show and tell.

the finished piece i'm sharing today was a quick knit. and i mean super quick. an hour or so tops!
AND knitted between serving customers at work to boot!



a flouncy scarf to highlight a yarn we have on sale in sunspun at the moment.
knit on a 5mm needle and using just one edge of the net style yarn, the scarf grew before my eyes.



anyone who has knitted with rowan kidsilk haze, would understand just how soft and ethereal this version would be.
it almost feels like a cloud! and the hazy mohair finish, traps a nice bit of warmth too.



with the yarn on sale for only $8.55 a hank, it would make the perfect start to the gift stash for the holiday season, don't you think?
i would imagine the scarf would come together even quicker if it was crocheted too!

what are you making at the moment? have you ever knitted or crocheted with a net yarn before?

ps. shoot the store an email, if you'd like to get your hands on some of this yarn before the sale ends on saturday!

my creative space.

isn't particularly creative at all this week.
yesterday i was feeling pretty bogged down, quite overwhelmed in fact. every now and again, i feel like i'm completely in over my head. there's just a bit too much going on and absolutely no time to get it all done.
there's a few too many ick things on my to-do list that are overshadowing all the great and fun and creative things i want to get done.
all these thoughts and feelings make me want to curl up in a ball and not do anything at all. and this in turn causes me to feel guilty for not using my time more productively.
it also makes me not such a fun person to be around, just ask my work colleagues from yesterday or bb when he got home from work. no fun at all!

today i'm tackling those icky things.
i've got a pile of mending to do. nothing big or overwhelming, just stuff i keep putting off that has been plaguing the back of my mind. a pair of pants to take up for bb, a button to sew back on a work shirt, a shoulder pad to sew back into a dress.



i've also got a beanie to finish that's been on the go for a looooooooong time. it's 80% of the way there and i think getting it to 100% will make me feel pretty good.

there's also a big pile of dishes (ick) but i'll tackle them after work, post post-work manicure :D

small, achievable things ticked off my mental to-do list to make me feel good!

all this is the main reason for me being absent the last couple of days from blogtoberfest. i don't think the commitment to blogging every day has been helping these feelings of 'too much to do' and guilt. something had to give and it was blogging (and to a lesser extent twitter). i'm therefore relinquishing myself of the commitment, if i post every day for the rest of the month, i do, if i don't, i don't.
there! take that feelings!!

less angsty creative spaces over 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!

my creative space.

in my space today, i'll be getting to some painting and hopefully finishing off the project i started on the easter long weekend.


i'm also hoping to get some cooking done! slow roasted lamb shanks for dinner tonight and some burgers in preparation for dinner saturday night (i'm working all day and probably won't have the energy to organise it afterwards...)



and a bit more knitting. the cushion cover i started lea's blankie and spotlight have decided to discontinue the colour, lucky i have a magical wool hunter as a friend!)


more creative spaces over with kirsty

hope softies away!

this morning i went for a little walk down to the post office to post my hope softies. yes softies, purposefully used a plural there. you see yesterday when i was taking photos to show you the teddy bear i'd made, my neighbour was taking her bin out and wanted to know what i was doing. i showed her my teddy bear and explained to her steph's hope softies. she then revealed to me that she does a LOT of blog reading herself and later popped around to give me a softie to send onto steph with my teddy bear. isn't that lovely?



here he is. he's a bit cute! and now he's keeping my little teddy bear company on their way up to queensland to steph and then onto a new home! how very exciting!
i also popped in a delicious looking present for steph, to say thanks for all the organisational work she's putting into this project :D

and now for today's scarf challenge idea!


this is one of my very favourite scarves. i opped it a little while ago and it's just so damn PRETTY!!!


notice i'm still in front of my wardrobe. i didn't get too far past my shoes yesterday... so there's still much or my wardrobe to be organised. maybe i'll get another shelf sorted before work. oh and make some risotto. very busy monday still ahead!

if you want to join in with the scarf challenge you can sign up with sophie right here!

suddenly sunday.

these weeks seem to be flying by and it's sunday already! can't believe it!
i guess there's been a bit of productivity though. my teddy bear for steph's hope softies project is finally done!


he's not exactly perfect, but i don't think he'll ever be if i'm making him... his eyes are a bit wonky, and well so are his ears and royal blue is never a good thread choice for a purple bear. i have tested him though, he's perfectly cuddlable! even snugglable!

and now for day 6 of sophie's february scarf challenge (i can't believe how many scarves i've still got to show you all!)


this is lovely stripy number is one i opped i think. i spotted it and knew it had to be mine!
you might notice as well, i'm in front of my wardrobe, pondering where to start the organisation process. may as well start at the top i guess, with the shoes! EEEEEP! anyone a size 6? i might have some to get rid of (i may have in excess of 30 pairs...)

hope your week is lovely and productive!

my creative space.

creatively sewing and stuffing a teddy bear today.



i'm kind of excited to get it finished and even more excited to get it to steph so it can get to a new home!

perhaps afterwards i'll get to some organising. the top of our wardrobe is a right mess and i need somewhere to put our christmas tree and decorations!

if you're creating today or would like to see some other creative spaces, pop in and visit .

my creative space.

or my cleaning space?



today i'm mostly just cleaning up after the little get together we had yesterday. in a bid to be a bit ''green" we used actual plates and glasses and cutlery which was great (except when we ran out of plates and cutlery) except now i've got a whole bunch of dishes to do!
never fear however, my brother gave me the first season of kitchen nightmares (it's disturbingly great), which will keep me company throughout my cleaning adventures.
did you have a good australia day? i surely did :D



i've also got a little bit of creativity happening (after all those dishes are done), i'm making a hope softie! i'm making a cute little teddy bear, just like i made back here. you can make one too, just make one up and send it on to steph!

for some more creative spaces, pop over and visit kirsty!

heirloom knits.

as i mentioned yesterday, i was VERY spoilt this christmas! and one of the fantastic gifts i received was this lovely book.


it was a gift from my boss no less. who says you can't have a good relationship with your boss ha ha?
i've been looking through it in any spare moments over christmas, and i think i've worked out my first project...



we so badly need a new bath mat, our old one is literally falling apart! hopefully this one will last a little longer, i'm pretty sure i bought the last one fairly recently, maybe last christmas. they don't make them like they used to :(



i've sussed the second project too. something a little bit pretty but a little less functional.
but sooooooooooo pretty!
they're going on the end of my very long to-do list... and i'm off to do some work on that list!
have a good wednesday!

finders keepers.

yesterday, after work, i sacrificed a few precious assignment hours (ok, so not much of a sacrifice) and headed into the city for a look-see at the finders keepers market.



i couldn't believe how much there was to look at!!! probably one of the largest markets i'd ever been to but i made sure i looked at EVERY stall.
however all this looking with my eyes meant i didn't take very many pictures at all... but here's a couple i did take, they're mainly of novel things i'd never seen before though...



the print is a little small but this card reads 'craft lady: you can't help but love a lady who isn't afraid to do nanna craft'
brianna spotted it and i thought it was wildly appropriate for me as the boyfriend almost continuously calls me a nanna for carting knitting or crochet everywhere. can't remember who was selling these, anyone?


speaking of the boyfriend, i saw this and couldn't help but think of him. it was just the coolest.
whenever i'm anywhere browsing, i can't help but look at things and see them as amazing presents for other people. anyone else have that problem?
gosh i can't remember who was selling these either! bad memory due to wayyyyy too much to see!


and these? well these were just the bees knees. books with covers made from vinyls. the inside cover was the cover of the record too. i really liked the photo album one!
find them here.

i had set myself a $20 budget for the day due to looming rent and bills so i didn't really buy anything... but my head is full of dreams so that's a good thing right?
ok well i lied, i did buy one thing...


brianna again spotted it and we both decided we couldn't let it pass...
yes those are knitting needles in my bag... it was a long train ride into the city ok?!
also, just a public service announcement... if you're going to knit on the train, make sure you grab some wool that is in a ball not a skein, otherwise you will have to make it into a ball on the train and people will glare at you when you hit them with your wildly flailing arms trying to untangle the skein and others will stare and laugh.
it took me the entire train trip in, and the tram trip from flinders st AND 10 minutes sitting on a grassy hill in docklands to get it into the ball ha ha. from then on out the knitting wasn't bad though...

hope you're monday is as painless as possible and that you a buoyed through it by a marvelous weekend!
i'm off to do start on some exam study as i successfully completed my last undergrad assignment last night (and handed it in this morning before the faculty office opened, therefore on time!!!)

did you guess?

the secretive my creative space post the other day... did you guess?


it was a teddy bear! for my baby second cousin, it was her very first birthday!!!
i was suuuuper late to the party but i still got to catch up with everyone and see the super cute birthday eat her cake! well, sit on, step on, smoosh and smash the cake, she ate a little bit...



i also found this amazingly cute card at the papercraft store near my house. think i'll probably be going there for all my cards from now on, there's some amazing ones there!
this one was made by tracey russell :D

my creative space.

is a bit secretive today...
i'm making something new, something i've never attempted before, as a little surprise for someone.


it involves very slooooooooow knitting on my behalf, lots of marking off of rows and counting and such. not at all what i'm used to.
i'm just hoping it all works out ok, wish me luck?

see more, not so secretive, creative spaces right here.

inherited.

i recently inherited this obese little box of knitting needles from my nanna.
sooooo many different sizes and lengths!


so i spread them all out on the floor, and sorted them out into the different gauges. the different forms of measurement for the gauges had me a little confused, but a quick google-ing session, and the gauge meter on the other half of the broken box helped immensely ha ha!


soooo many different sizes and types, some circular needles, some double pointed, lots and lots and lots of little tiny thin plastic-y ones.

after spreading and then sorting, i filled up my knitting roll. i think i've got plenty in there now, it's SO full!
oh and can you see those lovely pink bobbly wooden ones?



they didn't actually come from my nanna, nor did they come from a shop. they were a lovely present, from jodie at the haby goddess. i feel a little guilty, she sent them to me a little while ago and i haven't shown them off yet!
thanks so much jodie! if you aren't already a follower of the haby goddess, you should definitely have a little, look-see. lots and lots of cute haberdashery type crafty things!

tuesday treasures.

yesterday i received a little present from my grandma. a pair of freshly knitted socks!
as long as i've known my grandma has always knitted socks, normally for her brothers and son-in-laws and just recently, me!


there's nothing quite as warm and snuggly as a pair of hand-knitted socks :D

maybe it's time for me to start learning?



i'm more than a little keen, but i think i should be finishing some blankets off first...
for more tuesday treasures, pop over to clare's craftroom.