Warm Feet Mumma

This will tickle the fancy of handknit lovers and baby lovers alike. Lucia is learning so fast, in a learning curve that you can't believe until you are in close proximity to a child and can observe it for yourself. She has a plethora of words and adds new ones every day. At least two or three that I hear her say and who knows how many others that she uses to other people. Today she was looking at my hand knit jitterbug socks and I said aren't they soft and squishy and we were squishing them for awhile and she said "Warm Feet Mumma". Truer words could not be said, because there is nothing as nice as slipping a pair of handknitted socks on to your feet for warm toasty toes (okay okay ugg boots are pretty warm too, but not as pretty).

Knitting: Magic magicball hitchiker

Firstly I would like to say that Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball is so delicious to knit with. It is squishy and interesting and really soft. I expected it to be a bit harder after knitting with Effektgarn. This is the Rainbow colourway.

I knitted the Hitchiker which is a wildfire knit on ravelry.com. If knitted in wollemise you get 42 'teeth', hence the Hitchiker name (if you haven't read Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the number 42 is the answer to the question of life, the universe and everything) however in zauberball I only got 35 'teeth'. Still as you can see it is certainly long enough.

This is a great knit, the pattern is easy to memorise, it's oh so squishy because it's just garter stitch and you can do it front of the TV.

Bunnies, Bees and Chocolate Frogs

We didn't want to have Lucy OD on her first easter with solids so we decided to mostly give chocolate a miss and we have been putting together some cute presents for Lucy to recieve from the easter bunny.

Firstly I knitted a gnome baby and a little blankie and pillow and Matt whipped up the cutest slopey legged gnome bed that you have ever seen. After a childhood obsession with David the gnome (which is a cartoon) I find myself returning to them again and again.

Then I knitted some bees because Lucy really likes 'The Hive' on TV and she will ask to watch it every day. We have a few eps saved on the Tivo and as it only goes for five minutes sometimes it's a nice time out.



I knitted some tiny bunnies, it is Easter/Ēostre after all and putting aside my nonreligiousness I'm quite excited to have an easter egg hunt with my bubba. I attached a bobby pin to a flower I knitted a little while ago in the hopes that some day Lucy might actually let me do something with her hair.

The other eggs have matchbox cars, superballs and one Kennedy and Wilson chocolate frog (an homage to Harry Potter).

Knitting: Good Gaming Gloves

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

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.

Knitting: My February Lady Sweater

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.

Knitting: Big Button Hat

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

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.

Knitting: Ishbel

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.

Knitting: Tropical Lily

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

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!

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!

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)

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

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!

Knitting: Jumper and Jaynes

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).

Knitting: Monkey Socks

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.

Knitting: Why are there so many songs about rainbows

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

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 :)

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

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.