100 days of creativity - week 2.

week two was a little slow going up onto instagram as the shorter days are definitely impeding on my photo taking time. i did get there eventually though ha ha!



a finish up of the beanie i started last week, as well as a start to a swatch for work, and a baby blankie with some yarns i was gifted as part of a yarn swap. ooh and there was a little fixing of my crocheted blankie that was developing a few holes after being on the couch for the last couple of years. and also a little end weaving on some wash cloths that my mum got to knitting.
i'm finding it quite hard to take interesting and different photos of my projects each day, so i think i'll keep juggling projects for the 100 days, so i don't bore everyone to tears...

what creating have you gotten up to this week?

my creative space.

today my creative space feature a box full of bear bits. well it's not quite full, but it's slowly getting there. i've been adding a couple more bits every now and then.



maybe i'll have them all made sometime soon and be able to share a fully assembled bear :D
more creatives spaces, over this way!

and while i'm at it, the third day of 30 days hath november, requires something that you can't leave the house without. i was tempted to write something like, my bra or underwear, but didn't much fancy taking a photo for you all. i was also tempted to go the philosophical route and say a smile, or a sense of humour, but some days i do forget to take those with me, in fact, some days i don't know where to find those things!
the truth is, the thing i can't leave the house without...



is my iphone. i'm a hopeless addict. it helps me feel and be connected to all of those that i love (and the entire world!) at the push of a button. i would be truly lost without it!

what can you not leave the house without?

getting my bunt on, part 3.

last thursday, i finished off the very last parts of my bunting swap flags, wrote on all of the cards and sealed everything up into envelopes.
would you like to see my flags?



i couldn't decide between using crochet or sewing to make my flags, so i just used both!
i backstitched in wool along the seam of the two sides and then crocheted into the backstitching :D


i also used my bunting stamp to make little cards to send with the flags :D oh and i stamped the envelopes. basically i just had a stampy good time!




i did put off posting this ta-da because i didn't want to spoil the surprise for anyone. there's nothing better than a nice surprise in the mail :D
massive thanks to rachael for organising everything. i can't imagine how hard it was to co-ordinate all those bunting flags to go to different places. clever lady!

my creative space.

today in my creative space, i'm working on something a little different...




a doily rug. major inspiration from here. pattern motif from here. i do intend to alter the pattern however as it's not sitting as flat as i'd like it to and i have this feeling that no amount of blocking is going to make it! i have a feeling i'm going to be doing a LOT of frogging and re-crocheting today!

more creatives spaces, over this way!

vintage crochet friday.

this week i thought i'd play along with lara, every week she posts a picture of a vintage crochet project, some hilarious and some not too bad actually...
i was looking through a magazine series that my neighbour gifted me before she moved, to find some crochet edging ideas/patterns.




this magazine series is really great, there's a section for just about every craft imaginable!
and there are a LOT of vintage crochet images in it too!

bikini anyone?

flower motif jumper.

a very flat looking blouse.

something to hang in the window.

and my favourite of all, the crocheted string bag. i LOVE the pose. the props. the accompanying outfit. so neat!

hope you've got a great weekend planned!

my creative space.

i wracked my brain all day yesterday, trying to think of a topic for today's post, completely forgetting that thursday is my creative space day! silly me!!!



today i'm working on some repairs to a well travelled blankie. one you might remember seeing before...
my first blanket effort hasn't held up to toddler time quite as well as i would've hoped, but it's very repairable. and it's a good indication just how far i've come with my crochet. i'm looking at the joining that i did with this blanket and wondering what the hell was i doing! hopefully the latest blankie holds up a little longer :D

more creatives spaces, over this way!

my creative space

i think i may have resolved in an earlier post to stop leaving things to the last minute. yep, that sounds like me, making resolutions i'll know i'll never keep... just look at my wish list at the start of every month...
anywho... 6 months ago, i signed up for a craft swap. yes you read correctly, 6 months ago. and no, i'm not 5 months late, it was a swap that gave you 6 months to get something beautiful made. and when did i start this beautiful project? last night of course!


i have to send it on the 1st of september, which happens to be today. i've got a lot of hooking to do today!

hope your day isn't quite as chaotic!
for (hopefully) less stressed creative spaces, pop over here

quiet afternoon.

a sick day on the couch, under my ripple with the heater toasting my feet and the renovators to catch up on the tv.
it is the best way to fight a cold in my opinion.




oh and i'm crocheting. my door snake is growing quite quickly non?
yes it's a door snake, hope y'all kept your minds out of the gutter :P

my creative space

is a bit of a mystery today...
a crocheted mystery in red.




what do you think it is?
more creative spaces can now be found here!

our creative space.

putting the very last of the baby blanket squares together.

nearly time to put on the edge and get it alllllllllll finished up!

what are you today?

august....

is already flying by!
in fact, we're almost halfway through!!


i'm loving how many gorgeous plants are in bloom at the moment, it's starting to make me realise this winter is nearly over. bring on the sunshine!



now having a quick look back on july...
i didn't quite get the baby blanket done i was planning too, though it is very close... and those presents, didn't even get a look in!
i did however spend a fair few hours thinking about the design wall feature i want to hang above our bed, it will definitely get some hours spent on it this month!




so august, well top of the priority list is getting the baby blankie finished and done. then i really want to concentrate on getting stuff ready to hang for the design wall and maybe even getting it hung! i'm super excited about this as i recently bought a real piece of art, and it definitely needs some hanging space above the bed!
just a small number of goals this month, in the crazy hope i might actually get some of them done!

do you have any august goals?

what's in the bag?

i have a bag. it's not the prettiest bag, but it's where i keep all of the things that i'm working on. and let me tell you, it's deceptively big...



it's holding a fair few projects inside at the moment.



peter rabbit cross-stitch, ready for a beautiful name and a date (that has already happened, bit slack on that one), a baby blanket in the works (which i'm trying to only use stash wool on, keep running out :s), a mess of double pointed needles (i think i'm slowly getting better with them...) and a beanie (mindless knitting project for when my brain is too busy to think!)

more details for you when each project is finished, promise!

our creative space.

crochet, crochet, crochet!




looking to make and finish blankie number 3 for 2011. by the end of the month.
no biggie.

more creative spaces can now be found here!

ripple ta-da!

so this may well be the longest it will ever take me to finish a crochet blankie, but the ripple, well it's finally done!!!
i started it wayyyy back in september of '09 and finally got around to putting the finishing touches on it last night while i watched the afl upset of the season. to be honest, i actually thought i was done before the weekend, with just some ends to weave in, when i noticed in the brilliant sunshine of saturday, that i had crocheted the final row in a grey instead of a green (made me realise how terrible the lighting in our lounge room is of a night time!)
i did contemplate leaving it how it was, claiming it to be a design feature, especially because there wasn't a lot of difference in the colour...


but my perfectionist nature got the better of me... i quickly frogged the row, taught bb how to roll it back up into a ball (oh how he will regret learning this skill *evil laugh*) and re-crocheted the row within the football game.

so here it is, all done! with all the ends sewn in and trimmed off! i really think it looks pretty as a picture :D



and my favourite blankie shot! can i trademark it ha ha?




a work in progress, a long time coming. unlike pip, i am not sad to see the end of this blankie, probably because it's all mine and will get plenty of loving from bb and i over many years, but also because there's always another blankie project around the corner...

the ripple journey is mostly here.

july.

another month has flown by, it's july already. and not just the first, it's already the third!
so having a quick look back on june, i got one out of two of those baby gifts done (still waiting on the baby though ha ha!), i got a small amount of decluttering done (my 'crap' box is a little emptier and my kitchen table is a bit more functional) and my ripple? well tune in tomorrow for some news on that!
i also got lea's blankie done! which i and she were both very happy about! it even got to her safe and sound!

and what're the plans for july?
well i need to actually start (and finish) the project that i was planning on thursday as the baby is due early august (though my cousin is convinced it will be earlier...)
i also have a couple of birthday presents that i need to get done which should be easier as i think i'll actually have days off from work this month! huzzah!
definitely more de-cluttering is needed and i also want to work on a hanging feature for above our bed.

i also have grand intentions to get back in the habit. the habit of taking my lunch to work that is... the amount of money bb and i have been spending buying our lunches recently is honestly embarrassing.
though i didn't take my lunch on friday (well i didn't actually eat lunch, but i did buy a handbag... definitely not saving any money there...), i have had a very productive weekend to prepare for the next couple of weeks.




this is saturdays effort, a tandoori chicken and a malaysian curry, portioned up and in the freezer, ready to be popped in bags and taken to work.
i've been busy today too, adding spaghetti bolognaise and beef chow mein to the freezer as well. my poor little freezer is beyond full but there's more than 2 weeks worth of lunches in there for the two of us!

what're your plans for july? are you getting back in the habit?

my creative space.

if you go into the bedroom today, you're sure of a big surprise.
if you go into the bedroom today, you probably won't believe your eyes.

for everywhere, all over this spread
there's wool galore all over the bed

for today's the day that nicole goes through her wool stash!

yup that's right, i'm spending a bit of time today, going through my wool stash, trying to coordinate some kind of unisex combination of wools to create something special. last time i knew i could use pinks so i went a bit crazy but this time, well it'll be a bit more of a challenge for me that's for sure!

more creative spaces can now be found here!

flood relief blankie ta-da!

it's done! it is alllllll done!
i finished the last part of the border on monday night but haven't had a chance to get it photographed til today! it's very hard to get nice lighting when you come home from work and it's dark!



even so, not the greatest photo, i didn't have anywhere big enough to lay it out nicely!

so here's a prettier one... bit more deja vu happening. i'm not so creative with my photo taking am i? (to be honest i just wanted an excuse to sprawl out on this lovely creation. the boyfriend is begging me not to send it!)


i can't believe how vibrant the colours are! they would definitely not be in my safe choices! love your thinking outside the box lea!




thought i'd show off my edging too, after working the entire blankie in double crochet, i decided to do a row of single crochet in each colour to finish everything off nicely.
so tomorrow, this gorgeous little thing will be winging it's way to lea, in sydney.
i started it on shrove tuesday (8th of march) and finished it up on monday so just under 14 weeks, not a bad effort i think!

i hope you love it as much as i loved making it for you lea!
i do love making a good crochet blankie... maybe now i'll finish up my ripple... then again...

see you tomorrow for some creativity in this space, and maybe tomorrow night too...

so very close....

after being so close to being finished lea's blankie on thursday, i thought i'd be here with a ta-da, i'm finished post but gosh this edge is taking a lot longer than i first anticipated!



but here i am, on the very edge of the edge. it can't be too much longer surely!

have you enjoyed your weekend? was it a long one? i enjoyed a very leisurely day off from work today. thank you dear queen for being born and such ;)

our creative space.

bit of deja vu happening here... everything is looking a bit the same as a month or so ago, except now, i'm on the home stretch (and the lighting isn't quite as bright...)


hooking up the last few rows and then there's just the edge to go! guess i better start saving up my pennies to send this baby up to sydney, it's getting quite heavy!

i also made a start on one of the baby presents i've been banging on about needing to make!



it's a cross stitch using a counted pattern for a cousin's (almost born) baby! hoping i can get it to near completion before the little babe is born so that all i need to do is stitch in a name and birth date. fingers crossed!

more creative spaces can now be found here!

and we're back.

you know how when you can't do something, you want to do it all the more? that's what i was like yesterday! knowing that i couldn't blog meant that i had about 5 blog posts running around in my head, dying to come out! such is the way of human existence i suppose! anywho, on to the good stuff!

i've been working my little fingers off to desperately try and get lea's blankie all finished and done with and i'm getting pretty excited as it's getting quite close! would you like a look?



i wanted to take the picture measured on the bed, but there was someone in it! in any case, it's the perfect length for me at the moment, i can crochet onto it and it stretches all the way down my legs and over my toes, keeping me nice and toasty.
i think i'm going to try and get at least another 20 rows on it and then start on the edge. very excited to have the end in sight on this project as i have lots more to do this month!

like a cushion! the deadline is creeping up fast and i feel a bit like i'm getting nowhere! can't believe how many people are already finished!



i think i'm almost halfway to having the cushion cover proper done, then i need to crochet for it too! lots of work to go still, and some learning too. i think i'm going to try some buttonholes! figured that would be a good way to keep a cushion insert in (and an excuse to buy/destash some buttons...)

hope your weekend is going well!