My Creative Space

I've started crocheting a new blanket Flowers in the Snow. It's so pretty! I'm using an acrylic yarn - Creative Basics Polly 8ply yarn. It just had the nicest colours, and will gorgeous edged in the white.

I'm using the tutorial and instructions on Solvieg's blog (link above), which are really clear. She uses lots of pictures to illustrate each step.

I've also started swatching for Aidez, and will be working on that over the weekend

Check out other creative places here

Tea Time

I always go the craft expos and fairs in Sydney. I always tell myself I will do a talk, class or workshop. I never do.

But I read Amy's (Badskirt) blog post and decided to take her advice. Screen printing is something I've never done, and unlikely to try by myself, it's not like embroidery or knitting, where you don't need many specialized tools to start. I also liked how you could take home a completeted useful object (a tea towel).


Louise Snook was a fantastic teacher, very patient and inspirational. She made some suggestions, like adding the word "tea" to my design.

The most difficult part of the workshop was planning and creating my design. Most of the other people did abstract designs, but I don't think I'm very good at that. The actual screen painting was lots of fun, I'm so glad I joined in. I'll definitely take part in more classes and workshops from now on!

Rainy Long Weekend

It's a long weekend here in Australia, and it's pretty cold and miserable.

Saturday was busy, I headed into the World Wide Knit in Public Day in Sydney, watched Pirates of the Caribbean 4 in 3D, and then we wandered around the city checking out the amazing light sculptures for the Sydney VIVID light festival. Lots of buildings, including the Opera House, have light patterns beamed on to them, it is so cool. The Fire Dance at Campbell Cove was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen, they had fire jets to choreographed to the sound of music. I absolutely loved it!

I finally joined Pinterest and played on that all morning, it's a great way of keeping inspirational pics together, I just need to find more boards to follow. If you're on Pinterest, please let me know in the comments so I can follow you!

Today will be spent doing pleasant things:

Walking: In my gumboots to the library

Eating: Porridge with golden syrup
Knitting: Appalachia hat
Blocking: Lace Ribbon Scarf
Reading: Started Early, Took my Dog
Drinking: Tea

Bobble Blue - FINISHED!

Bobble Blue has been a long time coming. I first fell in love with the pattern when I lived in England in 2006. I had a subscription to Interweave Knits given to me that year, and the picture of the model sitting outside the cafe in her bright blue Bobble Blue tempted me.

On a mini-break over that summer to Pembrokeshire in Wales, I visited an Angora goat farm, Blueberry Angora, which sold yarn direct to the public, and I bought enough for a sweater in a gorgeous maroon colour (called Russet Red). It was so fun to visit the farm, I got to meet the little goats that contributed to my yarn! The yarn was a little scratchy, but fine to knit with and I would mostly wear this knit over a turtle neck or long sleeved top.

I started knitting, and loved doing the cables and bobbles, so much fun to see them pop! Then we traveled for four months and moved to Australia. Bobble Blue was put in the bottom of a box. Finally I had inspiration to finish the last few bits – picking up stitches for the collar, and seaming it together, and blocking. I even bought some buttons, which was the last thing to do. But I wasn’t sure about the buttons, so I didn’t sew them on.

Another move, across town this time, instead of across countries, and I was inspired to finally finish it off. I bought different buttons, and sewed them on. It was done!

It is now a bit too big for me, I’ve lost weight since I first started it, but I I’m still really pleased. It’s not the most flattering garment, but it is so warm and the perfect thing to wear in a Sydney Winter, when it’s not quite cold enough for a coat.

I’ve got one more sweater with a similar story (started in England, complete except for inserting a zipper). Poor Rosedale, it was actually finished, except I sewed the wrong type of zipper into it, so once I unzipped it I couldn’t zip it up again. I have finally bought a new zipper, so that is my goal for next week!

Details

Started: October 2006
Yarn: 6 skeins of Russet Red Aran, 80% Angora, 20% wool, bought August 2006
Pattern:  Bobble Blue, Interweave Knits
Completed knitting : February 2009
Sewed on buttons: May 2011







To check out other finished things, check out Tami Ami's blog!