One World One Heart 2010

A long time ago, before Lisa Swifka began organising the One World One Heart blog event, I was a little girl.  I was a little girl probably about the same time as you were a little girl.  At that time I had imagination and heart.  I could look at an empty paper bag…

and imagine a monster!

Then I could put that paper bag over my head and actually be a monster! (Back then Mother would have said I didn’t need a paper bag to be a monster)

I could throw an old sandy beach towel over a table…

and pretend it was my castle in the air…

…and back then I would have just used the first picture I drew, which was so much better than the sixth!  I would have understood that you brought your imagination into play too, and so my drawing didn’t have to be perfect.  I would have kicked that glass ceiling down, with my princess crown around my ankle –  should I have chosen to wear it that way, on that particular day.

I would have found a pearl in every shell…not just the oysters.

I expect that you were the same.  Were you not?   With this in mind I have decided to jump on board Lisa’s One World One Heart Magic Carpet ride and explore other blogs and lives of other creative people all over the world.  You might like to join me and in the process enter some lovely giveaways.

I will be giving away this handmade embroidered brooch that I have made.

All you have to do to is leave a comment on this post by midnight February 14th 2010.  I will do a random drawing for it at that time and announce the winner on February 15th.  Please make sure that your comment links back to a blog or email address so I can contact you if you win, and don’t forget to visit all the other blogs and giveaways. 

Another Star

I must have been unconscioulsy  Christmassy this season afterall! In December  I started working on the Star Camisole by Mari Lynn Patrick  from Designer Knitting - Spring/Summer 09, (or “Vogue  Knitting” as it published elsewhere).  I put the project down in order to finished my unplanned Christmas knitting and picked it up again in early January. 

 I really liked the way it turned out and the way it fits at the shoulders and back.  The yarn, Moda Vera – linen mode, is lovely against the skin but less than lovely to knit with.  It consists of lots of separate threads that split up very easily.  I still have 3 balls left and I think they may sit there for a while before I can bring myself to knit with it again.  But having said that – the result was worth it.   I liked the pattern too – and it was a pretty easy knit.  For some reason, perhaps because I was distracted by the stresses of Christmas, I did not notice that the yarn was aran weight.  The pattern called for Dk weight and so I did have to do a lot of tweaking to do as the yarn was in no way a comparable subsitute for the one used in the pattern.  I ended up ditching the pattern for the back and just made it up on the fly. 

 I used short rows to shape the back “neckline” and was pleased with the way it turned out.    It was a good knitting confidence booster – I can redesign patterns!  What do you know?!   I really needed a new Summer top – and for 1$ a ball on sale at Spotlight, this was a very thrifty knit.  Oh…it’s a two colour top simply because the yarn was 1$ a ball and there was not enough of one colour left in the sale bins. But I think the two blues work well together.

So Here’s My Problem…well, one of them.

I  sometimes forget how good it feels to do something creative.  I forget that when I’m anxious or upset, an hour spent drawing or making something, getting in the “flow” as it were, is likely to make me feel much better.  When drawing or stitching I feel  much more connected to myself, much more grounded.   But due to my forgetfulness,  I often don’t draw or create anything when I’m in a ”mood”.  Instead I muddle around trying to think of a way to make myself feel better.  When I do eventually  stumble upon the “answer” for the thousandth time, and walk away from a sketching session feeling happy, I then often forget that the picture itself doesn’t have to be perfect.  It doesn’t even have to be good.  It’s enough that it exists, and that I existed in harmony with myself for the time it took to create it. 

 Shortly after New Year’s, I was feeling a little down and directionless, but on this particular day I happened to remember that I might feel better if I drew something.  I took myself off to the beach.  It was a rainy, humid and windy day, but that didn’t matter. I slid back the car seat, perched my sketchbook up against the wheel and drew what was before me.

A cup of  take – away tea balanced on the dashboard and the small “beach scene” behind it.

When I’d  finished I was not displeased with the result and my mind was definitely calmer.  I drove home and showed my picture to DH.  He “saw” the takeaway coffee cup, but missed the whole dashboard and scene beyond.  Somehow that diminished the drawing and the feeling of wholeness upon it’s completion.   In one instant I “forgot” why I’d done this drawing in the first place and began to think that, because I’m not an excellent artist that I shouldn’t create anything at all.

So from this little afternoon’s tale, I think I’ve established my New Year’s philosopy or goal.  

 That is:  to remember that art helps me connect with life and that this is a good enough reason to do it.  

I just thought I’d share this little story in case anyone else can relate.

It’s all over…Christmas knitting, that is.

I had to get any Christmas knitting or crafting for my family done early this year.  We had our “Family Christmas” last saturday as DH and I are heading for the country to stay with his family for Christmas this year.  We swap families year about.

At the begining of last week I had nothing made.  I had not anticipated making anything for anyone as I thought that my darling Sister, the usual recipient of my handmade works of genius, might deserve a break this year.  But the fun started when I brought home a present for my one year old niece, only to realise that it was actually aimed at those who are 2+.  I could have taken it back but I just couldn’t face the toy store again, so I did what any rational crafter would do.  I decided to make her something age appropriate as well. 

I decided to make the Celestine Star.  It looked like an easy and fun knit, and one which could be adapted to any size needle or yarn – as long as you don’t care what size it turns out.  As this was going to be a child’s toy, not a tree topper, I didn’t care one bit.  I chose the yarn I had hand-dyed in a lovely varigated lavendar-purple,  and needles one size smaller than I would normally choose for the yarn (so that the stuffing didn’t peek through), and I began to knit.  I knit with my old metal needles that I found in a St Vinnie’s store.  I love the look of those needles, but they really do hurt my hands.  I’d forgotten that,  had I not found bamboo and wooden needles as quickly as I did, my knitting hobby may have been over after it’s first scarf.  But I didn’t have any double points in the right size. So I continued knitting through the agravation of my carpal tunnel. 

All was going well as I knit and watched the ball of yarn diminish, silently praying that it wouldn’t finish before I did.

I was lucky…

Almost!  I’m calling it a design feature.

On a roll now, I also decided to make my Mum, SIL and Sister a little tree decoration that I could use as a “bow” on their pressies.

My SIL decided she would use hers as a hair decoration and my Mum inadvertently threw hers away with the wrapping paper. (Though she did go through the bin the next day to rescue it)

They were made using the flower shaped clover yo yo maker.  For each one I sewed two “flowers” together with what is meant to be their “right” side facing.  Then I sewed a pearl button in the centre of each side and went back and forth from one button, through the middle of the flower, to the other button and pulled tight.  In this way the decorations puffed out a bit from the middle. Then I sewed on lengths of beads up underneath the petals.  All in all, quite easy.

My final project  I started and finished on our “Christmas Eve”;  a coffee cosy for my brother in some early handspun yarn, knit double thickness so I had some chance of actually getting it finished.

Since I knit it up by feel, not a pattern or even measurements of the coffee pot in sight, I was pretty pleased that the thing actually fit! 

So that’s it…no last minute knitted gifts for my husband’s family….unless….

I wouldn’t give that to Charity!

Ever heard that saying?  Well, this is my first quilt block and I am giving it to charity….despite the fact that I’m still learning to sew a straight line.  I figured that this project, the 65 roses quilt,  would make a good beginer project and I could also share around some of the good luck I’ve recieved in winning the Oz material girls competition.

It’s a simple project and you get to choose what rose you put in the blank square.  I sewed it up at Salihan’s place and must thank her for her tips on cutting, seaming and sewing.  You can see Salihan’s block here – she’s added a crochet rose.

 If I can do it,  anyone can! It’s a square, really, it is!

This should be a Christmas knitting post

A few months ago I did have the thought that I should make some gifts for Christmas.  “It would be thrifty and more personal”,  I reasoned.  How did it happen then, that I have nothing home made to give?   It’s really very simple, I got distracted.

Firstly by the Icarus shawl.  (Even though it’s just a mini Icarus)

Because it seemed absolutely imperative that I knit myself a shawl for the 40 degree days directly ahead of us. I do really like it though. Initially I thought I would dye the white to match the green, but now I like it as is.  I’m not sure if you can see but I knit the last two rows in a similar green so it sort of ties in.  The green is my handspun and hand dyed alpaca, courtesy of Tauret. 

Then I thought that I absolutely must design an embroidered cuff because I’m trying to figure out the best way to attach findings to embroidery so that it can move beyond brooches.   This one uses hooks and eyes – I wonder if somebody makes sterling silver hooks and eyes?

Ever noticed how hard it is to photograph your own hand?  Especially when that hand has rather short,  stubby fingers and,  since you don’t have a digital camera,  you are actually using the camera function on the video recorder.

Ahhh…That’s the one! The cuff uses feather stitch, chain stitch, lazy daisy stich and palestrina stitch for the side seams.  It has little glass beads between each “flower”

The other day I was travelling to Sydney by train and was probably meant to be making some sort of Christmas gift, but I discovered that I had no pockets in which to carry my ipod.  Fortunately I had a crochet hook, some cotton  and some newly aquired crochet skills thanks to my friend and excellent crochet teacher,  Salihan.

So I whipped up an ipod cosy whilst two bemused teenage girls looked on and talked about me while I worked  not one foot away from them.  It seems that crocheting makes one deaf.  Not that they were rude.  It was just quite strange to be talked about in the third person by someone sitting directly opposite me.

Thanks for teaching me to crochet Salihan.

Sometimes things work out and sometimes…not.

I taught for a while.  In writing reports we always tried to adhere to the sandwich method.  i.e start and end with a good comment and sandwich the “needs to improve” comment inbetween them.

I think I’ll use that method today.

First.  I am very happy with how my little embroidered Christmas tree turned out.  I stayed with the beads for this one as they were already on there,  (votes were split evenly between beads or no beads), made another one just like it and sewed it together  to make a stuffed Christmas tree decoration.  I edged it with Palestrina stitch.  I’m a big fan of palestrina stitch for edgings.

Second.  Dyeing? Much room for improvement.  I did try my hardest.  Iwas even consious of using blue and yellow to make green so that I wouldn’t be putting colours next to eachother that would bleed into one another to create a brown.

And yet.

So…maybe it doesn’t look that bad in the skein.

How about in the ball?

 

And…all knit up?

Well..it’s functional and it might be to somebody’s taste.  My DH said it was “unusual”.  I will admit that the cream background does nothing to highlight the colours.

Last. Thank goodness for lovely spinning.  Here’s the red/plumish sari silk and merino that I’ve finished plying up.  I really like this.

 

Seasonal scratchings

I received an early Christmas present.  I entered the drawing at Craft Blog to win a fabric pack from The Oz Material girls and I won!  I feel very fortunate and will try to find just the right project to make the best use of these beautiful fabrics using my novice sewing skills.    I’d like to try a simple patchwork project – I’ve never done that before.   I am so pleased with the fabric and they are all my favourite colours too.

I’ve been working on the chicken scratch stitch again and am relatively happy with this little Christmas tree.

I’m not sure if the beads add or detract from it.

But I think it could make a nice Christmas tree ornament.

Nostalgia

 A few months ago I posted here about making lemon butter from an old handwritten recipe of my grandmother’s.    In the comments Just Gail asked if there was any chance of sharing the recipe.  I think there’s a chance of that…spread the lovely lemon butter around.

Yes, that’s the recipe as written by my Nana.  There was some guesstimating around some of the words.  I think this is what it says:

LEMON CHEESE (or curd, or butter)

Ingredients

2 eggs

8 full tablespoons of sugar 

Juice of two lemons

lump of butter

Method:

Beat eggs and sugar well.  Add lemon juice and a  good lump of butter. Cook on slow heat until boiling, stirring all the time. 

I should let you know that I used far less sugar than Nana did and it still tasted fine.  I think I used about 5 tablespoons. So I’d say…add sugar to taste….

NB: Now some of you you have squinted at the actual hand written recipe will notice that the last word on the second line that begins with the letter  “M”, seems to be an ingredient.  I have no idea what it is so naturally I didn’t include it when I made the lemon butter.   Anyone have any ideas as to what it might be?  Whatever it is, the recipe worked well without it.

Likewise the handwritten recipe states that you should “add lemon juice and good lump of  “f.ing”.  I’ve no idea what Nana meant by this.  I could take a guess…. but I’ve taken it to mean “add lemon juice and a good lump of butter”.  The substitution of butter for “f.ing” worked well.   Fancy that!

I love Lemon butter on toast with a hot cup of tea to wash it down.  I made a cute little tea cosy today, as I was feeling nostalgic. 

…just in case I forget what it’s for.

 

A light cover up for a warm Summer….we hope.

It’s a really cold Spring day in Sydney.  The sky is grey.  The rain is pelting down and I have nothing better to do than finish my Airy Cardigan by Therese Chynoweth from interweave knits  Winter 2004.  I’m happy.

I’m really pleased with the way it turned out.  Particularly because it was really difficult to measure the body and armhole length as I was knitting it – the fabric was so stretchy! 

 I think I like the cardi worn open.  It will be good for cool Summer nights.  It was quite difficult to choose buttons for it.  They needed to be really light so that they wouldn’t weigh the fabric down.  I longed to use vintage glass ones from my Grandmother’s stash.  But alas, though they looked like  raindrops they felt like sinkers.

In the end I went to the local Lincraft today and bought some “not too bad ones”.  I’ll keep looking for some nicer ones though.  The yarn was a christmas gift from my Sister – Annie Blatt fine kid.  I think this pattern is simple enough to handle the variagated colourway.  Big thanks to my Sister.