#memademay week three.

phew, managed another week of me made may madness without any double ups! my handmade wardrobe really is a lot more extensive than i first thought...



day fifteen, i wore my rubus slouchy hat while pottering around the farm and also when i popped out for an hour or so to my fave vintage market. i had a couple of vintage items i traded for a couple of different vintage items. oh and i picked up a delicious slice of cake.
good day all round ha ha!



day sixteen had me wearing my whorl cowl while bb and i popped to a gp appointment and to get some groceries. oh and then it stayed on for the rest of the day because it's just so darn cozy!



day seventeen and i was wearing something new! the wiksten tank dress i mentioned in my last post.
it was a pretty comfy dress to wear, and travelled well on my way to melbourne and held up while i was teaching that night too!
it also layered well with some other items in my handmade wardrobe, always a good thing!



day eighteen and i threw on a terzetto hat for the morning commute. this short hair business means i've got some cold ears happening, so much so that i pinched this hat from bb's woollies drawer. he didn't miss it, but i sure appreciated it!



day nineteen saw me wearing another stolen woolly number from bb's drawer. a luxuriously soft and snuggly garter stitch scarf. it kept my neck beautifully warm and provided me with endless entertainment as it's 12309842 years old and COVERED in pills and fluff that i spent a fair bit of time pulling off.



day twenty and i had some cosy feet on the couch! tip top toe socks for the win!



day twenty one, last night, saw me throwing on one of the chunky beanies i'd been working on to send away for the beanie festival this year. and i found one for bb too!
these are both knit up in rowan big wool, leftover from my foray into arm knitting. i had quite a bit leftover so i'm hoping to get a few more beanies out of it... and that means less yarn in my stash! yahoo!

a week and a half left of me made may, home stretch really!

sixth.

my sixth finish of the year was a bit of a spontaneous one.
i've been thinking for the last few weeks, while i'm home this weekend, i'd really like to get some sewing done, but then promptly gotten busy with the 3120398 other things i've wanted to get done too and forgotten.

this weekend just gone, i went as far as pulling out my fabric stash suitcase and sorting through what was in there and was almost ready to leave it at that...



until i found a ready-to-go copy of the wiksten tank pattern, all stuck together and cut out in the right size!
i got to cutting it out and pinning it all together monday night, and then sewing it together tuesday morning before heading up to melbourne for work.

i made a mass amount of bias binding as i remembered last time i made a tank, i bound the arm holes and necklines and loved the simplicity and the effect!



it turns out i made way too much though, as i also had enough to bind the hem too!



gotta be happy about that!

you'd better believe i threw it straight on and wore it the rest of the day.
there'll most certainly be a photo of me in it in this weeks #memademay post.

i see a few more of these in my future, though perhaps cut out with a wee bit more seam allowance (i say more, but i definitely didn't cut this with seam allowance). the fit on this one wasn't tight, but it doesn't have too much room for future bump growth either!

green love.

since moving back to the country, i've been spending some time assimilating my plants among what's already fairly established on my parent's property.



we're so lucky to have access to a great little citrus grove, very much looking forward to not having to buy lemons or limes for the foreseeable future!

most of the plants i had in blackburn were in containers all along, which made them super easy to move.



the herb box above was the only of my four planter boxes that i kept together for the move. the plants being very well established (since 2011 apparently), i was a little afraid to rip them out and put them into pots to transport.
luckily, it was the smallest of the four planter boxes i have, and i have a big strapping husband who was able to move it with his dad and brothers!

there's a couple of pots and things that i've sprinkled about the property...



the hanging boxes with strawberries that i accumulated pre-wedding to hang on the fence are now all hanging on the sides and fronts of the bigger planter boxes.
the big planter box below is full of teeny lettuce seedlings!



can't wait until they get a bit bigger!
it'll be great to be able to supplement our meals with some homegrown lettuces!

this little planter box has always been filled with flowers, but after digging them up, i've found new homes for them. i thought this planter box would make a great second herb garden, for some of the herbs that i've always had in pots.
you can't even imagine how root bound some of the pots were, poor herbs!



the perennial basil in particular is already showing signs of being super happy in it's new home, with HEAPS of new growth.
hopefully everything else kicks on happily too!

the second larger planter box is set up around the other side of the garage to everything else i've shown so far, right next to the veggie patch.
i've planted the two grapes back into it, they've been in there for ages... but in recent years, they've been more than a little overtaken by the raspberries i planted in there too.
i figure having a chilli plant between them this time will be a bit safer!



they seem to be quite happy, growing NEW leaves coming into the coldest part of the year. bit crazy ha ha!

bb and i got a little work done in the veggie garden last week, removing the tomato plants and getting a few new things in the ground...
carrots, spinach, tonnes of onions aaaaaand...



garlic! they've already started popping their little heads up after only being in for less than a week!

counting my chickens before they hatch here, but i can NOT wait to be eating our own garlic... we've planted a tonne so hopefully that increases the odds we'll get a decent haul!

as well as planting out lots into the veggie garden, i've also planted some broad beans and more carrots and garlic into the little patch beside the chook house.



the broad beans and garlic have already gotten themselves nice and established, as have the weeds!
look at them all!

a good weed and mulch of this bed is definitely on the agenda in the next week!

phew, so that's a bit of a catch up about what's happening in the world of green around here! hopefully i'll remember to keep this space updated with what's going on in these green spaces.

#memademay week two.

still going strong with the handmade items into week two of me made may.
next week might be a bit more of a struggle though ha ha!



day eight, saw me wearing my jo sharp reversible wrap.
according to ravelry, i knitted it nearly four years ago!
i tend to go through periods of wearing the living daylights out of it, and then promptly forgetting about it's existence. i do love wearing it when i remember it's around though ha ha.



day nine, another pair of handknit socks. this time the sugar maple socks.
perfect for schlepping around the house in. particularly when our new abode is seriously lacking in the carpet department.
they keep my toes nice and warm!



day ten, i wore my honey cowl while chook wrangling. knitted up in some cheap and cheerful wool from spotlight.



day eleven saw me rocking my hitchhiker shawl, one of my absolute favourite knits from last year!



day twelve i was back to work! i spent all day with this cosy m.1. solo wrapped around my neck. i knit it up in some yarn i picked up from the bendigo woollen mills backroom, and as i didn't have quite enough to make a generous scarf, i seamed it up to make a perfect length cowl!



on day thirteen, i wore some handmade pj pants. well, i didn't wear them ALL day obviously, but from midnight to 8am ha ha.
to make these, i cut around an existing pair of pjs, and sewed up the seams. a casing at the waist for some nice thick elastic and some quick double turned hems and they were done. all from a vintage doona cover. too easy!
which reminds me, i should probably make myself some more!



day fourteen i kept cosy at work with my rubus cowl hanging around my neck. i knit it up in another discovery from the bendigo woollen mills backroom. magical place that it is!
it's super hard to capture the colour of this beauty correctly, it's quite a dark green!

and that's it for this week! i'm quickly running out of handmade items, so hopefully i make it through week three! week four... well that will be a struggle ha ha!
wish me luck!

fifth.

over the weekend, i finished up my fifth finish for the year.
and the second to last on the to-finish list i began at the start of the year.



i'd been working on this for quite a while... it being a souvenir that my folks brought home for me from their trip to the states, nearly THREE years ago! phew!

i had the frame for it for at least a year, making me think i've been working on this one for at least two...



very happy to get it done, pressed and framed. and now i only have one wee thing left on my little list of unfinished projects, yahoo!

meal planning monday.

well, well, well, it's been a while since a meal plan has graced this fair page... but i'm back with one this week.
though if i'm being honest, it probably won't be a regular thing. i rarely have myself together on a monday at the moment ha ha.



tonight, i'm hoping to cook up the beautiful fennel i found yesterday at my local produce shop, with some chorizo and pasta. i might throw some capsicum in this time though, as i grabbed one or two of those while i was there and i feel like i need to eat all of the vegetable i can at the moment!

tomorrow night, maybe a curry? yep. delicious!

on wednesday night, i'll cook up some pork chops that bb picked up this morning. i think they'll be good baked in the oven on a bed of veggies... maybe i'll save a wee bit of that fennel actually.

thursday, i'll be heading back up to the city to work. i'm lucky enough to be staying with some awesome friends, who even cook and share dinner with me on a thursday night!

friday night is normally my night to cook for aforementioned awesome friends, but this week i have a hair appointment straight after work. very much looking forward to it as i haven't set foot in a salon since my wedding 5 months ago. oh the split ends!
anywho, i'll probably offer to bring home some indian from the place across the tracks from my hairdressers, it is goooooood stuff!

saturday night is always a little tricky, heading home from melbourne and through the myriad of takeaway places that the outer suburbs offer, right on dinner time.
after hitting up a drive-thru the last few weeks, i'm hoping to stay strong and whip up a quick and easy stirfry when bb and i get home! keep your fingers crossed for me!

to top off the week, i think a lazy sunday roast will do just the trick! lots of veggies for me please!

what are you eating this week?

#memademay week one.

as we finish up the first week of may, i thought i'd share a little something i decided to endeavour on quite late on the first day of the month...

i decided to participate in me made may!
i've never taken part before, figuring i really didn't have that many 'me-made' items in my wardrobe... but since changing jobs last year, i've definitely added a few new bits and pieces to my clothing stockpiles.

so without further ado...



day one, my colourwork sampler beanie. it was a chilly old day, and this kept my head and ears toasty warm as i traipsed about that farm getting things done.



day two, a cosy pair of skyp socks. another blustery day, but i had the warmest toes going around.



day three, an outing to the movies with bb called for a bit better outfit than i'd worn the last two (tracksuit pants and a hoodie, with the addition of the aforementioned cosy socks and hat, ha ha!). i layered up my alcomar shirt over a black rtw dress. it added a wee bit more warmth and showed off my little bump nicely too!



day four, may the 4th, star wars day! i cheated a little and posted this photo of the amigurumi figurines i hooked up for our wedding bonbonniere. i was wearing handmade items, but none that i hadn't already posted!



day five, and i left my phone at work! i made do with this slightly crappy photo from my laptop camera... one of my super favourite makes, my triple stitch cowl. this one gets worn a LOT. it goes with lots of things in my wardrobe and it's so EASY to wear! i love cowls as they don't fall off like scarves or shawls, my neck feels a little naked without it ha ha.



day six, another favourite make. my featherweight cardigan. again, this one gets worn over and over again. the silver colour goes with so many things in my wardrobe!



and day seven, today i wore this dress. according to that post, i made this dress FOUR years ago! it's had heaps of wear over the four years, and as it's such a heavy drill fabric, apart from a bit of fading, it's still going strong.
i'm particularly pleased as it's always been a loose fitting dress, it should hopefully fit through my entire pregnancy! woohoo!

i'll no doubt be back next week, with another weeks worth of me made pictures. hopefully even sooner though... i've got garden plans to share, and heck, i might even rustle up a meal plan! it's been an age!

now i'd best be off to bed, as you can see in that last picture, it's been a big week!