meanwhile

Just to let you all know that we are still alive and kicking. A little tired, yes, at least on my part, but still here and well.

I wasn't intending to neglect this space for so long. But you know how life happens, and certain things just get put on the back burner.

So what's been happening in the meanwhile? Swimming lessons, soccer, sewing lessons, calf feeding, cow milking, two birthdays (Luca's 11th and Violet's 3rd), a gun license safety course, breastfeeding finished as well as bed sharing done with (yes I still can't quite believe those last 3 things). Plus all the other thousand and one things that you can probably relate to. You know how crazy it gets at this time of year right? All those things that throw you out of your normal routine?

 
I'm afraid I'm so terribly disorganized this year that christmas is going to be a last minute affair. I haven't done christmas shopping, I haven't sent cards out yet and I haven't even put in my christmas ham and pork order. I know, what is the world coming to? But I am optimistically hoping that it will all fall into place with minimum effort (perhaps a little too optimistic!) Please tell me I am not the only one!

While we see the end of daily swimming lessons today, and school finishes up next week, not to mention the extra hours Daniel has been working to wrap up his business for the end of the year, we are hoping that things will go down a notch in the next week or so.

Afterall, it can be easy to get caught up in the whole "getting everything done just right" before christmas, but what really matters is relaxed time together, some good, not necessarily complicated food and a few simple presents. I've let go of the online shopping for christmas this year and I will be shopping locally for presents. In the past I have thought it was the right thing to buy online from ethical companies, and I still believe this can be a good thing. But I have seen local small businesses struggle in our small town, with many closing, and while they may have the general Made in China products for the main part, it somehow feels right this year to be supporting the local shops.

Our christmas tree only went up this week, and although this is usually my domain, and I am sadly a little controlling about how the tree should look, I let Julia take the reigns this year. So yes, our plastic white (that is beginning to yellow) tree is decorated to the hilt this year, complete with tinsel and every decoration that we own, but I'm loving it in all it's tacky glory.

I had grand plans to knit dishcloths for teacher's gifts and gift fillers this year, but the cotton is still sitting there and I don't think I'm going to get that done this year. But you never know. Otherwise I guess it's not too late for a few biscuit batches?

In the world of craft I actually managed to finish a few things of late. Okay, only one actually finished. I have almost finished Luca's cardigan, bar the zipper, so let's hope it still fits come next season. I think it will. I will hopefully get to Ravel it soon enough. The other completed project is another Wiksten tank (the last one I made is blogged here, and I wear it to death), made up with some op shop cotton voile. I love this pattern. It is fairly quick and easy and such a great cut. I added the pocket this time. Certainly quite forgiving on muffin tops.

All three of our bovines are doing well. Bessie's steer calf is perhaps doing a little too well, and at 4 months now we are contemplating weaning him over the holidays. We're getting a little greedy for some more milk, especially since Shirley enjoys her little share every day, mixed with her milk replacer. Speaking of Shirley, she is doing quite well, and at almost 7 weeks now, has settled into our house and our hearts. Who knew cows could be so cuddly? She is still in her straw covered watertank/firewood pen, and she is being taught to lead and be tethered on the grass.

So that's about it. I promise I will try to get to this blog a little more often as I do miss it when I'm away too long.  I hope you are all well and coping with this considerably more busy time of year. If there is one lesson that I am learning myself of christmas this year, it is to let go of unrealistic expectations. Do what you can with what you have (I read that saying recently somewhere, but I can't remember where?) Christmas will still happen.

tea leaves

I've had my (finally finished!) Tea Leaves cardigan sitting in my cupboard, nicely folded, and with a few wearings under it's belt for several weeks now. Goodness knows why it has taken so long to make an appearance on the blog. Perhaps it had something to do with the poor lighting for photos lately or just plain procrastination on my part.

Nevertheless, here it is, almost one year after that bundle of wool arrived at my gate. Apart from a scarf when I first started out knitting, this was the first project that I  had attempted for myself. There is quite a lot more to consider when knitting for oneself. Unlike knitting for children it is a little harder to get away with guessing of the sizing and fit. Kid's knits are much more forgiving in that way. True to usual form I did not do knit a gauge stitch. Although having knitted the Tea Leaves cardigan before, albeit in children's sizes (here and here), I was probably a little ahead of myself. Then there was the time it takes to knit a more substantial piece. Row after row after row. There was a certain comfort in the monotony of it for the most part, and once past the yoke, it seemed to come together quicker than expected. It is the largest project I have tackled to date.

Bendigo's Luxury Yarn (in the Lake shade) was lovely and smooth to knit with, and I would happily use it again. Drapey and warm are two other qualities worth mentioning about the yarn. I managed to match a few ceramic buttons in almost the exact same shade.

I made the smallest size, but it feels a touch big, though I have been told it is fine. I am pretty sure this is not due to my actual size or the pattern, but my tendency to knit pieces rather loosely. Yes, after numerous projects that came out too big, I have finally realised it was my knitting style all along. So smaller needles for me from now on!

Some of you may have noticed that I was wearing my Tea Leaves in my recent holiday photos. In my haste to wear it, I didn't block it and my ordered buttons had not yet arrived. So I sewed on a set of plain buttons and that did quite nicely for a week or so.

Despite it's little mistakes (of which there are a quite a few) and the patience involved, it is warm and comfortable. It reminds me of the possibilities of knitting. That a large project is not so scary afterall. I guess every project comes with it's lessons, and this one had no shortage of those. But the main thing is that I do love to wear it, and I don't think I could ask for more than that for my first adult sized knit.



Ravelry notes here

finding time for crafting

There are times, many times, where I wonder if I will ever have the time, or even the inclination to want to do any kind of crafting again. Projects can sit on the backburner for quite some time while life and all it's daily list of things to do seem to mount up. Between all the daily jobs to do, the dishes to wash, the meals to make and the demands of being a mother, it can be so hard to find even just a little time to set aside. I have gone through many a day planning a crafting hour for the afternoon. Only to discover that other, supposedly more pressing matters end up taking it's place. Things do come up, and days don't often go to plan. So crafting goes by the wayside.

Lately I have begun to revolve my day a little more around the crafting side of things. Funnily enough the other things are still getting done. I think the difference has been to prioritise it just a little a bit more. So I have managed to set aside a half hour here and there to do a little knitting, a half hour to trace and cut out a pattern. It's often not a lot that gets done, but a little everyday (everyday being the key word here) can add up to something substantial over the course of a week. It's not only the crafty achievement at hand here, but the act of doing something just a little creative, and the satisfaction that that brings. It not only feels good to be partway to ticking something off the list, but also to have just that little chunk of time to yourself (which makes toddler napping time a good time to devote to a little crafting, no one to jump on the knitting!).

Days may be busy and time may be tight at times, but I know that I will not magically have that time if I don't find the time for it. It hasn't been easy to change my way of thinking, and moving crafting up in the list of priorities, because there is that old guilt of crafting. It can feel like an indulgent way to spend time. No matter how practical the project may be, I have found it hard to shake that guilt of doing craft when there might be floors needing to be swept or washing to fold.

So I am learning to take Rhonda's (of Down to Earth) advice on viewing sewing and knitting as a part of housework and not a just a hobby. By seeing crafting as a necessity for myself, I no longer feel bound to my old attitude of housework. Craft can most certainly be a daily part of (busy) life.

Do you get crafting guilt too?
How do you find the time?

on a tuesday morning

Hello! It's been a little time, hasn't it? I'm sorry if you came back here last week and there were no new posts past Monday. Last week consisted of winter bugs, an uncharged camera, and getting ready for long weekend family visitors. But I have missed this little space, and regularly updating it, so let us hope that life is a little more blog friendly this week. I think it will be.

Meanwhile I have been working on my Tea Leaves cardigan every chance I get. I made a mistake with the sleeve decreases and had to unravel most of the sleeve. It was not as painful as it sounds. Perhaps I am gaining a little knitting patience. I have a big line up of projects this season, so the sooner this is finished the sooner I can get stuck into those others. A long list can be quite motivational.

It's been pretty freezing here, with white, white frosts and the fire on around the clock. Which probably makes it no surprise that we've got a few sniffly kids, and so it will be an at home day today. It is feeling like not such a bad thing to be sitting here still in my daggy dressing gown and sipping rather than gulping that morning coffee down.

Hoping that you all had a pleasant long weekend.

crafty plans

This past weekend we travelled to our nearest Spotlight store and I had a few enjoyable hours of checking out yarn and fabric rolls and flicking through a few crafty books. Thankfully, both the dress fabric and yarn were on sale. Always a good thing to point out to the patient husband. I felt a little extra organized this time around because I brought a notebook in which I had written down yarn and fabric requirements for the projects I'd like to attempt this winter. Of course it was only a few patterns in the end that I managed to find suitable fabric and yarn for, not the least because I did have a budget to stick to. Not to mention the tired toddler that only wanted to be held by me.

I thought you might like to see what I came back with. First on my list to make now is the Wiksten Tova, and I thought the raspberry plaid cotton would be perfect. The olive paisley cotton poplin I can see being made into a Darling Ranges dress, which should be good for layering. The grey floral with tiny strawberries will likely become a Sunki for Julia. Of course I am only hoping that I will have more time for sewing than I've had lately. My corner of the sewing room has been sadly neglected of late.

As for the yarn, I came home with some lovely Cleckheaton mustard yellow and I am hoping to turn it into a Fisherman's Pullover for Violet. The blue ModaVera will hopefully become a My Honey cardigan for Julia. Goodness, I am going to be busy. That is a lot of yarn.

Do you have any winter crafty plans?

another week

Another week gone, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, it was certainly another busy one. But that seems to be the way of things around here lately. Between school "fun" days to bake for, an out of town cross country carnival, coffee catch ups and the usual grocery shopping, it has continued to be extra busy all week. As much as I am the sort that doesn't like rushing around too much, at least it is a good type of busy, which at the end of the day is the main thing. As I contemplate on the weekend ahead (yes, another busy one!), I'm hoping that you yourselves will have a pleasant weekend also.

And here's hoping that next week will be just a little bit quieter.

life and knitting

Somehow, here and there, between the many days out last week, the temporary single parenting and then the virus going around that had me in bed most of Sunday, I managed to find a little time to squeeze some knitting in. It seems I cannot put my mind to sewing when life is a little bumpy, but I can somehow manage to squeeze in a little time for knitting. My Tea Leaves cardigan, though started last year and then abandoned at the start of the warmer weather, is coming along slowly. I even justified buying another basket at the op shop just for this project. (Where do they all go?) Proof that you can never have too many baskets. I am enjoying the predictable stockinette stage of this project, and not really having to think about it for now. Knitting can be a soothing constant in life, kind of like hitting that pause or re-set button in amongst the daily chaos.

Because I am easily distracted I am also thinking of starting a cowl, and I was rather struck with this one. The cold weather has me reaching for scarves daily, and I'm getting a little tired of the two that I always wear. By now I think everyone in town must be able to identify my red floral scarf (which is not particularly warm anyway). I haven't bought any new yarn this season, as I'm trying to use up what is in the stash, staying away from those tempting websites with richly coloured yarns.

Most projects to date have been for the kids, but this season will hopefully see me adding a few things to my own wardrobe. Perhaps a scarf, a cowl and a hat. Just a few simple, but practical items. If I can manage to make them from the stash so much the better, but easier said than done.

What knitting plans do you have for this season?
Are you going to or are you already making something for yourself?
Do you have a favourite scarf, cowl or hat pattern?

Analu

While looking up my Ravelry notes for Violet's Analu, I realized that I had started this project way back in January. (Isn't this year just flying by?) I'd even made a few things in between. I can't really recall the delay, only guessing that with my printer being out of order I had had to hand write the instructions as I reached each stage. But not to worry, we got there in the end, and Violet has a snuggly little short sleeved cardi for Autumn.

Our Analu only has three buttons. I would like to say it was a conscious choice to not button up the whole way, but I actually forgot to add the buttonholes after the third one. So instead of unravelling, I just went with it. The bottom ribbing is also a little shorter because I had completely used up my two balls of wool. But really, I was just happy that it did stretch as far as it did. Such is often the story when you are using stashed yarn, and I've had this colour sitting there for quite some time.

I rather liked this pattern, and I'm thinking a bigger version for Julia might be on the cards. Some of you might like to know that it also comes in an adult size. Size wise it knitted up a little big, but I think this was because of my looser knitting style and not due to the pattern. I used circular needles for mine and apart from the many stitches on hold, and quite a few increases, it was a pretty easy project. Just the thing for curling up on the lounge at night once the kids were in bed, watching Downton Abbey or Parenthood, to name a few, which was pretty much the only time that I had to knit. My favourite way to multi-task.

Have you been knitting lately?
Any interesting patterns that you've discovered?
(I always love to hear your recommendations)


Ravelry details here

works in progress

I used to only tackle the projects I could start and finish in one day. I guess I had a kind of fear, that once tossed into the sewing basket, the said project would be forgotten and abandoned. Destined to sit in the unfinished pile forever. That was, until I started knitting. It is a very rare project that will only take a day or two, as most require a more dedicated commitment. You are in it for the long haul. Sometimes a week, sometimes months and occasionally years (!). But each and every time you pick that project up you are taking it one step closer to being finished. Slowly, slowly, as my mother in law likes to say.

And so I don't feel the need to rush those sewing projects anymore either. I know that I will most likely come back to a project, even if the time isn't right for many days or weeks. All in good time.

So I thought you might like a peek at what I'm working on right now, or, rather, what is cluttering up the spare room so I can't even think about starting a new project.

I started this quilt for Julia way back here, and progress has been very, very slow. Being a beginner quilter, I have following the steps closely from Practical Guide to Patchwork, which has many beautiful quilts to make. I chose the Valentine quilt. Unfortunately I made the mistake of forgetting that the middle piece had to be a neutral fabric to highlight the different colour groups of the squares. So this square has to go. The method used is to sew onto a square of paper cut to size, both for stability and easy cutting. You simply tear it off after cutting. I will keep you posted on the (slow) progress.

Secondly, is a collection of shopping bags that I have only drawn up a pattern for at this stage. I swear there is a void in this house that sucks up green bags, because I always seem to lose them. The pattern is based upon, you guessed it, the dimensions of the beautiful (not) green bag. I am hoping to use a sturdy outer fabric and line it with sheeting.

Third and final project on the list is the knitted Analu for Violet. Being up to the sleeves (I am making the short sleeved version), it is a little hard to just pick up where you left off. Lot's of casting off at this stage and leaving stitches on whatever I happen to have handy at the time (nappy pins!). I really must sit down today and get past this stage.

I also wanted to say thank you everyone for your lovely, encouraging words on this post, which has happily forced me to pull these projects out of temporary hiding.



So what are you working on right now?
Any long term projects or stuck in the works projects?
Or are you a short term project person?

knitted : family hats

Of course one of the best things about holidays is that bit of extra time you have to get stuck into a new knitting project. Well, for me it is anyway. All that driving, all that sitting around campfires and in tents, well, it is quite conducive to a little knitting. Nothing too hard of course, as it is a case of the easier the better when you are constantly moving a project around.

Literally minutes before leaving I put a little knitting bag together. A little zippered case full of essential knitting bits and pieces, yarn, needles and a book I'd had for quite some time, More Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

Knitting in Daniel's hat to cover up that "camping hair"

I chose the Family Ribbed Hats pattern because we seemed to be quite short on beanies for the coming Winter. I find it is far easier to justify knitting time spent on a need rather than a want. And I had quite a bit of fun knitting up this first beanie for Violet. The pattern was straightforward despite the fact that it was my first hat "in the round". Most of the pattern involved a circular needle, and then changing at the very end to double pointed needles.

I like to think that there is a whiff of campfires, dusty roads and the scent of fresh alpine air, as well as the wild brumbies we saw, all wrapped up into this little hat.

The yarn was a beautiful cashmere blend I had won in a giveaway from Flowerpress, and originally from the ZigoZago store. It was wonderful to work with, and I love the way the rich colours knitted up.

I was so happy with this little project that I started another as soon as I got home. This time I used some alpaca yarn leftover from this project. Julia claimed this one for herself, and who am I to argue when someone actually wants my knitting?  Knitting can be a thankless craft at times, but not always.

 


So two family hats down, and I suspect there just might be a few more to come.


Ravelry details here.