lot of WIP lol.

Anyway I figure I need to post a pic of some description, so here is the package I finally received from the awesome enchanted_wool from craftster!



That pink felted soap smells like lollies. I can't stop sniffing it. Yum.

Boogie all night, party all day!

Hey everyone, hope you are doing well today, I am loving this overcast weather!!

So boogie is all sewn up, just need the ends sewn in.


Voila!!! Although I am inclined to think that the shoulder edges are a bit wide/stickyoutty, that isn't a pattern problem, its a 'clothing doesn't like my dimensions' problem. Other than that I am loving my first ever homemade clothing item!!!! Any ideas on how to fix the sticky outty sleave holes?



I also have my next cross stitch project ready to start. Its the expression 'irony is not dead' from the subversive cross stitch book. How cool is that green stuff? The lady at the craft shop only had that or black. I might go for the black stuff next time. My mum has already claimed this. If this embroidery thing works out, I'll definitely be making more subversive stuff.

And for the people who think they have every pattern / stitch guide they could ever need, I say 'no you don't have everything you need!' Why? Well BOOKFEST is coming to town! Seriously last year I found some AMAZING vintage patterns, not to mention the wackiest macrame books I have ever seen (so I need to return those to lifeline lol) but for $60 you will basically be carrying twice your own weight in books. Its a win-win situation for everyone! Its on for about a week, but the best stuff is there on the first day, so I will see you at 8am on the dot for some bookloving/pattern madness!!! Oh and those green bags are perfect for this!!

adios

I have some FOs!!

Exciting news! Boogie is so close I can almost taste the woolly finishedness of it all, with the side seams (doing them tomorrow) to do and voila!!! Photos tomorrow. Promise.

Also on the FO list, is well technicially not finished, but I have finally finished another strip on the stashbusting blanket! I've also doubled the width of aforemention strip and given the time that it's taking me to make one row, am definitely going up a needle size. On the bright side, even untouched balls on yarn cry and how much little distance they make up on this thing. By the time I've finished this strip I'll be steadily decreasing my stash (Lets hope I can buy some more then!!!)

Photos tomorrow darlings! this is just a short post!!

adios

Agenda me babe

Hey everyone!
I come primed with an agenda today!! I was thinking earlier about what I wanted to write, and then I'd forget the good bits, and so on (early senility? lets hope not!)

Anyway I have a few fun actual craft related things to show up today! First up: Craftster's first ever knitting challenge: One stitch to rule them all. I've started my entry! And what an entry! Lets just say this thing grows at a rate that spaghetti monsters only dream of. Sometimes I even get the stitch pattern right too lol.
Heres a little teaser!



Second item on the agenda: I've joined project spectrum! I'm in the planning stages for the next year, however I suspect I may get creative/desperate and organise some less than perfect photography as well )this is NOT to say that photography is a cheap/lazy art form, just that I am lazy when I do it, not to mention less than artistic. lol) I would appreciate ideas/input regarding colour choice /anything that seems like a good idea at the time. Also, I want a button but am paranoid about not saving to my own server, can anyone help me download buttons? Please?



Finally, I went shopping yesterday (with a mate, sorry Andrew!) and bought a few delicious things, not limited to but including:
Nancy Bush's socks book (I'm beginning to think everyone has that book)
The latest knit.1
and best of all: subversive cross stitch of 'mind your fingers' fame. Seriously, if you love the website, you'll REALLY love the book. I'm definitely going to be making stuff from it, and also using it as a 'reference' book, which means I know I'll be inspired to design a few things from it too. Also I got some fabric which I quite like and I can see going in a few bags. However while I was at lincraft I couldn't find any interfacing. Where do they hide this stuff? All I need is some stiff interfacing (iron on for preference) so I can make my bags super fun. ALSO I scored a commission of sorts, My sister's friend, K. saw my handmade bag (that I love to bits!) and wondered if she could have something similar. I told her to e-mail me and provide the fabric... fingers crossed that this isn't just part of her alcohol soaked imagination (we were all pissed).



Geez I'm talkative tonight aren't I? Well one more question for the masses: What are your experiences with sewing with denim? Of all my ideas sewing with denim is in there, so, what is it like? hard? Will I have to get a stronger sewing needle or what?

A post for Allie

Hey all!

So one of my mates online is feeling a little blue, and being a mate, I thought I'd have a crack at cheering her up, so everyone just so you know...




Also for the magic yarn ball swap she sent me a cross stitch kit, which I might add, has been a lot of fun, and I'm seriously wanting to learn embroidery (on top of everything else!!!). With the added bonus that my local op shop has got pretty much everything I need in that area to last me for the next ten years. Seriously.

Allie, I hope you feel better, and may many furry headbutts come your way!

On other news, boogie is going fabulously, despite a temporary absence thanks to distractions. The only sad thing about boogie is that a recent visit to the doctor's office meant I went a little too enthusiastic on the cable pattern, only to frog bag 5 inches. grrr. On the bright side, I've decreased for the armholes and in a few more inches time will separate for the neck.. after which a bit of obligatory seaming... and I'm done!!! yippie!! Boogie on down!!

Good night my sweet Princes and Princesses, I shan't be back for a few days, dare I say it, I'll be .... SOCIALISING.

p.s. Have you ever seen a real Christmas tree with candles? This photo comes courtesy of my new years celebrations. The family is German, and as such expect to have a real christmas tree and candles on said tree every year. How beautiful!