tour through blogland.

a couple of weeks ago now, the lovely megan of silver threads of happiness tagged me in her tour through blogland post, and i am so excited to take part!

i've been reading megan's blog for a little while now, after officially finding her on instagram when she started commenting on a few of my pictures.

i'm loving reading about the renovations that megan and her partner are working on at the moment, and all of the crafty little things she gets up to!



and how could you not like someone surrounded by tulips?

anywho, i have some questions to answer about myself...



1) what am i working on?
so many things!!!
i'm knitting up a little red sock! i've finished the top section, and the heel, now to knit the body of the foot and the toe. home stretch basically...
i also started a little crocheted blankie project out of 3 similar looking balls of yarn i grabbed from my stash last night. i was craving something mindless to work on, but with a bit more instant gratification than i'm getting from knitting the aforementioned socks, with their super thin needles and wool! i think i'll keep working this granny square, round and round, until i run out of yarn!
i've got some other sock plans on my mind, but i'm waiting on the right size needles, and a bit of time to whip up some swatches. can't have socks that don't fit!
and i've also got a loaf or two of bread on the go, i'm working on experimenting with my sourdough at the moment, it's equal parts fun and terrifying!



2) how does my work differ from others of its genre?
um, i'm not really sure about this one... i don't really find myself being too competitive or comparative with what i do, and i just do what i do because i love doing it! comparison being the thief of joy and all that, i take inspiration from what others do, but try to rock it in my own way!



3) why do I write/create what i do?
i create what i do because i like to fill my time with making things of value and use. whether it be a loaf of bread to fill a tummy, a scarf or socks to keep someone warm, or a dishcloth to help to keep my house clean. all of which bring a smile to my own face, and hopefully anyone i'm sharing with too!
and i write about what i create mainly ha ha!



4) how does your writing/creating process work?
my mind seems to be always buzzing with ideas, forever inspired by the physical world around me or here in the virtual world. the trickiest thing is finding time to get to creating what i'm thinking of before it flits back out of my head. lists are good for that ha ha!
and lists are also great for keeping my writing on track! i've recently started keeping an editorial calendar for my blog, and it's ensuring that i've got a post planned for most days. i love posting as routinely as i can and keeping to a bit of a schedule. little bit of a control freak ha ha!



and now to introduce my two nominees... well one nominee actually...
i sent out quite a few emails to writers of blogs i love to read, but didn't hear back from lots of people. i get how busy life is though, so i'm rolling with the punches ha ha!

anywho, nominee...
cam is a blogger who i have been reading for just about as long as i have been reading blogs! and i was lucky enough to meet her in real life through a group of melbourne crafty bloggers and now consider her a good friend!
i love cam's creativity and she has a wicked sense of humour! and i love that she is always up for coffee and cake!



Well hi there, my name is Cam.

I'm a Designer, Crafter, Maker, Sometimes blogger, and Obsessed Collector of all manner of weird and wonderful things.
I adore colour and pattern and anything with a bit of vintage style.

keep an eye out for cam's post in the next couple of weeks over at curlypops! and thanks again to megan for the nomination!

meal planning monday.

monday, monday, monday again. bb and i had a good cook up yesterday, filling the fridge up with lunches for the week! now for the plan for the week ahead...



tonight, we're going all out and heating up the bolognaise bb made yesterday. big job i know. i'm cooking up some pasta to go with it as we speak, and re-cycling a loaf of bread i baked yesterday into a herby garlic bread. can not wait!

tomorrow night, i'm off to ballet, but before i do, i'll whip up some salmon patties. i don't know that i've ever made them before. well i have when i used to work in a bistro kitchen, but not at home ha ha! much smaller quantities happening i think!

wednesday night is ncb night! woohoo! it didn't quite come together last fortnight so i'm super pumped to catch up with everyone! i'll grab something while i'm there and bb, well he's on his own!

thursday night, i'll grab some pork fillet out of the freezer, whip up a marinade and throw together a stir-fry. will have to raid the last of the pak choy from the garden too. perfection.

friday night, i'm working late, so osso bucco will be going in the slow cooker. last week, i tried out the old slow cooker that mum brought down for me and it worked a TREAT! i am back in slow-cooking business! so happy!

and i'm working all weekend this week! i have let bb know already that he is in charge of the kitchen and cooking so hopefully he whips up something amazing!

what are you eating for the week? have you ever come across a dodgy slow cooker?

sunday snippets.

playing along with {tinniegirl} and her sunday snippets.

a few pictures, and some words, summing up the week that just was.



the lemon meringue pie i made for bb for his birthday didn't want to come out of the tin...
it still tasted super delicious though!



lots of kitty snugs happening this weekend.
i was super happy as he woke us up at 5:45 friday morning (which was fine as we needed to be up and moving) and then 8:30 yesterday morning (yay! sleep in!).
this morning though, 5:15. #jerkcat strikes again!



i've been doing a little bit of experimenting with my bread baking.
FINALLY!
and i'm loving it!



and finally, sampson met a friend this week!
i think we have new neighbours, as i've never seen this little kitty before.
they're a little unsure of one another, but i'm hoping they'll become good friends!

what's your week look like? been doing any baking?

my creative space.

this week, well, i'm working on much the same projects as i have been the last couple of weeks! oops!
they have come along a bit though!

legwarmer number one is complete!



it fits! and i've even sewn in all the ends!
now, to get to number two...



well, there's not been a lot of action on that front ha ha!

and the sock?



well it's almost at the wonderous halfway, past the heel stage! i'm on the home stretch now!!

what are you working on at the moment?

green love.

it hasn't been a particularly productive week in the garden for me, what with being off holiday-ing and all, so i took myself off outside this morning to get to noticing what's been going on.

i've not been encouraging the kitty to spend too much time in the backyard for the last couple of weeks...



so my spinach has made somewhat of a comeback!
fingers crossed i can continue to keep him away from it, as well as the native possums, and cabbage moths!
c'mon spinach, you can do it!

there is a HEAP of new growth on this little guy...



it might become the drapey overgrown feature that i've been dreaming about MUCH quicker than i had first anticipated.
awesome!

my broad beans have continued to grow like crazy...



i don't think these are far away from a harvest! eep!

the nasturtium plant that self seeds every year is back to it's usual tricks.



it's filling the space between the fuschia and the tub of lobelia nicely.
i'm hoping it behaves itself and doesn't overtake both!

and finally, the little pots of lavender i shared way back here, have finally taken off!



i grew these little guys from cuttings i 'borrowed' from my neighbours hedge... might need to get back and 'borrow' some more ha ha!

what's been growing in your patch this week? do you grow plants from 'borrowed' cuttings?

meal planning monday.

phew what a weekend! i had such a great and fantastic time being away, but i am super grateful that i have today off to re-group, re-centre and get organised for the week ahead.



tonight is bb's birthday! so i'm going to make him a special birthday dinner. most likely of hot dogs. but i still haven't quite decided yet...

tomorrow night, i'm off to ballet to start term two of the program! i'll throw together satay chicken in the slow cooker i think... yep, slow cooker. mum brought me down her old one to use so hopefully slow-cooking and i will be getting along again. fingers crossed!

wednesday night, i've got plans for some of the leftover roast pork i've got sitting in the freezer. jamie's pork ragu will do the trick!

thursday night, i'm working late. more slow-cooking if all goes well on tuesday. more chicken i think, but this time, a curry!

friday night, i've strangely got the night off! it's weird when you work the same shifts all the time and then something changes, but i'll take full advantage of the situation and maybe drag bb out for dinner. a nice way to finish out the working week!

saturday is grand final day! i'd say we'll stay in to watch, and snack most of the day while drinking many beers. not exactly the healthiest thing to do, but it should be fun!

and sunday, i'll be after a quiet one. i'm thinking a big pot of curry might need to simmer on the stove for the day, for lunch wraps for the week ahead (note: picture above is of the pork scotch i slow-cooked in the oven the weekend before last and pulled for lunch wraps. it was amazing and provided 12-15 wraps worth of pulled pork! so good!). and maybe a pot of bolognaise could simmer away next to it to re-stock the freezer. perfection!

what are you eating this week? do you follow the afl? what are your plans for grand final day?

sunday snippets.

playing along with {tinniegirl} and her sunday snippets.

a few pictures, and some words, summing up the week that just was.



last weekend, i spent a bit of time cleaning mortar off these 'foraged' bricks to add to my brick retaining walls. they're foraged because i found them in the while ha ha! there are a lot of dumped bricks in the back lane behind our house!

i've been making up these little yoghurt pots to take to work for something sweet after lunch.



a scoop of homemade jam (or lemon curd in this case) a couple of dollops of organic yoghurt and a sprinkling of granola. deeeeeeeelicious.

while i was away this weekend, i attempted the 1000 steps with a couple of my cousins and my auntie. they well and truly beat me up there!



it is a pretty steep climb and i definitely need to do it a bit more often, as i was s-t-ruggling to get up the hill!

to recover, most of the weekend looked like this...



crochet! and knitting of dishcloths for days for girls. there was also wine, and much chatting.
aaaaaaand...



cake! i made this sourdough cake recipe, but substituted the eggs for a little bit more coconut oil and some water to veganise it up!
it was super yummy!

what have you been up to this weekend? have you done the 1000 steps?

my creative space.

this week, i've been working on a pair of legwarmers for myself, to wear to ballet classes. because, why not?



i'm knitting them up in a k2p2 rib pattern, to give them the necessary stretch to fit over my full calf, while still fitting my ankle. oh and to keep them up while i'm getting my dance on!
and the lovely tweedy wool is one that i picked up from the back room of bendigo woollen mills earlier in the year.



they're aaaaaalmost long enough to start the heel shaping. or lack of heel shaping... i still need to work out exactly what i'm doing in the foot section, but i'm imagining it will take a bit of ripping back and re-knitting to get it right ha ha!
i'm hoping to knock these guys out over my weekend away because i really want to get to wearing them, but i also really want to get started on my other plans!

what are you creating this week? have you ever made legwarmers? or worn them?

green love.

we've had heaps of rain in the last week or so, which has meant lots of growth on, well, everything!

the baby broad beans i shared last week, aint so baby anymore!



they've grown heaps! which reminds me, i need to fix my staking of them soon as they're most likely about to get super heavy!!

i've been super happy on my walks around the neighbourhood for the last week or so...



because it is FREESIA season! they are out in force and i LOVE to stop and give them a big whiff. one of my favourite flower smells for sure!

there's another exciting thing poking up out of the ground at the moment...



and that's my little asparagus!
it's still got a ways to go to get established and a bit bigger, but i'll enjoy those pretty ferns for the rest of the year!

and finally, with a bit of time on my hands this morning, i went out and got them dirty!



tomatoes are go! these are under my green house of course, and are still months and months away, but i wanted to get a jump on them sooner rather than later this year. hopefully all goes well!

what's growing in your patch this week? are you a tomato grower? excited about freesias too?

sock wool love.

as i mentioned on sunday, i popped into my local yarn store on friday morning to snap up a few bargains in their spring sale!
since bring these beauties home, i haven't been able to get them out of my mind, and if i didn't already have three knitting projects on the go, i'd definitely be casting on with them straight away!
to keep my itchy fingers at bay, while i'm knitting away on my other projects, i've been planning what to do with each of my new purchases. that way, when the time is right, i'll be good to go!



this glorious stuff is destined to become a pair of socks for my mumma, potentially for christmas if i get my shit together quick enough!
i'm hoping to whip up another pair of simple skyp socks for her.
i loved knitting up mine, and i'm hoping they'll be a simple enough pattern for her to like too!



i may have fallen in love with a couple of the colourways in this wool, so this purple came home with me too (i was *this* close to taking home some grey as well...) and i think it will become a pair of sugar maple socks.
again a christmas present, again if i can get it together by then AND if i can get the book the pattern is published in from my local library.
fingers crossed for that one!



and then there is this beauteous creation. i have been um-ing and ah-ing with what to do with this one... i desperately want to turn them into another pair of socks, just for me, but then there's the hitchhiker shawl... but i might save that for the beyooooootiful blue colourway that i left at sunspun. it's been on my brain ever since it was pointed out to me by one of the lovely ladies there, and i definitely think i will be going back for it!
so this lovely skein will become some longjohn socks i think. yep!
just look at the colours though! don't they just scream spring? delicate pink blossoms, new green shoots. so. much. love.

do you make plans for your yarn as you buy it? or do you only buy yarn WITH a plan?

meal planning monday.

i have just realised, looking at the week ahead, that it's another busy one for me! best stick to my meal plans when i'm not running all over the place ha ha!



tonight, i'll pop some chicken, tandoori paste and yoghurt together and give it a good old bake. serve it up with a bit of rice and some steamed greens and it should be a great way to start the week!

tuesday night, i'm off to ballet, so i'll throw together some chicken burgers tonight, that way bb can grill them up when he gets home, and i can eat when i'm done dancing.

wednesday night is ncb night. i'll grab something while i'm out, and i'll buy bb a steak to cook up for himself. sounds good.

thursday night, i'm off to ballet again! last week was supposed to be my twice-in-one-week ballet week, but there were some horrific storms in melbourne on tuesday and i sooked out! so it's a make-up class tonight, but before i head off, i'll make up a quick beer batter and fry up some fish. should be lovely with a couple of oven chips and a big lot of salad.

and friday, i'm off for the weekend to hang out with some of my family, for our annual girls weekend away! i'm sure we'll eat super well, and have an absolute ball! and bb, well he can fend for himself ha ha!
i'll be back on sunday, but i can't think that far ahead at this stage, too much fun stuff in the mean time ha ha!

what are you eating this week? any great plans for the weekend?

sunday snippets.

playing along with {tinniegirl} and her sunday snippets.

a few pictures, and some words, summing up the week that just was.



this guy, acting all angelic... but only while he's sleeping...



a shot of soon to be leafy trees while out trekking after work.



and my completely mis-matched work out gear. i definitely won't be missed by passing motorists!



i went for a quick visit to sunspun, on my morning off from work on friday, taking full advantage of their 20% off store-wide sale and filling my handbag with scrumptious yarn. get on it folks!



and finding my happy place after a fairly hectic week!
the spring cleaning bug has well and truly set in this week with mega tidying happening after and before work all week! definitely cutting into my knitting time though. not cool.

do you have some snippets to share from your week? are you in spring cleaning mode too?

snaparazzi.

this was the scene in my loungeroom on tuesday afternoon...



the lightbox that was on the to-do list for the month, is done!
well it's started... it still needs a few tweaks... and maybe some matching lightbulbs so there's not one 'cool' and one 'warm'

it did the job though! it meant that i could snap pics in the stormy light of tuesday afternoon...
and it meant that i've finally popped a beanie into the shop!



it was the only lonely beanie left from the stash that i sent to the beanie festival, and it's up in the shop here.

and speaking of the shop, i loaded this little beauty into the shop a few weeks ago now...



and it's available in the shop here.

are you an etsy shopper? or seller? what contraptions do you use to help with your photos?

EDIT:



CATS ARE SHIT! gaaaaaah! guess what i'm doing on my morning off today? *rageface*

my creative space.

i have a sad tale to tell today...

the other day i was cleaning the shower, and had this idea come to me with a vengeance.
i'm getting inspiration from housework! bit sad, little scary too!

in any case, i was scrubbing away at the shower, and thinking i really should get one of those soft scourers to use in there...
but then i though, why don't i make one...



i grabbed out some twine and got to crocheting... i figured by making it myself, i KNOW what it's made of and i know that once i'm done with it, after i've scrubbed it to death... i can compost it!
less waste is always a good thing in my books!



what do you think? would you crochet a scourer?

green love.

before the storms rolled in yesterday, i managed to get out into the backyard to find some things to share!
and with spring in the air, there's definitely lots going on!

the cuttings i planted a month or so ago now...



well they're not just sticks in pots any longer!
there's shoots and leaves coming off them all over the place!
i love that a rose bush can go from one massive plant, to one slightly smaller plant, and 14 teeny ones! so awesome!

and my broad beans?



well there's a bit more than just flowers happening now! i'm so excited! i can't wait for them to get nice and big and delicious!

but in saying that, i'm trying not to count my chickens before they hatch...
after waxing lyrically about my spinach last week...



#jerkcat struck! he dug up the exact patch where the spinach and rocket was growing to go to the bathroom. GGGAAAAAAAHH!
here i was, silently dreading possum or caterpillar attack, not to know that the real threat was curled up on my feet!
i'm trying to keep the little devil AWAY from what's left, so we still might get a go in another couple of weeks!

after channel surfing on the weekend and coming across gardening australia on abc, and their little feature on pest control, i'm on the offensive for my grape vines.



they ALWAYS get absolutely demolished by caterpillars, so i'm hoping by popping these egg shells around, the moths will lay their eggs on the shells, and not on my poor little grape vines. fingers crossed!

do you have a PEST problem? what's growing in your patch this week?