Kat in Space

Staying Cool on a Hot Hot Day

2012-01-28T02:48:00.000-08:00

Environmentalists please look away. I know that this is a waste of water but it was so hot! It was so much fun!!! It reminded me of the fantastic days of home made slip and slides and running under the sprinkler for hours. Beautiful hot summer days, where it was so exciting when your friends Mum came out of the house with a tray full of cut up watermelon when you were exhausted from making wirlpools in the above ground pool.

DIY Washing Powder Review

2012-01-28T01:32:00.001-08:00

In my earlier post I said that I was going to try using the DIY Washing Powder for awhile. The recipe is from the Debt Free Cashed Up and Laughing blog and I thought I would let you know how it's going. The washing powder is a success, it's saving us about $13 a fortnight but you know every cent counts when you have to tighten your belt. The washing powder does leave behind particularly bad tomato stains and you might have to use a little elbow grease and some soap for those, but everything else comes out a treat.

If you're looking for the ingredients they are readily available at my local grocery store. The borax is in the cleaning section on the bottom shelf and the washing soda is in the laundry section.

I also made and trialled the dishwashing machine powder and it was CRAP! You heard it here :)

Australia Day Makes Me Sad

2012-01-27T01:15:00.000-08:00

I feel too guilty about the sadness suffered by the indigenous people of Australia to be able to celebrate the happiness that I feel about being an Australian on Australia Day. This seems like a sad state of affairs. Not to mention that Australia Day has been taken over by feral redneck nationalist inbred scum as some kind of rallying point for pointless racism and cruelty. It gives me the worst type of cultural cringe.

Australia Day is held on January 26th which commemorates the arrival of the first fleet. The percentage of Australians that have a link to the First Fleet is minimal. At the time of the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 census 23.8% of Australian citizens were born overseas. Then there is the 2.5% of Australians who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI), for which the day that Cook landed in Botany Bay is hardly something to be celebrated as it commenced an era of illness, removal from land, violence and death.

My neighbour who is Aboriginal said to me on the morning of Australia day, when he was lending me his whipper snipper that he 'only became an Australian in '67' which is the year that Australians resoundingly voted to include Aboriginal people in the census. He was very quiet and subdued. I want my fellow Australians regardless of race to be able to be happy and celebrate what a great country we live in. At the very least I think we could move Australia Day, move it to another day where we could all rejoice about the country which we are sharing regardless of improvements that we could make and leave January 26th as a day of remembrance or a day for reconciliation where we acknowledge the wrong done and being done to our indigenous population

If you take ethnicity out of the picture and you just paid attention to the statistics of the huge gap between ATSI Australians and the rest of the Australian population I'm sure that there would be much more of an outcry about the situation. Indigenous Australians die much younger than the rest of us, infant mortality is much higher and they constitute a disproportionate amount of those in jail... Elizabeth McKenzie Hatton wrote "The position of the remnant of the original owners of this land... is a blot on State and Church alike. The fact that certain aborigines are camped under petrol tins and without certain knowledge of where their next meal is coming from is a reflection of our boastful civilisation. We may claim that we are not responsible for the actions of the original British invaders who violated their homes, shot, poisoned, burned and mutilated the natives; but we can not claim immunity from the conditions existing at the present time, and what should not be tolerated for one moment longer than it will take to rectify matters." Those words were written in 1926!!!! but they could have been written yesterday for the relevance that they have to our current position.

I hope that in my lifetime I find it possible to celebrate Australia Day again because I love my country and I want to be proud of it.

P.S. I sent a more concise version of this to Julia Gillard :) and I think that the attack on her person on Australia Day was really reprehensible and didn't achieve anything for the cause.

Our Happy Rainbow Christmas

2012-01-14T00:34:00.000-08:00

We had a beautiful bright Christmas full of happiness. Our house was full of friends and family which is a recipe for joy. Matt and I got matching tie dyed shirts from our neices which I LOVE LOVE LOVE and I will be wearing on high rotation. We spent the New Year with many friends under the giant oak tree in our backyard, with candles hanging from the branches. It was magical. I send my best wishes for your friends and families to have a fantastic 2012 full of all the good things and none of the bad things.

Christmas is 'spensive!

2011-12-20T00:10:00.001-08:00

So Christmas is expensive and Matt and I are poor :) the point is that we have no where near the income that we did BC (before child) and we don't care because our life is so much richer and happier with her in it. So to be able to afford presents, pay bills, eat etc we have to cut back on other costs. I'm trialling some make your own washing powder that I got the recipe for on the Debt Free, Cashed Up and Laughing blog. Two dollars makes enough washing powder for 90 washes and it works, so they say. All the ingredients were available in my local Coles and I've used it on two loads so far. I think that it may have deglittered one of Lucy's tshirts so it really does seriously clean but it's probably not a good idea for your delicates. I used it on a load of poopy washers that we used to wipe Lucy's bum and they came out crystal clean and smelling delicately like soap with no poopy overtones (yes I sniffed them, so what :) it's a scientific test). They also have a recipe for dishwashing powder which I might try if this continues to go well. So check it out if you're interested in tightening your financial belt to make your pay go further.

Epicly Cute

2011-12-18T00:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas Conundrum

2011-12-15T01:34:00.001-08:00

**This post is rated C for Controversial if you are very religious feel free to read on but I won't be held responsible for any offence taken. **

It's that time of year and this time Matt and I are sharing the season with our little light Lucia. She was here last Christmas but she was only 3.5 months old and I don't remember Christmas (sleep deprived and first time parent addled) and I'm pretty sure she doesn't. This year we have to decide how we start to talk to Lucy about Christmas. As athiests (Matthew born and bred and myself an avid convert ;)) I don't really want to peddle the 'Jesus is the Reason for the Season' vibe that I was brought up with. I don't even really like the Santa hoo-ha, why do we raise our kids lying through the teeth to them about all these supernatural beings that bring shit, why don't we just say 'hey here's some money for losing a tooth, what an awesome milestone'. However I love the pomp and circumstance that goes with Christmas, the foods, the decos and the presents. I like the smoke and mirrors, the ambience, the tradition, just like I enjoy eating sushi because I like mixing the wasabi into the soy sauce and nibbling pickled ginger and I still have a warm place in my heart for choirs singing sacred music. Just because I believe that Christmas is about some imaginary dude doesn't mean that I can't appreciate it's beauty. I don't want Lucy to miss out on something that other kids are experiencing and I don't want her to destroy anyone elses Christmas dream either! So where lies the middle ground. Not the biggest problem facing the world today I know but still one that I think about a lot at this time of year. However... there are presents under the tree from Santa this year and I guess we have a couple more years to iron it out before we have to decide one way or another. Any suggestions would be considered with due respect.

Until then, check out my freaking delicous Christmas fruit cake liberally doused with Cointreau which I got from a magazine that was lying around at work and our first real live Christmas tree which we got a bit discounted because it was a bit spesh (more round than Christmas tree shape) but I wanted to bring it home and give it some love because Matt and I like to embrace the slightly outside the square things in life.

Summer Fruit is here!

2011-12-04T01:55:00.001-08:00

Lucy is digging her first cherries and has also recently been devouring cheap mangoes, watermelon, nectarines, blackberries and peaches. Yay for summer!

Alowyn Gardens

2011-11-14T17:49:00.000-08:00

If you are venturing out to the Yarra Valley for a day then don't just go to the wineries make a detour to see the beautiful Alowyn Gardens near Yarra Glen. Even as locals it has taken us a LONG time to get to these gardens but they were worth the wait. The garden is seperated into different garden 'rooms' with the ubiquitous parterre garden, some foresty areas, great little windy paths that lead to sculpture and water features. Matt and I are always particularly interested in food gardens and Alowyn has a beautifully designed kitchen garden with avenues of apples, crabapples, quinces and what not. In the picture above Matt and Lucy are framed by the wisteria and rose covered arbor. A great place to go for a nice walk to burn off the winery indulgences.

Tesselaar Tulip Festival

2011-10-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the tulip festival on the penultimate day. The tulips were a bit blown but some were still at their peak and even fully open they're stunning planted on mass. It's beautiful to see these wonderful flowers in the ground doing their thing rather than as cut flowers. There were amazing collections of other flowers too, irrisistable were the poppies... Lucy found them a little too irrisitable as well as I parked her a little too close for this photo and she nabbed one.

We missed going on the weekend when it was family day, but having the place to ourselves held it's own charm and there was still a cute puppy bounding around, to Lucy's amusement and some stunt alpacas and a couple of alpaca breeders there to chat to about fleece and yarn.

There was awesome muzak duo (double bass/piano) playing for our amusement and they busted out into a bit of Wiggles and Bananas in Pyjamas for Lucy although she's not quite old enough to appreciate that they were for her and she was a little more interested in the jazz numbers they played before and after (and the ABBA too).

We brought some Peonies and Tuber Roses to start our own cottage garden so wish us luck.

Bubba Updates

2011-09-21T04:39:00.000-07:00

First hair do by Mum

Good times at the park!

Three Generations

2011-09-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

DIY Fingerpaints

2011-08-21T00:53:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for some non toxic kid friendly finger paints around the traps and hadn't come across any when I saw this post on Easie Peasie for DIY fingerpaints. I had some cornstarch talc lying around that we got when Lucy was newborn but never used on her and the other ingredients are salt, sugar, food colouring and water. I have great food colours thanks to dyeing wool with the Ravlery Rocketeers. My friend Char from the Sunrisesister blog gets them from a local indian grocery and they come in brilliant sized bottles for not too expensive a price.

So we cooked it up and it was great, it's quite thick when it cools and I don't think that you would use it if you wanted to keep the paintings forever but for sheer fun and frivolity and some tactile learning I give it the big thumbs up and it's totally edible because lets face it, one year olds put EVERYTHING in their mouths.

If you wanted to go really au natural for your little bubba I did find a link for some Australian made natural food colours which I'll be trying out (they also make 100's and 1000's).

Almost one year?

2011-08-06T02:45:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that it's been almost one year since our little girl was born. She is without a doubt the best thing that Matt and I have ever created. We are gearing up for her first birthday party, which people have been 'pooh poohing' saying that she won't remember it so we shouldn't make a fuss, but we want to make a GIANT fuss of the fact that our lives have changed for the better and that we god damn survived the first year without screwing things up too badly.

So bring on the GIANT birthday and three cheers for not screwing up :)

Our Light Lucia

2011-07-17T02:44:00.000-07:00

Babyproofing

2011-07-17T02:39:00.000-07:00

Lucia is on the move, she is doing a weird scoot crawl hybrid with one leg out to the side but it doesn't stop her from getting into trouble if I turn my back for too long. So today Matt and I babyproofed. The house is latched and gated, for her safety and our sanity. She doesn't mind at all.

Cooking: Orangey Sultana Friands

2011-07-17T02:26:00.000-07:00

I'm sensing a theme here with my Orangey Sultana Friands (they're only friands because I baked them in my friand pan rather than a muffin pan)... everything I bake seems to have orange in it and now Matt is even getting in on the action because he's cooking Spiced Orange Chicken tonight.

Anyway these muffins are delicious and they're adapted from this generic muffin recipe and they are simple, light and delicious.

Orangey Sultana Friands
Makes 12 large friands

Ingredients

250g (2 cups) self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
155g (2/3rds cup) caster sugar
1 egg
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
125ml (1/2 cup) orange juice
zest of 2 small oranges
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup sultanas

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 C
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl
3. Spoon the mixture between 12, well greased friand pans (or muffins whatever)
4. Bake for 25-30 mins or until golden brown and firm to touch
5. Nom them all with a cup of tea or for your lunchbox.

mmmmm frothy

2011-07-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

Lucy had her first bubbacino and check out this look of absolute delight...

We were at Mocha and Lime in Healesville, which is an amazing cafe I heartily endorse it if you want somewhere to eat when visiting. They buy the best produce, free range eggs and bacon, so you can eat without feeling bad for the animals. They have free wifi and a fireplace. Last weekend was market weekend and it was flat out and they had a band (TK and Rose) who were cheerful bedreaded guitarist/ukeleleists. When they first got up I thought we would have to leave because it would be too loud for Lucy, but they weren't and she LOVED it. Banging her spoon on the table in time with the music. So I'm keen to seek out more live music for her to enjoy.

Reading with Grandpa Fred

2011-06-12T21:51:00.000-07:00

Lucia takes her reading seriously!

BiscuitWars: Rock Cakes

2011-06-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

I adapted this biscuit from the ABC Tasmania website. I have found that with old fashioned biscuits that it's a great place to get a recipe from some nice old lady who has actually made it and not just stolen it from some other website.

This biscuit is light and fluffy, almost cakey (hence it's name) and a delicious tea time treat. I found them a little bit crumbly even the batch that I baked for too long was still good. The sultanas are moreish and I added extra to make the biscuits really fruity.

Rock Cakes

Ingredients
125g butter
250g self-raising flour
125g sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice or whatever you fancy)
zest of 1 orange
1 1/4 cup sultanas
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tblsp milk

Method
Preheat oven to 170 C

Rub butter into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs

Add the sugar, sultana, salt, spices and zest and mix through

Make a well in the centre and add the egg and milk and mix witha metal implement

Place heaped dessertspoonfuls of the mixture in lumps on greased trays, allowing a little room for spreading.

Bake for 15 mins, until the cakes are lightly browned (may take longer in your oven).

Remove from trays, allow to cool and then eat them all with a nice cup of tea.

Makes about 18 biscuits.

The ultimate biscuit

2011-06-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

I'm on a mission, a mission from the FSM to find my ultimate biscuit, one that I can whip up whenever I feel the need. A biscuit that fulfils that need to have something with your cup of tea in the afternoon, that keeps well in the cupboard. I haven't make the same biscuit once this year because I keep trying recipes and none of them are quiiiiiiiite right. I feel like the goldilocks of biscuits.

Do you have a favourite biscuit recipe, point me in the right direction.

I like driving in my car, it's not quite a jaguar.

2011-05-29T02:42:00.000-07:00

We borrowed this awesome car toy from Ruby! I can tell that it is going to be a blessing when I need to duck into the loo or want ten minutes of handsfree time to make dinner when Lucy is getting tired. Tonight after practically no sleep all day she played in it so happily.

Mother's Day

2011-05-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

For my first Mother's Day I got the best present EVER. A sleep in :) and then Matt made me my favourite breakfast of fried ham and eggs (usually saved for Christmas morning). Lucia is very sleepy today which I think is a combination of the weather (it's turned very cold) and fighting off a dreaded lurgy. I look forward to many Mother's Days of burnt breakfasts, early morning snuggles and crappy gifts from the school mother's day stall, because you can never have too many porcelain heart shaped containers with bad rose transfers on the top.

Gaming it's srs bizness, srsly.

2011-05-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

Got to start em early to get a gaming prodigy :)

Cooking: Spiced Orange and Beetroot Relish

2011-05-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

Matt and I made a delicious beetroot relish.... the recipe was this one. The only adaption made was we added a teaspoon of salt.

Our community supported agriculture co-op are producing a LOT of beetroots this year, we've had two or three beetroots every week for the last 3 months and that is a lot of beetroots sitting in the fridge. We've made sliced pickled beetroot and beetroot slaw (grated carrot, cheddar and raw beetroot with aged balsamic and unfiltered fruity olive oil YUM).

When we make it next year we might put a bit more spice in (double the amounts listed) but it's sweet earthy sourness (don't I sound like Nigella) is the perfect foil for rich game or salty meats (we had it with some free range ham and it was obscenely good).

Bam Bam :)

2011-05-02T18:04:00.001-07:00

Knitting: Armando

2011-03-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

This hat is SO fast to knit and it shows up a handpainted varigated yarn so beautifully. It was simple enough to memorise and be able to knit and watch TV and complicated enough not to bore the beejeebus out of you.

It is not however the most masculine design and only a fashion forward gentleman would wear it out and about. After I completed it Matt said that the pattern was a bit fussy :) but anything other than stockingette or plain 2 by 2 ribbing would be fussy as far as he was concerned. Since it's a match for his gaming gloves that I knitted earlier in the month I don't mind it can stay on his computer desk. Since we're coming into winter he's going to need it for those late night killing sprees.

This is the pattern designed by Gina House (Sleepy Eyes Knits). There's a more feminine version called the Amanda as well which I will for sure knit for myself (I may even pinch the Armando occaisionally) and it's knit in Cascade 220 Handpaints.

OTTO = style and substance (my favourite kind of substance)

2011-03-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander Winery in town to see the OTTO espresso machine being demonstrated.

This machine is no doubt the sexiest stovetop coffee machine on the market and it's SMALL so I will get back a whole lotta bench space when I gleefully throw our sunbeam cafe series coffee machine out a window (trust me after 5 or more years of service that machine is DEAD).

Craig, who was demoing, is proud of his machine and rightly so it makes tasty unctuous espresso like coffee and it's made from high quality materials that will last a lot longer than our last machine did. This is one time that you should listen to the old adage that you get what you pay for (which also holds true for haircare products and shoes).

I know that you might look at this and think it's a bit wanky and expensive, and for sure there will be some people out there who are wanky and will buy it for it's looks rather than it's functionality but you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover this little machine isn't all style and no substance, it makes damn fine coffee! and it's small enough to take camping :)

Winter Baby

2011-03-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to the second Ravelry Rocketeers Stitch and Bitch at The Basin Community Centre there was a good turn out of 20 or so adults and 10 kids and the place was a frenzy of chatting, stitching and socialising. So good!

Afterwards I dropped in at Hand Me Downs which is a well organised, second hand baby stuff retailer in The Basin and brought Lucia some winter duds (see photo for cuteness) and picked up the CUTEST ugg boots for her.

Lucy Lu

2011-03-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

So Lucy Lu and I have had a great long weekend together.

We've cat patted, shopped, danced and sung. On Sunday we went to Lilydale Lake with Matt and hung out in the sun soaking up those precious warms which are promising to dissapear soon.

She's making a bunch of new sounds Ds, THs and Ss and Matt is getting very excited because sometimes it really sounds like she's going to bust out a Dadda.

(Just hanging out on the couch sitting up all by myself)

(Doing the grocery shopping)

Happy Birthday Matt

2011-03-08T18:22:00.000-08:00

Today is Matt's Birthday and I made him chocolate sugar cookies with peppermint icing and laid them out on the table to surprise him :) I used this cookie recipe and added 35grams of cocoa powder to make them chocolatey.

Under the Oak Tree

2011-03-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

We've been sick with a cold but the weather has been mild so Lucia and I have been hanging outside under the oak tree again taking pictures of ourselves.

Cooking: Old School Recipes

2011-03-06T19:35:00.001-08:00

I know that there has been a back to basics movement and people are seeking out classic recipes and I'm happy to tag along on that train. So I have this cook book that I remember using for pikelet recipes when I was about 9 years old and it's one of those fundraiser stylie cookbooks from the Yallambee Activity Centre in Deniliquin (near where my Aunty Colleen and Uncle Mike live).

I used to love makeing pikelets and one afternoon after school around about grade 5 I invited back some of the cool girls from school to my place. Mum wasn't home and I thought it would be a great idea to make pikelets. It must have been halloween or st pats day because we made them green. So I'm cooking away and being a smartarse and I say to one of the girls 'You have to put the handle of the pan in because it's dangerous when it sticks out, a little kid might grab it' and I smack the handle of the frypan and it spins around and collects this giant bowl of green pikelet mixture and flings it across the kitchen and we dissolve into fits of panicked laughter. At that exact moment my Mum walked in and I remember knowing that I was in the shit, probably not for making a mess because my Mum loved me being creative, but for cooking when she wasn't home (which was dangerous).

So enough of my tangenting. The point of my post is that I made these Orange Cookies. They're very tasty, although not quite orangey enough for my liking and they're very light, almost cakey. The delicious orange icing saves the day though.

The recipe is as follows incase you feel the urge.

2.5 cups plain flour
Pinch Salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup soft butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 dessertspoon orange rind
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Additional icing sugar and orange juice for icing

Mix butter and sugar, add eggs and rind and beat until creamy. Stir in the flour, bakign powder and salt alternately with the orange juice. Lastly add chopped nuts. Drop teaspoonfulls about two inches apart onto a greased tray and bake until golden for about 11-13 mins at 200 degrees celcius. When cold frost with orange icing (made my mixing pure icing sugar with orange juice until a spreading consistancy is reached).

Lucia is sitting up

2011-03-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

My little bubba is sitting up, albeit with a little pillow protection for when dangerous listing becomes falling on her face. She has a cold today but is still in high spirits playing with the easel magnetty thing that she got from her Aunty Audra.

Knitting: Good Gaming Gloves

2011-03-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

Made these gloves for my brother John's birthday, to wear to keep his fingers toasty when he's up late at night playing WoW with us to keep his hands warm (modelled by Matt). When Matt was wearing them for the pix he thought they were awesome and wanted a pair too, so I ended up knitting two pairs.

I got almost all four mitts out of one skein of Cascade Handpaints (100g ball)with the exception of about 4 rows of one thumb. So I might have enough for a matching beanie.

The pattern is Men's Fingerless Mitts by Kathy of Piece by Piece.

Knitting: Fit for a SIL

2011-01-31T03:35:00.000-08:00

I've learned over time that you should always keep emergency knitting in your glove box for those times that you find yourself waiting somewhere unexpectedly or being the passenger on a long drive. My emergency knitting was the Dream in Color (U.S. company so spelling is correct), December 2010 yarn club which was a skein of pale blue with tinges of mauve sock yarn.

This is normally not my kettle of fish at all, but the pattern that came with it had an endearing story attached regarding snow flurries on Lake Michigan and so I started knitting them. When we were on summer holidays with my SIL Flick, she admired the colours and said they were right up her alley and voila, a grateful recipient was found. Here she is modelling her new footwear. The dog in the pic is her faithful hound Sam.

I have a secret... I love to knit socks but I don't like to wear them.

At the pool!

2011-01-28T14:47:00.001-08:00

first time swimming, originally uploaded by Kathy Tosi.

I have such great memories of going to the pool. When I was in grade two we would all line up beside the port racks and the boys would roll their towels on their legs and put them on their heads like they were sheiks. We would all trek across the road hand in hand to the pool to have our lessons.

As I was older maybe grade 5 or 6 I would head off to the pool on the weekends on my bike with a buck in my pocket, enough for entry and a delicious cold calippo. I would spend the entire day, swimming for hours, running around on the grass and playing with friends only to head home when the pool was closing.

I don't remember learning to swim but I know that we were living in Sydney (which was before I started school) and I have a certificate saying that I did a lap in doggy paddle. I want Lucia to learn to swim as soon as possible. Water is so much fun!

I met a girl from Peru who couldn't swim and when she came to Australia she took lessons. I told her I couldn't believe that she couldn't swim (she told me when we were on a ferry!). I said "In Australia we learn to swim before we can walk" and she said "In Peru we learn to dance" and I thought fair enough! It's a cultural thing :) and I wish I could dance better.

The old oak tree

2011-01-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

So today we hung out under the old oak tree in the backyard. Lucy loves stareing up through the branches and talks to the all the leaves. She thinks that trees swaying in the wind are absolutely brilliant. I'm making the most of these precious moments that we have together because I'm going back to work soon (when I get a job). I've had two interviews and both have been very positive so I'm sure that it won't be long.

Sunday Sleep-ins with Dad

2011-01-27T19:23:00.000-08:00

Knitting: My February Lady Sweater

2011-01-01T15:29:00.000-08:00

Well after it took me two years to complete Matty's jumper I turned out another in record time! and this one is for me OMG amazing! It's the February Lady Sweater by Flint Knits as inspired by the February Baby Sweater designed by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I have been imagining this project since I went to the USA and I brought the yarn over there especially for it. The yarn is muted golds, sages, teals and mauves and it should go with a lot of things, it's very understated (not my style at all usually) and the buttons are handpainted little wooden birds.

I love the sleeves, because they don't have decreases they came out a little bell shaped. I did do a little decrease under the armpits as suggested on Ravelry by some others who have knitted this project.

Christmas Day with Grandpa

2011-01-01T02:02:00.001-08:00

Talk to the Foot

2010-12-13T18:49:00.001-08:00

Fake it 'til you make it

2010-11-28T22:09:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I'm under the weather or I have PMT or post traumatic stress disorder from becoming a parent but some days the enormity of raising a little human being feels so stressful. There are moments when I just curl up on the floor and have a bit of a cry.

When people ask if it's worth it (which they do) I say it's the best thing in the world but the hardest thing I have ever done. I have this massive amount of respect for parents now because I feel this background level of constant anxiety that Lucia is getting everything that she needs, enough food, enough stimulation, enough education, enough tummy time, enough sunshine, enough sleep..... that she will grow up to get the right education, find the right path in her life, the right career for her, the right life partner and that she will do all those things with no pain, sadness or hurt (which is impossible).

She is a constant joy and a constant concern.

Dalai Lucia says...

2010-11-19T14:28:00.000-08:00

Happiness is not something ready made.
It comes from your own actions.

Quote actually borrowed from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama :)

Spring is springing

2010-10-23T04:38:00.000-07:00

I love living in the Yarra Valley but I still have trouble getting used to the fact that in Victoria it takes until the end of October for us to have our first proper warm day of the year. I didn't know if I would get used to the cold weather after moving down from Queensland but then the change of seasons just captured my imagination.

Since moving to the Yarra Valley I love it all the more, being able to watch the seasonal changes, the sheep getting pregnant, lambing season, shearing season and driving through the vineyards watching the grapes grow, be harvested and then the groups of workers manually pruning back the vines for the next years growth. That growth came on in the last month and I swear that it's growing 10cm a week up the orderly trellises.

They grow up fast huh!

2010-10-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

Check Lucy out playing on her playmat, she's almost 10 weeks old and can bash stuff and smile and laugh.

We had been taking a very relaxed approach to getting her to sleep and it was working brilliantly a couple of minutes of cuddling and rocking and she was out like a light and then about 5 days ago it all ceased working and there was screaming in our house and I was a broken Mum. So I decided to bite the bullet and try the routines from the book called Save Our Sleep by Tizzie Hall and it was brilliant.

I had read the book about a million times but didn't have the guts to go through with it because I couldn't bear the thought of Lucy crying in her bed but the first day she cried a little bit and I gave up, the second day I stuck it out for about 6 mins (she wasn't screaming or anything but just grizzling) and she went to sleep and every sleep since except for the 7pm one last night when she spat the dummy (not literally because we stopped using one because it was more trouble that it was worth) she has put herself to sleep in her cot. I can't believe it works so well! (knock on wood).

We've booked a holiday away at the beach for the week after new years and I can't wait!

Cooking: Sugar Cookies (or Bikkie if you prefer).

2010-10-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

Just got back from the maternal and child health nurse and the good news is that although Lucy has been sick she put on 1 kg in the last 4 weeks and the nurse said just keep doing what we're doing because she's doing fantastic.

I've been baking too. On the weekend I found the best cookie cutters and I tried some out on a sugar cookie recipe that I got from the The Splendid Table website, which is the website for a podcast that I absolutely love. If you're a foodie you should get onto it because it's amazing, the host Lynne Rossetto Kasper is a passionate food lover and she can talk about anything, her years of experience shine through when she takes random calls from people asking ANY food question under the sun and the road food segment of the show is an interesting listen because inevitably as an Australian I'm amazed at the weird junk food that they have in the U.S. as unearthed by Jane and Michael Stern (although it's not all junk food).

I have taken to keeping biscuits in the house that I've made because I've got a biscuit tin. A special tin that I got from my Nanna Rose's house when I went to her funeral. My Uncle and Aunty said to take something to remind me of her and I couldn't think of anything better to remind me of my Nanna than her biscuit tin, she always had biscuits or slices ready in her house for when people visited. Although I didn't visit her many times because we were often on the other side of the country or overseas when I did visit her as a kid I remember being very impressed by the delicious things she made.

Snails, Cats and Rocketships :) with M&M decorations

Knitting: Big Button Hat

2010-10-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

I salvaged this button from a bag that my Mum gave me that belonged to my Nanna which I'm now using for a nappy bag. It's the perfect button for this BIG button hat which I made from my September skein of Dream in Color yarn in the once off colourway Bayou. The yarn was 12 ply knit on 6 mm needles so the hat knit up extra fast and is super cushy and warm.

Knitting: Hand Knitted Baby

2010-10-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

So Lucia is sporting the latest in what's in fashion with hand knitted babies around the world (actually that's not true, she's just wearing what I felt like knitting for her).

First I knitted Maile out of my August skein of yarn from the Dream in Color (spelling is U.S. as it's a U.S. company) Dream Club where I get a skein of original dyed yarn and a pattern every month. It's so much fun getting the yarn but I have found that the patterns don't float my boat that much so far. This cardigan is totally adorable and was designed specifically by the designer for her daughter Willow. The lace at the shoulder is based on the type of Hawaiian vine that the designer wore as a lei at her wedding. I like a design that has a story behind it and is made with love.

Then on a mission to use up some of my own hand spun I made the Eyelet Cables Baby Hat, not the best for handspun it turns out because you can't really see the eyelets due to the fluffiness but Lucy still looks darn cute in it. I can't remember who I got this fibre from, it might have been Ewe give me the knits but I know that it's sheep and silk from the feel of it.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2010-10-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

I have the fondest memories of wearing significantly tie dyed clothes as a kid/teenager and doing quite a lot of tie dyeing myself (with mixed results, there was that one shirt that ended up with circles over both boobs that made them look like targets - how embarressment). So at the markets today I found a man who tie dyed anything that didn't move and I brought Lucy a summer suit to wear. I hope that those of you reading this who would expect a gift from me this Christmas like tie dye because you or your children are probably going to be recipients :)

Here's a little video of my cherub.

We also got her a hobby horse (named Charlotte (we didn't choose that name it was already named when we brought her, like a cabbage patch)).

Knitting: Ishbel

2010-09-28T01:19:00.000-07:00

A shawl I finally made one. The lace was so much fun!!! I have lace fever now and I can't wait to knit some more. I have enough yarn left over for the matching hat that has been made to go with the shawl. Too much do you think :)?

The yarn was sock yarn from Moseley Park, dyed by the lovely owner Jane who has a prodigious talent even though she told me that she hasn't been dyeing all that long. She sells amazing yarn and also beautiful fibre from her own flock of sheepies at great prices.

The pattern is the oft knitted Ishbel by Ysolda Teague the young overachieving super cute knitgodess that she is.

Happy Family

2010-09-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Purple is the new black

2010-09-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

Like father like daughter

2010-09-11T00:45:00.000-07:00

If you go down to the woods today...

2010-09-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

You're in for a big surprise

Sweetness and Light

2010-08-30T19:03:00.001-07:00

Babushka, babushka, babushka yah yaaaaaaaah

2010-08-03T02:20:00.000-07:00

So Matt and I put up these colourful stickers today over the babies change table. SO bright and happy and hopefully something to keep her attention when she's getting her butt changed. How cute are they!

They're from http://www.matryoshkastore.com/

Baby baby baby

2010-08-02T20:16:00.001-07:00

We're having a baby! You know that because I've told you all before but it's really really soon now :) any moment, any second, well some time in the next couple of weeks anyway. So Matt doesn't really want me to put a lot online about the baby, well at least photos of her but I didn't think that it would hurt to put up a picture of some of the preparations that we're making for her imminent arrival. I love her bassinet! it's so royal and the toy is an alpaca it's the softest thing I've ever felt, we call it lolpaca. The room has excellent light and will be a such a beautiful relaxing place for her.

Embroidery: Zee Cutest Buttons

2010-07-07T05:24:00.000-07:00

So check it out. I embroidered some buttons to go on the the tropical lily halter that I made! They are zee cutest! I also did a couple of cherry ones for myself! I used the Lazy May iron on designs. I can see these making great Christmas presents this year.

The furniture that you have when you don't want any furniture

2010-07-06T02:55:00.000-07:00

So we're decorating our new house and the walls are all cream so there is lots of space for us to put things up to inspire and entertain us. I wasn't sure what to get for the wall behind our bed which is a double ensemble and I found these vinyl decal headboards on Etsy. I ordered and it was sent over from the U.S. in no time flat! I got to choose the colour so, you know I had to get purple of course!! and Matt and I put it up on the weekend. So cute and the best thing is that you can just peel it right off if you're bored with it and want to change your decor.

Knitting: Tropical Lily

2010-07-06T02:44:00.000-07:00

This top is so cute and it's the best use for Anchor Magicline cotton which I brought a profuse amount of but now have no idea what to do with it. The pattern is Tropical Lily by Georgie Hallam, it's a little halterneck pinafore for a about a 3 or 4 year old. It was fun to knit and I'm putting it away for our little baby. Hopefully I'll get action pics when she's old enough to wear it but, in the meantime you can check out the pattern page if you're interested to see how it's worn.

Knitting: My First Handspun Item

2010-07-06T02:33:00.000-07:00

This hat is Urchin a pattern by Ysolda. It is a great pattern and available free on on Ysolda's website. It works perfectly with handspun, especially beginners handspun like mine that is all thick and thin. The small size is pretty small :) so I've put it aside until I find a likely head amongst my friends kids that needs to be kept warm.

Knitting: Full Speed Ahead!

2010-06-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

It's on like donkey kong, only 7 weeks to go and some serious baby knitting to do before the little one makes her debut into the big bad world. A quick update on some of the projects that I've completed but haven't had time to blog about

1. Milo by Georgie Hallam of Tikki Fabric Addict this pattern is so much fun to knit because it has no seaming and is kind of like magic. It comes in a heap of sizes and I made it in the leftover Bendi yarn from Matt's Jumper so that he and the bubba can match

2. Shroomy Rattle by Whit's knits on the awesome Purl Bee website. Don't think I'll ever get to the store but the projects that they put out are awesome and inspiring.

3. Infant Socks by Judy Ellis, a brilliant little pattern because I'm sure it's going to stay on her feet due to the ribbing. I used leftovers from my stash and it only uses a smidgen, a great way to get rid of scraps

4. Sweet Baby Jayne - by Heather Hill and published on Wear With Style if you want to buy a kit. See earlier post regarding the awesomeness of Joss Whedon and the show firefly

Knitting: WWKIP as good as ever!

2010-06-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

WWKIP was as brilliant as ever, lovely people, great venue and wonderful chats :)

Big ups to Toni for having the cajones to ask around for prizes and stuff so that there could be festive door prizey goodness and for listening to everyones feedback but making all the executive decisions.

As an aside Tjanabi was the venue and I would give it a big thumbs up to anyone who was thinking about eating there, the food was tasty and a good price and the venue was lovely and right on Flinders St and in the heart of Fed Square which is such a great heart of the city.

Knitting: WWKIP (World Wide Knit in Public Day)

2010-06-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that if you read this and you're in Melbourne that you already know that it's World Wide Knit in Public Day tomorrow, Saturday 19th June for us in Melbourne (there is another event being held on Sunday 20th as well) but I'll be at the Saturday event.

It starts at 1100am and is in Tjanabi Restaurant in Fed Square overlooking Flinders St! There are awesome prizes up for grabs with prizes from Sunspun, Morris and Sons and others. As the Ravelry Rocketeers scooped the pool at the last WWKIP I'm donating a voucher for $50 to be used at Yay! for Yarn as a doorprize. Yay! for Yarn have lots of great yarns that are a bit harder to get here in Oz like Cascade, Mountain Colours and Dream in Color.

Yay! for knitting solidarity!

Knitting: Magic Mushrooms and Ruby Wu

2010-06-17T03:55:00.000-07:00

Yay the Queen for having a birthday and giving the good state of Victoria a reason to give us a long weekend. The best part of which was having my delightful Rita come and visit with O's and the bee-you-ti-ful Ruby Wu. It was the best kind of relaxing, the boys drank beer and cooked, us girls chillaxing in the lounge working on crafty projects. I finished a Toadstool Rattle from the purl bee pattern and it's cuteness incapsulated and I gave it to the the adorable, well behaved, funny and nomable Ruby to take home. We went and had DEEEElicious breakfast at Wombat's Chai in Healesville and then did a spot of touristing up and down the main drag. It was a wonderful weekend!

Our Very Own Home Sweet Home

2010-06-07T05:22:00.000-07:00

Matt and I have been busy busy busy, not only have I been gestating madly (baby is now 30.5 weeks old in utero and due on August 15th) but we've brought a house and moved in and are finally at the point of putting up the paintings so you know most of the hard work has been done :)

We've moved out to Healesville which is about 1.5 hrs from Melbourne Central and it's a little home on a BIG block. It's in the heart of the Yarra Valley surrounded by wineries and waking up here is like being on holidays every weekend. I am carpooling to work for the next 5 weeks which means that I can get some knitting done for the baby.

We have big plans for our hilly 1/3 acre block although I would love to get an alpaca or two I think that chickens are more likely. The front yard is going to be our vegie patch and up the back we're going to plant out with an edible forest. All kinds of delicious things grow here which we could never have dreamt of back in Queensland like Cherries (om nom nom)

Knitting: Jumper and Jaynes

2010-06-07T04:55:00.000-07:00

OMGOMGOMG I finished Matt's jumper!!!! It's Leo from Knitty and I think it turned out very well, he's worn it many times in the last week and I haven't even finished sewing all the ends in. It's knitted in Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic (Mid Green) and the yarn is very crepe-y. All in all my first full size adult garment experience was quite positive. My seaming could do with more practice, but the simple mods I made to the pattern to knit both the body and the arms in the round were successful and really saved me a lot of sewing at the end of the piece.

Also in the world of knitting I finally completed a pair of Jayne hats, inspired by the fantastic sci fi show Firefly that was cancelled after only 14 episodes. In episode 12, Jayne Cobb receives a cunning hat knitted by his Mom which he dons immediately to the amusement of the other members of the crew. If you check out the pictures of Matt modelling below you'll know why :) Also suffering some knitted furmiliation is my giant kitteh Max. These hats are destined to be sold at an auction supporting Can't Stop the Serenity a global charity event that supports the charity Equality Now, an organisation that work to end violence and discrimination against women and girls aroudn the world through the mobilisation of public pressure. The Melbourne event is being hosted by the Melbourne Browncoats who are a group of people that are fans of Firefly, the movie that followed the series Serenity and Joss Whedon (the creator of the show and movie).

A New Australia(n)

2010-04-15T04:28:00.001-07:00

My friend and colleague Prashod took a giant step today! He became an Australian citizen and I was lucky enough to be there to sing the national anthem along side him. It was such a special and momentous occasion. I think it takes a huge amount of bravery to permanently call another land your home and I know Australia is just a little bit better now because Prashod has pledged to make it so.

Knitting: Monkey Socks

2010-03-04T01:04:00.000-08:00

So I finally got my knitting mojo back after a horrible incident with some morris and sons yarn and a baby jumper with too small a head hole (I followed the frakking pattern damn it!!!). Who knew that babies are born with giant heads! Ok so most women who have had one, but me on this side of baby making was blissfully unaware.

I finished these Monkey socks by Cookie A which were a knitalong with the Richmond Knitters group and I started them in January and they've been lying forsaken in my knitting bag :) but finally knocked them over in a few days and my thumb is killing me :)

I also made this little hat for Rita's little baby girl Ruby. Which is so cute. I can't wait until it fits her she's going to look just like a little wood nymph.

Happy Announcement

2010-03-04T00:56:00.001-08:00

We're going to have a BABY!

That is all :)

What happened to February? I spent most of it being morning sick or sleeping :) Pics of the sleeping are available but the morning sickness is thankfully undocumented.

Knitting: Why are there so many songs about rainbows

2010-01-05T02:00:00.000-08:00

So I have really embraced the toy knitting, they're fast and fun and when finished they have so much character. Meet Ribbit the ultrakooky frog toy from the Spud and Chloe Blog by Susan B Anthony. Although I didn't get my hands on any Spud and Chloe yarn I made Ribbit in some Bendigo Luxury 10 ply in a green that seemed just right.

P.S. Happy New Year :) to you all!

Knitting: Baby Surprise Jacket

2009-12-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

So there was this famous knitter called Elizabeth Zimmerman and she didn't like doing purl stitch and she wasn't that keen on seaming either and she wrote books, newsletters and made videos etc. She's pretty much knitting royalty. She made this pattern which is like origami, you knit it and then you fold it and the only seams you have to do are the tops of the sleeves. It's quite amazing.

I brought the pattern and yarn in my four day jaunt to the U.S. and when I got home the lady from the store had given me the wrong pattern and the yarn was absolutely no where near enough. The lovely ladies from the Richmond SnB helped me out with moral support as I went and cast on with many of them who were doing this project as well. As far as the yarn goes I used Mirasol Hacho in beautiful purples and reds, and striped with an Sublime extra fine merino.

It was interesting to knit, and I feel it was somewhat a rite of passage, but I'll never knit another one... hell I like purl :)

Max the Cat

2009-12-21T03:18:00.000-08:00

Nawwwwwww cute kitten in bed asleep

Pieces of Fleeces

2009-12-21T03:06:00.000-08:00

This year I volunteered at the Lilydale Show to demonstrate spinning. I love the opportunity to plant the seed of interest in anyone but especially kids. The wall that we were sitting in front of was full of fleeces that had been judged in the show and it was great to explain the process from beginning to end for people. The next time that I saw Lesley the lovely organiser, she had a fleece for me all of my own to clean and process and spin enough yarn to make something really substantial.

This was my fleece in it's natural state.

This is the fleece after a significant number of hot hot hot water washes with shampoo and 2 rinses. It still has a bit of vegetable matter and the ends that were out in the sun and got dirty. I think I missed something in the processing, maybe I should have flicked out the ends before I started washing it. Anyway I'm going to start going through it bit by bit and working on getting out the dirty bits and the vm.

Any suggestions welcome.

Crochet: Best Bunny

2009-12-21T03:04:00.000-08:00

Cute as bunny. This pattern was free from Lion Brand and crocheted in Anchor Magicline which is 100% cotton. This is the first thing I've crocheted that wasn't a scarf.

Max the Cat

2009-12-12T20:26:00.003-08:00

Reading: Top 100 books as voted by the Australian public in 2004

2009-12-12T19:42:00.000-08:00

This year I started reading books from the Top 100 books as voted by the Australian public on the ABC in 2004. You can read about it on my post here and find the list here. I have been keeping track of it on The Last Sunday Book Group blog that was started by my old 'in real life' book group after it broke up because a few of us moved away. Today I blogged about Magician by Raymond E Feist.

Cooking: Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree (and puddings)

2009-12-05T00:44:00.000-08:00

The Christmas cooking vibe has hit me for the first time and although I'm not really a cake baker I got inspired by my cousin Audie's Crabapple Bakery cupcake cookbook and whipped up these christmas tree cupcakes. It's a WHOLE LOTTA FROSTING to eat in one sitting and to tell you the honest truth those cachous are kinda crunchy but they're super cute. The cake part of the cupcake was really good and I think a recipe I will use again with more subdued frosting, it has brandy and fruit mince in the mixture and a liberal dose of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, which makes it Christmassy but still really light.

As I was inspired I found a recipe for those little balls that you make by breaking down a fruit cake and mixing it with delicious rummy goodness so I made these mini plum puddings as well :) They're dipped in white chocolate (which is a travesty when eaten along but ok for decoration) and I used my new found icing skills to add some holly to the top.

Knitting: Stripe-a-licious (Noro is Expensive)

2009-11-29T22:35:00.000-08:00

So I knitted the noro scarf outlined on Jared Flood's blog. I won a gift voucher from Morris and Sons on WWKIP (World Wide Knit in Public) Day otherwise I would never have splurged on this wild Noro Silk Garden which is made of 45% silk, 45% kid mohair and 10% lambswool because it's crazy priced (like $18 a ball or something). So the finished product isn't what I imagined, but with Noro it never is because you always get kind of ambushed by the crazy colour changes. It's a bit too masculine a colour scheme for me but I'm glad to have it completed and Matt is going to make good use of it.

Cooking: The Cupcakes Have Landed :)

2009-11-29T00:17:00.000-08:00

Rita and Owen's baby shower was a completely awesome success! There were heaps of lovely people, which is only a reflection of how lovely Rita and Owen are. There was babies, games, iced tea, sunshine and it was fabulous. The cupcakes went down a treat and elicited squees of approval when the lid was lifted. As always click on the photo to embiggen :)

Cooking: Cupcakes

2009-11-22T00:10:00.000-08:00

So Rita's baby shower is next weekend and I wanted to contribute something fun. I'm making cupcakes and today I made my first test batch. I've chosen the icing patterns that I'm going to use, but I'm ditching the Robert Gordon straight sided pattys for the traditional patty pans. I used fondant icing and also piping bags and orchid icing for the first time, thanks to the advise of my cake decorating friends.

Here's me, with said cupcakes, minus the ones we ate.

ROADDDD TRIPPPPP

2009-11-21T22:48:00.001-08:00

My Dad came to spend some quality time in Melbs and we had a ball. We went with Rita to the Ricky Swallow exhibition which was brilliant, preused the book market, drank coffee and watched the festival that was occuring, there's always something on the go at Fed Square plus we had Yum Cha which is fun. We went out to Healesville so I could show Dad where we're interested in living and relaxed at Innocent Bystander drinking wine and eating tapas. We drove out to Marysville through the fire affected area which was emotional. I thought so much time had passed that I wouldn't have the reaction that I did and people must be so freaking brave and awesome to still be living and working there, constantly surrounded by the memories. I know a cool lady who still lives out there and she lost her house but told me on the weekend that she couldn't imagine waking up anywhere else.

While Dad was here we also went to Stephanie Alexander's book launch at Mont Salvat which is a beautiful, strange, ecclectic artist colony out at Eltham. Stephanie Alexander was business like and passionate and not all that different to what I expected.

Dad cancelled his ticket to fly back to Queensland and instead we embarked on a Road Trip to Dalby via

Ballarat to see the ORIGINAL Eureka Stockade flag, again very emotional but it seems I'm always about to cry these days. When I found out that the Eureka flag such an amazing part of our heritage still existed and you could go and see it I was dumbfounded. It embodies, rightly or not, the fighting, rebellious spirit that I think Australians are so proud of
Daylesford - beautiful little tourist town and I stopped at Purl's Palace for some delicious yarn love and just one skein of Colinette Jitterbug hopped into my bag (thanks Dad).
Bendigo - stopped at the mills for a little 10 ply and bargain room steals
Shepparton, Tocumwal, Jerilderi, Narrandera, Ardlethan,
West Wyalong - Situated in the lovely Shire of Bland

Forbes - Where we had to choose not to take the turn to Bogan Gate
Parkes - Where we stopped to commune with the giant Radio Telescope and we brought eachother meteorites. That's my Dad bottom right of the photo. The telescope was built the year he graduated high school.

Dubbo, Gilgandra, Coonabarabran, Narrabri, Moree, Boggabilla, Goondiwindi,
Moonee - Cleanest toilets in Australia and they'll tell you why

To reach our final destination Dalby :) where my folks and my bro John live. I got to see my freaking adorable nieces Lily and Sophie and my charming nephew Frankie. I taught the girls to knit which they might not take in on full ball now but it was fantastic fun and I've planted a seed that they might remember when they get older and hopefully get as much fun out of it as I have.

After a couple of days with my family in Queensland we all road tripped down to the Central Coast of NSW for my handsome and intelligent cousin Adrians wedding to his lovely and also intelligent bride Mel. The wedding was fairytale stuff, marquees and chandeliers, happy families and wonderful music, beautiful ceremony and fantastic funny speeches. I had the pleasure of staying with my fabulous cousin Natty (who is my special birthday cousin because we were both born on the 23rd May who is so accomplished. She has the most generous and loving nature, a wicked sense of humour, two adorable kidlets, keeps her house freaking perfect, manages to always look flawless and is unfailingly fantastic. I'm very proud to call her kin. It was great to also see Deano and his hawt funny girl Aless. My Aunty Coll, Uncle Mike, Aunty Liz, Uncle Chris and cousins Audie, Dale, Bernie, Jo, Andrew and Livvy. I know I know right! HUGE family get together, they're always crazy times.

Then I hit the road back to home and my wonderful Matthew via Goulburn, Gundagai, Wangaratta - where I may have purchased further yarn :) at the ACS mill shop. Not as organised as Bendi but better value if you are familar with the yarns that ACS produce.

I love road trips, but next time I'm taking Matt.

Knitting: Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!

2009-10-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

I have knitted dinosaurs for the little ones of my friend Kate. They are super cool and colourful. Knitted in peaches and creme worsted cotton in delicious rainbow colours. The pattern was the free one by Jennifer Rose Devine from xtreme knitting and it was really well written and easy to follow. It was hella fun and pretty instantly gratifying as these guys only took me a couple of weeks.

Crochet: Blankets of Friendship

2009-10-22T05:35:00.000-07:00

You might have read about it on other blogs e.g. Chocolate Trudi some of us from the Ravelry Rocketeers are putting together blankets for Blankets of Friendship which was an awesome act of love and kindness by Ozifarmer off Ravelry. Her house was overrun by the generous knitted square donations that rolled in when the call went out after the Black Saturday fires in Victoria where so many people lost their lives.

My lovely friends put aside a purple bag for me and at first I was a bit scared when I saw the different sizes but after a solid 30 mins of blanket Tetris I got it worked out and now I've started joining.

Knitting: Koolhaas for a Kool Lady

2009-10-13T04:57:00.000-07:00

I made a Koolhaas for Flick from my work. The malabrigo that I knitted it with went really felty as I was making the hat but Flick looks great in it and it is undoubtedly one of the sexiest squishiest nommiest yarns around.

The pattern was one that I brought when I first started knitting and I had no idea what I was doing and gave up. This time I perservered and really enjoyed the process. The chart actually started to tell me what I was looking at as I knitted and I'm looking forward to starting a very serious lace knitting project soon (gasp).

Knitting: Rita and the Magic Slippers

2009-10-13T04:42:00.000-07:00

A great joy in my life is that my best friend Rita is baking her own little sprog inside her tummy and I am going to have a new human to indulge and love and cuddle who will be as good as my own flesh and blood.

I give you Rita and the Magic Slippers.

Spinning: Fruit Tingles

2009-10-05T02:48:00.000-07:00

This 100g of Silk, Bunny and Blue Face Leister Sheep was the nicest pinks and oranges with dash of purple. I probably shouldn't have plied it against itself because it's really crazy bright but I'm loving it all the same.

Purchased at Bendigo Sheep and Wool from the lovely Charly of Ixchel Bunny Farm fame. I think it's telling me it wants to be used for colour work on a black background, but we'll see.

Garden: Tasty Turnips

2009-10-04T04:02:00.001-07:00

Nom nom nom

Our turnip crop was good and the roots were glow in the dark white with purple on them and we've been enjoying them in stews, soups and a scalloped with potatoes in double cream over the last week.

Beautiful Zulfia

2009-10-04T03:21:00.000-07:00

In 2005 when I worked in Melbourne, or should I say when I fell in love with Melbourne before moving here I met a girl called Zulfia, full of fire and energy and friendliness, she was an absolute treasure. She has been living overseas with her new husband for the last 3 years but returned to Australia recently and on Saturday her parents threw her a big reception, kind of a welcome home by the Bangladeshi community.

The first photo is with Zulfia and her husband Shahadat, the second with my adorable Matty and the final one is Zulfia with her brother.

Spinning: Rainbow Happiness

2009-09-12T22:10:00.001-07:00

Finished spinning this rainbow merino from Ewe Give Me the Knits.

It was really fun to spin, happy making with all the bright colours and to maintain the colour progression I did my first Navajo plying which is a method of plying the yarn onto itself kind of like doing finger knitting. View my photo and be cheered :)

Knitting: Socks for Mum to wear at Yoga

2009-08-28T02:15:00.000-07:00

So I made these socks in July for my Mum, Rosalind's birthday but forgot to post about them as I didn't take any photos. My Mum thinks she's hilarious because if I ever ask her to take a pic of a finished object she puts something funny in it. Below are the socks that I knit her and the first ever eggs that her chicken laid.

These socks are the simplest rib pattern ever and it can be found on Ravelry if you're a member as Wise Hilda's Basic Ribbed Sock. I knitted in in the wonderfully saturated colour joy that is Colinette Jitterbug which I can't go past for sock knitting even though you can only make little socks because the yardage is short.

One more example of Mum being crazy :) please find the sock photo she took for me previous to this one.

Embroidery: Loving the Swirly Birds

2009-08-27T05:53:00.001-07:00

My most recent finished object of craftiness please find for your visual pleasure the Swirly Birds embroidered bag. I thought that this would be a great project bag someone who knits :) and has many many WIPs (wip it good, wip it real good - sorry 90's flashback). For those of you uninitiated WIP is work in progress.

Got this fantastic Swirly Bird pattern from www.lazymay.com which I fell in love with, delivery was super fast, check it out if you're the stitcher kind. This is really my first serious go at embroidery being from the school of cross stitch and let me tell you it's very liberating :)

Great Ocean Goodness

2009-08-24T03:27:00.001-07:00

You know the Great Ocean Road is damn picturesque! This weekend we ducked down to Lorne for the Saturday night with Rita, Owen, Gem and Tarsh because Gem had a weekend of the torture of Air Force officer training at Sale.

The sun was shining bright most of the time we were there and the odd sun shower brought nothing but rainbow-y happiness. The view from the front room of the house was straight out the the never ending ocean and the beach just 100 metres from our door had rockpools with red and white anenomes and orange and purple starfish. There were piles of stinky yet fascinating seaweed.

Nana Rose

2009-08-18T03:01:00.000-07:00

Rose Theresa Beckman 1922 - 2009

Mission Giraffe Complete

2009-07-23T03:50:00.001-07:00

We have uploaded our Giraffes and it was so much fun drawing them together. I think that we can all agree that Matt and I are not consumate artists :) Matt's is the one with the giraffe being an alien :)

Random Act of Kindness (RAK)

2009-06-25T05:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Peeps :) I think you should draw a giraffe! I'm going to....

World Wide Knit in Public Day 2009

2009-06-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday 14th June was International World Wide Knit in Public Day. The Ravelry Rocketeers met at Ringwood and then some of us headed into the city to meet with other knitting groups. We spent a couple of hours cosily ensconced in Feddish (nice locale but the food was average) at Fed Square having some lunch and well knitting in public.

I caught the train home and did some futher knitting in public, doing some jaywalker socks for my Mum which illicited some sidelong glances and some outright questions. I find that the generation of people who knitted themselves are more likely to be surprised to see anyone knitting socks than they are impressed or pleased. I guess when it was a neccessity perhaps it wasn't considered such a pleasure as I take it to be. I'm sure that they didn't have access to the deliciously scrumptious Colinette Jitterbug sockyarn that I do :)

My First Spin with the Healesville Spinners and Weavers

2009-06-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

Meagan and I went to the Healesville Spinners and Weavers meeting on Saturday 6th of June and it was fantastic. There is a lot of talent, skill and knowledge in the group and they have been meeting for a very long time in the same hall. I look forward to going back next month. As Char says pics or it didn't happen... me spinning zomg...

Just a Quickie!

2009-06-05T03:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Knitizens, Friends and Family :) It's the Queen's birthday long weekend and as an atheist republican I'ld just like to say God Bless the Queen for being born so we can have a long weekend.

So here is my new wheel! Bee-you-ti-ful!

Below I've added piccies of the plate that I painted with Matt on my birthday morning also with the mugs that Matty painted. We had so much fun and I love eating off my new crockery it just makes me so happy. I'm doing a theme called "Life is" and my next plates are going to be "Life is nuts" with squirrels on it and "Life is a hoot" with an owl painted on it which I got from my friend Andrea who is mental about owls like me :) I can't wait to go back to Robert Gordon and do more.