Our New Baby, a Catch Up & more Babies!

Ruby joined our family a few months ago & from day 1 she just fitted it. She turned 1 in December so is just a baby. She & Molly have become great mates & Zaphod, our cat, is not averse to having his face licked by Ruby. Mum loves Ruby & jokes she will take her home with her one day.

Life is very busy at the moment as we are flat out getting our house ready to put on the market. It was quite unexpected, we'd planned to move this year, but had then decided against it, so we'd spent a lot of time setting this house up to suit our needs. Although it's a 5 bedroom house, we only had 2 bedrooms being used as bedrooms, with the others a study, craftroom & loungeroom. A little unconventional, so now we are juggling furniture around to make it more marketable, & of course finishing off everything we had started over the years. Mum moved down to Melbourne from the Central Coast (NSW), at the end of January, & needs a bit of help with things these days, so we are moving to be closer to her, the fact that she lives in one of our favourite places, is an added bonus. 😊

More new babies, my daughters alpacas have been busy. The latest additions are Joy & Cocoa. I've joked that if Cocoa has a son one day she'll have to call it son of Cocoa. (ref. The Castle).

My latest finish, a shawl, a birthday gift for a dear friend. It's a virus shawl, I've made 5 of them now, they are very addictive!

Life has been changing over the past few months, with our youngest now living in the city Monday to Friday, to be close to his new job. Although he comes home weekends, he has a busy social life, so we might not see much of him over the weekend. I guess it's a gentle way of getting used to being empty nesters, something I've been dreading for many years. Nothing makes me happier than having my kids under my roof, if only for a visit. Our new house will be a huge change, but I'm looking forward to making it our own, & taking part in local activities. Luckily I already have several good friends in the area who I hope will be popping around regularly for a cuppa.

Although I have a lot of wips, I'm concentrating on yet another corner 2 corner blanket, I love making them. I'm using Caron Cakes for this one, I've bought 10 different balls, very colourful. I'm on the 5th ball & I'm making it to fit a queen size bed, I'm thinking I may need to get a couple more balls to make it big enough. The beauty of a c2c is that you work out the size as you go along, rather than having to preplan.

Some Bits & Bobs I've Been Making Part 1

I have been doing quite a bit of crocheting lately & here are some of the things I've made.

I was very excited with the news that my high school bestie Wendy's daughter was expecting her first child. I couldn't miss an opportunity to make something, so I asked if she would prefer pastels or brights. Pastels please! & she sent a pick of a beautiful ripple blanket in these exact colours. I did plan on making the ripple rug, & I did start it, but for some reason I just kept losing the plot with the pattern so in the end I threw in the towel & decided to go with a simple corner to corner rug. I felt it was probably the best option if the rug was to be finished this decade! Sometimes my brain just doesn't co-operate & this was one of those times. I used Patons 4 ply pure Merino wool, I'm old fashioned & like to use natural fibres for babies. It was lovely & soft & drapes beautifully.

I found a few odd granny squares I'd made & realised they'd make a great base for a vintage basket I take to my craft group. I joined them up added a border & voila!

An infinity scarf crocheted with a pretty variegated yarn.

'Betty' the Yarndale mascot & she couldn't have a better name. My Mum is Betty, & she taught me to knit & sew so I just loved it when I first saw Betty on Lucy's blog. 

Here is the link to Betty & the pattern to crochet her:

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/woolly-sheep.html

Lucy's seaside bag, I really am a Lucy groupie aren't I?

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/weekend-bag.html

The bag above I made in Spotlight's Marvel 12 ply yarn & it worked well. 

The bag below is made using the yarn supplied in the kit from Wool Warehouse. It is a fabulous bag, just the right size, I use mine a lot & plan to make a few more in different colours.

A scarf I made for Emma, I forgot to take a pic after I finished blocking it. Doh!

I crocheted up a bunch of flowers & decorated a pair of IKEA scuffs, & an IKEA cushion cover with them. These were a birthday gift for a dear friend.

This is where i found the pattern : 

http://sillyoldsuitcase.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/diy-crochet-mini-flower-garland-in.html

 I love making & using pure cotton facecloths. 

I use Mornington yarn & do a simple corner to corner (C2C) pattern. 

A phone cover I whipped up for a friend. She loves pink!

A cowl I made for Emma.

A heart brooch for a friend.

Loving the beautiful hearts that popped up on Lucy's page for Yarndale this year.

Slouch beanies I make for my vintage stall Carry On Vintage at 1546 Vintage in Tyabb.

Yummy Hand Knitted Socks!!!

Like a lot of people I caught the sock making bug. I never actually thought I'd be able to make a sock but with a little help from my friends, a wonderful pattern & tutorial from Winwick Mum, & a teeny tiny circular needle I did it, quite a few times in fact! They are super comfy & very warm.

Knitting socks had always been on my to-do list so I was glad when the opportunity came along. I find most things just fall into place along the way. My Mum knitted socks for the soldiers during WW2. She was still at school at the time, & she & her friends, would go the home of a lovely local lady in Goulburn to make socks, & also camouflage nets. 

My great aunts used to knit beautiful wool socks for my Dad, they lasted for many years, & Mum would darn them whenever necessary, the socks not my great aunts lol. Though they did also last for many years, the last of the four sisters who shared a home, passed away aged 103. Aunty Lal was such a character she was by far the worst driver I've ever been in a car with, but somehow we all survived. She went through life calling everybody 'Love' as I'm not sure she actually remembered anyone's name. She was always a lot of fun & all her great nieces & nephews loved her. Ah getting a little nostalgic, back on track...

If you'd like to have a go at knitting socks here is the link to get you started. 

http://www.winwickmum.co.uk/p/sockalong.html

Grab a friend who is also keen as it's fun to sockalong together & help each other if necessary. There is also a facebook page where you can chat to other sock makers & get heaps of help & advice if needed.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/642084589269882/?ref=br_rs

I found that sock yarn is a bit addictive & I have quite a nice stash of it. 

These beautiful hanks were bought from a local lady who dyes the most exquisite colours.

Pauline has a facebook page, Wild at Heart Yarns, so you can check them out for yourself. (No affils. just a happy customer).

https://www.facebook.com/Wild-at-Heart-Yarns-1079763735419431/

My 1st pair!

These 2 pairs of self-striping yarn, very clever & fun to work with, are made from Spotlight's Not Just Socks 4 ply yarn. 

https://www.spotlightstores.com/craft-hobbies/yarn-needle-art/yarn/wool-blends/moda-vera-not-just-socks-yarn/p/BP80314899

I'ts not always in stock, & the colours change frequently, worth keeping an eye out for as it it is nice to work with, & is suitable for any project requiring 4 ply yarn. 

It's especially good when it's on sale, that's when I grab a ball or 2. :-)

Hydrangeas & Alpacas - does it get any better!

I have no idea why, but as a kid I really didn't like hydrangeas. Now I love them! 

I snapped these pics at my daughter Emma's farm, the colours are just amazing. Knowing how much I love hydrangeas (now) she bought me the hydrangea kit put together by my fave crafter Lucy of Attic 24. I haven't started it yet, but I have made the Moorland blanket & it's been toasty warm through a very cold Melbourne winter. I'll share pics of it soon.

One of the highlights of visiting Emma's is catching up with her beautiful alpacas. 

She has 8 now with several babies due later this year. 

Here I am with Leydan, he is such a sweetie.

You can't beat nature for incredible colours.