candle making.

a few months ago now, i was very generously offered to try a candle making kit, from the crafty candle supplies company based in melbourne.



i was so excited to give it a try when it arrived, and then, of course, didn't get a good run at it for a couple of weeks.



when i finally had some time up my sleeve (thank you nap time gods!) i had such a great time! who'd have known making candles would be so easy!? and it was a bunch of fun too!
i do love to try my hand at new things, and it was so ace that the kit came with everything you needed!



now the question is... do i use my newly made candles at home? or give them away as gifts this christmas??
decisions decisions he he!



have you ever tried your hand at candle-making? what's your favourite candle fragrance?

green love.

well, well, well... not surprisingly, it's been an age since i last took you on a stroll through the greenery round these parts... needless to say, there's a fair bit more going on than last time he he.

anywho, on with the showing and telling!



the broad beans have been doing their thing, and we've gotten quite the pickings from them... lots eaten for dinners and lunches, and quite a few going into the freezer too!
will enjoy those once the very short broad bean season is over.

the garlic is looking rather splendid.



won't be long before that's up and out of the ground, drying out and ready to keep us stocked up for the year ahead. have missed having it on hand the last month or so!
must remember to preserve some for the couple of months we'll be without.

the carrots haven't taken so well unfortunately...



a couple of years ago, i had such luck with a fantastic carrot crop, but haven't been able to replicate it since... will keep trying though... love being able to go out and pick carrots as needed!

the snow peas have been quite generous this year...



they're just THE perfect snack. as well as the sugar snap peas we grew alongside them... delicious!

i managed to grow a single perfect cauliflower.



just one, from the half a dozen plants i put in...
not too worried, as i'm not actually the biggest fan of the cauliflower he he. was fun to try though!

feeling a little disappointed with the fruit trees this year to be honest... so much gorgeous blossom, but not a lot of fruit!



well a little fruit as you can see above, but not the masses that we were lucky enough to have set last year...
it's all in the weather though, and i think we got some truly rotten stuff just as the bees were needed to do their thing...
oh well, better luck next year!

my next garden update mightn't be for a while, but it should be of a quite different space, stay tuned!

what are you growing at your place at the moment?

well hatted.

over the winter months, i knitted a lot. A LOT!
as well as working slowly on socks, and a few commission pieces, i also knit up a whole load of baby hats...



this baby hat to be specific...
i knit 12 of them!



three of them were in newborn size, for three new babes that came into the world over those wintery months, and the remaining nine, were knit in the kid size... for nine (not so little) newly-minted one year olds!



even having knitted up so many of these hats, i still love the pattern! it's so easy and looks so cute on little heads.

i'm even contemplating knitting myself one!

probably my favourite part of having knitting so many though, is the small, but sizeable dent it's made in my dk and aran scraps. huzzah!



i got a wee bit creative with the wrapping of them too.
since having a baby, i've come to realise just how much goes into the packaging of gifts! so much stuff!! that will all most likely just end up in the bin!
hence my low-packaging gift wrapping. the leaves can be composted, and the string or ribbon was all repurposed from my stash of collected bits and bobs. hopefully they might be reused by the recipients, but if not, at least i know they've had a couple of uses before being binned!

nicole talks knitting. episode 4.

with a bit of baby free time this morning, i managed to record another episode for my knitting vodcast...



walkerville socks
my walkerville socks wool gathering new to me kal
scrappy socks with afterthought heels
tarndie polwarth
circus tonic handmade
how to do a russian join

what are you working on at the moment? are you a fan of sewing in ends?

nicole talks knitting. episode 3.

episode 3 of my knitting video series is now up on youtube!



in it i talk about what's on my needles at the moment, and below are some links to most everything i chat about.

fly with me vest
homeward bound kal
new to me kal
wool gathering retreat
tarndie polwarth yarn
circus tonic handmade
tough love sock yarn
walkerville socks

what are you knitting at the moment?

the goat and goose.

at the end of july, bb, ag and i headed off on a little roadtrip to canberra, making a few stops along the way.
our first stop was in lakes entrance, and we stayed in the absolutely charming goat and goose bnb.



bb found it while researching accommodation online and KNEW i would love it. the fella knows me well, he was right, it was love at first sight!

just outside of lakes entrance, it's located on a quiet street, overlooking the beach.



the room we stayed in was full of gorgeous little nooks and crannies, filled with what i guess you could describe as 'granny chic' items... lots of layering of nic-nacs just made the place feel SO cosy and homely. it was gorgeous!



perhaps not the best room for a couple AND a baby, with no where to put ag's cot except in the one room. it was an early bed time for us all he he!
lovely nonetheless though.

we enjoyed our breakfast on the floor in our room and ag thought it was a blast!

anywho, if you're ever in the area, keep it in mind. we loved it and the folks that own, run and live there too are super friendly!

ps. this is not sponsored or gifted in any fashion, i just really liked our experience there and wanted to share.

nicole talks knitting. episode 2.

found a wee bit of time yesterday afternoon so put together another episode of my knitting vlog!
i'm finding them quite fun to make, now i've got the hard parts down pat...
now to work on improving the lighting and such... and maybe stop saying 'um' so much... it will all come together eventually i'm sure!



it's over on youtube here and below are a few links to things i talked about.

garter ear flap hat
whisky bay woollens homeward bound kal
walkerville socks

tell me what you think? do you watch other knitters on youtube? who are your favourites?

this time last year... a birth story.

this time last year... well i was feeling quite uncomfortable to say the least... after staying in hospital the night before, i was well into full blown labour after having my waters broken and being put on a pitocin drip a little after 8am.
those first few contractions were funny, but their strength grew and grew and i wasn't giggling about them for long! i was soon asking everyone within earshot 'why would someone do this more than once???'
after a few hours, i was getting pretty uncomfortable and decided to give some gas a go for pain relief... it really didn't seem to do much, but it gave me something to concentrate on when i felt those contractions coming.

the midwife checked on my progress when i started mentioning more pain relief and i was relieved to hear i was nearly fully dilated and soon was feeling the need to push!
fast forward an hour and a half, i was still pushing and getting nowhere quickly. except tired that is, i was pretty tired by this stage... actually, i was exhausted!
my gp was called in, and strongly recommended an epidural to give me a bit of a break, and to let the contractions do some more work before perhaps having a go at getting bubs out with some help. i accepted gratefully. after 30 minutes or so, i was resting a little more comfortably, though could still feel every contraction through my left side.

another hour or so later, our little fella had made a little progress in coming out but not a huge amount.
we made the decision to use some extra measures to help get him out so off to theatre we went! bb had to get changed into some beautiful scrubs and i received a pretty wonderful top up to my epidural which meant i couldn't feel a thing from my ribs down.
i knew i was in safe hands, and that we were about to meet our bubba, but i was also shitting myself with nerves and couldn't stop shivering!
our beautiful gp went to work trying to coax our little one out, first with the vaccuum extractor, and then when that wasn't particularly successful, some forceps. it was very strange working with her and the midwife, pushing when i was contracting, but not being able to feel anything at all!
with those forceps, our son was born! pretty much tearing me asunder on the way out though, even with an episiotomy to try and stop it!

a minute or two later, we were here...



with me, tired, overwhelmed and completely in love. and the little fella, well looking a little grumpy to be honest. could you blame him though? what a day!

a year on, i can't believe just how different we both are. and just what an experience becoming a mumma has been, humbling, eye-opening and completely life changing.

the battle wounds have healed, time has passed and now i kind of get why folks would go back for more. what a trip!

nicole talks knitting.

in the last taking stock post i wrote up, i mentioned wanting to start a v-log but not being sure about the logistics...

well it's taken me the better part of a day, but the first episode is now up on youtube!

it's all about what i'm knitting at the moment... and i'm hoping to maybe pop one up every couple of weeks. will see how that goes he he!

pour yourself a cup of tea (if you're into tea that is!) and have a watch!



what do you think? are you a knitting vodcast watcher? what are your favourite ones to watch?

sock tales.

my lofty, knitting-a-pair-of-socks-a-month goal is really not being met at the moment. i am SO behind!!

the problems started with this pair...



cast on in the car on the way to wool gathering in may, they languished as i worked on more enticing projects (a cardigan! as yet, unphotographed oops!) and didn't get finished until the start of july!

i then cast on these ones for my mother in law, thinking they would be quick as she was only after a pair of ankle socks...



i got this far before realising there would most definitely not be enough wool...
ever the perfectionist, i started again, this time with contrasting pink toes (yep, that's them above) and to make myself feel better, cast on ANOTHER pair to try and make myself feel better before i ripped out all that work i'd done...



these new ones are coming along nicely, and the little bit of lacework in the panel is quite compelling to knit... but i can't help but feel a little impatient as we're at the end of august and neither my JUNE or JULY socks are completed!
going to knuckle down on them for the next couple of days and see if i can't make good progress on both pairs before the month is through!
and then maybe get started on august's socks too...

wish me luck!

taking stock.

now feels like a good time to touch base and take stock. here goes!

Making : progress on my knitting list. slowly.

Cooking : quite a few dinners as to plan. one or two indiscretions. but mostly to plan!

Drinking : water. well trying.

Reading : into some things a little too much. need to lighten up a little!

Trawling : is a word that reminds me of fishing.

Wanting : to get a v-log started i think... it feels like it might be a nice thing to do. but the logistics involved are kind of making me shudder.

Looking : around at toys on the floor. ag sure has mastered pulling EVERYTHING out. thankfully he's starting to learn to put things away again. kind of he he.

Deciding : what to do with the rest of the evening. more blogging, or a bit more knitting?

Wishing : for the usual, more hours in the day... would get a bit more sleep and a bit more knitting done he he.

Enjoying : having an 11 month old. except for the biting. i could do without that.

Waiting : to see what happens tomorrow... some things might be on their way to changing, but then again, maybe not. tomorrow should reveal a little.

Liking : that i got to spend a few hours today with some pals. meeting halfway is a nice place to meet.

Wondering : why my mouse key has just become so unresponsive... you don't realise how much you use something like that until it stops working well.

Loving : having the fire lit every night. so cosy!

Pondering : a capsule wardrobe type thing. reducing, refining and filling in the gaps. less brain power required on the daily sounds like a good thing to me!

Listening : to podcasts in the car. they make solo drives so much easier!

Considering : what needs to be done tomorrow... and what i can get away with not doing to fit in more knitting time!

Buying : groceries. but only once a fortnight. it's kind of wonderful.

Watching : the handmaids tale on sbs on demand. bit late on the bandwagon but thoroughly enjoying it. in a terrified way...

Hoping : i can avoid any game of thrones spoilers until tomorrow.

Marvelling : at the passage of time. how is august nearly done already? didn't winter just begin??

Cringing : at how much darning there is to do... i need to have a darning week i think. no knitting, just duplicate stitch and hole mending!

Needing : to pick up a book from the library.

Questioning : how i've neglected to share so many knitting projects over here lately! lots of things have been coming off the needles (like those socks on my feet in the background up there...) but their stories have yet to be told. i need to get to catching up!

Smelling : the hyacinth bulbs that have popped up. they were gifted to me last year and i replanted them in a pot and promptly forgot about them. such a lovely surprise!

Wearing : pyjama pants. so comfy.

Noticing : the days getting longer. it's wonderful.

Knowing : i need to create a few regularities to my days... yoga, drinking more water, more outside time and heck, even blogging! a little bit every day will no doubt make for a happier me!

Admiring : kate's beautiful socks. maybe some colourwork socks are in my future... definitely something i haven't tackled in my sock adventures this year!

Opening : that box of candle-making goodies! super excited to get busy making some beautiful candles!

Closing : the arms on my glasses, as i take them off for the night. they're filthy (all the time now thanks to baby sausage fingers) and it's easier to see without them!

Feeling : like i need to give my hair a good wash. and by wash, i mean rinse. i've gone off using shampoo as my scalp has been most unhappy when i have used it and would you know, i haven't even missed it! my hair has been happy without it!

Dreaming : about a yarny road trip, a la julie at wool on wheels. wouldn't it be nice?!

Hearing : a possum on the roof, so loud!! cheeky things have been going to town on the mandarin tree, hope they leave some for us.

Celebrating : turning 29 last week. officially in my 30th year and not quite sure what to think about it he he.

Pretending : like my baby won't be one next month. how quickly has this year flown! gollllllly!

Embracing : simplicity. well trying anyway he he.

what have you been up to lately? keen to take stock too?

meal planning monday.

boy has it been a while between drinks when it comes to meal planning monday posts... as in, well over a year, oops he he!
turns out this moving to the country and having a baby caper tends to mess with one's ability to organise meals... well that's not necessarily true, we've been eating just fine, but it does cut into the time you have to find pretty pictures and tappy-type up posts for blogs.

anywho, enough dwelling on the past, time to get to planning!



as you can see from the picture, rather than work on a weekly schedule, bb and i sat down and nutted out a whole month!
i'm hoping it helps free up brain space and means that we should only have to do one or two grocery shops for the month, which we can then supplement with fresh fruit and vegetables from our local. not to mention, it should help stop our favourite meals from becoming boring.

now i'd best be off to write up some lists, i've got some grocery shopping to get done!

how do you go about meal planning these days?

green love.

it's been a wee while since i shared what was going on out in the garden, but what a perfect time to share now that everything has well and truly slowed down a bit!



the lemon tree is absolutely laden once again... best get to some lemony baking i think... lemon butter, curd, tart, cake! oh the possibilities!

despite it being super chilly outside, there are one or two things ready to go into the ground...



a few broad beans...

and some sugar snap peas too!



hopefully they're ok with our frosty mornings once i get them in the ground!

these little lettuces are coming along slowly, with some wee beetroot in the foreground too.



and way back there at the back, some kale and rainbow spinach keeping us well supplied with greens to put into soups and pasta sauces and well, just about everything to be honest!

in this bed, we've got a good mixture of stuff! hopefully the combination of lots of different leafy bits will keep the cabbage moths confused and give everything a chance to grow nice and big without getting eaten to the ground by caterpillars...



wish me luck on that one he he!

what's growing in your garden at the moment?

plastic free july.

it's july (!!!) and this year, i've decided to join in with the plastic free july challenge, in a bid to reduce some of our consumption of single use plastics...

i'm definitely on board with reducing the big four, being straws, plastic bottles (such as water and soft drink bottles), plastic bags and coffee cups, but i've set myself a few additional challenges too!

the first is to cut down our use of disposable nappies!
we've got a good stash of cloth nappies ready to go, so it's just a matter of making sure they're what we reach for when it's nappy change time!
BR> the second is to avoid the drive thru. nothing we buy there is any good for our health, our budget, and the amount of single use plastic that you end up with is crazy town!

the third and final challenge i've set us, is to start a collection of soft plastics that are unavoidable at this stage, to recycle at our new local redcycle point. not buying food items in soft plastics would be the ideal situation, but i definitely don't have time to be home-making everything we need at this stage in life he he.

are you joining in with plastic free july too? what are your favourite things to do to reduce waste?

taking stock.

and just like that, it's nearly been a month between drinks! despite having blogging on the mind, i've been neglecting to actually sit down, with my laptop and get to typing. and then of course, the longer it went, the harder it seemed to get back to it.
but i just couldn't let it go any longer!

a little taking stock action, as a means to catch y'all up on where we're at, and to get me back in the game he he!

Making : lots of things, since i last posted, there's been a couple of milos off the needles, and a cardigan for myself. not a lot of sock knitting though so i'm running a bit behind on my pair of socks a month plan...

Cooking : some pretty terribly boring meals to be honest. even a truly terrible one. off my game in more than one area apparently he he!

Drinking : too much soft drinks. back on that bandwagon unfortunately. time for some cold-turkey time.

Reading : blog posts! for the first time in a while, my blog reader is empty! tempted to add a few new blogs to the reel... any recommendations?

Trawling : the real estate app. my heart loves a fixer-upper.

Wanting : to get motivated, set up some routines... my brain is instantly rebelling against any boundaries i give myself at the moment though. good on ya brain.

Looking : around at my trashed lounge room. how does a 9 month old make so much mess? he's not even crawling yet!! Deciding : what to do with the afternoon. need to go op-shopping for some curtains for ag's room and have some friends i want to catch up with too. can we do it all? we shall see he he!

Wishing : time would just slow down a bit! we're midway through june already!

Enjoying : baby giggles. how can you not?

Waiting : for said giggly baby to wake up. hopefully after a bit more of this post gets written he he.

Liking : this chilly weather. the fire is going, we can rug up in woollies, so cosy!

Wondering : what we should have for dinner. probably need to add grocery shopping to that list of things i want to do this afternoon!

Loving : re-watching game of thrones before the new season starts next month. i do it every year as my memory is terrible!

Pondering : lunch options. vegemite and avocado on toast is on high rotation at the moment.

Listening : to a kookaburra outside.

Considering : a wee road trip tomorrow.

Buying : things to keep us cozy. hopefully some curtains to keep the warmth in for ag's bedroom. and a door snake to keep the drafts out from the front door!

Watching : the fifth season of orange is the new black. taking it a lot slower than in previous years... hard to binge watch shows with a baby around!

Hoping : the kookaburra doesn't wake the baby. little ag is not a happy chappy when he gets woken up from naps!

Marvelling : at just how quickly the days disappear. what have i even got done today?

Cringing : at my inability to get my shit together some days.

Needing : to clean the oven. it's terrible!

Questioning : what it means to be feminine...

Smelling : not much at all. blissful when you're thinking about poo many many hours of the day.

Wearing : my new cardigan constantly. oh and handknit socks. all day every day.

Noticing : birds. specifically rosellas on my drive home this morning. they were hiding all over the place!

Knowing : that things will work out eventually.

Thinking : about bulk shopping. what we could use and such.

Opening : the fire door to put more wood on.

Closing : some of the 8 trillion tabs open on my phone.

Feeling : the cold a lot more already this winter. last winter i was pregnant, and although it seemed cold at the time, maybe it kept me cosier than i realised!

Celebrating : my little bro getting a new job. well we did over the weekend anyway he he.

Pretending : i haven't deleted a couple of these prompts... it might have happened, oops!

thanks pip for the little list to get me back into this blogging lark! now to keep it up!

why.

i've been listening to the slow home podcast for quite a while and the episodes always get my mind going, thinking about things in different ways and from different perspectives as well as giving me lots of ideas in ways to slow down and simplify...
last month though, brooke and ben spent the month (on mondays) talking about their 'why's', as in why they do what they do. the values and beliefs that shape their long and short terms goals and daily life too.

i loved this concept, so have been doing quite a bit of thinking about it...

the first part of the podcast series introduced the concept of what a why is, the ways that it can shape your life and world view and in the second part of the podcast series, the how-to begins.
brooke recommends writing your eulogy. what would you want said about you at your funeral? what parts of your life would you want people to remember?
after a bit of pondering, i realised that what i would want remembered of me, is my hard work to make our house a home. a warm and safe place that is welcoming and nurturing. and despite working hard at this, to have had time to be there for those that need me, children, partner, family and friends.
they're the things that are important to me.
the third segment involves pulling values out of that eulogy, boiling it down to a couple of key words to help shape those everyday decisions and the fourth makes recommendations of how to use those values to actually shape those everyday decisions.
the values i gleaned were home and quality time, and i'm really already starting to think about them when i'm making decisions on the daily.

have you ever worked on an exercise like this? are you a slow home podcast listener too?

wool gathering.

woweeeeeee! what a weekend!

the weekend just gone, marked the hosting of the inaugural wool gathering event at tarndie, and boy was it a great one!

i spent the weekend, wearing an apron, helping out to ensure everyone was having the best time they could be! though those tasks kept me pretty occupied, i managed to flit around and take a fair few photos too!

the event started out pretty nicely for us "staff" (helpers and teachers) with some beautifully motivating words from karen, and some bubbles with a side of tea and a spot of knitting.



before we got settled in to start welcoming folks at the registration desk.



after some dinner, and (hopefully) a good night's rest, the attendees flocked back to tarndie on friday, saturday and sunday for some excellent woolly classes.



knitting, spinning, dyeing, and that was just what i managed to snap photos of! there was also weaving, crochet, embroidery and farm touring happening too!

with all that fun, thankfully there was still a bit of time for resting (knitting) too...



unless you're saffy the dog, then there was LOTS of time for resting!

after a slow few days this week to recover, i'm really looking forward to getting started on next year's event! one or two kinks to iron out, and then next year's should be even better! can't wait!